At a young age, Gisele Uwase fell in love with cosmetics. In high school, she recalls applying makeup for her friends and enjoying every bit of it. She would also put makeup on her mother and aunties, and later on started doing it for brides on their weddings. “I loved doing makeup and everything that comes with beauty,” Uwase says. After doing it as a hobby for some time, last year, she decided to officially launch an online makeup store where she sells lipstick, eyelashes and glue lashes, among other products and ships them worldwide. Uwase lives and works in Canada but now plans to set up shop in Rwanda. “My online shop is worldwide but I want my first shop to be in Rwanda because it is growing fast and I want to be part of that growth. I am not sure when to launch my shop due to the on-going pandemic but I will do it as soon as I can,” she says. With her online shop, Uwase says she gets to choose the products and ensures to have them tested before putting them on the market. Her mission is to make her brand and produce cosmetic products. “Now that the country is promoting Made-in-Rwanda products, for instance Rwandans no longer have to go outside the country to buy clothes and other products like before, it is about time we make our own cosmetic products,” she says. Uwase is also a college student doing business management. She calls on the youth to make use of the available opportunities offered by the country. “I advise my fellow youth to create their own jobs because we have a supportive country, and they will be helping in its development, as well as promote the Made-in-Rwanda project,” Uwase adds.
