#ESPspotlight on: MANIC PANIC, THE COSMETICS COMPANY WITH A COLOURFUL CHRONOLOGY!

If you caught my recent #ESPspotlight Review of  London Edge / The LEdge then you may recall I mentioned a colour and cosmetics brand that I was quite the fan of, because of a backstory that began in my personal favourite era - the wonderful days of LaDonna, the days of D.I.S.C.O. The sparkling days of the late 70s.

Rather than the days of sequins and glitter however, sisters Tish and Snooky - a part of Blondie's original lineup - were an integral part of the evolution of Punk. Not quite '2 Broke Girls', but a similar premise; the siblings were bankrolled with a $500 dollar start up loan from their Mum, which they invested, along with their clothing designs, in their first punk-style boutique to land on trendy St. Mark's Place, or indeed, the first anywhere in America. Their first investor and (Giver of Life) coined the name 'Manic Panic' - inspired by her day job in a mental health facility - and off they set on a historical journey that saw them rocking out on stage at night, and excelling as entrepreneurs by day.

Now, I was just taken with the novelty of the products and some really brilliant, engaging staff representing the brand to begin with; but on reading up on the company's history, I have to direct you to quite the inspiring read, or I just wouldn't be doing my civic duty as a teller of talented people. No-one can tell Tish and Snooky's story better than Tish and Snooky however, so here's their story in a nutshell:

Tell me these aren't two cool chicks you wouldn't want to take you on a day-long tour of New York, with a night ending in the best entertainment that Studio 54 had to offer - it could have been the wrong club for the genre but hey, you can't knock a girl's lifelong dream...or not find a way to work it into every dream she has.

Although that first store was all about the fashion, it's mainly the colour ranges - more specifically their hair dyes - that gained the siblings their multi-million dollar fortune, and notoriety. Whilst not a customer for their vibrant hair colour range - although I may give a pink-yet-lavender wig a whirl at some point in the future, just for funsies - it was their makeup ranges that enchanted me. Anyone who can combine two of my favourite creative elements - Music and Makeup - becomes an instant font of worship in my book. Have a little looksee at these Cassette Tape Eyeshadow Palettes, they just so happened to be one of my favourite finds on the day...

You may need to have been born pre-this Century to grasp the significance of a music cassette tape!

Even their stand had character, with plenty of it speaking to you, everywhere you turned...

Bruce Willis has NOTHING on a Tish and Snooky franchise...

From Gothic Beauty to Vogue, the Manic Panic name has become a recognisable favourite amongst the most respected editorial and runway cosmetology teams. So much so, that the ladies made the jump to the Silver Screen, when they donated hair and makeup products to 'CBGB'; the new biopic immortalising the famous nightclub / birth canal of Punk Rock, released at last week's music festival of the same name:

It's no wonder the brand is right at home, no matter the location of their latest Alternative Mecca. The one thing that I've picked up from these ladies, is that they don't fit in with you - they're fierce examples of the importance of cutting your own cloth. Oh no, from London Edge to San Diego's Comicon - you fit in with them...

For proof of their worldwide reach, you only have to look as far as some of their more famous clientele, and recall the eras of their careers stamped by shockwaves of colour through their immediately identifiable manes...

Green Day

Katy Perry

Rihanna

And do not, for one moment, think that these guys are 'it'; there are many, many more fans of this empire - inside and out of the spotlight - way too many to mention in fact. But you're more than welcome to see if you recognise any favourites of your own, and maybe get a little inspiration for a certain pending costume day...

Yours Truly? I'm off to learn more about CBGB...

Until the next...
ES ;)

#VivaLaDonna

Without putting a number on it, I will say that I was born long after the music I was raised on.

Stax, Motown, Chess, and many, many more; I was the only 8-year-old in the surrounding Boroughs that could sing you the running order on all three Nite Flite compilations released up to that date. Bananarama, Cyndi Lauper, Five Star and Rick Astley were about as far as I ventured into catalogues of my school friends. Amongst my own you were much more likely to find the Jacksons, Sister Sledge, Shalamar, Lionel, Evelyn 'Champagne' King and the One and Only Donna Summer.

At 17:44, I opened the dreaded CNN Breaking News Alert - I swear I'm going to unsubscribe, they bring me nothing but tragic news; Michael, Whitney and now my Donna. Once again, the world turned greyer than the natural Skies could paint.

Donna Summer died today, aged 63.

If you're a regular reader, you will know that I am a HUGE Mariah Carey fan; well 'La Donna' was my first Mariah; I'm quite sure it was through her that my obsession with big hair, heels, jewellery and sequins were borne.


I'm told I have a 'Diva' side; since I read that Breast Cancer (unconfirmed) claimed another staple of my earliest memories, I've been playing her back catalogue and doing nothing but thinking of the childhood days she brightened. The days when I would 'perform' 'La Donna's' tracklistings on the vinyl my Mum forbade me to touch, having raided the make up bag I was forbidden to enter, dressed up in anything I could find that resembled the wardrobe on Donna's album sleeves, including the 'Once in a Blue Moon' stilettos that Mum would save for 'Crackers' in Oxford Circus on a rare Saturday night.

I would worry about finding excuse after wide-eyed excuse to explain how my 'Au Natrel',  VERY big, Donna-like hair had found it's own way out of the plaits my Mum had spent hours tidying, after my 'sets' were done...Til then, many a hairbrush and I would make some sweet, sweet D.I.S.C.O. music...Didn't no-one have those 'I Feel Love' moves down like this little single-figured, Divette-in-Training.

Donna Summer died today, aged 63 before I ever got to see her live. She was one of those TRUE vocalists; no autotune, No Help Required - Thank You. It was all her Baby and what you saw was what you got. Her voice was as iconic as rules she broke and the trails she blazed. 'State of Independence' is playing right now to remind me of what she taught me and the Legacy she's left behind. Her so-called scandals were only ever career-related (so far as I was aware), she was in every essence a true ARTIST. I remember the first time I heard Erasure cover 'Could It Be Magic'; I'm pretty sure that cemented my hatred for them as Ruiners of Music forever.

Donna Summer died today, aged 63; and no matter how many times I write the words, it's clear and inherent that the happy nugget of childhood that she took with her, will never come back again. My heart goes out to her husband and children, because although Music has lost a Legend; they lost a Wife and Mother.

Donna Summer died today, aged 63...and what a tragic day it is, indeed.

Ms. Donna, Baddest Girl of all, I Remember Yesterday all too vividly. I Feel Love for the saddest of times because you were On The Radio...

You will forever be comparable to NONE.


Viva 'La Donna'.
ES < /3