TO DYE FOR
Blogger known for her big hair lands role in high-profile advert
A blogger has followed in the footsteps of Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria and Beyonce by starring in L’Oreal’s latest TV advert.
Kumba Dauda, 24, of Glasgow, appears alongside TV presenter Fearne Cotton in a promo for Olia hair dye.
Kumba, whose dad Tamba is originally from Sierra Leone, said: “It was a life- changing experience and I’ve had so many lovely messages from people who have seen me on telly.
“I spoke from the heart in the ad – what I said wasn’t scripted. And Fearne was really lovely.”
She added: “People know me for my big hair so when I applied to take part in the competition, I said I was an influencer who wanted to represent people with textured hair living in Scotland.
“My hair is a big part of my blog. When I started blogging five years ago, I felt like I was the only mixed race blogger out there.
“If I wanted to f ind more people to inspire me about their curly hair, I had to look on YouTube and everyone seemed to be English or American. Now, things are much more diverse.”
Kumba – who has more than 50,000 followers on her Kumbear Xo social media channels – won the role after Garnier launched a competition looking for “real” women to become brand ambassadors. She was flown to London and spent a day filming with Fearne at Dukes Island Studios.
The ad campa ign a lso features mum Amanda Fulton, 44, originally from Glasgow but now living in London.
Kumba , who studied international fashion branding at Glasgow Caledonian University, is not the only member of the Dauda family to have found fame.
Her sister Sia, 26, is playing the role of Kiki in Flashdance, which is on tour with Strictly Come Dancing champ Joanne Clifton and singer Ben Adams.