Published On: 30 January 2025Tags:

To kick off the new year, our team had the opportunity to explore and celebrate their diverse features. MAC hosted an evening of make-up tutorials, self-expression and self-love. Antoinette, our Policy and Practice Officer, shares her experience:

“What an amazing evening! Thank you, Ami and MAC, for hosting us and helping me discover I have eyelids, who knew?

As someone who rarely wears a full face of makeup, I found it such a unique experience to feel confident in a new look. Beauty isn’t just about appearance, it’s about feeling good in your own skin.

This idea of feeling “good in your own skin” and using make-up to enhance your natural and unique features, resonated across the team.”

For Promise, our Communications and Event Assistant, it took a long time to accept and love her double eyelids. 

“When I was younger, I even considered  getting double eyelid surgery so my eyes would look bigger and “less Asian”. It wasn’t that I hated my eyes, but a lot of online and trends focused on beauty for western facial features.

I would follow make-up tutorials like “How to do the smokey eyed effect” and get really frustrated when it didn’t look quite right on me.”

Celebrating the beauty of diversity 

The evening was a reminder to appreciate ourselves, challenge the standards that often exclude us, and celebrate the features that make us unique. 

MAC’s “All Ages. All Races. All Genders’ ethos and expert guidance, by the lovely make-up artist Ami, created a memorable experience for our team.

As for the team experience, we had so many questions.

While progress is being made, change has been slow and long overdue in the UK’s beauty industry, and there is still more to be done to broaden beauty standards for everyone. That is why, we are proud partners of MAC as they continue to champion inclusivity and diversity within the beauty industry, through initiatives like the Viva Glam campaign. The campaign raises money for every lipstick sold, giving 100% of profits to support gender, sexual, racial and environmental equality.