#i like eyeshadow more still i think. but i gave up liquid eyeliner years ago after like 3 tries

[bonivers]

me on a random tuesday night realizing i CAN use liquid eyeliner is just. so me

[arrivalatdawn]

Could you write a smut regarding an extremely intimidating rosé

The sharpest thorn is one that doesn’t cut you, or so they say.

It might not happen right away, but there is a dark side to all good things. Such a thought does not occur to you one peaceful morning at home with your girlfriend, Kim Jisoo. Ever the one to have an unwavering bright, bubbly personality, she suggests a lazy beginning to the day. While you imagined being wrapped under the blankets and bedsheets with her on top of you as you exchanged sweet kisses, Jisoo had something else in mind.

“... and you wanted to go out today, wasting a perfectly good day off.” she said in a soft tone as she released your cock out of her warm and wet mouth. She stroked you slowly, thoroughly spreading her saliva all over your shaft. “We haven’t had a day to ourselves in months.”

She plants a kiss on the tip of your cock before sticking her tongue out and moving it in a clockwise direction. Her thin fingers remain wrapped around your base, feeling it pulse in her palm as she continues to move it up and down. While her voice had a cheerfulness to it, you especially loved its lower, huskier register during more intimate times. She did it first as a joke, but realized how much it aroused you after your first month of dating. From then on, Jisoo chose to speak in a deeper tone whenever you two were alone.

“I’m gonna make sure you can’t get out of bed tomorrow.”

Jisoo is currently on the floor of her bedroom as she gives you a stimulating pleasure. Your hands find their way to her dark colored locks, tucking loose strands behind her ears and away from her face as she continues using her mouth to satisfy you. Beautiful was an understatement to describe Jisoo - she was elegant, a graceful side to her that was usually overshadowed by her playful clumsiness. She was surprised when you confessed to her your feelings, believing you only hungout with her in order to get closer to her friend, Jennie Kim.

“Didn’t you already do that yesterday?” you teased.

Jisoo pouted, puffing her cheeks as you noticed a change in her eyes. The bright shininess to them remained, but were replaced with a cloudy lust. Her lips formed a sinful smile as she puckered them and kissed your tip once more.

“That was nothing compared to what I have in store for you.”

A needy moan escapes your lips as Jisoo takes your cock back inside her mouth. You looked down and saw your favorite sight - her silky smooth brunette hair bobbing up and down as you enter and exit her with ease thanks to her earlier lubrication. Both of your hands hold onto the sides of her head, guiding her movements while your fingers play run through strands of her hair. The both of you were very much enjoying the simple performance she was putting on.

You planned on going downstairs right away and surprising Jisoo with breakfast. It seemed she had the same thought, albeit a bit different kind of nourishment compared to the one you were going to prepare.

Jisoo has taken you inside her mouth a plethora of times - some even during inconspicuous circumstances. And while she perfected the basic techniques, which ones she emphasizes and doesn’t seems to change each time. Saliva is wet; a common knowledge statement. But Jisoo surprises you. Some days she’ll use a lot and want it to be as sloppy as possible. Others, she’ll use just enough in order to make sure both of you are satisfied. She’ll put on red lipstick before sucking your cock, knowing you enjoy being marked by her full lips all over your body and especially your shaft. The tight seal they form around your base as she takes your entire length inside her mouth. Her tongue - which can be fully flattened and add another layer of pleasure to your underside, or twirl around your tip and send shivers down your spine. Whatever method she used, Jisoo knew you loved it.

Both male and female friends knew you and Jisoo were inseperable, with many commenting about her beauty and how much more radiant she became after dating you. They would tease you, saying that wedding bells would be ringing any day now. The two of you brushed it off, knowing it will happen when the time is right. And as your wandering thoughts returned to your cock inside Jisoo’s mouth, you were mainly delighted to call her yours.

Jisoo removes her mouth from your shaft, watching in satisfaction as it glistens with her saliva as it dribbles down her cheek and your tip before falling onto the floor below. Her hand returns its grip onto your cock as she tilts her head and focuses her attention on your balls. You feel jolts of pleasure in your spine as she takes you into her mouth one at a time. She sucks on each, moving her tongue in a back and forth motion before letting it out with a loud pop.

The two of you remained relatively silent, with the exception of your moans and Jisoo sloppily sucking your cock. She hollows her cheeks as much as possible, turning her lips into a suction that feels sinfully delicious. She looks up at you with her large, glassy eyes - they provided a calming sense as she wrinkled her nose cutely and her eyes became crescents when she returned to orally pleasuring you.

Jisoo wastes no time with foreplay, as evidenced by the feeling of the tip of your cock hitting her throat. You feel her nose on the base of your shaft. She had been practicing deepthroating you the past several months; it seems to have paid off as your cock slowly goes in and out of her wanton mouth. Her freshly manicured nails dig into the skin of your thighs, a temporary pain compared to the pleasure you were currently receiving. Her eyes begin to glisten with tears as both of your hands hold onto her head and are guided by her own movements.

“Fuck…” you said, finally breaking the stalemate between you two.

“Isn’t this a better way to spend the day?” she said, smiling sweetly at you.

“No…”

“No…?” Jisoo breathed out, as your cock was inside her mouth. She gave you a soft warning bite, seemingly trying to say to choose your words carefully.

“No… because you’re not riding me.”

Jisoo giggles, her tongue sending a pleasant vibration on the underside of your shaft. Releasing you from her mouth, she gives your tip a deep kiss before rising up between your legs. You wrap your arms around her waist, planting a soft kiss on her forehead before the two of you climb onto the bed. She straddles your lap with her wide hips, winking at you playfully before grabbing your hard cock and placing its tip at her entrance. She stroked you, smacking your tip against her slightly drenched pussy. You loved how tight Jisoo was - her wet, velvety slick walls wrapping around your shaft as she fully lowered your body  until you were inside her. Her erotically charged moan, coupled with her husky tone aroused you to no end.

“You wanted to deny a whole day of feeling this inside me to go on a date?” she said in a cute yet angry tone.

You savored the feeling of Jisoo’s body being impaled with your own as the morning light sneakily entered through the crack of the blinds. She was right, sharing an intimate moment with her was indeed always the right call.

--

They say no one drink tastes exactly alike.

No matter the ingredients being the exact same - the temperature in the air, the way the fruits are cut up, whether the drink is shaken or stirred, the number of or lack thereof of ice cubes, was the glass chilled or not, did the bartender use their hand or wrist when pouring out the mixed liquid, even the experience of the bartender. These are just some of the many things to take into consideration when ordering a drink.

It was supposed to be another relaxing evening at home.

When you got the phone call - and subsequent doorbell awakening to come out to the club with Jennie Kim, you turned her down immediately. Unfortunately, she never takes no for an answer. And so, here you are at one of the hottest nightclubs in town despite barely being open for a few months.

The bright, various colored lights. The bouncer who let scantily clad women in for free, some pulling down the top of their dress to do so. A haze of intoxicated people with more money than they know what to do with and a loud, ear-shattering bass are what greets you the moment you and Jennie enter.

She is immediately met with copious amounts of eyes staring at her - both men and women. Wearing the shortest, tightest dress she owned and letting her milk chocolate colored hair flow down her beautiful shoulders, Jennie Kim commanded attention from the busy club’s nighttime patrons. She puckered her lips, batting her freshly curled eyelashes and winking at those within her range of vision. The dark eyeliner and smoky eyeshadow complimented her cat-like gaze. Jennie knew she was a tease - loving to get a rouse out of people drooling for her. Making them even more jealous, she linked arms with you before blowing a kiss and walking away.

“Do we really have to be here? I was kinda sleeping, you know.” You said, handing Jennie an overpriced bottle of water before taking your jacket off and draping it over her thighs.

“Thank you, oppa.” She twists the plastic cap and takes a large swig of the bottle. Letting out a satisfied hum, she crossed her legs and stared at you. You were wearing a plain white tee and joggers - an outfit that was able to double as something to wear outside and as pajamas. A small frown was plastered on your face as you looked around at groups of people enjoying their youth, while destroying their livers in the process.

“Oppa, stop being a boring old grandpa. These are the prime years of our lives!” Jennie said.

“Jen, we’re almost in our late 20’s. This may have been cute four years ago, but I don't exactly want to be 35 and still doing this stuff.”

“So you think going to bed by 8 PM on a Friday night is normal for someone our age?”

“It certainly beats being here. I get to be comfortable at home and binge watch tv shows while eating whatever I want.”

“Has that been helping you get over Jisoo unnie?”

You immediately shot Jennie an icy cold glare. She was temporarily surprised, but managed to keep her composure.

“Don’t give me that look. I know it hasn’t been easy, but I don’t want you to waste your life away over her.”

--

Kim Jisoo. Someone who meant the whole world to you. The very same person who took it all away instantly, doing so by leaving a card on her side of your bed one morning. 

Oppa,

I’m sorry.

By the time you read this, I would have already been gone. You have every right to hate me. But… this dream. It's something I can't give up. I won't know unless I take this risk.

I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

Thank you, oppa. For all of the love you've given me these past four years.

Love, Jisoo

Rain was not the only thing pouring outside your window as you reread her message over and over.

--

“It's been a year, oppa. It's time to move on. She has.”

“People go at their own pace, Jen.”

“I know that. But I can't stand seeing you devolve into a homebody who cries watching chick flicks and eating ice cream out of the container.”

“You were the one who brought it over!”

“Anyways! We are here to find you a new bang.” Jennie confidently said, wrapping her arm around you. “So what are you feeling, my boy? Blonde? Brunette? Nice rack? Fat ass? Baby making hips?”

“Everyday you stray further from the light.” You said, shaking your head as you covered your face. “Remind me again how are we best friends?”

“If we aren't best friends, then I'm not a girl who measures a guy’s hotness by guessing their dick size.”

“Have you ever guessed correctly?”

“Many times. Although this one guy ended up packing more than I thought he would.”

“There are countless hot women here. It's a club. How exactly do you propose I find someone? You know I can't really talk to women well. Especially after the last one.”

“Ah, yes. Who could forget the classic: ‘H-Hi. You. Me. S-Sex.’ Real smooth, Casanova.”

“This is your idea of a pep talk? Some wingman you are.”

“That's because I'm a wingwoman. Now…” Jennie said as she winked, pointing her finger as she moved the two of you across the copious amount of people in the club. “What poor soul gets the unfortunate chance to be your pity bang.”

“Hey! I'm going home if you're gonna be like this.” You said, standing up and preparing to leave.

“Fine, fine!” Jennie said, holding onto your shoulders and pushing you back down on the couch. “You're no fun, oppa.”

You ignored her, crossing your arms as you put on the meanest sulk you could muster.

“You're so cute when you're angry.” She said, pinching your cheek as you snorted a puff of air.

“Why don't you talk to her?” Jennie continued, pointing to a lone woman sitting at the bar.

The woman was far away, but her sitting posture gave off an intimidating vibe. Her long, brunette hair flowed almost past her seat. The two of you watched as she fended off various men trying to get her attention. You looked to Jennie and sighed.

“Her? She just rejected like seven guys. Some of them were pretty handsome too.” you said.

“Yeah, that’s… weird. I wonder why she rejected both seven and nine incher.” Jennie said, frowning as she formed a check sign under her chin with her thumb and index finger. “Although she did a good job at shooing away those last two. They were easily four inches.”

“Would you stop incorrectly guessing penis size and focus! How am I supposed to talk to her?”

“Relax, oppa. It’s all about confidence. Put your foot down and show her you’re not willing to take no for an answer.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Jennie nodded.

“Really? Because the last time I did that, I was met with a drink in the face and various women nearby staring at me like I was a pervert.”

“Yeah, I remember that. Almost peed myself from laughing so hard.”

“I’m glad my love life amuses you. Some best friend you are.” you said, rolling your eyes.

“You can do this, oppa!” Jennie said, startling you by suddenly standing up. “Now go over there and get some fresh booty! … and maybe get me a drink while you’re at it.” The sudden change in tone by her last sentence caused you to raise an eyebrow and shake your head.

Jennie smacks your butt, squeezing a cheek firmly before pushing you away. Brushing the nonexistent dirt off your body, you timidly approached the counter. The bartender is putting on a show, holding multiple bottles at once as he pours various colored liquids into the stainless steel jigger.

The woman Jennie graciously scouted out for you looked elegant. She wore a bright red cocktail dress that showed off her long legs and soft looking thighs. Her pinky was extended as she elegantly sipped on a green colored martini. Her side profile looked like something from the front page spread of a magazine cover. You ended up staring at her a bit too long - something she noticed right away.

“It’s not polite to stare at a woman, you know.” she stated.

Her cold tone and exotic accent sent shivers down your spine. She looked like she belonged to the wealthy elite, while you were just an average person out of their element. The loud music and various patrons clinking their glasses to a celebratory night out were nothing compared to the beauty before you.

“If you’re here to buy me a drink, don’t. Seven guys have already tried. I’m not interested.” she said, taking another sip of her mixed drink.

“I-I’m not.” you said, stammering. You mentally slapped yourself, knowing this conversation was going to go down the same path as every other one you had with a woman.

“Really?” she asked, finally turning her direction at you. Her dark, jet black hair matched the same color of her eyeshadow. It flowed beautifully, not a single one out of place. She equipped herself with light facial makeup, only the slightest hint of BB cream and powder. Her thin, cherry red colored lips giving off the tiniest hint of a smirk.

“Your hot friend over there seems to think I’d be the perfect booty call for you.”

You tensed up. She had you read out and it hadn’t even been a full five minutes. A bead of sweat trailed down your face as you pulled on the collar of your shirt. You began to prepare yourself for the rejection that was beginning to loom.

“She doesn’t seem to be able to talk softly. Probably a screamer in bed, too.”

“J-Jennie’s just a -”

“So tell me, handsome. What was her master plan? To get you to hit on me under the disguise of getting her a drink? And just like that I’m supposed to drop my panties for you?”

Every word the woman said to you was as ice cold as the ice the bartender was mixing drinks with. Despite this, her erotic accent keeps you wanting to hear more from her. It filled you with untapped courage. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, your expression changed as you slowly approached her.

“She wanted me to get over this girl I was in love with. Said you’d be the perfect rebound bang.” you said, taking the drink out of her hand and twisting the glass before sipping. It tasted sweet. Strawberry, with the unmistakable taste of vodka. The drink matched its owner - strong, yet having a playful side to it.

“I always ask for three shots instead of one.” she simply stated as she noticed your face grimacing, unfazed by your actions.

“Good to know.” you said, returning the drink in front of her.

“And what makes this slutty friend of yours think I’m easy?”

“Her legs are never closed. Figured she’d be a good judge of character.” you said. The alcohol seemed to be working, as you began to grow confident and matched the way she was speaking to you.

She smirked. “These losers wouldn’t even be worth me slapping them in the face. Do you really think you have what it takes to take me home?”

You took her hand and got her out of the chair. Running your fingers through her soft, silky hair, you gently tucked several loose strands behind her ear before holding her by the waist.

“There’s nothing better than wanting what you can’t have.” you whispered into her ear gently, your hand roaming down her dress. You blew a soft puff of air, your palm feeling the curvature of her bottom as you squeezed it. The faintest moan escaped her lips as she quickly tried to maintain her composure.

“Drunk already after one sip?” She said. Your gaze remained locked with each other. Her eyes were beady, yet pools of pure seduction. A light tint of red was evident on her cheeks, she clearly had more than one martini. As you processed what she just said, you realized she was right. You were drunk. But it was not from the one sip of alcohol you had from her. No, this was different. You were intoxicated by the beautiful woman you just met. And as your hand still rested on her bottom, it seemed she was also interested in you.

“What do you say?” you asked, bringing your other hand to her face. As you rubbed her cheek gently, you traced the back of your finger on it.  “Your bedsheets sound a lot more fun than anything else going on here.”

The woman takes a sip of her martini, moving the bottom of the glass around on the table to swirl the mixed drink. She seemed to be deep in thought, pondering your words carefully.

“Sure, why not. Beats getting hit on by any of these losers.” she said nonchalantly.

You smirked, squeezing her cheek once more.

“You won’t regret it.”

As she grabbed her designer bag and walked away from the bar, you looked at Jennie who was in bewilderment at what she just witnessed. You flashed her a peace sign before using your thumb and pinky and bring it to your ear, silently letting her know you’ll call afterwards and tell her everything. She smiles in response, showing you her own peace sign as you exit the club.

--

The taxi ride to your place came and went like the calm before a storm. It didn’t take long for the two of you to remove your shoes. Your hands find their way back to her waist, gently holding her in your arms. As the two of you exchanged lust-filled stares, you lower your head and are mere inches away from her face before she turns her head and steers clear of you.

“I’m not that easy…” she said.

“Didn’t take you to be it at all.” you replied. The intoxicating aroma of her perfume combined with the built up desire you had for this woman caused you to want her more.

She removes both straps of her dress, watching you slightly drool as they flow down her soft looking shoulders and fall onto the ground. You take notice of her lack of undergarments, revealing a painfully tight body before you. She was fairly petite, yet had a decent curvature to her. You preferred a woman with wider hips and thighs, but this woman’s model-like body and cute round butt were beginning to make you a believer.

She helps you remove your shirt, before yanking off your pants and boxer briefs simultaneously. She is greeted with your cock already erect. Her fingers are cold to the touch, a nice juxtaposition to your shaft that was warm. She bit her lower lip and looked at you.

“Not bad… I’ve had better, though.” she said calmly.

“And yet you seem to be enjoying mine…” you replied, tracing her outer lips with two of your fingers. You took notice of a colorless liquid beginning to leak out, rubbing it between your thumb and index finger. “It would look even better inside your mouth.”

She squeezes your cock tightly. “No, you are going to look better eating my pussy.”

The woman pushes you onto your bed before raising her hips and locking her thighs onto either side of your head. Her pussy was delightfully wonderful. Bright pink, glistening lips and containing a nostalgic aroma to it. Your hands found their way to her bottom, which seemed to be their designated resting place over the course of  the evening. The moment her hips lowered onto your face, you were greeted with the flesh between her legs.

“Oh, fuck…” she said, releasing a long, satisfied moan. You began by kissing the inner apex of her thighs, each crease soft to the touch. It doesn’t take long before you are giving her pussy long, slow licks. Her body squirms above you as quickly captured her clit and swirled your tongue around it. Despite her cold demeanor, it seemed like she really needed this - her juices flow out abundantly as you slowly eat her out.

“Fuck! Right there… Oh, fuck…” she moaned, throwing her head back as she held onto the headboard of your bed. She grinds on your face, her pussy pressing against your mouth as she seeks more and more pleasure desperately. You are happy she is satisfied, consuming the bittersweet juices that pour into your mouth.

She tries to turn her body around but you held her hips waist firmly in place. You aren’t able to see, but you were sure her eyes began to flutter in pleasure as she relishes the feeling of your tongue on her clit. Her butt is soft to the touch, even more so now without her pesky silk dress covering it.

“K-Keep eating that pussy… oh fuck…!”

She was unable to announce her abrupt orgasm. The only signal you were able to receive was her body quivering slightly before violently shaking as its force takes her by surprise. Her pussy releases a copious amount of fresh juices into your willing mouth. You stick your tongue out, having grown accustomed to her delicious taste. Her moans continue on as you feel her juices slowly drip down your mouth and chin. Your tongue twirls around her clit as her orgasm slowly winds down. Giving her wet pussy a few final licks, your head being released from the grip of her thighs.

Before you could even get the chance to speak, she dismounts your face before quickly mounting your crotch. She gives your cock several painfully slow strokes before lining your tip at her entrance. You can’t help but feel nostalgic, thinking of how Jisoo would do the very same thing to you. And while Jisoo loved to tease you, running the tip of your cock between her lips, this woman was different. She quickly lowers her hips until you are fully inside her.

Jisoo was the tightest woman you’ve ever been with - or so you thought. Before you was a new challenger, someone who could compete for the throne, should there ever be one for how tight a pussy could feel. Both of you let out a satisfied moan as you enter her for the very first time. Her juices coated your cock instantly, while her walls seemed like they would refuse to let you go.

