More and more cosmetics makers are holding makeup lessons for blind or partially sighted people in the Tohoku region.

Each has established its own methods for applying makeup without the need to look in a mirror and is passing on those tips to those taking the lessons.

The companies are also coming up with ideas to make their products more user-friendly, such as developing special tactile stickers to help users identify different makeup products using their fingertips.

Such initiatives from makeup manufacturers are welcomed by those with blindness or partial vision, with some saying they want to go out and meet other people more now.

In late May, Yokohama-based cosmetics and health-food maker Fancl and a local nonprofit organization held a makeup seminar in Sendai’s Izumi Ward.

Seven women with blindness or low vision took part in the seminar to learn skin care and makeup skills from Fancl employees.

The women enjoyed comparing makeup products, giving comments such as, “Which color do you think suits me?”

They tried the method of putting makeup on with their palms and fingers instead of using powder puffs or brushes.

“Is the makeup properly put on?” they asked each other as they learned the skills.

“It’s been decades since I last wore makeup," said Kiyo Iba, 80, a homemaker from Sendai’s Wakabayashi Ward. "To tell you the truth, I’ve always wanted to do this.”

“I enjoyed choosing the colors,” Iba said in a lively voice. “I want to go out with makeup on.”

Harumi Kimura, a 58-year-old company worker from Sendai's Izumi Ward, said, “I love dressing up even though I have a disability.

“Because it was often difficult for me to put on makeup as it tended to get too thick, I’m glad I could learn just the right way of applying it,” Kimura said.

Fancl has been organizing such seminars nationwide since 2013, with the one in Sendai being the fifth held in Miyagi Prefecture.

The firm has also been promoting self-adhesive stickers with raised, dotted lines and star shapes that it developed in 1998 for people to attach to makeup containers to make different products easier to identify.

“We hope wearing makeup will become an opportunity for them to enjoy going out," said Rina Morikura, 33, a Fancl official in charge of the lessons. "I hope they will feel free to visit cosmetics shops near them.”

Tokyo-based cosmetics company Shiseido held a makeup lesson in December in Sendai for people with limited eyesight.

The firm taught the participants its unique method of using their hands and fingers to guide them to fill in their lips and eyebrows with lipsticks and eyebrow liners so that they keep to their natural shapes.

Shiseido started holding such lessons on a trial basis in 2017 and expanded them nationwide in 2019.

It held lessons in Iwate and Yamagata prefectures, as well, last year.

“The purpose of the lessons is to improve the quality of life for people with visual impairments,” a Shiseido official said. “Some people feel reluctant to go out because of their disabilities. If makeup makes them feel confident, they will be encouraged to go out more and connect more with society.”

Osaji, a cosmetics retailer in Gunma Prefecture, stations universal beauty advisors (UBAs) at its directly operated shops in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Using the firm’s products, UBAs offer tips for customers with blindness or low vision to put on makeup without looking in a mirror, dubbed the “blind makeup.”

UBAs are advisors certified by Caremake Association, a Gunma Prefecture-based organization advocating blind makeup.

The association is also working on fostering makeup trainers who can individually teach the method to visually impaired people.

“Companies offer different makeup methods, but they share the common goal of making people feel positive by looking good,” said Kanako Yamagishi, 44, head of the association who became completely blind at the age of 23.

“I hope both the people who teach makeup and visually impaired people who want to put on makeup will increase.”

This section features topics and issues from the Tohoku region covered by the Kahoku Shimpo, the largest newspaper in Tohoku. The original article was published on June 18.