12-Year-Old Terminally Ill Cancer Patient Gives YouTube Makeup Tutorials

Talia Castellano is a very strong person. She's probably stronger than most. She is twelve years old and for five long years she's been battling neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. She has repeatedly endured a long list of harsh treatments including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and blood transfusions. Relapse after relapse has brought her on a roller coaster ride that is a continuous test of will and strength. And throughout the process, Talia has chosen to do something very interesting. She's made her struggle public.

Very public. She shares her life online with over one hundred thousand subscribers via her YouTube channel taliajoy18. Talia's channel is as much an inspiration as it is a creative outlet. She uses the channel as a way to give online makeup tutorials. Even at twelve, her skills are finely honed. Her face glows with both makeup and joy as she gives a gift to those seeking advice and hope. She chooses to wear no wig while she records video, allowing the full gravity of her situation to sink in. The point? Her bare head is nowhere near as noticeable as her beautiful face. Viewers understand immediately what the problem is, but Talia is able to keep eyes on her for so many other reasons. A born show woman, her personality, grace and talent shine through in each one of her tutorials. Her videos cover everything from Grammy artist inspired makeup tutorials to showing off makeup hauls from stores like Stilla and Sula.

Talia is quite candid in her videos. If she's not feeling well, she's not afraid to say so. Dealing with her cancer upfront and head on seems to be the approach she's most comfortable with. On August 7th, Talia posted a vlog informing her subscribers and the world that after a battery of tests, she had been diagnosed with pre-leukemia, which simply put is a precursor to the real thing. This leaves her to battle not just one but two kinds of aggressive cancer and though there is treatment for each kind, there is no treatment that works to fight both at the same time. Throughout the video, Talia inadvertently shows her fear, stopping short in one sentence before being forced to use the word "die", while also showing a level of weary acceptance that comes with having traveled down the same long road many times before only to arrive back at the beginning each time. She discloses that she's probably going to opt out of the bone marrow transplant that the doctors tell her could be the one thing that can save her. She assures her viewers that she's weighing her options carefully but lets it be known that she's close to being tired of dealing with the "crap". It is a brutally honest statement that is meant to prepare the viewer, in the nicest of ways for the possible end. In the end, Talia signs off leaving the watcher with the impression that she will be back very soon with more makeup videos and that the vlog was just an update. Her love for her YouTube channel is ever clear and she will no doubt carry on with producing her makeup videos for watchers around the world for as long as possible.

If you're inspired to step up your makeup game, but aren't sure where to find the great supplies and makeup lines that Talia uses, start with a pharmacy or the makeup department at the closest department store. Shopping online is also a great place to find what you're looking for, often all in once place. You can watch how-to videos, find tips and tricks and download makeup coupons from Sephora and more at Sephora.com.

(Guest Post by Carol)

Comments

Kapalabhati Pranayam for wrinkle-free, radiant complexion

Did you know that Kapalabhati Pranayam / kriya can also be used to enhance your beauty and ward off skin aging? Done the right way, Kapalabhati Pranayam can be used as a beauty aid - it can give you a wrinkle-free, luminous forehead and radiant complexion. Kapalabhati For Beauty ‘Kapalabhati’ Pranayam breathing exercise is an excellent way of maintaining good health and fighting diseases. ‘Kapala’ means ‘skull’ (and ‘forehead’ also) and ‘bhati’ means ‘shining’. By doing kapalabhati, the ‘nadis’(nerves) of the brain get good exercise. This is achieved by exercising the diaphragm. There will be a glow on the forehead. After the age of 25, the tell-tale signs of ageing start making their appearance in the form of fine lines on the forehead. A regular practice of Kapalabhati for 10-15 minutes everyday will give you a tight forehead sans wrinkles for many years to come. Avoid Botox, try Kapalabhati Why resort to Botox and other expensive chemical or surgica...

Teeth whitening remedies

Teeth could be naturally dark or could be discolored by repeated exposure to beverages like tea, coffee or red wine, smoking and also medications apart from decay and trauma to the tooth. If you want your captivating smile to be adorned by a row of glistening pearly white teeth, then try these treatments and remedies: ‘In chair’ bleaching at the dentist for teeth whitening Though there are several options available for teeth whitening, bleaching at a cosmetic dentistry clinic can significantly lighten your teeth within an hour. A large percentage of the people who have undergone bleaching have experienced a positive change in the color of their teeth. Read about it at About Cosmetic dentisty . ‘At home’ teeth whitening bleaching kit The ‘at home’ teeth whitening technique is also a popular bleaching procedure to whiten your teeth. You can obtain the bleaching kit from your dentist or make an over-the counter purchase. Use it conveniently at night and the gel should work while you sleep...

11 things you can do with olive oil

Besides lemon , milk , sugar , aloe , turmeric , sandalwood and honey , olive oil is another household item that has multifarious uses as a beauty aid. It is a mild, non-irritant, antibacterial oil that is rich in antioxidants; hence is ideal for the skin. Here are a few things that you could do with olive oil .

Home remedies for sore throat

Sore throat is a common malady that each one of us faces sometime or the other in our lifetime. That scratchy, dry and abrasively painful feeling at the back of the throat that you experience is so very discomforting! There are many ways to relieve that scratchy and painful, infected throat. Sore throat home remedies are many and varied and range from the folk ones to the medically tested and proven ones. With this common recurring condition many sufferers have their own favourite sore throat treatments that seem to work for them. Sore throat is one of the ailments which responds very well to home based remedies, so there is no reason why one should hesitate to try out these invaluable tips which have been handed over to us by generations of yore. After all these remedies have negligible side-effects and so there is no harm in trying them. And you can always rush to a doctor if they don’t work for you.

Pore shrinking mask recipes from home

A face with large open pores when seen from close quarters doesn’t look so good. While it’s quite common for oily skins to have a tendency towards open pores, an attack of pimples also leaves ugly scars and open pores behind. Even though the scars may fade away after some time, open pores appear to be more obstinate and hardly show any signs of shrinking. Age also takes its toll by giving an uneven/pigmented tone to the skin and making the open pores more prominent. Heredity could also be a contributing factor in determining your pore size. It’s not easy to get rid of these pores or shrink them completely or permanently using serums, lotions or face packs. Even resorting to drastic chemical/surgical procedures at the dermatologist’s isn’t quite capable of giving satisfactory results. Nevertheless, you can try and minimize their appearance at least temporarily with clever makeup and a few natural skin care masks such as these: * Cleanse your face with a mild ...