She's won over thousands of fans in her singing career and bagged an MBE for her contribution to music but Beverley Knight is hoping to hit the right notes in the beauty world.
The soul singer has launched her own range of make-up, K by Beverley Knight, for darker skin tones.
With so few brands on the cosmetics market catering specifically for black and Asian skin, Beverley hopes her range will create more choice for those who end up defeated at the beauty counters searching for the right shade.
"When you're darker skinned, it's a nightmare trying to find make-up that works," she explains.
"Like the vast majority of black and dark-skinned women, I found there wasn't anything that provided the full spectrum of colours I needed. Finding products was even worse before MAC and Bobbi Brown came along - I certainly have some make-up horror stories to tell!"
Juggling microphones and her make-up launch, Beverley takes time out to reveal all about her latest hit release.
K Factor
Forget the X Factor, Beverley hopes her range has the K Factor in filling a gap in the make-up market.
The K by Beverley Knight range features 15 products including oil-free foundations and powders for darker skin tones, as well as eyeshadows and lipsticks in colours Beverley believes will flatter everyone.
"My personal favourites are the Ruby and Blackberry Lip Gloss Stylos because I'm a lip gloss fiend!" she says. "But the thing that I'm most proud of are the bases because it took an eternity to get right and that was the thing I was determined the whole range should hang on."
She found inspiration in fellow singer, Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts, who encountered problems at the opposite end of the make-up spectrum finding colours to suit her pale complexion.
"Nicola has embraced her own look with her Dainty Doll range and become like an ambassador for a whole army of girls who have similar hair and skin tone," Beverley says.
"She was definitely someone I looked at closely to see how to do it right as opposed to just putting a celebrity make-up range out there and saying 'buy that'."
Cosmetic encounters
You might think all celebrities have an army of make-up artists and hair stylists behind their look, but not Beverley.
"I do my own make-up most of the time," she reveals. "If you've ever seen me at awards or performances, I've most likely done my own make-up. But for photoshoots or videoshoots, where accuracy is everything, I use a make-up artist."
It's little wonder Beverley has learnt the craft of beautifying after a catalogue of make-up artist disasters.
"There have been times where I've looked at my face and it all looks a bit too light, or my face is really dark and my neck looks really pale in comparison," Beverley says.
"It was much more of a frequent occurrence in the music industry when I was younger but now there are more products and make-up artists who are used to working with darker skin."
Beauty boffin
Beverley admits to being a bit of a beauty swot with a bookcase stuffed full of books on application and trends.
"I've always been interested in make-up," she says. "I go straight to the beauty pages in magazines and try to copy certain looks and experiment. I love learning about application techniques, such as how to apply a smoky eye or the principle of blending."
And when it comes to her own beauty looks, she's a chameleon switching from subtle neutrals to extreme stage looks.
Beverley says: "I feel girly when I've got make-up on. If I'm going on stage then it's as bright, wild and creative as I want, otherwise you look feature-less. You have to accentuate everything you've got."
The singer even models a series of looks as the face of her range in the campaign shots.
"I'm no Jamelia, modelling isn't like my double job but I'm really pleased with how it turned out," she says modestly.
"The fact my face is there I think will make people kinda look, and look again, which is where the celebrity element comes in - but I'm really determined this range will stand on its own merits."
Knight know-how
Self-confessed make-up junkie Beverley reveals her top tips for applying cosmetics on darker skin.
Base - "Go gently when you're applying foundation to your skin," Beverley warns. "A lot of black girls have uneven pigmentation. If you go with a light hand and put it where you need it and lightly dust over, you give the impression of an even finish rather than looking overly made-up. It looks younger and fresher."
Highlight - "The highlighter can be your most wonderful weapon in your make-up armoury," Beverley reveals. "When you start to put all-over colour like a powder or foundation on darker skin, it makes your face look overly matte, and flat with no features. Create and emphasise contours, like your cheekbones and brow bone, using a highlighter to create light and shade."
Colour - "Embrace colour, whether it's cheeks or eyes," Beverley says. "You can really carry off bright shades but it's all about blending, blending, blending! A blob of colour on the face can leave you looking like a clown."
Nude - "I love playing up smokey eyes but they need to be paired with a nude neutral lip," Beverley advises. "With a lot of black girls, like myself, lips aren't pink coloured they are brown so it's tricky to achieve the nude look. When you're applying a base, continue the foundation over your mouth to blank the lips out and then go over with a nude lip shade."
Lips - "Berries and dark colour lips are storming through this season, inspired by the catwalks," Beverley says. "My Ruby Lip Gloss Stylo is a full-on glossy red, which will give you a 40s glamour look, teamed with defined brows and lots of lashes. Keep the colour emphasis purely on your mouth."
