EMERGENCY BEAUTY
- Luka
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Dolls, I've been to the emergency room more times than I can count on both my hands. In the emergency room, everything is critical, so beauty is definitely pushed to the back burner. I've had tubes up my nose and canulas in my arms, which always made me feel so ugly and insecure, but it was with the help of my mum that I managed to find it less scary by keeping a few beauty tips readily up my sleeve. This is how I've established beauty in the hospital, Dolls.
TIP #1 is the frame of mind.
My mum and I would pretend that when I went into the hospital, it was me going to the day spa. It was where they would look after me and pamper me with care, fuss, and treatment... just a different kind. It really used to ease the fear when I was younger. Looking back, it's a memory I treasure dearly because it brought my mum and me closer together when I think we were both feeling pretty scared. Instead of focusing on the pain of tubes, leads, and needles, I pretended that they were all specialised treatments like microblading and waxing. I feel really grateful that I had my mum to help me frame things differently.
TIP #2 is bringing in personal shampoos and conditioners.
The shampoo and conditioner in the hospital are even more B-grade than at motels, Dolls. Instead of shampoo and conditioner, they have a, not 2 in one, but 3 in one. That’s an all-inclusive shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Sorry, Dolls, but I refuse to wash my hair with something that also classifies as body wash. It's a beauty blogger's NIGHTMARE. I always bring my own shampoo and conditioner in so I can have beautiful, silky hair and not matted, tangled hair, which is the outcome if you use their 'supplies'.
TIP #3 is having a designated emergency makeup bag.
When I was undergoing my first hospital admission, I was also undergoing my first real relationship. That was especially hard because, due to the NG tube, I felt very unattractive. But my mum and the nurses made the biggest fuss prior to every time he came and visited me by doing my hair and makeup beautifully. Even though I was still so embarrassed, I was able to feel more like myself. What evolved from there on was a hospital tradition of my mum and me packing a little goodie bag with mascaras and lipsticks for all the times I wanted to make myself feel pretty. I do have a few pro-tips for you, Dolls, regarding what you pack! The hospital lighting is atrocious, so any colour matching with foundations, bronzers, and concealers will appear yellow or orange. And when you’re already probably quite sick, the last thing you need is to appear even more ghostly. So your makeup routine will need some adapting, focusing much more heavily on eyeshadow looks, long mascara-coated lashes, and pretty shades of lip gloss/stick. And, of course, Dolls, my final tip is that you bring with you your favourite perfume scent to stand out against that horrible hospital smell. My personal favourite is the Prada Paradoxe perfume that one of my best friends gifted me for my birthday.
Dolls, EMERGENCY BEAUTY is not my favourite beauty guide, considering the circumstances in which I am forced to resort to its methods; however, it is one of my essential guides that gives me a few moments of Shopaholic pleasure. I hope it helps you, too, Dolls, in the ways it has truly helped me in the past decade.
Kisses,
COS x
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