“Fuck…” she said, letting out a mixture of a scream and a laugh. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

The woman’s tight body felt wonderful, something nothing else could come close to replicating. She places her hands on top of yours, bringing them upwards and resting them on her petite chest. She was far from busty, but was big enough to fit in the palm of your hand, something you were thankful for.

You fondled them, massaging her chest before bringing her hardening nipples in between your index finger and thumb. She plants her hands firmly on your own chest until she raises her hips and starts to ride you.

“Fuck!” she screamed, her pussy grabbing onto your cock tightly as she began to take you in and out of her wanton body.

Her hips, thighs and waist were all working in tandem to extract the most pleasure out of you for her own satisfaction. She was tight - something that you repeated to yourself over and over like a broken record. The feeling of it was overwhelming, as you sat on the bed unable to move from the pleasure she was giving you.

“Oh fuck…” you said, the burning desire for the woman on top of you evident through your words.

“You like my pussy, don’t you?” she said, knowing full well what your answer would be. “I bet it’s the tightest you’ve ever had.”

“Fuck yes…” you moaned.

Your words seemed to please her as she grinds her hips against yours. Her hot, wet flesh has quickly made you wish to never leave its comfort as you feel her tight butt smack your thighs. She makes sure to raise her hips until only your tip is inside her before slamming back down onto you.

A few hours ago you two were mere strangers yet here she was, using you for her own pleasure. She puts on a show while riding you, her erotic moans and vulgar words dripping with pure lust create a harmonious symphony for your ears as does her best to chase her euphoric high.

“Fuck… I’m gonna cum again. I’m going to cum on your cock. Fuck. Yes… yes! Oh, fuck!”

Her second orgasm of the night was no less violent than the first. She arches her back as her body squirms on top of yours. Her toes curled up in pleasure as you felt her nails dig into your chest. Her pussy tightened around your cock, almost painfully so. You felt it pulsing in delayed intervals as she buried your shaft deep inside her. Both of you savored the feeling of her orgasm. It takes her slightly longer to recover compared to her first orgasm. Her body is quivering slightly with aftershocks as you move her hips up and down your own.

“N-No… stop, I’m still sensitive.” she said, holding on your chest for support.

Her pussy clenches against your cock, seemingly wanting more. Your eyes involuntarily shut as you savor the pleasure of her tight walls gripping your length. You noticed she was exhausted, as a thin layer of sweat glistened on her milky skin. Her body on the other hand, had other plans. She began to slowly grind against you, preparing herself to ride you once more. She moves her hips in a circular motion, wanting to feel every inch of you inside her.

“You haven’t cum yet…” she said. “Is my pussy not good enough for you?”

“N-No… yours is the tightest I’ve ever had.”

“Then why haven’t you cum yet?” her voice increased in frustration.

She dismounted your lap, getting on her hands and knees in front of you.

“Come here and fuck me like you mean it.”

Little effort is required on your part to enter her pussy once more. She wags her butt cutely, teasing you. Both of you moaned as her walls hugged you tightly. You leave your tip inside her before thrusting back inside. 

Her body mirrored your bed and rocked back and forth in pleasure. Each entry into her tight pussy felt different, providing you an insatiable lust. You felt her round ass cheeks bounce against your crotch with each thrust.

Her soft gasps and moans rapidly increased in volume as her tight, hot body was an outlet for your desires.

“Fuck… fuck me harder.” she gasped.

You weren’t able to reply, too clouded by the pleasure to focus on anything else but her body and your need to fill her. Both of you relish in the moment as you fuck her and give her what she wanted. You reach for her damp hair and hold it in your hands, raising her body and pulling her head back. She moaned as your thrusts increase in speed until the bed is violently creaking from how hard you were fucking her.

“Fuck… fuck! I’m-”

Despite her exhaustion, her pussy clenches around your cock tightly as she cums for the third time of the night. Moans and gasps filled your room as her mouth is agape from the pleasure. She regretfully removes you from her body before she gets you to stand up on wobbly knees.

She strokes you furiously, the heat caused by the friction of her hand against your cock provided a tingling sensation. She had little care for how fast she was going, using her free hand to massage your balls in anticipation of what was about to come.

“Cum all over my face.”

She picked up the pace and stroked you even faster until you moaned loudly and erupted all over her face. She smiled wickedly as her eyes instinctively shut as you coated her soft features with thick, hot ropes of semen. The first shot hit her forehead and hair while your toes curled from the pleasure. Your next release hit her cute nose and ridiculously soft looking cheeks. The pressure she had built up inside you was finally alleviated. She continued to massage your balls until she felt you had nothing left.

Her smile was a wonderful juxtaposition to the mess you just created on her face. She stuck her tongue out and cleaned your cock, removing the last few remnants of your load that dribbled from your tip.

“Fuck, you taste good.”

[chrwrites]

Drunk Talks (and Sober Confessions)

this one was written for the previous @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Fic Challenge prompt: “I love you.” “Tell me that when you’re sober.”

It became longer than it was supposed to be so it’s not a sprint fic anymore, but I enjoyed writing this a lot even though it took me longer than expected :)

read on ao3

When Luka saw Marinette enter the living room of the Liberty that night, he choked on the drink he was having, and his best friend next to him had to clap on his back until he recovered, his face still red.

What a perfect beginning for the night, he thought.

It didn’t help that Ruby had mixed his drink a bit too strong for his liking and his throat was burning when he turned his gaze back to Marinette.

Why did he let his sister organize a Halloween party on the boat, anyway? He didn’t even like big parties, he could have just said no, but then Rose had pleaded him with her signature puppy eyes and there was no way he was saying no to that.

Not to mention that he really wanted to see Marinette. He had been busy between work and university and her last year of lycée had her stressing over the BAC ever since the beginning of the school year. They hadn’t been able to hang out properly in a while, and… he missed her. He had been looking forward to seeing her again, he just didn't expect her to look like... like this.

Now that she walked in the room, Luka felt breathless. It was like he was looking at someone else, even though he could still see all her sweetness under a costume he would have never imagined seeing on her.

Her blue eyes looked a shade darker under the purple eyeshadow that merged with black at the side of her eyelids, and her usually pink lips were tinted purple to match. Luka took another sip from his cup before bringing his attention to the rest of the look.

Marinette’s black hair was tied in a half bun, and the free strands fell on a black crop top that sported a purple skull in the middle. A checkered black and green skirt wrapped around her hips, ending a few inches above her knees, and her legs were covered by a thin layer of purple fabric. Where did she get those combat boots?

Okay, breathe Luka. It’s not like your crush has dressed up as your first fictional crush. It’s fine, it’s fine. You can go to her, tell her how much you like her costume and how much you wish to-

“You’re drooling”, Ruby’s amused voice called him back to reality, and he almost snapped his neck as he turned to look at her, hoping that the heat he felt on his cheeks wasn’t visible, but the knowing glint in her eyes told him the exact opposite.

Didn’t they watch Danny Phantom every time they had sleepovers when they were younger? And as Ruby said how cool Sam Manson was and how she wanted to be like her, he ended up telling himself that he was going to marry someone like her, and she’d scold him because “We’re besties and I’m not marrying you, that’s gross”. Luka grew out of his punk-girls-can-step-on-me phase – or at least he thought he did until now – after his first break up, and then he met Marinette and decided that pink was his favourite colour because it was cute and soft and Marinette.

Despite knowing that she could pull off anything, Luka didn’t expect her to look so good in darker colours.

Okay, let’s face it, he just wasn’t ready to see her like this.

“Who would’ve guessed that the cute baker’s daughter would have gotten you all worked up within five minutes in being in the same room as you. That’s a record, Lu”, Ruby snickered and grabbed a bottle from the table beside them, filling his cup again, “You need another drink”.

Luka didn’t protest and brought the cup to is lips as he looked back at Marinette, taking another good chunk of his drink and not caring for the burn he felt in his throat this time.

She was talking to Adrien and complimenting him for his Ladybug inspired costume, and if she blushed it was only because she felt flattered and not because of that huge crush she used to have on him.

If this had happened a year ago, she would have been gushing about the fact that her crush was dressed up as her superhero alterego and would have been freaking out, but now she just laughed. She didn’t even stammer around him anymore, and she was glad that she could finally cherish their friendship now.

There was someone else in her heart, someone with a bright smile and the sweetest voice and the deepest blue eyes she’d ever seen, and she had finally gathered the courage to tell him how she felt. That was the perfect night, she had dressed up for him, her parents were away for the weekend so she had no curfew to think about, and that meant that she could enjoy Luka’s company for as long as she wanted. And she had been preparing for this moment for a while, too. From the dress to the words she would have said to him, and she had to do now was hoping not to be rejected.

Luka had always been there for her, and now that she was finally ready to face her feelings for him, she hoped he’d still be there, in a different but better way.

Marinette’s eyes wandered around the room looking for him, and among some unfamiliar faces – that she supposed were his friends – she found him, standing in a corner of the room and smiling to a girl that was sticking out her tongue at him. Wait, was he blushing?

Of course he was, she was gorgeous.

Crimson hair, green eyes framed by a thin line of eyeliner, and the red on her lips didn’t look obnoxious. A plain black choker decorated her neck, and the long-sleeved crop top she was wearing left her stomach exposed, the ripped skinny jeans only helped accentuating the curves of her body.

She was the perfect mix between punk and stylish. And she was tall, not as much as him, but enough that she didn’t have to pull herself on her tiptoes to kiss him. It’s not like Marinette had thought about it, anyway.

Now that she looked at him having fun with someone that was just like him, she felt pathetic.  Marinette was ready to tell him how she was in love with him, and all her hopes were shattered. Gone. She had missed her chance.

Whoever she was, she was a much better fit for him, anyway, beautiful and cool and just perfect. And Marinette was just… Marinette, trying to fit in clothes that weren’t meant for her just to impress him. She was young and stupid, and she had dressed up while both Luka and the other girl were in low effort costumes. Luka was wearing his everyday clothes but wore the black eyeliner he usually put on when he performed and brought out his eyes, and the red-haired girl managed to pull off cat ears without looking awkward or dumb.

Marinette felt stupid for hoping that Luka would have answered her feelings and cursed herself for not being able to speak up sooner. She sighed, deciding to deal with how much of an idiot she was the only way a mature and responsible person of age could deal with their problems, “Shots, anyone?”.

Alya gave her a cup to drink from, and Luka found himself staring at Marinette’s painted black nails from where he was when Ruby called his attention, passing him another full cup of liquor mixed with juice.

“Are you going to talk to her?”, she asked.

“I’m not sure I can talk to her while trying to control the impulse to jump her”, Luka sighed, fiddling with the cup in his hand. He felt breathless just by looking at her, how could he expect to talk to her? He hadn’t gathered enough liquid courage to walk to her just yet.

Besides, Marinette was with her friends, and he couldn’t just walk to her and tell her how he thought that she looked great and he couldn’t take his eyes off her, just the way she smiled and her lashes fluttered under the lights they had set was making him weak, and how that look fit her was just… incredible. But he also thought that her clothes would look better on his–

“Woah, when did it go from “She’s the music in my heart” to this?”, Ruby snickered, raising one eyebrow at him.

“Oh, shut up”, Luka groaned, downing part of his drink to drown his thoughts.

He shouldn’t have been thinking about her sister’s friend in that way in the first place, but he couldn’t really help himself when she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen.

“Really, though, I don’t think staring at her like a creep is the way to go”, Ruby said.

Luka sighed, focusing his attention on the drink he was holding, and reprimanding himself for thinking about her in that way.

Maybe avoiding her was the best idea, but just as the thought of moving to a less crowded room to not see her crossed his mind, Marinette’s happy voice called his name, “Luka!”.

He looked up, and all he saw was the bright smile Marinette was giving him.

He felt his heart miss a beat when he noticed that the pick he had given her the first time they met was dangling from the choker she was wearing. Luka brought his cup to his mouth again, chugging some of his drink, hoping that some more alcohol would have helped him to at least spit out some words and kill the wild thoughts forming in his mind. But all Luka could focus on was the way the purple and white piece of plastic fit perfectly in the middle of her pale neck and the curve of Marinette’s exposed shoulders and how he wanted to–

“You’re wearing an amazing costume! Don’t you think so, Lu?”

Luka straightened up as soon as he felt something hit his foot, and Ruby was giving him a tight smile and nudging her head at Marinette begging him with her eyes to speak for goodness' sake. Luka winced, but was grateful that she had opted for canvas shoes instead of combat boots that night.

He looked at Marinette again and it didn’t take long for him to get the same awestruck expression he had been sporting since she walked into the room. He was too distracted from the vision that she was in that moment that all his stupid mouth had managed to choke out was a “It’s... very good”, that earned him a disappointed pout from Marinette, and a very exasperated sigh from his best friend.

“Just good?”, Marinette giggled, and tried to twirl around but ended up tripping on her feet. Luka promptly leaned forward to catch her and Marinette let out a happy intoxicated laugh, clasping her hands on his shoulders, “I’m mad at you now”, she said, faintly trying to put some distance between them. Luka waited until she straightened up before letting his hands leave her waist, and he couldn’t control the small chuckle that left his lips.

Marinette grinned and took one step closer to him, raising one finger to his face, “I can’t really be mad at you now, can I? You have the prettiest smile”.

Luka gulped, feeling his cheeks heat up at the compliment, “You’re drunk, Mari”, he stated, more to himself than to her.

“I don’t know, maybe? I feel so good, Luka! And I need to talk to you”, she said, the alcohol in her body giving her the confidence she didn’t have sober.

Luka shook his head as he fought the fond expression forming on his face, “Let’s go grab some water first”.

“But I want to talk now!”, the girl in front of him whined, and closed the distance between them placing her head on his shoulder. Luka’s breath hitched and he had to force himself to focus on something different than the very drunk Marinette that was clumsily wrapping her arms around him.

Luka sighed, looking down at her as she nuzzled her face on his neck, “You smell so nice!”.

“Marinette”, he called, trying to gently pull her away from him enough to fill a cup with water and give it to her.

“Yes, that’s my name!”, she chirped, taking the cup he offered and chugging it down. A drop of water fell from the corner of her lips, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Luka had to look away from her, trying to hold back the thoughts forming in his mind.

“Water is so good!”, she laughed, tumbling towards him again, this time Luka placed his hands on her bare arms to steady her.

“Ah, Luka! Have I ever told you how great I think you are? You never fail to catch me”.

The surprised look on Luka’s face turned into a soft expression rather than a concerned one, but he still couldn’t manage to say something to her, or at least thank her for the compliment. And as he stood silent, Marinette suddenly grabbed his hand, pulling him with her and walking away with him. Where did she find that strength?

He tried to pull away from her and looked back at his friend for help, who grinned and raised her cup to him, winking. She winked. Marinette was going to kill him and Ruby didn’t even raise one finger to help him.

Traitor.

If he got through that night without doing something he could regret in the morning he was going to reconsider all of his friendships. A friend doesn’t let you leave with your crush hand in h– okay, maybe he was overreacting, but having Marinette’s hand intertwined with his didn’t really help with thinking straight, especially when he had knocked down a few drinks, too.

“Marinette what–”, he called, trying to remain as calm as possible as she dragged him through the corridor that led to the bedroom he shared with Juleka. She tripped on her feet more than once, and Luka decided it was safer for her to be carried than to walk, “Oh Luka you’re soooo strong”, Marinette laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his skin along with the cloying smell of peach vodka, and he forced himself not to focus on that and instead worked on opening the door to his room without making Marinette fall.

When he managed to get inside and shuffle to his bed, Marinette didn’t seem to want to let go of him and she pulled him down with her when he tried to lay her down.

He ended up laying on top of her for a split second before he quickly moved to sit up on his bed. Marinette's giggles died down and she was looking at him, eyes glassy and cheeks a deep shade of pink.

Luka looked away from her and inhaled a deep breath before suddenly feeling her shift and wrap her arms around him. Her laughter was way too cheerful and he forced himself not to think about the way her hands touched his skin or how her hair tickled his neck or how she was sitting on his lap. Shit.

“Luka, you’re really amazing”, she raised her head to look at him, getting way too close than necessary, and he had to put his hands on her shoulders to put some distance between them.

“Marinette, please, don’t make it harder than it already is”, he said, trying to catch his breath.

“Why, is it hard?”, she asked innocently, and tilted her head, “I’m just saying the truth”.  

Oh God, now he really needed another drink as strong as those Ruby made.

Marinette blinked slowly, and brought one hand to his cheek, slowly tracing his features with her fingers, “You’re so gorgeous... And talented... And kind... And caring... And I love the sound of your voice... And when you play for me...”, her voice was low as the words tumbled out slowly from her mouth.

She looked sincere, almost like she knew what she wanted to say and it wasn’t the alcohol talking for her. The giddy smile wasn’t leaving her face as she traced his lips, and Luka felt his skin burn where it had been graced by her touch.

He knew that it was wrong. He knew it. And he knew that he had to stop her. So why was his body completely frozen? Why didn’t his mouth dare to open?

“And I really, really love you Luka”, Marinette closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her forehead into his. Luka could feel the beat of his heart getting quicker, and he shivered as soon as the words left her mouth, his stomach twisting unpleasantly. That was too much.

He gulped, his trembling hands gently pulling her away and his body shifting further from her as much as the length of his bed allowed.

“T-tell me that when you’re sober”, he choked on his words, and he took a deep breath to gather himself.

Marinette didn’t seem to notice his change in behaviour and laughed, “But I love you now, too! And tomorrow I will be sober, but I will still love you! And I’ll tell you again. I promise!”, she blabbered, the glint in her eyes was killing him as she adjusted herself on his lap again.

“Marinette, please.”, Luka pleaded, trying to get her off him.

God, had they been in a different situation he wouldn’t have complained at all. If she had been clinging onto him sober, he would have happily carried her around, and he’d love it. And maybe he’d spend the rest of the night telling her how beautiful she was, how much he adored her costume and how dark colours suited her. Had they been in a different situation, he would’ve–

No, he wasn’t supposed to think about this now.

Luka sighed and made her settle down on his bed, taking off her shoes, “Why don’t you sleep it off? We can talk about it tomorrow”. If you still remember this.

Marinette looked at him, blinking through her long lashes, “Will you sleep with me?”.

Luka’s mouth went dry. He looked at her, her hair going in different directions on his pillow and his hand was reaching for her cheek before he realized what it was doing and pulled it away.

He looked away, trying to find something that he could do for her that didn’t involve her looking at him.

“How about I get you something more comfortable to wear?”, he asked, clearing his throat and walking to his closet.

“No, I like what I’m wearing! But if you don’t, I can take it off, you didn’t seem to like it anyway”, she said, sitting on his bed and reaching for the hem of her top.

“No no no”, Luka said quickly as he ran to her and put his hands on hers to stop her, his eyes wide.

Marinette raised her head, looking at him adoringly.

“Have your eyes always been this blue? They’re beautiful”.

Luka gulped as he felt heat rising to his cheeks, and turned his gaze away from her.

She’s drunk, there’s no way she means what she's saying. She’ll forget about it tomorrow and I can deal with this, I’m not leaving her alone.

“Wanna know something fun?”, Marinette sat back up and crossed her legs, “I really, really want to kiss you now”, her words were tangling on her tongue, but he wished he didn’t hear them since his chest started to ache.

No, he couldn’t handle this.

She was grinning at him widely, looking like she knew what she was doing, and leaned her chin on her hand, staring directly into his eyes, “Do you want to kiss me?”.

Okay, this was a bad dream, all Luka had to do was take a deep breath and ignore the beautiful girl sitting in his bed looking way too tempting for him. Then he’d wake up and everything would be fine and Marinette would still be the girl he was in love with, but she hadn’t told him that she wanted to kiss him like she really meant it.

Too bad it felt too real and he had to fight the need to kiss that stupid beautiful grin off her face for so many different reasons.

She is drunk and I would never take advantage of her.

She doesn’t really love me.

This is wrong.

Luka bit his lip until it hurt before speaking again, “You know what? I’ll do it if you tell me all this again when you’re sober”.

His eyes widened as his brain registered the words that slipped from his mouth and brought one hand to his face. That was probably the alcohol doing the talking for him as well.

