Episode 28: Claire Sisk - I'm Blind and I Love Beauty Products

0:07 Hello, beautiful humans. Welcome to another episode of Role Models juicy conversations with beautiful humans. I'm Jennifer Norman founder of the human Beauty movement and your host, this podcast thrives on your support. So if you like what you hear head on over to Apple podcast to rate and review us, and thank us by leaving a donation on our anchor dot f m-- page. Today we're going to shatter Sure, some beauty myths, like the myth that people living with visual impairment wouldn't or shouldn't have an interest in beauty products. My guest today is Claire Sisk, Claire is registered lines yet. She is helping to educate the world on her disability, as well as her passion for beauty.

0:47 Her advocacy has garnered, her 200,000 followers on Tick, Tock where she goes by the handle 10c. Can't see. Welcome Claire. Thank you for having me. I'm delighted Have you? So let's hear all about yourself. When did you find your love for makeup and skincare? I was quite young actually because I have older sisters. So I think I was about 13 or 14 and I would steal their makeup, obviously, not the correct shape for me. And I often went to school with very orange face. Lots and lots of powder. That's kind of where I found my love for it and just wanted to experiment with colors as I was going to school and seeing other people wearing eyeliner I need to be trying that. So it did start really early.

1:34 It's always so fun thing. When you're starting out an experiment, I'm going to just making a mess out of your face, but he loved it. Anyway. Yeah, better as you go along, definitely, definitely. Now in 2017, you were registered as blind after two strokes damaged or eyesight leaving you to have to learn new ways to do everyday tasks. How did you adapt in terms of your beauty routines? So, I had my Strokes in 2009, so that period between sort of 2009 to 2017. I had Progressive sight loss and I was told that I was almost guaranteed that I would go fully blind.

2:15 I'd always wore makeup and it had always been a huge part of my life. Like my I used to do my friends makeup. I used to do peoples wedding makeup, not that I was qualified. They just love the way I did it and I didn't want to lose that. Part of me whilst losing my eyesight. So, I took the time to learn what products feel like on my fingers on the applicators, I was using what did it feel like, when I placed it on my skin, it was all lots of trial and error, and I would do it with my eyes closed, and then open them look in the mirror think. Oh, that's not quite right. Let's try again. And I basically just perfected the look that I knew suited me so that if I did I fully blind.

3:00 I know I could do it without a mirror and that is how I do my makeup today. Now I saw a video of you on Tick Tock explaining how you can see, can't see, which is why your handle is 10 so you can't see. Can you describe that to our listeners so I have no call central vision. My vision is peripheral only but that is really fragmented. I can't see any finer details when if I was to do my makeup in a mirror for example, I I can't see where my nose is. I can't see my mouth, I could see my eyebrows because they're quite dark and so if I got really, really close and stared in the right spot, I could work out where my eyebrows are but I don't often do that. I'll just do it by touch and by the sound of those coarse hairs on our eyebrows, right?

3:48 Because I think a misconception is that if you are blind you can't see at all. Like everything is either dark or black or white or you just literally can't see a thing. But in your case, The way that it was demonstrated on your video, it was almost like there was like a large ink blotter splotched out right in, like most of your vision area, and then, as you said on the periphery, you could see a little tiny bit, but it's fuzzy, right? It's not. Yeah, it's very distorted. Yeah, a lot of people think that blindness means you see absolutely nothing at all. It's a really high percent, like, 97% of people who are registered blind, have some sort of vision and that might be See colors light and dark deception shadows. And for me, I can see like an overall that if I was looking at a tree in a field on a bright day, I work out that that's a tree.

4:42 I just think it isn't necessarily where it is because I don't have that depth perception. And sometimes I'm a bit vague with what colors things are because of how blurred that bit of vision I have is. But I use that little bit of vision that I've got to help me navigate the world. It's not the best, but I will take it. For now. Uh yeah yeah. So also in your videos you show how you use NFC tags to help you become familiar with beauty products that you buy stores and at the beginning of your journey, like, how did you feel about beauty Industries accessibility for visually impaired individuals. So when I started losing my sight, the technology we have today wasn't around iPhones had come out, but they weren't as advanced as they are now. Or they could have been but I wasn't aware of that kind of technology.

