Francesca Giaimo

Seven years ago I found myself going through one of the hardest times in my life. Within the span of that single December in 2011, both my mother and husband were undergoing major surgeries, my father had suffered a stroke and my grandfather was dying. I was playing the roles of caretaker and nurse, breadwinner and housekeeper, going from one hospital to the next and then onto my grandpa’s house all the while maintaining my work schedule.

I’ve been doing my own makeup for almost 25 years and I have tried almost every trend. After a lot of trial and error (frosty brown lipstick, anyone?), I’ve finally figured out what works best for me. Depending on my mood, how much or how little time I have and where I might be heading that day or night, using the right products and knowing what flatters me best has really helped reduce the frustration I was having at my vanity.

I have been wearing some form of anti-perspirant/deodorant every single day since my mom bought me that first stick of Teen Spirit back in 1991. Seeing as how I work in extremely close proximity to people for a living, usually ten hours at a time, I am hyper-aware of how I smell. Suffice it to say, I have become slightly obsessed with not offending my clients. In the past, I didn’t care what it took to stay bone dry and odor-free.