A talented Co Laois makeup artist who has found fame on a hit BBC Three web show told how he returned home to Ireland amid lockdown with little more than his makeup kit.
James MacInerney, 26, is currently starring in BBC iPlayer’s Glow Up which sees a group of ten makeup artists compete for a contract to assist some of the world’s top makeup designers.
But now he’s swapped the bright lights of London for the quiet countryside of Abbeyleix after flying home just before lockdown began in March.
James returned home during the coronavirus outbreak but thought he’d be back in the UK in a few weeks.
He said:“I literally just packed a makeup bag, thinking I would initially be two or three weeks, being in the UK, I didn’t take it (Covid-19) initially too seriously.
“My mam actually rang me, saying ‘We’ve booked you a flight’, it was kind of like no choice.”
Although he had to self-isolate once he returned home from the UK, James says lockdown has given him a great opportunity to be creative.
During this period, he spent time creating new makeup looks and experimenting with ideas.
James also revealed he’s had “massive” support from his local community since the show aired as well as old friends from college and colleagues within the beauty industry.
He said: “A lot of family and friends have just been massively supportive, it’s rekindled some friendships and connections.”
James has a degree in Multimedia from DCU but later decided to study for a diploma at Vanity X makeup college in Dublin.
From there, he found work on CBBC series Horrible Histories which paved the way for more work in TV and film.
“That was an amazing opportunity, it was all training, it was very much full-on,” he enthused.
And last year, he became the first Irish contestant to reach the finals of Glow Up Season 2.
Speaking about returning to London where he’s been working for the past two years, James admitted: “I do get worried but at the same time I say to myself ‘We’re all in this together’.
“I’m in the same boat as many people in my line of work, it’s going to be interesting you know, we’re kind of all in this industry, as a whole, trying to figure out what will be the new normal.
“I want to know I would feel safe going back to London at some point, I could see myself adapting and doing work potentially in Ireland and then going to and fro.”
Glow Up airs on BBC’s iPlayer every Thursday at 7pm.
