This Is How You Do Your Make-Up When You're Blind

19 year old Lucy Edwards from the UK became partially sighted due to a rare disorder. It’s in the female line of my genetics, but my mum and grandma don’t have it. To cut a long story short, I’ve been going to the eye hospital since I was 11.”

Edwards lost sight in her right eye when she was 11, then in her left eye when she was 17, “right in the middle of my A-levels, so I’ve had to retake the year. I wanted to stay positive, which is why I’m on YouTube, really.”

The process wasn’t straightforward, Edwards said. It took about a year for her to be comfortable doing her make-up by herself.

“At points I’ve been like, ‘I don’t want to do this any more,’ because it’s been so frustrating,” she said. “Like when I’ve done my eyeliner, and Alice [above left, with Edwards] has said, ‘It’s heavier than you would have liked when you were sighted.’ And I’m like, ‘How do you know!’

“But I have to calm down, and trust people. That’s a factor when you go blind – you have to put your trust in people a lot more with the way you look.

“I have my basic routine that I do now when I’m at college. If I feel like I’m having a more spotty day then I add concealer. If I want to contour I could do that. My sister has taught me to go over my contouring with a powder on the top. I’ve got steps in place that make sure that I’ve done it right. And I do go very slowly! Because I don’t have a mirror!”