Foyin is spreading positivity through creativity one face at a time!

Words by Sizwe Shabalala

Nowadays, it’s rare to hear Foyin Ogunrombi’s name not mentioned in conversations about fashion, content creation, beauty and makeup. Now popularly known as just, Foyin OG, she really is a true young OG in this industry. It is difficult to find ways to standout when it comes to this industry but Foyin struck gold with the now very popular #7Days7Faces recurring challenge.

She says, when the themes for #7Days7Faces aren’t being influenced by the brands she is partnering with, she gets most of her inspiration from current trends or makeup looks that she’s always wanted to try. However, she does admit that sometimes coming up with very creative concepts that aren’t too difficult is a challenge in itself but she is always up for it.

One of the things she appreciates about #7Days7Faces is the community that they’ve built and being able to work with brands that understand the value in that.

“#7Days7Faces really came around during a dark time during lockdown so it’s been a form of catharsis and escape for a lot of people and to see their development throughout the rounds has been incredible. It’s truly an inclusive space where everyone just hypes each other up and supports each other — even if they’re not actually participating in the challenge.”

What started out small, with just a post and IGTV tutorial from her, has now evolved into a multi-platform challenge that gains millions of impressions in one week that can provide value for the brands associated with it. Now that the movement has taken on a life of its own, Foyin has been fortunate enough to partner up with some brands that have been willing to put money behind their partnerships but she says that was never really the initial goal when she first started.

“It was honestly a means to grow my platform, if I’m being honest! It was the beginning of lockdown and I was worried about content creation and being able to still book jobs, so I wanted to use this challenge as a way to keep up my engagement and hopefully grow my platforms so that I could book other jobs - I never thought that the challenge itself would be monetizable! But after it started going viral and I was thinking about what to do next to make each round better, getting brands involved seemed like the logical conclusion.”

Out of all the looks she’s created for herself, she says the looks from Round 7 were her favourite. Regarding other participants, she says Zanie (IG: @zaniemaree) has created some of her favourite looks.

“Not because of the makeup itself, but because of the entire production level. But there are literally loads — @zisanda_m is also another incredible creator and @kian_balton does amazing integration of SFX too.”

The buzz and momentum that the #7Days7Faces trend has garnered since its inception has had a positive impact on Foyin’s creative process when it comes to creating content in general. Very often, when you are a beauty influencer full-time, your work is often geared towards practical makeup tips and looks and branded content, whereas this challenge, Foyin says, was purely just for enjoyment.

“It’s definitely brought back a love for just creating content and creating beauty looks just for fun. It’s a refreshing way to re-inspire myself after a slump and it forces me to get creative again. It’s also forced me to work harder and smarter and create in different ways — it definitely pushes me to be better each time and shows me I can pull it off. I really use all of my skills during that week!”

Out of the many exciting achievements and successes of this challenge, Foyin has a couple of her personal favourite milestones.

“I will always be proud of the Netflix edition. Getting approval from the Shondaland team for the Bridgerton partnership looks was so humbling. I was so worried that people wouldn’t participate because the prompts weren’t as literal but people came through and showed out and I was in absolute awe.”

The internet can be a very toxic place sometimes but, Foyin has managed to create a safe and inclusive space with the #7Days7Faces challenge. Whether you are an actual participant or just a spectator, you get to appreciate the love and positivity that comes with the highly anticipated challenge week.

“People of different races, ages, genders and creative media create their own content and interpret it in their own ways and I love that people take ownership of the challenge like this. From the absolute novices to full-time MUAs, everyone enjoys testing their creative skills and improving themselves and seeing what they’re capable of.”

Foyin hopes that, with every installment of the challenge, people will be empowered with the confidence that, “they are capable of being creative in whatever capacity they choose and that there is an audience out there that would love to see their work.”

There is no telling what’s next or how far #7Days7Faces can really go but Foyin is determined and focused to keep pushing.

“So long as people want to keep doing it, I will keep orchestrating it and try to make it better each time. I would love to do some live events and potentially partner on some products in the future! It’s bigger than me and even bigger than those who participate in it! It’s become a joy to people’s timelines and I love that.”