Greater Manchester, November 24, 2010:

Manchester’s Lipstick Academy has been launched and has embarked on a mission to encourage and educate womankind on Image, Lifestyle and Make-Up. The brainchild of sisters Sylvia Oliver and Denise Douglas-Armstrong, Lipstick is an entirely new concept in training for women of all ages and backgrounds who want to look good and feel good.

Lipstick is launching a range of workshops in which experts from a variety of backgrounds will deliver in-depth training on make-up, grooming and dressing to impress. “It’s all about giving women the ‘wow’ factor,” said Sylvia, speaking from the Oldham Street, Manchester salon of her celebrity hairstylist husband Nicky Oliver, which provided the location for the launch event. “Between us, Denise and I have 30 years experience in the fashion, beauty and hair industry and we got talking one day about the lack of expert advice available to women in general on the subject of make-up and styling.

“Most women’s make-up skills are based on watching their mum’s and sisters and talking to their friends. Often that can mean picking up bad make-up habits that are difficult to overcome. For many, finding the right way to apply make-up, never mind discovering what type of make-up best suits them,is very much trial and error.

“Unfortunately many women never actually acquire the right skills. So Denise and I have come up with Lipstick, a professional consultancy with the know-how and the will to help women to help themselves and get their image, grooming and make-up just right.”
Denise added: “We chose the name Lipstick because that’s the first item that comes to mind when we think about make-up. For Sylvia and I it conjures up memories of rummaging through our mother’s make-up bag when we were little girls and painting each other’s faces.

“But make-up is about much more than applying lip gloss. Having the knowledge to apply make-up and improve one’s image is hugely important to women of all ages and all races. “We intend to give the public the opportunity to learn all they want about image, lifestyle and make-up from Lipstick.” Eight models experienced the Lipstick treatment at the launch event last week when Denise and Sylvia used various make-up techniques. Guests to the event were told that certificated courses, priced from £50 per person would cover subjects including: Flawless Foundation, Barely There Make-Up, Daywear and Teen Scene.

Sylvia added:” We’ve already had a great deal of interest from the mothers of teenage girls who want their daughters to be better informed about make-up and application techniques. “But the greatest benefit to be gained from the ability of making the most of your looks and image is in the form of confidence. Whatever your age and background, looking good and feeling good about yourself will boost your confidence.”