The whine Marinette let out was adorable, and Luka tried to keep a straight face as she put her lips into a pout, “But I wanna kiss you now!”, she crossed her arms.

Luka shook his head, and that was enough for her to sigh and fall back on his bed, stretching out her legs on his lap after he felt safe enough to sit at the bottom of the bed.

“Fine, tomorrow I will tell you all of this, and I will tell you more! Like how I draw your face when I feel uninspired, and how I listen to you singing when I can’t sleep, and about the jacket I’m–”, Marinette stopped her rambling and brought one hand to her mouth before bursting into loud giggles, “Shhh… That’s supposed to be a secret!”.

When her laughter died down, she pressed her index to her mouth and looked at him through half-lidded eyes, “Aw, Luka, am I making you blush now?”, she whispered.

Luka let out a shaky breath and slid away from her legs, getting up.

Being alone in the same room with her had never been this hard, he pinched his nose with his fingers, begging himself to stay calm, and walked back to her. She was looking at him with tired eyes, seemingly out of energy.

“Sleep now”, he said patiently, his voice sweeter than he expected it to be as he tugged her under the covers.

Marinette let out a tired sigh as she closed her eyes, “Wait… I need to take off… Make-up”, she mumbled, and lazily waved one hand to her face.

Luka couldn’t help but chuckle at her, “Hold on, I’ll do it”, he reassured and walked to Juleka’s vanity to get the cleansing wipes for her.

He sat on the floor in front of Marinette before taking one of the wet wipes from the package and starting to remove the make up on her face with gentle strokes. She shrieked and suddenly turned her head on the other side, giggling, “It tickles!”.

Luka let out a laugh of his own as he moved the wipe to carefully clean her eyes. Marinette seemed not to be bothered by his movements and let out a content sigh, leaning towards his delicate touch and blabbering comments on how he was so nice and good and everything.

“I’m all ugly now”, Marinette whined as she watched Luka take another wipe from the package.

“You know that’s not true, Mari”, Luka said softly.

“Sei così dolce, Luka!”, she sighed happily, “Do you think I’m pretty?”

“I think you’re beautiful”, Luka couldn’t help but whisper, and if his hand lingered a little longer on her cheek, Marinette didn’t seem to complain.

“I think you’re beautiful, too!”, she chirped, but then her brows furrowed in confusion, “Wait, no… you don’t use that for men, you’re… what’s the word? Whatever, you’re very good-looking”, she laughed, “Very much good-looking”.

Luka had lost count of the times Marinette left him breathless that night, “Stay still now”, he breathed out before gently moving her face so he could take the make-up off the other part of her face. She nodded, and closed her eyes again, relaxing under his touch.

He had to use three wipes to take all the make-up off, and he had yet to remove the purple on her lips. He had avoided them carefully, knowing that if he touched them, he would have probably combusted on the spot.

Luka took a deep steadying breath before he started to wipe away the purple from her lips with a shaky hand, revealing the soft peachy colour he loved so much.

The hint of an intoxicated smile was still on her lips as he gingerly removed the last hint of purple, admiring how soft and beautiful she looked without any make-up, her bangs falling messily on her forehead only accentuated her beauty.

He switched off the light to the room with his free hand and kept his gaze on her. She hadn’t made any sound since he started taking off the make up from her lips, probably asleep by now, and Luka indulged himself in keeping the hand that was still on her lips there.

The city lights coming through the porthole made her seem ethereal, hell, she was ethereal. Luka felt at peace just by looking at her. He took a moment to memorize her features before he gathered himself and slowly pulled away his hand, but just as he did it, Marinette stuck out her tongue and licked the back of his hand.

“Marinette!”, Luka shrieked, rubbing his hand on his jeans as the girl in front of him giggled again, “Ha! I got you!”, she garbled.

Luka didn’t bother to fight the soft expression forming on his face this time, he got up and pulled the now dishevelled covers on her as her giggles died down.

“Sleep, Mari”, he whispered softly, and Marinette brought the covers close to her face, letting out a happy sigh, “’Night Lu, thank you for being soooo lovely. You’re the best”.

Luka stood silent for a moment as Marinette closed her eyes, finally drifting to sleep.

He got lost in studying her features again, and this time he wasn’t able to resist the temptation to brush her cheek with his fingers. Her skin was soft and warm and her lips were slightly parted. There was a part of him that wanted to stay with her all night, hold her and make sure that she was okay and had everything she needed. But he couldn’t, and he felt like he had taken too much from her already.

He shook himself from his thoughts and got up, heading back to the living room.

It was after he left his room that he noticed that the music wasn’t playing anymore, and the only people he found in the room were Rose and Juleka. How long did he stay in his room with Marinette?

Luka took a bag and started throwing empty bottles and cups in it, intentionally avoiding his sister’s inquisitive gaze. He stood silent as he helped the two girls tidying up, trying to force himself not to think about what happened earlier.

He was doing fine until Juleka and Rose decided they were done with the cleaning and he had to tell them that Marinette was sleeping in his bed and not wake her up. Both Luka and Juleka had to hush Rose’s excited squeals, and he had to repeat that it wasn’t how it looked like for countless times before she calmed down and stopped saying how “Alya was right!”.

Did Luka want to know what she meant with that? Not really, so he just invited his sister and her girlfriend to go to sleep. Juleka didn’t make any comment, instead took Rose's hand and pulled her away with her.

Luka kept cleaning up with the sole purpose to distract himself from the fact that the girl of his dreams was sleeping in his bed looking like a goddess and drunkenly told him that she loved him. If only that was true. He should have been feeling tired, but all he could feel was the giddiness Marinette’s words gave him.

I will still love you tomorrow

I listen to you singing when I can’t sleep

I draw you

I really want to kiss you

I love you

The sun was rising when he finally let himself collapse on the couch, not bothering to cover himself with a blanket or even check his phone for unread messages.

Marinette’s voice was still ringing in his head. There was a small part of him that hoped for her words to be true, but he knew from experience that a drunk mind didn’t always speak a sober heart. And with that in mind, he let himself fall asleep.

It took Marinette a while to understand where she was when she woke up that morning, and the comforting scent of ocean salt and musk hit her before the nausea and the headache did. And if that wasn’t enough, as soon as she realized that she was in Luka’s room, the memories of the previous night came to her mind and... Shit.

She got up from the bed and groaned when she felt her head spin so hard that she had to sit back. The tights were making her skin itchy and the skirt she was wearing had raised, leaving her legs exposed. She closed her eyes, trying to find enough strength to get up and leave. Maybe she could transform and get home, didn’t Tikki say that her powers could cure weakened bodies? That was perfect! She’d transform and she’d already feel better, then she could get home and forget about everything she did the night before and no one would ask questions.

She wouldn’t even have to confront Luka about what she said to him and he’d forget about her being stupid. She just needed to find the strength to get up and leave and– but that wouldn’t have been fair to Luka, and the least she could do was tell him that she was sorry for having been... the way that she was the night before. She took him away from someone else and he had the patience to stay with her even when she shamelessly tried to hit on him. He had been so respectful to her, he deserved at least to know that she was grateful for him taking care of her. She just needed to not look at him in the eyes and let her embarrassment sink in her stomach, she’d have the whole afternoon to loathe about it anyway. Did she really tell him that she loved him?

Oh, this was not how she planned to tell him how she felt about him! And there was someone else in his heart now!

Marinette cringed at the thought and squeezed her eyes, massaging her temples.

When she opened her eyes again, she found some folded clothes and a toothbrush on the nightstand. Did Luka leave them there after she fell asleep? She felt her cheeks heat just thinking about the way he took care of her the night before, how she leaned on his gentle touch, how he had been delicate and sweet... and how she, on the other hand, had been a complete mess.

God, she had been so stupid.

She took a deep breath before finally getting up, grabbing the clothes and going to the bathroom to change, wash her face and brush her teeth. She put on the pair of black leggings that were probably Juleka’s and the forest green sweatshirt. The sleeves covered her hands, so she had to roll them up while she tried not to focus on the fact that the sweatshirt smelled just like the bed she woke up in.

She tied her hair in a messy bun, but avoided looking in the mirror, too ashamed of the judgemental look her reflection would have given her.

There was already Tikki to do that, anyway, and just as Marinette thought about her Kwami, she appeared by her side, the glint in her eyes matching more the god of Destruction than her, “I’m glad you allowed yourself to loosen up a little”, she chimed, and Marinette groaned.

“Why didn’t you stop me? Luka probably hates me now!”, Marinette whined and sat on the edge of the bathtub, putting her head in her hands.

This was awful, and confronting Luka was going to be a complete disaster.

Tikki shook her head and floated next to Marinette’s ear, “Believe me, Marinette, he could never hate you”.

Her words didn’t seem to reassure her, and Marinette looked down, letting her hands fall on her lap. What could she say to him now?

Hey I’m sorry I love you and I had to tell you that while drunk because I can’t even look at you in the eyes for too long when I’m sober?

I’m sorry I’m stupid and you had to deal with me all night?

It wasn’t until Tikki leaned her paw on her cheek that Marinette raised her head and got up, hoping that whatever damage she had done could be fixed, or that Luka was understanding enough to give her another chance. She faced her reflection on the mirror, fixing the mess that her hair had become and taking deep breaths, mentally preparing herself for the worse. When she finally opened the door and walked to the living room, she heard music coming from the galley.

Like handprints in wet cement, she touched me it’s permanent.

Luka was standing with his back turned to her, his head was bobbing to the rhythm as he stirred something on a bowl, “I cannot hide these feelings, I'd give up everything for you”, he hummed, his voice soft and low. Marinette gulped as she looked at him moving swiftly around the galley, putting the flour away in the cupboard and cleaning the counter. His hair was mussed and the way his t-shirt stretched on his body made her blush for the thoughts running through her mind, as if the headache wasn't enough. He was still singing when he turned on the stove and the sweet smell of pancakes filled the room, and Marinette didn’t dare to make her presence known, he was too lost in the music and she was enjoying watching him more than she’d admit.

She kept admiring him as he sang along to another song and turned to put a plate full of pancakes on the table, “I swear to God, I never fall in love, then you showed up and I– Oh”, his eyes widened, and he scrambled to get the phone from his pocket to stop the music.

“You’re awake”, he stated as the room went quiet, and Marinette felt her cheeks burn. She nodded slowly and looked at her feet, biting her lip hesitantly, she couldn’t look at him in the eyes, afraid of what she could see.

“How are you feeling?”, Luka asked, there was care in his voice and Marinette wished she could disappear right in that moment.

“I’m fine”, she said, fiddling with the hem of his sweatshirt. Luka looked away from her, focusing his attention on his surroundings as he tried not to think how pretty she looked while wearing his clothes and being just herself.

“Do you feel like eating something?”, Luka broke his silence, and Marinette took a deep breath before turning her gaze on him. There was smudged make up under his eyes, and she felt her cheeks heat up again at the way he looked at her, “You’ve already done so much for me Luka, I don’t want to bother–”.

“You’re not bothering me”, Luka interrupted, and Marinette gulped as he pointed at the chair beside him and smiled at her reassuringly. She sat down and he moved the plate of pancakes to her before turning his attention to the stove, turning it back on and preparing his breakfast again. Marinette took one banana from the fruit bowl in front of her and started cutting it in slices, letting them fall on the food he’d prepared, “Eat it while it’s warm”, Luka said, putting a jar of honey and a bowl full of berries on the table.

Marinette nibbled the pancake slowly, giving Luka a grateful smile when he settled in front of her with his plate and a bottle of painkillers for her.

They ate in silence at first, and it was only when Marinette’s plate was half empty that she found the energy to speak, “Listen… Uh… About last night…”, she started, and Luka raised his head from his plate to look at her, “It’s okay, Marinette. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to”, he said, his voice as calm as ever.

Marinette swallowed and focused back on her plate, the silence that fell between them was uneasy and unnatural from what she was used to. It wasn’t right.

She emptied her plate in silence and took the medicine, downing it with some water before daring to glance at like again. When Luka finished his breakfast, he got up to take her plate.

“No, I’ll do it”, Marinette said, taking the plate before he did and getting up just as her head started spinning again. She stumbled in front of him, and Luka promptly caught her, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her just as he did the previous night. Marinette felt her throat go dry as she looked up at him, she could feel his breath on her skin and it took more effort than she imagined to move to the side to put their plates in the sink.

Luka stood where she’d left him, keeping his warm gaze on her.

She couldn’t bear the awkwardness that came with staying with him, that wasn’t them. Being with him was so natural, it shouldn’t have been difficult now. She could tell him how she felt and then he’d talk and he’d be gentle even if he had to break her heart and Marinette would be okay eventually, right? Even if he wanted nothing to do with her later.

She felt her heart sink just at the thought, but it didn’t stop her from placing her hands on the counter, and taking a deep breath to gather herself. Then she finally turned to him, managing to look straight into his eyes, “I need to talk to you about last night”, she said slowly.

Luka nodded and walked to her, leaning his back against the counter and looking at her in the eyes, preparing himself for what he wasn’t ready to hear.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean what I said last night.

He gulped, trying to focus only on her instead of what was going on inside his head.

“I–“, Marinette sighed, taking another deep breath before continuing, “This is not how I expected this to go. I mean, I never had the courage to talk to you about this until yesterday, and I thought I was finally ready to tell you everything, and I dressed up hoping to catch your attention because I wanted to feel… confident. I always feel confident around you, I just– I don’t know, this sounds stupid now. But I dressed up for you, and I hoped that you would notice me…”, she looked down.

“Marinette, I–”

“Let me finish first”, Marinette requested, “You didn’t even look at me, and I saw you with someone else and you kept avoiding me, so I thought that I missed my chance. And that if she makes you happy I don’t have any right to claim you. I just– I’m sorry for how I acted, and for being so stupid and for getting in the way. But… I need you to know that I meant what I said last night, it wasn’t the alcohol doing the talking. I love you, Luka”.

Luka’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. That was too much information to register at once, and he had to take a moment to just look at her and ask himself if he was dreaming again. There she was, Marinette leaving him speechless again.

“Listen, if you don’t want to talk to me anymore, I understand. I just had to tell you this once…”

“Marinette, I would never not want to talk to you”, Luka said promptly, and her mouth twisted when he looked at her. There was confusion in his eyes, and his expression seemed thoughtful.

God, he had so many things to say to her. Like how he couldn’t believe that she meant what she said, how she didn’t have to change to impress him because she was gorgeous and he could never take his eyes off her. (Yes, yesterday she blew up his mind, but that was another story and it didn’t help that someone who knew his weak spots had been hitting them all night before Marinette came to him.)

He wanted to tell her that he was sorry for avoiding her but he couldn’t bare stay in the same room as her without staring at her and how much he loved her and why would she think that he had a girlfriend in the first place?

“Do you think that if I were seeing someone, which to be clear, I’m not, I wouldn’t tell you?”, he asked.

Marinette lowered her head, “N-no… but you’ve stayed all night with that girl and you were all flustered and she’s hot and she’s just like you and I just– I assumed that you were a thing?”, she didn’t dare to say the word “girlfriend” because just the thought of it made her heart ache.

Luka couldn’t control the laugh that escaped from his lips, and Marinette raised her head to glare at him, “I’m serious Luka!”, she said, pushing him away.

That was enough for him to calm down, and his hands reached for her face, he looked at her in the eyes, amusement still clear in his voice, “You’re talking about the girl with red hair right? That’s my best friend”.

Marinette’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened as her mind processed the information, “Oh.”

Luka chuckled, and Marinette felt her cheeks burn so hard she had to cover her face with her hands, “I’m so sorry”, she said.

Luka was still smiling when he let his hands reach for hers and he gently pulled them away from her face, “Let me look at you, please”, he whispered, making Marinette shiver. She gulped when she faced him, the soft look in his eyes making her blush again.

His thumbs brushed the back of her hands as he looked for the words to say and comforted her at the same time.

“She was teasing me because of you”, he said eventually, “I got all stupid because I saw you and you looked so different I couldn’t stop staring at you or thinking how good you looked that I thought avoiding you was the best idea. You were mesmerizing, you always are. And you don’t have to change for me to like you because I like you the way you are. I just never expected you to wear anything close to that style so I was struck, and I started acting dumb.”, he concluded, letting out a deep breath.

Marinette’s mouth formed a small ‘o’. God, now she really felt stupid. If he wasn’t holding her hands, she would have slapped herself.

The way Luka was looking at her was making her heart pound loudly in her chest as she registered his words. He likes me. Luka likes me. Oh my God, he LIKES me.

“So… you like like me?”, she asked, hesitantly.

“I thought it was pretty clear by now”, Luka stated, taking one step towards her.

A wide grin spread on Marinette's face, and she tried to bit it down unsuccesfully. Luka didn’t turn his gaze away from her this time. Instead, he raised his hand to cup her cheek, enjoying the warmth she emanated.

“Just to make sure... You’re not mad at me for trying to hit on you while I was drunk, right?”

Luka gave her a fond smile and thumbed her cheek, “I couldn’t be even if I wanted to. Besides, you meant everything you said, right?”

Marinette blushed as she remembered all the words she said to him, but nodded, “Y-Yes...”, she breathed out, and when she looked into his eyes and saw that all of her feelings were reciprocated, she didn’t hesitate to let the words fall from her mouth again, “I love you, Luka”, and Luka answered pressing his forehead on hers, “I love you too”.

They stood in silence, enjoying each other’s presence quietly until Marinette placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned closer, “Can I kiss you now?”, she whispered, her gaze dropping to his red lips.

A wicked grin appeared on Luka’s face as he closed the distance between them, “Are you sure you’re not still drunk?”, he teased.

Marinette gasped and tried to shove him away unsuccessfully since he promptly grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, "I'm just kidding", he said, the happy smile not leaving his face.

She shook her head, but her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met again, and when he leaned in to finally kiss her, all Marinette could think about was how good his lips felt on hers.

[rhinoswriting]

5, 4, 3, 2, 1! (Luke Hemmings One Shot)

Summary: Told from an unnamed, female-presenting character's perspective. Luke and the reader confess that they have feelings for one another at the New Year's Eve party she hosts.

3.3k~ words • Fluff

***********************

I was frantically mixing my cake batter together when I heard my doorbell ring. I wasn't expecting Michael to turn up until 4pm. So either he was uncharacteristically early or I was running further behind schedule than I thought. I glanced at my watch as I trotted from the kitchen to the front door. It was 4:07pm. I could feel the stress and panic expand in my body. I was stressed enough when I thought I was just 20 minutes behind schedule. I was actually running over an hour behind. I knew hitting snooze would be a mistake.

"Hey!" Michael greeted me with his usual Labrador level of cheer when I flung the door open.

"I'm so glad you're here," I confessed, the words tumbling out of my mouth as fast as I could form them, "I'm running so, so far behind schedule."

"Chill; it's fine." Michael chuckled while pulling me into a friendly hug, "I'm here to help set up, so we'll make up time."

"You're stealing precious seconds," I mumbled into the front of his shoulder as I tried to end the hug, "I needed my cake in the oven 15 minutes ago. It won't have cooled enough to ice properly before people arrive now."

Micheal unwrapped his arms from around my torso to let me run back to my cake batter in the kitchen. He followed behind with an amused smile and calm energy.

"What can I do to help stop you freaking out? Decorate? Set up the bar? Pour snacks into bowls?" Michael asked as I searched a cupboard for a cake tin.

"AH-HA!" I exclaimed, grabbing a cupcake tray and grinning manically, "Cupcakes don't take as long to bake! We've got 15 minutes back!"

"Shit, I didn't realise you were stressed to the point of deranged." Michael half-joked.

"Shut up and prep the bar." I ordered while starting to spoon batter into paper cases, "Please!" I added as an afterthought behind him.

Just as I'd put the cupcakes in the oven and set a timer, Michael reappeared in the kitchen.

"Right, the bar is all set. I've also put anything that look potentially breakable in the nearest cupboard or drawer." He informed me, "Also Luke texted me, so I talked him into coming over to help too."

"You are a life saver, Cliffo." I smiled, now feeling a bit more relaxed.

The two of us then went about checking off various tasks to get my house party-ready. About 25 minutes in my doorbell rang.

