#How Much What Does Toner Do For Skin Color

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

Hi! Was wondering if smth like this: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMBVvaQWo/ could be donde for sweets and fratboy! Jaehyun <3

changed it up a bit because lbr these idiots do not have $300 dollars to spare

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

⋆⭒˚.⋆ my boyfriend does my makeup ⋆⭒˚.⋆

(cw: f!reader)

Fratboy!Jaehyun had come into this feeling confident, even cocky. He'd watched you do your makeup more times than he could count, seriously, how are could this be? He was feeling especially motivated after you'd promised to buy him a new game for his PS5 if he did a good job.

"I'm even making this easy for you. Instead of a full beat, we're doing my everyday makeup," you told him as you put a poofy headband on your head.

Your phone was already up and recording, catching Jaehyun nervously staring at all your products fearfully. This was just your everyday makeup? All this?!

He picked up a little jar that read moisturizer and started there. He knew this as a part of his own skincare routine, so why not start with something familiar? From there he started slowly minimizing the amount of products by using what looked most familiar and made most sense. Was it always in the right order? No. Like why did he use your toner and serum after he did your moisturizer and your lip gloss? Why was lip gloss even on your lips before everything else?

"Ok so I'm grabbing the sponge and I'm starting with this tube of skin colored cream..." he mumbles to the camera.

You do a poor job of stifling a laugh and calm your face quickly, "what is the sponge called?"

"Egg. The beauty egg," he answers before swiping long streaks of concealer over your whole face. Before the sponge even touches your face he's talking again, "oh Sweets, this is sick. You look like a warrior. What if I leave it like this?"

"That would not be my everyday makeup and you wouldn't get your game," you deadpan.

He continues after that. He doesn't blend nearly enough. There's way too much blush on your cheeks that covers the entirety of both your cheeks, not just the apples of your cheeks like you usually do. Your bronzer is in a harsh line on your cheek. He uses your powder puff to cake your face in excess amounts of powder until you're coughing and looking whiter than a ghost. Instead of using a brush to dust it all off he starts blowing it off.

You flinch back and stare at him in bewilderment, "when have you ever seen me blow powder off my face, freak?"

"I'm keeping your brush clean, Sweet girl. Get over here," Jaehyun chuckles.

"Use the brush, Jaehyun!" You whine, pushing his grabbing hands away from you, "your breath smells like Hot Cheetos!" He relents and uses your powder brush to dust off what has to be more powder than you've ever used in one sitting.

At last, there's just a few products left: your lip liner, mascara, and a single pan sparkly eye shadow. You can see the wheels turning in his head. Then you hear, "well this must be eyeliner and this must be for your eyebrows..."

You have to bite your tongue to not correct him. The drag of your lip liner over your eyelids feels so wrong and the wet liquid in your eyebrows feels even worse. You fight back a cringe, you just know you look bad.

"And lastly, you highlighter," Jaehyun explains before you feel his finger swipe over the highs of your cheeks, down the bridge of your nose, and the top of your lip.

You open your eyes and look at yourself in the screen of your phone. You want to laugh but the sheer shock of the sight in front of you stops you from doing so. You turn your head side to side, looking at the mess on your face, "this is how I look to you everyday?!"

"I followed the steps like you do when I watch you!" Jaehyun exclaims.

"Well, did you stop to think, hey maybe the steps I'm doing are wrong? Jaehyun, I look like a clown! I look hideous!" You yell in exasperation.

"I don't know what to say, Sweetheart, I did my best. Now, the game I wanted was—"

"You're not getting your damn game! You did not do a good job!"

"I did my best! Don't cheat me out of my game!" He whines.

You glare at him, "no way. The deal was that if you did a good job then you'd get your game. I look ugly."

"You don't look ugly, Sweet girl. You could never look ugly. That's impossible," Jaehyun coos, cupping your cheeks and peppering kisses all over your pouting face.

"Well, you made it happen. You made the impossible possible."

He sighs, looking into your eyes with puppy eyes, "no game?"

Your gaze turns cold, "no game."

