#professional makeup artist kit

[azdskinandmakeup]

Makeup Tips for Different Skin Types - AZD Makeup & Skin Inc

Here are some makeup tips tailored to different skin types:

Dry Skin:

Start with a hydrating primer to create a smooth base.

Use a moisturizing foundation or a BB cream to add moisture and even out skin tone.

Avoid powder-based products as they can emphasize dry patches. Instead, opt for cream blushes and liquid highlighters for a dewy finish.

Set makeup with a hydrating setting spray to lock in moisture.

Oily Skin:

Begin with an oil-free mattifying primer to control shine and minimize pores.

Choose a matte or oil-free foundation to keep shine at bay throughout the day.

Use powder-based products such as pressed powder blushes and matte bronzers to set makeup and absorb excess oil.

Carry oil-absorbing sheets for touch-ups during the day.

Combination Skin:

Use a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer to hydrate dry areas without adding shine to oily zones.

Apply a mattifying primer to the T-zone to control oiliness.

Consider using a medium coverage foundation that balances hydration and oil control.

Use powder products on oily areas and cream or liquid products on dry areas for a balanced finish.

Sensitive Skin:

Look for makeup products labeled as hypoallergenic and fragrance-free to minimize irritation.

Conduct patch tests before trying new products to ensure they don't trigger allergic reactions.

Opt for mineral-based or natural makeup products, as they tend to be gentler on sensitive skin.

Remove makeup gently using micellar water or a mild cleanser to avoid aggravating sensitivity.

Normal Skin:

Lucky you! With normal skin, you have the flexibility to experiment with various makeup textures and finishes.

Choose a lightweight, moisturizing foundation for a natural look.

Experiment with different blush and bronzer formulas to find what works best for your preferences.

Set makeup with a translucent powder for a polished finish.

Enjoy experimenting with different makeup looks without worrying too much about specific skin concerns.

Regardless of skin type, it's crucial to cleanse your skin thoroughly before applying makeup and remove it completely at the end of the day to maintain skin health. Also, remember to wear sunscreen daily to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

[jewishbarbies]

In the starting I was completely team Depp and team Amber Heard had a Gone Girl plot. (I never posted on social media about anything related to this case though). But more and more information came up and I came to the conclusion that ok he is not a good person but was still abused but now.. it really completely looks like she was the one who was abused. I can send the links if you want to give them a read? If you don't want to engage in this discussion that's ok too but I genuinely was always looking at it or at least trying to look at it through the lens of evidence and unbiasedness and rn I can't shake the feeling that an abused person has faced the worst social media bullying and I basically believed all of it.

that’s fine if that’s the conclusion you’ve come to, I’m not gonna try to change your mind. for me, there’s no one else’s opinion that will sway me after the way she acted in court. seeing her behavior live firsthand and the evidence in combo with it will always trump a think piece for me. no victim pretends to cry on the witness stand for sympathy. that’s just where i’m at.

[krishnapal]

Explore a wide range of cosmetics and beauty products at TenonTen by Vosovyapar. Shop online for top makeup brands, skincare, and more. Beauty delivered to your door!"

[ssbollywoodmakeup]

Eid Al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, celebrates faith and devotion with prayers, feasts, and sharing with the less fortunate. Wishing everyone a blessed Eid!

[avatar-anna]

Girl Gone Live

this is literally so stupid and so corny, but i don't care i'm here for a good time, not a long time, you know? enjoy!

"Okay, is this working? How do I know this is working?"

You squinted at the screen, feeling older than you actually were as you waited for some sign that the live stream you set up was working. Thankfully, comments started rolling through and the viewer count went up, and then it started to skyrocket, which made you a little nervous.

"I...think it's working! Cool. Well, um, obviously I'm Y/n L/n, and I'm a celebrity makeup artist. I recently did Olivia Rodrigo's makeup for her music video 'Vampire,' and I thought I would kind of walk you through how I achieved that look, I guess."

Before going live, you'd considered making a little script but decided against it. Hearing yourself bumble through the introduction now, though, you kind of wished you had.

No one seemed to be put off by your awkwardness, though. As comments streamed past, you saw some about the music video and Olivia and what it was like to work with her, but there were also a lot about Harry. You weren't necessarily surprised by Harry's fans flooding the comment section because you sometimes appeared in the background of posts from other people on Love on Tour and you'd become known as the tour's makeup artist. Sometimes you posted the looks you did for performances and little videos of you doing makeup before the show. The attention was a little jarring if you thought about it too long, but you decided it could be worse. After all, you were Harry Styles' long-term girlfriend.

But that wasn't what this livestream was about.

Your eyes scanned the comments as they moved a mile a minute, hoping to snag on a question. "Oh! Someone asked how I met Olivia. Um, as some of you may know, I'm currently working as the makeup artist for Love on Tour, and Olivia came to one of the shows, and we just talked for a really long time about makeup, and she asked me to do her makeup for the video a few weeks later."

It was a fun side gig while you were on tour with Harry and his band. You loved touring for the most part, but this was something different and exciting, so you flew back home during a break in the tour to work with Olivia on "Vampire." Harry tagged along, happy to watch you work instead of the other way around for once. He had a grin on his face the whole time as he watched you do your thing, playing assistant, grabbing whatever you needed when you asked, and holding a palette for you while you did Olivia's makeup. Overall, it was a fun shoot for both of you.

You were back on tour now, and since you had a little time to kill, you decided to go live for the first time to talk about makeup. If it went well, you could maybe make it a regular thing, so you hoped people actually watched and were interested.

*.*

Brynn watched her phone intently, pen in hand as she waited for Y/n to name-drop the next product she was using so she could write it down and see if she could afford it later. Not only was Brynn a huge fan of Olivia Rodrigo, but she had been a Harry Styles fan since she was in grade school, and when she got the notification that Y/n was going live, she was one of the first people to join.

"Luxury or drugstore makeup? Good question," Y/n said as she moisturized her face. "Honestly both. I love trying new things and seeing what works for me. When I was starting out, I mostly had MAC in my makeup kit, but now I've branched out a little more and added things here and there. But that's my professional kit, which has all the things I know with certainty will work perfectly for whatever look I'm trying to achieve. My personal one is where I do more experimentation with brands and products and trends. I guess that doesn't really answer the question, so both. I definitely use both.

"And what's cool is that Olivia loves makeup too, so she kind of knew her way around and what products worked best for her," Y/n continued.

She's so cool, Brynn thought as Y/n moved onto explaining how she did Olivia's base makeup. She didn't feel like Y/n was trying to push any particular product on her audience, nor did she hide which products she used. Her explanations were clear and easy to follow, and she even gave alternative products when she used one that was on the pricier side.

"Olivia loves herself a glowy base, and we really played that up because of the song. So to give her that Cullen-esque sparkle, I added some liquid highlighter into her foundation."

Brynn watched intently, wanting to see just how Y/n did it. Then, feeling compelled, she typed a comment. She didn't think Y/n would notice it, or be able to see it at all amongst the thousands of others, but she couldn't help but try to be noticed.

