Daniella Thompson builds alchemy legacy

Encouraging people in finding, following and fulfilling their destiny is part of makeup artist and skincare consultant Daniella Ifetayo Thompson’s plan for her business, Kings and Queens Empire. She said her career path has changed many times since she graduated from Holy Faith Convent Penal in 2009, and she wants to let people know it was okay to change.

Thompson, who grew up in Claxton Bay, did an associate degree in hospitality management at then Trinidad and Tobago Hotel and Tourism Institute in 2010 when she was 19. It was there she discovered a love of doing makeup, at which she excelled.

“I began specialising in doing bridal parties, but I was also really good at special effects makeup, to the point where I was featured in Cosmopolitan magazine and travelled to the makeup expos in New York. I was really good at details and would take a day to do a look sometimes.”

She completed her associate degree and decided to do a BSc in tourism management, but because she loves to travel, she decided to do one year in Barbados, and two years in the Bahamas. She was in the Bahamas working at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and simultaneously doing makeup privately, when the pandemic hit and she was laid off.

This is when she started her skincare business which she said was immediately successful.

“It blew up. It was crazy because everybody was like, oh I have mask acne. People were bored and their attention was riveted to social media, so the business did really well. I was selling things like masks for acne and eczema, rosewater with bougainvillea and lavender, I would do sulphur, neem, moringa soaps, and make it look like something edible, so I could also express my creativity.

“Then I decided I wanted to do more than soaps, so I decided to do different kits for acne and eczema. The original plan had been to do candles, so for a year straight while I was working in the hotel, I started to learn about it, but I guess God didn’t want me to go that direction. Even when I started doing the soaps they were scentless and didn’t have any herbs, just some salt, and then I started to learn more.”

Before the pandemic Thompson would fly back to Trinidad to do Carnival makeup, buy ingredients, and started perfecting her recipes. After experiencing some personal issues, she moved back to Trinidad in December 2021, but wasn’t able to restart her business until December 2023.

“I came back with my son and I thought I’d be able to start over one time, but the process was too much. I didn’t give up, and thankfully I had support from my family, and eventually I was able to restart. I also became an Ifa Orisha devotee, and was initiated into the faith in September 2022, and that helped me to work through those issues.

“My significant other also introduced me to the idea of selling cloth from Nigeria, like cotton, batik, gele, Ankara, and so I started doing that, because I like to dress up.”

She said there was a demand for the fabric in TT, and her prices were cheaper than some other sellers.

Thompson now runs three businesses under her Kings and Queens Empire. The first is Blend Goddess Makeup, doing makeup and makeup education.

“I want to do makeup education and follow up on the types of makeup. People are more interested in learning how to do their own makeup, especially after covid, and eyebrow tinting, and lashes.”

The second is African Fashionistas by Dani, for fabric, accessories, lace, Yoruban woven wool geles and fila hats.

“I do fashion consultations as well, but it has to be on an Afro-centric basis, in terms of connecting back to your culture. Everything is handmade.”

The third is the skincare line Kings and Queens Organics. She said she uses shea butter, rosewater, orange peel powder, sulphur, neem, aloe vera, tea tree oil, bougainvillea and other natural ingredients in her products, “things you could pronounce.”

She carries dark spot kits, eczema kits, yoni kits, acne kits, and male kits.

“I don’t want to exclude the men, so I have beard oil, face oil, charcoal masks and scrubs that they can use.”

“It’s all about healing people’s skin. There are a lot of skincare brands but what I do is different, it’s not about competing, it’s about knowing your niche. I do a lot of follow-up with my customers. If the product didn’t work for them, I want to know why. I’ll take it back and give a sample. It’s about connecting with your customers, knowing people could be allergic to things, people allergic to wind, dust, scents.

“It’s about not getting upset but understanding that they don’t mean your product is bad because it dried out their skin. That’s why I have a wide variety of products, so I can say 'there are other soaps with milk or honey' and ask if they want to try those.”

Thompson said she also teaches her customers how to adjust their skincare regimen or how to incorporate her products into their current regimens.

“It’s not that my skincare is the be all and end all. Remember the skin on your face is a representation of what else is going on in your body, like sometimes the product is working well and then they get their period and their skin flares up, and I have to give them something else. It’s a lot of customer service, I’ll ask them if they change their pillowcases often or how often they wash their hair, and guide them. You have to connect with them on a personal level.”

Thompson said she listens to the problems people have with their bodies and advises them on what to use, based on their needs, location, and circumstances.

She also markets her businesses on social media and said it’s about being authentic.

“I put myself out there and it comes with knowing who you are and embodying that. I also follow trending topics, so when Karen (Nunez-Tesheira) jumped over the fence, I would say that’s how people are jumping over fences to get my products. There’s a video of little boys dancing, so I’d do an ad saying this is how people dance when I restock my acne products.

“I also make connections with media people. I do giveaways, skin care tutorials, education. You have to know what your brand is. I’m not Clean & Clear or Johnson & Johnson, and I don’t have intentions of becoming that big. It’s more about doing everything on a small basis and doing that quality assurance.

“As an entrepreneur, you have to solve a problem. If you’re not solving a problem you wouldn’t make. If you know your customer and solve a problem people are having, you would master your niche and you would grow exponentially.”

She said being in business is about what the customer wants.

“I wear mostly white, but if I bring in mostly white cloth and try to sell it, the customer wouldn’t be interested in that. Build your business and your brand based on what the customer likes, and know what they don’t like. Know your product.”

Thompson also asks people to spread the word about her products, goes to markets, and is rebuilding her website. Currently her products can be found on her businesses’ social media pages and at her store in Claxton Bay.

She said her hotel degree isn’t wasted, as she has been able to transfer her skills to her current business.

“Nothing we do is wasted. The final assessment for a hotel degree is to do a business plan for a hotel. This is business. In the hotel degree, they’re teaching you how to apply for business grants, marketing, accounting skills, law, how to write and speak a certain way, so I can bring that into this business. If I go to NEDCO, I know how to speak to them.”

A dream of hers is to travel to Nigeria and Ghana. In the near future she wants to start a foundation called Beauty4Ashes to encourage people to follow their dreams.

“I just don’t want people to give up on their dreams. I want them to find what they love to do. When you find it, follow it and fulfil it no matter what the circumstances, don’t give up. If I had given up, I wouldn’t have the skincare business.

“I want to empower women and make them feel beautiful. I know there are non-profit organisations that give food and hygiene products, but they might not have someone to talk to about how hard it is to build yourself back up. It’s really a mental framework, it’s in your mind, and then the resources come into play, people will help you, but it’s really a mental framework to move your mind from one place to the next and initiating yourself into a level of positivity rather than thinking a lot about the past.”

Thompson said she thought of herself as an alchemist who turned her pain and sorrow into something golden.

“The goal of everything is to leave a rich legacy for my son, so if I go today, tomorrow, at least he could say he could make soaps because he has some recipes. I’m leaving a legacy for him and my other kids to come, and my family.

“Whatever makes your heart beat when the day come, do it, and perfect it. If you like to sew, you like art, merge the both together and do it.

“You have to give back to the community at large, it’s not just about yourself. As business owners, we have a global social responsibility to the community which is why I try to do giveaways, educational activities, do things to inspire people, because it’s not about you. If you die tomorrow there should be a legacy to leave behind.”