South Sudanese Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Neveen Dominic breaks another record as the first South Sudanese actress and film producer in Nollywood.
Dominic has her eye on Nigeria for more than the entertainment industry.
Neveen Dominic Cosmetics is launching in Nigeria and Ghana this year as part of the Foundation Domination World Tour.
After a successful wrap of the TV series production: “It’s A Crazy World,” in which she starred and was the producer, the Canada-based South Sudanese is planning to return to Nigeria for the premier of her TV series and launch of her cosmetics line, Neveen Dominic Cosmetics.
She explained that the cosmetic line is all about empowering women, which lines up with her journey through life as a South Sudanese refugee as narrated in her autobiography: “Beauty From The Ashes of War.”
Explaining further, Dominic said the idea is not just to empower women, but also to encourage them in terms of boosting their self-confidence and inspiring them to pursue their passion and dreams regardless of the challenges they may be facing.
She said: “I was in Nigeria for a couple of weeks and from encounter, I really admire Nigerians in the sense of their management skills.
“From my interactions, I have known so much about what is going on in the country and how people are so desperate to find opportunities which over in Canada or in the States is readily available.
“When I see how hungry people are to work hard and to bare their lives or to follow their passion, it is really inspiring to me.”
As a result, Neveen Dominic Cosmetics will be rolling out a series of activities which will include make up training sessions, motivational shows, fashion parades and a digital challenge which will reward makeup artistes.
She added: “I am very excited about Nigeria.
“There are lots of beautiful black women here that I really want to connect with and I want them to use my products.
“I’m looking at launching formerly later in the year and I’m looking to connect with more people.
“Many hair stylists and makeup artists have already been contacting us in Canada and it’s surprising for me that they already heard about the brand and some of them have even written articles about it.
“Nigeria has a big market and I definitely want to tap into it and connect with more black women here.”
Based in Calgary, Alberta in Canada, Neveen Dominic Cosmetics luxury line boasts of dermatology formulated skincare line, high end makeup, and fragrances which are made in Canada, United States and Germany.
Ingredients are of high quality and are ethically sourced from Spain, Italy and France.
Dominic said: “We really value good quality and good ingredients into our formulas and it is our essence in terms of the quality of the product that we carry.
“We want our clients to have that celebrity glow, feeling confident in themselves when they look in the mirror.
“That is what fuels our passion for what we do.”
Dominic, who rose from the ashes of war in South Sudan, suffered bullying and discrimination over her skin colour during her refugee journey in Egypt, leading her to provide an opportunity for dark-skinned people to celebrate their complexion.
She further explained: “Our products are natural, allergy tested, cruelty free and made out of botanical ingredients but we do use preservatives in our products.
“So we use very little synthetic ingredients into preserving the products so it can have a longer lasting sustainability or shelf life.
“At the same time, we do not mass produce, so we don’t have products that are sitting on our shelves that we are trying to get rid of.”
An author, motivational speaker, and actress, Dominic is definitely a personality to watch.
She has produced many events and fashion shows and her work has been featured in New York Fashion Week, African Fashion Week Toronto, International Makeup Artist Trade Show, but this is her first time acting and producing film in It’s A Crazy World.
She has received multiple awards locally, nationally and internationally for her business and community initiatives.
Last year she was the only black woman in Canada to make it to top finalist from over 1200 contestants in a national entrepreneurship competition called Momprener.
Dominic is not only passionate about business.
She gives back to the communities she does business in and wants to make the world a better place.
She says that philanthropy is not what she does but who she is.
Find her on social media: @neveen_dominic and @neveendominiccosmetics.