As Y/n blended her foundation in, Y/n smiled. "Someone asked how long it takes to do Harry's makeup on tour. Um...It kind of depends. Sometimes it's hard to actually get him in the chair because he gets so pumped up before he goes onstage. But once he settles enough for me to do it, it goes pretty quick. If he lets me, I get to put a little bit of glowy balm on his cheeks, but that's as creative as I get."

Y/n's smile changed, though Brynn couldn't really say how. It was almost like she was exasperated as she talked about Harry, and Brynn became just a tiny bit jealous that this person on the other side of her screen for knowing him well enough to be exasperated by him. What she wouldn't give to chase Harry Styles around so she could do his makeup. It left Brynn wondering how people even got into these situations.

Y/n finished up her base makeup while she answered more questions about the makeup products she used for the music video and a few about Love on Tour. She talked about her favorite songs and the places she'd been and the people she hung out with before and after shows.

"Oh boy, okay. I'm not a huge fan of bold lip colors on myself, but this is what I used on Olivia," Y/n said as she lined her lips. She'd just finished adding a light, almost haphazard, dusting of shimmer to her eyes, and despite the pixelated live stream feed, Brynn could still see it catch the light. "We wanted this to be the focal point of the whole look because, you know, vampires."

Y/n stopped talking briefly as she applied the lipstick she used for the music video, then shifted from side to side with her hands beneath her chin to show off the finished look. "Not my usual style, but—"

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

For a moment, Brynn thought she was dreaming. Mouth dropped open in shock, she watched as Harry Styles appeared onscreen in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. His hair was messy, as if he'd just been sleeping or a storm had just run through it. The video quality wasn't great because it was a live stream, but Brynn couldn't help but think he looked so cute and warm with his sleepy eyes, especially as he stretched his arms above his head, though her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when the waistband of his sweatpants dropped a centimeter. Not even caring that they'd fallen a bit, Harry shuffled forward and sat down next to Y/n and kissed her shoulder. He didn't seem to notice Y/n's phone propped up in front of her, or the look of disbelief and slight horror on her face. Not when she tried to speak to him, and not when he leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

And through it all Brynn watched, feeling like she'd entered an alternate dimension.

"You look cute. I like the sparkle," Harry said, tapping his knuckle against Y/n's nose. She still looked like she was in shock, but when he leaned in—leaned in to kiss her, Brynn realized—Y/n seemed to shake off some of her stupor.

"We—We're not alone," she said, gently resting her fingers over Harry's mouth to stop him.

Brynn didn't want to tear her eyes away from Harry and Y/n, but she darted her gaze down to the comment section, which confirmed everything. This was no dream, this was really happening, and everyone who was watching was losing their minds.

"What do you mean, lovie?" Harry asked, brows furrowing, clearly confused by Y/n's odd behavior. He finally looked at the camera, his brows shooting up when he realized that Y/n was live streaming all of this. "Oh."

"Yeah 'oh.'"

"I thought you were on the phone—"

"I wasn't!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know! You didn't tell me. And since when—"

"Harry put a shirt on!"

Brynn watched their bickering in a daze, waiting for the inevitable end of the live stream. To her surprise, though, Harry grinned a little before taking Y/n—and the whole Internet, to be honest—by surprise and kissing her.

"Are you insane?"

Harry merely shrugged. He leaned in again, but Y/n pushed his face back with the palm of her hand. They began to bicker again, but this time, Y/n scrambled for her phone in the process.

"You drive me crazy."

"Now, I know that's not true."

"Harry Edward Styles, I swear to God—"

And just like that, the live stream ended with a wink. Brynn stared down at her phone almost as if she was waiting for Harry and Y/n to reappear on her screen. They didn't, and she was left sitting alone in her bedroom, wondering what the hell had just happened.

[eternal-ascensionism]

Hey! Would you be willing to write a Sleep Token fic where fem!reader is touring with ST (maybe as part of another band, makeup artist, etc). Vessel is really sweet but shy, and reader discovers that he has a crush on her… then things become very spicy…😈

Warnings: smut, angst if you squint. Oral, penetration with fingers, that’s p much it for this one. MINORS DNI

Reader is somewhat fem aligned but it’s mostly gn!reader. Also: Don’t @ me for this but the title is from Naked Love by Adam Lambert bc the Trespassing album had a cultural impact on 12 y/o me the size of a mf crater

Word count:1.9k

Roll The Dice - Vessel x Band Member!Reader

♥️

He screams until his throat is raw, searching for common ground in the dim lighting of a sold-out arena. Having complex emotions can be a blessing and a curse; on one hand, he feels most validated when he finds the right words to capture his view. On the other hand, it’s isolating when the words won’t flow so easily from his lips. It isn’t until Vessel meets you that he begins to feel the burden of speaking his mind has lifted a bit. You were placed together on a tour through the states, your band just beginning to show out as a rising name in the scene. The man couldn’t say for sure whether he’d heard of you before, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to listen to one of your songs before a show to get a read on your music style.

As the last few notes rang out, Vessel found himself staring into space. Lost in the agony laid bare to all who listened closely enough. It was a sort of primal yearning he’d felt before. One that was imprinted on his very bones. He’d written it out and heard it discussed a million times over, yet the way you captured pain tugged at his heartstrings. From then on, Vessel couldn’t deny his fascination with you. He would never show it, of course. You were both professionals. Since this was your first real tour experience, he couldn’t risk tarnishing it by following you like a lost puppy.

Vessel had never been as smooth with conveying his affections in spoken word as he was with his songs. Although you seemed sweet and approachable for the most part, he was a shy man by nature. That said, something about you made him want to open up. Vessel desired to bond with you, sharing old wounds and their resulting scars. It was roughly two months before he mustered up enough confidence to have a one-on-one conversation with you. After that, the dynamic between you two seemed to shift. Words flowed easier, compliments became abundant, and suddenly you were his confidant. Ves settled on being friends and tour mates, packing away his growing feelings for your sake. But he wasn’t the only one pining in silence, unbeknownst to him.

You began this tour with rather low expectations. Your band was new to all things business-oriented, and you weren’t familiar with most of the lineup. You set your standards to surviving and hopefully making a friend or two. Then you met him. Vessel seemed reserved; you never saw him around without some form of mask to shroud his identity. You knew it was part of Sleep Token’s personas, and it never bothered you much. Who were you to demand someone’s true self or their face time? So you’d always respected their privacy, turning around when one needed to lift a mask for water or to replace it with a less sweaty backup.

——

Tonight hadn’t gone according to plan. Your poor, uncoordinated bassist had clocked his head on the edge of the cabinet door when trying to pack away the communal copy of Cards Against Humanity. You had quickly sat him down and examined the spot; it wasn’t too bad, but it seemed to be bleeding like a stuck pig. With the other members asleep and no first aid kit on hand, you give Chris a towel to hold pressure on the laceration and head for the bus two spots down. III was the one to open the door after you knocked rather quietly. You weren’t sure they’d still be awake, but the lights in the windows gave you hope.

“What can we do you for?” Came his cheery tone, stepping aside as an offer to come inside. You shook your head.

“Sorry to bother you guys, but Chris smashed his forehead on the corner of the cabinet and it’s bleeding pretty bad. He’s alright but we used up our kit after that broken beer bottle incident last week.”

