It clicks open like a secret.A compact, weighty in the hand, its gold edges dulled by years, its hinge a little stiff, like it hasn’t …
Makeup Studio
The Mirror Between Us
We like to believe we know what we look like—what we project, how we come across—until the moment someone else sees us, really sees us, …
The Beauty We’ll Never See Again
What parts of us are never captured, and how does beauty teach us to grieve change? There are versions of ourselves we’ll never meet again. …
Cosmetic Inheritance
What beauty rituals are passed down like family secrets—and how do we know when they no longer belong to us? We inherit the architecture of …
Cutting Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face vs. Biting Your Face to Spite Your Nose
The phrase “cutting off your nose to spite your face” means sacrificing something important that hurts yourself in the long run. In beauty, this could …
Anything Cherished is Ephemeral
There’s a certain heartbreak baked into everything we love. The lipstick you wore on the night you met them. The eyeshadow that caught the light …
I Can Smell Divorce
After 15 years behind the brush, I’ve developed a peculiar sixth sense—one I never expected when I first started doing bridal makeup. I can smell …
The Feeling You’ll Return To
Erasing the Truth of Who You Are Just to Be Chosen
In a culture enamored with transformation, The Ugly Stepsister takes the familiar fairy tale blueprint and distorts it beautifully, horrifically, and with razor-sharp intent. Directed with a …
The Mirror Scar
It doesn’t always happen in a dramatic moment. Sometimes, it’s quiet. You’re going about your day—washing your face, fixing your hair—when you glance at your …