By Chrissy Iley
In late November I had a fall. Not just any fall, a dramatic fall. Two broken ribs, twisted ankle and a head injury causing a giant black eye. This happened in West Hollywood. It was interesting to me that there was no point on putting on makeup and I survived that. At its prime this deep purple, yellow-green coloured bruise was uncoverable.
I am not sure whether people in California are used to looking at black eyes because so many people get eye jobs or other cosmetic sculpting, or whether beauty has done a full circle and bruising is no longer ugly. For a week I walked about admittedly in dark glasses and mostly in dark places but no one could give a fuck. Maybe Californians are so into themselves they did not even notice.
Things changed as soon as I got on the plane back. A week in the bruise was flecking yellow, red and purple, definitely not as vivid but I got used to it. People on the plane stared and no doubt wondered about its history. My first day back in London a man in Regent Street asked me if I was an epileptic and if that was how I got the black eye. It had gone down from its worst and I had got used to it – so I was surprised at his approach.
He was dressed in a track suit and was drumming his fingers on his thigh. What a mad man is this – I thought as I skittered into Liberties. I was buying a scarf and I saw two lines with only one till. I asked where the end of the queue was. A man in front asked if I was blind as well as ugly. I was shocked. A lady came from nowhere and took me to another till asking me if I was ok. Between her pity and his rudeness I was not ok but I bought the scarf and left.
And realized I must experiment further with my concealer. I have been given a concealer supplied by a doctor who does eye jobs, it was thick and yellowy and made me look like a ghost of a pantomime dame. I went through my entire range of concealers, which is considerable, the texture was either cakey or powdery and they did not so much cover but clash with the multi colours already on my face.
Then I remembered the Oxygenetix foundation (£45). I keep it for special occasions as it is the best and I treasure it. Its coverage is beautiful; it goes on super smooth but somehow breathes with your skin as it is an oxygenating foundation. It hydrates and soothes. It was designed by doctors as a breathable foundation that covers skin injuries, wounds, rashes, rosacea, and acne scars. It is instant and beautiful, it does not just give you camouflage it gives you confidence. I used it before as just something that just felt good on my skin. I knew the history of its development but when I revisited it at a time when I really needed it, it made me love it even more.
I don’t expect everybody who buys it to have a black eye, but people who had a laser or any kind of procedure or a long term skin problem should not be without this. It comes in a small cylinder and it is expensive but it is worth every penny. It is confidence in a bottle, it is the difference to being able to go outside unafraid and not.
It covers beautifully and weightlessly – it feels so comfortable on the skin. Of course now I can’t bear to go back to normal foundation because this one really is the best!