There’s something quite infuriating about the phrase “I’ll see you next time” when it comes from the glowing face of a beauty influencer, staring into …
wedding makeup
Outward Bound, Homeward Changed: What Art Knows About the Before and After
Before and after photos usually focus on what changed visibly. But in this diptych, two prints of the same ship, one Outward Bound, the other Homeward Bound, …
When the “Before” is a Lie: The Psychology of Makeunders
Before-and-after photos sell a story. But it’s rarely an honest one. Scroll through any beauty ad or transformation reel and you’ll see it: the slouched …
The Clock Face
Time is happening.Devastatingly. Quietly. Without asking. It doesn’t wait for us to feel ready or radiant. It doesn’t flinch when we’re tired or undone.It just …
Listening to a Reflection
Some mornings, we don’t look in the mirror. We listen. When I use my fingers for skincare, or line my eyes while staring into them, I tune into …
Misrecognizing Ourselves in the Mirror and Beyond
Some days, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and think, Yes, that’s me. Those are the days after I’ve gone for a run, eaten …
Miss to Ma’am
There’s a moment when the world stops calling you miss and starts calling you ma’am. And while it might sound like a formality, it often lands like a recalibration …
When the Small Thing is the Big Thing
The mind can heal the body.The body can’t always heal the mind.But healing the body might just help the mind heal the body. Details are …
Beauty, Interrupted
The Physique Illusion: Where Aesthetics, Cosmetics and Health Collide
There’s a strange irony in watching a physique competition: the bodies onstage are finely tuned, chiseled, radiant. They look like the epitome of health. And …