Look Good...Feel Better...

I was just watching Rachael Ray (presumably a repeat, since it is summer) and Catherine Zeta-Jones was her guest. Is there a more beautiful woman? While I have not necessarily enjoyed all of the characters she has played, I do find her to be fascinating. On this particular episode, Catherine and Rachael were discussing Elizabeth Arden's new Red Door Red Lipstick where 100% of the proceeds go to Look Good...Feel Better.

I am a HUGE fan of this project, as I was a recipient of one of their boxes of goodies. I am still not sure if my mom got in touch with a program coordinator through the hospital, my oncologists office, or how, but on one of my last days in the hospital, the second time, I got a wonderful make-over.

At this point, I still had all of my hair, as I had only one prior chemo treatment, but I did have extremely dry skin. Cancer patients need to be very careful with what we put on our skin. I was taught the correct way to apply make-up, which, unless you have been to a Mary Kay party, who really knows how to do that? I was also shown how to line my eyebrows, which in a few short months, would be gone. For those patients who have lost their hair, they teach great tricks with scarves and wigs, and how to take care of a delicate scalp.

Look Good...Feel Better receives donations from all the big cosmetic companies. My box included Clinique, Este Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Chanel and Clarins, to name a few.

Here are some facts from Look Good...Feel Better's website:

• Look Good…Feel Better is a free, non-medical, brand-neutral, national public service program founded in 1989 and supported by corporate donors to help women offset appearance-related changes from cancer treatment.
• Each two-hour, hands-on workshop includes a 12-step skin care/make-up application lesson, demonstration of options for dealing with hair loss, and nail care techniques. Held at comprehensive care clinics, hospitals, ACS offices, and community centers, local group programs are organized by the American Cancer Society, facilitated by LGFB-certified cosmetologists, and aided by general volunteers. Patients in various stages of treatment receive make-over tips and personal attention from professionals trained to meet their needs. They also use and take home complimentary cosmetic kits in their appropriate skin tones (light, medium, dark, extra dark) with helpful instruction booklets. Professional advice is provided on wigs, scarves and accessories. (Teen sessions also include social and health tips.) More than 50,000 individuals participate each year in small groups of five to ten, offering each patient a supportive circle, as well. Group programs represent the highest level of expertise available (the “gold standard”) in LGFB services.

As soon as I get my pictures scanned, I would love to share my Look Good...Feel Better makeover. It really made me feel better about everything I was going through.