He nodded, seemingly racking his brain for something. “I think we might have one, I know there’s plasters somewhere if nothing else. I’ll look around and come over there.”

You turn on your heel and walk briskly back in the direction you came. Upon arrival, Chris was in the small kitchenette holding the blood-stained rag to the affected area. You both settle on a bench seat next to the counter and wait for word from the guys. When the tall man crossed the threshold of the front door, you almost did a double take. You hadn’t been expecting to see him out of his stage gear, but it made sense given the hour.

Vessel held a flashlight in one hand and a small, red box in the other. “Hey, heard you guys had an accident. You alright, mate?”

Chris nodded the best he could, in spite of his splitting headache. Vessel made quick work of cleaning the wound that had mostly stopped bleeding. His long fingers unraveled the gauze pad and carefully placed it before securing it with two larger band-aids. You couldn’t help but smile at the sight; for all his mystery and moody aura, Ves was a lover at heart. You hadn’t taken notice of it before, but it seemed obvious now. The man cared deeply for those around him. You feel a thud against your shin, and lock eyes with your friend. You’re met with a knowing smirk.

“With the way you’re looking at him, you’d think he was bandaging you up!” Chris chuckled as you prod him sharply in the side with one finger. Vessel’s head was down, a hint of red across his cheeks. Cute.

“I wasn’t looking, I’m just admiring his kind nature. Not like you’d know; remember the time you and Amanda took me out with the pool noodle? Y’all just laughed at me like maniacs after I swallowed all that pool water!” You made a sweeping motion with your hands to paint the picture for the taller male. He shook his head with a smile.

“I’m just trying to help out. Besides, gives me a chance to talk with you more.”

Wordlessly, Chris stand up and claps his hands together. “Well, it was a pleasure seeing you Ves. Thanks for the patchwork. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to give you two lovesick freaks some space. Talk, bond, kiss. Just keep it down so I can maintain my plausible deniability.” With that, he disappeared to the back bunks of the bus.

The silence that followed was all-consuming. Neither of you were sure how to move forward. The connection was evident. The tension was palpable. But you both had long histories of anxious behaviors, and old habits die hard. That said, you only lasted about 30 seconds before deciding the potential reward was worth the risk. Scooting closer to Ves who now sat on the same bench seat, you chanced a look at his face. His eyes held something akin to amusement.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Your gaze falls back to the floor where your slipper scraped repeatedly against a loose thread of carpet. It was a soothing motion as you awaited an answer.

“I think I’d like to know how long you’ve liked me.”

“Well,” you began, “I’ve honestly been into you since before we met. When I saw you guys live for the first time at that festival last summer, the one where we played on the small stage. I caught you guys’ set after we wrapped, and I was absolutely enamored.”

Vessel inched closer, his right hand coming to rest gently over your left. “Yknow, I saw you that time. You managed to get to the front and the first thing I noticed was your pretty eyes. They sparkled when the sun came.”

You took the leap to close the gap between the two of you, Ves meeting you halfway for a soft kiss. You practically melted. He smelled like soap and a hint of incense, you wanted to bury your face in his threadbare tee and never come up for air. He gently guided you to lay back against the cushioned bench while his warm hands slid down your sides. His fingers dipped just below the fabric of your sleep shorts to press into the plush skin of your hips. The firm kneading movements elicited a strangled noise from you.

“It’s okay, baby, I’m right here. Gonna hold you and make you feel good.” He murmured against your lips before making his way down to your neck with sweet pecks. One hand remains at your hip, massaging while the other slips your loose fitting bottoms to the side. A deep satisfied hum sounds through his chest, and it makes you ache. He carefully pushes your legs up and apart once again to admire the view.

“You really are gorgeous everywhere, darling.” A quick peck to your lips. “Magnificent.” Another peck against your shoulder. “Breathtaking.” He’s now level with your groin, eyes taking you in like a desperate animal. No more words leave his lips before they attach to where you crave him most.

Bucking your hips, your hand flies to your mouth as you fight to stay in control. Your band has seen you in many embarrassing situations over the years, but this would be one you’d never live down if anybody caught you. Vessel moans against you, and you bite down on the heel of your palm to stifle your own needy sounds.

It isn’t long before he has you on the edge. You were so close to your release, but you just needed a little more to push you over the line. Mustering what rational thought you had left, you plead for Ves to add a finger. You swear you hear a growl, and then there’s two long digits pushing lightly into you. He prods and curves expertly until finding the spot that makes your hips pause as you grind down on his hand. You let out a whimper as you feel the dam finally burst, making a mess of yourself and Vessel in the process. He lets you catch your breath and relax for a moment before slowly removing his fingers. You pull him in for a kiss, hands beginning to roam before he takes them in his own and looks at you.

“Hey. I really like you, like a lot. I don’t wanna rush anything. I know that’s a bit odd to say after I just had my mouth on you, but I’d really just like to take you out proper before we go any further. Would that be okay? I just…I wanna make sure I do this right.”

You feel a lump forming in your throat as you gaze into his eyes, a sea of uncertainty beneath. Nodding, you give him a smile and pull him closer for a hug. “I’d really like that, Ves. I wanna give us the best chance at working out, we can go as slow as you feel comfortable with.”

Vessel beams at you, lifting you up to relocate to the comfier loveseat in the middle of the bus. “Wonderful. I say we watch some cheesy horror movies for our first date.”

You chuckle and nod while grabbing the remote, “agreed. You pick the movie, I’ll make the popcorn.”

♥️

HI IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME LIKE A MONTH TO GET DONE I HAVE BEEN GOING THRU IT BUT THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE AHHHHHH

Okay screaming over, thank you for real for the requests and all the inspo it’s helped refresh my writing skills and as always, feedback is appreciated! If this does well I can make another part where they actually have their first time together (not as in virgins but as in first time with each other)

[dangerkittenclaws]

hi hun!!

your recent writing with vessel was SO darn cute. i have a request if you're still taking them !! (feel free to ignore if you don't like the idea , etc!)

i'm an absolute sucker for soft fluffy vessel, so what if the reader and vessel were in a relationship and reader works on the team as their makeup artist !

feel free to include anything you'd like , im sure it'd be great no matter what !! feel free to ignore if it's too much!!

thank you ! <3

Hiii!! Thank you so much for your kind words! Sorry this is a tad short! <3

vessel x artist!reader

warnings: none, just soft and playful vessy all to yourself :))

When you got hired as the band's makeup artist, you didn't quite know what you were getting yourself into. Painting four men in black paint every weekend? Easy enough, right? But since the first show, Vessel had taken a liking to you and was always a little more flirtatious than the others, coy even, at times. A few teasing words between the two of you became commonplace until Vessel had invited you out to dinner. You had thought it was a group dinner, but when you got to the restaurant, you realized it was just the two of you! That night he asked you to be his girlfriend.

But tonight as everyone was getting ready for the show, you were feeling a bit self conscious. You had seen an offer put out for a theater company looking for an artist in your hometown. You needed some reassurance, or rather a push in the right direction to apply.

“Do you really think I’m that good?” you asked Vessel as you were digging through your makeup kit, finding your essentials to cover his body for the night.

