We were lucky to catch up with Shirley Ibe recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shirley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

I donate proceeds every Heart Month (Feb) to paediatric congenital heart defect research and/or supports. Over the last 2 years Madeup Beauty has donated to the Stollery Children’s Hospital and Heartbeats- grass-roots organization providing families with information, resources, financial assistance and emotional support. I chose this cause because my son Elijah was born in March 2021 with 3 congenital heart defects. He’s had 3 open heart surgeries in his 2 years of life and thanks to the Stollery Children’s Hospital which provides world renowned patient care (they also saved his life) and Heartbeats for supporting our difficult journey.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always been a lover of makeup. Over the years I would have friends ask me to do their makeup or show them how I did mine. My interested grew more and more and as more people were asking me to do their makeup, I decided that I would feel most comfortable taking a course and making sure I set myself and my clients up for success. I started wiorking as a professional makeup arists as of Dec 2012. Over the years I’ve worked with celebrity makeup artists who are some of the best in the industry. My biggest motivation for establishing Madeup Beauty truly came from my passion for makeup, seeing people look and feel their best, empowering them to do so and to really helping people of all shades and walks of life to see themselves in my brand. I wanted my brand to feel relatable and honest. I wanted to use my knowledge and experience of not just working with models but with every type of person to fuel how I created Madeup Beauty and all the range and shades included in it. The defining details of Madeup Beauty are in diversity and inclusion and having beautiful shades for all beautiful shades of people. Within those beautiful shades quality, efficacy and innovation are so important to me. High quality products that can ensure customer satisfaction. Effective products that deliver color payoff, true to shade color, are long lasting and protective of your lips. Innovative products that are packed full of emollients to make sure your lips don’t dry out and they stay hydrated, plump and crease free.
What sets me apart from others is Madeup Beauty is black owned and founded by a makeup artist. It is also Canadian owned and made. At Madeup Beauty we believe in diveristy & inclusion and our slogan is ‘Beautiful shades for all beautiful shades’. I truly believe most of my shades are transferable across all skin tones.
I am most proud of being sold by one of Canada’s biggest retailers and top beauty destination, Shoppers Drug Mart. It’s truly a dream of mine!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Any business owner who has had to navigate through Covid has shown tremendous resilience. As a line that started off as primarily a lip line 3 months before Covid hit, I’m happy to see my business continue to grown 3.5 years later.
Not only did I have to navigate a new business and Covid, but I became pregnant early on in the pandemic. My son was diagnosed with 3 congenital heart defects while in utero and that was another challenge to navigate. My son had to be born in another city to receive open heart surgery just two weeks after he was born.
I actually pitched my brand to Shoppers Drug Mart a week after returning home with my new born post open heart surgery. I was pulled over in a parking lot after running late from my sons cardiology appointment to make my pitch. Thank goodness it all went well because that is what started my relationship with Shoppers. As I was prepping to be a part of Shoppers, I would spend the days with my new born and the nights setting up everything I needed to onboard with Shoppers. Looking back I don’t know how I did it but when I tell you motherhood brings out a new level of resilience that you didn’t know you have, it truly does.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I truly believe my experience as a makeup artist helps build my reputation. Having product and application knowledge has truly helped me shape my brand. Understanding skin tones and color matching as a makeup artist has helped me develop a range of products and shades that is suitable for so many people. I also think my ability to build good relationships has been so key. I’ve always been a social person and valued relationships and it has really helped me in my journey as an entrepreneur.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.madeupbeauty.com
• Instagram: @madeupbeauty_
• Facebook: Madeup Beauty