If there's anyone who has the perfect work balance, it's this millennial mommy. Aker Benjamin is a wife, mother, and entrepreneur. 
There's only one thing that's harder than being a mom, and that is being a mom and a boss. Nurturing your young children while also nurturing your young business is a job that should be rewarded with an open cheque. And that cheque doesn't include the price of nurturing a man, because let's face it, men are the biggest babies in our homes.

Benji cosmetics is an African makeup brand aimed at creativity, fun, innovation, and authenticity.
The motivation to create Benji cosmetics was born out of a passion to create an original makeup brand that tends to darker skin tones. As a makeup artist, Aker saw a gap in the beauty industry in Africa that needed to be filled. And she did just that. Boldly, and better but not without fear. As a small African beauty brand, it's difficult to compete with the giants, but she didn't let the odds stop her. She was determined to give Africa exactly what their skin needed, even if some of us hadn't realised it yet, because of the mentality of holding everything western as superior.

Who is Aker Benjamin?
My name is Aker Benjamin. I am a wife, a mother of two,, and an entrepreneur. I am the founder of Benji cosmetics. Benji cosmetics is an African owned brand that creates fun, innovative,, and quality makeup products for African women.

what country are you originally from in Africa?
I'm originally from south Sudan, but I grew up in the United States before I moved back home in 2010

How did your move to Sudan affect your career choices?
After I moved back home, I got married and we decided to settle in Nairobi, Kenya as it was a bit more stable than Sudan.
Being in Kenya gave me more time for myself and also created some free time that let boredom creep in. As I wasn't able to further my education as I initially planned or go into psychology as a career. So I decided to channel that time into something productive. And that was when I picked up bridal makeup. And my love for the craft grew from there

Could you tell us about your background and how your interest in makeup started?
I studied psychology in university. So my interest in makeup was a later development.
It wasn't a career path I envisioned for myself at first. 
It started as a hubby. And I learnt most of the skill from watching you-tube tutorials. My first clients were my family members and friends. I offered to do their makeup when they have events they need to attend.

Was there anytime your knowledge as a psychologist came in handy in your makeup career?
Yes. There were times it absolutely came in handy. Being a makeup artist comes with some level of intimacy and trust between you and your client. They tend to tell you things that are probably difficult for them to talk about once trust has been established. And in a way, I did become a psychologist to them. Being that I studied psychology, I get to give advice from a professional standpoint and also as a friend. But our conversations are mostly centered around makeup.
It was during those conversations that the idea of Benji cosmetics started forming in my mind.

What exactly made you start thinking about making your own makeup products. What was the conversation that triggered that idea?
Most of my clients complained about the lack of quality makeup products that cater to African skin. It was difficult for them to find a perfect match for their skin tones. 
And so, that was where the idea of Benji cosmetics came from but it's not until 2020 that I officially launched it.  

What are some challenges you have faced in your career and how have you overcome them?
In terms of creating products, it was hard for me to get out of the scope that i wasn't making products for myself but for other people. I was putting my interests first and forgot that I was supposed to think about my customers. Putting my customers first will result in me not liking some of the products personally but it could be the one that will resonate better with my customers. And that is the aim for every business.

Another challenge I faced is being able to market myself as an African owned beauty brand. It was difficult to market because our western counterparts already saturated the beauty market. And also saturated the African mindset. It's easier for Africans to patronize foreign products than an indigenous one.

So, coming in as a new brand, it took time for people to trust my brand and build loyalty.

Is there any product or accomplishment that you are particularly proud of?
In 2021, we launched a collection called The Summer in our African collection. This collection consisted of an eye-shadow palette, two body glow illuminators and a brush set (for easy application for those products). The body glow illuminator is a body shimmer that you apply on the skin to give it a beautiful glow.

This collection is very special to me because it was my love letter to the beautiful African content.
So, within the eye shadow palette, each shade was named to represent a beautiful landscape or a country that I've been to within the continent or a country that I would like to visit within Africa.

For instance, we have a shade called Seychelles and that's where my husband and I went for our honeymoon. We have another shade which is a tribute to the capital of my home country, South Sudan.