5:33 I Rely heavily on an app that reads things former and that certainly wasn't a thing back then. So for me, the beauty industry was extremely inaccessible. It was a case that I like in makeup from a very young age. So I knew what colors suited me. I've got green eyes and we all know purple's make your green eyes pop. So I would stick to those and your nudie and beige you times but to physically go Into a store and be able. I like an eyeshadow palette was becoming increasingly difficult because I could not work out what those colors were. And we all know on the back, their names are like, you know, rose petal. But it might not be pink. It could be blue, or it could be called, like, I don't even know of a name, like something like gum metal in your like what color is that is that a gray? Is that black?

6:22 Is it a blue? He could be glitter, it could be math. Those descriptions on the back of so they that you've got no idea. Idea what the colors are that you're looking at. And it's constantly having to ask for help. But another thing that I experienced is depending on what store you go into will depend on kind of the way that they service you. Like, if you go into a really busy makeup store in central London, they don't have the time to sit and talk you through what every single color in that palette or what way is best to use it. So you kind of buy-in blind because you just hoping for the best. For a long time, I found it really inaccessible and it almost made the experience upsetting for me because I couldn't see these colors and, but I found a few products and a few makeup counters where the staff were absolutely incredible and would spend their time talking to me. And I know a lot of these people are on commission, you know, they think.

7:21 Oh, she's only going to buy one thing but actually, by you investing your time in me I'm now going to buy more of your products because I'm I'm truly grateful for bit the time that you were giving me to help me main to be me and keep my passion for makeup. Yeah, yeah. Wonderful was so amazing. And it's true. I think that the ones that can go out of their way, the offers support and recognize that you can't see a color or if you want a description that they'll really get with you and take the time that you would like in order to be able to make a purchasing decision and then yeah, you've got a customer for life after that. I think that's actually exactly. How about online is it any easier online or the descriptions? Any better or not?

8:05 So much still have work to do. I can baby. But as long as that website is accessible, I use a screen reader because I can't read. So, a lot of the time, the websites are not compatible with that screen reader or kind of half compatible. So, you know, you might find that it's this brand product and it will say, like, nude Shades ain't nude Shades that you like what more variable, or they, you know, it Like real dark brown to like cream or we talking black to, you know, white is which is it and it's really difficult. I mean as my sight loss was progressed in, I could use bit of Romanian sight to see some of those colors but online it's colors aren't necessarily what they are.

8:46 When we see them in the flesh, they can look a bit different so I do still prefer to shop in a shop where I can look at it myself and try it on. I find myself that is something that is important. Well, we do love to celebrate Those that are going the extra mile. So are there any brands that online or in stores that you've gone to that? You've been like, you know, these people are really killing it. They're doing a great job and everything. Definitely benefit my car, they wanted my favorite. I've got a local store that has a counter and she's phenomenal. But what I love about benefit is, I've always loved their blushes, I'm a most of us only whoo laughs. It's a staple is nearly every single blush, has its own unique sense and I until what blush is just by smelling it.

9:32 I don't have to get my screen major out. I don't need to put a tag on it to know. I can just let it go. Oh yeah. That's Coral is style. That's my dandelion and I absolutely love that and them scorers as well. The lids are all a different texture so straight away. I know if I put bad girl one, it's just absolutely love it. When it's an accidental design but it's an accessible accidental design, and Charlotte Tilbury their packaging is, you know, it's Very sleek and gorgeous but again it's so different that you like. Yep. That's my face powder. That's my blush because although, they're the same shape. They've got different textures. Mmm. Yeah. So, anything that is multi-sensory for those brands that are watching this, if it's smell or if it's tactile, I did see another video from a different person who is saying that because of the embossing on pallets, sometimes she is able to tell what pallets, what?

10:26 Because of the texture of the pallets. Yeah, very good with that when they bring out like this special edition things and, you know, I've got a few eyeshadows that on the lids. They've got raised lines on them. And, I mean, they were another great brand. I actually was randomly just went into Mac, and when I was on holiday in Las Vegas, and I was on a hen night and I was just like, please, can someone just help me look really good for my friends head night. Like they, they didn't understand I was like, oh, I just couldn't do my makeup, this particular day. This guy spent over an hour on He was fabulous. I bought every single product because I was just like, wow, you made me look like a movie star.

11:06 I spent over $500. Yeah, I didn't care because it was the experience. Like you've made me feel incredible. I'm going to buy all these products. That is so wonderful. I love that so much now on Instagram and Tic Tac you have videos of your favorite tips or hacks for doing makeup. When you're visually impaired. What is like the one Tip that you'd give to individuals struggling to do their makeup or skincare regime due to their eyesight. I think skincare is easy. You know, you're not generally with skincare. It's a practice than that. So you're not kind of facing the world with dodgy looking eyes or anything. I think makeups probably more the risky area. My biggest tip is I use surgical tape, we called it micropore tape over hair and I place that go in upwards from the corner of my eye to my eyebrows that when I'm doing my eyeshadow and It's where it needs to be.

12:02 And then if I don't want that harsh, look when I peel it off. I just fluff it out a little bit so it's not really intense. But I've noticed that a lot of the makeup influences. Now are going for that harsh. Look. And I'm like, I think I might have invented that. Yeah, that's very clever. And it's funny because when I had learned to do my make up and for years I would always do my Foundation powder, blush can sit like that like the face part first and then all of a sudden I started noticing in Influencers doing their eyes, like the full eyes first. And I was like, how in the world and why I just didn't understand it. And it's because of the Fallout of these Shadow and they didn't want to mess up all of the base that they had just done. And I was like, that's very clever. Now I'm going to do this be back. Okay.

12:45 From now on, so it's not fine. I find the tutorials that you see online, although I can't visually see it way. They talk through it. I'm able to understand it and I'm able to think I'm going to give that a go because they are literally talking you Of us are doing it. So again they've accidentally made it accessible by doing that. Obviously I can't see the final Outlook. I'm not going. I'm going to give it a go. Are there any other specific tips? Or if you know different things the scoop on your own Beauty care. Skin care routine. Like what steps do you typically follow? Always had a very very basic skin care routine and my daughter will kill me for saying this but we are constantly told we are sisters and for her 21st birthday. I was the one who got Got id'd, not her. I think I'm obviously doing something right with my skincare.

13:35 So I literally just use face cleanser every night and every morning and then just a very simple moisturizing. Well I say simple it's not is I use hyaluronic acid, I use a rose water, I've got quite dry skin so I need that extra moisture and then I use I make sure I have a very good eye cream because I am getting older. And just a moisturizer that suits my skin. And it's hard because you try so many. And there is some really expensive ones that don't work. And the cheap ones might work, but I try them for, at least, a few months to see how my skin adapt. And then I find winter and summer is very different as well. I feel like I've kind of nailed it with my products now, and I kind of stick to those products because I know that they work, best in my skin, and my makeup sits really well on top of them. Nice nice, they use.

14:29 Said that you have dry skin and one of the ways that I tell that my skin is dry, as I will see the flakes or I'll see scale. Enos, is it more tactile for you? Like you feel tightness that you know that your skin needs more moisture or there any other cues that you look for? So yeah, because I'm always touching everything my face. I just think, oh yeah, that's get it doesn't feel with soft and supple, was it? Sure did and I'm not, okay, we need to either rehydrate ourselves from the inside out or if that's not going to work, The outside in and sometimes a combination of both like see the last few days have been extremely hot here. So I'm probably more dehydrated and I can not only tell you on my Facebook likes going to my arms and my legs so I think. Yep I need more hydration.

15:14 So I just slap on a bit more and there is a beauty influence the who I follow. He said you know just slap it on and let it soak in and I thought I'm going to do that. That is what I'm going to do. Yeah for me it's the eye area. I have to just like pack it on. I pack on that. And I cream like no other and then Lips, My Lips are constantly dry and the queue. Like I'm not drinking enough water. I know I have to drink water and so it's always that fine. That my lips are constantly chapped and I live in Los Angeles. So that's part of it too, is pretty dry here. How about your makeup step? So there's specific ones aside from the micropore tape and doing your eyes, like walk us through what you typically do on an average day. So, most days I do do a full face of makeup because I've always done that. Die.

