A beauty vlogger at 65.. I’m making up for all that lost time
Glam gran’s online tutorials are a hit
Lisa Boyle
With her vibrant red hair and eye-catching outfits, it’s little wonder that glamorous gran Ann Marie Harper, 65, has exploded on social media with her videos on make-up and mental health.
Now the vlogger, who says she was bullied by teachers and peers at school for being “thick”, is set to launch her f irst make- up line featuring a bold eyeshadow palette which promises to make women look “10 years younger”.
The make-up artist, from Prestwick, revealed how “blood, sweat and tears” had been put into the making of her cult brand Glamour Gran Ann’s first collection, named Glam Goddess,oddess, as it is set to be launched online next month.
Ann Marie, who has dyslexia, said “I am so very proud of launching my company at 65 years young.
“It all started in my back k garden with me having a strong vision of making my y husband’s garage into my y beauty room. Since then, I’ve ve had a vision of what I wanted ed my make-up line to be andd I believe that I’ve had a calling ng to help other people.
“It’s been hard and I’ve had to work my butt off to gett to where I am but it’s my dream am and I can’t wait to share it with other people.people.”
Ann Marie has come a long way since i starting out as a make- up counter assistant aged 17, having left school just oneoneyearyear earlier, admitting that she barely attended high school as a youngster.
With almost 15,000 subscribers on her
Facebook page
Glamou rgrg rranann, a nann, her popular ity has skyrocketed since she put out her first live video three years ago.
She is regularegularlyrly contacted by followers who gush over how her candid videos on menta l healthhealth and beautbeautyy have helped them themfindtheconfidence find the confidence to try out new looks and open up about personal struggles.
Ann Marie, who has battled depression and anxiety, spent the majority of lockdown researching and creating bespoke shades and formulasf to include in her 32-3shade eye palette.
The grandmother- of- one, who has done backstage make-up at Strictly Kids charity shows in Glasgow and Maggie’s Cancer Centre, said: “I still suffer from mental health issues and have my really black days. Depression and anxiety have had me on a rollercoaster of a ride.
“I want people to realise you don’t have to be perfect to achieve things. “The thing that was holding me back before was fear. I was bullied by teachers and pupils at school for being ‘ thick’ and an ‘ idiot’. I heard it so much that I trained myself to believe it. “But now, at 65, I am genuinely going to make the rest of my life the best of my life. I’m determined to help others do the same.”
Ann Marie, who is also a trained Latin dancer, worked at the House of Fraser store in Glasgow for 18 years and, until the pandemic, was a make-up artist at the duty-free counters in Prestwick Airport.
The vlogger, who set up her salon Beauty By Ann Marie in 2014, said: “I grew up with make-up – my mum loved it. She was a manic depressive and I remember growing up in a house of fear because she was unwell but she always loved her make-up.”
Three years after launching her salon, Ann Marie had a mental breakdown, forcing her to take a break from her business.
But sshe later took the plunge and decideddec to record her first live Faceboo Facebook vlog, which garnered the attentio attention of 100,000 people.
“It wentwen absolutely mental,” Ann Marie recalled recalled. “I wasn’t just talking about beauty, I was speaking about my fears and menmental health. After I started to do the regularregu live videos, it gave me the courage to do other things.”
As her popularity on social media began to surge, so did Ann Marie’s confiden confidence. She attended the launch of anothanother brand’s make-up line in Manche Manchester and it was there that she was inspinspired to start her own range.
She sasaid: “When I was leaving that event, I ssaid to myself, ‘ I’m going to bring my own brand out.’”
Ann MarieM had little experience with marketing marketin and development of make-up products product so she enlisted the help of her son DavDavid, 40. The pair spent lockdown researching resear bespoke eyeshadow hues and fifinding suppliers and factories who could help them to create a unique uniq make-up collection which represents repr her bold personality.
Ann A Marie added: “There has been bee blood, sweat and tears put into this. I want to show people that, with help, it’s easy for someone to turn their life around.”
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