Today we'd like to introduce you to Mina. We chatted about natural lipstick of course, but also about Erykah Badu and Uma Thurman... With her dazzling smile and overflowing energy, it was an interview with a radiant tiger!

Mina is wearing Natural and vegan matte Liquid Lipstick in RED 888
Tell us about youself!

My name is Mina, I'm 27 years old. I'm French-Beninese and I've lived in France for 12 years. I've been working as a recruiter for almost two years, and for the last six or seven years, I've been a model, actress, and singer. 

Do you feel like you're "Queen of the Jungle?"

Totally! I feel like a queen of the jungle, especially when I help someone, when I'm needed and am there for that person. I think it's my personality, that's just how it is. In all kinds of situations, whether it'd be at work, in life in general, or in public transportation! When someone needs me, I am there, even if it's just to help someone find their way around... And Paris has been my jungle for 12 years!

Are you the only queen in your jungle, or do you rule collectively?

That is the eternal question: with other women, is it competition or support? For me, it should be support! But it also depends on the vibe the other person gives, I can change according to someone's personality. I'm a chameleon!  When I have someone nice in front of me, I immediately soak in their positivity; I often act as a reflection of the person in front of me. I hear this a lot. So, in general, I am very supportive. But beware, if I feel like someone is mean, I will not be a pushover. Being a tiger also means to not let people step all over you.

Which tigers have inspired you?

Erykah Badu! Erykah is the woman who has always had an Afro, who has always accepted the way she is. I knew of her when I was little in Benin, with my old-fashioned cassettes, and I always loved what she said in her songs. I love her, she's my tiger. I think my style shows that I grew up inspired by her, with the idea that you can be proud of your natural hair. That's how I learned to love myself, and to love my Afro hair. It's a part of me, whether I'm in Benin or in France! 

Natural or vegan: Is it important to you?

Natural is very important to me, both in its formula and it's style. Right now I am all done up, but in life in general, when I to work or out for a drink, I don't really wear makeup. I just put some lipstick on, sometimes some mascara, my afro and here we go!

I'm not vegan, but it is something I find important. I'm aware that the fact that we consume a lot of meat makes us overproduce it, which has some serious consequences on a global scale. We all need to think about our eating habits and make small changes, and vegans show us this can be done in an interesting way, including cosmetics... So go vegans!

What makes you so happy you want to roar? 

So happy I wanna roar? You'll find it really weird, but I love... lychees. Even on Valentine's Day, just give me a bucket of lychees and I'm totally happy! That's my guilty pleasure! 

What makes you bare your claws?   

Injustice. Injustice most certainly makes me bare my claws. One silly example would be was when I was in high school, and a girl was being bullied for absolutely no reason; people were just being straight mean to her. I did not hesitate for one second to defend her, even if we did not know each other... At the time we were practically strangers, and from that she became a great friend. I hate meanness towards anyone. Even towards a dog, it makes me so angry! 

What does lipstick mean to you?

To me, lipstick is the assertion of one's personality. When I started wearing lipstick, I think I was about 16 or 17 years old—I was a little behind, for girls nowadays, I was behind!—I was wearing some intense femme fatale type of red lipstick. I felt that that lipstick was screaming feminism. Besides, when you finally find YOUR lipstick, you never leave it, you don't let go, you wear it all the time and it becomes part of your everday image. We all have in mind Pulp Fiction, the black bob with bangs, red lipstick, red fingernails... it's a very vivid image. Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction is my idol lipstick-wise! 

Your favorite lipstick color?

My favorite lipstick color is the pure red, which is so vamp, so glamorous. So tiger!

Thanks Mina!

[Photo JB Jaud ]