You May BE Sick But You Don't Have To Look Sick!

Do you get tired of hearing things like, "Are you not feeling well today?" Or, "You look so tired." Because we all know what those well meaning people are saying is, "You really look like crap today!" Am I right here?

If you're reading this article, your personal image is important to you! When you're sick, whether it's an "invisible illness" like Lupus, Myasthenia, chronic pain... or a life threatening illness like cancer or another major, let's face it - the mirror may not be your best friend. But there are things you can do to make that better. The payoff is that you will FEEL better!

If you're a person who happens to be a patient too, I want to help you look and feel your best! Since 1992 I've been a certified image consultant helping women with color analysis, skin condition, makeup, fashion, and so on. Before I got really sick I spent many years helping a lot of women look and feel better about themselves. Now I just help friends and family, but it's still very rewarding to me.

The hardest part of it all is to get up the self-motivation to make the effort! When you feel lousy, it's hard to make yourself care about anything so seemingly trivial as looking good. But have you ever noticed, on the days when you are fixed up, you just feel better the tiniest bit? You carry your head just a bit higher, you feel a bit more like the "old you?" That's the feeling we're after here.

When I first became disabled, I was devastated by the loss of my career and it hit my self esteem hard. I had an incurable disease. Myasthenia affected my facial muscles, making my eyelids droop and my face sag in places whenever it wanted to. That part of the disease is harmless, but still demoralizing to my image.

I found and hung onto a phrase, "You are who you are, not what you do" - with all my might. I made three daily goals for myself that I promised to keep no matter how lousy I felt. One of them was to get cleaned up, put makeup on and dressed through shoes every single day, no matter what time of day I managed to accomplish it. With very few exceptions, I've managed to keep that promise to myself all these years, and I'm glad I did. Had I not, I don't know what condition my self esteem would be in right now.

I make frequent visits to a cancer center where I get IV medications for a neuromuscular illness I have called Myasthenia Gravis (one of the diseases the MDA works with). Recently I got onto the elevator with a lady who looked so well put together and so pretty that I just had to compliment her. She replied, "Hey, you look really nice too! It's so nice to see somebody coming here who takes the effort to look good!" Wow. That compliment made my day, to say the least!

In May of 2013 I underwent a major facial resection and reconstruction surgery to save me from malignant Melanoma. In addition to the rest of my image challenges, I had to learn to live with a 5" long scar from under my eye down to my chin. My plastic surgeon did an amazing job and eventually the scar healed to where it's almost not noticeable. Now I'm dealing with a sunken area in my cheek that I hope to get resolved.

I will admit to you that, on my very worst days, I still look kind of lousy despite my best efforts! But thankfully those days are in the minority. And even on those days, I always feel better after I've fixed myself up! Here I am with two of my little rescue Schnauzers, Ladybug and SueSue. Thankfully they love me no matter how I look!

Now, back to you! Start by taking the following poll, and I'll give you some tips on finding your best you!

The First Steps Are Easy!

... Grab your coffee or tea, and get ready to formulate your plan!

... Get a professional color analysis (I'll donate one to you for free!) Just send me a message through the contact form next to my bio. Then you send me your color photo of yourself and I send you my results.

... Read my free e-booklet, 'You Don't Have To LOOK Sick" (again, request using the contact form) Full of tips and tricks on how to look your best!

... Work ahead homework - Look at what's in your closet and pull out everything that does NOT fit you right now. Have these items packed away sorted by size - or if you prefer, donate them!

... Make an appointment to have anything done to your hair that you need - a trim, color, etc.

... If you're into having your nails done, get them done. OR try the glue on nails I recommend here by Kiss! You can get them here thru my lens or you can find them at most drugstores.

... Are your shoes in good condition? Do they need repair or cleaning? Let's get them looking good!

How Do You Feel About Your Appearance Right Now?

Talk About A Major Blow To My Image!

Here's a picture taken at 3 weeks post-op my Melanoma surgery. As you can see, I still had a lot of swelling under my eye. But I pulled out every trick in my book to make myself look better. I wore bright colors and clothes that would draw attention. I used a bit more eye makeup than usual to draw attention to my eyes and away from my scarred cheek. I always kept something interesting stuck in my hair, a fancy clip or whatever. I put on some sparkly jewelry to cheer myself up. I think it all helped - at least it made me feel better about myself and helped me get through the long months of recovery.