FAIRBANKS -- Unwrapping and sorting through a bonanza of beauty products was the first task for five female cancer patients attending the American Cancer Society's "Look Good ... Feel Better" class.
As some of them struggled to open packaging materials from the numerous cosmetic items heaped before them, Diane Vivlamore stepped up to help.
"If anyone needs my strong, bionic fingers, I'm here to assist," the licensed cosmetologist joked.
The premise of the ACS class, hosted at the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Cancer Treatment Center, is that looking good can make a difference in how a person undergoing cancer treatment feels.
The truth of that became apparent as the five women -- four with breast cancer and one with lung cancer -- got into the groove of experimenting with makeup.
Each walked into class curious but apprehensive, and each left two hours later with face glowing, smile wide and a large red bag of free cosmetics tucked under her arm.
"I feel beautiful for the first time in a long time," said Martha Chase as she packed up her new makeup bag.
Salley Rothmeyer was pleased with the eye enhancement techniques she learned.
Billie Williams was happy to learn makeup variations and what types of skin creams were safe to use.
Looking good often takes extra effort for cancer patients. In addition to therapy side effects, many undergoing cancer treatment lose hair and experience dry skin.
Instruction included information on facial cleansers and creams; concealers and foundations to cover blemishes and dark skin areas; powders and blush; several ways to enhance eyes with liners, shadows and mascara; and lip liners and lipsticks.
A few of the women looked a bit overwhelmed at the wide assortment of beauty aids until Vivlamore began her spiel, demonstrating, coaching and assisting each of them in basic skin care and makeup application techniques.
Using painting terminology from time to time, like "We're going to prime the face before we paint," Vivlamore taught and joked as she made the rounds.
Halfway through the two-hour session, the women began talking and sharing tips with each other about wigs -- four of the five wore them -- and remedies for cuticles and nails that are affected by treatment and are quite often painful.
"I dip them in vinegar and they aren't so sore," Rothmeyer said.
By the end of the class, Vivlamore, the volunteer magician responsible for the women's transformations, was as elated as the ladies.
"They go from the cocoon to the butterfly," she said.
In the year she has been teaching the bimonthly class, Vivlamore said, the women usually approach the class "quietly and rigidly before they open up and blossom."
The owner of Total Image, a Fairbanks hair salon, she became interested in helping cancer patients after three of her clients were diagnosed and underwent treatment. She helped them, buzzing off the last of their hair and/or measuring them for wig sizing.
Eventually, she volunteered her professional expertise through the ACS program, was trained and has been doing programs for the past year.
Vivlamore emphasized cleanliness throughout Tuesday's class.
Don't share makeup; don't put fingers in makeup or creams -- use a spatula; wash makeup sponges and brushes after use; and keep makeup pencils sharp and clean by wiping with a tissue before use.
And most important, Vivlamore's mantra of "Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands" was backed by Hanna Brice Smith, a cancer research nurse and cancer navigator at FMH who assisted at the class.
"When actively in chemotherapy, it's best to use disposable applicators" to avoid the higher risk of infection, Smith explained.
The "Look Good ... Feel Better" class, a collaboration between the ACS, the Personal Care Products Council Foundation and the Cosmetology Association, was started nationally in 1989 and has been hosted in Fairbanks for the past year.
Smith said the class is held once every two months and more often if there is a demand.
"We are looking for a volunteer to demonstrate turbans and head coverings," she said.
For more information about "Look Good ... Feel Better," contact Smith at 907-458-6985.
By MARY BETH SMETZER
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner