A woman with facial birthmarks was asked by a Boots worker whether she was attending a Halloween party as a ‘burns victim’ – and has now told of the ’emotional trauma’ she suffered.

Amba Smith, 24, said she was buying shampoo at a Boots store in Buckinghamshire when a member of staff inquired if she was heading to a Halloween or Easter party, before implying the ‘pink and purple spots’ on her face had been deliberately painted on as fancy dress.

Miss Smith, who is from Lincolnshire, was born with a port-wine stain covering much of her face and neck, as well as a second birthmark known as Cutis Marmorata (CMT) that stretches from her shoulders down her body, giving her skin a distinctive marbled red appearance.

The make-up and wig artist went public with the encounter after posting a TikTok video that has since racked up almost one million views, explaining how the interaction – which happened on February 16 – has since ‘kept her up at night,’ and provoked childhood insecurities she thought she had overcome.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Miss Smith described the cruel encounter in full, explaining how the staff member – who has not been named – has both knocked her confidence, yet made her more determined than ever to champion those with facial differences.

She said: ‘This happened around three hours from my home, when I was on my first day of work experience. I was staying at a hotel – so I felt quite isolated already because I was away from my family.

‘I had gone to my work experience and I didn’t cover my birth mark. I also didn’t pack any makeup because at that time I felt comfortable. 

‘I felt confident in my skin and I felt at a really, really good place regarding my acceptance of my skin and my birthmark on my face.

Amba Smith (pictured) was asked by a Boots worker whether she was attending a Halloween party as a ‘burns victim’ 

Miss Smith (pictured) was born with a port-wine stain covering much of her face and neck, and a second birthmark that stretches from her shoulders down her body, giving her skin a distinctive marbled red appearance

‘But because I was away from home, I forgot to pack some shampoo, so I Googled on my phone the closest Boots. I then went and got the bits I needed, before heading to the till.’

It was at the check-out, Miss Smith said, that the vile encounter happened.

She said: ‘I placed my bits down and I looked up the woman on the till, and said, “Hi, how are you? How’s your day been?”

‘I greeted her. I showed her a warm smile – that’s definitely something a lot of people with visible differences tend to do first to ease any tension people may be feeling.

‘She responded, “I’m okay, thank you.” And then she just said, “Are you going to a Halloween party? Is that why you are wearing the mask of a burns victim?”

‘I was so stunned. I felt like I didn’t hear her correctly. Nothing that absurd has ever come out of someone’s mouth to me before from someone who I don’t know.

‘And for this to happen with a complete stranger and definitely one working within a health and beauty retail place was very shocking.

‘I stood there processing the remark like, “Did I hear her correctly? What does she mean by this comment?”

Makeup and wig artist Miss Smith (pictured) said the cruel encounter, which happened in February, has ‘really knocked’ her confidence

‘I sharply replied “No.” There was a little bit of awkward silence, before she then asked me if I was on my way to an Easter party, and is that why I’ve drawn a load of pink and purple spots on my face?

‘I snapped back and said, “No, it is a birthmark.”

‘And by this point, I think it was like my last item being scanned – I just wanted to get out of there and go to some sort of familiarity and to me, that was my hotel room.’

Miss Smith – a recent graduate from the University of Greater Manchester in Bolton – was born with two birthmarks covering much of her body and has undergone years of medical treatment, including laser therapy, to help treat them.

On her face and neck, she has a port wine stain, which is associated with Sturge-Weber syndrome. At birth, the mark was distinctly red but as she has grown, Miss Smith said it has faded slightly.

Miss Smith’s second birthmark is from her shoulders downwards, known as Cutis Marmorata (CMT).

CMT normally affects one side of the body, but in her case, it covers both arms, legs and her torso.

Because of her distinctive skin, Miss Smith said she was bullied throughout her childhood – but had grown to accept and embrace her birthmarks, even incorporating them creatively into some of her make-up looks, which she publishes online.

Miss Smith, pictured as a child, was born with two birthmarks covering much of her body and has undergone years of medical treatment, including laser therapy, to help treat them

Despite the trauma of the occurrence, Miss Smith insisted the experience has made her even more determined to speak out for people with facial differences

However, she said the encounter at Boots has ‘really knocked’ the confidence she had spent so many years building up.