"That'll be Luke!" I called out to Michael as I made why way to the door, "Heya! Come on in." I greeted Luke as I pulled the door open.

Luke walked through the door, his duffle bag hung off his shoulder, and smiled down at me,

"Everything going okay? You look more flustered than Mike let on."

"I'm great. I'm great." I assured him, "We've made up some time and now we've got you too. So it's fine. I'm fine."

"Whatever you say," he chuckled, "Let me go dump my bag in your room so I can get changed later and then I'll be your devoted servant ready to follow orders."

~

"I'm going to need to head off," Michael announced after checking the time of his phone, "It's nearly 6 and I've gotta go walk to dogs, eat and get ready. I'll see you guys at 8."

"See ya in a bit!" Luke called after us as I walked with Michael to the door.

"Thanks so much for helping, Cliffo." I said as I hugged him goodbye, "The place looks great and I feel a lot more relaxed now. See you later."

I waved him off down the front path. Once he reached the gate I closed the door and headed back to the lounge.

"So what's left to do?" Luke asked when I re-entered the room.

"We're going to the kitchen to ice those cupcakes. And after that it'll just be a case of getting ready ourselves." I smiled at him gratefully, "We should even have time to start pre-drinking now that we've regained some time. Thanks for your help."

"No worries," he said returning my smile and then headed to the kitchen, "Now let's get icing."

After such a rushed, blur of a day it was unbelievably calming to methodically ice and embellish cupcakes with a friend I had such a comfortable connection with. It made me imagine the two of us playing out homely scenarios in romantic bliss. But that was an ideal world. In the real world we were just two friends with natural chemistry, so I tried to curb my imagination.

"Are you bothering with any new year's resolutions?" I asked, knowing that conversation would keep my mind from wandering back to its dream world.

"I always break them and only half-heartedly make them in the first place." He responded as he dropped little, silver sugar balls onto the lilac icing I had just swirled onto a cupcake, "Getting in shape is always one; listening to critics less; getting at least one full night of sleep next year would be nice too."

I laughed at his last resolution as I placed a loveheart sweet on another cupcake.

"What about you?" He asked.

"Getting in shape would be one of mine too if I weren't so lazy," I began, "I'm thinking of going vegetarian, so maybe that too. I might start dating too, now that I'm settled in the city, but it's still a bit terrifying."

"Yeah, the dating scene here is rough." Luke responded flatly.

"Well, it looks like we're done here." I chirped as I placed the last of the 20 cupcakes back on the counter. I smiled down at the four rows of cupcakes, with their lilac icing, silver balls and carefully centered loveheart toppings, "We did good! Now let's get ready so we can get drinking!"

Luke followed me into my bedroom, where he had dumped his bag earlier. As he began pulling out the crumpled clothes he had haphazardly stuffed in the bag earlier, I opened my closet door and began picking our various items. In the end I had four potential outfits draped over my left forearm.

"How dressed up are you meant to get for a New Year's Eve party in your own home?" I inquired, not knowing which outfit to go with.

"It's your house and you're the host, so get as dolled up as you want I guess." He answered; his hand hovering between a shirt and a t-shirt he'd laid out on my bed, not sure which one to go with.

"That's not the helpful answer I wanted," I teased before continuing, "What are you wearing then? I'll gauge my outfit off of yours."

"It's currently between this vintage Guns n' Roses tee or the pale yellow shirt. Which d'you think?"

I walked over to my bed for a closer look at his two options. I told him to go with the vintage GnR t-shirt as it went better with his black skinny jeans and wouldn't show alcohol stains as easily as the pastel lemon shirt. He then proceeded to carelessly stuff the shirt back into his duffle bag and switch the t-shirt he had on for the Guns n' Roses one. He was so used to dressing rooms that a quick shirt change in front of someone wasn't a big deal. Nevertheless I still politely attempted to avert my gaze and turn my attention back to my outfit for the night.

Using his outfit as guidance, so I was at least on the same level as someone that night, I opted for my distressed Metallica t-shirt and my favourite leather-look mini skirt. As I wasn't as comfortable getting changed in front of people, especially those I had bottled up feelings for, I told Luke to go and grab the denim jacket I knew he kept in his car.

"It'll complete the look." I told him when he questioned why I was telling him to get a jacket for a house party, "I'll get changed and started on my make-up while you get it. Then we can concoct some cocktails."

Once Luke had left my room I slipped out of my bike shorts and loose v-neck and into my chosen outfit for the night. I looked at myself in the full length mirror attached to the closet door and did a few little half spins to check out how I looked from various angles. I loved the look. I particularly liked the subtle flash of my bright red triangle bra through some of the little holes and tears in the black fabric of my Metallica t-shirt. It gave me an added touch of confidence.

I already had make-up on; but it was just foundation, mascara and the nearest brown eyeshadow I could find to fill in my brows. I pulled my liquid eyeliner pen from my make-up bag and began outlining a wing. Just as I was finishing up my second eye, Luke entered my bedroom again.

"Jesus! You made me jump!" I exclaimed when I first caught a glimpse his reflection behind me in the mirror.

"Sorry," he laughed, "I left the front door ajar while I ran to the car. Didn't want to disturb you and get you all stressed again."

"Aww, well thanks I guess," I said awkwardly while applying my berry red liquid lipstick, "Right, I think I'm done." I announced turning to face Luke who was leant up against my doorframe.

Luke straitened up to standing and unfolded his arms, moving his hands into his pockets.

"You look great," He smiled sweetly down at me, "Really great."

I thanked him as I approached him and linked my arm through his. Arm-in-arm I led him to the bar area Michael had set up at the far end of my lounge.

We were both on our third cocktail, sprawled out on my corner sofa and listening to Nimrod when guests started arriving.

"Ayyyy! Cool Guy Cal!" I greeted Calum at the door, who was shortly followed by Roy, Ash and Sasha.

Michael, Georgie, Joel and Christina were next to arrive. Shortly followed by Rian and Bailey. Then Alex, Lisa and Jack turned up and the guest list was complete.

By 10pm everyone was suitably drunk, my carefully crafted playlist was being appreciated and the party was in full swing. Like all good house parties, the kitchen was nearly as crowded as the lounge.

"Coming through! This lady wants a snack!" I declared as I tipsily weaved through Jack, Ash, Christina, Luke and Georgie to get to the snack bowls.

"Really? Tiny pretzels?" Ash asked with a mischievous grin, "I thought Luke over here would be your first choice snack."

"Aha, you're funny." I said sarcastically. I hoped my cheeks already had an alcohol flush so no one would notice that his sly comment had made me blush.

"No, no, she said she's ready for the dating scene here. So I'm just those bar peanuts that have been left out for a questionable amount of time." Luke jumped in, randomly gesticulating with the cup in his hand.

"Oh shut up; you are not. You know you're just as good as tiny pretzels." I scolded him before turning to Ashton with the cupcake I had just picked up with the loveheart that read 'Bite Me', "This is specially for you, Ash."

"'Bite Me', ooh that cuts deep." Ashton chuckled before taking a bite, "I stand by what I said though." He spoke through his barely chewed mouthful.

I simply rolled my eyes at him and made my way back to the lounge to pour another drink.

I was still at the bar area, sipping my cocktail, while chatting to Alex and Lisa when Acting Like That began to play.

"Oh, oh my god, okay, I'm sorry but you guys are going to need to excuse me a sec." I apologised as I dashed into the middle of the crowd in my lounge, where I hoped to convene with the four 5SOS boys.

None of them disappointed me. Hearing their call to arms (a.k.a. the opening bar of the song) we formed a tight circle of five and went crazy. As we sang passionately and jumped around I noticed where Luke had positioned himself in relation to me and remembered Ash's comment from earlier in the kitchen. I never thought Luke would like me back, but here he was closer to me than anyone else. And what was comparing himself to stale peanuts earlier meant to mean? I shook the thoughts out of my head. It was New Year's Eve, I should be having a great time with my friends, not fixating on the behaviour of one of them.

"Want to grab a refill?" Luke called into my ear as Acting Like That transitioned into Afterglow.

"Sure," I responded while also trying to catch my breath from all the jumping around. I hooked my arm through his, did a little skip-step and headed back to where I'd run off from Alex and Lisa moments ago.

"Too cool to dance to your own song?" I teased Alex when I saw he was still stood by the bar.

He just laughed my comment off as he stepped to the side to let Luke and I access the whole array of bottles and their potent liquids. As Luke was busy pouring mixer into his cup Alex caught my eye, raised his eyebrows dramatically and looked in Luke's direction. I mouthed the words 'don't you start' at him and shot him a warning look. Alex raised his hands, palms facing me to signal defeat and gave a small nod before swivelling on his heel and disappearing into the crowd of my sweaty, drunk friends.

"Sooo, I'm like a pretzel to you?" Luke asked with a sly grin as he looked down at me and placed a cocktail umbrella in my refilled cup. I couldn't tell if he was mocking me or not by bringing that remark up.

"Yet you think you're a stale peanut to me. I'm not having the conversation I think we're about to have if we keep using salty party snacks as an analogy." I chuckled before taking a huge gulp of my drink. I had a feeling I was soon going to need all the liquid confidence I could get.

"Want to go somewhere a bit more private then?" Luke asked leaning down to make sure only I could hear him above the music. Which meant I was also the only one to hear the nervous quiver in his voice. I found his apparent nervousness both sweet and incredibly reassuring, considering my own nerves.

I responded by nodding coyly, suddenly too nervous to even form words. I couldn't believe I was about to have this kind of drunk chat with Luke. I was so scared of having my heart ripped out half an hour before midnight on New Year's Eve. I genuinely couldn't say with confidence which way this was going to go.

Luke took my free hand in his and led me to my bedroom. It was a good call. We'd have no privacy in the garden because of the guests who were smokers, as well as my huge french doors all the non-smokers could watch through. And we couldn't have a drunk bathroom chat, because I only had one bathroom so an impatient line would form within minutes of locking the door.

I shut the door once we were back in my room and pressed my back against it. Luke was stood in the middle of the room, a few steps from the foot of my bed. He had his fingers pressed together so his hands formed a triangular shape which he held up to his face, covering his nose and mouth. He took a breath in and as he released it, his hands slid from his face up into his hair to push his curls back. Then he finally made eye contact with me.

"Look, party food aside, I've got to know how you feel about me." Luke stated, with a hint of pleading in his voice, as he took a few steps closer to me.

"Honestly," I started, "Whoa boy, I am not drunk enough for this. Crap," I took a second and exhaled deeply, "Okay. Luke, despite my best efforts to bottle up my feelings and just see you as a friend's like the others, I can't. I really fucking like you."

"So you do have feelings for me too?" Luke tried to clarify.

"Too?" I queried, meeting his gaze for the first time since admitting my feelings. I wanted clarification as well; I wasn't going to let my heart soar based on a drunk assumption.

"Yes, too. Of course I have feelings for you." Luke admitted, stepping further towards me. He placed a cupped hand on my cheek as I took a step away from the door and closer to him, the distance between us now almost completely gone, "Since you came into my life you've made every day better. How could I not fall for you when you're you?"

My heart now had permission to soar as high as it damn well pleased.

"Knowing you has made me happier too," I beamed.

Luke mirrored my beaming smile upon hearing those words. Then, with his hand still cupped on my cheek, he tilted my face a fraction higher before our eyelids fluttered shut and the gravity between our lips took hold.

It was an incredible kiss. And not just because Luke was a great kisser. It was incredible because, in a strange way, it was such a relief. After all the time spent pinning and denying my feelings, it was such a relief to feel Luke's soft lips on mine and realise what a fool I had been.

After a solid minute of kissing someone cleared their throat behind us. Luke's hand slid from the small of my back to the side of my waist; I loosened the arm I had draped around his neck; and our lips parted as we turned to see who had just announced their presence behind us.

"While I'm sure as shit glad you two are finally hooking up, we've got a countdown to do in a matter of minutes." Alex said before wrangling us out into the garden with everyone else, "I FOUND THEM MAKING OUT!" He declared to everyone as he came out into the garden behind us.

Some people wooped, some people awwed and then there was the almost in-sync "fucking finally" from Michael, Calum and Ashton. Seeing their reactions made me so happy and let me know that whatever this grew into, it was right.

Luke took my hand again, interlocking his fingers with mine, and we walked to the back of where our group of friends had congregated in the garden to view the myriad of fireworks soon to be set off across the city.

"One minute to go!" Christina called.

Luke placed a soft kiss on the top of my head before raising our linked hands over my head so they came to rest on my hip, with his arm wrapped around the back of my waist and my arm around the front of my waist.

"Thirty seconds!" Christina chimed again, "Twenty seconds! ... Eleven!"

Then we all joined in together,

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

As our friends cheered the new year in and fireworks began popping in the sky above us, Luke's lips found mine again. It was a brief kiss. Luke pulled his lips away and then pressed his forehead against mine,

"Happy New Year" He whispered in the softest voice.

I grinned up at him,

"Happy New Year, Luke." I whispered back before returning my lips to his.

[beautifulbuckys]

Bravo, baby

Request: “Can you do a youtuber reader x steve rogers where They do boyfriend does my make up? :))”

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: Fluff? Loooots of fluff, some bad humor

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Youtuber!Reader

You heard your camera give a small beep, it's now or never.

"Hey, guys!" You waved at the camera propped on a stack of books in front of you. "It's Y/N! Today, I'm back with my boyfriend Steve!"

Steved waved at the camera with a bright smile. He was beaming. "Hey, everyone!" He cheered.

You grinned at him. "Alrighty, so here's what we're doing. I get it's 2014, but I wanted to do a 'boyfriend does my makeup' video! I figured it'd be fun, and I actually think Steve will be really good at this!"

Steve let out a chuckle and shook his head playfully. He watched you talk to the camera with such care. You had lots of fun doing these videos. Filming was one of your greatest joys, you always beamed before you did it. However, Steve's favourite part of your job was when you got ideas. You eyes would shine as bright as the stars, and your smile would reach your temples. You'd always bounce out of your seat to grab your small orange notebook and write the idea down. Steve called it your 'notion notebook'.

"Okay!" You said after you finished explaining what was going to be doing. "I bought a few more supplies because it was a coincidence that I was running out,"

You dumped out a bag of a few flashy eye shadow pallets, two beauty blenders and a new highlighter.

Steve immediately grabbed a beauty blender and unpackaged it, shoving it in his mouth.  "What is this? A bright pink glamorized marsh mello?" Steve questioned. He knew it was a beauty blender, he's dated you long enough to know. It was all in good fun.

"Steve!" you gasped, playfully slapping on his shoulder.

Steve started sticking his tongue out. "This thing is taking all the moisture out of my mouth!" He announced for you to hear.

You laughed, the sound bouncing off the fairy-light covered walls. Your laugh was always music to Steve's ears, especially you belly laugh. It's the way he could tell that you were having a good time, that you're enjoying yourself.

"Then spit it out, genius!"

Steve spit out the beauty blender.

"I wonder if he's going to stick my bronzer down his throat," You spurt with amusement, making eye contact to the camera.

He looked at you, with a curious glint in his eyes. That comment made him want to prove you wrong.

"Oh no," You mumbled to the camera, "He has his game face on,"

"If I'm going to do it, I'm going to be the best at it!" Steve declared, sounding confident and ready-to-go.

"You heard it here first folks! Steve Rogers is going to be a makeup artist overnight,"

"Okay, where do I start?" Steve questioned, antsy to do something so fun. You never really let him touch your makeup, in the container or on your face. He understood, it took time. Makeup was an art he just didn't understand, so he respected your request. He also understood how expensive makeup was. Whenever you were with Okoye and Nakia, you'd tell them how pricy makeup is. They wore very little, and whenever they saw you, they'd compliment yours. So you always told them about where you shopped. You'd also occasionally bring them gifts from Ulta and Sephora, telling them it was a treat for being so awesome.

"Breaking news, Steve Rogers, self-proclaimed makeup artist, doesn't actually know how to do makeup!"

He laughed, awaiting the real answer. He knew you'd actually tell him, but your viewers needed something to laugh at. You clarified, telling Steve he had freedom. You were no makeup guru, you didn't have a specific routine to follow. He could do whatever he wanted. He was going to have a blast.

Steve's hands almost immediately went to your foundation. He looked up at you for approval, and all you did was nod. He liked that you gave him freedom, he really loved it actually. However, he was still disoriented and overwhelmed. That would not falter his confidence, though.

"That's concealer, baby," You informed him, hoping to settle any confusion.

He playfully scoffed. "I knew that! It says concealer on the bottle!"

"Oh I'm sorry," You retorted with a wide grin on your face. "Who knew, maybe being 101 affected your eyesight a little. I was being a good girlfriend!"

"Ouch, that's cold," Steve growled with playfulness. He'd fake being grumpy sometimes, all for fun. Especially when you'd make fun of his age. He didn't mind, it was just for a joke and he understood the comedy of his age. Not everyone looked thirty even though they lived through the Great Depression. He didn't understand why it was funny at first. But you were the one to sit him down and remind him that he was 99, yet he looked like some 29-year-old male fitness model. Then he got the memo, it was hilarious because it was odd and unnatural.

You giggled as Steve squirted your foundation onto the beauty blender. The colour popped from the aqua applier. He made sure he didn't use the one that was previously in his mouth, that's just disgusting.

He reached up to your face with the bright applier, dabbing it twice on both cheeks and your forehead. Then, he slowly blended it together, going back and applying some extra to your nose. He dabbed and rubbed your face, constantly looking to see how it looked. Once he was satisfied, he reached for a small, brownish looking powder.

"This is," He paused, examining it, "contour?"

You nodded, surprised. "You'd be correct!"

"For an old man, I'm pretty good at guessing what makeup is what," Steve chuckled.

"Oh, so when I call you an old man I'm mean! But when you call yourself an old man you're the funniest man alive,"

Steve laughed.

"Looks like you're dating the funniest man alive!"

For the next fifteen minutes, this is all that happened. Steve would find some makeup, guess what it was, banter with you, and then apply it.  He couldn't help but think how entertaining it would be to your wonderful viewers. Not only would the banter be laughable, but his awful attempt at eyeliner would be amusing.

Just like that, Steve was finished. You closed your eyes for Steve to see the damage. Your foundation was well blended, matching your complexion beautifully. The contour he applied made your cheekbones look amazing. He did your eyeshadow with close precision. You had deep blue fading into violet, which faded into a beautiful pink. It looked like a sunset straight out of a nature documentary. Steve also did your lipstick and eyeliner, which was entertaining for you. It was so hard to not laugh the entire time.

Your lipstick matched your eyeshadow. It was a pinkish-purple colour, not quite either. He lined it with a blue eyeliner you had, so it pulled the look together, while still being unique. The weakest point of your look. It was messy and all over the place, but it makes the look original and hard to copy. You loved the imperfection, Steve resented it.

"I'm deciding not to do mascara, for both your safety but also mine," Steve stated, putting down the eyeliner pen he had in his hand.

"How would you be harmed if you did my mascara?" You questioned, curious for his answer.

"I stab your eye, you stab me," He replied, looking directly into the camera like he was on The Office. Goddamn him and the millennial humour that he learned two weeks ago. You haven't heard the end of Office references since he binged the entire show with Natasha and Sharon. He sometimes drops them without even realizing, and this was an example.

You nod your head with a smirk.

"Yeah, seems about right. Good call, Stevie," You reply.

"Alright guys, I'm no artist, but please tell me how I did in the comments. I'll read them and reply to them with my obvious appreciation of any constructive criticism, this obviously isn't my field."

"I think you did pretty good, baby. You're an artist, I think it shows," You objected.

Steve blushed at you. Sure, he was an artist, but he was used to big canvasses and paintbrushes. You only have your face and tiny brushes for your colourful powers and liquids you apply to your face liquid.

"Alright guys, I have one more thing I want to do before I end this video!"

"Oh God, I think she's gonna kill me! It was nice knowing you all!" Steve joked.

"Steve!" You blurted.

"Sorry baby, as you were saying?"

Y/N took your blue eyeliner pen in your hand. You took the cap off with a pop and looked at Steve. You saw the fear deep in his ocean coloured eyes.

