This Women's Month, we celebrate women who are redefining success on their own terms. From turning a creative passion into a thriving beauty business to championing authenticity in an industry driven by trends, Terry Fleek Makeup Artistry founder, Theresa Simapungula shares her journey of resilience, self-belief and empowering women to embrace their natural beauty with confidence.
Behind every successful beauty entrepreneur is a story of creativity, courage and conviction.
For Theresa Simapungula, founder and head makeup artist of Terry Fleek Makeup Artistry, that journey began with a love for art long before she ever picked up a makeup brush professionally. Today, her signature soft-glam aesthetic, luxury mobile beauty studio and commitment to education have made her one of Johannesburg's sought-after makeup artists.
As a business owner, Theresa lets us in on her approach to building a purpose-led business, challenging beauty standards, embracing individuality and why confidence starts from within.
GLAMOUR: How do you balance creativity with the demands of running a business, and what advice would you give women hoping to turn their passion into a profession?
Theresa Simapungula: Creativity and business go hand in hand. One can't thrive without the other. My love for makeup actually started long before I became a professional makeup artist. I've always been an artist at heart. I attended the National School of the Arts (NSA), where I specialised in Visual Art. That's where I developed my love for painting and drawing. Looking back, I realise that was the foundation of my makeup career. Today, I still paint, just on a different canvas, faces.
I started Terry Fleek Makeup Artistry in 2017 as a side hustle while studying Marketing at the University of Johannesburg. Studying marketing gave me the business mindset to treat my passion as more than just a hobby. At the time, makeup was simply something I loved doing, but I knew that creativity alone wouldn't help me build a sustainable business. Now, almost ten years later, I've turned that passion into my full-time career.
Passion and creativity are incredibly important, but they need to be supported by strategy and discipline. The way I balance it is by intentionally making time for both creativity and business. I stay inspired by continuously learning, researching trends and finding inspiration in the world around me. I also dedicate time to strengthening the business side by improving my marketing strategies, systems and investing in my own growth.
One of the things I'm most proud of today is that Terry Fleek Makeup Artistry has grown into more than I imagined. As a luxury mobile beauty studio, I provide professional makeup services for all occasions across Johannesburg and beyond. My business has created opportunities for other creatives to build careers doing what they love. I work with a talented team of makeup artists and hairstylists, and being able to empower other women through what I have created is one of the most rewarding parts of my journey. To me, success isn't only about building something for myself, it's about the impact you make in the lives of those around you.
My advice to women hoping to turn their passion into a profession is simple: treat your passion like a business from day one. Showcase it, market it, create value and let people know it's available. Invest in your skills and stay consistent, even during the quiet seasons. Talent may open the door, but discipline and consistency will keep it open.
GLAMOUR: Representation in beauty continues to evolve. What does authentic inclusivity look like to you, and how can brands and artists do better?
Theresa Simapungula: To me, authentic inclusivity isn't something you campaign once a year, it's something you practise every single day.
I believe many brands treat inclusivity like a trend. They will launch a campaign celebrating diversity, but for the other eleven months of the year, their marketing tells a completely different story. Authentic inclusivity should be consistent. It should be reflected in your campaigns, your product packaging, your website, your social media, your advertising and the people you choose to represent your brand.
It's also about understanding the loyal customers who genuinely support your brand. For example, if I know most of my clients are women over 30, I'll make sure my messaging speaks to them rather than trying to appeal to an audience that isn't actually buying my services. If you know a particular community consistently supports your products, why aren't those products more relatable and accessible to them?
To me, inclusivity isn't only about skin colour. It's about recognising your customers, listening to them, involving them in campaigns, product development and marketing decisions. True inclusivity also extends behind the scenes. It's about creating opportunities for diverse creatives, makeup artists, hairstylists and photographers to contribute their perspectives and shape the stories brands tell. Inclusivity should never feel like a campaign, it should feel like the culture of the brand.
GLAMOUR: In an age of social media and beauty trends, how do you encourage women to embrace authenticity while still enjoying the transformative power of makeup?
Theresa Simapungula: One thing I believe in is that makeup should enhance your features, not hide who you are. Social media moves so quickly, and trends come and go. If you're constantly chasing every trend, you eventually lose sight of your own style and start looking like everyone else instead of embracing what makes you unique. I always encourage women to find what works for them. It's perfectly okay to take inspiration from trends, but not every trend has to become your identity. Learn what suits your features, your personality and your lifestyle, then build your own style from there.
That's one of the reasons I love creating soft, timeless makeup looks. They allow someone's natural beauty to shine through instead of covering it up. That's also one of the reasons I offer one-on-one makeup lessons. I love teaching women how to work with their own features instead of trying to recreate someone else's look. Confidence grows when you understand what suits you.
For me, makeup has never been about changing who you are. It's about celebrating who you already are and giving you that extra confidence to walk into any space feeling like the best version of yourself.
GLAMOUR: Looking back on your career, what's a challenge that ultimately became one of your greatest strengths?
Theresa Simapungula: One of the biggest challenges in my career was trying to be the kind of makeup artist I thought I was supposed to be instead of embracing the makeup artist I naturally was...
GLAMOUR: Outside of your work, what practices or rituals help you stay grounded, inspired and connected to yourself?
Theresa Simapungula: Because I work so closely with people every day, I'm constantly surrounded by different personalities and energies. I believe you can't pour into other people if you're running on empty...
GLAMOUR: If you could leave South African women with one message this Women's Month about confidence, ambition and owning their space, what would it be?
Theresa Simapungula: My message is simple: be comfortable in your own skin.
We live in a time of constant pressure, to look a certain way, to have a certain lifestyle, and to achieve certain things by a certain age. All of that can stop you from embracing who you truly are.
I'm a makeup artist, but I don't fit the stereotype people usually expect. I have dreadlocks, I love short nails, I don't wear lash extensions, and even when I wear makeup, I keep it soft and natural because that's what feels authentic to me. Living in my truth has allowed me to create a space where I can flourish, grow my business and pursue my ambitions in a way that feels true to who I am. Every woman should wear whatever makes her feel beautiful and confident. The important thing is that your choices come from you, not from pressure.
When you're authentically yourself, you give someone else permission to do the same. A young girl might see you embracing your individuality or your own style and realise that she doesn't have to change herself to belong. Simply by being yourself, you've already created space for someone else to do the same.
To me, confidence is being able to stand bare in front of a mirror and still love the woman looking back at you. Real confidence also celebrates other women. Confident women don't see other women as competition, they see them as community.
This Women's Month, I hope every woman remembers that owning your space isn't about being louder than everyone else. It's about having the courage to authentically be yourself and allowing other women to do the same.
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