Farming girl who is making women pretty

Carina Franck hides her age in the proverbial knees. In her forties, she has skin that glows and looks as healthy as that of a 20-year-old. Her secret? healthy living and using Nimue products.

She is not only a user and testament of the effectiveness of the products, but is also the owner and managing director of the Nimue line of beauty products.

Carina’s story started 12 years ago when she bought a small company, Nimue Skin Technology, whose product was in only 30 salons in South Africa.

Today, the company has become a renowned brand with a presence in over 29 countries across the world - competing with much older designer brand names.

In Kenya, Nimue found its place on the shelves of Lintons Beauty World nine years ago when Dr Joyce Gikunda and Carina met at an expo.

After much convincing and training, the partnership between the two companies started. Outside South Africa, Kenya is the only other country within Africa with an official franchise holder for the product.

Jackie Nyangala has invested heavily on caring for her face. Four months ago, she started using Nimue products, embarking on the journey to healthy skin after getting a referral from a colleague at the gym to try the product.

“It is not a cheap product,” remarks Jackie, “but it is working for me.”

Clients will spend from about Sh15,000 on a whole range of the product which will include the moisturiser, cleanser, exfoliator, day cream and night cream. The cost, however, differs depending on the treatment that the customer’s skin is undergoing at the time.

Skin care, says Carina, is beyond the treatments and products one uses on their face. One’s diet and activities also play a role when it comes to having a healthy, more radiant skin.

Her personal secret for looking young includes a healthy diet, her workout which included Pilates and walking and her spiritual wellbeing.

“I cannot go without the exfoliating enzyme to get rid of the dead skin cells. That will ensure you always have a healthy glowing skin and, of course, I cannot overemphasise the absolute importance of always wearing sunscreen,” she says.

The skin structure across board is the same, therefore the product is available for problematic skin, hyper pigmented skin, environmentally-damaged skin and an interactive range. “You do not need to use 20 products to have a beautiful skin,” says Carina.

When I met her last week, she was visiting Kenya courtesy of Lintons Beauty World, where she had a mentorship session with women on beauty and skin care.

According to Carina, some of the mistakes women make when it comes to their skin are using products with high fragrance content, which is more harmful than helpful to the skin. The second mistake is being inconsistent in your use of the products or using them incorrectly.

“When you are told to cleanse twice a day, do it. Don’t be lazy when it comes to your skin,” she advises.

When Carina took over the company, it was her aim to develop and empower women both inside and out. “I make women around the world beautiful, but I also want to make them beautiful on the inside too,” she explains.

Her tough journey to sell skin care products began with exports to Australia.

When not working, Carina spends her time travelling and mentoring women across the world. “I go around mending the hearts of women by giving them inspiration so that they can rise up and be successful,” she says.

Growing up on a farm, Carina still considers herself a farmer at heart, a fact she says has kept her grounded over the years. As a humanitarian, she is building her second school as a way of giving back to society.