16:00 I won't. You know I'm just having a sofa day or cleaning. Then I won't bother but because I'm filming content every day. I want to look nice because I kind of have this thing in my head that although I can't see what I look like. I want others to see that I can look nice to break these misconceptions because I get an awful lot of comments saying, why do you bother wearing makeup when you can't see what you look like and it's a bit like it's not about what I look like, it's how I feel. So my routine would be. I always use a Reimer. If I'm going out or use a highlighting primer, if I'm staying in, it's more of like a reducing pore primer. I do do my eyes first. I have learned that I've got, I've got quite a hooded eyes. So for me, I do get a lot of fall out so I will Prime them and then set that with my powder and then I'll do my eyeliner. Eyeliner is probably the one thing that frustrates me the most, I'll either get it spot on or completely screw it. It will never be an in-between, it's one or the other, and at least, then if I do screw it up, I can just take it all off and start again.

17:06 And I've got no base to have to redo. And with my eyeliner, I've learned to pretty much just stab myself in the eye and hope for the best, it's difficult to do. I can't, I haven't mastered the liquid eyeliners. They're too wet and because I have to use my fingers a lot. I just end up looking like Panda. So a good like Kohl pencil because it almost feels rubbery when you're putting it on. Your eyelids so I can feel exactly where it is and then I will do my eyeshadows. Whatever colors I'm going with that day. I like to match it with my outfits and I used my surgical tape up here and then I do my base which is I'll just use a foundation and I don't put it under my eyes.

17:49 I've been told by many influences, never if you're of a certain age, less is more. So I've been going with that and then I will do the concealer but a very small The mound. I do have quite dark circles and then set, all that. And then if I'm feeling really, oh, I want to be super Glam. I do the whole contour and the shine as well. I can't think what that stuff is called now and pay later. I do the whole contour and highlighter and I don't use a lot of powder, because a lot of the Contour. I'm setting that with my dark hula and then they have like a liquid blush because I like to feel where I've put that, although I can feel the powders like up here.

18:29 Or on the cheekbones. I like to know they're there. And then I smell my blushes and go in with my blushes and just go full on. That's pretty much it. And then I leave my eyebrows to very last because I feel they're kind of like the frame to your face. And I do that just by hearing because you can, I use one of those spoonies and you're like, yeah, I hear where they are. And as I'm doing it, I'm remembering where I'm feeling that my face and then I use my fingers as a guide when I'm pencil on but eye Brow gels are just so Easy. They are a blind person's dream. You can hear where they are. That is the first time I've ever heard that. That is magnificent can hear my eyebrows Tom?

19:11 You're like yeah, bye-bye y'all they're so cool. So if you next time you do your eyebrows try and close your eyes and I will say all my gosh that is so cool I absolutely love that. Now, do you think that there are any other misconceptions about loving Beauty and makeup? While being visually impaired that you would want to address. I think I've got the time people just thought, why do you care what you look like? When you cannot see, that seems to be the overall thing and a lot of people also, say, you don't need to wear makeup and it's like, well no one needs to wear makeup, but we wear it because we want to, and because it makes us feel good. Like, the amount of people that are like, or it just makes me feel glamorous when I've put it on, or I feel more human or, you know, I'm so tired.

19:55 I need a bit of mascara, just to make my eyes look awake. It's those little things that you I don't understand why people have to have an opinion on it. It's like just net individuals. Be their individuals. If they want to wear green and orange eyeshadow, let them. What is not causing you any buffer, let them, if they want to express themselves through their makeup, let them. And I find, that's what I do now with mine. That's how I kind of express myself. And I just want to feel how I feel not as blind, me. And if I stop wearing makeup, I've kind of felt like. Well, that's because I'm blind and I can't be bothered or I don't want you or I can't buy things. That's not who I am. So that is why I want to continue to wear it. I think that is such a beautiful statement and I truly believe that it's not about that other person, you know that other person's opinion is more of a reflection on that other person and what they think about themselves. But for you, you doing you and what makes you feel good because you are leaning into your joy and your expressing yourself and you are, you know, creating art out of what we've been given, you know.

21:00 You know, fashion hair makeup. All this is for fun. It's for pleasure. It's for us to just, you know, feel like we want to wear a smile all day and it's putting on makeup. Does that for you amazing. I am so happy for you and you know, I would love to help other people realize that, you know, rather than putting yourself and your own story out onto somebody else and saying, oh you're pretty enough as it is. You don't need that. Or why do you bother? It's such a waste of time. But, you know, I'm going to do me. You, do you? Yeah, it's very much like that but also as well for me I find that it's part of my routine. So for a long time, I suffered with depression and anxiety whilst I was going through this journey and you know, there were days, I wouldn't even shower because I just didn't want to exist anymore but I had to because I had this small child who relied on me and I just kind of set myself like little routine. I've every morning I would get up. I will make My bed, I will shower brush my teeth wash my hair and I will put on a bit of makeup because that has set me up for my day.

