The beauty queen experience has — Saturday Magazine — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

Adaeze Yobo is a beauty queen, entrepreneur and lifestyle enthusiast. The Anambra-born Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN), 2008, is also married to ex-international soccer player, Joseph Yobo. She is the CEO of My n’ Mia, a skincare line. While pursuing her childhood dream of being an MBGN queen, her passion for sickle cell awareness was in top gear. During her reign, Yobo established her own charity, The Adaeze Igwe Foundation, an organisation, which promotes AIDS and breast cancer awareness, and raises funds towards similar causes, including malaria and tuberculosis.
She attended Federal Government College, Enugu, and had her tertiary education at the Basaksehir University, Istanbul, Turkey, where she studied New Media. She also had a short course at the New York Film Academy. Yobo was listed fourth Most Beautiful African Sportsman’s wife in 2014. In this interview with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA, she talks about her skincare line, being an ex-MBGN queen and motherhood.

Since your reign as MBGN queen, you have remained passionate about sickle cell. What has been some of your activities in this regard and how are you championing this cause?
I have organised awareness campaigns and outreaches to educate people about sickle cell disease, its causes, challenges, and how people living with it can be helped. Sickle cell disease is completely avoidable, and there is still a lot that needs to be done in this part of the world to sensitise people about the condition.

Would you say being a former beauty queen has an impact in your personality today?
The beauty queen experience has opened me up to many amazing opportunities for which I am thankful, and it has helped me see the world differently, shaping me into the woman that I am today.

What informed your decision to go into skincare business?
Initially, I didn’t think I will venture into this until I came across this wonderful product seven years ago, started using it and noticed that there was a sudden change and people were noticing my skin, and since it was only product I use, then it is working. I started using more of their products and I realised that it had the active ingredients that we needed for most of the skincare issues we’re having. I contacted the company and we struck a deal, and I became the sole distributor in Nigeria.

For you, what would you consider skincare issues that are predominant around black women?
In our environment, I would say hyperpigmentation, due to the sun: The lack of knowledge for what your skin needs and feeding it with the wrong ingredients. Once I knew that, I was able to tailor the kind of products that I wanted for myself, so, I created that, and tailored it to myself and started using it. I wasn’t just using it because somebody said they were using it. I had to know what my skin needed.

Running this business in a terrain like Nigeria, with the dollar prices and everything, what really prepared you for it, and how are you willing to weather the storm?
Personally speaking, I would have to say that I am prepared by faith. I prepared with faith. The Dollar rise has been a challenge. I haven’t even started, and I have already started noticing that it is a challenge. That’s what I would say is the most challenging part.

What are your future plans for the My n’ Mia line?
It is to takeover, because, it is a good product. I want to be associated with something good. I haven’t put out anything out there. I haven’t associated my skin or brand with anyone but this brand.

As a mother of three, what has motherhood taught you?
Patience. I think I’m a lot more empathetic towards a lot of things, so I see things and would just let it pass. Patience with friends, patience with everyone around me, because, it could be my child doing that. Am I going to crucify the child or throw him away? Especially, in this our new generation. Motherhood has taught me to step back and think. If I’m angry, I think about it. With the kids, you get angry over something, and you just shout on them. And then, you realise that it’s not really them, but how you feel. In the world, if somebody around me who I just shouted at, or something just happened or a mistake just happened, I step back and I think about it. So, patience I would say, and empathy.

What was your relationship with your mum growing up?
It was a very strong relationship. My mum was like a friend first. Probably, I and my sister’s first friend before becoming a mum. We felt comfortable talking to her. We felt comfortable sharing everything with her, vice versa. Sometimes, we say, don’t say this to kids. My mother wasn’t like that. There are some things with common sense you know not to share with kids, but my mum exposed us to the reality of things early. Spiritually, physically, mentally – she exposed us to stuff like that. She exposed us to lot of those things and we had to take charge of our lives very early. If you’ve made an environment for a child to be comfortable, it sort of lingers to the end. You don’t really have much to do anymore when you’ve started out that foundation on time.

As an expert in the skincare line, what should beauty regimen include?
Moisturise, hydrate the skin with serums and protect with sunscreen.

What does fashion mean to you?
Comfort. There’s nothing like a comfortable dress. You’ll look and feel good when you are comfortable.

What is your favourite outfit?
Black. Anything black.

What is your favourite meal?
I love Afang soup.

What is your advice to younger women looking up to you?
I would say they shouldn’t be afraid to dream, as your dreams are totally attainable, with the right amount of dedication, hard work and consistency, and prayer nothing can stop it from becoming a reality.