"You're going to do my eyeliner?" Steve asked with worry, he bet you could do it better than him, but he was also scared because that thing is pointy.

You shook your head and turned his face to see his cheek. You put your hand underneath his jaw to stabilize and started writing on Steve's cheek. He tried to stay as still as possible. You let him do your entire face, the least he could do is deal with a blue message on his cheek. You wrote for a few minutes, occasionally messing up and wiping it off. It was either a spelling mistake, or you didn't like how the handwriting looked. He was almost certain it was because of the handwriting.

You tapped on his cheek to show you were done and looked at him with a wide smile plastered on your face. He tried to see what the message was in your camera's viewfinder, but it was too small.

"Want a mirror, babe?"

"Yes, please!"

You handed him a small mirror that you used to apply your makeup in the room you two shared. He placed it on the desk in front of you and bent down, leaning into the mirror. He read the message written on his cheek, trying not to smudge it.

You're going to be a Daddy!

Tears dripped down Steve's cheeks and shock flooded over him. He looked at you, and you nodded. You were also crying, smiling as you were doing so.

"Y/N...are you serious?" He asked, joy obvious in his question. He could barely contain his excitement.

"Completely," You responded, hugging him.

Once he escaped your warm, comfortable hug, he looked into the camera again. He shared his thoughts, raving about how excited he was to have a baby with his girl.

"When did you find out?!" Steve had so many questions. Some of them were not to be asked on camera. He thought that your viewers might want to track with you, so he thought that would be a good question to ask on camera. Heck, it's probably the only question he would ask on camera. You two needed your privacy from the internet. Luckily, your viewers understood.

"A month ago," You squealed. "This is how I planned on telling you,"

He grabbed your face, placing a huge kiss on your lips. He would keep going, but there was a gremlin in the back of his head reminding him that there was a camera. It was a bonus that the camera was recording.

"Oh my God, I'm so happy!" Steve shouted.

You looked at the camera, with the biggest, goofiest smile. "You guys can't feel it, but he's literally shaking in his stool. He is a phone on vibration mode,"

"That's an odd metaphor," Steve expressed.

"Leave me alone, I'm pregnant," You laugh.

Steve looked at you, his eyes hinting he was ready for this video to be over. You got the signal. Turning back to the camera, you waved. "Alright, that wraps up this weeks video! Leave a comment below about how you think Steve did! Please like and subscribe down below, it's much appreciated and makes me strive to produce more content. Alrighty, that's all! Peace out, babes!"

"Bravo babe, now tell me about this baby,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: 

@musiclover1263

[kpopscenarihos]

safe haven (jae - day6)

a/n: this was an extremely spur of the moment thing i wrote but i think i like it and i hope you all do too! yes i had to add a joke into the ending because i can’t be serious and also THIS IS JAE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT OKAY i hope you all appreciate my dumb sense of humor anyways ADFASDF;J ENJOY also the lyrics at the beginning are from “safe haven” by state champs, go look it up it’s a super fuckin cute song and when i’m not being a kpop ho i’m an emo ho so i had to throw it in there - admin tae

summary: best friends to lovers, idol!jae x aspiring makeup artist!reader

genre: fluff

word count: ~2.6k

warnings: mild language

“They said we could find safe haven

       But I think it's wherever we are”

Just a little bit longer, you told yourself as you drug your liquid eyeliner slightly further out to the right of your eye. You just wanted the wing to be a bit sharper was all, it didn’t need to be intensely long or anything and- “Fuck,” you whispered, scolding yourself. Your hand shook, causing the eyeliner wing to become a long, jagged mess that had reached a point beyond fixing by adding more eyeliner. You’d be a raccoon if you decided to go any further. You dropped the eyeliner pen down with a sigh and grabbed a cotton pad, soaking it in liquid eye makeup remover. No matter how many years you had been doing wings on yourself – 7, to be exact – there would still be days where you would mess it up beyond repair. 

You scrubbed your eyes with the cotton pad, putting you right back to where you started. You took a deep breath and picked up the eyeliner pen once again. You were training to become a makeup artist; you had the skill set to be able to pull off crazy makeup looks, so why was this so difficult today? Well, the universe knew that today was an important day – makeup tended to take a turn for the worse when it was important for it not to.

You and Jae had been best friends since middle school. You had done everything together – bonded over music and movies, played video games together…everything. Your personalities meshed so well, him being a massively sarcastic idiot, and you loving him for it. But, in the back of your mind, you always knew he was destined for great things – and that would make your friendship much more difficult.

In high school, he formed a band, which grew to be massively popular, or at least amongst the population of the kids at your school, that is. It was called Cultured Peanut – a name that didn’t last long after you teased the hell out of him for it – and so, after a long discussion with his bandmates, they became Day6. And, as you had expected, once you both moved on from high school, he dedicated his life to his band, and you dedicated yours to cosmetology school. Between writing, recording, comebacks, and tours, the time that you and Jae had together was extremely minimal compared to what it was before.

So, when he texted you to meet up for lunch today, you cleared all of your plans and texted back a simple ‘Sure’. But you knew that it meant much more to you than that. 

Once you had finished your makeup, you looked in the mirror, satisfied – finally. It was just extra enough to show you had put in effort, but not so much that it was glaringly obvious. You made sure to use a dewy foundation for a natural, effortless look, and you went for a subtle nude and maroon cut crease for your eyeshadow. Your wings were sharp, your contour perfectly applied, and you were ready to go. 

You popped on a solid black off-the-shoulder long-sleeve crop top and a maroon button-up velvet skirt. Grabbing a pair of black heeled boots and your purse, you checked the time on your phone – you had approximately 30 seconds before you needed to be out the door, so you shoved your shoes on as fast as you could, and you were off.

When you arrived at the restaurant, you checked the time once again – a single minute late, you noted. You would be fine – Jae was usually at least five minutes late at all times. So, when you got up to the podium to reserve a table for the two of you, you opened your mouth and closed it in shock when you saw Jae across the room, sitting at a table, waiting patiently for you. Flustered, you let the lady know you already had a table and made your way over to Jae, scooting into the booth across from him.

You felt an impossibly large smile spread across your face when you were finally face-to-face with your best friend for the first time in a while. Sure, you were still close when you had time to be around each other. The last time you saw him was approximately two months ago, right before the band’s comeback, when Jae had just dyed his hair blue. Now, it was shockingly obvious how much time had passed, as his hair was a faded pastel blue, and the dark circles underneath his eyes were an indication of the lack of sleep he had been getting. 

He smiled back at you – a tired smile, but a smile nonetheless. “You made it,” he said as you situated yourself in the booth. “Did you notice that I’m early for once?”

“I did,” you said, leaning your elbows on the table and resting your chin in your hands, directing your full attention to him. “What have your bandmates done to you?”

He laughed, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. “It has nothing to do with them. I was just excited to see you, that’s all.”

You gave him a questioning look – the friendship between the two of you was filled mostly with playful teasing, so for him to say something like that really meant something. “Been around too much testosterone?” you joked.

“Yes, yes, it’s been years since I’ve seen a woman with my own two eyes,” he shot back, causing you to throw your head back in laughter.

Your conversation was interrupted by a waitress coming up to your table – she took your drink orders and then returned to the kitchen. You let out a sigh as you let your eyes trace their way across Jae’s features, analyzing them. “How much have you been sleeping?” you asked.

“Not much,” he admitted. “But now that I’m back home I’ll be fine, promise.”  

You grinned at him, and once the waitress returned with your drinks, you took a sip of yours, the bubbly soda quenching your thirst. “It’s my job to worry about you, you know.” You quickly guided the conversation away from getting too deep by asking, “Is my lipstick okay?” You had chosen to wear one that wasn’t matte for once in your life, and you worried about the straw leaving a mark.

Jae rolled his eyes. “Man, I’ve missed hearing that. Yes, it looks fine.” You smiled, looking down at the table so that maybe he wouldn’t see how affected you were by his comment. 

‘Is my lipstick okay?’ had become a joke between the two of you after how frequently you asked about it. Luckily for you, Jae was willing to put up with how extra you tended to be about it. Many other people would tease you for being so concerned about your appearance. ‘You look prettier without makeup, so why bother?’ was a comment you often received from others – one that made you irrationally angry. To you, it wasn’t so much about how you looked as much as it was about how much you loved creating art. It was all about the process for you, and Jae understood that. Hell, he had seen you on plenty occasions where you decided not to wear makeup, and he never said a word either way.

“Well I’m glad you missed me,” you said. He looked at you, anticipating a follow-up to that sentence, and you rolled your eyes. “And I missed you too, idiot.”

“See, there we go, that wasn’t difficult, was it?” 

“I almost died,” you said, pouting at him. 

He simply laughed, which was interrupted as the waitress took your orders. You didn’t realize how much you missed Jae until you were surrounded with every little detail about him once again. The way he nervously placed his order, his tone changing from the tone he used to speak to you, did something to you that you couldn’t explain. The way he smelled, the way his smile only made its way to his eyes when it was for you – everything about him felt familiar and warm, and God, you had missed it.

It was obvious to you, and to probably everyone else, how much you adored Jae, so much so that it certainly surpassed friendship territory. And, at this point, you think Jae even knew, too. Your suspicions told you that he felt the same, but neither of you ever acted upon it. For you, you were far too scared of change. Jae’s friendship was a massive foundation for your sanity, and something inside you was too afraid to let your relationship become something else.

Another side of you knew that the two of you were meant to be together – and if that was true, you believed, fate would bring you two together eventually. At least that’s what you told yourself.

Your orders arrived, and the two of you ate in silence, which was something rare. Jae usually always had something to say – mostly, it was a snarky comment, but it was something nonetheless. “You okay?” you prompted as the silence went on for way longer than you felt comfortable with.

You expected him to tell you that he was just hungry was all, but instead he said, “I’m sorry. It’s just…these past couple of months have been a lot for me, and now that they’re over…I don’t know, Y/N. You just feel like a safe haven to me, I guess. Like I can finally be comfortable.” 

You didn’t know what to say, and you knew he could tell you were a bit shocked. When you collected your thoughts, you reached your hand out to grab his across the table. “I feel the same way…like things are back to normal, I guess?”

He squeezed your hand and smiled. “Yeah. As normal as they can be.”

You fumbled with your keys, trying to unlock the door to your apartment. “You’d think I’d be good at this by now,” you mumbled, and finally the door opened, causing you to breathe out a sigh of relief. 

Jae stood behind you and followed you in, giggling at your blatant struggling. You had invited him over in the hopes that the two of you could relax, but now you were just flustered.

“Shut up,” you said, smacking him playfully in the side. Quickly, in a move you didn’t anticipate, he grabbed your hand in his, and you looked up at him, your eyes meeting his. You weren’t sure what to say, your mouth hanging open at the mercy of the words that refused to come out.

He took in a deep breath, just staring at you, his eyes clearly filled with admiration. “God, I fucking missed you and all the stupid things you do,” he said, his voice growing to a whisper as he finished his sentence. You looked into his eyes, trying to sense out whether he was joking or being serious, and you felt your heart skip a beat as you realized there was no playfulness to his tone. 

“I missed you too,” was all you could muster up to say back.

He looked down at both of your hands, using his own fingers to play with yours. “This comeback made me realize I never want to lose you from my life.”

“Wait, what makes you think you would lose me?” you said, using a finger to tilt his chin up, his eyes now meeting yours.

“I-I don’t know, Y/N. Maybe it’s not so much losing you completely as it is losing you to someone else.”

Your eyes widened when you realized what he meant. “Like...as in…” Before you could finish, he pulled you in closer, his lips crashing into yours, where they lingered for some time until the two of you pulled away. You looked away from him and bit your lip, trying to hold back the smile that so desperately wanted to spread across your face. “Got it,” you said after a period of silence. “You sure have a way with words, Jae.”

“What can I say, I’m a lyricist after all,” he joked. His lips found yours once again, and this time, the kiss was more desperate, as if the two of you needed to confirm that what had just happened had actually happened. Yep, it was real, you thought to yourself when he pulled away, and goddamn was he a much better kisser than you had ever imagined. 

You giggled when you noted patches of a red hue that were left across his lips – a hue that you had reapplied to yours just moments before you hopped out of the car. “You have a little something…” you said, reaching up a hand to wipe the lipstick off of his lips. Instead, he grabbed your wrist and said, “Is my lipstick okay?”

“God, fuck off, “ you giggled, as the two of you fumbled your way to the couch situated in your living room. 

“Never,” he said as he peppered kisses across your face, and you leaned back into the couch, Jae hovering over you. He continued you kiss you sporadically, all across your face, as if he were making up for all the kisses he had wanted to give you in years past but never had the courage to. His lips met yours once again, and you deepened it, a hand making its way to the back of his head to pull him closer. You played with the back of his hair for a little bit before you turned your head, causing his kiss to land on your cheek as you said, “Your hair’s getting a little long back there, isn’t it?”

He stopped kissing you for a moment to say, “I guess so. Problem?” You two had had this discussion before – if he ever so much as dared to try to delve into mullet territory, you would never let him live it down. 

“Mmmm,” you contemplated as he went back to kissing your neck. “I don’t know. I may have to interrupt that party in the back.” You giggled as his lips made their way to yours again. In between kisses, you let out, “You’re still cute, though.”

He pulled away, grabbing both of your hands in his and lacing his fingers with your own. “Aww, thanks babe, you too,” he said lightheartedly, partially teasing you for validating his hair, partially being fully serious. 

You wanted to say something back, but you couldn’t hold back your laughter when you looked him in the face. “Oh, Jae, you’re covered in red lipstick.” You motioned for him to shift positions so you could get up, and he obliged. “I’m gonna go take this lipstick off, then we’re gonna get that mess off of your face.” In a quicker tone you said, “And then I’m gonna go grab some scissors from the bathroom to fix your hair…” Slowing back down, you finished, “…and then we can watch a movie and cuddle on the couch.” 

As you were walking back to the bathroom, he shouted, “What was that middle part?”

“Hmmm?” you teased.

“Hmmm?” he echoed back, mocking you.

You rolled your eyes and turned on the bathroom light, looking at yourself in the mirror. You grabbed a hand towel and swiped the lipstick off of your lips, thinking to yourself how much of a handful a relationship with Jae would be. You placed the hand towel down next to the sink and smiled to yourself. But he was your safe haven, after all. 

[artlessictoan]

Day 3 – Polyamory, KaruHinaTema

took ages to get any ideas for this day but some of my fic-buds gave me a couple of prompts, ended up longer than intended but i’m happy with it! (hina is trans btw)

---

Day 3 – Polyamory, KaruHinaTema

---

Her hand was trembling as she painstakingly painted a single line, her breathing shallow and rapid. If she didn’t calm herself down quickly, Hinata was going to end up taking her own eye out, but she just couldn’t bring her arm under her complete control, not even when she brought her free hand to steady it – if anything, that just made her shaking even worse.

Finally, her liner was complete; she opened her eye to see the result. It immediately disappeared underneath her eyelid. She had to restrain the urge to growl as she pressed a little closer to the mirror and – keeping her eye open this time – drew another line across her skin.

Blinking at her reflection, she couldn’t help but grimace. She leaned back in the hopes that maybe it just looked so bad because she was staring at point-blank range, but the extra distance didn’t really make the black streak across her eyelid any less wobbly.

Crying would definitely just make her terrible attempt at winged eyeliner even more smudgy, but she really was tempted to break down; just for a few minutes.

It was safe to say that she failed hard at makeup. Maybe the foundation kind of worked, if you didn’t mind it being half an inch thick, and it was difficult to mess up lipstick, though she wished she’d gone with a different shade, but her eyes were completely unsalvageable. She really should’ve watched some videos before attempting this, but she’d been rummaging through dresser drawers trying to find her contact cleaner and there were some old bottles that Temari had probably gotten for her birthday and never bothered to use sitting right there and before she’d really registered what she was doing the tiny four year-old who’d sit on her mother’s lap while she was doing her makeup had pulled the cap off the lipstick and now she had this mess to deal with.

Hinata sighed, rummaging around the dresser for tissues when the faint click of the door being opened made her jump. Hand pressed against her thudding heart, she turned to face her girlfriend, who was already apologising for scaring her – she could never resent Temari’s habit of creeping around the house in near-total silence, but that didn’t mean she had to like it – before she actually took the time to really look her up and down.

Quite obviously biting back a smirk, she gestured vaguely to Hinata’s face. “Bold look you’re going for there.”

Giving her girlfriend the blankest look she was capable of – and she’d had a lot of practice from listening to her father’s transphobic comments throughout her childhood – she returned to opening drawers until she found the makeup remover. “Your entire face is a bold look, but you don’t hear me talking about it.”

Five years ago, she never would’ve dared say anything like that to anyone, not even behind their back, but her girlfriends had been encouraging her to let her ‘sassy thoughts’ out, if only because they got a kick out of the disconnect between her sweet, feminine image and her surprisingly sharp comments, especially when there were others around to gap in shock.

“Wow, not pulling any punches today are we?” Temari was laughing hard, her giant grin showing off her dimples.

Hinata couldn’t help smiling a little herself; they were just so cute.

“Seriously though, what’s with all this?”

It took a long while to find an answer, time she spent staring at her reflection and overlaying it with the image she’d had in her head. “I… just wanted to try it.”

There was a small huff from her side, before Temari wiggled her way between Hinata and the dresser, sitting down on it as she pressed her rough-skinned hands to either side of her face. Her thumbs rubbed gently under her eyes as she said, “It’s for you, right? Not because it’s what people expect from you, or because they don’t have the right eyes to see how perfect you are or-”

“It’s for me,” she said, giggling and laying her own hands over Temari’s. “I just think it’s so beautiful, to be able to paint your truest self onto your skin… it’s like your tattoos, I just want another way to express myself.”

Dark eyes stared deeply into hers for what felt like a lifetime, but eventually her girlfriend was satisfied with whatever she found there. “Alright, good. Now shuffle back a bit so I can fix this.”

She blinked as she tried to digest Temari’s implication.

“Oh, don’t give me that look!” Slapping lightly at her arm, Temari forcibly pushed her chair back a few inches and settled more comfortably on the dresser, picking up the pack of baby wipes and fighting with the seal.

Hinata had to bite her lip, eyeing her girlfriend’s completely bare face doubtfully. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I mean, you’re kinda butch…”

Temari rolled her dark eyes, flapping a wipe in one hand before slapping it to Hinata’s cheek. “I’m very butch, thank you.” Apparently, she still didn’t look very impressed, because she rubbed away at her forehead harder than was strictly necessary. “C’mon, I’ve seen both my brothers do this a million times before, how hard could it possibly be?”

---

“…Temari what the fuck are you doing to our baby girl?”

Perhaps she should’ve jumped to her defence, but honestly at this point Hinata was too horrified by her own reflection to even look at Karui as she walked into their bedroom.

“Shut up, I can still make this work!”

Karui’s face appeared in the mirror, one brow raised and her mouth pulled into a tight line. “Kinda looks like you’ve just punched her in the eyes a couple times and then bit her entire mouth – is that supposed to be lip-liner?”

Slapping their meddling girlfriend away, Temari pulled at Hinata’s chin and swiped a foundation laden brush under her eyes – a poor attempt to cover up the deep plum eyeshadow that she’d been more than a little overeager with – all while snapping, “I. Can. Do. This.”

“And by ‘this’ you mean ‘make our beautiful angel look like a sleep-deprived clown?’ If so then good job.”

“If you’re just going to criticise you can do it somewhere else, I’m trying to concentrate here, besides, Hina thinks I’m doing a good job, right babe?” She didn’t bother replying, because anything she might say would only be ignored when the stubborn woman had a point to prove, but hopefully her expression would get her feelings on the matter across quite well. “See, she loves it.”

Karui’s mouth dropped open in horror when Temari reached for an eyeshadow pallet, selected the glittery gold one and spread it across one eyelid.

“Ok, no, see you’re just drawing attention to the piss-poor job you’ve done, here, stop, just-” Placing one hand fully over Temari’s face, Karui pushed until she was forced to abandon the dresser and immediately took her place, already reaching for the makeup remover. She was gentler in wiping her face clean than Temari was, but Hinata was still fidgeting nervously in her seat when she started eyeing the collection of tubes.

