'Most of my clients are heterosexual men... when they look in the mirror, they have never felt so beautiful'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

As a child, Patti Baston used to hide her wigs and dresses under the bed. She was being raised in Northern Ireland and had always felt 'like an outsider'.

Growing up through her teenage years as a boy and struggling to find her identity, she then moved to Manchester as an 18-year-old and, after a stint at university, found her clique among creatives and members of the LGBTQ+ community in a thriving and cultural city she quickly made her home. "When I first arrived, it was a bit like that scene from the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens the door and everything is in colour," she said.

She was 'surrounded by drag queens, trans women and everyone across the queer spectrum' and had toyed with her own gender expression.

Years of working on a makeup counter fulfilled her for a period, before branching out and becoming a makeup artist professionally.