Patricia Grisafi
Lucy Edwards is a 24-year-old makeup tutorial sensation. She is also blind.
Six years ago, Edwards lost her eyesight due to a rare genetic condition called Incontinentia Pigmenti (IP) — a condition that can cause abnormalities of the skin, hair, nails, teeth, eyes, and nervous system.
“It is so rare, in fact, that it’s not even on the list of conditions that may cause blindness. It runs down the female line of my genetics. My mum has Incontinentia Pigmenti, but it doesn’t affect her eyes. At age 11, my retina detached in my right eye and, at age 17, the same thing happened in my left, leaving me blind,” Lucy told BuzzFeed.
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Lucy wanted to show the world that she is still able to function and perform normal tasks. So she took to TikTok this past summer, where the hashtag #learnontiktok was trending.
@lucyedwards Showering blind?🚿 #learnontiktok #blind #blindgirl #edutok #hygeine101 @tiktok_uk
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to show the world how capable a blind person can be. I realized that not even some of my closest friends know how I do certain daily tasks,” Lucy explained.
@lucyedwards Online grocery shopping 🥕 #learnontiktok #edutok #blind #internetshopping #foodshop
In particular, Lucy wanted to show people how she does her makeup.
“Doing my makeup as a blind girl has been such a journey. Typically, it is a very visual task, but now I rely on muscle memory, mapping out my own face by touch, not sight — and using tried and tested products,” Lucy said.
“I would not be able to do it without a really organized makeup bag! It has taken years to get where I am today. My gorgeous sister, Alice, has described hours of otherwise inaccessible makeup tutorials to me over the years. It has become a hobby we do together. She believed in me when no one else did.”
@lucyedwards Blind girl does her own makeup 💄 #learnontiktok #blind #makeup #blindmakeup #edutok @tiktok_uk
“Makeup, to me, is a symbol of my sight-loss journey—proving that the bad things that happen in life don’t define me. It is how I get back up from the difficult moments that do. I may have lost my sight, but not my vision,” Lucy added.
Lucy explained that she loves TikTok because it allows her, as a blind person, to show the world that she can be independent.
@lucyedwards Blind people can use Instagram 📸 #learnontiktok #blind #instagramtips #accessibilityawareness #accessibilitymatters
“Yes, there are things that I will never be able to do, but I want to show the world that there is life after sight loss,” she said.
@lucyedwards Blind outfit matching, I can’t see colour 👗 #learnontiktok #edutok #blind #outfittrends #organisationhacks @tiktok_uk
“I only knew about blindness because I became blind, so it is fabulous that I can be the ‘blind TikTok teacher’ and make all of this information so accessible,” Lucy said of her TikTok goals. “It truly is a privilege that I can be someone’s daily reminder that they can overcome anything and reach their dreams.”
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Lucy’s advice for others who are struggling with blindness or another disability?
“Don’t just look at a person’s impairment, look at the whole person. Being different is something to celebrate, and we should all be proud of who we are. I found true acceptance when I came out as blind to myself, accepted who I was, and became unapologetically Lucy.”
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