Glossy lids and graphic liner served as a commercial break from the 24-hour cancer news cycle of my life.
Instagram Beauty Trends Helped Me Escape the Reality of My Cancer Diagnosis
“Is that one of the matte colors?” A woman, choosing a polish from the wall of nail lacquers behind her, squinted at my nails as she approached me on a late July afternoon this past summer. I was sitting at a manicure station at a salon near my apartment, waiting for the nail technician to finish with another client. I’d barely opened my mouth before she came closer and suddenly stopped in her tracks. A quizzical, slightly disgusted look crept over her face.
I knew this look well: a split-second switch from curious to confused, usually accompanied by some involuntary sound before the person sputters out, “Oh. Sorry. I just…never mind.” The interaction immediately brought me back to a similar moment months earlier, when I first picked up my mani-pedi habit again and a nail technician asked why my nails looked “like that.” You see, that matte black was au naturel. As the woman scuttled away, I joked to myself, “Maybe she’s born with it, or maybe it’s cancer.”
This October marks my first cancerversary. It’s been exactly one year since I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer right before my 32nd birthday. I felt a quickly growing lump in my breast during the summer of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, when doctor appointments were hard to come by. It took months before my official diagnosis, though it was clear my medical team already knew what it was.
You quickly become an expert in doctorspeak when you’re waiting in cancer limbo. “It looks concerning” translates to “You’re fucked.” By the time of my diagnosis, the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. My treatment plan included two surgeries, two intensive rounds of chemo, monthly injections to alternating butt cheeks, and radiation. Each step offered its own unique strain of misery.
Chemotherapy brought on myriad side effects, including splotchy and scaly skin, hot flashes, and drastic weight fluctuations. It also discolored my tongue and my fingernails, which turned shades of inky black and purple before peeling away from the nail bed and cracking or breaking off. This side effect is called nail lifting, and it’s as chic as it sounds. I got vaccinated in March, which coincided with my first round of chemo. I decided this was cause for celebration and immediately booked my first mani-pedi of the pandemic with all the extras: hot stones, a massage, keratin gloves. When the nail tech finished and asked if I liked how the color turned out, I inspected my nails—beautifully painted in a warm brown hue from Essie called Playing Koi—and burst into tears.
For NYC transplants, one of the proof points for becoming a real New Yorker is having a public breakdown. This wasn’t my first rodeo. In my 14 years here, a couple of shameless and uncontrollable crying fits come to mind. I laid any remaining doubt to rest that day. “Don’t worry! I’m fine, I’m fine! They look sooo nice!” I said, while sucking in air between sobs, creating a special brand of awkward for everyone in my vicinity.
Up until that moment, catching a glimpse of my nails—opening a door, sending a text message, washing my hands—was a constant reminder of my cancer. Seeing them painted and exceedingly normal overwhelmed me. Most importantly, it sparked a ritual. I committed to treating myself to manicures every few weeks, embracing it as a creative outlet and trying out trends like inverse French tips, abstract designs, and mix-and-match colors. Anything to take my mind off my reality. My nails were too brittle to handle acrylics or even UV gel lights, but getting them done became a simple act of self-care that lifted my spirits and let me feel the tiniest bit like myself.
From then on, beauty and wellness routines became my life raft. Oftentimes I felt too sick to get out of bed, but I started scheduling time each week to try the products my sweet friends would send me in cancer care packages. The boxes were piled up around my room for months, and opening them seemed like a Herculean effort, but I finally felt energized to unpack them.
My friends sent me The Good Stuff. I leveled up my nighttime routine with eucalyptus shower vapors, palo santo smudging sticks, and crystals and oils enhanced with calendula. I soothed my cracked elbows with Layo’s Lavender Body Butter and soaked in CBD bath salts while listening to meditation apps. I became a disciple of Golde’s Supergreens Face Mask, which worked wonders for my chemo-induced hyperpigmentation and smoothed the texture of my irritated, hormonal skin.
Nneka Joi tracks her face mask progress. (L-R): February 23, April 18, June 26
My makeup routine also became sacred. B.C. (Before Cancer), I always enjoyed makeup but stuck to my old faithfuls (when Nars discontinued my favorite highlighter stick years ago, I stocked up on all the ones I could find on eBay). A.D. (After Diagnosis), makeup became a welcome distraction that sparked some much-needed joy in my life.
I started a folder on Instagram titled #MakeupInspo where I saved posts from bold, theatrical creators like Isabelle Ikpeme, Kali Ledger, Rowi Singh, and Mi-Anne Chan. On days I felt well enough, I would get up and recreate their looks. Compared to my B.C. self, I became an expert in eye makeup—well, eye shadow and eyeliner. Turns out, filling in one’s eyebrows calls for actually having eyebrows, and mine had fallen out. Black-owned beauty products like Ace Beaute’s eye shadow palettes and Fenty Beauty’s Flypencil became my morning coffee. Glossy lids and graphic liner served as a commercial break from the 24-hour cancer news cycle of my life.
Cancer feels like perpetual limbo. You’re constantly dealing with the unknown and waiting for results—of tests, scans, biopsies, surgeries, pathology reports—as you inch along in medical purgatory. Carving out space for beauty practices gave me the stability I didn’t realize I needed. Experimenting with beauty and wellness trends offered escapism, which in turn was its own form of self-care. I’ve kept these habits going. Through my cancer diagnosis, makeup became more than just makeup. Along with therapy and my support group, it saved my mental health.
Nneka Joi is a consultant, former journalist, and Real Housewives aficionado. Follow her on Instagram @nnekajoi and Twitter @nnekasrealitea.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Condé Nast