She said: ‘At the moment, I am still feeling a lot of that blame and that negative energy towards myself regarding the interaction.

‘I know it is easier said than done to say just embrace your skin and try to ignore people because they don’t know you are more than your visible difference but, it’s definitely hard to be able to say that with everything that has happened.

‘I hate to think if it wasn’t me and it was a younger person with a visible difference, as it’s really has knocked me.

‘What would it do to them who are maybe not as far along in their acceptance journey? Even though I’m 24 now, it made me feel vulnerable and it made me feel like I was a child again.

‘I honestly did think there was a push and a step move towards the right direction of inclusivity, of acceptance of visible difference.

‘But I truly believe and still sort of do that what happened in Boots was my fault, because I should have known better and I should have worn makeup to protect myself.’

And in a cruel twist of fate, Miss Smith also recalled how the encounter coincided with the release of her collaboration with the skin care brand CeraVe.

Miss Smith (pictured) posted a TikTok video documenting her experience at Boots, which has since racked up almost one million views

The collaboration aimed to champion those with a facial difference, however, Miss Smith said she felt like a ‘hypocrite’ upon its release.

She said: ‘What was quite emotional during this 24-hour period of the incident happening is the collaboration, which I’d done with CeraVe skincare.

‘It had just come out on social media. The advert has myself in it, and I say “I used to cover it my skin, but I found the right products, and now I don’t need to cover up my skin anymore.”

‘In that moment, when then I saw it and obviously, I was dealing then with the emotional trauma of what had happened only a couple of days prior, I definitely felt like a hypocrite because if I had my makeup there, I would have been covering my birthmark up.

‘I just felt so embarrassed.’

However, despite the trauma of the occurrence, Miss Smith insisted the experience has made her even more determined to speak out for people with facial differences, which was the inspiration behind her original TikTok video.

She said: ‘This experience, especially, has made me more determined to see a change because I just feel disgusted as a makeup artist that this is happening in stores, for people who are going into stores to buy products, to maybe even cover up their visible differences.

‘And I am just disgusted that this is happening in 2026 when visible differences aren’t necessarily something which is hidden or secret anymore. People are showing off their visible differences loud and proud, which is absolutely right.’ 

And Miss Smith, who is keen to work in the wig industry, detailed how she is learning to celebrate her facial difference through the tool she knows best – makeup. 

She said: ‘Makeup has been a very big part of my life for so many years. 

‘From a young age and as a teenager, I was using it in the negative sense of covering my birthmark because I was made to feel ugly. I was made to feel like I had to cover up my birthmark. 

Miss Smith (pictured) often incorporates her birthmarks into her creative makeup looks, which she posts online

Miss Smith (right) studied makeup and wigs at university, and is keen to pursue a professional career in crafting wigs for theatre 

‘That’s where my passion for makeup came. I studied it in university and graduated with a first class honours – so I know it is something in me. 

‘Now, I love doing creative makeup looks, especially when I can incorporate my birthmark in.

‘I do quite a lot of illusion-based makeup looks, so it’ll look like my birthmark is almost like a mask on top of my face and it’ll be like my superhero mask or something like that!

‘And one thing I am proud of which happened in Boots – is the same woman asked me why I had student discount after I scanned my Boots card at check-out. 

‘I told her it was because I was a student and in fact, studied makeup. 

‘I think in that moment, the biggest thing for me to say to her was that I studied make-up, to showcase that if I wanted to, I could cover my birthmark because I had that skill set.’

Miss Smith encouraged anyone with a facial difference – who may have experienced something similar or may be struggling to come to terms with their different skin – to reach out for help.

She works closely with the charity, Changing Faces, who offer support to those with a visible difference to their face, hands or body.

She said: ‘I want to let anyone know who does have a visible difference and who may be struggling to know there is helplines available with Changing Faces, who have helped me.

‘They have support groups and there is a wider community out there who will help support your journey, because this isn’t unfortunately something which is going to be sorted overnight.

‘This is a gradual process for many, many years to come.’

A Boots spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply sorry about this customer’s experience, which falls short of our values of respect and inclusivity. 

‘We are investigating this incident with our store team as a priority and have been in touch with the customer directly to express our unreserved apologies.’