Winta Ta'ime, 28, has been waiting for the opportunity to break into Addis Abeba's blossoming cosmetics industry. She has worked as a technician in a nail salon for over four years. Her job and raising two children kept her from enrolling at one of the many makeup schools popping up across the capital.

Winta decided to quit her job three months ago and took one step towards her dream of opening a makeup studio. She enrolled at Jordan Beauty School, which opened in the middle of this year in the Megenagna neighbourhood, not far from her residence. Winta and three students signed up for the month-long course, hoping to acquire the know-how necessary to make a mark in the thriving industry.

Says Winta: "Makeup is becoming a household item."

Five years ago, makeup was only a tiny part of the country's beauty industry. It mainly consisted of hair and nail salons. What little of a market there existed for makeup, for the most part, was within these salons. However, the scene has transformed quite rapidly.

Primarily driven by the proliferation of social media and improved internet access, the makeup industry has seen a staggering boom. The increase in the number of Instagram users has helped market players thrive. The role of influencers such as Danayit Mekbib (a TV personality) and Hanan Tarq, is undeniably high. With the power to change the face of the beauty industry, they easily capture the attention of users with photos and videos while being assisted by the vanishing of traditional forms of marketing in TV commercials and magazine ads.

The increased interest in makeup products among consumers has encouraged people like Winta to get involved in the blossoming market.

The phenomenon is not particular to Ethiopia. The makeup business is exploding worldwide. The industry has been growing at a rate of 4.5pc annually for the past decade. Despite a dip in 2020 due to COVID-19, it is estimated to be worth a whopping 230 billion dollars, according to data from L'Oreal, the world's leading cosmetics company. Nonetheless, Africa makes up less than three percent of the global market, and the industry's growth became apparent in Ethiopia only in recent years.

First came the cosmetics shops and stalls selling high-quality products imported from the Middle East or China. The studios followed. Women were happy to pay tens of thousands of Birr for a makeover and the industry found a loyal customer base in those celebrating a special occasion, particularly weddings.

The growing interest in makeup and increased business brought overseas companies such as MAC Cosmetics to Ethiopia. The New York based brand, under the multinational beauty giant Estee Lauder, opened its doors in the capital under a franchise agreement with NHY Import & Export, a company involved in retail, hospitality and duty-free shops. Nur Hussien, a close friend of Mohammed Ali Al-Amoudi, formed the company in the early 1990s and was involved in the hospitality industry, running establishments such as London Cafe and Monaco Bar.

Its involvement in the beauty industry is more recent, opening a store on Namibia Street, near Edna Mall in late 2019. Buyers pay thousands of Birr for small containers of products like concealer and eyeliner.

MAC was joined by dozens of retailers that sell similar products. And others in the industry moved to take advantage of the lucrative market by opening makeup schools.

The first to do so was Dereje Fikre. He returned to Ethiopia seven years ago from a stint abroad working as a makeup artist. He lived and practised this in Nigeria and Djibouti for four years before moving back to Addis. He had also enrolled in beauty courses at Real Campus by L'Oreal in Paris. In 2017, he opened Sippara Makeup School in Blen Building on Djibouti Street, in the Bole Medhanialem neighbourhood.

Over 280 students have graduated from Sippara since it began offering courses lasting between one and two months for a fee of up to 65,000 Br.

"The response was quite amazing," said Dereje, who had expected only a few would be interested in joining his school.