Johannesburg - The whole world loves a comeback story especially when the comeback kid barely manages to step back from the abyss.
Mario Vee, the founding CEO of Unblemished Beauty Make-up and Nail Academy has had to overcome drug addiction, being shunned by family, the church and society to become a glam-guru.
The son of a pastor-father and evangelist-mother, Vee has his roots in the church and it was that strong connection with the church that would eventually become his saving grace.
Growing up in Wentworth, Durban, Vee said he never felt like he belonged and his sexuality caused great consternation within the family and for himself. Drugs seemed to be the poison for many a young person at odds with themselves and the world.
“Despite my struggles, when my partner and I decided on a name for our business, I remembered the word ‘unblemished’ that my father always used in his ministries. It seemed like the perfect name for how I now see myself,” Vee said.
In Grade 10 Vee started playing around with make-up, which of course did not go down well in his very Christian home.
“I wanted to study beauty but my parents refused. I spent two years at culinary school before my mother eventually convinced my father to let me follow my passion,” Vee said.
Today, Vee boasts qualifications in Somatology, Beauty and Make-up and Prosthetics with which he can turn clients into Cindereallas, zombies and even gunshot victims, depending on the occasion. But the journey to get to where he is now, was fraught with struggles and relapses.
Vee started experimenting with dagga while in high school and all because he wanted to be accepted and to step out into society with confidence.
“From the weed, I moved onto Ecstasy tablets then Cocaine and eventually CAT. It was a mixture of peer pressure, being ostracised by my family and the church and society at large. The drugs gave me a false sense of comfort,” Vee said.
As a teenager, Vee ended up in rehab for six months but relapsed within the first week of his release.
“That was the time my family didn't even want to hear my name. I was gay and an addict,” Vee added.
But things took a turn for the worse when Vee moved to Johannesburg in the mid 2000s and became hooked on CAT (Methcathinone). By this time, Vee was an established name and brand on the Joburg make-up scene having worked with the likes of Black Coffee, Oskido, US house musician Monique Bingham, Louise Carver, Kgomotso Christopher (Scandal) and Tsolo Motaung.
“When I was high, I was at my best. Nobody knew I was high and I had the make-up to cover up what was really going on inside,” Vee said.
He recalls sitting on his bathroom floor after a night out, unable to sniff one more line.
“I sat next to the toilet bowl, cleaned my phone and flushed all the drugs I had down the toilet. I really cried out to God to help me.I kept hearing this voice telling me that If I didn’t stop, I was not going to make it. I bathed, got into bed and just wept. It felt like my skin was being ripped from my flesh. My whole body ached. If it wasn’t for the love and support from my partner, I wouldn’t be where I am today. From that day, with the grace of God, I have been clean and I’ve never looked back,” Vee said.
Today, Vee’s using his struggles and passion for make-up to improve the lives of the many students who come through the doors of his beauty academy.
“I have seen parents coming to pay with their Sassa cards just to provide their children with a skill. This is what inspires me. Make-up is not just about looking and feeling good. It’s about being able to do something with the skills you acquire. I know that many people use make-up to hide things about themselves and things they don’t want the world to see, just like I did,” he said. .
Vee added that his drug friends turned out not to be friends at all.
“I needed to hurt and feel everything I felt. Getting clean is only something you alone can do. On that morning when I decided to quit, I took out my make-up case and started painting my face. That’s when I fell in love with my passion again. Now I needed to step out into the world confident again and without the drugs,” he said.
On the issue of his three relapses Vee said: “The thing that family and friends often don’t understand is that relapses are planned. I even dreamt of getting high. It’s a euphoric recall,” he said.
Having put the addiction behind him, Vee in 2020 opened Unblemished Beauty Make-up and Nail Academy in Edenvale where previously disadvantaged young people are acquiring skills so they too can find their place in the world.
The academy offers training in permanent make-up, advanced make-up artistry, beauty therapy, laser treatments, mail technology and a beauty supply store.
“It’s long hours on your feet but this is the plan God had in store for me,” Vee concluded.