The Best Makeup Tips For Cancer Patients

To anyone who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, my heart goes out to you. I lost one parent to cancer some time ago and my other parent is a cancer survivor. Cancer treatment, whilst it saves many lives, can be very unkind to the human body. This is more-often-than-not reflected in the patient’s appearance.

As a cancer patient, there are some things over which you have little control, but you can take charge of your beauty regimen. Given that cancer is very serious business, what would compel you to focus on something as trivial as beauty at a time like this?

During a decade of Makeup Artistry, I have provided thousands of makeup tips. Following are a few tips for applying makeup to look your best whilst undergoing treatment.

Makeup Tips For Cancer Patients

The key words for makeup application are natural and healthy. While your tendency might be to overcompensate by applying heavy makeup, it will result in an unnatural look. Apply makeup with a light touch. To project a radiant, healthy look, accentuate the positive and conceal the negative.

Wash your makeup brushes regularly. Shampoo is the best gentle cleaning agent for brushes. After washing, allow them to air dry completely before storing. There is no need to wash sponges; they are disposable. Change them frequently.

Many of the tips below apply to everyone, but especially to recovering cancer patients. If you’ve never applied makeup or applied it as an afterthought, now is your opportunity to learn new skills and master a polished, professional look.

• Apply a color-correcting moisturizer or concealer under foundation, if necessary. Green tints neutralize red skin, and lavender tints neutralize yellow skin.
• When using a concealer, use the correct color. Using the wrong color can draw attention to the problem rather than concealing it. You can find color-correcting concealers as well as natural skin-tone concealers. Color-correcting concealers are more opaque than color-correcting moisturizers, and they can cover more pronounced color imperfections.
• When applying concealer, borrow a method from the professionals called stippling. Rather than applying one heavy coat of concealer, apply a small dot, and use a sponge to blot and blend. Repeat applying small dots and stippling until you’ve covered the imperfection.
• Mix two colors of foundation to achieve a natural appearance. Use neutral foundations rather than foundations with pink or orange tints.
• Avoid matte foundations in favor of liquid or cream foundations.
• To achieve the best coverage while maintaining a natural look, apply makeup by dotting and stippling with a damp sponge. Blend the makeup well at the hairline and jawline.
• If you have normal or oily skin, apply a light dusting of loose powder. Save compressed powder for touch-up applications. If your skin is dry, skip the powder. Applying powder will draw attention to the condition.
• Powder blush is easiest to blend. Use a light touch when applying blush for that natural, radiant look. Blend well to avoid lines of demarcation.
• You can compensate for thinning or non-existent eyebrows with eyebrow pencils. It requires practice, but the results are well worth the effort. First, prepare the eyebrow area by applying foundation and powder to the area.
• To recreate the brow, start by creating three dots. Place a pencil in a straight vertical line from your nose to the inside corner of your eye. Make a dot with the eyebrow pencil at the eyebrow line. Next, place the pencil horizontally at the top of the brow line. Make a dot at the very top of the brow line. Finally, place the pencil at the bottom of your nose, and move the pencil diagonally until you’ve reached the outer corner of your eye. Make a dot at the end of the eyebrow.
• Using two complementary shades of eyebrow color that match your hair or wig color, connect the dots using short, feathery strokes. The connected dots form the upper edge of the eyebrow line. For the inner half of the brow, use upward strokes, for the outer half of the brow, use diagonal or horizontal strokes. Refer to a recent picture to help you match your natural look.
• Neutral colors work best for daytime. Save glittery and bold colors for evening. The most important technique is blending the different shades thoroughly for the most natural appearance. You cannot go wrong with the time-tested, dark-to-light approach. Apply a light shade to the entire eyelid area to serve as a foundation. Add a medium shade from the bottom of the eyelid to the crease. Blend the shadows to create a dark to light effect from the bottom of the eyelashes to the eyebrow. You can optionally apply a deeper shade across the crease. Use a light touch, and blend the crease-line color.
• If you apply eyeliner, use a soft pencil, and draw a thin line from the inside corner of the upper and lower lash line to the outer corner. Smudge the eyeliner for a natural look.
• To thicken thinning eyelashes, apply several light coats of mascara. You may apply loose face powder to lashes in between coats for a thicker appearance. Use a gentle touch when removing mascara, and avoid pulling or tugging lashes. Use false eyelashes only after seeking your doctor’s approval. The adhesive may cause problems.
• Select a natural lip color that complements your overall skin tone. Opt for a creamy finish rather than a matte finish.

I sincerely hope these tips will help you feel more like yourself during the time of your cancer treatment and I offer you my prayer, support and best wishes for a miracle of swift recovery.