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Experimenting with mum's make-up kit is the norm for many young girls but with Ameena Janahi it was more than just a couple of strokes of the brush to look pretty.
At 13, the young Bahraini was already applying party make-up for friends and family. Now at 23, she is the first Bahraini to launch her own make-up line and also owns the franchise of international make-up brand, Kryolan.
Her passion for make-up has culminated into a thriving business and she has developed her niche in the kingdom and beyond.
She said: "My mother was a make-up artist when I was growing up and I normally accompanied her to all her client appointments. Since my early teens I knew that I wanted make-up brushes as my professional tools."
Ameena always had an artistic streak in her which was recognised when she won the Gulf Art Competition at the age of 18 during her last year at Istaqlal Public School in Muharraq.
While studying business at AMA International University, Ameena got a taste for entrepreneurialism when she started offering professional make-up services by appointment.
During her two-year university stint, she developed a business plan to start her own venture and sought financial help from her parents - banker dad, Ali Janahi, and mother, Latifa Al Kooheji, an ex-Batelco employee.
She explained: "My parents were very supportive, especially my mother who encouraged me to open my own make-up studio and shop rather than follow the run-of-the-mill nine-to-five job routine."
Ameena travelled to Lebanon to hone her skills with make-up professional Ahmed Koubeissy. She then bought the franchise in 2008 and added her own line, 'aj professional makeup'. Ameena identified her target market and designed and developed her brand according to the needs of Arab women.
She said: "Women in the Gulf want long-lasting make-up that is weather-appropriate with colours that suit their skin tone.
"I knew the kind of results I wanted so I worked closely with a German company and tested each product on myself and my family members before launching it."
aj professional makeup has a range of long-lasting glossy lipsticks, water-based long-lasting eye shades, blushers, loose powder priced from BD3 upwards while Kryolan has a range of foundations, concealors and correctors for all skin types.
Apart from managing her outlet in Dana Mall, Ameena also runs make-up classes for women and does bridal make-up by appointment.
The confident businesswoman believes that age is relative and people take you seriously when they see a qualified professional. Often she advises customers walking in her store on how to choose the proper shade of foundation or lip and eye colours that would suit their individual skin tone.
She explained: "Many women do not know how to choose the correct shade and type of foundation. A lot of ladies wear a lighter shade of foundation but the basic aim of a foundation is to cover imperfections and to give an even skin tone and glow. So when I see that a customer is picking up the wrong foundation I normally wipe half their face and apply the foundation that I feel is appropriate for them and let them see the difference for themselves."
