Keeping Up Appearances - How to look good while feeling ill

I love Lands End cropped Starfish pants. They have a mid-rise wide waist band with a wide straight leg and the material is substantial weight. I've been wearing them for over 15 years. I bought several pairs when they went on sale for less than $13.

I bought a pair in fuschia pink several years ago and I paint my toenails the same colour. Brightens my day.

 

@lunarainbows great blog! I too have really REALLY BAD dark shadows. I am opting to do lips and cheeks with a product I really love Lip Love by Trinny of London.
You can have your colours analysed by typing in a few options ( eye and hair colour etc), then the site stores this info so you can shop from the colours they recommend.
I use Sacha Lip Love on lips then use a bit on eyes and cheeks. It is quite subtle so if you are not too precise it won't matter. https://trinnylondon.com/uk/products/lip-love?variant=sacha

 

TMI:
Random question, but does anyone have experience of using Stripe & stare underwear?
https://stripeandstare.com/collections/new-in-knickers

They say they are very comfortable, also sustainable...they are also pricey, although I would be happy to find pants I am ale to wear without them making pain worse. For the last few years I have worn plain black cotton sloggis/M&S, but as nerve pain gets worse, I am more and more having to go commando in a loose maxi dress.

 

I haven’t tried these before but thank you for posting this! I’ve been looking for new underwear for a while, something colourful but also not scratchy and feels soft & comfortable. I love modal (I have modal pyjamas and it is the most comfortable material I’ve ever worn). And this is made out of modal! So I just bought this set to try, I adore the pattern as well - when it arrives I’ll post back here about how it feels on.

https://stripeandstare.com/products/bralet-knicker-set-petit-gingham

 

@lunarainbows So pretty! Let us know how it goes- i have not tried modal as i usually go for cotton.

 

They look lovely, but I can't wear anything that sits below the waist because a back condition makes it painful. So I have to wear Granny Knickers that pull up waist high. So far the only ones I've found are at Big Bloomers. These are not ideal, I'd prefer they weren't shorts, but the rest of their offerings look like the "waist" is too low for me. Their pull on bra is fantastically comfortable though.

 

I have some modal undies from Marks & Spencer - very comfy.

 

Ok I’ve had a chance to test it out now. They really are incredibly comfortable. I can hardly feel them. I wasn’t sure on the sizing & was worried it may be tight, but it’s very stretchy. They have a size chart with actual measurements of the item itself, so that makes it easier as well.

Yes I also used to only wear cotton before (and cotton pyjamas too), but discovered modal a few months ago. It is very soft, silky feeling almost, and really breathable as well. They don’t make me feel overheated and sweaty like satin and polyester do. I wear modal pyjamas a lot now.

I don’t think I have the same nerve pain as you do, as I’ve been fine with tolerating cotton undies before, but you have struggled. So it’s hard for me to say how these Stripe & stare ones would be for you. But personally I love them and find them to be very comfy!

(PS the bra is also great - very stretchy & comfortable and true to size. No wires etc. It doesn’t have the best support, but all bralettes are like that really!).

 

@ladycatlover I also cant wear knickers below the navel/waist because of a surgery scar which is uncomfortable to touch.

I wear these M&S ones which are fabulous, BUT i buy 2 sizes too big, i cant stand the elastic digging in - my weight fluctuates a lot so when i in a sz10 trouser i wear these knicks in a 14, sz12 trouser i wear them in a 16. Which sounds crazy but it works. I can get into the 'right size' but they are too tight for comfort - esp for sensory sensitivities and i hate VPL too. I discovered this when they sent the wrong size once

I have small hips & quite a big tummy, & they never seem too big, they stay in place and come up high enough - just above the waist. With them being lace waist they dont dig in & make a visible ridge either. (so the bigger size comes up higher on the waist than it looks in the photo - they can be seen above my trousers, just, but with it being lace it just lays flat so you'd never know.)

They are the comfiest knicks ever, I bought loads in case they stop making them!
5pk Cotton Lycra® & Lace Full Briefs | M&S Collection | M&S (marksandspencer.com)

 

I’ve written a new blog post, about finding clothes that are cute and comfortable and disability & sensory friendly (Fashion/pretty clothes has always been something that makes me happy, but over the past few years I sort of lost that happiness). I’ve been rediscovering it again now by finding the right clothes for me I hope it might help or inspire others here too if they’ve been struggling to find clothes that make them happy but are also disability friendly!

https://rosarainbows.wordpress.com/...e-wasting-sensory-issues-and-chronic-illness/

 

What kind of facial lotions and/or facial sunscreen do folks use? I have tried a number that haven't worked (bothered me and provoked various symptoms). My not-so-good solution has been to skip sunscreen and just try to wear a hat when outside, but I'd prefer to protect my skin with some SPF.

