Make-up on cancer: beautiful and confident

Cleaning & Care

The skin often dries out due to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As a make-up base, therefore, a rich day care is recommended. Before applying cream, cleanse the skin with a mild cleansing lotion. Tip: Always use sunscreen with a high sun protection factor even in low sunlight, as chemotherapy makes the skin especially sensitive.

The complexion

Small redness and eye shadow are concealed with concealer. Then evenly apply a foundation to match the complexion - work with a make-up sponge or with your fingers (through the body heat, the texture melts more easily with the skin). Those who are more prone to greasy skin fixes the makeup with loose powder. For very dry complexions, leave the powder out.

Finally, use Rouge as a refresher. Use a rouge brush to spread the color from the outside to the inside of the cheekbones. To emphasize contours, dust some rouge on temples and lower jaw bones. Tip: If the complexion looks tired, gently pat a touch of moisturizer over the make-up - that refreshes nicely.

The lips

Also, the lip skin is often dry and brittle by the treatment. Optimal preparation is therefore an intensive care with moisture-storing agents such as glycerine. Then surround the mouth with a contour pencil in the shade of the lipstick. The result is more perfect afterwards, and small irregularities can be easily compensated. At the same time it prevents that later color runs into the small lip wrinkles. Application technique: put the pen in the center on the lip and pull the border from inside to outside. Important: do not forget the contour in the corner of the mouth. Then gently fade out the line with your fingers. This is more natural. In the next step, paint the mouth with the lipstick color. Choose a color that harmonizes with rouge and eyeshadow color.

The eyes

Eyebrows and eyelash hairs go out next to the head hair by the cancer treatment mostly. However, as the eyebrows are crucial for facial expressions and facial expression, they should be re-made as naturally as possible. The brow bow can be painted with a pen. When the eyebrows are particularly thin, it is easier to fill them with brow powder. In order for the arch form to be correct, it is best measured using a brush handle. The brow should rise two thirds and then fall one third narrower. On the inside, it should be fuller and finely run towards the end.

Eyeshadow Powder sticks better when the eyelids are first blotted with a tissue. Then apply an eyeshadow base. To express the eyes, it is best to contour the eyelids with darker shades such as gray brown or anthracite. Application technique for the banana shape: give a lighter tone on the moving lid and lightly hide over the eyelid crease. Emphasize the eyelid fold with a darker shade and shade the upper and lower eyelashes from the outside to the middle of the eye. Finally, lighten the inner corner of the eye with a shimmering tone - that opens your eyes. Tip: For many smaller eye wrinkles use matt eye shadow colors - glossy particles emphasize the wrinkles more.

The eyeliner replaces visually missing eyelashes and frames the eye. Apply it with an eyeliner as close to the upper edge of the eyelash as possible. Easier to draw an eyeline with a soft kohl pencil. To apply, tense the eyelid with your fingertips and pull the line from the outside to the inside. Same procedure at the lower eyelash edge.

Eyelashes, if they are very fine or thinned, with a mascara with filigree brush work. Optimal are products that are also suitable for allergy sufferers and contact lens wearers, since no crumbs come into the eye. Application technique: start as close as possible to the eyelash edge with the ink. Attach the mascara brush and pull it from the bottom up with a gentle shaking motion.

Make-up lessons: time for yourself

Since 1995, DKMS LIFE, an offshoot of the non-profit German Bone Marrow Donor Database (DKMS), has been providing free make-up seminars for cancer-stricken women seeking life-saving stem cells for leukemia patients and supporting patients and relatives in the fight against cancer. The idea: sufferers get tips to better deal with the external consequences of the disease and the therapy. This strengthens the self-esteem, and the women draw new life courage. Since 2008, the perfumery chain Douglas is a partner of the DKMS LIFE. Last year, around 200 make-up seminars were offered nationwide by specially trained beauticians. Information: www.dkms-life.de