Fringe Alert

Patient Zero is still fighting the plague. Or possibly Laryngitis, we're not sure yet. Since my brain is fully full of phlegm (sexy visual), the apex of my mental acuity will manifest itself in pretty photos of Freja Beha Erichsen from the Jan issue of British Vogue.

Please take special note of those bangs. THOSE BANGS!

  

Figured I already have the length and general fuzziness down-pat. Next stop, full fringe?

Photos via.

Skincare Emergency

Gruesome confession: Does anyone else's face blossom into a blemishy ecosystem if they don't wash their makeup off before bed? Well, mine does -- especially if, say, I get a wee bit sauced on Halloween and, come bedtime, crash face-first into my pillow.

Four days later and my skin is still rebelling. Gotta step up the skincare game.

Enter Body Shop's Warming Mineral Mask (suggested by a work pal). It feels like mushy clay and warms as your rub it against your skin, which is moderately exciting.

So I went and smeared that goo all over my face minus eyeballs and nostrils. Time to let science work its magic.

Attractive. You're welcome.

Do you have any miracle creams and potions? This one's the closest thing I've ever found to helpful and relatively fast-acting. I can also vouch for Clinique's Exfoliating Scrub, but usually just wait to get freebie sample-size tubes (hey there, you sexy gift-with-purchase) because that stuff is pricey. Pro tips galore!

10 // Bold lipstick

My beauty regimen (if you can even call it that) is pretty bare bones. Every morning, various goops are enlisted to moisturize and conceal and gloss. Then come the powders: foundation, pink blush, and maybe sometimes bronzer. I wrap the party up with brow powder and mascara, say a quiet prayer that everything blended together in a human-looking way, and that's that.

If I'm feeling fancy, I'll put on lipstick. That's it, guys. That's my one beauty trick. Conveniently, lipstick is also the only bit of makeup I feel comfortable applying/experimenting without one hundred percent fucking up.

I know my way around red lipstick, and have learned to more-than-dabble in nude/neutral shades. Most colors under the pink and coral umbrellas can also pass go and collect $100 (I don't know how to play Monopoly so that reference might not be even close to accurate).

Two months ago, I decided to take a step out of my notably tame comfort zone. I packed up the six empty MAC compacts I'd collected last (you know about their recycling program, right?) and metro-d down to the store on Ste. Catherine. I was going to reclaim my free lipstick and, this time, it was going to be different. It was going to be dark purple.

The salesgirl was nice and matched shades to my skin tone and bewitched me (true story) into buying tons more shizz than I had planned to buy. Which was fine, because it happened to be the day before my twenty-seventh birthday and I was feeling particularly generous (toward myself).

Anyway. I went home with Rebel. Google it, a bazillion photos will help give you an idea of what the color looks like. 

I like it! Really! But... have I worn it out yet? No. Do I apply it when alone at home, then spend too much time mugging at myself in the mirror? Obviously.

The problem is that I don't know how to style such a... bold... lip color. Pinterest has been quasi-helpful. I think I just need some first-hand guidance from people who've ridden the gothic-but-bright-but-really-it's-just-so-damn-purple roller coaster. Anyone out there got any tips? The internet is a disgustingly huge place. And I've got some mighty cute friends. Before summer ends, I'm sure I will have finally Rebelled (LOL my writing is so gross sometimes) at least once. Stay tuned!