Women of colour have always had trouble in the makeup isle. A chat with boss beauty, Risikga Singam, gives us the boost we need to dig out the bold lipsticks. Her Instagram feed is to die for and we admire how she flaunts her beautiful self whilst travelling to beautiful locations!
1. Could you give us a small introduction about yourself?
My name is Risikga Singam, my nickname is Risi. I will soon be 24 years old. I was born in Zurich, Switzerland and live here in Zurich. I did my apprenticeship of hotel management for 3 years in Zurich. I worked at a receptionist for 2 years afterwards. Besides that, I attended a Makeup School for Art in Zurich. I then decided I had enough of working irregular working schedules so I decided to search for another job. I have always loved to travel so I searched for a job at the travel agency. I’ve been working in the headquarters of Kuoni for 1.5 years. I’m a sales agent and my main work is to clarify all the questions from various travel agents from all over Switzerland. In order to sell our hotels, we must have seen it and experienced it personally. That’s why my boss sends us to different countries to inspect our hotels. Most of the time I’m in my office.
2. What made you want to get into makeup and where did your passion for it emerge from?
Since I was 12 years old I’ve been so passionate about makeup. Everything about it was intriguing. My neighbour worked as an in-flight crew for Pan American Airlines. Seeing how confident she and her friends were, looking so glamorous in perfect uniform, hair and makeup really caught my attention. I was amazed at how makeup would transform a woman’s face and later on, I came to appreciate how it even had an effect on her self-esteem. If she looked good, she felt even better. I absolutely loved the world of makeup and how diverse it is today. I took an opportunity to do makeup on friends. It was something I loved doing. It sparked creativity. I was always excited when given the chance and there was always something new to learn from the different faces I worked on.
3. As a dark skinned beauty did you ever find it difficult to find products to suit your skin? Did you ever want to use lightening products? Or were you comfortable in your own skin?
I always struggled to find products for my skin colour especially from a normal drugstore, they always show dark skinned girls in advertising but when you want to buy these products then they can never be found. Finally, I found my perfect match from MAC (NC 45). I’ve been using the MAC foundation for over nine years now. I love it! Last month, I did find a cheap foundation from NYX. The control drop foundation I just fell in love with (NYX number 19). I’m using the NYX foundation for everyday makeup and the MAC one for special events. As a South Asian girl, I tried fairness products with the hope of brighter skin but I realised quickly that was not the solution. During the ages of 12 -15, I struggled a lot because of my dark skin. I always asked my mother why I was born dark. Sometimes some of my family members would make jokes about how dark and chubby I was. My friends always said I was absolutely gorgeous and they told me how beautiful I was and how rare chocolate is and how gorgeous their skin is. All the things I was worried about seemed to fade away. I was like ‘yeah!’ and a light bulb went off.
4. As a travel sale agent what has been your favourite place to travel and why?
I went to Dominican Republican: Punta Cana last year. That was a mind-blowing experience. The beach was indescribably beautiful. I would definitely go back there.
5. What is the message you want to give to other girls out there?
Because of my dark skin, I want to inspire women of colour and empower them, let them know we are all goddesses inside and out! The message I have for you is, that how you look doesn’t matter, as long as you feel beautiful on the inside!
Written by Gayanthi Hapuarachchi
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