As our writer Deanna has described, nothing can really prepare you for the side effects that come with cancer treatment. It’s common knowledge that hair loss can happen, but it’s another thing to wake up one day and realize you have no more eyebrows. (Really, you should read her account of it—it’s both eye-opening and endearing.) That’s why Sephora’s latest addition to its Classes for Confidence series, called Brave Beauty in the Face of Cancer, is great news for women and men undergoing chemo who want to talk to others who get it—and pick up some tips on how to pencil in their brows along the way.
The series, if you’re not familiar, centers around creating free classes for people going through major life transitions (like, say, fighting cancer). The classes kicked off on Sunday, April 9, in select stores and feature a curriculum shaped by input from Sephora employees who are also living with cancer. The goal, according to Corrie Conrad, senior director of social impact and sustainability for Sephora, is “to create a safe place for participants to learn and play with beauty, ask questions, and connect with others going through a similar situation.” On the “syllabus” for the 90-minute class: skin care tips, step-by-step instructions for upping radiance, creating natural-looking brows, and tricks for defining your eyes.
Safe to say, it seems like it’s already a hit with both the instructors and the students, as evidenced by a video the company released featuring moments from a preview class. Sephora employee Emily starts the clip with “When I heard that these classes could be a possibility with Sephora, it hit me maybe this is why I’m here and this is the reason why I survived.” And participant Amy says, “By having some confidence with things I can do with makeup, it’ll help me get out and be with people I need to be with.”
Check it out in full below.
The initiative extends outside of the classroom too. As a show of solidarity, Sephora employees who are going through or have completed a cancer journey are given the option of wearing a lapel pin featuring a heart logo to both foster a sense of community and give customers an opening if they have questions about their own cancer-treatment-related beauty concerns.
You can get more info on class locations and sign ups here. Beauty really is so much more than playing with lipstick or eyeshadow palettes. It’s great to see brands using their platforms to get at the heart of how makeup can be deeply transformative.
This article originally appeared on glamour.com, Beth Shapouri
Photo: Mark Metcalfe