You, Me and the Big C: Our 5 tips on beauty and body

The women of the 'You, Me & the Big C' podcast are your BFF’s, your sisters, daughters and mothers. They are you… but with dodgier cells and they’re too busy living to worry about dying.

As well as their honest and raw podcast, which includes laughter along the way too, they will create a weekly top 5.

This week, the #YouMeBigC team share their beauty and body tips following a cancer diagnosis.

Here's a quick introduction (if you don't know the squad already):

R = Rachael Bland aka ‘Big C, Little Me' – Well known to BBC Radio 5 live and BBC audiences as a news presenter. Rachael has been in continuous treatment for recurrent breast cancer for a year.

D = Deborah James aka ‘Bowelbabe’ – Stage 4 Bowel Cancer doesn’t stop Deborah from getting to the party. This glamorous 35-year-old mum of two has even been known to drink champagne during chemo!

L = Lauren "Lolli" Mahon aka ‘Girl vs Cancer’ – Lolli was already a successful lifestyle blogger, so when cancer came calling at the age of 31, she styled it out by setting up a new community for young women with cancer.

R: Let’s do our top five on beauty and body tips when you are going through cancer.

My top tip was definitely, talked about it earlier on, getting my eyebrows micro bladed which is the semi permanent make-up tattooing thing, before I started chemotherapy.

If you have got time to do it, if your oncologist will allow it, you might have to get the letter.

That was a really big thing, because I’m rubbish at putting on make-up and it helped me know where to colour in my eyebrows.

L: Yeah and it just makes you look like you recognise the face in the mirror, rather than a vacant, free of hair face.

As you said Rachael, you have to do it before you start chemo and you have to make sure you get it signed off by the oncologist, but do it before and not during chemo.

R: If you can get it done, it’s worth doing.

D: For me, it would be never underestimate the power of lipstick or a nice shave.

Or, y’know, getting a manicure. I mean boys and girls here.

Never underestimate the power of looking after yourself.

People might say it's not important. Actually, y’know what, sometimes it just lifts your mood.

R: It's not it's not just talking about women's beauty tips.

If you're a man as well, a bit of grooming, sticking on some nice clothes and just feeling good about yourself for a while.

L: Yeah it does really help.

D: Looking good does make you feel better.

L: Look good to feel good guys.

L: I think definitely staying active.

Y’know, you don’t have to be a gym bunny.

I wasn't really feeling the yoga thing.

I wasn't able to do a lot of exercise, but some people are.

Just getting out the house, moving those joints.

It just makes you feel more alive. More human.

Fresh air is a cure for so much.

So getting that fresh air on your skin and in your lungs is a good thing.

R: I found the nail painting thing through chemotherapy.

If you’re on one of the Taxol chemotherapies, paint your nails with a with a dark nail polish.

It saved mine. I don't know if there's any science behind it, but…

L: Yeah, mine weren’t too bad.

If you’re going to get gel nails done, just be mindful of what you’re getting.

Try and get ones that are kinder to the nail, that are easier to come off, because you’ll want them removed.

Don’t be picking them off yourself, ‘cause your nails will flake.

R: Don’t be taking your nail with it.

D: For me… Scars. You will have scars.

You might surprise yourself or you might be surprised by the fact that cancer does give you scars if you undergo operations.

R: Yeah, generally that’s the number one way to cure it. To cut it out.

D: Cut it out! And be grateful that you can have an operation to cut it out.

Don’t assume that you’re going to be absolutely fine with your body afterwards.

It will take a long time.

I’m quite a confident person and I was surprised how long it took me to accept my scars.

I’ve gone from one extreme to the total opposite, where I just got it (the scars) out here didn’t I? In the studio!

I think appreciate you’re not going to wake up and go “Ooh I like that”.

You probably won’t.

R: Like all these things, it just takes time.