[arminsumi]

i’ve had this dumb idea in my head for weeks where you really wanna dye ur hair blonde so you ask gojo what toner he uses to get his hair so perfectly white & how many times a month he has to bleach his roots and he’s like 🤨 wtf do u mean? and then he shows you his eyes for the first time and you see his white eyelashes and ur like HUH?

if this request is dumb don’t worry abt writing it 😭

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒꒱

GOJO x gn.reader

A/N: I THOUGHT ABT THIS REQ ALL DAY and just gave in and wrote it at 1 am instead of sleeping lol😭❤️ tysm anon bb i love ur mind

Wc: >700

Content; cheesy-ish fluff

Warnings; some flirting, nickname sweetheart used, a little suggestive at the end

arminsumi's library

He was in his office, making it seem like he was dedicated to his hard work by shuffling around important-looking documents across his desk. He totally wasn't doing a crossword puzzle out of boredom. He totally wasn't ecstatic to see his favorite student stop by his office.

"Gojo!"

"Nuh-uh, address me properly, sweetheart."

You rolled your eyes, not realizing that he could see right through that silken black fabric wrapped around his head. But because you were his favorite, he let your cute little eyeroll slide.

"Gojo-sensei." you corrected.

"Mmm?" he hummed as if to ask: what is it?

"So, I wanna dye my hair — and before I do, I wanna talk to you about it."

Awww, that flattered him so much. His heart lurched. "Oh? What color?"

"Blond — maybe platinum."

He imagined it for a moment, then replied. "Blond would look good on you, but I like your hair as it is..."

"Yeah yeah!" you waved dismissively at his compliment, not registering it as such. "so, what toner should I use?"

"Uhhh — I don't know?"

"Well what toner do you use? Your hair always looks pristinely white, seems like you know how to maintain the color right. Does it cost a lot? And, can bleaching make my hair fall out? Oh, do you use special shampoos too? And, how often do you have to bleach your roots?"

Through this flood of confusing questions that you dumped on him all at once, his face just said... what are you on about lol

"I don't dye my hair..."

"What...?"

He let out a little chuckle.

"Come here. Lemme show you something."

You confusedly drew closer to where he sat with his one leg crossed over the other. The noon light illuminated the drifting dust behind him, backlighting his fluffy mess of hair.

"Closer, closer — don't be shy now." he encouraged with a playful sultriness.

This was definitely the closest you had been to him. Excepting that one time he engulfed you in a welcome-back hug at the airport.

"Lift my blindfold up." he commanded simply.

"What?" You blushed. You blushed WILDLY.

He chuckled as if he was a cheeky high school boy playing a prank.

"Just lift it up."

So you slowly — very slowly — slipped a timid finger under his blindfold, your skin feeling ignited as it glided across the soft, warm skin of his cheekbones.

Taking his blindfold off felt like... well, it's an inappropriate comparison, but it felt like you were undressing him. He could feel your energy flowing more turbulently — ahem, in other words, he could feel you getting more nervous because of this situation that he threw you into.

It was laughable how dramatically everything stopped when you peeled up his blindfold.

Blue. No, an infinite blue. You felt like you fell into his irises. Oh... and also, you noticed... white lashes and white brow hairs. Huh.

"Woah... woah that's..."

"All natural, baby." he grinned like a jackass.

It was hard to form a coherent thought because of those eyes.

"I see... so... 'guess I'll just go ask someone else about toner and stuff." you said laughingly.

"Mhm."

You had a question on the tip of your tongue. One obvious and stupid, but you surprisingly hadn't asked it before.

"Can you see through your blindfold...?"

"Obviously. You didn't know that?" He chuckled.

You felt your cheeks sear with blush. The heat reached your jawline and ears. That was so embarrassing for some reason.

"I'm so sorry about the eyerolls."

"I'll let it slide, 'cause you're my favorite student." he winked.

Whatever mush was left of your brain completely evaporated when he winked at you. Your teacher just giggled like a cheeky teenager and lowered his blindfold again.

When you were about to leave his office for the store before closing time, you stopped at the door and looked back at him.

"So... wait a minute..."

