GORGE MAKEUP TAKES ON SA MARKET
Nono Gorata Linchwe is a make- up artist extraordinaire. Linchwe is a Motswana born Make- up artist presently based in Fourways, Johannesburg where she is doing incredibly well.
Since she opened her studio, Gorge Make- up, a few months ago, she is in demand. And incredibly, her bookings are mostly through referrals from happy clients who have loved her magic hands, and have been too happy to tell a friend/ family member about Linchwe’s gifted hands. Linchwe has worked with some of SA’s notable celebrities and influencers such as Melanie Bala, Thando Thabethe, Bontle Modisele, Claire Mawisa, and Thembisa Mdoda, who have engaged her a couple of times. In fact, lady luck has been on her side, having had a chance to do several magazine looks with the ever beautiful and flawless, Mawisa, the sexy 35 year- old Rulani Mokwena ( Mamelodi Sundowns coach), Linda Mtoba , who plays Nomonde on The River telenovela for Nounouche, an online magazine.
One thing that she prides herself with, is the fact that she is very intentional with how she wants her clients to look when they eventually see their polished and final look. In her studio, Linchwe offers services that include Make- up artistry, bridal and matric make- up, ombre powder, airbrushing and SFX, as well as offering beauty education. Her make- up is unique and authentic. She wants to use make- up to enhance the beauty of her clients instead of changing their skin tone. Browsing her Instagram page, and looking through her work, it is evident that Linchwe knows what she is doing. Her talent shines through each and everyone of her clients. One thing that stands out about her work, is how she does not want to give someone a completely different look from their natural look. She accentuates the beauty of her clients in a gentle way. When you see her clients, you still see them, instead of being confronted with a totally new person who looks completely different to the person before you.
“The way that I like to explain makeup, is that make- up is like enhancing somebody’s look. I don’t want to change a client’s skin tone,” she says.
She also says that factors such as the eye and face shape play a big role in achieving a certain goal when it comes to the overall look.
One of her services that is winning her clients happens to be the way that she carefully crafts brows. Linchwe prides herself in this service. Each client, she says has a unique face and eye shape. No two persons are the same hence, she treats each client differently. “If say, you have high arch brows, I will not change it, but will enhance it,” she explains.
She is still getting used to the fastpaced South African entertainment industry.
And most importantly, she takes this craft of hers very seriously, and is ever aware of just how one mistake can taint her business. The SA market understands what her craft is, and those like Linchwe are in high demand. The pie is big, and there is a piece for everyone.
She explains, she has been able to earn satisfactory money, almost the same as what some managers earn this side.
“In SA, Make- up is a whole career, and one can make money from this craft,” she notes.
Sharing her journey, she explains that she left to study Make- up artistry in SA in 2015, returning to Botswana in 2016. On her return, she was approached by Thabiso Maretlwaneng to work for his production, Ntwakgolo on its last season where she did Special effects make- up. She went on to open her studio in Fairgrounds, where she offered a number of services. And then Covid- 19 happened. After getting married to a South African, she relocated to SA, where she worked for an international celebrity salon, where she got to work with some of SA’s celebrities. In October last year, she decided that the time was right to officially stand on her own, and grab a piece of the big pie in the SA Market. She has also had an opportunity to work on campaigns/ shoots for companies that include Samsung, as well as Insider SA, and did work for some magazines, where she crafted the faces of the likes of the Sundown’s coach to mention a few.
Going back to her love for working on clients through referrals, she explains that she prefers clients from referrals. Eyes on the ball, she is watching the international market with keen interest, looking into launching her products, and also want to tap into teaching make- up as an actual course, particularly in Botswana where the make- up is still growing.
“I wish to see Batswana taking the artistry side of make- up seriously,” she says.
Her big dream is to penetrate the international market, going as far as the USA, and launching her own beauty product range.
She also shares that she recently had a chance to have a conversation with Botswana’s icon in the acting industry, Connie Ferguson where they had a chat about this and that. Hopefully, this conversation will open doors for her, launching her in the television industry.