Makeup use for facial paralysis women!

[Karen]

Doi any of you with facuial paralysis use eye make-up?  I don't have feeling in my cornea.  Should I use make-up on the good eye and non on the bad ?  Do any of you use mascara on the bad eye or eye shadow?  Karen

[nancyann]

Hi Karen:  funny you should mention 'makeup'.    I haven't worn any since my AN surgery, but I've been thinking about it recently.   
  I never wore mascara because I had great eyelashes pre-surg., I use to curl them & that was it.
Now, with all the lubricant in the lashes, they won't curl, so I don't even bother with that anymore.
 I had a dream last night I was putting my best friend's makeup on, but couldn't find the right lipstick - how funny is that?
(& Bette Midler was waiting for me in an SUV- we were going out to some function!).

I would think you should put makeup on both eyes, for balance.    I was actually thinking about maybe going to a makeup artist to find out
how to deal with makeup on a 1/2 paralyzed face!

Wish I could be of more help, but I'm in the dark about this too   It'll be fun to see if anyone else has some answers!    Nancy

[OMG16]

Please post anything you find out I was just thinking about this yesterday as I face paralysis on the left side of my face.  Hopefully I will wake up Monday and not have to deal with this but if I do I know where to turn.  Thanks for all the info you guys post everday I have learned so much and didn't know at the time that some of the information would help me down the road.  16

[lori67]

I use it on both eyes.  I actually started to use an eyelash curler (torture device) because my lashes on the AN side didn't go up and out away from my eye - they just kinda sat there and wound up in my eye instead.    I use oil free eye makeup remover to get the night time goop off, then the curler and then a little bit of water proof mascara.  Eyeliner is a problem because my eye waters a lot and it just comes right off 2 seconds after I put it on, so I don't bother trying.

I didn't use any right after the surgery and only started to use it after I was healed from my tarsorrhaphy.

Giving make up advice to anyone sounds ridiculous coming from me since I don't wear a lot of it to begin with!  I once came across a website specifically about using makeup to hide some of our paralysis "flaws", but it was a while ago and I'm not sure where I saw it.   Maybe a Google search might have something...

Lori 

[jerseygirl]

Lori,

Did you try a WATERPROOF eyeliner so that it does not get smudged? Any results? Also, for lips, ladies, did anybody try one of those lipglosses in the pots? I find that they are less drying and staining than lipstick. I did not have facial paralysis but also found that makeup is an issue after an AN surgery.

 
   Eve

[TLC719]

Hello everyone     I have facial paralysis & have experienced with makeup&I think I look better.I am a hairdresser-makeup artist.It has been a challenge to get it right.The main goal is to make the eyes balance out&mouth look straight.I use a neutral matte lipstick and a good light&mirror.I have lots of tips for all of you.I wish we could all gather at the salon for learning to make our faces look pretty-er.        TLC    Teresa

[nancyann]

So Teresa, don't hold back - let us in on some secrets!, like, how do you make the AN eye look smaller/more like the good eye?   
                My paralyzed eye appears larger than the other one.

                &, how does a 'neutral' matte lipstick help?  We need your input!!!

[lori67]

We can have an on-line salon!

Eve, I didn't know they even made waterproof eyeliner.  Guess I need to head to the makeup counter more often!

Ok, Teresa, we're blank slates - give us your best AN advice!

Lori   (teach me how to not look like this guy)

[nancyann]

Lori:  what brand of oil-free makeup remover do you use?  I tried 'Occusoft' eyelid cleaning pads, but they didn't work.
        My eyelashes are so full of lubricant I don't know if anything will work at this point, but I'd like to give the stuff
         you use a try.

Let's hope Teresa comes back on line & gives us a few hints.   I've never been a big makeup user either, but at this point,
any little bit will help, huh?

Always good thoughts,  Nancy

[pimento]

Yay finally a makeup forum!!

I didnt wear makeup until my brothers wedding about a year after surgery. My face was still quite sloped. the makeup artist kept things neutral for me so I would say subtle colour is the best route for sure.

As my face became more even , I was still dealing with the "one eye bigger than the other" syndrome and this is something I tried:

Apply your eyeliner as per usual on the good eye and keep away from the inside rim of the bottom lid. Now on the bad eye just pencil very carefully and lightly, from the outer edge of the inside rim of your bottom lid, make that lid just a shade darker than your good eye. it gives the illusion of a smaller eye. I go with a colour pencil that is lighter than the pencil that I use for the overall look (for example if you wear dark brown/black liner, go with a lighter shade of grey or cappucino.

Also, if you are daring enough, try arching the brow of your droopy eye a bit higher than the other, you can also use an eyebrow pencil. I was used to plucking before my AN so it was not a big deal for me. I got that pointer from a british facial paralysis website.

I also stay away from cream based shadows, it really stings my bad eye because I dont produce enough tears.

[nancyann]

Thanks Pimento:  You explained why Teresa said 'neutral' lipstick.   'Neutral' colors make sense, don't want to draw any more attention
to the face then needed.  So I guess keep the blush 'soft' would be the way to go.
I think next weekend I'll try a little foundation & a neutral blush & lipstick & see how it goes.

 I rarely used eyeliner before, but I understand exactly what you're saying.

Thanks for the tips!    Nancy

[lori67]

Nancy - I use the Clinique eye makeup remover.  It's kindof expensive if you ask me, but then again, all that stuff is.  It comes in a little blue bottle.  They have samples that they can give you to try it first to make sure it works for you before you buy a whole bottle.  They actually might even have something better if you tell them what you need.  I like it because it's gentle and doesn't sting and does a pretty good job of getting that waterproof mascara off.

Lori

[nancyann]

Thanks Lori - I'll check out the Clinique counter next time I'm at Macy's!    Nancy

[TLC719]

Hello,    For all you ladies that use lots of eyelubricants &have watery eyes,mascara&liners may end up irritating your eyes,if so try going with a nice color of eyeshadow.Maybe try to do a smokey eye by using  nice shades of browns.Have you ever heard of Mary Kay cosmetics?They have great colors in quads  simply neutral&golden plum. you want to make a an eye slighty darker if its larger than the good eye.My an eye is smaller so I do the opposite.Look at the MK colors on line to get a idea what I'm talking about.For a dropping  mouth I use a lip liner to try and balance.And always use good lighting.I'ts a little difficult but I feel so much better with it on .Practice ,Practice !   Bye for now    TLC

[cinnamon]

Thanks for the tips. I have used makeup since maybe 2 months after surgery. I feel it hides your imperfections with the paralysis. The mascara was pretty difficult though because my eyelashes hurt- they were very sensitive to the touch and even after a year and a half if I touch them differently they still hurt. Sounds strange. I really like the idea of making the eyes look more even in size. I feel after a long day my bad eye begins to open alot more. By the way, I love Mary Kae and I will have to look for the plum you mentioned.

Lisa