"Hm?" he hummed.

"If you can see through your blindfold... then can you see through my — never mind!"

You stopped mid sentence and scampered away like a mouse. Gojo just roared with a hearty laugh and lightly blushed. He never did answer that question.

[darl-ingfics]

Feveruary Day 25: Standing Vigel

Fandom: SHINee

Sickie: Minho (hangover, stomach ulcer - symptoms are there, they are misread as something else, but that's what it is.)

Caregiver(s): Key

Word Count: 1,355

Notes: Written for a prompt submitted by @kylsstuff. I did my best with it! Hope you enjoy!

“Damn, we didn’t even drink that much,” Kibum scoffed as he walked into his own bathroom to find Minho slumped against the wall. The ailing man groaned as Kibum flicked on the vanity light, writhing in discomfort. “How long have you been in here?”

“God only knows,” Minho whined, scrubbing at his eyes. He smoothed his hair off of his forehead before dropping his hands back down to rest atop his abdomen. “Maybe an hour?”

“Did you throw up?” Kibum’s voice was so nonchalant, his actions even more so as he started going about his normal morning routine, turning on the tap to wash his face. 

“Yeah.”

“Gonna do it again?”

“Probably.” 

Kibum hummed. “Coulda guessed that. You look green in the face.”

“And green is so not my color…”

Kibum snorted at the joke, silently thrilled that Minho was at least feeling well enough to mess around. The hangover couldn’t be that bad, then. But as Kibum watched Minho card his hands through his hair a second time, holding his bangs off of his forehead with the intent to make them stay off of his skin. Minho let out a small noise of frustration when the hair came flopping right back into his face. Kibum felt something terribly similar to pity well up in his chest. He turned off the tap and quickly dabbed at his wet face with a towel before digging around in the drawer for a moment. 

“Come here.” Kibum knelt down and gently grabbed Minho’s chin to turn his head towards him. Tongue slightly poking between his lips, the older man pushed back Minho’s bangs, securing it off of his face with a few clips. “There. Hopefully that feels a little better.”

The relieved look on Minho’s face, the way his entire body seemed to relax from that simple action, said it all. Still, he sighed out a, “It does. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Kibum grunted for dramatic effect as he pushed back to his feet. Returning to the sink and his skin care routine. Squeezing the proper amount of toner onto a cotton ball, eyes focused on his face in the mirror, Kibum asked, “So, thoughts on our duet concept?”

“In general? I like the concept. But I feel like the song itself is… I don’t know… not us?” Minho shifted, rolling out his shoulders. 

“Yes!” Kibum hit the counter for emphasis. “It feels more like an NCT reject than a SHINee subunit, ya know?”

“Yeah, I agree, but… hang on…” Kibum didn’t even flinch when he heard Minho gag, followed by the horrific sound of vomit hitting water. Kibum did his best to ignore the following sounds of retching, knowing from experience that unless a hungover Minho asked for help, it was best to leave him be until the nausea passed. 

As soon as Kibum heard the toilet flush and the sound of Minho’s back slumping against the wall again, he passed over a paper cup of water and asked, “Guess we got your hair up just in time, huh?”

Minho scoffed and threw back the water. “Your bedside manner is astounding.” He handed the cup back.

Kibum refilled it and placed it back in Minho’s hand. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re in a bathroom, not a bed.”

“Shut up.” Minho groaned, squeezing between his eyes. He grimaced as his hands returned to their important place clutching at his stomach. “I have not been this hungover in years.”

“You can chill here today, if you want,” Kibum offered, looking at Minho out of the corner of his eye, trying to distract from the kindness of the gesture. “I’ve got some Amazing Saturday pre-show prep this morning, and then I was just gonna go to the studio this afternoon, but I can work here and keep you company if you’d like.”

“Nah, no reason to rearrange your schedule for me."

But Kibum was watching as Minho clutched specifically at the right side of his abdomen. “Minho. Can you describe for me how you’re feeling?”

The rapper raised one eyebrow, unamused. “Um, like death?”

Kibum rolled his eyes. “Humor me here. Specifics, please.” 

