A Basingstoke woman has shared a deeply personal tribute to her late mother through a new photography series.
Sarah, who appears in The Last Lipstick, holds the lipstick of her mother Carol, who died from bowel cancer in June last year.
The intimate collection, created by Marie Curie and Superdrug, tells the stories of three women through the final lipsticks they wore at the end of their lives.
The series explores how small beauty rituals can help preserve identity and dignity in a person’s final moments.
The Last Lipstick was inspired by Stacy Greene’s 1992 photography collection Lipstick, which explored identity through the personal use of lip products.
Marie Curie’s project reimagines this idea, showing how beauty routines can remain meaningful even in a person’s final days.
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The photographs were taken by Alexandra Cameron, known for her natural light portraits of public figures.
Each image captures the essence of a woman through her chosen lipstick.
Other women featured in the series include Anita, who wore a vibrant coral lipstick, and Pavla, a Marie Curie healthcare assistant pictured holding her mother’s lipstick.
Anita lives with a rare type of lymphoma and has long associated makeup with confidence and glamour.
Pavla said: "After my mum died, I couldn’t bear to get rid of the makeup bag she used to leave at my home when she visited from the Czech Republic, including her favourite lipstick.
"As a Marie Curie healthcare assistant, I see every day how small comforts like lip balm or a touch of colour can help women feel more like themselves at the end of life.
"For my mum, lipstick was part of who she was, and I see that same importance in so many of the people I care for.
"Sometimes these little rituals help us hold on to who we are, right until the end."
The collection was recently exhibited at the Marie Curie hospice in Newcastle upon Tyne, where Anita regularly attends for treatment.
Polling commissioned by Marie Curie and Superdrug found that four in five bereaved adults believe beauty rituals can help maintain a sense of dignity and identity for those nearing the end of life.
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