“Of course, what do you mean?” He gives you a small kiss on your temple before sitting down in the backstage chair. You pull on a pair of nitrile gloves after you find your large sponge and pour out the black liquid onto it.

“No, I mean, do you think I’m good enough to do something else, like professionally?” You kneel between his legs and start to cover his torso heavily, smearing and blending until it’s evenly distributed across his skin. You see his muscles ripple against your light touch and you look up at him expectantly.

“What about you being a touring band's makeup artist isn’t professional?” He looks down at you with seriousness in his eyes. You laugh nervously, continuing on upwards towards his chest.

“You know what I mean! What if I… went into theatrical makeup?” You kind of cringe inwardly, you know that its a little ambitious for your skillset. You focus on dabbing paint as if it would hide your own embarrassment.

He grabs your chin lightly and makes your eyes meet his. “Then I think you’d make a great artist for them, love.” He sees your eyes look away from his momentarily, not believing.

He gives your chin a little squeeze, “No, seriously. You can do more than play with one color, I’ve seen you do it. You can make that image in your pretty little head come to life.”

The redness in your cheeks spreads across your face. You open your mouth to reply but Vessel is a little quicker with a smirk on his face.

He leans down to grab your wrist and pulls you close enough that his lips graze your ear, “But I do like having my own personal artist cover me every night.”

[samkiszkasfacialhair]

Painted Up

Painted Up

Pairing: Josh Kiszka and Female Reader

Summary: Josh decides to experiment with stage makeup, which leads to more than a couple surprising things.

Warnings: Alcohol, mention of gender norms

Word Count: 2.8k

With any job, there were pros and cons.

The pros: It was a stress free environment, the traveling was amazing, and the guys were always polite and nothing but sweet to you. 

The cons: It was a little boring at times compared to your previous jobs of runway shows and horror movie special effects. But you couldn’t complain. What did you expect when you took a job as a makeup artist for a band of men?

There were four of them. Jake, Sam, Danny, and Josh.

Jake and Sam were simple. Once a week you’d be greeted by a cute face with long hair popping his head into the makeup and hair room before a show asking in the sweetest voice, “Do you have a second?” or “Can you cover something up for me?” To which you always said “Of course!” without hesitation. You’d sit them down, do what they needed, and in 5 minutes, they’d be out. 

Danny was a bit more daring. He had darker features than the other guys and he was willing to try eyeliner and experiment with colors. It was never anything crazy but with him not being up front, a little extra pop of something was exactly what he needed. And still, it was easy because nothing had to be precise. Whenever you tried something new on him, their photographer would be there to snap a photo of his look. 

But Josh? Josh was your favorite. As the front man, he got a little more extra attention from you in the makeup department. You covered up his sunburnt cheeks, separated his lashes with clear mascara, and filled his beard in occasionally. He was also a bit more talkative than the other guys so whenever he was in the chair, it was a nice time. 

He had a great personality and you loved conversations with him. It was no wonder people were captivated by him on stage. You were captivated by him when he was just his regular, everyday self. 

Part of you wished he could get more attention from you in other ways. You had to admit, he was cute. Very cute. His looks combined with his personality gave you butterflies that were hard to ignore. And you could never quite tell if he was flirting with you or just being polite.

But regardless, this was work and he was your client. You had to be strictly professional with him. 

One day, the band was shooting a few videos so you were really making sure you got each of them good. They each took a bit more time than usual since they had to be HD camera ready. You were giving Josh his usual fix, with just a bit more here and there when you saw his eyes wandering into your kit.

“What are those?” he asked, nudging his head to the little box of rhinestones you had next to your eye shadow collection. 

“Rhinestones,” you replied casually, shrugging your shoulders, “You know, for like, extravagant looks,” you said as you continued dotting his cheeks with concealer. You pulled back from him and leaned down into your kit to get a sponge. 

“Hm,” he paused, “Do you think I’d be fit for an extravagant look?” he asked, giving you a shy smile.

“Do you want an extravagant look?” you asked, looking at him with an I know you want it kind of smile. 

“That depends. Do you think I could pull it off?” he asked. 

His expression turned a little more serious with his question. You could tell he wasn’t simply nervous about being able to pull off the look. He was thinking a little deeper. This wasn't just concealer and clear mascara; and this was a bit different than just eyeliner on a drummer. This could push boundaries a bit. And even play around with gender norms. You could tell he wasn’t one hundred percent sure about this.

However, with all that being said, he could absolutely pull off an extravagant look and if it ruffles some feathers, who cares? It’s not like he’d be the only man to ever wear makeup. This is the 21st century after all. Besides, with his strong facial features, combined with his stage outfits and stage presence, he could pull off anything to be honest. 

“Are you kidding? You definitely could. I mean, look at you. Look at your stage outfits. Look at your face? A little sparkle and a little color would be perfect,” you said. 

He tucked his lips into his mouth, trying not to smile too wide. You could tell he liked the idea but was still a bit apprehensive.

“Here, you look through and see if there’s anything you like. And, if you do, we can try something out. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy if you don’t want it to be. It can be subtle.”

He pursed his lips to the side and nodded. Your reassurance to make things subtle if he wanted seemed to make him feel more confident. He turned himself in the chair and rested his elbow on the counter, peeking through the kit.

As he looked, he picked some products up to see the different colors of everything you had. His eyebrows furrowed as he went through the kit and put back ones he didn’t particularly care for. He was careful with everything he touched and he made sure he put everything back where it came from.  

Finally, he settled on a tube of gold liquid eye shadow and the container of rhinestones. 

“Ooh, gold?” you asked, a bit flirtatiously, as he placed them onto the counter.

“Yeah, right?” he asked, “Red and gold go well together, right?” he asked, looking down at his jumpsuit, which was a shade of deep red, and then looking up at you for your opinion.

You bit your lip, smiled at him, and nodded. 

You felt your heart stop and your smile faded as your eyes locked with his. 

In that moment, he was different than you’d ever seen him before. He wasn’t that confident and funny guy you always saw him as. He was shy and unsure of himself. 

He blinked and looked away quickly, putting an abrupt end to the eye contact. 

“Um, yeah, so, like, do you just wanna…” he trailed off, as he sat back in the chair.

“Yeah,” you said, “Do you have any idea of what you want me to do?”

“Not really,” he said with a sigh, “But I trust you.”

You stood  in front of him like you normally would and you got to work.

His eyes watched your hands as you twisted the cap off the eyeshadow tube and scraped off the excess product on the container. 

“Close your eyes,” you whispered as you brought the applicator to his face.

He did as you said and you began delicately painting his eyelid with the gold shimmer. 

When you got to the outer corner, you began a downturned wing of gold, which quickly became something more.

You got lost in the art. Josh was the perfect canvas, it was easy to get carried away with him. 

Before you knew it, you were looking at five points of gold, resembling the sun, running down his cheeks. 

He looked unbelievable. 

“You can open now,” you said to Josh. 

He opened his eyes as you turned back to your kit to get tweezers, glue, and the rhinestones he chose. 

You picked up a rhinestone in the tweezers and applied glue to the back. Slowly, you leaned forward towards Josh and brought it to his face. 