Minho groaned, tipping his head back as if the very idea of naming his ailments would make them worse. “Well, obviously nausea and vomiting. Stomach pain. Awful headache. Tired and shaky.”

“Tell me about the stomach pain. Describe it.”

Minho filled his cheeks his air, blowing it all out in a puff as he thought. “Burning is probably the best word for it? A burning type of pain right…” He gestured to the center of his stomach, hand veering towards the right side, “over here.”

Kibum bit his lip before pulling out his phone, making a split second decision. Minho watched him warily as Kibum’s fingers tapped the counter with each ring. Finally, he heard a voice on the other end, and quickly replied: “Hi, my friend needs to get to the hospital ASAP. He’s been vomiting for a few hours, and now he’s complaining of pain on his right side.”

“Kibum, I do not-!”

The older man held up a finger to silence Minho’s complaints. That finger quickly turned into him lunging forward, pressing a hand to Minho’s forehead despite the rapper’s attempts to swerve away from his touch. On contact, Minho winced, as if having something against his skin irritated him. Kibum continued: “No, I don’t think he has a fever, but his skin is incredibly clammy and sweaty.” He bit his lip as he waited for the operator at the other end to finish their piece. “Um-hm. No, I don’t think it’s immediately urgent, but I just panicked and needed to call.” Pause. Kibum laughed. “Yes, I agree. Better to be safe than sorry.” Pause. “Yes, I can drive him. We’ll be there in a little bit. Thank you so much.” Kibum hung up the phone and before Minho could get a word in, he was already dialing his manager, who thankfully picked up instantly. “Hey, I’m gonna need you to move my schedule around if possible. Minho’s really sick and I need to take him to the hospital.” A few beats of silence. “That’s what I thought too, but I’m nervous about his appendix.” 

Minho reached to grab the phone from Kibum’s hand, missing by a long shot when the older man leapt to his feet and paced away. Minho moaned, curling his knees to his chest as the last of his energy went into trying to stop Kibum. In truth, he felt wrong. This wasn’t the normal feeling of a hangover. Especially not after the night he’d had; he’d expected maybe a dull headache this morning, but this? There was no way he’d even touched enough alcohol last night to make him feel this horrible. Like his stomach was eating itself alive. And setting everything around it on fire. 

“Okay, Minnie. Let’s get you up and dressed and to the doctor.” Kibum had his hands on his hips, fully in action mode. 

Minho peeked up at him. “You don’t really like it’s my appendix, do you?”

Kibum’s gaze was gentler than Minho had seen it in a while. “I really don’t know, love. But I’d rather be wrong and at the hospital than right and cramped in this tiny bathroom.” He held out both of his hands. “Need a lift?”

Minho nodded, taking Kibum’s hands. As soon as he was on his feet, Minho swayed, the pain in his stomach intensifying now that he wasn’t curled in on himself. He bent forward with a noise of distress, protective arms cradling his abdomen. Kibum’s hands grasped his shoulders, steadying him. But it wasn’t enough to keep Minho from crashing to his knees again, desperately throwing himself back over the toilet before throwing up again from the pain. 

This time, Kibum dropped to his knees and ran a soothing hand up and down Minho’s spine, quietly humming just loud enough for the both of them to hear. This wasn’t hungover Minho they were dealing with anymore. And, thankfully, Minho wouldn’t have to deal with whatever this was alone. Kibum wouldn’t allow it. 

[littlemisspinkette]

makeup steps for a glow-tastic long lasting base ♡

+ product recommendations and tips!

a/n: this is a bit detailed so sorry it's so long. xoxo!

before makeup

what you do before your makeup can change everything. things such as how long your makeup stays, the way it sits on your face, and so much more!! it's the same way as you'd butter a pan to protect your food from buring.

before you do your makeup you should always skin prep.

1. start with a clean base.

- always wash your face. either with just water, or a water based foaming cleanser. my personal fav is the innisfree tea tree foaming cleanser! (Though be careful if you choose this one as the scent is quite strong, so if your sensitive be careful!!!) you can let your face air dry or use a clean towel to dry your face. tiny tip for drying your face: pat lightly, don't rub your face like crazy!! it can be harsh to your skin and cause irritation.

