Cover photo by @videoprince
Born in Cameroon, Darleen Yaya’s interest in makeup started around the age of 13. Wanting to hide her acne scars and boost her self-confidence, Yaya started teaching herself how to do makeup. After moving to Japan and starting her own YouTube channel to express her own artistic looks, Yaya’s artistry bloomed into a freelance makeup business, Yaya Ultd. Her client base exclusively consists of Black and Brown women, who often find that makeup options in Japan simply don’t cater to darker skin tones.
When Yaya isn’t working as a teacher, she’s busy growing her business and making a name for herself in the Black community and the Japanese entertainment scene.