Kayla Parsons, 26, needed the artist to wear a mask and use new brushes to protect her immune system, which had been weakened from chemo.
After a Kentucky woman battling breast cancer said a MAC Cosmetics counter would not adjust their practices according to her compromised immune system, she is thanking a makeup artist who was more than happy to cater to her needs.
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“They just completely stepped up and made me feel like a normal 26-year-old girl,” said Kayla Parsons, of Louisa, Ky., “It made me feel feminine and pretty for the first time in months.”
Parsons told InsideEdition.com she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapy that left her feeling insecure about her appearance.
“It’s hard for anyone to lose your hair,” she explained. “Especially as a woman. When you lose your hair, your eyebrows, your eyelashes, we associate that with beauty, so it’s hard when you don’t have that anymore.”
Leading up to her mastectomy, Parsons said she wanted to do a professional photo shoot to document her body before it changes forever.
She then scheduled a makeup appointment for the following week at a MAC cosmetics counter. Because of her weakened immune system from the chemo, Parsons said they agreed to use new brushes, and the makeup artist agreed to wear a mask during the appointment.
But, Parsons said she was devastated when, as she was getting to her appointment, the store called her about the request.
They couldn’t use new brushes, the store told her, and the makeup artist no longer felt comfortable wearing a mask. If she required one, she would have to wear the mask herself while they did her makeup.
“I was just hurt, frustrated, I didn’t understand,” Parsons said.
That’s when a friend suggested she cancel her appointment with MAC, and see if a makeup artist at Ulta could work with her needs.
An artist there was more than happy to wear a mask and use new brushes and unopened makeup, Parsons said, and she was able have her makeup done right away.
“They prioritized my health but they never really made me feel like a patient,” Parsons explained. “I felt like I saw myself as I used to be again. I saw someone pretty and who didn’t look sick.”
Even her photographer, Shambar Perry, agreed.
“Kayla has always been so full of life with the spunkiest personality and cancer isn't slowing her down,” Perry told InsideEdition.com. “She made my job easy – she is gorgeous.”
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MAC Cosmetics has not responded to InsideEdition.com’s request for comment, but Parsons said the company has reached out to her to apologize.
“I just want people to know that a little kindness goes a long way for someone,” she said. “This is who I am. I have no hair, no eyebrows and no eyelashes, but I’m strong.”
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