There’s a noticeable difference to the tone of Lauren Luke’s newest episode of makeup tips.
Viewers have come to expect a bubbly personality and a cheery “Hia, everyone!” at the onset of each clip. This one opens with an unsightly shot of a bruised chin damp with what appears to be stress-induced sweat.
In “How to look your best the morning after,” Luke’s message is not at all about looking like Kristen Stewart or finding your most “sizzling beach party make up look.” It’s about concealing the ugly effects of domestic abuse.
“I’ve had a bit of a rough time,” Luke leads off the episode. “But I’m going to be doing a video today about how to cover up.”
Luke then leads viewers on a two-minute detail of how to apply a foundation to damaged skin, what works best for covering up any bruises on your neck, and what to do about the lacerations on your lips.
“If you’ve got a lot of bruising from being pushed hard against a coffee table, you can gently apply layer after layer and you will cover it up slightly,” she says while working a brush around her blackened left eye.
Uploaded to Luke’s YouTube channel Sunday as a public service announcement sponsored by British domestic abuse charity Refuge, the video closes by bringing attention to the fact that over 65 percent of domestic violence victims make an effort to conceal their abuse. Luke, who’s never been a victim of domestic violence but told Jezebel that she lived in fear of abuse while in a past relationship, wants to help decrease that figure, if she can’t do her part to end domestic abuse itself.
“The bruising on my face for the video wasn’t real, but my emotions in that video were,” she told Jezebel. “I had a bad experience in the past with a previous boyfriend. He never physically hurt me but I did sometimes fear what would happen next if I said the wrong thing. He could be overprotective and embarrass me in front of my work colleagues or friends because of his aggressive behavior. Sometimes it was like living with a volcano which could erupt at any second.”
That sentiment is on full display at the end of the clip, when Luke hears a noise off-screen and rushes to shut off her camera, turning the screen black.
The video’s closing message resonates long after the clip reaches its end.
“Don’t cover it up,” it reads in bold lettering.
Photo via YouTube