“Is adding another butch to the equation really the best idea?” she asked, berating herself for ever trying this out in the first place; if only because her girlfriends were both too competitive to ever let an opportunity to one-up each other slide. “I can just look up some tutorials or something…”

Already squeezing out a little foundation onto the back of her hand, Karui shook her head. “Nope, I’m gonna do this right, my girl deserves nothing but the best! Now what kinda look are you going for?”

“I-” she frowned when, instead of reaching for the brush, Karui instead picked up some moisturiser and added a blob next to the foundation, then gradually mixed the two products together “-I guess something natural… I did want to draw attention to my eyes though.”

Loading a brush with the combined liquid, she set to work.

It was already off to a better start than either of the two previous attempts – mixing the foundation with moisturiser seemed to have lightened it to a shade that better matched her skin and Karui was much more sparing with the product, by the time she was done with it Hinata could barely even feel anything on her face. Next was the highlighter that she’d been too nervous to try out herself, carefully applied to her cheekbones, a light sweep of blush underneath that, finished off with a dusting of that unmarked powder that she’d had no idea how to use.

At some point Temari had leaned in to glare at the work being done. “How the fuck are you so good at this, I’ve literally never seen you wear makeup.”

Karui snorted and leaned back to scrutinise the small selection of lipsticks available, saying, “Yeah, that’s how good I am; you think this jawline is natural?” She held up two in front of Hinata, pursing her lips before chucking one back on the dresser and taking hold of Hinata’s chin, tilting it until she had full access to her lips.

“Seriously?” Temari sounded unimpressed for about five seconds before bursting out laughing.

Carefully swiping a lipstick-coated finger across Hinata’s mouth, Karui glanced at their girlfriend with a very familiar look, Hinata had to giggle slightly in agreement – receiving a flick to the nose for almost messing up Karui’s stroke.

“We can’t all be blessed with cheekbones that could slice through metal-” she turned to Temari with her most obnoxious grin “-just like we can’t all know how to draw a straight fucking line.”

The laughter stopped dead. “Her eyes kept moving, how am I supposed to work with that!”

She was pointedly ignored by the artist, who was too busy dabbing a small brush in the dark grey powder and telling Hinata to close her eyes. The gentle pressure at the lower edge of her eyelid made her try to blink, but as the sensation continued the urge to shudder grew weaker, every time there was a brief respite she wanted to open them again, but Karui’s tutting quickly taught her to just keep them shut until instructed otherwise.

It was a little exciting though, having no idea what was going on, only the strokes against sensitive skin and Temari’s noises of annoyed admiration – an emotion she expressed so often that Hinata could pick it up a mile off, even without seeing her cute, pouting face – to guide her expectations. At some point colours must’ve been changed, because the power felt just slightly different, a little heavier, and a breathy ‘Ohhh’ was released to her left.

She was fidgeting in her seat like a child waiting for their birthday cake to be revealed, burrowing both hands under her thighs just to keep them from flapping, biting the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t bite her lips and mess them up, heart hammering in her chest every time she heard the clicking and popping of various tubes and compacts, stopping for a moment when she felt the fine, liquid brush sweep under her eyes in a single fluid motion, then rushing back like a drum when Karui told her to open up.

The sensation of slightly powdery skin sliding against skin was unnerving, but when she realised that both her girlfriends were strategically positioned to completely hide the mirror from her desperate eyes all discomfort vanished.

Before she could build up the rant she had planned, Karui snickered and waved a mascara wand in her face. “Look up for a sec and try not to blink.”

“You’d better let me see as soon as you’re done,” she muttered, turning her gaze skyward.

Temari’s soft chuckle brought a smile to her face, even as she was fighting to keep her eyes from flickering so hard that she had to imagine the mascara was going to end up washed away by her tears before any product stuck. “You look so fucking amazing sweetie, I hate it.”

She laughed, hissing when it made Karui accidentally poke the corner of her eye – only on the lid, thank god – but still managed to say, “Such high praise!”

“You’re just bitter ‘cause you lost, loser.” Luckily by the time Temari slapped her arm playfully, Karui had put the wand down and Hinata’s eyes were spared any further torture. She blinked a few times to clear them and glanced back at the two loves of her life, both squashed onto the small dresser having a shoving match that was more endearing than it had any right to be. “Ok, ok-” Karui gave the blonde one last elbow and turned to Hinata with that wide, beautiful grin, “-you ready for this?”

Nodding so hard she gave herself a headrush, she practically dove to the mirror the second they jumped to their feet.

She looked… gorgeous. Never would she have chosen such a bold look for herself, but the subtle sweep of silver across her eyelids, with just a slight hint of glitter when she tilted her head, contrasted with the hard, electric blue streak clinging to her lower lids, really brought out what she’d always considered her best feature.

Tears were definitely coming again, but this time it couldn’t be for a better reason. She spun round to face Temari and Karui, both wearing identical grins, and wrapped an arm around each of their necks. “I love it, thank you so much!” She immediately released them, spinning back to stare at herself some more, mind suddenly filled with all the possibilities she could explore in this whole new avenue of artistic expression.

Karui stalked up behind her, throwing her arm across her shoulders and raising a brow. “You realise that Temari did literally nothing helpful, right?”

“I will snap your fucking neck-”

---

[baeking-chancakes]

Love Subscription 1/? - Drabble

YouTuber!AU series, ongoing

ByunBaekHyun: My Boyfriend Does My Makeup Challenge (AKA A MESS)

Baekhyun adjusted himself in front of the camera, brushing his hair out of his face and pinning his bangs back with a clip.

“Is it on?” Chanyeol muttered beside him, leaning over the camera.

“It is - scoot over.”

Baekhyun nudged his boyfriend to the side, avoiding the tripod before him, and then sat up and threw his arms up with his signature grin. “Good morning friends, it’s your local pup here for you this Sunday morning - “

He glanced to the side and saw Chanyeol mimicking his every word and action, arms haphazardly thrown above his head, and he elbowed him and drew a theatric cry from the other before turning back to the lens, giggling.

“I’ve brought my boyfriend to you again, some of you may remember him from the Boyfriend Tag video, which was filmed...” He looked over to Chanyeol again, question in his eyes, and Chanyeol supplied,

“Almost a year ago?”

“Yeah. So instead of him sitting on the other side of the camera laughing at me or telling me to stop screaming at myself, I get to let him make a fool of himself with me.” He leaned onto Chanyeol’s shoulder, fitting his head below the other’s chin. “Aren’t we cute?”

Chanyeol laughed. “Real tight.”

“That’s what she said.”

Before Chanyeol could make some sort of exasperated statement Baekhyun bounced back into his position and launched into his topic.

“We’re doing the boyfriend-makeup challenge. Chanyeol will be doing my makeup for today~” he sing-songed, laughing at the sheepish expression over Chanyeol’s face.

“I’m scared.”

“I have high hopes for you, actually,” Baekhyun mused. “You’ve seen me put on makeup before. Although...” He faced the camera again. “I haven’t worn full...glamour makeup in a long time. I haven’t gone clubbing in forever.”

“Almost three months.”

“You remember?”

“How could I not? You’re a beast when you’re drunk.”

“That’s what she said.”

Chanyeol slapped his arm a gasp. “Stop.”

(cut)

“Without any further ado, we’ll get started,” Baekhyun laughed. He loved doing videos with Chanyeol - he should make a resolution to do more of them.

And so with brief bickering, teasing, and Chanyeol’s fumbling around the products on the table in front of him, he finally found a small bottle with a pale liquid sloshing inside. He furrowed his brow at the label.

“Foundation...this goes first right?”

“Yep.”

The taller man uneasily approached Baekhyun’s face with the pasty substance heavy on his fingers, dabbing slowly over his skin. He winced.

“It’s so wet.”

Baekhyun smirked, scrunching his nose at the tickly sensation of Chanyeol’s fingers running over his skin. “That’s what she said.”

“No.”

“But - “

“No. Stop moving.”

“You’re putting a lot on.”

Chanyeol let out a rather unmanly whine, and a distressed laugh followed closely after. “This is stressful!”

“Calm down! You’re just doing my makeup. It’s very simple compared to what you see the girls usually wear.”

“But you have a very particular way of doing it - that I love.”

Baekhyun snorted, an endearing smile crossing his face. “Softie.”

(cut)

It took longer than it should have to apply.

”You have to make sure it’s even!”

(cut)

Chanyeol sped through painting concealer over the smaller’s nose.

 ”Oh no. You’re all even and then your nose is just white. Albino nose.” 

“Fix it!” 

“Nah I think I’ll leave it.” 

“Chanyeol!”

(cut)

Then there was an illusionary skin whitening cream.

”You don’t need it.” 

“I do.” 

“You’re already perfectly pale. And I like your honey skin too. Nothing to worry about.” 

“Chanyeooooooolll!”

(cut)

By the time it came to his eyebrows Baekhyun was a nervous wreck, but Chanyeol wasn’t handling himself well either.

“Don’t do anything crazy,” Baekhyun muttered, glancing at the camera and making a face.

“No promises.” Chanyeol looked at the camera too...and winked.

Baekhyun felt the pencil tip against his face and Chanyeol’s gentle hands holding him still - he had a relatively hardy faith for his boyfriend doing his eyebrows. Chanyeol always had perfect eyebrows without trying. Baekhyun voiced his thoughts and Chanyeol snorted at him, propelling them into a long casual conversation that would have to be cut out later.

Then came the contouring and highlighting. They were both trying to conceal their laughter and the taller pointed a powder-covered brush at Baekhyun’s cheek like a weapon.

He mumbled to himself, “Just shoot straight...”

Baekhyun opened his mouth but before he could speak, Chanyeol had a finger on his lips stopping him with a curt, “No, that’s not what she said.”

The smaller closed his eyes and tilted his face up to accommodate Chanyeol’s lanky hand with a puppyish smile, soothed by the soft silky tufts brushing against his hollowed cheeks, lips pushed out. He was already aware of how much editing he was going to have to do later on.

Then much to his surprise he felt a hot, soft press against his lips and his eyes flew open, mouth parting with a gasp. Chanyeol’s lips lingered over his, a cheeky grin accompanying his presence.

“What was that for?” Baekhyun blubbered, a blush coming to his cheeks.

“An interlude!”

(cut)

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun guffawed, fighting away Chanyeol’s hands. “You put eyeshadow on with a brush, not your fingers!”

“Really?”

“Yes!” He watched Chanyeol reach for one and his chest jumped with a gasp. He directed the taller’s hands towards a smaller one. “Blending brush. Now don’t go crazy.”

He let his lids fall closed and awaited the touch on his face; he heard only some shifting and a faint whisper. 

“What are you saying?” Baekhyun asked, crease furrowing his brow.

“Nothing. Now keep your eyes closed.” During editing later on he would find Chanyeol making funny faces at the camera and mouthing silently, “He’s so pretty - I’m so lucky. Isn’t he cute? Who else gets to do their boyfriend’s makeup?”

(cut)

And then came the eyeliner.

“I give up!” Chanyeol cried before the pencil even made it to Baekhyun’s skin. “I can’t do this!”

“What? You can’t stop now!”

Chanyeol bit his lip, then glanced at the camera. “You should just edit all twenty minutes of this out.”

“No - finish through!”

“I’M STRESSED BAEKH-”

(cut)

Chanyeol put the tip to Baekhyun’s eye, cradling the side of his face with sweaty palms. After several minutes of timid strokes and touch-ups and unsure lines the taller sat back with a heavy breath. “Every time I touch you I feel like I’m going to explode.”

“That’s what - “

“Hell no! That one barely even makes sense! One more lame sex joke and I will leave this half of your face undone!” Chanyeol shouted, pointing the liquid pencil at Baekhyun’s bright and giggly face. 

“No! Nononono - “ Baekhyun stuttered past his hysterical laughter, grappling at Chanyeol as he stood up and pretended to leave. 

“I swear to god Byun Baekhyun - “

“Nonono no no no! I promise! No more lame sex jokes! Just come back and finish your job!”

Chanyeol snorted through his own chuckles as he plopped back down into his seat and in a nasally, mimicking voice said, “That’s what she said.”

(cut)

Chanyeol sat with a handheld mirror clutched to his chest, grinning at Baekhyun’s face.

“I think it’s time for the reveal,” Baekhyun said to the camera, tucking stray hair behind his ear. “God, I’m sweating.”

“Are you ready?” Chanyeol handed him the mirror with a nervous gasp as he whispered, “I’m more nervous than you are.”

Baekhyun took the glass in hand and adjusted it to his face - his lips fell open. “Wow, Chanyeollie - “

The taller hid behind his hands, peeking through his lanky fingers. “Oh God. What do you think?”

Baekhyun brought the mirror to his eyes, a giggle bubbling in his throat. “You - you did better than I thought you would. Lip gloss is looking good.” He pulled the mirror away and blinked up at the camera. “What do you guys think?”

“You don’t seem like you’d look good in bright lipstick,” Chanyeol mused. “Lip gloss works.”

“I have a method.”

“The eyeliner is uneven,” Chanyeol groaned.

“You must like highlighting. And did you actually contour? I can’t tell.”

Chanyeol shifted to get a better look. “I was probably too much into your lips.”

“You also went really...wild on the eyeshadow,” Baekhyun giggled, observing the bright blue canvas over each lid. “I think I look better in warmer tones, but - is that pink? You were really into the eyeshadow.”

Chanyeol chewed at his fingers nervously. “I didn’t realize how much I was using at the time. It was uneven at first, so I kept adding more to try to balance it out....”

“But my nose! It looks like a lightbulb!” Baekhyun glanced up from the mirror to his amused boyfriend, who burst out laughing as he kept speaking. “I’m the new albino Rudolf the White-Nosed lightbulb!”

(cut)

Baekhyun grinned at the camera, Chanyeol in stitches beside him, trying to swallow his laughter.

“Overall I think he did really well - ”

Beside him Chanyeol tumbles off of his chair and collapses on the ground.

“Chanyeol!”

(cut)

Baekhyun gripped Chanyeol’s hand to keep him still and in place finally.

“Comment below what you all think of his hard work.”

“I was labor-intensive,” the taller muttered beside him.

“He suffered a lot for this...” Baekhyun’s voice dropped, then he turned to his boyfriend with a gleam in his eye and an impish smile on his glittery lips. “Can I do your makeup?”

Chanyeol’s expression immediately fell. “What now? Please no - ”

(cut)

Ten minutes later after a great deal of fussing, they were both grinning into the camera, Chanyeol a bit reluctantly, but Baekhyun wouldn’t have wanted to miss recording his embarrassed blush for the world. His eyes have grown with Baekhyun’s touch of mascara, his brows strong, his cheekbones radiant - not that Chanyeol isn’t always radiant.

“And that’s all! Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and comment - if you want to see more of Chanyeol let us know. We’ll make it happen.”

Baekhyun gave his signature smile, his unfailing crooked peace sign, but as he tried to leap up off his chair tugging Chanyeol with him, preparing to run off screen and out of frame like he always does at the end of each video, Chanyeol’s firm grip held him back.

“Wait - "

Baekhyun glanced at the camera lens, then sat back down. “What?”

The look in Chanyeol’s eyes swirled with emotion - and mischief. “You know you don’t need makeup right?”

“I know. I think I just look...better with makeup.”

Chanyeol frowned and lifted their intertwined hands. “That’s not true.”

“Chanyeol - ”

“You’re beautiful without makeup.”

Baekhyun’s tongue worked but no words came - he was stunted by the sincerity in Chanyeol’s eyes and strong hand. He turned away. “Don’t say that.”

“I like you best when you don’t wear makeup - you look really soft.”

Baekhyun snorted. “Soft.”

While he was preoccupied with looking at their hands and trying to formulate a funny response, he heard Chanyeol speak to the black lens in front of them.

“Sometimes he calls himself ugly. But he’s my boyfriend and I really love him, no matter what anyone says. He’s handsome without makeup.” Baekhyun glances up and catches his eye, a simper on his decorated lips. Chanyeol’s expression softens. “You are.”

“But I am handsome with makeup too, right?”

“Of course.”

Beakhyun looked at the camera, his and Chanyeol’s hands tightening around each other, but without a witty response coming to his lips he just smiled.

(cut)

“Ready?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol nodded.

“Yeah.”

A second later they jumped up and Baekhyun sprinted off screen with his boyfriend in tow.

[vanityfairness]

2019 Mid-Year Clean Out

This year I did the Konmari method of cleaning and have accumulated a small basket of items to dispose of. Items that were never used and were still good, I have given them away.

I will also be giving small descriptions of items that I have tried but did not work out, hence I’m disposing of it.

Make-up

1. Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner 156 Rhone I got this a long time ago, maybe highschool, and have kept it because it was a fairly smooth eyeliner. But honestly I hardly wore eyeliner, plus this is now very old and is not as smooth. 

2. Etude House Play 101 Pencil #6 I got this on my second trip to Korea, 2015, and when I wanted to use it again the whole thing just came out. From what I remember this was a very good liner, I mainly used it under my eyes and in the inner corner.

3. innisfree Always New Auto Liner I bought this on my most recent trip, September 2018, thinking that this would be good. I have gotten innisfree liners before but they weren’t that good. They felt very hard, but when I tested this one it was pretty good and very similar to the Etude House one. But once again it was a disappointment, when I got back and decided to try it I found that it was really hard. Also this liner has a twist cap and not one that just pops out.

4. the SAEM Cover Perfection Tip Concealer with SPF28/PA++ Shade 1.5 This is the best concealer so far. It’s inexpensive and a lot more affordable than the Cover FX that I use to get. I actually dont fit this shade that’s why this is in here. But I do have to say that Cover FX carries a wider range of shades. I do feel that the shade of Cover FX fits a bit better compared to the SAEM.

5. dear, klairs Creamy & Natural Fit Concealer I actually didn’t give this a good run. But from what I remember this didn’t quite fit my skin tone but when I swatched it on my wrist it fits perfectly. I do remember that the formulation of this was a little drying and the coverage wasnt that great. And if you try to build it, it makes the area unnatural. I might give this a go but it’s hard to give others an oppurtunity when the SAEM is so much cheaper and works. I’m disposing of this because it has been opened for a while now.

6. Cover FX Cream Concealer in G Light This is actually pretty old. I was going to swatch it but the formulation has already sperated. This was not the same as the stick format and I just didn’t like how it felt on my skin and how my concealed spots looked either. I just checked and they have now changed their concealers. They don’t even sell the stick one anymore only a dapper.

7. Geisha ink The Silk Mascara I received this in a subscription box and I really enjoyed using this. It has like small hair fibers that make your lashes seem fuller. It says it’s buildable but I don’t like having that much eye make-up hence I didn’t really try building it. But I really enjoyed using this, however it is expensive around $40 or more. I would not spend that amount since mascara tends to go bad fast plus I don’t use it often enough to justify that price.

8. The Face Shop Brow Lasting Powder & Pencil in 04 Dark Brown I bought this for my mom, I forgot who I saw using it or recommended it. I felt this was okay. It’s nice that it has a pencil and powder together, reminds me of a Benefit product.

9. The Face Shop Designing browcara in 02 Light Brown & 04 Brown I really liked using these and have different colors because my hair color has changed. These are fairly old, hence they are getting disposed. But these gave me a nice hint of color/ color change for my brows. It also helped make my brows stay in place.

10. A’PIEU Water in Tint in CR01 I bought a few tints to try but have discovered I’m not a tint type of gal. I definitely like using balms more. I don’t like lipsticks either because I find it heavy.

11.L’Oreal Color Infailible in 002 Hourglass Beige I believe this may have been the first eyeshadow that I ever purchased. I forgot who I saw on Youtube that recommended this line of eyeshadows and decided to grab one to try. This is still a very nice eyeshadow since it goes on so smooth and this shade can also act as a highlight too. However, it doesn’t really stay on unless you have a primer. This has been in my collection for a very long time and it’s time to let it go. Since I don’t reach for it plus it’s really old.