22:07 And then if that's all I do at least I've achieved something and then if I can, I will build on that and do a little bit more. That is brilliant to because there are so many people right now suffering from depression that are feeling alone and feeling like, what is it worth? What do I, you know, and just to get themselves out of bed because of a situation that they're grieving being in right now, any little forward momentum helps any little moments of positivity. And energy is going to get you to that next step, and it may take days months years, it may. But eventually you'll see the sunlight and you'll be able to smile again and a lot of that is because you've committed to bettering yourself. We're always in this place where we're human things are going to happen and it's okay to feel crummy, it's okay to feel bad. And as long as you recognize that there is something more for you.

23:04 You just may not be able to see it in the funk that you're in right now. But truly, you know, the support is there, you've got it. It's all within you. And so just putting one foot of the in front of the other every single day is Magic. Really, really helpful? Absolutely absolutely. Now, speaking of momentum, you won the best social media impact of the Year category in this year's are and Hi be Awards. How does it feel to know that you're changing? Negative stigmas surrounding capabilities of the visually impaired? Get really emotional. When I talk about this because I was just to be nominated, I was just thought, wow, what an honor but to actually win it, when there are so many blind content creators out there doing the same thing, that was just absolutely phenomenal. And the reason I did start doing this was to change people's misconceptions about sight loss.

23:56 I got accused of Faking being blind because I was able Booties a mobile phone and it's become so apparent that people aren't aware. Blindness is spectrum. They think blind means you've seen nothing and it's like, well, actually, you know, even if we can't see anything, we're still able to use a phone because technology is accessible most people voice note. Now or dictate, they don't use their finger to take that. Wow. Are you texting? It's like well probably the same way you are. It's just my phone is telling me what button I press, it is saying, dictation, rather than me going all there's the dictation parts. Soon. And so to win that, I just felt completely honored and it's amazing the following that I have built because the a lot of these people are not blind or visually impaired, but they want to learn because they want to know how they can help others. And I've had stories from Friends of Friends of Friends. Willow because I watched your video, I was able to help this person.

24:51 So it goes beyond the social media. And I get so many messages every week. People thanking me and I'm just like, well, I haven't He done anything and they're like, you're given me hope for my child, my husband, my mum. My dad, just by showing that there is life, off-site levels and I get really emotional because all I want to do is help people. I never had the support. When I was going through Cycles, I had the support of my friends and family, they were incredible but to actually speak to somebody who has gone through the Journey that you're going through means more than anything because you just want to know. It's going to be okay. And I had no one to tell me that and I thought that's what I want to do. I want Want people to know it's sucks. Don't get me wrong.

25:32 It completely sucks that you can't see but you can still live a fulfilled and happy life. Yeah, yeah. And what a role model you are not only to everybody else, but most importantly, you've got an amazing family. You've got a loving husband, you've got three kids. Is that right? Yeah. And how is their visual situation are they fully sighted? Or is there visual impairments? Go three children. So if the my stepchildren and then one is my biological. Daughter. So she has just started having her eyes checked out and we touch won't, but she's going to be okay, she does wake. Last is the problem with my diseases are they don't know what they are. They've never seen them before. So they don't really know what they're looking at.

26:14 And we have undergone genetic testing and they weren't able to find any road jeans. So they will just keep an eye on her and and we touch with that she is going to be okay, but if she's not then you know, like I say it will suck but we know that she She will be all right, because everyday technology is changing everyday. Medical science is changing its, you never give up hope. And that's kind of thing that I look at is like one day. They could be able to restore my sight. But by the time that happens, I might be all right with. I might said, you know what? No, I'm good. Being blind is fine. This is my life now and this is who I am so I'm all right. I might say yes. But until that day comes, you don't know. That's exactly true.

26:54 Well, thank you so much for all of the inspiration that you are shining throughout this. I'm so happy that we're also going to be able to share it on Role Models. Our podcast here, and I will be continuing to follow your journey. Claire, thank you so much for. Well, thank you so much for having me. It's been lovely to speak with you.