Minnie Dlamini-Jones tells us what's next for her beauty line

For Minnie Dlamini-Jones when your skin glows you can conquer the world. The TV presenter and media darling has plans to do exactly that, starting in Africa.

After launching her beauty product, MD by Minnie Dlamini in select Clicks stores last year, she's now expanding her empire, with Shoprite stores now also distributing her products.

The MD range will also be launched in Shoprite stores across Africa.

Throughout her career, she’d always dreamt of landing an international beauty deal like Terry Pheto or Bonang Matheba, but it never worked out.

That’s when she decided to develop her own range of skin care products.

“I was always close, either the timing wasn’t right or I wasn’t at the point where an international brand could then develop someone like me. When the time was right, I was out priced. That’s when I realised I can either sit back and take every excuse as they come or I can start truly making something about it,” she said.

Having done extensive market research and teaming up with a team of dermatologists, Dlamini-Jones created a range enriched with Eviolin, an extract from a plant found in KZN.

The range includes lotions, body washes and soaps in three variants: Cocoa Crystal, Rose Quartz and Tropical Topaz and costs between R15 and R39.

“I looked at body lotions available on the market, if it’s really expensive, it’s really good. If it’s affordable it’s not good. I thought I’d create something that has great quality, but that’s also affordable,” Dlamini-Jones explained.

Having suffered from bad skin and eczema growing up, Dlamini-Jones said she purposefully created a product that she could use and love.

“I created a product that I love and I use. I modelled it around my skin issues; I’ve got a very dry skin so I wanted it to be rich in moisture. My favourite product is the Coco Crystal at the moment, it is the most moisturising,” she said.

Her next range will be for people who suffer from eczema.

Excited about her product being distributed in other parts of Africa, Dlamini-Jones is also looking forward to celebrating her 30th birthday and 10 years in the industry.

“I was a lump of coal and through the years I was polished into a diamond and that’s why I call myself South Africa’s diamond. Gems are very significant to me. My soap is in the shape of a diamond, all the products are named after minerals to attest to that aspect of my journey,” she said.

Other than her Coco Crystal body lotion, Dlamini-Jones’ beauty secrets are simple, she drinks lots of water. But she also follows a three step skin care regime which is wash, tone and moisturise. Her glow is also attributed to a balanced diet with lots of avocado’s which are rich in minerals.