When we think about cosmetics, we often imagine the jars, tubes, and brushes — the colors and textures we apply to our faces to highlight, …
Makeup
Lighting That Cross-Examines You
Every time I catch my reflection in a gas station mirror—bathed in that harsh, overhead lighting that angles down like an accusation—I have to remind …
The Mirror Forgot Me
We learn who we are by being seen. A baby smiles, and someone smiles back. A child cries, and someone kneels down to say, I see …
Someone Was Here Before Me
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 …
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 …