konknaijaboy | On 01, Jan 2014

The first thing that strikes you about the CEO of Safia Beauty Stores and  Spa Limited, Fifi Safia Usman, is her flawless skin. Clad in a pair of blue figure-hugging denims and a black blouse, her hair cascades around her shoulders in tresses emphasizing her glowing visage as she stares at you from behind smoky eyelashes.
We were at her state-of-the-art store located at  Sanusi Fafunwa street, Victoria Island, Lagos, that hot, but promising afternoon. On the shelves  were neatly packed skin care products. Her office is a beehive of activities as clients  with different  skin problems were attended to by smartly dressed customer care officers.
For over a decade, Fifi has been treating  women and men  with debilitating to mild skin problems and as a testament to her genius, she recently won the  Beautician of The Year prize  at the recently held Glam and  Essence Awards.
Her eyes lit up as she spoke about the award which was presented to her by Mama Bakassi, Senator Florence Ita Giwa, describing it as something she never expected!
Her glowing face is resplendent with a pleasant smile as she recollects, confessing that though she knew she had what it takes to win an award, she just didn’t believe it was going to happen that night.
“Although I knew I deserved it, I wasn’t expecting it when it came,” she quipped with  an exciting ring to her voice adding “I didn’t think anybody would want to vote and give me an award or think me worthy of one, I just wasn’t expecting it.
“I was speechless,” she recalled, a dreamy look in her eyes, “I didn’t believe it! I was shaking all over and I could barely talk when Senator Florence Ita-Giwa presented the award to me. I felt so blessed and happy. Then I became so excited. I was like, is this me Fifi? It was a dream come true for me”, Fifi adds with a soft smile.

Genesis
Fifi’s journey into  beauty and skin care began in her childhood. She discovered at about age 13 that she had a flair for healing skin diseases and enhancing skin beauty. Subsequently, she started experimenting with her mum and aunties and got amazing results.
“It all started in my childhood. I discovered I had a flair for skin care. I used to buy different stuff, mix them together and give to my mum and aunties and encouraged them to try my crude mixes as a panacea for their skin problems and it worked for them. They were all amazed and  wondered  how I came about this knowledge,” Fifi, who studied Creative Arts at the University of Lagos said, revealing that it was at that early stage that the seeds that would lay the foundation of her career were sown.
While she was at the University of Lagos, she used to put different stuff together to make herbal mixes for her friends to shower with and her friends patronized her  because it treated  their skin problems. Before she could say Jack Robinson she had become an authority in skin care.
“This went on until my second year in the university when I took it to a more professional level. I started making my own mixtures and then after I graduated I traveled all the way to the Philippines where I learnt a lot about skin care as there are a lot of schools in the Philippines dealing with skin care.
“I realized that what would work for Asian skin would work for African skin. I realized that a lot of Africans use products that don’t work because these products were not made for African skin.  African skin is different from white skin. Any product that would work on Asian skin would also work for African skin.”, she said.
Passion for skin care
Commenting on why she took skin care up as a career despite  her university degree Fifi continued,  “I really like everything that has to do with skin and skin care. That’s what I live for every day and it’s my passion. It began as a hobby and from there it grew into a business. Like I said, I majored in Theatre Arts. Acting to be precise. But it dawned on me while still studying that I was ultimately going to do what I’m doing now.”
Clients
Are you grappling with frustrating skin problems and you don’t earn much?  Do you want a perfect skin? Fifi says you don’t need a truckload of cash to get  flawless skin as Safia Beauty Stores & Spa is at your service.
“My clients are everyday people; men and women, young boys and girls that have pressing skin problems. Having a beautiful and supple skin has nothing to do with status or your account balance. Everybody is welcome at Safia Beauty Stores & Spa. You may  be a cray fish seller or a housewife. We don’t discriminate. I am only interested in proffering effective solutions for skin troubles”, she said enthusiastically.
Building her brand
Today she stands tall among her peers but it wasn’t a tea party when she started five years ago. Going down memory lane, Fifi opens up on the pains she went through to build the Safia Beauty Stores & Spa Limited brand.
“You give certain instructions to a client and she does something else. For instance you prescribe a solution knowing fully well it’s going to work but the client is impatient and cannot wait for the treatment to work so they go for quick solutions and abandon a  lasting solution.
“They go elsewhere and use something else and then they come back and put the blame on you. I have had  issues with these people because they can’t wait for two to three weeks to see results.
“Sometimes I give a client something to use and the person decides to mix it  with different concoctions and  weeks after, comes back to blame you when things fall apart. It’s really crazy but you have to be patient to work with people. It’s not easy,” Fifi laments.
Secrets for a beautiful, supple skin
After years of treating skin problems and raising the level of awareness on  the need for  beautiful skin among Africans, Fifi recommends  three rules for  supple and beautiful skin.
