Good morning!!! Today I have a very special post for you all. I was recently contacted by a lovely woman by the name of Jackie, who wanted to share a bit of insight with us all about Mesothelioma and the powerful, and positive effects a bit of makeup can have when facing an illness. I can remember watching my own grandmother blossom when I would make her up while she was fighting her battle with cancer, and can personally attest to how important it is to find a way to still feel desirable, womanly and simply YOURSELF when you're dog tired and your body seems to be failing you. It truly is amazing how something as simple as a little pop of color can do wonders for the mood. So with great pride, and without further ado, I give to you my first guest blog post!
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Putting On Your Beautiful Face
By: Jackie Clark
When
women talk about makeup, they sometimes speak of it as putting on their
face. At first blush, this notion seems cute and a bit silly. But when
you think about it, it can be an incredibly true notion. We have the
faces that we are born with, and then we have the enhancements that
makeup can give us. While we weren’t born with a perfectly clear
complexion, cherry red lips or malachite-green eyelids, we can surely
give ourselves these things. In many ways, makeup is about exerting our
power over the rest of the world, and you will find that it is very
effective when you need a pick me up.
It is a well-known truth that women live stressful lives, and that a life
altering event can occur when we least expect it. For example, a woman can
be completely healthy one day, and in the next learn she has been
diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer caused from asbestos exposure. When
these things happen, women can be left feeling tired, depleted and
unsure of how to push forth during or after a chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
The thought of looking beautiful with a touch of color to her cheeks is
the last thing on her mind. However, if life has recently knocked you
for a loop, you can do wonders for your esteem and mood by simply
putting your game face on. The face that you paint on is just as much
yours as the face that you were born with is. So, what options are open
to you?
If
you want to release your inner strength and look as though you own the
world, start with the eyes. A dark line drawn directly above and below
your eyelids can make a huge difference to how sultry and deep your gaze
is. A little bit of mascara can thicken your lashes and makes your eyes
look larger and more vibrant, while a simple sweep of mushroom
eyeshadow can give you a fantastically mysterious look. If you are
someone who is inclined to color; such as jewel tones, consider giving
yourself a tempestuous three-layer, blended color look. Imitate the
peacock and use blue, green and purple, or create a feline tiger look
with a layer of bright orange sandwiched between two layers of black.
Don’t
forget to work with your lips as well. If you want to make sure that
you stay professional, a small amount of tinted lip gloss adds the
perfect look for your ensemble. On the other hand, if you want a more
vampy night time look, choose a deep red that absolutely looks
artificial and put a high gloss on top if it. This is perfect if you
love a more vintage look, and if you are very bold, consider a purple or
even a deep dark blue.
When you do your makeup, remember that there are plenty of tutorials online
to help you. From the woman who never learned to do makeup properly and
is worried that the end results will look clownish or silly, to the
professionally trained makeup artist, the truth of the matter is that
everyone had to start from somewhere. A little bit of practice can go a
long way towards helping you get the look that you are after. Take a
moment to really figure out what you want to do, and then take the time
to learn how to do it. While this may not be easy, all you need to do is
to be patient with yourself in order to achieve great results.
If
you are interested in finding your own strength and realizing how
strong and beautiful you really are despite your prognosis, makeup is a
wonderful way to teach you how to rebuild your confidence. Different
people use different tools, and if you find that your tool is makeup and
how well you can put it on, by all means use it as best you can. Choose
the colors that make you feel powerful and gorgeous and remember that a
small amount of effort can change the way that you think about yourself
and your obstacles at hand.
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I would like to give a great big THANK YOU to Jackie Clark for her tireless work in the cancer community and wonderful message of uplifting. If you would like to know more about Mesothelioma and see tutorials from actual survivors, I strongly encourage you to click on the links in this post. And if you have a story you'd like to share about how you pick yourself up when you're not exactly feeling your best, please do not hesitate to leave a comment.
And have a VERY happy Monday!!!!
-Miss Brina
