I am a practising artist with a critical interest in stardom, and feminine aesthetics (particularly makeup). I won the Contemporary British Painting Prize in 2016 and exhibit my work widely. In September 2023 I was awarded a PhD in film studies from Queen Mary University of London – my thesis (which I hope to publish) is titled ‘Making Up the Star: Makeup, Femininity, Race and Ageing in Hollywood, 1950–1970’. I have worked as a fashion makeup artist, a cosmetics consultant for Miss Selfridge and Cosmetics a la Carte, and am a trained beauty therapist. In March 2023 I co-organised the Screen Star Makeup conference with Lucy Bolton at QMUL and I am curating a makeup themed art exhibition at Leicester Gallery at DeMontfort University in 2025. I write on a wide range of topics and my published work includes ‘Makeup as Dark Magic: The Love Witch and the Subversive Female Gaze’.