Cosmetic confidence

Instead of using her skills on actors, she would use them to build the confidence of people experiencing serious illness and other difficulties. After developing a disfiguring tumour while pregnant with her first child, she knew first-hand how self-esteem could get knocked when one no longer conformed to societal norms. So she decided to launch Forward Facing to equip people with the tools to face the world again.

By her own admission it was something of a stab in the dark; she knew very little about working in the charity sector and was concerned she would not be taken seriously with what she perceived to be her “fluffy” background as a make-up artist. “But I thought, if you want to make a change, you just need to get on with it.”

The charity now works with dozens of schools, hospitals and other institutions around Sussex, Kent and London, providing workshops and projects that use make-up and costume to bring enjoyment and a sense of self to people deprived of both through circumstances. Carstairs demonstrates camouflage make-up techniques to people who have suffered burns or other disfigurements; brings face-paints and dressing-up boxes to life-limited children in hospitals and helps women who have had cancer to feel attractive and confident once again.

Some may dismiss make-up as superficial but in a world that values physical appearance, Carstairs sees it as a handy tool to have at one’s disposal – whether or not one chooses to use it.

“In my camouflage workshops I’ll often be working with people having to reinvent themselves after an accident. They’ll never be the people they were again and that is an incredibly difficult thing to come to terms with. Make-up is only a small part of the process, of course, but by showing people techniques to hide their scars while emphasising the good, they can start to feel more confident again. If you’re having a bad day or a day when you don’t feel like getting up and fighting, it’s just another tool you can use to help.”

In Forward Facing’s Memory Days, ill children are given “a day off” from the institutionalised world they are forced to live in the majority of the time.

Alongside their families and friends, they are given professional hair and make-up treatment and invited to star in a pop video recorded for posterity. “It’s about distraction from their day-to-day routine, having some fun doing the sort of things all children like to do but which ill children are often denied because of the demands of treatment. A lot of our work is about helping people have fun again.”

At the heart of everything Forward Facing does is Carstairs’ belief that confidence is everything.

“I really think it’s the most important thing anyone can possess because, with confidence, you can get through whatever life throws at you. I don’t think make-up is the answer to every-thing – not at all – but I’m really proud that bit by bit we’re proving it’s far more important than just making people look better.”

The move from her previous career to her current one, in which she runs almost everything herself with the help of volunteers, has been a steep learning curve. But Carstairs has never had any doubts.

“At times it’s quite challenging but that’s what keeps me going. I feel privileged to be able to do this. I hear people’s innermost fears about how they feel about themselves and how they want to present themselves and you realise that people are people with the same aspirations and dreams, whatever they’ve been through. It’s humbling.”

She has a raft of new projects lined up for coming months, from working once a month in the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital to exploring ideas of beauty with ethnic minority communities.

“I’m always thinking about new ways to use my skills to benefit other people. Until I started Forward Facing I never thought of my brushes as anything other than brushes – now I see them as tools to make a difference.”

• To find out more, visit the website, www.forward facing.org.uk