I conducted interviews with two women who suffered with ailments in their hands the following are excerpts of the transcripts.
Faye Canerton - Dystonia* Sufferer how often do you apply makeup? Every 3 to 4 days I try to some days my tremors and spasms are too much and I cannot. Usually look like a hobo unless I need to take my son to clubs so then I force myself while he’s at school cause I’ve got a 3 hour window to do it in takes ages. How often do you have pain in your hands? Every day I’ll send you a video of my hand if you like? Is the pain sustained over long times or it does it occur sporadically? All day long fingers don’t bend When was the last time you wanted to do your makeup but were held back by your hands? The other day I was in bits I couldn’t cause i hate looking sick. What are your holy grail makeup products? Freedom pomade, glameyes rimmel eyeliner, morphe palette, juvias palettes, revolution ultra contour lightening contour, L’Oréal infallible total cover natural rose cause of red undertone. What are your favourite makeup tools? Cheap brushes I found on eBay Do you prefer to use a brush or a sponge? Brushes for some parts but wet sponge for blending and things. Found a wet sponge easier to get the make up to blend better on face than brushes cause of my hands How long would it take you to do an everyday look? 3 hours up to normally What part of the makeup routine do you find the most daunting (eyeliner, eyeshadow, foundation, bronzer etc) oh definitely eyebrows and eyeliner cause I’m worried I’m going to poke myself in the eye plus I have no eyebrows so it’s hard trying to draw them right and straight and going round with concealer is a task and a half with tremors and spasms Do your hand issues impact much on the time it takes you to complete a look? Yes very much so takes forever that I worry we can’t get out on time if needing to go anywhere. Do you feel like your hand issues impact on your makeup ability? Sometimes but I’m getting better it’s helped me to tackle my dystonia and not let myself give up on everything in life. Do you feel like makeup helps with your self-esteem? Yes a lot I feel more confident and alive makes me forget I’ve got dystonia for a little while. What would a miracle product look like to you? I’m not even sure what a miracle for this hand thing would be maybe something that’ll help steady my hand like Parkinson’s sufferers who have things to help them write again that they have been trying out. But May weight down the arm cause arm gets heavy. So maybe wouldn’t work. Not sure of anything else |
Carly Barry - Psoriatic Arthritis* and Poor Blood Flow
How often do you apply makeup? I used to wear makeup everyday. And then I got lazy for about 7 years. I just recently started playing with my makeup again, and it’s been about 3 times a week for the last few weeks How often do you have pain in your hands? Just about everyday. Anytime that I have to do something that takes the use of all my fingers, or my fingers have to work independently of each other (typing) my hands, fingers, and joints ache. This also happens when the weather changes drastically quickly. Is the pain sustained over long times or it does it occur sporadically? That depends. Factors include speed and how meticulous the work is. For instance, I do a lot of crafts. I recently started using a sewing machine and wire jewellery work. I find that my hands begin to ache after about 15 mins of work as there are a lot of details included. As far as makeup, it’s a bit easier, but holding a brush in the same way for a while will cause my hands to cramp up and I’ll drop the brush or fumble my grip. When was the last time you wanted to do your makeup but were held back by your hands? Not so recently, I’ve been babying them. Since I have only been practicing my look at home, I can take long breaks while putting my face on. What are your holy grail makeup products? Right now, I am loving tarte’s top #shelfie skincare products and Tatcha’s Deep Cleanse face wash. I also love Smashbox’s Photofinish primer What are your favourite makeup tools? My silicone blender thing by ELF Do you prefer to use a brush or a sponge? 50/50, it depends on the application purpose How long would it take you to do an everyday look? I don’t wear makeup everyday, but if I did, I would probably do a minimal look each day and keep it to maybe 15 mins? I have a 7 month old baby, and I am lucky if I can get any time to work on my appearance when I need to. What part of the makeup routine do you find the most daunting (eyeliner, eyeshadow, foundation, bronzer etc) Eyeliner. I find I overcompensate trying to hold to brush steady. I’m also still trying to perfect a winged liner, and my lines are messy from lack of experience. Do your hand issues impact much on the time it takes you to complete a look? I’m sure if I were in a hurry, or I needed to have my face done before I went out that I would have an issue. The reason why I can get through an application now is because I can take numerous long breaks. Do you feel like your hand issues impact on your makeup ability? Sometimes. When the aches and pains are really bad, I don’t really want to do anything, so I won’t practice. But that’s not to say that my hands are crippled and I can’t do anything. I’ll figure it out. I’ll deal. I’ll slay. End of story. Do you feel like makeup helps with your self-esteem? Yes. Just turned 31. Just had baby #2. Still 10lbs over my ideal weight. I find comfort in the fact that I can manipulate my face to feel beautiful. What features would a miracle product have, in your opinion? I’d still need to do some research on that before I could accurately answer this question |