Celebrity makeup artist Vuyo Varoy talks about his journey in beauty and fashion and making waves locally and abroad.
Tell us more about yourself.
I'm a professional makeup artist, as well as the founder and creative director of Vuyo Varoy Lifestyle Emporium and Sir Varoy. I was born in Cape Town and I have four sisters — that makes me the only boy in our family.
I studied fashion design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and moved to Joburg in 2004 to intern at e.tv as a wardrobe stylist — this is where I was introduced to make-up artistry. I then enrolled for a course at PMU (a professional make-up school).
I joined M.A.C Cosmetics as a makeup artist in 2007 and six months later, I got approved to work backstage at SA Fashion Week. During that year, the company sent me to Las Vegas for an advanced makeup course. I worked for another year for the company before I felt that I needed to build my career as an independent freelance makeup artist.
What is the Vuyo Varoy brand?
I'm an entrepreneur and visionary who owns a bespoke menswear brand called Sir Varoy, and a luxury event styling company, Vuyo Varoy Lifestyle Emporium.
How did these two businesses come about?
Sir Varoy specialises in everything menswear. It's an establishment run strictly on an appointment basis because we want to make sure that we take our clients on a journey and an exclusive experience. The client gets to choose their own fabric, colour, design and the perfect fit. On the other hand, the Vuyo Varoy Lifestyle Emporium is a company that's able to plan, manage and style both small and large-scale events.
With today's demanding lifestyle, we understand how important events are to our clients. We make sure that we take away the headache of planning an event for them, using our trusted and approved suppliers to bring that exclusive luxury experience to the events we organise.
When did you get your big break?
In 2013, I received a call from Revlon Cosmetics SA CEO requesting a meeting with the entire Revlon marketing team. They broke the news that they wanted to form a collaboration with me. I was the first makeup artist in SA to be their brand ambassador. This changed my life and elevated my career.
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What has the industry taught you?
It has introduced me to some high-profile individuals and those at Presidential level. Working with people in such high positions has taught me to stay grounded as I don’t know who my next client could be.
What’s your biggest achievement so far?
My biggest success was starting both my businesses. Being selected as the first makeup artist in the country to represent a global brand, Revlon Cosmetics, and being hand-picked by M.A.C Cosmetics to represent South Africa in Berlin at their annual Makeup Trends Presentation are some of the highlights. Working at the Global Citizen Concert as one of the backstage makeup artists was also amazing.
