Look Good Feel Better Workshop

Esme from our Creative Team Attended a Look Good Feel Better Workshop – here’s her account on why this charity is so important to women facing cancer:

Look Good Feel Betteris an international charity providing make-up workshops to women facing cancer, giving them a boost of confidence and extra support during what can be a tough and difficult time. They are our charity of the yearand last week I was lucky enough to be invited along to one of their workshop sessions so I could really see what they were all about!

 

When women first start cancer treatments typically the first question they ask is ‘will I lose my hair?’ – the second is ‘will I lose my eyelashes?’ When people undergo cancer treatments they face tremendous challenges, and often LGFB Beneficiary’s report that one of the worst things about facing cancer is that they look unwell and unlike themselves. Look Good Feel Better Workshops are designed to make women feel more confident.

When I arrived at the LGFB Workshop I was greeted by Michelle who headed up the session; she immediately made me feel at ease and explained the process to me ‘Usually ten to 12 women attend the session, we follow a two hour, 12 Step programme in our workshops to ensure we cover everything from skin care to completing a full face of natural looking make-up.’ She was working alongside two other volunteers, Shirley and Courtney who assisted Michelle and the attendees with the make-up application process throughout the session.

As the women arrived you could see that they all looked a little nervous and were unsure about what to expect from the process. As they sat down the volunteers offered them tea, coffee or water and set about handing out the LGFB make-up gift bags ensuring that the make-up inside was a match for the Beneficiary’s skin tone.

The ladies were taught everything from techniques which gave the illusion of having eyelashes, to various ways of covering up skin inconsistencies and blemishes without irritating their skin. Each lady was provided with a diagram of a face they could write on and a pen so they could make notes of different parts of the process if they were unfamiliar with them – from cleansing their skin to pencilling on eyebrows, no stone was left unturned.

As the session progressed the women all became visibly more comfortable and started to laugh together, compare notes and talk about their own various stages of treatment with one another.

I feel humbled to have been able to observe one of these sessions, it clearly made an impact on these women’s lives and has helped them to achieve a make-up look giving them confidence throughout their treatment. I am so excited to be working alongside such a great charity this year with the team and hope you all get involved with us.