12. bareMinerals Prime Time foundation primer & Matte SPF15 Foundation in light W15 I can’t remember how I obtained this mini set, but it was from Sephora. This was my first foundation and foundation primer I have ever tried. I did like it when I first tried it and was going to repurchase when I finished the sample. But over time I discovered K-Beauty and started to lean towards that more, also because of cost. I was a student back then and didn’t have much income plus this was an item that I hardly used and was not part of my daily routine. 

13. Pupa Sonolone 3 Brown 14. L’Oreal Color Infallible 013 Burning Black 15. Etude House Drawing Eyebrow 03 16. Clinique colour surge eye shadow soft shimmer 06 Frosted Blossom 17. Clinique Blush & Bronzer Duo: Iced Lotus Blushing Blush Powder Blush & Sunkissed True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer

Samples

18. Estee Lauder Pure Color Love Lipstick 19. The Face Shop Aura Color Control Cream 02 Natural Beige 20. Nature Republic Super Origin Complete Control Cream Tinted SPF30 PA++ 21. Skin79 Super+ BB Cream 22. Tony Moly Pure Aura Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream SPF30 PA++ 23. Lioele Beyond The Solution BB Cream 24. Etude House precious mineral BB Cream SPF30 PA++ 25. BRTC Aqua Rush Water Drop BB Cream 26. Skin79 Super+ BB Cream Gold Collection

Skincare

27. The Body Shop Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask This was okay wasn’t really what I thought it was going to be. I used up about half of it before giving up. It did tingle a bit on my skin when I used it.

28. dear, klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask I really enjoyed using this in the beginnning until I started reusing it again and noticed that I kept on getting mini pimples, and decided to double check the ingredients in this. Lo and behold sodium hyaluaronic was one of the top 5 ingredients. Hence, I have to dispose of it because I am sensitive to that ingredient. The texture of this is very interesting it’s like a pudding and everytime you use it you would see a flat product as if you never touched it. 

29. Huna Apothecary Skin Nutrition Balm I got this in a subscription box and really wanted to just finish it but couldn’t get around it. One the product is really hard to get out as it’s really hard and just rubbing my fingers on the surface doesn’t give enough for me to apply it. I also found it really oily to the point of it being greasy. Not something I fancy.

30. Avene High Protection Lotion SPF 50+ I got this in a set. I don’t think I ever tried this product but it has a scent which I don’t really like.

31. Avene Cicalfate Restorative Cream I thought this would be sort of like a healing cream to help fade some of my scars and also provide moisture for my legs. However, I couldn’t get past the scent of this. Honestly I wasted like $22 on the set which included the above product. The only thing that I did use in the set was the mineral spray which I finished a while back. 

32. Thank You Farmer Sun Project Shimmer Sun Essence SPF 30 PA++ I’m not sure what is in this sun essence but I wasn’t a fan. I found it was a little oily and I didn’t like how it went on my skin. I have noticed I’m not a big fan of all over shimmer products. I just like the hints of shimmer on like the high points of my face/body.

33. Frienvita Peeling N Deadcell Sauna Godness Pad The pads couldn't even last the exfoliation process. It literally came apart after a few wipes. It also doesn't help that the rice granules were thick and didn't have enough liquid/solution to make it glide smoothly. In the end I just rubbed the rice bits on my face and used it without the pad.

WOW 33 items in total, it’s actually not that much but I still think that’s a lot. I did do an inventory of all my products and found that I have a lot of stuff that I need to use and go through. I actually had a lot more stuff that I was able to give away to people but I have definitely accumulated a lot of products and wasted a lot of money. This year I really wanted to focus on not purchasing as much and only buying when I need to. I use to be fairly good with my spending but I also feel like I’m spending in order to fill a void or to find something that would ‘spark joy’ in me. I feel like I’m living a mundane life right now.

I might do like a yearly round-up of my purchases, not sure yet. Honestly I didn’t think this through, because the photos I took so far aren’t that great and were for my reference only. It only occurred to me now that it might be nice to do a yearly round-up of my beauty purchases and maybe also put pricing down as well to see how much I spent.

[5hfanfiction]

(never meet) another so pure

Camila knows she’s too late.

-

“Go talk to her.”

Camila snaps out of her trance and turns her head to see her best friend, Ally, regarding her pointedly. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’ve been staring at that girl all night,” Ally says, gesturing towards the green-eyed dark-haired girl that Camila has, in fact, been staring at the whole night. “Go talk to her. You’re basically torturing yourself like this.”

“I can’t,” Camila says stiffly, and it’s true, because it’s Lauren Jauregui and she doesn’t think she’ll ever be ready to talk to her again.

“Why not?” Ally’s dark eyes bore into Camila’s, and Camila looks away, because it feels like Ally’s reading her soul and she doesn’t want Ally to know any more about her old life, in her old town.

Ally is a very observant person. Camila doesn’t usually like observant people, but she likes Ally just fine.

(And she likes Lauren- she likes her a lot- and Lauren is one of the most observant people she’s ever met.)

“Because a long time ago, I messed up really badly with her.” Her eyes drift back to Lauren. She’s hanging out by the bar- not drinking, not on her phone, just looking with those gorgeous emerald eyes of hers, scanning the club, taking in faces. Camila knows this game well; she used to tease Lauren that she did it because she was making sure she was the prettiest girl in the room, but it’s actually because Lauren reads people so well that she makes up little stories about them in her mind based on how they look, how they act… things like that. Camila never saw the appeal, but she always felt chills- the good kind- whenever Lauren would lean over and whisper one of her people-theories into Camila’s ear. Whether it was because of her words or because of the close proximity is still unclear to Camila.

“It couldn’t possibly have been that bad,” Ally tells her, tossing her straight caramel-colored hair over to the other side of her head. “And even if it was, then there’s no time like the present to fix it.”

“I said something really terrible to her.”

“I don’t think-“

“She told me to never talk to her again, Allycat.” Camila’s gaze doesn’t leave Lauren. “I need to respect that, right?”

Ally shrugs. “Time heals all wounds. And you deserve a second chance.”

“A second chance at what?” Camila turns her head to look at Ally. She gives her a warning look, but Ally says “love” anyway, and Camila sighs and decides she doesn’t like Ally right now.

She knows she really screwed up, okay? Because the last time she saw Lauren was their high school graduation, and she thought Lauren was going to knock her teeth out because Camila said something she shouldn’t have so she raced out of there but now they’re both here, and Lauren looks even more beautiful than Camila remembers, and it must mean something, and maybe she does deserve a second chance after all.

Or maybe she doesn’t.

-

It happened like this:

For as long as Camila could remember, Lauren had been head-over-heels for Lucy Vives.

It started in seventh grade, and Camila still remembers the moment Lucy walked into the classroom, and Lauren turned to her and murmured “who’s that?” and Camila was going to tell her but then she saw her eyes, sparkly and in awe, and she knew she was long gone.

As far as Camila knows, it’s always been Lucy. Seventh grade turned to eighth, and middle school turned into high school, and all of a sudden the seniors were graduating and Lucia-fucking-Vives was still the only person Lauren was interested in. It didn’t matter that at least fifteen guys had asked Lauren out in the span of three months during their senior year. It didn’t matter that half the school was more than willing to worship the ground Lauren walked on. Lauren only had eyes for Lucy, and she made that very clear, especially to Camila.

So she sort of grew to resent Lucy. What gave her the right to walk into Lauren’s life and upturn everything she’d ever known while accidentally stealing her heart in the process? What gave her the right to enamor Lauren as she had, to take the one girl who would never fucking look away from her the moment she laid eyes on her? What gave her the right to Lauren, perfect, beautiful, hilarious, smart Lauren, the Lauren that Camila had adored and cared for and fuck, fallen for before Lucy even knew Lauren’s name?

And, she guesses, she kind of grew to resent Lauren too. Because Camila was never enough for Lauren, and she knew it. Camila would do anything for Lauren, but she would never notice because she was too busy holding up the sun, brushing away the clouds, coercing the lightning and the thunder so Lucy would shine.

But Lauren was happy, and Camila knew it. She didn’t know how it was even remotely possible to be happy chasing after a straight girl, but Lauren had done it, and Camila was happy that Lauren was happy. Or at least, she was at first. But there was always that underlying feeling, that vengeance, that should’ve-been-me feeling that brewed underneath the surface of Camila’s smiles and I’m-fines.

It took six years for Camila to finally snap.

-

“Can you believe we’re graduating?” Lauren stops from where she’s doing her liquid eyeliner and grins at Camila. “I’m literally so excited.”

“Me too.” Camila’s nearly positive that she has a dopey smile on her face as she leans against the bathroom counter and watches Lauren. She’s so beautiful, Camila thinks, but she looks down when Lauren catches her eye in the mirror.

“Camz.” Lauren smacks her lips together and then purses them, running a hand through her hair. “How do I look?”

“Perfect,” Camila answers immediately. “You always do.” It’s the truth. Camila’s pretty sure she’s never seen Lauren look more breathtaking than she does right now. The way she’s done her eyeliner and eyeshadow makes her green eyes stand out more than normal, and her hair is straightened, falling just past her chest- it’s probably the neatest Camila’s ever seen Lauren’s hair. And her lips- oh god, her lips- are painted a dark burgundy, and when she smiles, her white teeth shine in contrast

And she looks happy, too. Happy Lauren is the best Lauren.

“Thanks, babe!” Lauren chirps in a fake, obnoxious voice, than laughs at herself, the raspy sound filling up the cramped walls of the high school bathroom. Camila finds herself laughing along. “You know I gotta dress to impress, especially because… you know.” Lauren flushes pink. “Did you see Lucy yet? She looks…” She trails off, but the way she’s beaming says it all, and all of a sudden Camila stops leaning on the counter and stands stiff and straight. She feels kind of sick to her stomach.

“Why do you even like her?” There’s this pit growing in her gut. Lauren looks at her, surprised. “Because she’s Lucy,” she says simply, like that’s a proper answer. “I’m in love with her, you know? I’m in love with everything she does. I’d do anything for her.”

Camila sees red, and she doesn’t even recognize what she’s saying but it’s flying out of her mouth and she cannot stop it. “Honestly, fuck this. You know she’s never going to like you back, right?”

Lauren’s mouth falls open. “Camz-“

Camila knows she should just shut her mouth. She knows once this comes out, she can never take it back. And she has no clue why she’s doing this now, but all of the bitterness that’s been building up inside her is choking her and she needs to fucking get it out or she thinks she might die on the bathroom floor right now.

She’s tired. She’s so tired of being positive Camila, supportive Camila, go-get-your-girl Camila.

So she says it.

“I’m so sick of you being all Lucy this, Lucy that, blah-blah-blah fucking whatever. You need to get it through your head. She is never going to have feelings for you. You’re so fucking desperate and needy over some average bitch who could not care less about you.”

There’s silence. Dead silence. And Lauren is staring straight at her, jaw clenched.

“Get out.” Her voice is quiet, composed.

Camila instantly regrets it. The guilt spreads through her, head to toe, tingling through her skin. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She really shouldn’t have said that. Why in the world did she say that? God, she’s so stupid, Lauren will never forgive her for this.

She steps forward. “Laur-“

“I’m going to give you ten seconds to get out of here before I break your fucking nose.”

Camila has known Lauren since they were five. Camila has never been scared of Lauren in her whole life. But she’s never seen her like this- cold, dead, so utterly emotionless that Camila starts to doubt that she’s even human.

“I’m sorry-“ She’s shaking.

“Ten seconds, Camila, and your nose will be shattered so hard that you’ll never be able to breathe right again. If you leave this bathroom right now and never speak to me again, we’ll call it even.

Camila leaves without another word, trembling, and she cries for the first time in a long time.

-

“She threatened to break my nose so hard that I’d never be able to breathe right again.” Camila looks at Ally hopelessly, but she can tell the girl doesn’t believe her. “If you were really scared of her, you wouldn’t have been checking her out all night. Just see if you can fix things.”

Fix things. Maybe she could. Maybe she could make Lauren see her side of the story- the side where it fucking killed her to see the girl she loves love someone else. Lauren had always been understanding. And it had been almost four years now.

Camila doesn’t think it would hurt to try.

Lauren is chatting up the bartender when Camila comes up behind her. She takes a deep breath. “Lauren?”

Lauren turns around casually, perfectly messy dark waves settling over her shoulders, and Camila inhales sharply because she’s so much more beautiful up close.

“Camila?” Lauren’s lips part, and she laughs. “Oh my god, long time no see!”

And then she’s wrapping Camila in a hug, and Camila feels the warmth of her skin and she smells her vanilla shampoo, familiar and comforting, and maybe things will be okay after all as long as Lauren is holding her like this.

It’s too short. Lauren pulls away with a grin. “College life looks good on you, Camz. Do you go to NYU too? ‘Cause I haven’t seen you around.”

“No, I’m visiting my sister,” Camila tells her. She feels weird, kind of like she’s been dunked underwater and pulled out into the freezing cold, because she has no clue why Lauren is being so friendly. “You look good too,” she says quietly.

“Don’t I always?” Lauren flips her hair, and then breaks out into giggles. It’s absolutely adorable, and Camila finds herself smiling too. “Sorry. Can I buy you a drink?” She’s about to wave over the bartender, but Camila can’t help herself any longer. “I- why are you being so nice to me? No offense, but last time I checked, we weren’t exactly on the best terms.”

Lauren shrugs and gives Camila her irresistible smile. “I got over it, believe it or not. Time heals all wounds, right?”

No, Camila doesn’t believe it, but Lauren’s repeating Ally’s words back to her. Time heals all wounds. Maybe it really does.

“You threatened to break my nose,” she points out, unsure of what else to say.

Lauren smile slips. “I’m so sorry about that. That was really out of line and you didn’t deserve that.”

“But- Lauren, I did,” Camila insists. “I was horrible to you.”

“That didn’t give me an excuse to resort to violence. I really didn’t mean it, and I feel horrible about it.” Lauren bites her bottom lip, and meets Camila’s eyes, her gaze heavy. “I don’t even care what you said anymore. I barely even remember it.”

That’s funny, Camila muses, because she played it in her mind on repeat for months. She couldn’t forget that look in Lauren’s eyes- dangerous and icy and still the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, even terrified out of her mind.

But Lauren’s words give her a spark of hope. Maybe she has a chance. Maybe she didn’t fuck everything up after all.

“Laur!” someone shouts, and all of a sudden a girl has an arm tightened around Lauren’s waist and she’s pressing a kiss to Lauren’s cheek and Camila feels her heart fall all the way down to her toes. “Sorry I took so long, sweets,” the girl tells Lauren, and then she finally turns toward her.

“Camila?” the girl says, eyebrows furrowing, and all of a sudden Camila realizes she does recognize the girl after all but there’s no fucking way, she thinks, because she’s pulling Lauren even closer towards her and now they’re holding hands and-

“Yep,” Lauren chirps. “Camz, you remember Lucy, right?” She nods toward the girl at her side.

Oh, fuck.

“Yeah,” Camila manages, and Lucy grins at her and says “Nice to see you again!” but Camila’s head is swimming and she hasn’t had any alcohol but it doesn’t matter because she’s going to be sick anyway.

“High school reunion much?” Lauren quips, and Lucy throws her head back and laughs, painfully gorgeous, and Camila digs her nails into her palm. “We didn’t go to that for a reason, Lauren.”

Lauren jokingly glares at Lucy. “We didn’t go to that because you said all the old high school fuckboys would try to steal your girlfriend and you thought you were too weak to fight them off!” She slaps Lucy’s chest playfully. “Which is true, by the way.”

Camila only gets one word from that, and it’s “girlfriend.”

“Aw, fuck you, babe,” Lucy chuckles, leaning in to peck Lauren’s lips.

Camila interrupts them by mumbling something about not feeling too great and they call farewells and feel betters after her as she stumbles to the bathroom. Ally tries to stop her on the way, but Camila waves her off and curses her past self for wearing these heels and she tells half-apologies to the four people she runs into but she knows it’s obvious she couldn’t care less but nothing registers for her anymore. “Everything’s so fucked up,” she mutters to herself, pressing a clammy hand to her face. Her stomach turns again.

Goddamn, she really is going to throw up this time.

-

WATTPAD:

[spektijim]

Hello everybode!

A month ago I ran the Derby 10k for The Trussell Trust, who run food-banks in the UK.

A little more than a month ago I posted a blog about the fact that I would be dressing as a Unicorn to do it.

Well, never let it be said that I let my public down, because that’s exactly what I did, and here is the picture evidence!

1. Ears and Horn

The ears were the first thing I made, using some felt I had acquired during a mad felt-buying spree (fellow craft addicts – you know how these things happen) several years ago.

Nearly finished ears!

Being me, a lot of the felt was pink, and so it was an easy start.

Next was the horn – I decided early on that the basis of this, the most important part of the costume, should be an alice band, as many people on Pinterest had shown the way with their own unicorn horns – onto this would fit a ‘head-dress’ with horn and ears.

I used the time-honoured cereal box and toilet roll tube as a base. There really should be some kind of tribute – a poem or song – to these crafty stalwarts which have saved many a parent (and even more so their children) every end of term, Halloween or birthday party.

These were covered with tissue paper (first white, then pink) and decorated with acrylic paint and plastic gems. The inside was painted purple and eventually it was hot-glued to the alice band – hooray! My horny head-dress was my pride and joy.

Getting shiny…

Grumpy, craggy unicorn.

My pink horn. Ooh err missus!

I was just putting some extra gems on two days before the race when I realised…I nearly forgot to add the ears!

Because I’d started on them so early they had completely passed out of my memory – sadly the full ears were a little too big to work with the head-dress, so I trimmed them in half and glued them on. A sad fate but the result was pretty good, if I do say so myself!

2. T-Shirt

This T-shirt was one I bought last year for a costume, but I ended up using a long-sleeved on instead- it seemed perfect for this task, just needing some careful applique. This was my first time using applique and I have to say I am now hooked. It was much easier than I first thought and produced some great results.

I cut the pieces I wanted out of paper first, then ironed a rectangle of the bondaweb on a piece of material, slightly bigger than I needed, then traced around the original paper and cut out the shape. This worked well because, like interfacing, the bondaweb makes the material slightly stiff and easier to cut through. Then I ironed each piece onto the t-shirt – it looked pretty darn good. Sad to say I think I spoiled the perfection by securing each piece with some stitches, as it cause the fabric to ruck up in places, but I suppose it was worth it knowing they wouldn’t fall off mid race.

The lettering was in the always unpredictable 3D Pearl paints – it work eventually but the mix kept on going wrong and sinking into the fabric, hence why it’s not quite as neat as it could have been! I added extra stars with some acrylic paint and it was all ready for running!

The colours might also give a subtle clue to something. Maybe.

3. Tail

The tail was a relatively easy build – using strips of felt sewn together and then sewn into a tube (and sealed), I more or less cut of random sections of gauze to put in – finished off with a couple of hot-glued gems, of course!

On the day of the run it was attached using that age old tail-attached- safety pins!

At this point in the making I got a chance to visit the local Trussell Trust food bank in Sawley to make a food drop – a wonderful friend of mine very kindly drove me there and took some photos of the nearly-finished cozzy…

My donation to the trust!

Posing with a lovely volunteer at the foodbank!

Posing with Twilight Sparkle!

  4. Finished Article

The finishing touch to my look was, of course, makeup.

I have been getting pretty good at day-to-day makeup recently (though I don��t actually wear it day-to-day, more’s the pity) but I thought I should go one better for this unicornage. Of course, sparkly was the order of the day with the majority of the leg-work being done by eyeshadow (isn’t it always?).

I used four different colours, starting with a dark blue in the corner of the eye, working through purple into pink, with silver below the eye, topped off with liquid eyeliner and mascara. So sparkle, much glitter!

5. The Race Itself

The Derby 10k took place on the morning of a lovely sunny day – thankfully it started at 9am so it wasn’t roasting (as it became at midday) but mild. I have to be honest, I wasn’t at my best – my right knee had been giving me some problems after my last 10k practice and  I hadn’t run in about a week – that is a sensible part of the ‘tapering’ process common to running but it meant that I’d had no opportunity to test my leg, and was worried it might go wonky at the starting pistol or – even worse – halfway round!

I arrived a little late (thanks to putting on my makeup – damn my vanity!) and had to join a queue of about 10 million to put my bag into safe storage, as I would be starting all on my own.