2. (OPTIONAL) Toner

- personally, I'm not a big toner person. though it has some benefits like an extra cleanness to the skin. i like medecubes toner pads from Amazon though usually I use them when I'm going to a fancy event like a nice dinner or something like that as they bring a better hydration to the skin. It really just depends on personal preference! My skin breaks out if I use to many products at once so I tend to avoid certain steps if I can just simplify, especially when I'm rushing.

3. moisturizer

- moisturizer. my shayla. the best way to make sure things such as foundation and concealer stays on and doesn't crease throught the day. my personal favs to use is the COSRX snail mucin or the innisfree dewy jelly tone up cream. (Again the smell is a bit overwhelming if your sensitive be advised!)

4. (OPTIONAL) serum

- I like serums because they make my dry spots not as harsh after concealer. i enjoy just using the COSRX 6 peptide booster serums. Though it is on the more expensive side. Along with the Madagascar Centella Poremizing Ampole right after. (I have large pores lol)

5. Sunscreen!

- my shayla #2. You should always be using sunscreen. If you don't use sunscreen I don't trust you. or if you just choose not to do it, I also don't trust you. stay away. I ask please that you use suncreen please for the love of God. ♡ It helps with aging, cleared my hyperpigmentation, and makes sure I don't get hurt by UV rays. like don't play!!

6. (OPTIONAL) oil blotting sheets

- I'm an combination skin but mainly oily girly. Oil blotting sheets are my #1 best friend so my makeup doesn't fall off like a slip and slide. it also just makes sure my makeup better penetrates (?) my skin and stays all day.

doing your makeup!

1. (OPTIONAL) Primer

- I like a good primer but sometimes it makes my makeup feel heavy. I like doing it around my oily spots because the oil on my face tends to make my makeup slide off throught the day. I like the elf power grip one if your on a budget. but if your looking to spend on a good primer, Dasique's water viel primer is really good.

2. Color corrector

- again, my shayla, color corrector. I get red easily in the face. I'm also big on blush, except when it comes to my lower cheeks where it just looks like I ran a whole marathon. I like the wet and wild prime and color corrector. But I also like numbuzin's Redness Derma Tone up. (Though it does leave a light white cast, so if your a girly of color please stay clear of the product)

3. Fondation / concealer

- I personally flip flop between doing one or the other or both. It just depends. I like to blend with my fingers personally instead of sponges and brushes because the product tends to typically get soaked up by the blender of choice imo. And also it tends to cake up the product and not apply evenly.

If your doing foundation!

- For liquid pump foundations: I like to take one to two pumps onto the back of my hand and use a spatula (or if your like me just use a clean back of a butter knife) and lightly spread evenly onto the face. Blend and continue adding another layer where needed. If you have extra I tend to just take the rest and blend down my neck

Product recommendations: CLIO - Kill cover high glow foundation, Maybelline Fit Me Foundation.

- For cushion foundations: I like to take a bit with the cushion and lightly tap the applicator off with some of the product on it onto the back of my hand or just the lid that protects the cushion from leaking. Continue by patting, going from inner part of your face to the outer, evenly tapping. Blend out the corners so you don't have a line surrounding your face of where the cushion ends. You can also use extra and blend down your neck for a seamless finish.

Product recommendations: CLIO - Kill cover high glow foundation, Tirtir - cushion foundation.

If your doing concealer! - I like to take a bit of concealer under the eyes, on my chin, around the tip and bridge of my nose, on my smile lines, and on my T zone (aka my forehead) and in any other spots needed. Then blend with my fingers. Work your way from inner to outer so evenly spread out the product. For under my eyes I try to blend upwards and down towards the sides of my nose. For my smile lines I blend outwards towards the sides of my face and my lower cheeks. For the chin I try to focus on my under lip and the tip of my chin. For the forehead, evenly spread to the hairline.

Product recommendations: NARS concealer, ELF camo concealer.