This was the closest you’ve ever been to him. Your faces were just inches apart. You could feel him exhaling through his nose slowly on your wrist. You could smell cologne on his neck. You were trying to concentrate on the task before you, making sure the rhinestone went in just the right spot. But Josh was making your job hard. Not to mention, you could see his eyes looking at yours the entire time. 

Rhinestone by rhinestone, he wasn’t breaking his stare. 

After you placed the last rhinestone to his face, you pulled back just a bit to get a full look at the sun burst on his face and swiped your fingertips across it with feather light motions. 

“Perfect,” you whispered.

“Yeah, perfect,” he repeated. He wasn’t talking about the makeup. 

When you finally looked into his eyes, he was looking deep into yours. 

There was silence for a few moments until Josh spoke.

“Would it be super unprofessional if I-”

“No,” you cut him off as you shook your head.

Slowly, his hand came up off where it was resting on his lap and he held your jaw lightly. 

He pulled your face closer to his and you both closed your eyes and connected your lips. 

The kiss was soft and sweet. His lips were warm and fit perfectly on yours. 

The two of you broke the kiss and pulled back in the slightest bit. 

You stared at each other for a few seconds until you each broke into smiles.

“Maybe, red and gold aren't the only things that go well together,” he whispered.

“Maybe,” you giggled.

Years passed and you went from being Greta Van Fleet’s make-up artist to gaining a new title.

Josh’s girlfriend. 

You kept your job with them despite your relationship status and when you were working, the two of you kept things very professional. Except when you were alone of course. If Josh’s dressing room door was locked- it was obvious that you weren’t just doing his makeup.

What started off as a relatively boring job touring as a makeup artist for a band of men completely changed your life. The job you once thought was easy and boring, had turned into the most exciting time in your life and it had brought you the love of your life (and three amazing friends).

Throughout the next couple of years on tour, Jake and Sam would come to you for their usual quick touch ups as always. But Josh and Danny kept the more extravagant looks going. 

Danny caught on to the rhinestones and before you knew it, you were lining his eyes with black eyeliner and gluing colored rhinestones around them. He also started asking for more which led to completely smoking out his eyes with black eyeshadow. He loved the intense dark look of it and you liked that it really brought something out in him, personality wise too.

Josh stuck to the rhinestones for a while. He liked having them in different designs and he even suggested to place them down his chest at one point. 

You taught them both how to properly take the makeup and rhinestones off in a safe way, instead of just rubbing their eyes or scratching them off. Josh listened, Danny didn’t as much. He liked the little extra black the remnants of his makeup left for his everyday self. 

Regardless, Josh loved the rhinestones so much that he started taking videos of the process of getting his makeup done. He would film himself on his phone and call it his “Rhinestone Diary.” He said he wanted to capture the memories of getting his makeup done on tour and that it was his favorite part of his pre-show routine. 

Eventually, the social media team took that one over and it became a thing for Josh to do before shows. He turned it into a whole comedy sketch and the fans loved to see what you saw in him- his personality and his captivating show looks. 

Before you knew it, the tour the guys had been on for almost a year was coming to an end. You were in Josh’s dressing room with him and Danny doing both of their makeup. 

Jake and Sam got their usual touch ups and went their separate ways to continue preparing for the show. The door was wide open and people were coming in and out with questions and orders for them.

Danny’s makeup was done and you were carefully applying gold eyeshadow to Josh’s eyelids when Sam walked in, ready to go on stage. 

“Whatcha doin’?” Sam asked as he sat down with a can of hard seltzer in hand. He picked at some of the products you had set out for Josh and inspected them carefully.

“Eyeshadow,” you said softly as you concentrated on the art you were creating on Josh’s face. You brought the brush across his eyelid and swiped the gold across his temple. You continued, adding horizontal stripes of gold down his cheeks. 

“Wanna do me next?” he asked.

“I already did you, Sam,” you said, still concentrating on Josh’s face.

“No like, really do me. Like how you do Daniel and Josh,” he said.

Danny lifted his head up from his phone. Josh’s eyes snapped open, and you turned your head to Sam; all three of you were in a state of shock.

“What?” he giggled as he looked at you all looking at him. 

“You want me to do your makeup? Like makeup, makeup?”

“Yeah, give me something. Nothing dark. But,” he paused, “surprise me.”

“Let me finish your brother and then I’m all yours, Samuel,” you said, smiling. 

Sam smiled, sat down on top of the counter, and swung his feet back and forth. He waited patiently for Josh to be done and then swapped places in the chair with him when it was his turn.

“Make me beautiful,” he said, smiling as he sat up tall in the chair.

“Eh, you need a lot of work. I’ll see what I can do,” you teased.

You all laughed as you inspected Sam’s face for options of what to do.

He had perfect skin and down turned eyes, which gave him a lot of lid space that extended from the inner corners, all the way out to the sides of his face with a perfect downturned swoop.

You decided on a little black mascara, which he flinched when you applied it, gold winged eyeliner which covered his eyelids, and a few rhinestones across his lash lines.

You completed his look and turned him around so he could get a good look of himself. 

His eyes widened and his face lit up at the sight of himself. 

“Woah, this is sick, Y/N. Thank you!” he said happily as he turned his head back and forth to get a good look.

The three of them stood in the mirror and gushed over their looks for the night as you started packing your kit away.

“What are you doing? We have like 10 minutes,” a deeper voice called from the doorway. 

You all turned your attention to Jake who was in his suit, ready to go. 

All three boys turned around and Jake’s mouth opened slightly when he saw Sam, who usually never had anything on his face for shows. 

“Jake, do you want a makeup look too?” you said, stretching out your words.

“No,” he laughed, quite certain with himself. 

“Come on! Do it with us,” Sam begged.

“You’re the only one without it,” Danny added.

“You’re gonna look stupid,” Josh said.

Jake looked at all of them with a conflicted face. You could tell he didn’t want to be left out but he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea.

It was the same face you saw on Josh years ago when the idea of makeup was first brought up. 

After a few seconds of silence, you spoke.

“Jake, it doesn’t have to be like theirs. I could do something subtle,” you explained.

The room was silent except for the quiet whispers of “Come on,” and “Please?” coming from the guys behind you. 

Finally, Jake broke. 

“Okay fine. But just a little.”

The guys cheered and Jake fought back a smile.

You sat Jake down and grabbed a singular black eyeliner pencil. You traced his upper and lower lash lines lightly and then, while it was still fresh, grabbed a brush and blurred it out. You pulled it out just a bit at the outer corner of his eye to create a subtle winged look. 

It took two minutes. 

“What do you think? If you hate it, we can take it off,” you asked, holding a handheld mirror in front of him. 

“No,” he paused, “I actually kind of like it,” he said as the other guys got peeks. 

“Five minutes till stage,” you heard a voice call into the room, snapping everyone's attention toward the door. There were two security guards waiting to escort the guys there for the show.

You put the eyeliner away and the guys thanked you and you wished them luck as they left the room and headed to the stage. 

Josh waited for you. When you were done putting the eyeliner away, he pulled you in by the waist and kissed you sweetly. 

“You think Jake really likes it?” you asked, running your hands down his satin sleeves and locking your fingers with his. 

Josh nodded and kissed you again, “Yes,” he said, “I know it.”

You smiled at him and breathed a small sigh of relief.