The summer collection is my favourite collection of all our products because it's my own way of sending love to the continent that I love so much.

How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and advancements in the industry?
We try to stay ahead of the trend. We were the first beauty brand to launch the body glow illuminator in the market.
And we also try to make products that are popular with our customers.
We make sure to listen to what our consumers may like.

What advice would you give someone who is just starting out in your field?
I would tell them to have confidence in yourself. Of course, there's going to be challenges. There's going to be hardship but simply not giving up will get you to where you want to be.

Do eye-shadows have an expiry date like skincare products? And how can you tell when it's expired?
The surest way to know if your eye-shadow is good to be tossed out is when it has exceeded the expiry date. There's a small label, usually on the left side of the product that says 12 M or 24 M. It means 12 months or 24 months.
If the product exceeds the number of months written on it, then you should throw it away.

What are your favourite eye-shadow formulas and finishes? And how can we choose the right one for our skin type and personal style?
I wouldn't say we have a favourite finish in Benji cosmetics. But what we do focus on is the pigmentation.
We have clients with different skin tones. So we make sure that the pigmentation we use is suitable to each skin tone.
But in terms of the finishes, we cater to what our consumers would like.

When it comes to hooded eyes, what is the best way to apply eyeshadow for a brighter lifted look?
I actually have hooded eyes. I don't put my eye-shadow on the crease of my eyes because if i do that, the eye shadow will disappear when I'm looking straight.
So the best tip or trick that I use is to blend the eye-shadow up above your crease. And just bring it out a little bit more so it can give you that lifted look.

How can we use eye-shadow to enhance the shape and colour of our eyes? And what are some techniques for applying it to make our eyes look bigger and defined?
A good number of techniques and trends have sprouted up in the past couple of years. 
If you have smaller eye shape, then it will be better to use less pigmented or less eye-shadow and focus on elongating the eyes. 
Use an eyeliner to create a spot eye.

But if you have bigger eyes, then you have more options to explore whatever look you want.

For a classic and timeless look, which eyeshadow colour would you recommend pairing with a black dress? And how can we add a pop of colour or sparkle to make our eyes shine?
Since black is a neutral colour, you can do whatever you want with your eyes. Because makeup is all about having fun and expressing yourself.
So, if you wanna wear glitter, or a shimmer or wear a pop colour, or keep it neutral, you can go ahead and do just that.

As for adding a pop of colour to the eye to make it shine,. For people that don't want too much colour on their eyelids. I will recommend putting eye-shadow in the corner of their eye or even doing a natural look on the eyelids and then adding a pop of colour underneath the water line.

Also, we love a good multitasking product. Eye-shadow can be used as a blush for a coordinated and cohesive makeup look.
But the one thing I would recommend if you are using eye-shadow as a blush is to be soft handed. Don't go very heavy handed because some pigmentation's can be quite strong.

How can we use eye-shadow to create a bold and dramatic look for special events or night out? And what are some tips for blending and layering colours for seamless effect?
For a dramatic look, i will usually go for a smokey eye. The colours that consist of a smokey eye are usually dark brown, very deep tone and even black sometimes.
These colours can be a bit difficult to work with especially for a beginner in makeup.

My tip would be to go from your lighter shade to your darkest shade and take time really blending the colours. You can also add a bit of sparkle to add depth in the eye.
You can even add some glitter to give that dynamic dramatic look.

And if you are someone that's not very good at blending, I would recommend keeping it very neat.

How have you been able to cope with being a wife and running Benji cosmetics?
It is difficult to be honest. I'm still trying to balance between work and kids and being a wife.

Sometimes , I feel like Benji cosmetics are on the back burner because my kids and my family life is more important I would say.

But it's just not giving up. I'm continuing to work on it because this is a dream come true for me. I never imagined that I would actually own a makeup brand and be able to create makeup products.

So, it's a blessing to be quite honest because I'm not working a traditional 9 - 5 job. So, I love the flexibility. Because being a mother and a wife can be quite unpredictable sometimes.
But it's good, as I'm still finding the balance.