4. Contour

- I go very light on contour because I have a already prominent face. Contour can change a lot. I mainly contour the tip, side and under my eyebrow for my nose. For lips I do the cupids bow and under the lips. I used a small fluffy brush. I use a round fluffy brush for my cheekbones. I have a very round face, so I focus on the hollow of my cheeks, I never go past my eyes with the contour and I try to make a diamond shape, only contouring the outer parts. See diagram for this part!

red dots are where I don't go out of for contour. Brown is where I contour.

Product recommendations: to cool for school ART CLASS powder contour pallete, NYX cream Contour and highlight stick.

5. Blush

- I like Blush under my eyes personally. I know a lot of kpop idols do it and I love it. It also just makes my face look nice i guess. I use like a peachy pink color right under my eyes. I use Periperas ink velvet as a Blush. (😭) I like using shade 14 or shade 8 as Blush. If you have darker skin purple blushes are better for you and will look more like the desired color. I also like to re-enforce the color a bit more with a powder. Just a light peachy colors around the sides just to lightly blend it out more for a gradient look.

6. Powder

- Innisfree if you ever get rid of your no sebum powder I will have the most historical catastphic crash out. Now. The key to glowy makeup is to not look greasy/oily. Greasy/oily does not equal glowy. We are not trying to look like Namgyu from squid games hair. (Jk I love him and his greasy rat self lmao) I love Jooshca's tutorial on powder because it's so good. You want to go on the corners of your nose sort of like in a triangle. On your chin, forehead and personally places where you have placed any type of concelar. (Aka under the eyes and on problem spots) I also like to use Powder puffs or a small fluffy brush.

Product recommendations: Innisfree No Sebum Loose Powder, and the Maybelline fit me pressed powder.

7. Eyeshadow

- Now this is where I have issues. Eyeshadow can either look good or horrible. I like to start of with a base shade, typically a pinkish nude shade all over my eyelid and under my eye. Then use a peachy shade in the inner part of your lid and in the inner corners. Blend them together. Optionally, you can do ageyosal if you want. Use a skin-color shadow stick under the eyes, ending where your pupil ends. You can use a nude to make a shadow under the skin color. Then use a glitter of some sort (either on a stick or with a thin brush) along the skin color eyeshadow. Back to the eyeshadow on the lid, use a shimmery shade in the middle of your lid, evenly blending it between both sides of your eyelids. Then if you want do some eyeliner. But I'm not good at it and it also just doesn't look right to me on my face so if you don't want to don't do it. I tend to go for brown eyeliners more often though.

Product recommendations: eyeshadow- flower knows, daisque, romand. Glitter: color pop, peripera. Ageyosal: peripera, too cool for school/art class. Eyeliner: Heroine, CLIO-kills.

8. Brows

- I have large eyebrows that are filled in but you can fill them in and then use a brow gel and they look quite nice like that imo.

9. Lips.

- you can line your lips but it has always looked odd on me so I avoided it. I like the nyx lip liners and the elf ones btw. For lips you can look up douyin lip tutorials on Pinterest if you want something really detailed. For me I just apply it into the center and tap outwards onto my lips. Always hydrate your lips before putting on products! (Vasaline, lipbalm, etc)

Product recommendations: Cream shop lip oils, Peripera ink velvets, romand liquid lipsticks/lip gloss, NYX lipgloss, ELF lip oil, colorgram lip tints.

10. Setting spray:

- I tend to spray 3-4 sprays of setting spray. My favorite is the Tirtir setting spray, the elf setting spray, and the Milani setting spray. I also like to use a fan so it doesn't look to sticky or too wet.

11. Lashes

- you can use fake lashes if you want but they're just not for me unless they're extensions by a lash tech. I like to curl my lashes first then use a bit of Vaseline on a spoole on the tips to make them stay up all day. Then use a mascara. I personally like brown mascaras for a more natural look.

Product recommendations: Essence mascara (any kind), Heroine Water proof mascara, CLIO-kills mascara.

hope some of my tips help you in the future to look even more gorgeous then you already are! xoxo! ♡♡♡

[makeup-blog-smooth-base]

How To Have The Smoothest Makeup Base

Are you a beginner at makeup? Are the different brands and products stressing you out? Don't worry, I totally get it. That's why I'm here to help you!

