Feeling Put Together

Being young and having MS comes with a lot of challenges. One of which is the ability to be trendy/well-presented whilst battling weak limbs, pain or hands that don’t always work.

Plus, how do you hide that fatigue from your face? 

I was diagnosed with MS at 22 years old. A time in my life where I wanted to keep up with my friends but was limited to what I could do.

MS fatigue is something that I have personally found very difficult to hide. I live with constant dark circles under my eyes whether I’ve had a good night’s sleep or not. If I don’t use makeup, I find that I have parents and friends telling me how tired and ill I look all the time—and no one wants that.

However, If I do manage to cover it, I then get told I look too well to be sick!

You can’t win, but I do prefer to feel like I’m beating MS and look healthy, so I’m going to share with you my secret top tip for getting rid of those dark circles! Also, I should add that I have very pale, light skin, so you may need a little trial and error to see what shades best work for you.

First, make sure you wash and preferably exfoliate your face. Then use a light moisturizer.

Next, I apply yellow eyeshadow under my eyes over the dark parts. Yep I said it, YELLOW eyeshadow. Mine is a bright yellow, but you could also use a more subtle yellow if yours aren’t as bad as mine. Why does this work? Because the purple/blue color is opposite yellow on the color wheel, so it counteracts and blends in more with your skin. Now when you do this, it may look a little silly to start with but bear with me—It gets better.

Next, I go in with some concealer under my eye, this holds the shadow on underneath and starts to blend.

Tip: always use your little finger to dab the skin under your eyes lightly (if you rub the skin under your eyes, you will get more wrinkles when you are older!).

Then, I apply a BB cream (or tinted moisturizer) all over my face, this starts to really blend in that yellow. I then go in again with my concealer around the under-eye area. By now you should be looking more natural and awake! 

To look even more awake, use a light-colored eye shadow in the inner corner of your eyes and then on the outer corner of your eye just under your eyebrow arch.

For a youthful glow, use a highlighter on the tops of your cheek bones, down your nose and on the top of your lip.

Next up, clothing. Is it really possible to look trendy whilst avoiding buttons and poppers?

Absolutely.

There are so many clothes nowadays that are more designed for ease and comfort.

Take Jeggings for example. Looks like you’re wearing normal jeans, they come in loads of different colours and most of the time they have an elasticated waistband, often with a fake button. Pair these will a long top or even team with an elasticated waistband dress you can slip on with a smart but casual blazer jacket. No buttons necessary. Cold outside? Add a nice scarf over the top and a hat. I love rocking this look at every opportunity. Did you know you can also get cooling scarves? They look like normal scarves but are designed to be cold at all times.

To make this an “evening out” look, just switch up your shoes to something more dressy and some jewelry.

How do you style your hair when you can’t lift your arms so well?

Long/medium hair? Try this: wash your hair the night before you go out (bonus: saves energy). Let it mostly dry then divide in half and place either side of your neck. Take each section and twist outwards until the hair wants to twist into a bun and secure. Sleep in the style and take it out a few hours before you go out the next day. You should have some effortless natural curls going on. Spray in some hairspray to keep it in for longer or use some salt spray for beachy boho waves.

Alternatively leave your hair down and add a hair accessory like a nice headband or clip.

Short hair? Wash your hair the night before and towel dry if you can. Get more volume by changing your normal parting by making a new parting on the opposite side of your head and add in a hair accessory to get the party started. If you were going to a party, you could try using some glitter hairspray.