Rising Stars: Meet Anika Ajaga

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anika Ajaga.

Hi Anika, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started modeling when I was about three years old, my older brother was heavy into acting & I would go along with him & my mom on his shoot days. I was super shy back then but the directors always wanted to fit me into the script somehow. My mom used to tell me the only way I would stand in front of a camera was if someone gave me candy, peanut M&M’s to be exact. Not too long, I signed with the Kim Dawson Agency in Dallas & went on to do a good amount of print work & commercials. My favorite to this date is a Blue Clues shoot I did right after I cut my super long hair off into a for after a terrible perm. 90s kid problems. (lol) I loved/still love this shoot because it really encompassed my personality & 22 bears later, I really haven’t changed too much. Still youthful, still a dreamer, still extremely bubbly with a side of reserved caution. Also, the glitter on my cheeks is still a thing. No lie.

I moved to LA when I was about 4 & continued to model until my mom remarried & we relocated to Atlanta, GA. There wasn’t much of an entertainment scene going on in ATL back in the early 2000s, so I started becoming really creative with the way I spent my time. From cooking to making body lotions to crafting jewelry. I was in love with self-expression through these mediums! I’ve always also been a huge tomboy so I was able to explore a lot at the time with my older brother & try everything I could get my hands on from football, soccer, climbing crazy 50 feet trees to doing makeup & finding ways to beautify everyday items.

By the time I moved back to LA, I was in 6th grade, I jumped right back into modeling after being signed by FORD models. During that time, there was a very set look for models & although I had the typical slim build, I wore my hair in huge afros & braids… I don’t think the industry was quite ready for that. I used to tell myself I was just a little ahead of my time, however not booking any jobs was getting to me & my self-esteem took a dive. That coupled with my body changing as I went through puberty, I decided to quit. Although my heart didn’t want to, I felt incredible pressure & the child that knew herself so well was fading quickly as I struggled to live up to the “standard”.

I became interested in makeup as a way to not only express self but feel beautiful & help build confidence. I have two younger siblings & my goal was always to be an example for them & show strength even when I felt at my weakest. I dove into makeup & taught myself via Youtube & online forums. Once I graduated high school, I immediately began my freelancing career doing makeup for photoshoots/headshots for actors/creative shoots, etc. A great artist took me under her wing (Kurumi Uchino) & soon I found myself doing productions for commercials, music videos & more! My last gig was for a robin Thicke video featuring Kendrick Lamar & 2 chains, that day the energy on set defeated me & I decided I was no longer passionate about makeup. My goal was to only do what I felt 1000% good doing & could do forever. I believe my time had expired here.

Being around so many women, I noticed how they just like me… were beautiful & smart, intelligent & courageous, strong & independent. Yet, we still deal with insecurity, doubt, anxiety & fear. I decided that although makeup was no longer the path I wanted to take, an alternative more organic form of beauty was my next step. I wanted women & men like to feel beautiful in their skin, accepted just as they are, uplifted in their truth & overall like they are living an authentic existence. Body care was my next journey. I started making body products from bars of soap for cleansing, body butters to moisturize, facial masks & toners to keep the oil balanced on our skin. I loved it! It was a way for me to combine the aspect of cooking by formulating, incorporate my love for beauty in a natural way, & remain adventurous by constantly either reading of new plants to use in y formulas or going on hikes all over LA & beyond to see what I could find!

My business is named BARS, with the main focus being completely natural bars of soap made with eccentric, pure ingredients. In the past four years, there has been a lot of setbacks with the development of BARS, but I refuse to quit. I know I have a product the world needs, made with love & intention. Covid has been the latest setback, but I’ve had so much time to focus on the development of my brand that this upcoming year will be phenomenal! From an abusive relationship to family problems, dealing with anxiety, being without a home in LA & more. This brand has propelled me & kept my hope alive. I believe in BARS.

During quarantine, I choose that time to align myself. Recreate myself. I went vegan, I deleted my social media & started anew, I healed myself by learning more & letting go. I vowed to never work another 9-5 when I already knew what I needed to do! I got back into acting/modeling & booked a commercial during quarantine for Indeed, which I find pretty ironic! I’ve done multiple shoots & music videos! Also, just booked a print ad for a pretty big makeup brand that you will be seeing soon! I am not where I would like to be yet, & this journey has been everything but easy. But I am getting there & manifesting that 2022 is my year. My goal is to connect people through my products, selling them at fleas markets & pop ups…not just on the internet. I crave the in person connection we had before the era we are in now, although I love a good TikTok 🙂 I want to show young girls like my little sister that we do not have to conform to societies standards… we simply need to be our best self’s & own it. We are here to change the world, not have the world change us. This is the example I would like to set & the rules I vow to live by 🙂

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been everything but smooth! Dealing with my parent’s divorce which got pretty nasty, an abusive relationship for 1 1/2 years, being the black sheep of my family at one point because of my refusal to conform. Not having the finances to support my business & working soul-draining 9-5 that put a lot of money in my pocket but left me drained. I got into a car accident in 2017 that totaled my paid off car. At one point, I had no one to depend on but myself. My mom is German & my dad is Nigerian, both of them immigrants. So I have virtually no family here in the states, just my two younger siblings, my older brother & my parents. Things have been beyond hard, lonely, I’ve been sad, I’ve been elated, I’ve felt every emotion a human can possibly feel, sometimes one at a time. Sometimes all at once. Other times I’ve been numb to all of them. I understand that success is far from easy & I am willing to take the chance because every fibre of my being knows success is mine.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve worked a 9-5 in the medial spa industry since I was about 21. Medical spas are spas that do treatments such as laser facials, hair removal, tattoo removal, botox, fillers, you name it. Although I have never personally been interested in any treatments (besides a facial here & there when my hormones decide to wild out & wreak havoc on my face, lol) I’ve always loved the idea of helping other women feel great about themselves. Working just to pay my bills took over & I found myself not having the time to create anymore! When I quit my last job, I vowed to go full-fledged with my business & create daily. Whether it be formulating a body product, making jewelry, making a new vegan recipe (I have a great one for a black bean soup! It’s really the one) reading, practicing calligraphy or helping my closest friends who are musicians with their music!

I think what sets me apart from others is that I can do a lot of things well! I love to model & my look is very….different? Well, it’s truly unique. My face is completely unsymmetrical but it’s appealing, you can see the emotion in my features. I have fun on set! I don’t take anything too seriously, it’s not a competition for me. Instead, a chance to connect with amazing people & promote my body care line! I’m definitely known for being eccentric which I believe reflects in what I wear, eat, how I dress, etc. Also, with my body products! I use some pretty interesting methods to formulate my products! One being a watermelon rind toner with rice water! Sounds great right??

I’m proud of what I create, even if I completely botch the formula or my pictures don’t come out ideal. At the end of the day success will be preceded by failure, & lots of it! I’m proud of my resilience & the way I persevere. I’m proud of the authentic connections I make & how I only do what I intuitively feel is right!

What does success mean to you?
Success for me… is the ability to persevere. To fall flat on your face & get up every time. To be able to deal with obstacles coming your way & be able to pivot. They know that joy, tears, sweat, disappointment is all a part of the game & only contributing to your growth. AND OWNING IT. I define success as setting a goal, meeting that goal, then setting a higher one. Constantly challenged, constant growth.

Contact Info:

• Email: Anikaajaga@gmail.com
• Website: barsbeaute.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anikaajaga

Image Credits:
Camden Yaccobucci Richard Mwanthi Teddy Rycroft Josue Mendoza Max Friedman Myles Redd