Bubbly, ambitious and humble are just a few words to describe  Nigerian US based beauty blogger, Ronke Raji. The 68k people that follow her on Instagram however are solidly behind her with brushes in hand – waiting for coveted beauty tips.

With only 2 years of blogging professionally, Ronke  has solidified her status as an International beauty influencer. We got to sit down with the beauty queen herself who just landed in Nigeria (and is still trying to get used to the heat) to talk beauty, social media and how the two collide.

How did you get into blogging?

l graduated, got a job and felt like my life was set and then I lost the job and I didn”t know what to do with myself. To be honest, I was lost and someone came into my life at the right time. She’s a Nigerian designer; Zainab Ashadu of Zashadu and she literally became like a mentor to me. She asked me what scared me the most and I said; “Being a make up artist” and she told me ‘”Then thats what you need to do”. I started posting pictures of myself every single day on Instagram and I wasn’t sure what I was doing but I knew I wanted to get myself out there. Then that led me to youtube and I have never looked back!

What has social media done for your brand?

When I first started, it didnt do much but now – most of my clients have been through instagram. Having an audience who are constantly looking to see what you have to offer has just changed the game. Now big brands who are established like Dark & Lovely are looking for influences to leverage on their platform. It’s given ‘normal people’ a platform which is great.

Growing up, I always felt like I didn’t have a job – I’ve always liked to dress up and put make up on but I didn’t think I could do anything with it. And social media came around and gave me an opportunity to do something with my passion.

What advice would you give to people trying to get into the beauty industry?

I feel like I have been preaching this since I got here but my first bit of advice would be; work with other people. Ever since I arrived in Nigeria, the people who have been contacting me have been non-Nigerians! I’ve found some people have a competition mentality. Working with other people can help you reach a different audience – collaboration is key. You are the sum of the people you hang around so it’s really important. The second thing would be quality over quantity. Its better you post quality content and find ways to manage what you have. You don’t need a $2,000 camera to post quality content, you can use your phone. The last thing would be consistency. If you are trying to get brand awareness, you have to post regularly so people know what they can expect from you. 

Ronke is having a beauty and photography workshop while she’s in Nigeria. Its on Sunday the 13th of November. To sign up – Email: thebloggerpoint@gmail.com

Keep up with Ronke on Instagram: @ronkeraji