Hi, you are “face to face with Shell”.

Please watch these videos and read on:

My name is Michelle “Shell” for short and I was burned in a gas explosion many years ago, whilst on my first holiday abroad in Lloret de Mar, Costa Brava, Spain.

Firstly, I just want to say that my videos and my website are not solely about make-up and camouflage (although I will chat about these).  I want to focus on helping people who are disfigured/have been burned/have a different body image/altered body image…whatever you want to call it (I was told by someone who was not disfigured that I should not refer to myself as being disfigured…therefore, I apologise if I offend anyone, it’s just how I describe myself). 

I’ll be taking you through my own journey; explaining what happened to me, my experiences, how I dealt with people’s comments and stares, etc., but also I want to talk about the life that you can have, and to show you that there is hope and a great life out there.

Yes, you will never be the same again but you can be better than you were before.

You are now different but different can be good.

S**T happens!  And it is s**t when it happens to you.  You will think; “why me”?  Why not?  

I used to dread going into a room full of people that didn’t know what had happened to me and yeah, there were stares, questions, etc., then I got thinking; “they’ll never forget me”!

I am also doing it for the families and the friends of people who have been disfigured, etc.  So that all people involved have someone else to talk to; other than each other.  A kind of support network.

It’s weird to think that you will get used to this, you will.  Then again, there will be days when it will just hit you again.  It still happens to me.  Very few and far between now but it does happen and that’s ok.

I will try to give you lots of examples of what I have gone through, in the hope that these will help you/your family/your friends; so that everyone can be more prepared.

I would like to try and educate people as well.  How does it feel to be disfigured?  How others can help disfigured people, even if it is a chance meeting of someone who looks a bit different; say on the street, in a shop, etc.

I do realise that everyone is different and everyone will have different experiences…I am sharing mine.

I want to let people know that they are not alone; by explaining what I have been through and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Although this site is about burns/disfigurement, etc., I hope that it will be able to help anyone who has gone through anything that has affected their life/made them look different, etc. 

In saying this, I would hope that everyone will gain something from my site…it’s for EVERYONE.  As I said, I am here to educate and help people, even if you have a breakout of spots…you may feel that you are being stared at…therefore, I hope I can help you.

I hope that I can also assist you by telling you the products that most aided me and that are still helping me with my “scarred” skin.

If there is anything you would like to hear me talk about, let me know.  What interests you or what don’t you know about that you would like me to chat about?

I will also apologise if I repeat some things; some topics do overlap and are relevant in different videos/pages.

I want to try and help you to look at every day as an achievement, even if it has been a not so good day – you got there.  I want to leave positive vibes on my site/channel; even if I have been talking about something that is not so good.  It may have been a hard day but you have survived it…how amazing is that?

I want to try and be as open and honest with you as I can be…there will be a few laughs along the way.

Before I started up my site and channel, I worked in the NHS for 30 years.  It felt like I was giving back some of the care I had been given.  After these years in a few different posts and departments, I felt that it was time for a change and to give back in another way.  I decided that this was the way forward for me to help people…do it myself…my own way.

My husband and I have been backpacking for two and a half years, and there have been lots of different experiences that we have gained from doing this…what an amazing time we had…the adventures aren’t over with yet.

Please feel free to contact me at the email below.  I will try to get back to you as soon as I can.  Please bear with me though, as we may be travelling at times and sometimes the internet maybe “flaky”.

Everyone has a different story and different experiences…these are mine and I hope they help you.

We’ll chat soon.

email address:  facetofacewithshell@gmail.com