“You do a good job. Maybe we should keep you around,” Josh teased as the two of you began to walk out of his dressing room and toward the stage, hand in hand.

“Maybe,” you giggled. 

[wndaswife]

Could you do 37, 38, and 70 for Lizzie please

elizabeth olsen & gn!reader

tags: fluff.

word count: 937

“I heard you wanted me to work with you for this scene,” you say when you walk into the makeup trailer.

“Hey, Y/N. How are you?” Lizzie asks, spinning in her chair to face you with a grin.

You were assigned to work on Kathryn for the next few weeks for Wandavision’s final episode. Lizzie was assigned to a more experienced makeup artist as a particular scene in the episode called for much more detailed work which you didn’t have a history with practising. Not yet, at least. Not until Lizzie made a request for you to work with her instead of the other artist.

“I’m alright. And you?” you ask and place your tools and kits on the vanity the actress is sitting at.

“It’s a weird feeling finishing WandaVision after filming’s gone through so much. How do you feel about it? There was a lot of work you had to do with me,” she speaks, leaning back into her seat as she watches your face through the mirror.

“Excited, I suppose, to see the final product. Wrapping up is always bittersweet, though.”

Lizzie hums in agreement. After a few moments of watching you set up your things, she questions, “What’s the plan for today?”

“Well, the first few scenes are pretty simple and natural. We’re going for a modern makeup look, so just let me know if there’s anything specific you have in mind to make you look more natural that you’d prefer,” you explain and take out a few brushes, Lizzie’s shade of foundation, and primer. She nods in understanding. “We do the fight scenes last, which’ll be more tedious in terms of prep time. But I think it won’t be too bad. I’m excited.”

The next few weeks are filled with long hours- early mornings and late nights. But the tireless hours pay off when shooting finally comes to an end. The cast and crew gather around sharing applause and thanking each other for the collective hardwork shared with wonderful people who’d been working for the last chaotic and memorable year.

You’re cleaning up in the makeup trailer when Lizzie steps in, wig freshly taken off. You can tell by the way she massages her scalp with her fingers.

“Y/N,” she sighs as if relieved. “I’ve been looking for you. Have you been hiding up here this whole time?”

“Hi, Lizzie,” you greet with a tired smile. “Yeah, I’ve just been busy cleaning up.”

She wraps an arm around your hips and pulls you into a side hug. “Don’t you want to come out and celebrate?”

“I think I just wanna go home. I’m pretty tired,” you tell her regrettably.

“Let me take you out. I’ve been wanting to find some time to ourselves but we’ve just been so busy. Let’s go out for coffee. I’ll pay.”

Thirty minutes later, you’re walking through downtown Los Angeles with her, coffees in hand warming each other up from the brisk winter. Though you’ve been working with her for the last year, you realise you haven’t gotten to know Lizzie very much until tonight. And you liked her. A lot.

When the two of you finally get back to her car, you stop by the driver’s side with her. It’s an awkward moment until you suddenly tell her, “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, but I really like your laugh. I think it’s so contagious. Even through the most tiring days, sets are so much brighter with you.”

She’s just grinning at you, her bottom lip between her teeth as she looks at you. The undivided attention makes you antsy and you look away from her.

“Y/N,” she says, bringing your attention back over to her. Wanda laughs between words, her hand raised to her mouth, “You’re so clueless.”

Your shoulders fall and you ball your lips over to the side awkwardly. You didn’t know what to say to that. You like Lizzie, but if you had no clue how to keep up a conversation with her, perhaps you weren’t a good match for her, even if only for a professional relationship. A painful pang shot through your chest at the very thought.

But without warning, her cold hands are placed on either side of your face and she pulls you close to her. She’s wearing a playful grin on her soft lips, bright glints of amusement dancing in her green eyes. The sight stuns you, making you freeze on the spot.

Lizzie quietly asks, “Can I kiss you?” After a few more moments of waiting for your response that hadn’t come because of how stunned you were by your proximity to her, the actress giggles. She pinches your cheek lightly between her thumb and the side of her index finger. “Say yes,” she chuckles, her laugh blowing white in the cold air.

“Yes,” you answer quickly.

Lizzie’s grin widens and she steps towards you so your bodies pressed together. She kisses your lips softly and your eyes flutter closed. Your arms lift to wrap around her body, hugging her against you. You feel her smile widen against your lips and she pulls away. Her arms wrap around your neck and, on the tips of her toes, she leans against you. “You’re warm,” she whispers.

You answer with a nervous smile that makes Lizzie laugh, “So are you.” She kisses you again.

“I want to see you tomorrow. Are you free?” she asks, kissing your cheek and looking up into your eyes. You nod. “Then I’ll pick you up early before lunch and we can spend the day together. I really like you, Y/N.”

[ratsoh-writes]

Happy Valentine’s Day ratsoh :) I have a request for a Matchup for my babygirl Charlotte!

She’s 23 and currently working at a bank but her dream job is something involved with fashion history. Charlotte is soft spoken and generally prefers to hang back and keep to herself except around people she’s very close with. She lives on a property with a few different houses with her family (immediate and more distant) she’s very patient and detail oriented, and tends to be very understanding and forgiving. On the flip side she can be a bit of a pushover, especially around stronger personalities, and generally won’t stand up for herself until she’s reached her limit.

Aside from fashion history, she’s a big foodie and likes cooking, going out to eat, etc. she’s curious and open about learning and trying new things as long as she gets enough time to herself in between. She’s also good at building and fixing things (assigned furniture assembler), and very good at math- she’s the kind of friend people ask for help when filing their taxes

She’s the oldest of 5 kids and has younger half siblings from 19-7 years old, but the family living together is around 30(?) people. Her family is important to her and while her SO certainly doesn’t need to be around them all the time (and she’s open to moving away from them so long as it isn’t super far away), she’d still want to feel comfortable bringing them around each other and not having to worry about it if she isn’t there to supervise the whole time. Similarly, she’s pretty introverted and while someone who is very outgoing isn’t a deal breaker she wouldn’t do very well with someone who is constantly taking her out of her comfort zone.

She doesn’t have a lot of strong preferences, she has a partial preference for people taller than her (she’s 5’7) but it’s not a very strong one. Her partner also being detail oriented is a pretty big plus bc details are so important to her. I think she’d appreciate confidence, whether is more boldness and bravado or a quiet self assurance, she’d subconsciously drift more towards those kinds of people.

Her general aesthetic leans more towards light colors and flips around between historical, country cute, elegant, and girlish depending on the day. She’s almost always carrying a sewing kit , notebook, and her multitool pocket knife with her, and she’s got shared ownership over a pair of pet doves with her cousin/best friend/ roommate Lenore. The doves are her babies

Anyways , I hope this wasn’t too much or too little. Thanks ratsoh! Your writing always brightens my day <3

Lovely character description! Anyways Charlotte has very specific needs. She needs someone who’s confident but observant enough to realize when they push to hard. And a family lover of course! So after searching for those requirements, I decided to match her with ….. SALT! Lustswap papyrus!

