Cancer: Highlighting Your Natural Beauty

credit goes to Julia Ordodi via this article.

Cancer.

That individual word resonates with so many. I look to family members and family friends and see the battle that they have faced/are facing. I beam at their grace, courage and almighty strength in the face of Cancer. My beautiful grandmother is a survivor and, aside from my mother, is the most beautiful, elegant and strong woman I know. Luke's grandmother is currently facing yet another battle but she's still lighting up the room with her smile and is still as beautiful as ever and is forever in my thoughts at this moment in time. I was approached recently by Jackie, with a request to post an article about Cancer with a beauty twist. I wanted to post this to raise awareness, to give people something to think about and to promote beauty in every individual - not just the conventional beauties that the media exposes. 

As Jackie states in this piece, beauty in no way cures cancer or makes you a better person but the positive feeling behind it may just help to make yours, or a person you hold dear's day a little better whilst also improving confidence and strength. I think we all know just how much make-up can affect our personal image, confidence and inspiration. With this in mind, please don't leave any nasty comments. It's simply offering advice on how to accentuate natural beauty, it isn't saying it is the be all and end all or advocating it as a way to get the all clear. I'll pass you over to Jackie...

'A cancer diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence for a strong and resilient woman. Many women will be liable to give up once they hear 'leukemia', 'mesothelioma' or any one of the unhappy sounding words associated with cancer. However, for your health and your survival you cannot give up. You cannot let yourself lose your personal power and your natural beauty and grace. Staying beautiful in the face of cancer can help you defeat cancer in ways you would never have imagined. Of course, you cannot use staying beautiful as a cure and fashion is not a treatment for cancer. However, they can help your physical and mental health in ways that cannot be done by a simple cancer treatment.

1. Start by picking out a great wardrobe. Choose clothes that go well together and which highlight your natural beauty. You know what you like to wear, so pick clothes that suit your personality and your taste. Make sure to choose outfits that are formal and outfits that are casual. This kind of diversity helps you look beautiful in any situation.

2. Choose great accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, watches and earrings. These accessories are essential to your plan. They help highlight your outfit and catch the eye of your friends, family and loved ones and even strangers on the street. The effect of your change may seem small at first but you have to be persistent with looking beautiful. 

Persistence into confidence...

You have to wake up every morning and make yourself look beautiful. However, once you have a beautiful woman staring at you every day, you'll start to regain some of your confidence and composure. You'll start to hold your head higher and exude a natural confidence, especially if you pair your positive attitude with a great fragrance. People will begin to notice how beautiful you look and smell! You will see others attentive look towards you and gain even more confidence. It may even take your mind off your disease and your treatments for a while. Looking beautiful in the face of cancer may attract positive reinforcement from those around you. They may praise your beauty, your grace, your confidence and courage in the face of your disease. These feelings will help boost your confidence, improve your mood and give you the energy and desire to beat your disease. It can also give you hope. Having the confidence, focus and hope to succeed helps to make it that much easier to completely beat cancer'.

You can read some more of Jackie's beauty related cancer posts HERE. Pixiwoo are also currently running a great series of Youtube videos on cancer and beauty which you can find HERE. I hope this has proved to be an interesting read. It's something that I fully understand and support. When I was going through a particularly rough patch with my Crohns Disease, a chronic bowel disease, my appearance was one of the things that affected me the most. Yes, I was seriously ill but, at the same time, my whole body shape changed and I found that, surprisingly, this affected my whole outlook on my illness. I found that by brushing my hair or applying a little make-up really helped me feel better and inspired me to face up to my illness with confidence. Let me know if you've ever experienced the same thing in the comments...


I'll be back soon with my week in photos post ♥