The moment I dropped it off I had to hot-foot over to the starting line which was already bustling the four top tiers of runners – A-D. I was group B – as I’d waited to put my bag away I’d found myself worrying if I’d been perhaps a bit ambitious – perhaps even hubristic – as I saw much more keen looking runners in groups C and D.

It was barricaded all along the side with such a press of people I had no idea how to get over and into the fray. Eventually I was naughty and hopped over the barricade, there being no wardens around to either advise me or prevent my scandalous behaviour.

Although 10k is enough distance for you to find your pace by about mid-way and join the runners who are your natural speed-mates, it is frustrating to have to start in such a tightly packed knot that you lose valuable seconds at the off.

Still, all this aside, I tried to give it my all – I smiled at the wardens and the cameras, gave high fives to a couple of kids, waved at people pointing to ‘the nice lady dressed as a Unicorn!’ and kept up a decent pace. As I drew in they announced my time but I was wearing headphones (safe ones, I promise!) and missed it – all I knew was they were calling 58 by the time I’d collected my bag and gone to meet my friends.

I had to wait until that evening to discover that I had come in 892nd of 3208 at a time of 49:57 – my goal of being under 50 minutes was reached, if only by a hair!

I sadly don’t have any pictures of me actually running in the 10k (there were some by a professional photographer by I haven’t got the money to buy one right now – maybe another time!) but I do have one right after – as you can see, I was quite tired. Most of my makeup melted.

6. The Aftermath and What’s Next

Thanks to the generous support and donations from friends and family, my running with a pink sparkly horn managed to raise (drum roll please)….

£365!

Not too shabby! Way off my target of £1000, but I knew that goal was over-ambitious anyway. So, what’s next? Well, I plan to continue supporting the Trussell Trust in whatever way I can – I haven’t had a chance to volunteer for them yet but I have got my papers so I will be signing up soon!

If you feel that my banging on about it for ages has made you care about people who need food-banks and more, please do start a monthly donation for the trust or bring stuff for a food parcel – trust me (groan) it’s worth it! Depending on the result on the election on June 8th, we may sadly find ourselves needing them more and more.

On the running side I am planning to do the Wilne 10k in September, a nice break before a new challenge, and am also signed up to my local Park Run at Markeaton parkMarkeaton park – join us there every Saturday at 9am! Although I won’t be dressed as a unicorn there, sadly.

Thanks once again to all my lovely pals who contributed, you are awesome and I love you.

Spekti out!

Flight Of The Unicorn Hello everybode! A month ago I ran the Derby 10k for The Trussell Trust, who run food-banks in the UK.

[jessicakehoe]

Activist, Advocate, Ambassador: Supermodel Cindy Bruna is More Than Meets The Eye

With pandemic restrictions in effect as part of the COVID-19-era new normal, FASHION had to adapt on the fly for our cover shoot with L’Oréal Paris, which was shot in Paris back in July. Our creative and fashion director tuned in virtually from Toronto to oversee the production, and makeup icon Val Garland sketched looks from her London studio, which were later applied to the images of model Cindy Bruna digitally using L’Oréal Paris’s Virtual Try-On tool. Click here to try the looks on yourself and discover the products used to create each of the looks behind the cover image below. 

Top and pants, prices upon request, Arthur Avellano. Ear cuff, $8,530, top necklace, $8,270, and bottom necklace, $64,300, Messika. Stud earrings, Bruna’s own.

1/39

2/39

Lash Paradise Mascara

($14.49, L'Oréal Paris)

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3/39

Brilliant Signature Liquid Lip Colour in 305 Be Captivating

($13.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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4/39

Brow Definer in Dark Brunette

($12.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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5/39

Infallible 24hr Shadow in Glistening Garnet

($10.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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6/39

True Match Blush in Rosy Outlook

($16.49 , L'Oréal Paris)

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7/39

Color Queen Eyeshadow in Ruler

($10.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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8/39

True Match Eye Cream In a Concealer

($16.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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9/39

True Match Lumi Glow Amour Drops

($22.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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10/39

11/39

True Match Lumi Glow Amour Drops

($22.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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12/39

Infallible 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation

($20.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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13/39

Boost & Set Dark Brunette in Dark Brunette

($13.49, L'Oréal Paris)

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14/39

Infallible 24HR Eyeshadow in Eternal Black

($10.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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15/39

Color Queen Eyeshadow in Keep On

($10.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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16/39

Infallible Full Wear Concealer

($16.49 , L'Oréal Paris)

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17/39

Le Lineur Signature in Noir Cashmere

($13.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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18/39

Rouge Signature in I rule 105

($13.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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19/39

True Match Blush in Subtle Sable

($16.49, L'Oréal Paris)

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20/39

Voluminous Mascara

($10.49, L'Oréal Paris)

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21/39

22/39

Infallible Full Wear Concealer

($16.49, L'Oréal Paris)

Buy Now

23/39

True Match Lumi Glow Amour Drops

($22.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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24/39

Micro Ink in Dark Brunette

($14.99, L'Oréal Paris)

Buy Now

25/39

Infallible 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation

($20.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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26/39

Infallible Flash Cat Eye

($13.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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27/39

Bambi Eye Mascara

($13.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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28/39

Brilliant Signature in 301 Be Determined

($13.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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29/39

30/39

Unbelievabrow in Dark Brunette

($22.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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31/39

True Match Lumi Glow Amour Drops

($22.99, L'Oréal Paris)

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32/39

True Match Blush in Precious Peach

($16.49, L'Oréal Paris)

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33/39

Telescopic Mascara

($13.49, L'Oréal Paris)

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34/39

Matte Signature Liquid Eyeliner

($14.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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35/39

Infallible Full Wear Concealer

($16.49, L'Oréal Paris)

Buy Now

36/39

Infallible 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation

($20.99, L'Oréal Paris)

Buy Now

37/39

Colour Riche Matte Lip Liner in In Matte-Uated With You

($10.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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38/39

Color Queen Eyeshadow in Bravery

($10.99 , L'Oréal Paris)

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39/39

Brilliant Signature in 312 Be Powerful

($13.99, L'Oréal Paris)

This bold-meets-high-shine lip lacquer delivers long-lasting colour and a weightless bare-lip sensation.

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“Have you seen the shots? I’m so excited to see them! I had such a great day,” says an upbeat and endearing Cindy Bruna on the phone from Paris. The French modelling star, who was tapped by L’Oréal Paris as an international spokesperson earlier this year, is talking to me about our unusual cover shoot in partnership with the beauty juggernaut.

Dress, $7,185, and belt, $1,740, Alexander McQueen. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

In the face of COVID-19, Bruna posed up inside Paris’s Nolinski hotel for a solid nine-plus hours—all while social distancing from the rest of the tiny team who were allowed on-set. Strict pandemic measures also meant that her makeup was completely digital. But Bruna is no stranger to outside-the-box situations: She has stood on the edge of a cliff, plunged into frigid water and lain in the snow (with not much clothing on).

Ranked a “Money Girl” on Models.com alongside Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, Bruna hit many major milestones early in her career. On her very first job casting, the late legendary couturier Azzedine Alaïa took Bruna under his wing. “He gave me the opportunity to work for him at his showroom; meeting him really made me want to do this job,” says the 25-year-old, who was scouted at the age of 16 in the South of France and made regular trips to Paris with her mother during school holidays.

Jacket, $3,850, pants, $1,250, and shoes, $1,825, Balenciaga. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

At 18, Bruna made the big move to the City of Light to pursue modelling full-time and wound up in New York shortly after for her New York Fashion Week debut. The gig: to walk exclusively for Calvin Klein.

In the modelling world, landing an exclusive has been known to put runway newbies on the map. But Bruna’s 2012 booking morphed into something much greater: It marked a watershed moment for diversity in the fashion industry with Bruna becoming the house’s first model of colour to walk exclusively, which meant she couldn’t be booked for any other New York designers that season. “At the time, I didn’t even know that I was the first to get it,” says Bruna. “I just couldn’t believe the opportunity; it was my first time working in New York. Looking back, I didn’t truly realize the weight of it.”

Jacket and scarf, $5,850, Louis Vuitton. Hoop earrings, $12,990, and necklace, $28,210, Messika. Top, Bruna’s own. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

The experience launched Bruna into the supermodel stratosphere. “It changed my life and career,” she says. In the span of a few months, Bruna was shot by photographer Steven Meisel for the cover of Italian Vogue and earned her wings as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, which she held on to for a steady six seasons. She also became part of the core group of models that make up Olivier Rousteing’s fierce female posse, known as the Balmain Army.

When asked if any one achievement tops her list of proudest moments, Bruna is quick to say no. “I’m very proud of the whole process,” she says. “When I first started, I was full of doubt. I was scared. I didn’t know that I would have to leave my family to go to Paris and then New York. I didn’t speak English. All of that could have stopped me, but I was like, ‘You know what? Just go for it.’”

Bodysuit, $740, Copurs. Hoop earrings, $640, Balenciaga. Cuff, price upon request, Alexander McQueen. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

Overcoming fear can be incredibly tough when navigating an industry that is rife with rejection. “You are constantly judged, compared and not chosen, which can be difficult,” shares Bruna. “I have cried many times about this.” The biggest piece of advice she’d tell her younger self? Don’t take it personally: “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. You’re not what they’re looking for, and that’s OK. Don’t change. Be yourself. The right job will come.”

That self-appreciation mindset is what makes Bruna such an inspired choice for a megabrand with a “Because I’m worth it” ethos. “It’s really a slogan that talks to everybody,” she says. “In my job, it’s all about embracing you and being proud of yourself. Everybody is special. We all have value.” How does this model tap into her unique self? By fully loving her biracial identity.

Dress, $1,425, Area. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

The daughter of an Italian father and Congolese mother, Bruna says that being mixed race is her superpower. “I feel like it’s really a strength to have both cultures that I can learn from and grow from,” she says. “My mom raised me with African values around family and sharing how the world can be difficult for people of colour. I grew up eating African dishes and listening to African music. I share so much of my dad’s respect for others and for nature. I feel like I gained so much from both of them.”

As for joining the L’Oréal Paris family, it’s a gig Bruna does not take lightly. “I realize that it is a responsibility,” she notes. “I want to give not only my face but also my voice to everything we’re doing together.” It’s a voice she’s used time and again as a bridge for others who need one.

Jacket and scarf, $5,850, Louis Vuitton. Hoop Earrings, $12,990, Messika. Stud Earrings, Bruna’s own. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

Bruna has used her visibility and social media clout to advocate for the inclusion of more faces of colour on the runways as well as to speak up about the all-too-common hair discrimination that occurs behind the scenes at shows and shoots with afro-textured hair. “To have been the first woman of colour to work on a Calvin Klein exclusive back in 2012 just made me realize how much we have to push to bring change to the industry,” she says. “Yes, things have evolved since then, but we can still do more.” And the needle shouldn’t stop at a colourful array of models on catwalks and in campaigns. “It’s also about walking on-set and seeing people behind the scenes, like stylists and photographers, of different backgrounds.”

Another topic that gets Bruna fired up is domestic violence against women. “One woman is killed every three days in France,” she states. “It’s a crisis that’s happening all over the world, and I really think that we can be part of the solution.”

Three years ago, Bruna joined Solidarité Femmes, a French network of associations specializing in the reception, support and accommodation of women facing abuse, and is quick to concede that she had a lot to learn when she first began. “It took me at least a year to really understand just how diverse domestic abuse is: The violence happens in so many forms,” she says. “I didn’t even talk about Solidarité Femmes on social media or anything at first. I was just visiting shelters in Paris, talking to women and learning about what the associations were doing.”

JACKET, $4,800, TOP, $3,050, AND SHOES, $1,060, SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO. PANTS, PRICE UPON REQUEST, LOUIS VUITTON. DANGLE EARRINGS, $260, HELENE ZUBELDIA. STUD EARRINGS, BRUNA’S OWN. Makeup by L’Oréal Paris.

Now, Bruna’s passion to help end violence against women has seamlessly extended to her new post at L’Oréal Paris, with her joining the advocating team for Stand Up Against Street Harassment, the brand’s training program with the goal of eradicating gender-based street harassment. “L’Oréal Paris has always encouraged women to live according to their own rules, but street harassment goes against that,” says Bruna. “I feel like Stand Up can help people know how to react if they see or experience harassment. It really invites women and men to learn. It’s about educating people—myself included.”

As our phone conversation winds down, I catch myself feeling empowered and inspired by Bruna’s words and conclude that her strong sense of self totally matches the expressions and moods she elegantly delivered in our cover shoot. “She’s a real one,” I say in my head, before thanking her for being so open with me. “No, thank you!” she immediately responds. “I really can’t wait to see the pictures!”

Try on these beauty looks

Learn about all the L’Oréal Paris products that Val Garland used for Bruna’s FASHION cover shoot and virtually try on each makeup look by scanning this QR code.

Art direction by JACQUES BURGA. Styling by MICKAEL CARPIN. Creative direction by GEORGE ANTONOPOULOS. Makeup by VAL GARLAND, L’Oréal Paris global makeup director. Hair by ALEXANDRINE PIEL. Photography assistant: CLAUDIA REVIDAT. Post-production: LUCY LU. Shot on location at the NOLINSKI HOTEL in Paris.

The post Activist, Advocate, Ambassador: Supermodel Cindy Bruna is More Than Meets The Eye appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Activist, Advocate, Ambassador: Supermodel Cindy Bruna is More Than Meets The Eye published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[unclebeggar93-blog]

Makeup Empties: Foundations, Cushions, Primers, Eyeshadows, Lips and Blush!

We did skincare in the last empties post, so today we're doing makeup - and sunscreen! Usually it takes me longer to use up makeup than skincare (probably because there are more makeup products than skincare products under rotation at any one point in time, and I vary my makeup routine more than my skincare routine). So this is sort of an achievement!

Alright, let's start! Sunscreens! I've been using the Avene Very High Protection Spray SPF50+ Sunscreen for many years now, so this is not a surprise - you've seen it on my previous empties posts, multiple times. I've also been using other sunscreens, too. The Eucerin White Therapy Clinical Day Fluid SPF30 was also nice, and sort of a cross between a moisturizer and a sunscreen. I think that in warmer weather, you can also double this as a moisturizer, as it has a rather creamy texture. Also bearing a creamy texture is the Bioderma Photoderm Spot SPF50+ Cream, and I quite liked this - although it had a thicker texture, it does work blend out well under other makeup and when layered with other skincare.

I also finally emptied some of the Japanese sunscreens I've been having around. One of them is the Biore Skin Aqua Sarafit UV Mist SPF50+, which I quite liked as it was non-sticky and in a very convenient spray form. I would use this again - I do like that Biore sunscreens are cheap and work well (although most of them are better suited for day-to-day indoor use, rather than a hot day out at the beach). Also I used up not one, but two bottles of Hada Labo Air Aqua UV sunscreen, which are also a good choice for those wanting a lightweight daily proctection. There are actually two versions of the Air Aqua UV, a Fresh (for oily skin) version, and a Moist (for dry skin) version, but...I'm not sure which version I used, actually. This is also a good "daily indoor / non-sports-use" type of sunscreen.

Now for foundation and other base products! I actually used up a DiorSkin Forever and Ever Wear Primer, and...wow is that a Dior product on the blog? Yes it is, haha. I admit most of the very high end brands aren't a regular feature on the blog, just because they're so pricey. But I did have and use this, and I did find it really good! I paired it most often with my decidedly-not-as-high-end Etude House Real Powder BB Cushion, which I gave a good review for back in 2016 (yes, with the ye olde products). I liked this combination because it gave the skin a nice matte finish, good coverage, and held up well over the course of a day. I would definitely rebuy the Etude House cushion again - it's cheap, the shade match is good (not a 100% match but good enough to the point where it's not that noticeable), and it's a good product.

Also emptied is the Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control, which I also found to be a nice matte cushion with good lasting power, and also good coverage. I generally prefer matte cushions, rather than those with a dewy finish, just because my skin tends to be on the oilier side, and the weather here in Singapore is always hot and sweaty. So "dewy" often gets translated into "gross-and-oil-slick-y" over here. Lastly, I also actually used up a "proper" foundation, the Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Perfectly Nude Makeup, which I reviewed before and really liked, back in 2014(!!!!). Yes that product was ancient, but I just don't use my foundations as much as I do my cushions (which I do use up with regularity). Here's my useful tip for foundation application - all liquid or cream foundation goes on well if you use a cushion applicator puff to apply. I used to use fingers and brushes, but they've all gotten replaced by the humble BB cushion puff now.

And eyeshadows! There are various eyeshadows here, and they're all pretty old. I have used up my MAC Femme Fi eyeshadow, and if you don't recognize it, it's because it's the orange compact (so yes it is from the Neo Sci-Fi collection that launched...in 2008. Don't judge me, I just have too many eyeshadows, okay?). Despite the eyeshadow being quite aged, it still worked well and didn't spoil or anything! Much impressed with MAC here. There's also a Mememe Eyeshadow in Cafe, which is now discontinued, which is a pity since it was the nicest taupe shade around. You can see it swatched here, alongside a number of other taupes from my collection. It's swatched together in that post with the L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in Electrified, which was quite the cult product back in the day when it was launched, and for very good reason too - it was such a gorgeously pigmented taupe. As you can see I only used the taupe shade I liked, and decided to call it a day when it was used up. I barely even touched the purple shade, haha.

Also other old old eyeshadows I've used up are some Wet n Wild eyeshadow (no idea what the shade name was, but it was a yellow vanilla shade), an Etude House eyeshadow (beige), a Milani eyeshadow (in a vanilla shade), and a Smashbox Eyeshadow Trio in...Centerstage I think? Anyway all these are all repackaged and/or discontinued now, so you don't need to know the product names. But suffice to say they were all variants of beige/vanilla shades.

This is the "miscellaneous" photo, consisting of highlighters, concealer, and eyeliner. The discontinued Prescriptives Anywear Makeup Stick was a (very tiny-sized) stick foundation, that I basically used as concealer instead (you can see it in some of my FOTDs). The Smashbox Softlights in Smashing Shimmer was a peach blush, with the most pretty subtle shimmer ever (in contrast to today's bling-bling highlight trends, subtle highlights were the rage when I bought this product eons ago). I also used up my Etude House Play 101 Stick in Shade 31, which I swatched in this instagram post from 2014:

Isn't that the prettiest taupe ever??? I used it as an eyeshadow. It was nice but it does eventually dry up (although at a slower rate than some other pencils), so I suggest you don't put this in a drawer and forget about it for a few months - it might harden when you remember it!

I also used up my Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Bourbon, which is a lovely brown. I really do love the Urban Decay eyeliners, they work very well on me.

Lastly, lip products! Out of all the makeup, I think lip products are one of the products I use up the fastest. I used up a Korres Lipstick in Natural Purple, which I think has been discontinued, sadly(!), as well as the Stila Lipglaze in Grape, which was a bright but wearable plummy pink. I also used up the Etude House Dead a Darling Neon Tint in Shade 3, which colour-wise is pretty much a dupe for another Etude House lip tint I really liked and have reviewed on the blog, the Etude House Color Pop Lip Tint in #08 Berry Pop. I guess it's a good thing brands sometimes recycle their colours - I would definitely buy this shade no matter the packaging, lol.

I also consider the Jordana Lipglaze in Watermelon Shine to be an empty, although it's not quite done, just because I'm not feeling the colour anymore, and this has been around for a loooong time. But at least I tried, right? I also used up a Maybeline Lipstick in Yummy Plummy, which I've also reviewed on the blog a long time ago. I also used up an old Urban Decay Lipstick in shade...5150 I think(?) which is also discontinued now. Not discontinued is the Kate Rouge EX Lipstick in RS-10, which was a lovely plummy rose shade (if you've seen my IG stories you might have seen this on there). As you can kind of guess, I love my plums and roses, haha.

So that's it for my massive empties post! And now I get to throw all these out and start all over again, and come back with another pile in a few months' time, in true beauty junkie fashion!

Source: http://musicalhouses.blogspot.com/2018/08/makeup-empties-foundations-cushions.html