Salt has a type. That is very obvious if you look at all his exes. He’s attracted to this shy softies. He loves bringing them out of their shells. Over time he became quite good at reading people’s body language and expressions to tell their comfort levels. Salt is a great choice as someone who can give Charlotte the confidence to be adventurous while still being restrained enough to feel secure to her.

Salt is 100% extroverted and would do well in a large family setting. Picking him means that there’s no need for Charlotte to move away if she doesn’t want to. He’ll blend in well with the group, and become the annoying uncle with dirty jokes the kids don’t understand lol. Every family needs one of those after all lol

Salt is a professional makeup artist! So while it’s not the same field as clothing design, it’s still very similar. Salt is someone who needs to keep up with trends in order to keep his job relevant. He’s someone that Charlotte can always talk to about her passion, and he’ll be able to keep up just fine

Charlotte should be warned though, salt is a lust monster lol. So she’s gonna have her hands full with him ;). And maybe a few kids down the line. He’s a family guy, and while he can go without, he does hope that his future partner would want one or two someday

[cosplayinamerica]

Writer : Amy Densham

Whether your kids live in rural Iowa or downtown NYC. If they have cosplaying parents or only they just learned about Halloween. Astrid and Leah bring that excited, welcoming, Con energy to their student’s computer screens all over the world.

The platform is Outschool. It’s been around since 2015 and started as a go-to for homeschoolers. During the  COVID-19 pandemic, Outschool grew beyond homeschooling. It became a place for learning and socializing whether you homeschool or not. Now serving over 1 million learners in 195 countries, Outschool has thousands of classes for ages 3 - 18. Learn about dinosaurs from a paleontologist. C# coding from a game developer. Or cosplay from an expert seamstress and a professional actress.

Astrid Turner, bubbly and all smiles, remembers standing in line at a Con: “The cosplay community is one of the most supportive and wonderful communities out there. When I cosplay, it’s not attention on me. It’s attention for something we share. We already know we like the same things. The craftsmanship, the idea that you’re there together, dressed up, having an experience together.”

Astrid teaches Cosplay Costume Design and Creation Workshops and anything else costume-related (just send her a request). She can pleat a skirt, put a bodice in, and bring kids out of their shells with ease. Part of her class includes real-world skills like comparison shopping; if you’re asking mom to buy it, you need to have a plan.

What does Astrid hope her students walk away with from taking her class ? Ask about her experience teaching online classese.

With a classroom maximum of 5, Astrid gives personalized attention to all of her students. Some enroll with a  clear costume vision. Others just love Anime. Either way, Astrid helps them follow their own creativity and make it a reality.

Do they need a sketch? No problem. Does the fabric need to be washable? She knows just the thing. And costumes are just the beginning. Her eyes light up when she talks about intuitive, introverted students growing and connecting as the weeks go by. Someone who barely spoke in their first class is now the first one to share their progress and welcome a new student. They find their people and their voice.

Leah Johnson, artful and confident, talks about her experience at Cons: “It feels like everyone is a family. They want to welcome you in. It’s an excitement of sharing. Always. Of what they’ve made, what they’ve done, other cons that they’ve gone to, and people they’ve met. Everyone there wants to inspire each other.”

Leah teaches Special FX, Halloween, and Cosplay Makeup or one-on-one classes by request. Some of her students want to become professional makeup artists. Some want to scare their grandmas with fake wounds. In both situations, Leah is raring to go! And so is her washable Mehron Practice Makeup Head - currently sporting terrifying clown makeup from her last class.

Every class is unique. Some learners pop in with full, top-of-the-line makeup kits and some join with leftovers from the makeup wearer in their house. Part of the fun for Leah and her students is figuring out how to create looks with what you’ve got. It’s a great life lesson too. Sometimes you’ll need a specific product but sometimes you just need to be resourceful. Leah playfully refers to it as preparing for the zombie apocalypse when you won’t have all the tools. Her personality beams through the screen as she uses her makeup head to show makeup techniques, up close, and with student-requested variations. For Leah, the online part wasn’t her favorite. There’s an unquantifiable distance when you’re interacting online. You aren’t in the same space. It’s not the same as in person. But she makes that work too. And it’s a small inconvenience compared to the big benefit: bringing creative, accepting spaces to students wherever they are in the world.

Every class is unique. Some learners pop in with full, top-of-the-line makeup kits and some join with leftovers from the makeup wearer in their house. Part of the fun for Leah and her students is figuring out how to create looks with what you’ve got. It’s a great life lesson too. Sometimes you’ll need a specific product but sometimes you just need to be resourceful. Leah playfully refers to it as preparing for the zombie apocalypse when you won’t have all the tools. Her personality beams through the screen as she uses her makeup head to show makeup techniques, up close, and with student-requested variations. For Leah, the online part wasn’t her favorite. There’s an unquantifiable distance when you’re interacting online. You aren’t in the same space. It’s not the same as in person. But she makes that work too. And it’s a small inconvenience compared to the big benefit: bringing creative, accepting spaces to students wherever they are in the world.

HOW IT STARTED

Astrid and Leah both grew up loving costumes but they didn’t find out about cosplay until much later. In each of their separate hometowns, they were that kid in full costume at the grocery store. Or decked out like crazy on Halloween. Sound familiar?

Astrid remembers her first Ren Faire: “My first costume was a disaster but I was so proud of it! Ever since then, I knew I wanted to make costumes.” Growing up in a rural area outside LA, she always wanted to go to the San Diego Comic-Con but she didn’t have anyone to go with and didn’t want to go by herself. None of her friends were cosplayers - a term she didn’t even know existed.

She taught herself to sew, learning by creating more and more complex projects. Elaborate Elizabethan gowns with striking details for the next faire.

As she grew older, Atrid took a detour, exploring other career paths but she came back to sewing when her kids were small. Making clothes and costumes for them brought back that magic. And the internet showed her there was a whole community out there. No longer the only cosplayer in town, she dove in head first.

Now Astrid and her 3 kids (ages 13, 10, and 7) attend Cons every chance they get. In full costume, of course. She enters competitions in the handmade category and, though she’s modest, has taken home more than one win. In middle school, Astrid was big into theatre, Shakespeare, and creating Renaissance costumes.

An actor, director, voiceover artist, and singer, Leah cosplays characters from Arwen to Cruella De Vil to Mary Poppins. She teaches makeup and cosplay on Outschool but does both professionally for film, theatre, and events. To name a few, she designed costumes for the TV show Kookville and a stage production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She even did makeup and created costumes for the movie Demon Squad, which you can find in Season 13 of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. She believes that cosplay isn’t just about expressing yourself, it’s about developing yourself and creating a full aesthetic. Beyond that, she wants her students to know, they can make a career out of their creative passions. And she’ll help them do it.

Leah talks about her first Ren Faire experience: “It felt awesome because I was trying to be intentional about creating a costume for me. Not for a play. Not for someone else based on their vision. It was my vision. It was what I wanted to do.”

You feel different in your cosplay. The persona, the confidence. It can be hard to describe but Astrid and Leah teach toward that feeling in every class.

Specializing in Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance costumes, Astrid also cosplays Collei from Gensin Impact and loves growing her skills in the anime genre. She even runs a social club on Outschool where Genshin fans can hang out virtually and game together.

