The Power of Makeup

Like I mentioned here, I really don't like wearing tons of makeup. I don't like having to worry about rubbing off my eyeliner or concealer off and frankly I'm not good at cleaning my makeup off at the end of the night.

After my first chemo there was not much of a change in me physically, I just felt sick and tired for a few days but was trying to stay ahead of the side effects and shaved my head so I wouldn't be traumatized as my hair was falling out. Then in between my second and third chemo is when my hair started to fall out, which was painful and at one point I felt like I looked like an old man with a horse shoe hair style.

Slowly through my remaining treatments my eyebrows got thinner and thinner, followed by my eyelashes. I tried everything to not lose my eyelashes. Not washing my mascara off, not rubbing my eyes and not wearing mascara at all. All of which didn't work and they are still funky looking now. So now I just wear glasses to hide the lack of lashes.

I'm sure winter has something to do with how washed out I feel, but also the lack of hair on my head doesn't help. I feel like the hardest part of chemo is the difference in how it makes a person look. That within itself can really mess with someone's psyche and it most definitely has mine. A few months back I met this great lady named Jennifer at the Susan G Komen Walk in Milwaukee. Her and I went to the Look Good Feel Better. Look Good Feel Better is a free service provided to women going through chemotherapy or radiation. The program is staffed with volunteers who come in and teach women different beauty techniques. Each woman who goes to this gets a kit filled with different makeup products. It was SO much fun to go to this. They show you how to fill in your eyebrows, how to apply eyeliner and eye shadow in a way to help accent your features and give confidence to you. Jen and I were pleasantly surprised with ours because we even got a wig to take home. The wig that I found damn near brought tears to my eyes because it was the closest thing to my old hair style. I highly recommend ANY women who is going through chemotherapy or radiation and isn't feeling 100% about their looks through their treatment to find a facility close to them that is hosting a Look Good Feel Better session! You won't regret it! Promise!!

The days that I find myself in a funk is usually after I've been sick, on the couch for a few days and just not feeling myself. It is amazing how a little makeup can completely change my confidence.

There are a few women that I've met that can absolutely pull off the no makeup, bald is beautiful look and totally rock it. I wish I had that kind of confidence to go out in public, rocking the bald head look with no makeup and not feel like everyone was looking at me. So with a little makeup and a hat or wig, that's how I've been surviving.

Here is a little view into how I transform myself from washed out to "normal" (if that can even be used for me)...lol

I kinda feel like I look like two face here...minus the burns and craziness!

To fill in my eyebrows I bought Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes, which has made a huge difference compared to when I was just using eye shadow. (It didn't come with the kit from Look Good Feel Better, I bought it from Ulta)

And since I love the befores and afters of any "project":

Before:

and after....

I'm definitely no super model, but makeup definitely makes a huge difference to make me feel better about how I look!!

Happy Saturday!!