Being an entrepreneur can be stressful, but there is one person who makes it look like a piece of cake. That young lady is Erykah Clarke, also known as Mochaa.
Clarke’s business is well known as Makeup by Mochaa, and it is located in Tallahassee.
Clarke was born on Sept. 18, 1997, in Miami.
Clarke is an alumna of Florida A&M University. She graduated in the summer of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in general health science.
While serving as a student-makeup artist, she also became a member of the Original Beta Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Her love for makeup started as a little girl when she watched her grandmother apply her own makeup daily. She also had her mother to thank for playing a part in her passion for makeup.
Clarke’s mother sold Mary Kay products, which was a popular makeup line in the early 2000s.
Clarke started Makeup by Mochaa in 2017. She started off catering to the FAMU community, and as the years went on her business started to expand.
“The biggest challenge back then, starting makeup as a broke college student was definitely building up my makeup kit and clientele,” Clarke said.
The business owner was not letting the little obstacles stop her. She started to pass flyers out promoting her business at Set Fridays, as well as doing small demos of makeup applications. Clarke began to sell lashes to promote her brand to more people.
Selling lashes outside of doing makeup was such a hit, Clarke decide to start her next business, MBM Cosmetics, the MBM stands for Makeup by Mochaa. MBM Cosmetics made its grand appearance in February. The cosmetic line has products from lashes to Mochaa’s signature glosses. MBM Cosmetics can be found either on her Instagram account, @makeupby.mochaa, or website https://www.mbmcosmetics.co/.
“My favorite products would be the eyelashes and lip gloss,” MBM client Raven McCaskill-Fennell said. “They make me feel beautiful and picture-perfect ready. They are my go-to products.”
Clarke’s motivation comes from seeing her clients so confident and happy after becoming “a beat girl.” A beat girl is Makeup by Mochaa’s motto. Clarke’s meaning of it, is a woman who is always looking and feeling her best.
“I’ve been to many makeup artists, but Mochaa made me feel so comfortable in her chair the moment I sat down,” recent client Dalilah Posley said. “When you leave, you feel even more beautiful on the inside and out,”
Clarke can see Makeup by Mochaa traveling the world during the next five years, and working for famous musicians and actors. As far as her luxury cosmetic line, she can see it growing into a full cosmetic line within the next five years, and hopefully available in stores.
Clarke left off with words of encouragement for any upcoming makeup artist or new business owner: “Stay consistent! You never know when, but your time will come. Make sure you are passionate about your art. If you don’t absolutely love what you do it’ll never work!”.