Poignant photos reveal the importance of self-care and beauty rituals when someone is nearing the end of their life. The series of pictures, which was taken by photographer Alexandra Cameron, is called The Last Lipstick and reveals the final lipsticks worn by three women.
It was unveiled by Marie Curie and Superdrug after polling of UK adults who have been bereaved revealed the important role familiar self-care or beauty rituals can play at the end of life. Four in five people (80%) agree that beauty or self-care rituals can help someone facing a terminal illness maintain a sense of dignity and identity, while 76% believe they help people keep a sense of independence in their final moments.
Almost two in five (39%) have personally carried out a beauty ritual or act of self-care for a family member or friend nearing death, including styling their hair (27%), spraying perfume or aftershave (14%) or applying their makeup (12%).
Pavla Crowley holds her mum’s lipstick
Pavla Crowley’s mum Dagmar loved makeup so much that she kept a bag especially for her at her home, so that she didn’t need to bring her whole set on her visits.
The 43-year-old said: “After my mum died, I couldn’t bear to get rid of the makeup bag she used to leave at my home when she visited from the Czech Republic, including her favourite lipstick.
“As a Marie Curie healthcare assistant, I see every day how small comforts like lip balm or a touch of colour can help women feel more like themselves at the end of life. For my mum, lipstick was part of who she was, and I see that same importance in so many of the people I care for. Sometimes these little rituals help us hold on to who we are, right until the end.”
(Image: Marie Curie/ Alexandra Thompson)
