I’m getting a bit tired of talking about my continuing hospital saga so I think it’s time for a change of topic.  Lets talk about looking good.  While it might seem superficial, for some people one of the hardest things about having cancer is the way it changes how you look.  There are so many ways that cancer can affect your appearance – whether it’s because you’ve had surgery, you’ve lost your hair, lost or gained weight, or you’ve developed skin problems as a result of treatment.  And lets not forget how tiring and draining all that treatment is – that can definitely show up on your face.  There are always going to be days when you might not feel up to making any effort with how you look but I think most people would agree that when you look good, it does give you a little boost.  So I’m going to give to give a brief rundown here of some of the brands and products that I’ve used and loved over the last few months.

First up is an amazing skin care brand called Bia Beauty.  It’s handmade in Cork with all natural and totally yummy ingredients.  One of my favourite products is the Orange & Grapefruit Facial Exfoliant & Cleanser.  It’s gentle enough to use everyday and it leaves my skin so soft.  I follow that up with their Mellow Mandarin Moisturiser and Stop the Clock Eye Gel.  Despite all the treatment and medications I’ve had put into my body over the last few months, my skin has never looked better.  As you can see below!

Me today in hospital.  No filter, no makeup, just great looking skin!

Bia Beauty also do a gorgeous Lemon & Myrtle Hand Lotion that works wonders for my dry hands.  And they even run courses where you can learn to make your own natural beauty products.

https://biabeauty.com

Next up is MooGoo.  This is an Australian company who again use lots of natural ingredients and make very gentle products.  I’d used some of their products before – specifically their Irritable Skin Balm for psoriasis and their Scalp Cream for cradle cap on the boys – but when I knew I’d be starting chemo I went back to them to see if they had anything that would be suitable for me.  And I was delighted to find that lots of their products would work for me.  When my hair fell out, I knew that my scalp would be sensitive and I’d be better off avoiding my usual cleansers and shampoo.  So I used MooGoo Milk Shampoo and Cream Conditioner to keep my scalp clean without irritation.

To keep the rest of me clean and soft I used their Fresh Butter Milk Cleansing Bar and Skin Milk Udder Cream.  The cream is a lovely body moisturiser that is deceptively hard working given how light it is going on.  MooGoo do a massive range of products, from everyday washes and creams to ones specifically designed to treat a variety of skin problems.  They’re also incredibly helpful if you get in contact with them and are happy to give advice on products and even free samples so you can try before you buy.  I highly recommend.

http://www.moogoo.ie

And finally, I want to talk about a programme I discovered a few months ago called Look Good Feel Better.  This is a charity that runs workshops in Oncology centres across Ireland to help women deal with the visible effects of cancer treatment.  It’s a part of a worldwide organisation and it’s run solely by volunteers and donations.  I attended a workshop back in February and loved it.  There were ten other women there with me, all in various stages of cancer treatment.  The workshop was run by two wonderful beauty advisors who took us through all aspects of skin care and makeup, specifically tailored to deal with the problems a cancer patient might face.  For example, toning down redness caused by chemo, filling in missing eyebrows, and hiding dark circles.  We also had a chat with a lovely lady from the Wig Clinic about hairpieces, wigs and hats which was very useful.  And to top it all off, each of us went home with a packed goodie bag of beauty products, all of which were donated by the various companies.  It was a great afternoon and I definitely felt better after it!

http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.ie

*All the opinions given here are entirely my own and I have not received any freebies or payment for them.  It’s all strictly above board!