One incredible girl is giving us all a tutorial in fabulousness.
Nikki Christou, an 11-year-old from London, has an arteriovenous malformation, or an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins, which has resulted in a facial abnormality.
But Nikki, who's a huge makeup enthusiast, doesn't let anything or anyone cramp her style. She regularly makes makeup tutorials for her YouTube page and has become a star, with more than 35,000 subscribers. Through the videos, she hopes to uplift others who may also have rare illnesses or conditions.
"Nikki wants to inspire anyone with a rare illness and show them that beauty lies within," the preteen's father, George Christou, told The Huffington Post. "Being different should not mean being ignored or feeling that there is not real place for you in this world and you don’t have positive role to play."
In her videos, the 11-year-old shares looks for different occasions like prom, a birthday or just for every day. In addition to showing viewers different looks, she also records baking tutorials, Q&As and various other videos that give you a glimpse into her life.
According to one of her videos, Nikki was diagnosed with AVM when she was 6 years old, but had the condition from birth. Her father told HuffPost she has been interested in makeup since that age. She used much of her time home from school to hone in on her makeup skills.
"Due to her medical condition she was home from school a lot so she started looking at her mum's fashion magazines and makeup channels on YouTube," Christou said. "She practiced every day on her friends and cousins until she became a expert!"
While Nikki says she does get hurtful comments from people criticizing her appearance, she says that she focuses on the positive.
"I don't let them get to me ... Focus on the happy things not the sad things because if you focus on the negative, you're not going to enjoy life," she said. "Just know if you believe in yourself and really try hard and block out all the negativity in your life, you will lead a happy life."
As if being a YouTube star wasn't enough of an achievement, the 11-year-old is also the inspiration behind the Butterfly AVM Charity, which raises money for AVM research. She's also helped raise more than 55,525.65 British pounds (about $79,876) for the foundation through a crowdfunding campaign.
To that, we say "slay girl, slay."
Related
Before You Go