First, let me explain what a "makeup base" is. The base makeup is the layer that comes first to cover skin imperfections and leave a smooth surface for other products. Your makeup base can include but is not limited to foundation, concealer, liquid blush, and setting powder. After finishing your base makeup, you can start on other things like your eye makeup.

When starting your face makeup, you should always ensure your face is properly prepped. To prep my face, I always start by cleansing it. Makeup looks best on a clean face. Then, I do my skincare.

Here is a list of everything I use:

Toner

Niacinamide Serum

Moisturizer

Sunscreen (SPF)

It is super important to wear SPF on your face during the day as well as under your makeup. According to Kim, Min Ah, "Layering sunscreen with makeup may compensate for insufficient sunscreen application in real‐life conditions by providing an additional source of UV protection and improving the homogeneity of coverage" (126). Sunscreen should be essential to your skin prep routine before you start your makeup.

Once your face is prepped, it's time to prime. "Primer—which goes on after your moisturizer and before foundation—it's worth the extra step for a perfect makeup application" (Fields, 126).

Primer is a makeup product that aids in helping your makeup stay on your face all day. Things like weather, skin type, and more can play a factor in whether your makeup stays fresh all day, but primer helps with that no matter the factor.

Primer can be either water-based or silicone-based. Whichever you choose to use is based on your skin type and foundation type. Water-based primer works for most skin types from sensitive to oily skin. Meanwhile, silicone-based primer is best for oily skin only. That doesn't mean other skin types can't use silicone-based primers though.

Primer should be applied on all areas of your face where makeup will go.

You can start applying your makeup after your face is prepped and primed!

Personally, I don't wear foundation for my base makeup, I use concealer only, but the same rules apply for both concealer and foundation.

Like primer, concealer and foundation can be either water-based or silicone-based. Water-based works for pretty much every skin type whilst silicone-based works best for oily skin. Keeping this in mind, the bases of your primer and foundation/ concealer should match. Silicone-based primer with silicone-based foundation or concealer, and water-based primer with water-based foundation or concealer.

The exception to this rule is: water-based primer and silicone-based foundation or concealer can work well together but not vice versa.

I have oily skin, but I use a water-based primer. I have found that water-based concealers and foundations don't mix well with my skin, so I use silicone-based concealer, and the primer and concealer mix well without any issues.

So to start, I apply a concealer that is about the same color as my skin all over my face (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin). The same can be done for foundation as well. After, I blend all the concealer (or foundation) out with a foundation brush. Once that's done, I apply a lighter color concealer on areas I want to be brighter (under eyes, eyelids, between my eyebrows, next to my nostrils, and chin). Then, I blend that concealer out with a beauty sponge. Next, I do liquid blush but not everyone does it, it's based on preference. I feel that applying liquid blush before applying powder makes your blush stand out more. If you do want to apply liquid blush, I apply mine on the apples on my cheeks and blend it out with a brush.

For your liquid products, I recommend the brand Elf. It is a very affordable makeup line and all the liquid products I use (concealer and blush) are from Elf.

Now, we can move on to powder. Setting powder is what locks in your liquid products and keeps them in place. There are two types of setting powder: pressed powder and loose powder. The names are kind of self-explanatory but here is what they look like.

They are basically the same, but the difference between them is in their name. Pressed powder is packed tightly into a container while loose powder is not.

I use both pressed powder as well as loose powder when I do my makeup because I have found that by using two different powders, my face is less likely to get oily throughout the day. For dry skin, I recommend only using one powder, because too much powder on that skin type can dry out the skin. For normal skin, you can do whatever feels best. I apply my pressed powder with a medium-sized makeup brush all over my face. Then I go in with loose powder all over my face and I apply that with a powder puff.

Here are some powder recommendations!

