Make-up for Chemotherapy
Professional Make-up Tips and Products for Chemotherapy Patients
Sep 24, 2009
The effect of make-up on the wearer is easy to see in film, television or theater. Actors are made up and the change begins as the make-up is applied. Some use this time to get in to character but for others just seeing themselves look totally different effects an unconscious change. Their voices become deeper, and mannerisms alter in accordance with what they start to see in front of them.
With chemotherapy, the visible effects of treatment are usually unwanted. Wearing make-up can help anyone undergoing these temporary changes feel much more themselves again. It can also prevent strangers from knowing exactly what is going on in someone's life and this is so important for anyone who needs privacy and personal space to heal.
One of the worst things about looking ill is that it makes us all feel worse. With a cold, this is inconvenient and may be briefly depressing. However, chemotherapy patients may naturally feel fear and depression due to the nature of the illness. This is exacerbated by the internal and external effects of the treatment. Make-up can help in feeling beautiful, well or relaxed again.
Brows and Lashes:
Brows and lashes define the face and help to bring out individual character.
- Use a professional cake eye liner with flat brush, rather than a kohl pencil, to line the top lash line. This gives clean definition without looking made-up and will last all day. The best to look out for is the Laura Mercier cake liner. Laura Mercier make-up artists are exceptionally skilled in teaching anyone how to use this and will always show you before you buy the product.
- When growing back lashes, the above liner teamed with a little mascara can deepen the lash line. Be careful to treat lashes with care as they are fine and fragile at first. A gentle, mascara will not break lashes. Use an efficient make-up remover so that eyes do not have to be scrubbed.
- Dramatic adorned lashes look stunning on anyone and make all eyes look like jewels. Many people who have newly short hair find that they can experiment with eye make-up as the bone structure of the face is revealed. Lashes are a great opportunity to enjoy short hair at any age. Individual false lashes look naturally pretty but for a party look try feathers, diamante or color. Team this with liquid liner and it is a whole look in itself. For a 2009 fashion fix do lashes with red lips, black lips or very nude lips and people will only assume that you have had a glamorous make-over. Dark nail polish will also go well with this.
- Talika makes a range of gels with vegetable extracts that help brows and lashes to grow. These condition and take care of the first regrowth. They also make a brow gel with hairs suspended in it. When dry these are easy to powder over and look totally realistic.
- To fill out brows, opt for a hard pencil and keep it sharpened. Avoid colors that are muddy or ginger. Grey browns, blacks or blondes look better on most people than the warmer colors. Set brow pencils with brow powder to get natural definition and texture.
Nails:
- Nails which have developed ridges can still wear polish unless sensitive or cracked. Use a base coat to protect the nail and make sure to use a gentle nail polish remover. The most current look is to keep nails short and to use a dark, non metallic polish. This also happens to be a fantastic way to minimize the look of the ridges.
- Creme de la Mer do a non-polish luxury manicure where nails are buffed and strengthened with a high shine pearl powder.
Skin:
- Try foundations which nourish like Chantecaille's Future Skin or Just Skin.
- A fresh cheek color makes any complexion look healthy. Avoid dull bronze or brown-rose colors but instead look at pinks and fresh apricots for a youthful glow.
- Keep lips supple with moisturizing lip color rather than a matte finish.
Resources
One of the best resources for make-up is Look Good Feel Better, which helps women manage the visible effects of cancer treatment. Their website is excellent plus they also offer free workshops and events to help with all aspects of skin care and make-up. Set up by the beauty industry and supported by medical professionals they continue to offer fantastic advice to cancer patients throughout the world.
Laura Mercier make-up artists are trained in creating a photo-perfect natural look. These precision skills translate well in to make-up for chemotherapy. You can book in for a make-up at Laura Mercier and learn how to do all of the above and more for the price of a couple of products.
Space NK stocks Shu Uemura lashes and provides tailor-made lessons.
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