 

La Roche Posay is one I use that whilst expensive doesn't sting my eyes or skin, I find the spray isn't heavy or drippy etc.

 

I find EltaMD sunscreens effective and nonirritating. It's the brand my dermatologist recommends.

 

I never bother with face lotions or moisturisers, but as a non-tanning redhead, I have to use Factor 50 sunscreen from March to October. For a desert island, most ginger people would pack sunscreen before food!

I use the stuff made for babies and toddlers, because when it's applied generously, it's so persistent that it lasts all day even if you forget to reapply it. None of the brands has ever rubbed off and resulted in sunburn, even on full-day birding trips. It can run off a sweating forehead and into your eyes (not an experience I recommend), but I solve that by covering my forehead with a baseball cap, so I don't need sunscreen above eye level.

I've nothing helpful to offer about removing the confounded stuff at the end of the day, except to say that one shower's rarely enough. However, skin cell turnover is quite quick, so it will grow off eventually.

 

I have found a way to improve the removal...

Once you've wiped off the excess with a dry cloth - Get some oil (i use coconut oil) & massage it into the area, use plenty & massage it in well - so it forms a gloopy greasy mixture with the remaining sunscreen - the aim is to mix the screen & the oil together.

then put your shower gel on (BEFORE adding any water, all this needs to happen before adding water because part of the issue is that the water forms a barrier and just runs off it) so apply the showergel or whatever soap/soap substitute you're using, directly to the grease that now covers your skin - you need to put on enough to emulsify the oil/screen mixture into the soap, rub it in well until you get a soapy greasy milk... only THEN do you turn the water on & lather up & rinse as normal.

I find that fetches off the worst of it - to mix it with the grease and then break the grease down with the 'detergent'/soap etc.

i cant stand the feeling of sunscreen residue & i find this procedure does reduce it, doesnt take it away but it does reduce it

 

I stick to hats, long sleeved collared cotton shirts, and wrinkles.

I do wish i’d found one that worked for me tho.
Maybe i need to go full zinc oxide in shea butter…

 

I have to put sunscreen under the shirts.

I've had third degree burns from an afternoon on a British beach, and 40 unprotected minutes in spring sunshine is enough to cause painful sunburn. I think our ancestors must have lived underground in the sídhe, because honestly, ginger is completely impractical for survival anywhere else.

Thank you, I'll try that when I can.

Most often I'm coming back from a survey or a birdwatching trip, so I'm running on fumes. Just rubbing one lot of shower gel over my skin is a big ask! I can see the sense in the approach, though, and it'll be great for days March and April when it's too chilly not to wear a coat, but I still need sunscreen on my face and neck. I hate it when it gets on the pillowslip.

 

yes i can see see that - i only have it on my face & neck & thats hard enough & i have carer help! I dont birn easy except on face/throat & am never out for more than about 30mins anyway & never on the hottest days so i dont put the thick 'children's waterproof' stuff on the rest of my body, i just use standard factor 30 there.

Incidentally if you dont care about looking white the 'all natural' sunblocks tend to come off much easier, but they do make you look like a ghost! I sure you tried all the options, but just for anyone else reading thought i'd mention it

 

I can’t help but imagine your skin is rather lovely - you’ll have had to take such good care of it over a lifetime.

(My skin doesn’t burn as easily as it used to. I’m told it’s damage but it does make life a little easier too.)

I forgot to mention: i don’t go out in the midday sun. I simply don’t leave the shade if it’s moderate or more UV. The hat and shirt is for morning and evening, year round.

I’m thinking of investing in those shirts they make for skin cancer survivors (actually UV rated), i need it for my neck
…but i don’t like the idea of synthetics. I suppose if they’re well made and last a long time (so they’re not shedding microfibres) I guess it might work out better in the long run tho.

And they do make UV rated cotton somewhere i think… (something about a tight weave and dark colour). If it were loose enough for a draft on hot days it could be good.

 

Today's redheads really will be able to have lovely skin, because they'll have had access to effective sunscreen all their lives. The generation of creams that actually work didn't come along till I was in my 30s, so my face was affected by sun damage prior to that.

I suppose gingers get some compensation for all the bloody inconvenience in old age, though! I'm in my mid-60s and still have all my hair colour. People often assume it's dyed, but it isn't; I can't even remember to brush it, never mind faff about with hair dye.

They do, I have a couple of shirts. Natural fabric ones tend to be quite expensive and made by specialist companies, otherwise I'd buy more. Hemp is apparently good for UV resistance too.