Astrid beams: “A lot of kids and adults choose a character and they try to match that persona. It’s a little bit of safety. I’ve had people scream ‘OH MY GOD ITS COLLEI’ and run over to me. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t happen. But at Cons, it’s so exciting. It’s amazing to connect with other people through that persona.”

*** Leah, with her cosplay weapon collection behind her: “You feel more confident in your character’s costume. It’s a projection of your best self. A lot of work, your imagination, and your brain is now projected on the outside. People can see that part of you that they can’t see in any other situation.”

Leading by example, Leah shows her students that they can make their creative passions into careers. She beams when she talks about a student getting confident enough to make an Actor Instagram account. Or doing professional-level wedding makeup for their entire family.

Teaching online from Arkansas since 2018, Astrid volunteered for the first-ever Outschool Cosplay Convention in 2021. Now called GameCon, the 2-day event featured presentations at different times of day for different timezones. Sessions about costume design, makeup, theatre performance, and more. And, most exciting of all, the costume showcase. Every kid got a chance in the spotlight to show off their creations. Astrid, laughs now: “I burst into tears when I logged off. It was such a rush of emotions. I found my people! I wish I had this when I was a kid.”

***

[nothing0fnothing]

When I was 17 my mother befriended a girl I'll call Amy.

Amy was a sweet, trusting, under confident 24 year old girl with a messy family life. She was no or low contact with her family, she was a single mum escaping a 6 year abusive relationship and she was an incredibly talented makeup artist.

I'm not saying she was just good at makeup, she was, but she had just left beauty school and was doing incredible things with makeup even as a freshly minted beautician. She had scored a couple of theatre and music video gigs doing makeup for small productions. She is incredibly talented and that talent shone through even in the very early days of her career.

So the incredibly talented Amy had met my mum in a really complex part of her life. She wasn't working because her son was too little to be in school and as a single mum she was his only caretaker. She had no help and support and when my mum came on the scene, so my mum became everything she needed. Childcare for her son, fronting money to buy her an entire makeup kit to replace the one she had to leave behind when she fled domestic abuse, acting as a friend and confidant. Amy thought the sun shone out of my mums arse, and she'd tell me every time I saw her. I can't really blame her.

So, after my mum fronts the money for the makeup kit and plays babysitter to her son for a few months she starts getting her "work". And by work I mean experience. My mum wanted Amy to do makeup for a big wedding of a woman she kinda knew. A big job working on a bride and her 7 bridesmaids alone. For free. My mum then hosts her own event and not only do her and her posse need their makeup done but also they need someone to paint kids faces. The event cost a bomb to produce but made my mum a lot more. Amy worked for free. My mum is renewing her vows and she wants a makeup artist for herself and her 2 bridesmaids. Amy worked for free on that too.

Then my mum decides if Amy can be a damn good MUA, how hard can it be? Enrolls herself in beauty school and decides is going to be so easy because she has a private tutor on call whenever she needs her. And Amy helps my mum all the time, but she's a busy woman. She has a son and her work is picking up and she is busy, she can't just be available at the drop of a hat every time my mum is stuck on her coursework. So she starts declining to help, suggesting they make plans for later in the week and my mum hated that. How dare Amy not be available to her 24/7 after all she did for her?

So my mum starts declining to watch her son. Making plans with her then cancelling last minute. Amy loses out on real work because my mums a flake and is trying to punish her.

Then the biggest issue happens. Some dude my mum barely knows drunkenly hits on Amy at my mums friends New Year's Eve celebration. Amy tells my mum in tears, my mum initially pretends to be on Amy's side, but after talking with her friend about it, decides Amy's at fault or lying or is a slut who wants to ruin her life or something I don't know, only she does because she's crazy.

My mum tells Amy that she needs to give her the £10k she spent on her professional makeup kit a year ago. My mum didn't spend £10k on that kit. Amy also never asked my mum to buy it for her, but here was my mum threatening not only their friendship but legal action if Amy didn't pay it back.

Amy didn't pay it back. Their friendship ended. My mum never pursued legal compensation and a month after it all went down Amy was never mentioned again.

[raisondetriment]

This is oldmanyellsatcloudposting but I'm really bummed out and bored by the professionalization of cosplay. It's not supposed to be a model with perfect bone structure and a Broadway makeup kit wearing something created by an international "manufacturing enterprise." It's supposed to be some nerd with a little talent and a lot of dreams working with what they have in their closet or a thrift store or a craft store, and all the centuries-old crafting skills they could pick up from books or older relatives.

When these "pro" cosplayers "succeed," it looks like a screenshot. Where's the love? Where's the hard-won effort? What am I supposed to be impressed by? That you were born with good genes and a trust fund? When the amateur makes something that actually looks good, it's a triumph. And even if it's not perfect, it's amazing that they could make something like that at all! The substitutions, the compromises, the intentionally made differences from the original... it's artistic interpretation. A derivative work. It's art. There is no art in "pro" cosplay.

[thisriverflowsfree]

I’m a passionate activist for climate and racial justice, women’s rights. I’m a keen writer ranging from random thoughts to poetry and music. I love to sing and dance. I mainly do pole dancing for fun and exercise. I love to network and meet new people. I enjoy modeling and acting not done anything major though. I’m a keen makeup artist I’m building my professional kit back up. I’m new here so just learning and growing. Thank you River Olivia Rose

[phootra]

ESSENTIALS TO HAVE IN MAKEUP COLLECTION

Applying makeup is a girl/women’s all time favourite activity. Therefore, it is crucial to have a collection with makeup essentials that will allow you to create a flawless everyday look. After acing the makeup basics, it becomes pretty much easier to add playful or quirky makeup products to your collection and incorporate them into your beauty styles.

The most important makeup essentials for your face, eyes, and lips have been listed for you. This can also be called as the ultimate guide to creating the ultimate makeup collection-

Face Primer- Face Primer is one of the essential products to keep in a makeup collection. It helps keep the skin look smooth and the makeup completely fresh all day long. It is the best formula to control oil and acne, moisturize, smooth out uneven texture and colour correct .

Foundation- Foundation is the most important makeup essential and probably the hardest part of your makeup routine to find the right shade. The right shade of foundation provides you full coverage and gives your face a more subtle and brighter look.

Concealer- If you have acne, dark circles, or any kind of discoloration, concealer is a must-have in your makeup kit. Concealers remove any such sort of face colour changes and make the skin look even and all in the same complexion.

Eyeliner/kajal- Eyes are the most beautiful part of our face. Eyes are made more beautiful by application of eyeliner of a slight hue of kohl/kajal. Eyeliner and kajal add the little extra something needed to really make your eyes look dreamy.

Lipstick/Lipgloss/ Lip Balm- Lips require our special care and attention. Lipsticks or a lip gloss adds to the overall look and compliments the outfit. Lip Balms tenderly care for the softness of lips and help them retain the natural colour and texture.

Sunscreen- Sunscreen is the most important makeup essential which should be worn everyday. It protects the skin from harmful UV rays and maintains the natural glow and lustre of the skin.

These are the makeup essentials that every makeup kit should have. Every amateur or even a professional makeup lover or makeup artist should always carry these makeup products with them!

Guide To Start a Natural Skin Care Journey These Year

Weekend Skin Care Routine