From Hetton to Hollywood, the Sunderland makeup legend who has worked with Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian

A leading Hollywood makeup artist from Sunderland is in line for a top award; and he needs your vote.

Adam Burrell is from Hetton and a Shiney Row College graduate. He moved in 2005 to earn a degree at the London College of Fashion, settling in Los Angeles in 2017.

He has worked with a long list of glitterati including Jennifer Hudson, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Adele, Mel B, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Winnie Harlow, Ella Henderson, One Direction, Little Mix and Gwen Stefani.

He is a double Emmy nominee; for RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Jennifer Hudson Show.

He is now nominated for a makeup award at the Hollywood Beauty Awards. The winner will be announced at a Tinseltown ceremony on March 3.

Adam started out painting his cousins' faces for Halloween, then progressed.

He explained: "While in London doing the degree I was also working part time on a makeup counter in Selfridges, where I’d meet brides who’d ask me to do their wedding makeup, so they were some of the first people to book me to do their makeup.

"I also used MySpace to meet other up-and-coming creatives and we’d get together to do photoshoots. I also assisted some notable makeup artists on all kinds of things like music videos, TV shows and album cover shoots.

"Assisting Girls Aloud’s makeup artist for three years was a really exciting time, it was really like my apprenticeship. I worked with Little Mix when they won X Factor and continued working with them for around seven years before I moved to LA.

"I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years now, travelled the world many times over, worked with the most famous women in the world and I still pinch myself and think 'How the hell did I get here?' I’ll never get used to it."

However, Hollywood has its drawbacks.

Adam added: "I don’t get home as often as I’d like to as I just don’t get the time off.

"But it's at least once a year and when I do you’ll definitely find me at Grasswell Chippy in Houghton, ordering everything on the menu; with extra, extra gravy."

Voting in the Hollywood Beauty Awards closes at 6pm UK time on Friday, February 2. Vote for Adam at www.hollywoodbeautyawards.com/voting.