Make Up Techniques for Quads/Hand Impairment

[chick]

For eyebrow tweezing, I like this type of tweezer - No finger function or dexterity required.
Depending on one's hand, fingers or thumbs can be inserted thru holes to control
- for example, I put both of my thumbs thru and press the thumbs together to close, or rather, clamp down and pluck!




Rubber bands are another cheap item to have and can be used to quickly adapt things. E.G., If handles of brushes, eyeliners, tubes, etc. are too narrow and/or slippery smooth, wrap a few rubber bands along the length to aid in "grip". They can also be wrapped around ends of handles (like the use of tape/dycem mentioned earlier) to use with cuffs, but the rubber bands need to be secured (w/tape) to prevent rolling up/down/off when inserting into cuffs. Rubber bands are good for pens and pencils too.

RE the use of makeup tools and adaptive methods, I don't use anything extra myself for makeup, but if/when I do need to adapt something, I do prefer things as simple (and cheap, ergo my suggestion of tape and bands) as possible so one doesn't get too encumbered by the adaptive equipment itself, but one shouldn't get too encumbered by the idea of adaptive equipment either, as it's smart to use whatever one finds useful and/or necessary, and to adapt/modify as needed.

[feisty]

Prior to getting out of the hospital, the OT wrapped the handles of some of my smaller high-end makeup brushes with dycum as previously mentioned. I wouldn't reccomment doing this with cheaper brushes because cleaning them with brush cleaner will just strip out the bristles, and then you'd have to do it all over again, but my angled brushes from Benefit have lasted 10+ years like this with careful maintenence. I probably wouldn't do this now, as I have recovered hand function and have found quality brushes that are easier to hold- Like MAC brushes have super long handles making them easier to manipulate (the black one shown) or any kind of brush with a chunkier handle (like the kabuki-style brush for powder, blush, etc)


I found these eyelash curlers and they are awesome. they remove the inconvenience of having to get your fingers in and out of the tiny loops that they usually have on the end (similar to chick's tweezers) that I personally couldn't do. I found these at ELF.com (where most makeup is under $2-5- it's a great site to stock up on glosses, polishes etc for my neice, friend's kids, etc) I don't think they currently still have them but I bet they can still be found on the web somewhere.


I used to be a makeup artist for Urban Decay/Hard Candy at Nordstroms and I hated the packaging. I find now that I still hate packaging, and it's the biggest hurdle in using products. I find that benefit offers many 3-in-1 compacts that only close with magnets which is nice, but in the beginning when I couldn't get the singular shadow pots open in my kit, I would have my little brother use an emery board and file down the catch in my eyeshadows or compacts (shown by the blue arrow). A good tip is to go to Sephora where they have tons of brands out and available to try with a fried and manipulate the testers before you buy a product, see if you can use the packaging before wasting a lot of money on something.

[chick]

That's an interesting handle on the lash curler. I'm not sure how that would work for me and how I use my hands, but something I'd like to try out (if it can be found on the net). In any case, it's a great alternative design to the finger holes.
Filing the catch is a great tip too.

Cali, if you are able to add images and links into your article, like in this thread, that would definitely help the readers alot, especially when talking about non-traditional or even home-made tools, or describing those more creative, atypical methods people use.

[Cali2]

eyelipsface.com is an awesome site! I use bare minerals for foundation and concealer, but all of my other make up supplies are from elf. I wear simple makeup and not too often, so it's a good investment for me.

I'll have to see if they want images along with the article, but I agree that it's really useful to have the pictures alongside the article.

Thanks for all of your input and time into posting up your own pictures! I'm glad you're all interested in this too since it reinforces the importance of the magazine.

Feisty, I'm wondering if you'd be able to create a sort of "sleeve" that the brush would fit into a dysum adaptation. Maybe wrap the brush handle in a piece of paper and wrap the dysum around it. That way the brush can be removed for easier cleaning and maintenance. I'm not sure how effective it would be though since the brush might fall out of the adaptation during use. That would have me cursing in a nano second!

The article isn't due until March 6th, so I'm looking forward to more discussions that can help make it as useful as possible. My focus in the magazine is adaptation in general, so maybe you guys have little tips and tricks I'm not aware of that I can share in future articles as well.