Belfast makeup artist Paddy McGurgan has opened up about what prompted him to overhaul his lifestyle and lose more than 12 stone in the process.
The 42-year-old said health concerns and having to turn down opportunities of working at New York fashion week were part of the reason he decided he needed to make a lifestyle change.
Speaking to Belfast Live, following the launch of his very own makeup collection with Co Tyrone-based brand Bellamianta, Paddy admitted that he started with making simple changes and to date has shed 12.5 stone.
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He said: "I literally just took it bit, by bit, I said very little at the start. I knew I needed to change as I was so miserable, miserable in the sense of just my health got to me as well.
"It was debilitating because I was diabetic, the medication was just a pain, it wasn't really managing it successfully, because my body was just heating up and causing me to profusely perspire and that just made me feel awful, especially when you do my job when you're in such close proximity to people and there was nothing I could do to stop it
"I was turning down work as well, I remember turning down New York fashion week because I knew it would be really hot and it's hot enough backstage and I just didn't want to do it.
"That killed me, turning that opportunity down because I really wanted to work with that artist and I just said I can't keep going like this because it started to impact the main thing that I love and that's my work."
Having come out of a relationship as well, the Co Armagh native said that too helped him make better choices when it came to food.
"It was slightly propelled forward because I came out of a relationship so I had full autonomy over the foods that I kept in the house and my own sort of dinner plans rather than being set down a dinner that maybe wasn't ideal.
"Then Covid hit and I started reading and listening to podcasts to try and mentally understand why I'm such a lunatic with food that I can't say no," he laughed.
"But I think that [self-control] is something you have to work at and it's something I'm working on every single day. Every time I go into the shop to grab essentials and I come out without having lifted a bag of crisps as well, I see that as an achievement.
"It's just trying to do other things, the most vulnerable I find when you're in that situation is when you're pure starving and you've let yourself go too far from not eating so whether it's constantly trying to keep fruit or other healthy snacks handy so you have a better choice. It's not about trying to be perfect, it's just about making better choices and doing things little by little."
He continued: "It was the same when it came to the fitness side of it, I really did my research and found a PT that really understood what I needed and not someone who was trying to train me for the Olympics or throw me straight into Crossfit.
"So it's not about denying yourself anything, it's not a diet, if you want to have your Chinese, have it but maybe if you can make a change like boiled rice instead of fried, then you just get stronger and stronger and your will power builds up.
"There's no one thing, it's lots of small things that you can do and I'm still working on it, I'm still not at the final place but I'm happy that I've got this far with it."
Paddy's new collection with Bellamianta, run by Linda Stinson has been several years in the making but ever the perfectionist, both parties wanted to make sure it was 100% right before launch.
"Obviously, I haven't done something like that before but it was a long process, tediously long but I am delighted with the outcome, and it just took that long to get it all sorted.
"I think it was because I knew the type of person Linda was and I think even her approach to fake tan, and the quality, the packaging, the detail, all those things, she had so much already sorted. As well we have a similarity as in we came from a similar background, Linda worked in Space NK and so did I so we kind of grew up through that ethos of quality products and ingredients.
"Space NK was huge when we worked there at reinforcing knowing your ingredients, what they do, why they're in there all of those sorts of things, so it was easier, I didn't need to convince her that if we were going to do it we were going to do it right not just rush things.
"Even from the outset, I asked her the question if she was sure she wanted to do this with me because I could be a nightmare because I'll be so picky, but she said, absolutely, that's what I want. I gave her an escape route and she didn't take it so I knew she was for me," he laughed.
Paddy, who has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, said he wanted to create a collection that can be used by all, not just those who are trained make-up artists. He said he wanted to give people the freedom to choose how they applied it and how much they applied based on their own tastes.
"We wanted to try and create something different but not so different that it can only be used by a minority because at the end of the day we are competing with so many brands out there who also have really good products and formulations.
"We are in an industry where we are flooded with cosmetic products being launched every day of the week, so the point of difference, I didn't have the advantage of having a 5 million follower backup.
"I needed to come from 20 years experience of working with products, working with faces, working with all skin types, I needed that to be the unique selling point of why we would come together and make this collection and that was why it was so important to get it right.
"I wanted products that were very buildable on the skin, and very easy. I just feel like it is hard to quantify the amount of information that is out there for women with regard to how to apply something and we need to change the message that there is not just one way to wear makeup.
"The products had to be easy to use without the person using them having to seek constant approval that they're doing it right through tutorials and all the rest of it.
"It just had to be something simplistic as well so that's why the products are very buildable, you don't have that instant burst of crazy pigment but you can still have intensity and you can still build it up to be quite dramatic if that is how you choose to wear it."
Paddy's HeART Of Beauty 11 piece collection includes 3 Hydra Blushers, 3 Halo Highlighters, 3 Sculpted Bronzers, a Bronze Sculpting Balm, and a 15 Shade Eyeshadow Palette and can be purchased online via Bellaminta website or via stockists nationwide.
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