Let’s help women Look and Feel Fantastic with Look Good Feel Better!
On Tuesday 20th October, representatives from Look Fantastic went along to a workshop run by the global charity Look Good Feel Better at The Christie Hospital, to meet the patients and volunteers behind this wonderful cancer support charity. Dedicated to improving the wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem levels of women going through cancer and undergoing treatment, Look Good Feel Better aim to improve the overall self-image of women through a range of skincare and make-up workshops; giving them a sense of support and strength. While the Look Fantastic volunteers went to a workshop at The Christie Hospital in Manchester, Look Good Feel Better runs a wide array of UK workshops which stretch across the country!
A Unique Support Network…
There are Look Good Feel Better workshops in 76 Macmillan Centres, NHS Hospital Trusts, and Maggies Cancer Centres.
LGFB Master classes – These are in 150+ settings across the country! They include Tesco, Bannatyne Health Clubs and Spas, alongside community centres – make sure to check your local centre if you would like to get involved with the charity!
LGFB Teenage Workshops – LGFB helps women of all ages going through cancer treatment to build up the self-confidence they may have lost. These workshops are specifically designed for younger patients in conjunction with the Teenage Cancer Trust, Teens Unite and CLIC Sargent.
LGFB Confidence Kit – This is a self-help DVD and booklet to offer ongoing support to patients in their own homes.
LGFB Online – The charity have a great website with all the information you need to get involved.
The LGFB Workshop…
This was such a positive and uplifting experience! The workshop is held in the Critical Care Unit of The Christie Hospital; when we walked in we met the wonderful volunteers who dedicate their time to a 2 hour workshop each week. Kathy, the regional co-ordinator led the workshop, while Bernie and Sue were brilliant volunteers; helping to give out the beauty packs and helping women with any make-up and skincare questions they had. Julia was the professional make-up artist, and was absolutely fantastic! Together they were the beauty masters!
The workshop started by giving out beauty packs filled with the most incredible and coveted beauty brands! Lancôme and Estée Lauder to name just a few! The volunteers then started by talking through the 12-step regime they would be following and teaching in the workshop; firstly would be cleansing and secondly would be all things beauty! Skincare came first, and a simple regime of cleansing, toning and moisturising was demonstrated, while the patients could then try it out for themselves. Each patient had their own beautiful mirror, a set of make-up wipes and cosmetic accessories such as cotton pads and buds. The atmosphere felt very relaxed and calm while the women worked through the regime, and it was great to watch the volunteers demonstrate their knowledge!
The make-up section was split into two, with Julia and Kathy leading. Julia started by introducing the women to the face bases in their beauty bags. Firstly they started with a green cream, which is absolutely brilliant for toning down areas of redness on the skin. During treatment for cancer, skin can become extremely sensitised and experience hot flushes and bursts of red; the green cream helps to correct this sudden change in colour and leave skin with an even tone. If you experience mild redness, Stila have a wonderful colour correcting primer! Please click here for more information!
Next, concealer and foundation were applied to achieve a gorgeous and luminous complexion! The result was fantastic, and the atmosphere became more vibrant which was brilliant to see! Blush was applied to give the cheeks a pop of colour and then Kathy took over to concentrate on eyes and lips.
In the beauty pack was a lovely eye shadow trio of neutral colours for a light, daytime make-up look. Using all 3 colours to build up lovely definition without being overpowering, Kathy led the women through a step by step guide on how to achieve a beautiful look for the eyes. Then with liner and mascara, the eyes were complete! Bernie shared a lovely tip on how to curl the lashes without a curler; by sweeping the mascara down over the lashes from the top and curling them up, you can achieve a similar look!
Eyebrow pencils were then demonstrated by Kathy on how to achieve a natural, feathery look. During cancer treatments, one of the main side effects is hair loss, and this can include loss of hair from the eyebrows and eyelashes. One of the women shared some of her tips that she had found which included the Rapidbrow Enhancing Serum; a unique blend of proteins to encourage hair growth. It really is a wonderful sharing space where women can come together and learn about great tips others have found; the LGFB really is a great community building the confidence of women undergoing cancer and treatment.
Finally, the lips came last; liners and lipsticks in wonderful colours to enhance skin tone were demonstrated how to be applied properly for the ultimate bombshell kiss!
When the ladies arrived to the workshop, they all looked beautiful; when they left, they all looked confidently beautiful. From attending the workshop, one thing was clear. This session wasn’t about vanity; it was about confidence and control when cancer can rob you of both. By looking your most beautiful, you seemingly feel your most beautiful. LGFB bring together a community of patients, volunteers and fundraisers to make women look and feel fantastic.
If you would like to know more about the Look Good Feel Better charity then please click here.
LGFB also have a great range of make-up brushes and cosmetic tools which benefit the charity; with each sale of their products, 12% will be donated to the charity, with a minimum of £30,000 guaranteed annually. Please click here to view the brushes!
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