“The first is what you eat. What you eat matters. Some people have oily skin yet gorge on all the fries. Definitely you’ll break out a lot. You need to take a lot of water. Water is a detoxifier  for the skin. Though, I find it hard to drink a lot of water but I have to force it down because it helps the skin.
“Number two, you need to stay away from the sun. The sun is really bad because its  ultra violet rays make you age and wrinkle. It  burns you  even if you’re black. Dark people get sun burn too. It sounds crazy but you need to avoid the sun as much as possible.
“Even if you don’t have a car, get an umbrella. Even if you use sunscreen, it has to be of  very high grade because even with sunscreen you could still end up burnt as well.
“Thirdly, you need to exfoliation. You need to go to the spa but even if you can’t afford it, you can scrub so the dead skin falls off and new skin emerges. These are the three rules that are very important for a beautiful and supple skin”, she said
Skin lightening
Today there are many adverts encouraging women of dark color to lighten their skin. Is there  any safe skin treatment devoid of adverse effects for women who desire a lighter complexion?
“Yes, she said adding “It depends on what the treatment is and what is being used. I think right from the days of our fathers, women have used all sorts to lighten their skin but I can tell you that today, there are actually safe skin lightening products that can lighten your skin without damaging it  if that’s what you want.
“It’s a gradual process. You could use stuff like glutathione, kojic acid and placenta. Even your pawpaw could be a skin lightening solution. All you have to do is blend it, add coffee and orange and then scrub your skin and instantly it gets brighter. Even if you’re using  chemically-based skin  lightening care products, there’s a limit.”
Warning
Though  Fifi advocates skin lightening treatment for any woman that desires it, she also cautions “There’s a time to stop and that’s where people get it wrong. They don’t know when to stop so they just keep going and going and at some point, the skin can’t take it anymore, because it’s tired and that’s when you start getting problems.
“The truth is that for such  transformation you need guidance from an expert and that’s why I am here because this is my passion, this is what I love doing, so I can advise people on how to go about it. If you’re doing it the right way, you could remain light for the rest of your life and nothing bad would happen to your skin but you need to do it the right way.”
Ignore your skin and lose your man
Emphasizing the need for  beautiful skin, Fifi declares that  African women should not be angry when they lose their men to younger women.
“Nigerian women  know now that when a man looks at you there is something he wants to see. When your man takes you out, he should be proud of you because you’re looking good. Gone are the days when men leave their wives at home and go out alone”, she says.
Fifi added that today, thanks to information and education, women have realized that the only reason why your man should remain attracted to you is you. The way you make your hair and the way you keep yourself.
“If you’re not taking care of yourself, don’t be angry when you find out that your husband is dating another woman or a younger chick. Imagine you’re going out and he is in front while you’re behind. It’s because he is ashamed of you.
“There are things you need to do to keep your husband close to you. Imagine he wants to get close to you but he’s smelling heat in your hair. Why? Because you feel that now that you’re married you cannot go to the salon to fix your hair but it shouldn’t be that way.
“We tell women things that they have to do to keep their husbands coming back for more. Always scrub your skin, look beautiful. Looking good is a problem for many women and they really need to check themselves. I think they know now, so everyone is trying to look beautiful”, she said.
Happiest moment
“My happiest moment is when I resolve serious skin issues and my client calls me and says “Fifi, you’re amazing! I’ve never come across any one like you”. The joy is inexplicable especially when it’s a case of seriously damaged skin. Sometimes, I get calls from happy police women officers thanking me. I give them stuff that repairs their skin and they come back and thank me, praying that God blesses me. That gives me joy. It’s not really about the money, it’s also about the satisfaction I get from being appreciated which makes me strive to do  more”, she said.
Marriage
Today, Fifi, a native of Akwa Ibom State is happily married to her husband who is from the northern part of the country and a Moslem. Commenting on how religion and love have found a meeting point in their home, Fifi says  she has no issues with her choice of religion.
“My husband does not really care about that. We have agreed that when we have kids they would be Moslems,but when we get to that bridge we will cross it and know if really there is a problem”, she said laughing softly.
On a lighter note,  Fifi continues “Right now my husband wakes me up and says “darling, go to church” while he does his Moslem thing. He doesn’t get in my way. I love dressing like a Moslem woman and I know how to pray like Moslems.  I love so many things about Islam, it’s just that I pray better as a Christian and it’s more convenient than being a Moslem. It’s not really a problem for  both of us. We don’t have kids yet and we’ve been married for two years. We’re  looking forward to start making kids next year.”
Woman of style
One thing you can’t take from Fifi is her sense of style. What does style mean to her? She blinks rapidly as she responds “Style is presence for me; it’s your aura. I love to wear my Arabian gowns and my flowing dresses including my natives , because I think I look and feel so sexy in them. Style is all about your personality, your carriage.”