She’s done makeup for Paris Fashion Week and VOGUE, and has just released her debut book. 

And now makeup artist Nicole ‘Pinky’ Thompson is coming to Canberra to share her beauty insights during a special masterclass at Canberra Centre on Saturday 27 October.

We caught up with Pinky to chat all things Spring/Summer 19, her go-to products and career highlights so far.

When it comes to makeup trends for SS19, what’s on your radar?

Finally, people are slowly moving away from super-laboured cut creases and graphic liners so tricky and edited they aren’t even real anymore! Of course, there are still people who enjoy this technical makeup execution but the majority of us do not have the time to pull this off in our everyday lives!

I’m loving that beauty is more about the individual and enhancing them rather than piling on product to hide them!

Polished glowing skin will always be on trend and bringing colour and fun into your eye and lip makeup is an easy way to enhance your outfit. I am loving all the burgundies and pinks I am seeing glaze the eyes and lips – not unusual colour choices on the lips, but a happy surprise when people see how those tones. [They] make the eyes pop!

What are some of your current go-to products?

I am dry as a desert at the moment! So moisture is so important for me at the moment to feel better, but also have my makeup last longer!

I soak my skin In MAC Fix + before moisturiser, and after- really massaging it in. The massage is just as important as the product. This spritz is a skin saver.

I am really liking the combo of mixing an illuminating moisturiser with a heavy duty cream to take away the appearance of dryness and my skin just drinks it up.

I’m loving Avene Cicalfate Repair Cream and MAC Strobe Cream before and sometimes mixed with my foundation.

You’ve worked with publications like Oyster, L’Officiel, and VOGUE, and brands like Sass & Bide and Camilla – what are your top three career highlights so far? 

I have had a very eclectic career, and that’s just the way I like it- no two days or two jobs are the same!

Working at Cirque du Soleil In Japan fueled my love for colour and creativity and taught me the art of communicating beauty across language barriers.

Touching down at my first Paris Fashion week was an emotional moment of feeling like the dream I had worked so hard for was actually coming true. Each season since then has had its great moments, but the feeling of being a part of the trends coming to life on the world stage is one that does not get old.

The moment I pressed send on the final check of the book layout was surreal. It was such a labour of love, and it really is me spilling onto the pages and having fun with beauty so it was an out of body experience for me!  This is not something I expected to be doing in 2018, but I have run with this incredible opportunity and can’t wait for it now to be on shelves!

What can people find in your debut book, MAKING IT UP?

A whole lot of fun with beauty – just as it’s meant to be!

Rules in life and makeup are so boring and limiting. This book has been designed to inspire people to enjoy the process and learn easy tricks to create looks that they thought were perhaps too hard! It never is!

This is years of work on different faces, different experiences and varied jobs in makeup spilt onto the page and photographed in a beautiful way.

Celebrating diversity this book was so important to me- I’ve never had two people that look the same in my chair so why would I have that represented in this book?

Your skin colour or age does not tie you to a particular look, it is all up to your taste and vibe – and if you want to try it!

This is a fuss-free funny makeup guide and wardrobe to flick through and take what will work for you!

Whose makeup would you love to do?

Katy Perry is my beauty spirit animal. I love that she is not afraid to push the boundaries and just have some fun! She would be awesome to paint!

the essentials 

What: Makeup Masterclass with Nicole ‘Pinky’ Thompson
When: Saturday 27 October from 12 – 1 pm
Where: EDEN, Level One, Canberra Centre
Book: canberracentre.com.au/play/events/pinky-makeup-masterclass

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