Nana Frimpong has developed a neuromuscular disorder making it difficult for her to work as a professional pharmacist or a make-up artist. However, she is not giving up on her passion.
She founded BeautyMarked & Co, a Philadelphia-based business that offers quality vegan and cruelty free cosmetics and accessories catering to people of all backgrounds and skin tones.
Despite her life-changing health situation, Frimpong is making the most of her situation. In March of 2019, she started an e-commerce business selling her own brand of cosmetics and beauty accessories. “In a way, my sickness ended up being a blessing in disguise because it gave birth to what is now BeautyMarked & Co,” she said.
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“As a makeup lover, I definitely wanted to start out with cosmetic products that would cater to everyone, from the busy working mom who doesn’t have time for a full face of makeup to the makeup artist trying to build a cost effective kit. So I started with lipsticks/glosses and mascara – two makeup essentials most women don’t go without.
“Not everyone has the time or skill to wear false lashes so I really wanted to bring a mascara to the market that brings the most out of your natural lashes but doesn’t break the bank,” she added.
The Nile Butterfly Effect mascara, for instance, contains plant-derived ingredients that strengthen, soften and condition lashes and also help to achieve strong, healthy lashes, maximum length, volume, and definition all in one tube
Frimpong reportedly began doing makeup professionally in 2013 while she was in pharmacy school. While she worked as a full
In a bid to discard the notion that black women could not wear certain bright lip colours because of their skin tone, Frimpong created bright, dark, and bold coloured lipsticks that anyone can wear regardless of their skin tone.
“All of my lipsticks can be worn alone or mixed to create unique shades that suit each individual and their preferences.”
Frimpong did not just stop there, she had in mind persons who may not be interested in makeup. She also wanted to offer additional beauty products that celebrates her Ghanaian culture.
She ventured into selling of ‘Ntoma’ (also known as Ankara) satin lined bonnets and head wraps.
Defying her health odds, Frimpong has created a brand that started as a hair and makeup service provider in 2013 and has since evolved into an international, multifaceted company in the beauty industry that according to her is African inspired.
Her lipsticks are named after African cities, lip glosses are named after African desert regions, while the bonnets/head wraps are named after the Ghanaian women in her family and common female names of the Ashanti tribe of Ghana. Frimpong hopes to develop a full line of cosmetic products and to make BeautyMarked & Co. a world-renowned brand.
