South Sudanese Vlogger Talks Makeup Inclusivity

Sudanese Beauty Nyajal talks the beauty industry and its lack of makeup inclusivity

When it comes to makeup inclusivity, South Sudanese beauty and lifestyle vlogger, Nyajal, knows what it’s like to feel excluded. In three years, Nyajal has earned over 29K subscribers to her YouTube channel where she mostly shares makeup tips and tricks. We love a girl with a voice and Nyajal certainly uses hers! In her beauty tutorials, she emphasizes the importance of makeup inclusivity for the trillion-dollar industry. Not unlike her, we agree that diversity isn’t just a trend; it should be a way of life. We thought you might want to learn more about this girl on the move, so we decided to ask her a few fun questions. Scroll down to learn more. 

How did you come up with your social media name, MelaninRichNyajal?

Somewhere online! I saw someone say “melanin rich” and I hadn’t heard that term before, so after I saw it I was like, ‘woah this totally describes me!’ My skin tone is absolutely rich in melanin and I just love how it sounded. I decided to add my first name after ‘Melanin Rich’ to distinguish it from others since that term became so popular to use. It describes me, is creative, and kind of stuck after a while. 

If you had to choose an overall message that your channel conveys, what would it be?

My channel provides something for the everyday girl. It’s for girls who love all things beauty and anything lifestyle related, really. In particular, I wanted to give access to girls who have similar complexions as me but not enough content they can relate to. I don’t really follow a particular theme per se – I just focus on the things that I enjoy that happen to be beauty and makeup inclusivity. Overall, the most important thing is that my channel remains authentic. 

Would you say that your platform is a space to celebrate makeup inclusivity?

Yes, definitely.

How do you get ready to shoot a video?

Throughout the week I think about what I want to film; that can be difficult because I go off what feels right at the time. I try to not overproduce my videos because I want to enjoy myself while filming and I want it to show while I’m on camera. If my focus is beauty, I’ll figure out what type of product I want to focus on. Do I want to review concealers? Do I want to do a makeup look? Once I decide on the topic, I still won’t select the products until I’m recording. Although I freestyle with my products, I usually know what kind of look I want to do. 

What’s one beauty trend you’ll never get tired of?

Hmmm, I’ve got to think about that one.

You know there’s all those crazy eyebrow trends, some people are super into highlighters or different lip looks…

I think one thing that I’ll probably never stop doing is pairing concealer with foundation. I think that’s a bit newer and I definitely never used to do that. However, I love using concealer and setting powder to brighten up the face. That’s probably something that I’ll always do, because different lip and eye looks change over time, but your base is what carries over no matter what.

If you had the chance to collaborate with another YouTuber, who would it be?

Hmm, I think I would want to collab with Jackie Aina, because she’s just so fun! I feel like it’d be a really good time. Also, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Nyma Tang just before her channel got big; I think it would be nice to work with her again since she’s someone that I know personally.  

What is one makeup ‘faux-pas’ or that you’re guilty of doing?

Sometimes, when I decide to wear blush, I use too much, haha. It’s not natural for somebody with my skin tone to really blush, I probably shouldn’t use as much. I’ve caught myself doing it because I like how the color looks, but it’s really not realistic haha.

Your skin is so gorgeous, and I’m sure everyone wants to know, do you have a daily skincare routine?

Making sure that my makeup is wiped off my face every day so that I don’t sleep with it on and get breakouts! I don’t just use makeup wipes, I go in with a daily facial cleanser. I don’t have a particular face wash that I use either; I just use whatever I have at the moment. Hydrating my skin is also important; I do this twice daily. 

Is there any advice you would give to people interested in becoming beauty YouTubers or Influencers?

I would say only do it because you really love it. Don’t do it because it’s what everyone is doing these days. You never know who’s watching you and you can really end up being an inspiration to somebody without knowing it. If you’re doing something just to do it, you don’t really know the impact that it’s having on somebody else. Just make sure you do it because you love it. Another big thing would be consistency. Stay consistent! You’re not always going to see growth overnight, and you might not become a superstar YouTuber, but if you enjoy it then your channel will go far and you will learn a lot.

We couldn’t agree more, just do what you love and inspire others while you’re at it! Thanks for the tips, Nyajal.