Lungile Thabethe is someone you should be following on social media if you are a beauty enthusiast.

Written By Sizwe Shabalala

In the South African beauty industry, the name, Lungile Thabethe, has become very familiar among all beauty and makeup enthusiast. As a Celebrity Makeup Artist, Beauty Content Creator, Digital Entrepreneur and Interior Designer, Lungile has spent the last few years building her brand as a trusted name within these spaces and, with over 420 thousand followers on Instagram alone, it’s easy to see why so many people are fans and supporters of her incredible work.  

Having spent her high school years in a Catholic boarding school, St. Francis College, in Kwa-Zulu Natal, she didn’t get many opportunities to explore her creativity as much as she would have loved to and so, when an opportunity presented itself to go study abroad, she took it with both hands.  

“My time spent in Belgium as a Rotary Exchange student was the cornerstone in the conception of my career as a content creator. It exposed me to opportunities in the space of digital entrepreneurship as well shortcomings of the beauty community in relation to inclusivity on a racial and financial perspective which I have always felt compelled to rectify in whichever way possible.” 

When she returned from Belgium, where she studied jewelry design and fine arts in Tienen, she attended the University of Johannesburg where she studied Politics. However, the path to being a content creator was already calling her name. Being the fourth of five sisters in a woman-headed household, Lungile was always surrounded by an environment that believed in giving your everything to whatever it is you choose to do with your life.  

“The biggest lesson I have learnt in growing up surrounded by overachieving hard working women is to trust in my ability to fulfill everything I have ever dreamed of and belief in that everything I need to prosper in already within me.” 

It is through these ideas of self-belief and unwavering dedication that has propelled Lungile to being one of this country’s beloved content creators and digital entrepreneurs. Even with so much she has already achieved, she remains very motivated to strive for more.  

“My ambitions in the entrepreneurial sphere of the beauty industry have always been clear from the beginning of my career: To work towards inclusivity in the beauty space on a racial and financial perspective. I have not wavered in this quest and the growth of my profile as a trusted brand fuels me to work harder towards this goal as my reach expands.” 

The bigger her brand gets, the wider her reach and impact and so, naturally, brands will want to associate with her. However, when you start getting offers on a regular basis, you can end up just accepting any kind of collaboration without taking into consideration your own brand’s identity and ethos. Lungile has made sure that she has her own ver specific pillars that inform and guide her on how she approaches brand collaborations and so far, it seems to be working incredibly for her.  

“I believe in the importance of working within the guidance of pillars especially with regards to content creation. In doing so, I am guided with every request that I receive as to whether there is alignment. Alignment is key in ensuring that there is clear messaging surrounding one’s brand and what they advocate for.” 

Lungile’s latest project is one that sees her working with her sister, Thando Thabethe, in an exciting partnership with Mr Price. Lungile says, she and Thando collaborated with Mr Price in conceiving a brand-new approach to doing beauty following her tenure as head makeup artist for Scarlet Hill. The concept of the brand is explained in the name, QUICK FACE. It is a beauty range designed to simplify makeup for women on the go. The idea was to provide women with just the essentials for a quick makeup look that ticks all the boxes when it comes to an everyday soft glam look. 

“QUICK FACE is a 7-step beauty range that is designed to simplify your makeup routine and give you the ultimate soft glam look in one bag on the go. It was important to us that we partner with a brand that has a long history of being at the forefront of making products affordable and accessible for everyone.” 

We are now in a time where the influencer industry is finally being recognized as an actual career here in South Africa, and while Lungile’s career seems to be growing from strength to strength, it is not lost on her that there is still a long way to go in terms of industry culture and ethics.  

“Immediate changes that I would like to see from the influencer to brand perspective is less exploitation. Enough years have passed to prove the impact that we have in the growth of brands as well as their reach and it is time influencers are paid sufficiently and fairly for their work.” 

Watch Lungile take you through the 7 steps of Quick Face for an everyday beauty look on her sister, Ayanda Thabethe below: