Librera OncoLink   /   Revisiones de Libros, Música y Videos

Facing the Mirror with Cancer: A Guide to Using Makeup to make a Difference

Reviewer: Erin Strachan, Boutique Coordinator
The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Ultima Vez Modificado: 13 de febrero del 2005

OncoLink Rating:

Author Lori Ovitz began her craft twenty years ago, as a makeup artist to celebrated public figures. Six years ago, Lori’s interests shifted when she began working with patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and other cancer-related treatments. Since then she has been applying makeup in private sessions without charge for patients at the Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern University Hospital and at the University of Chicago Hospitals. From her one on one work with patients, she developed the idea for this unique tutorial. The information compiled on these pages is divided into Four main parts.

Part I is a detailed description of how to care for skin as it becomes more delicate and compromised throughout a treatment regimen. Once skin care has been addressed appropriately, the reader is advised of a less intimidating way of thinking about makeup.

Part II begins to explain how to achieve the look that will suit your aesthetic needs best. This section of the book is broken into smaller chapters that allow the reader to customize the steps as needed. Also included in this section, is a Personal Makeup Record that the readers can fill in as they decide what works best for them.

Part III is a short section addressing the pricing and features of wigs, as well as the importance of caring for fingernails and toenails. Although largely focused on solutions for women, techniques for the specialized needs of men, children and teens are dealt with in Part IV.

Facing the Mirror with Cancer takes a candid look at the link between physical appearance and emotional wellbeing. This book is a clearly written guide for patients struggling with appearance changes that occur as a result of treatment for cancer. The models that share their stories, as well as their photographs, help reinforce the idea that taking control of your appearance can enhance your quality of life during and after cancer treatment. As Lori Ovitz so aptly puts it, “Makeup will not cure a cancer, but makeup makes it a whole lot easier to face the mirror.”