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Look Good Feel Better

Look Good Feel Better

Look Good Feel Better
Look Good Feel Better

When I first joined Twitter more than a decade ago, I remember deciding to spotlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a special blog giveaway. I had two sets of exactly the same makeup and skincare products and I asked followers “Who would you surprise with a Pink Ribbon gift set?”  (The prize was one set to surprise someone with and one set to keep for yourself) The response was overwhelming the moment the giveaway went live. So many people from all walks of life shared the most heartwarming and heartbreaking stories. I cried several times reading their stories. And while I knew cancer affected one-in-ten families, I had no idea how prevalent it had become. So many people I had met on Twitter were secretly dealing with cancers of all types. They were going for regular chemo sessions and trying to deal with both the physical and psychological effects of this terrible disease. There was a wonderful woman in the U.K. who told me I was the only person who knew she was battling cancer. She didn’t tell her husband or family as she was the one who kept the family together. I would check in with her most days and try to make her laugh. Thankfully she is a survivor. I can’t believe she went through treatment for months alone without the support of friends of family.

Following this experience, I had such a renewed respect for the Look Good Feel Better charity, a not-for-profit that helps people deal with the appearance-related effects of cancer and cancer treatment

“We know how important it is to simply feel like yourself, especially when you are going through cancer treatment,” says the organization. “At Look Good Feel Better workshops, both in-person and online, people with cancer can learn how to manage the appearance-related impact of cancer and its treatment. Offering a unique sense of community, participants become part of a small group, with different cancer diagnoses and going through different treatments, who come together to learn and share.”

Look Good Feel Better
Look Good Feel Better

“This is the best part of what I do,” explains UK-based makeup artist Nina Westbury, a Look Good Feel Better volunteer. “Makeup can give us super powers when you need them most. I’m hoping to some virtual workshops in the new year so I can help even more women.”

Nina and volunteers like her teach women and teens how to care for sensitive skin, how to manage the loss of brows and lashes, techniques to add colour back onto the face, beauty hygiene and sun safety. Teens can take part in programs specially designed for them including skincare, on-trend makeup and fun styles for caps, wraps and hair alternatives. There are even sessions for men on how to manage dry, flaky skin, minimize shaving irritation and how to deal with hair loss. The Canadian branch of LGFB reaches over 10,000 women each year.

Look Good Feel Better
Look Good Feel Better

“The best medicine doesn’t always come in a bottle.”

LGFB helps address the emotional and psychological aspects of cancer and its treatment. The emotional trauma and fall-out from cancer is often overlooked. And these workshops aim to give women the tools and techniques to feel beautiful and vital, to help restore a sense of self and a feeling of womanhood.

Look Good Feel Better programs can now be found in 26 countries around the world – each operating independently but with the same goal: to help women with cancer.

Singapore, Sweden, Uraguay, Chile, The Netherlands and South Africa to name a few.

During the month of November, purchase a Clarins Lip Comfort Oil in shade “Lovely Rose” at Shoppers Drug Mart or shoppersdrugmart.ca and the French beauty brand will donate $5 to Look Good Feel Better in Canada. It’s a wonderful way to show your support.

If you are battling cancer or have a family member or friend in this situation, visit LGFB.ca for more information on workshops, support services and resources.

47 Comments

  • Reply
    Gabrielle
    January 11, 2024 at 3:53 pm

    I think this is a wonderful organization. It’s important to care for the whole person, and yes, looking better CAN make you feel better.

  • Reply
    Susan T.
    December 30, 2023 at 1:07 pm

    This is such a great charity! I try to support them as often as I can.

  • Reply
    Natasha
    July 21, 2023 at 5:39 am

    Never heard of this nonprofit but it’s a beautiful concept 🥰 makeup is so powerful and adds sparkle to your outside not just your inside ⭐️

  • Reply
    Shirley O
    April 10, 2023 at 1:48 pm

    A great initiative!

  • Reply
    Manon Savard
    February 27, 2023 at 2:44 pm

    What a great post and a great nonprofit!

  • Reply
    Cheryl Royston
    February 23, 2023 at 10:23 am

    The word CANCER scares the crap out of me! My Mom passed away from Ovarian Cancer and I carry the BRCA gene. So it’s always in the back of my mind. It’s nice to know there are programs like the Look Good Feel Better program to help women feel better while fighting for their lives. @Cher_Ann5

  • Reply
    Paula S.
    February 19, 2023 at 10:59 pm

    Great article!

  • Reply
    Manon Savard
    February 14, 2023 at 12:48 pm

    What a wonderful post! This is such a lovely program!

  • Reply
    Paula S.
    February 6, 2023 at 9:50 pm

    This is so great!

  • Reply
    Nadya
    February 5, 2023 at 7:28 pm

    What a wonderful post!

  • Reply
    Cricket
    February 4, 2023 at 10:46 pm

    This is such a good thing! We need this!

  • Reply
    LisaM
    February 4, 2023 at 3:38 pm

    I cannot imagine the feeling – I am so grateful for any person or group who helps people feel seen <3

  • Reply
    Samantha Elizabeth Davis
    February 3, 2023 at 10:56 pm

    That lip oil looks 😍 amazing!

  • Reply
    Nadya
    February 3, 2023 at 7:08 pm

    What a wonderful non-profit! Thank you for this post

  • Reply
    Mia
    February 3, 2023 at 12:44 pm

    What a great post and a great nonprofit!

  • Reply
    Janet M
    February 3, 2023 at 8:48 am

    We all need to feel better and this is a great non-profit.

  • Reply
    Olivia C.
    January 22, 2023 at 12:10 pm

    This sounds like a great non-profit that does so much for people no matter what challenges they may be facing.

  • Reply
    Susan T.
    January 14, 2023 at 12:33 pm

    This is such a lovely program! I’m going to buy that Clarins lip oil and show my support.

  • Reply
    Linda Sear
    January 11, 2023 at 9:34 pm

    I thankfully (thus SO far, anyway) have never suffered from cancer, but it’s really GOOD to know that this Look Good Feel Better program exists for me if I ever do, because I always like to look and feel my best, I love makeup, and I think that this program is so important for women going through such a traumatic, life-threatening event in their lives. For women that have had cancer, it’s heartwarming to see women being helped with issues such as hair loss, etc.

  • Reply
    Limecello
    January 10, 2023 at 11:57 pm

    Thank you for this post. I think I remember that giveaway. I’d of course known people who had breast cancer but since then my mom was diagnosed – luckily she’s been in remission now – but this brought back a lot of memories.
    I really think you have one of the best twitter communities on the site.

  • Reply
    Steph
    January 9, 2023 at 6:23 pm

    When I was going through stage 4 cancer at 27 doing my makeup really made me feel better. It seems trivial but when I could recognize myself in the mirror it was fun to play and feel a little more like myself. That’s when I really went crazy experimenting with different colours and textures because I was bald so I had a clear canvas. I urge everyone going through treatment to have a little fun with it and not to take themselves so seriously.

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