The latest entrant into the life-begins-at 40 age club, is Banke Meshida-Lawal, the Queen of the Makeup industry in Nigeria and the brain behind BMPRO Line.
Meshida-Lawal opted to celebrate the milestone age by going on a vacation in Italy with her family.
A makeup artist by default, Meshida-Lawal took lessons in Fine Arts from the age of eight after showing a keen interest in the arts .
She studied English Language at the University of Lagos and graduated with a Second Class Honors in the year 2000. The First BMPRO Professional Makeup Studio was formally opened in 2002 on Rumens Road in Ikoyi Lagos. The Makeup line, BMPRO (Banke Meshida Professional Makeup) birthed in 2006 with 14 products in the line.
It was the first ever Nigerian makeup line of colour. This was a feat she achieved due to the inability of international brands to help create suitable makeup looks designed with the Nigerian culture and it’s peculiarities as the deciding factor.
BMPRO Makeup is created to deliver optimum results for the professional and amateur hand makeup user, especially in the the Nigerian hot and popular humid weather, a quality most international makeup brands do not posess. Today, BMPRO Makeup has 65 products in the Nigerian market as well as distributors all over Nigeria, UK, USA, Ghana and Canada. It’s success is based on the acceptance of its quality all over the world. Manufacturing has also shifted to Turkey – for the new innovations emerging from the Turkish beauty industry is phenomenal, Germany-due to the high level of hypoallergenic products available from that market as well as retaining the manufacturers in the United States of America.
A creative spirit, Meshida-Lawal creates looks for the the regular woman who desires to look extremely beautiful. Her flawless signature style is easily recognized. She has won many of the accolades and awards for her contribution to the growth of the makeup industry in Nigeria.
Many budding makeup artists look to her for inspiration as well as professional training. BMPRO has a training school, which continues to produce top notch makeup and artists in Nigeria. Her mentorship programme is second to none, often citing herself as an example of the success possible with hardwork, perseverance, passion, and creativity. Some of the awards she has won include Female Achiever of the year 2002 (City People) in Makeup Artist of the year 2005 (City People)
The bridal makeup industry has also blossomed due to her continuous creation of stunning and timeless looking brides. Her work is a focal point for Nigerian and professional makeup artists who agree that it continues to inspire them to want to create the “BMPRO Look” for their clients.
BMPRO has recently relocated to its new ultra – modern flagship store in Dolphin Estate Ikoyi, which houses a spa, nail room, salon and photography business studio as well as the makeup studio.
More recently BMPRO has opened more branches in Lagos and Abuja. Meshida-Lawal continues to be present personally in these studios, often running a busy schedule as she divides her time between this and attending to clients and brides alike. She believes in the power of her presence to help give clients a confidence as their Makeup needs are attended to as well as to personally deliver the wealth of experience she has garnered over the years.
Meshida-Lawal is married to Lanre Lawal, and their union is blessed with two daughters. Banke enjoys playing the violin.
