Jul. 23--TRAVERSE CITY -- Donna Daciuk got a makeover, three days before her scheduled mastectomy.

Daciuk, 69, of Traverse City, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May. On a sunny Tuesday morning, cosmetologist Judy Blandin brushed blush on Daciuk's tanned cheeks, tried different shades of lipstick on Daciuk's mouth and demonstrated glamorous ways to tie a scarf around Daciuk's full head of hair.

Daciuk doesn't know if she'll wear a scarf -- she doesn't even know if she'll have chemotherapy, much less lose any hair -- but the self-confessed non-makeup-wearer walked away with a new look and a bag of goodies worth more than $400.

"Look Good ... Feel Better" is a 25-year-old American Cancer Society program that Blandin launched in Traverse City this month. Blandin, 54, is a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in December 2006. She also runs a wig service for chemotherapy patients.

"Look Good .... Feel Better" is free to anyone going through treatment or who has been diagnosed, Blandin said, and the goal is to offer a much-needed break "so women can walk away feeling refreshed and renewed."

"It helps us feel so much better," Blandin said. "You want to look better than you feel. Even if you have the flu, you brush your teeth and go back to bed and you feel better."

Gatherings are held the second Tuesday of every month; the next session is scheduled for Aug. 11, 10:15-11:30 a.m. Class size is limited; to register, call Blandin at 357-0379.

There are currently three cosmetologists trained for the program, including Alisa Curtis, who works at the Shear Class Salon in Elberta and who was inspired to take part because of a friend who died from leukemia and family members who have had cancer.

Much of the advice Blandin offered to Daciuk was rooted in Blandin's own experiences as a cancer patient.

"If you have chemo and they tell you your hair is going to fall out, it'll probably be three days after the second treatment," Blandin told Daciuk while blending foundation on her forehead. "I shaved my head right then. Get it over with so you don't have to have it on your pillow, in your food. That's really scary.

"Then start wearing your wig or scarf," Blandin said. "You'll get spoiled by the wig. You just put it on and go -- no washing or styling."

Much of the advice also centered on makeup tips, some so broad they could be used by anyone, but most specifically related to cancer patients.

"Always, always use a sunscreen if you're going through chemo," Blandin said, "but you might not want to use mascara. My eyes watered a lot on chemo or you may lose your eyelashes. Here, I'll show you a trick that will make it look like you have eyelashes," she said, then proceeded to use eyeliner, smudging it just so, on Daciuk's top and bottom eyelids.

A feathering technique with a different pencil made eyebrows appear.

"Chemo sometimes gives you white spots," Blandin said, while showing Daciuk the different kinds of foundation provided in the makeup kit. Companies including Avon, Mary Kay, Bobbi Brown, Aveda, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Almay and Nivea donate cosmetics to the program. Each kit is different and they're packaged for varying skin tones.

The kits include moisturizer, foundation, lipstick, blush, eyeliner, pencils, brushes, pads and samples of other creams and cosmetics. All the items are fragrance-free, Blandin said, because smells often bother cancer patients, and a full list of ingredients is provided, in case of allergies.

Daciuk said she looked like she was "going to an important function" when she was done, but said she usually would go for a "more basic" look.

Her husband, also a cancer patient -- which prompted discussion about whether men would ever take part in a class, even though all agreed they could benefit from it -- was picking Daciuk up after her appointment.

"I'm not sure he'll notice [the makeover]," she said, "but I'm going to point it out."

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