Sheffield girl who lost sight in crash becomes TikTok star and first blind make-up artist

"But I know blind people who prove that wrong every day. And I want my videos to show that too.”

This is the mission statement of Jerri Mather, a blind and fully qualified make up artist from Sheffield who wants to be the change in the industry.

The 20-year-old was already partially sighted when she lost a further 30 per cent of her vision in a near-fatal car crash on Abbeydale Road in 2020.

A speeding car being chased by police smashed into a taxi she was a passenger in.

But the collision only made her realise she needed to grasp her dreams of becoming a beautician while she could. She soon passed a six-week college course with no trouble and is now fully qualified.But it hasn’t been without its challenges – many of which come from the industry itself.

"I want everyone to be able to use make up,” said Jerri. “But in all my searching I cannot find any make up brands that put braille on their products. Not even to say what colour it is on the lid.

"There are two brands in America but even they are more about skincare.

"It’s astounding what braille isn't on. Not even food in supermarkets. Not even on things like bleach – it only has a tactile triangle on the bottle.

“It means I have to rely more on technology, which isn’t as ideal as it might sound.”

Now, Jerri is pursuing her dream to launch her own ‘Beauty Is Blind’ brand of makeup for partially sighted people with braille on the product.

Her passions have seen her grow a following of over 4,000 fans on her ‘beautyisblind’ TikTok page, which has leapt from the 1,000 followers she had in December.

“It’s cool to think that other people care about what I do. It lets me spread awareness and answer questions.

"Make up makes me have confidence a in myself and makes me feel pretty. I would say it makes me feel normal – but the truth is normal doesn’t exist.”

To learn more about Jerri’s journey, visit her TikTok page.