American actress Selma Blair poses at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, in her first public appearance since she was diagnosed with MS in October. EPA
American actress Selma Blair poses at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, in her first public appearance since she was diagnosed with MS in October. EPA
American actress Selma Blair poses at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, in her first public appearance since she was diagnosed with MS in October. EPA
American actress Selma Blair poses at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, in her first public appearance since she was diagnosed with MS in October. EPA

Selma Blair praised for video showing reality of applying make-up with MS


Sophie Prideaux
  • English
  • Arabic

Since revealing her multiple sclerosis diagnosis back in October, actress Selma Blair has been talking candidly about living with the disease on her social media accounts.

And fellow celebrities have jumped to praise the star for her latest post, in which she light-heartedly jokes about struggling to apply make-up.

Posting a video to her Instagram account, the 46-year-old revealed that her application usually left her friends and manager “rubbing her face” all day to correct her make-up.

“Here is my solution to applying makeup with a lack of fine motor skills. #laugh and feel free to reapply my makeup. #makeuptutorial #real,” Blair captioned a video, in which she rubs a large round powder all over her face while laughing loudly.

Once she is finished applying her make-up, she smiles for the camera, saying: “There! Done. Stop. Bye!”

Blair’s celebrity friends were quick to comment on the post, praising her approach for dealing with the disease.

Actress Debra Messing said: “OMG you are so funny! I love you so much Selma”. Brooke Shields wrote: “You are so beautiful you don’t need make[up] but I agree with a big brush always. Love you. B.”

Kris Jenner, whom Blair played in the TV drama The People V OJ Simpson, said "What a ROCKSTAR you are… I adore you….sending you tons of love today my girl" to which she replied "@krisjenner better send some bronzer".

Blair made her first public appearance since sharing the news of her diagnosis at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in February, posing on the red carpet in a floor-length caped gown and a custom cane.

Speaking in her first interview since her diagnosis on Good Morning America, Blair said: “I had tears. They weren’t tears of panic. They were tears of knowing I now had to give in to a body that had loss of control, and there was some relief in that.

“Being able to just put out what being in the middle of an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis is like," she went on to say. "So my speech, as you’ll notice, I have spasmodic dysphonia right now… It is interesting to put it out there, to be here to say this is what my particular case looks like right now."

She went on to add that telling her son has been the most difficult part of the process for her.

"I did have to tell him after the MRI. I said, ‘I have something called multiple sclerosis,'" she said. " And he almost cried and said, ‘Will it kill you?’ And I said, ‘No. I mean, we never know what kills us, Arthur. But this is not the doctor telling me I’m dying.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, OK,’ and that was it."

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

Famous left-handers

- Marie Curie

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