Loose:

Kimchi Chic Puff Puff Pass Set & Bake Powder

Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Finishing Powder

One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder

Pressed:

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish

Maybelline Fit Me! Pressed Powder

NYX Professional Makeup Pressed Powder

Now that you're all done with powder, you are just one step away from a perfect makeup base! All you need is a setting spray. Setting spray is the final step to locking in your base makeup so it lasts all day. To apply it properly, hold the spray a couple of inches away from your face and spray everywhere.

Here are some setting spray recommendations!

Elf Stay All Night Blue Light Micro-Setting Mist

Milani Make It Last Matte Finish Charcoal Setting Spray

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray

One/Size On 'Til Dawn Setting Spray

Look at you! Your base looks absolutely flawless. I hope this blog was of great help to you.

Works Cited

Kim, Min Ah, et al. “Layering Sunscreen with Facial Makeup Enhances Its Sun Protection Factor under Real‐use Conditions.” Skin Research & Technology, vol. 27, no. 5, Sept. 2021, pp. 751–57.

Fields, Jackie, and Andrea Lavinthal. “20 Makeup Tips That Really Work.” People, vol. 97, no. 19, May 2022, pp. 126–29.

[swanwonyoung]

welcome to a new version of this blog, the name "I ≠ DOLL" comes from yunjin's song and it's mostly inspired by the line 'Cause if I had a choice, I'd put my opinions first and Go idolize your idle life then criticize me.

and i wanted to make a special post, since right now I'll write every single thing in my posts.

click on more to know what we'll talk about!

★ GLOW UP AT NIGHT ★

based on this video :

i think that doing this will actually motivate us , so let's go !!

drink tea - she says it helps debloat your stomach and all, but I use it to help my stomach because I have guts problems (nervous gastritis, which occurs when you are nervous or anxious too) , so I drink mint tea if my stomach hurts, and if I need to calm down I drink chamomile, so drinking tea helps a lot.

body shower - you don't need to do everything she does, unless you want to, but focus on doing things that makes you feel good, you can exfoliate twice a week, wash your hair if you need to, honestly just taking your actual routine is already good.

skin care - again, you don't need a lot of products, focus on what actually works for you, you don't need to buy something just because you saw it on a video or on social media in general, only if you have money and it actually works on your skin type, but doing the basic will already work, i wash you a cleansing gel and then i use a vitamin c gel at night and it's already working better than when i did a lot of steps (it actually gave me pimples, and i only have hormonal ones).

the next step is optional, but she talks about it and shows how to do heatless curls.

she also talks about eyes patches and face "stickers", but i think it's optional, if you want to do it you can, but if you don't have money for that, you can use an eye cream (i also think it's better, because if you buy one you will use more times than eyes patches, which i would only use if I need to, and i never used 😭).

———————————————————————

then she shows the final results, so i think that doing this will make you even more excited to go to sleep early and wake up early, if that's one of your goals.

———————————————————————

now i will talk about what i do to do a little bit prettier than usual (and feeling it)

one premium shower - basic version, without spending money, and i do it once a week.

washing my hair 3 times a week - using a hair mask 2 times out of 3.

journaling - writing about anything i want has a role in helping me to not overthink too much.

basic skin care - wash my face 3 times a day, on the last one i use my vitamin c gel to help me get rid of dark spots caused by old pimples, i also exfoliate my face once a week, in the morning a sunscreen already helps.

do my nails - it's been three years since i stopped biting my nails, and they grow so fast that even if i already cut them a lot of times, they always grow back in a month, so my nails are medium again, and i only do them once a week, I "push back" the cuticles, apply nail strengthener (like a nail polish but transparent) then I choose which color of nail polish I'm going to use, and if the nail polish lasts i will use it for two weeks ngl.

———————————————————————

by the way, i found this one on my little self care shopping last week (I bought a toner to darken my hair and remove the brown it has now, two nail polishes and the facial cleansing gel that even has nano retinol)

AND ITS SO PRETTY 😭 i'm kinda obsessed

and the other one is a black one, I was going to buy it a while ago but I had forgotten about it...

———————————————————————

anyways! i didn't plan to write this and i also said that if i came back to write it would be by myself, so it would be a little bit shorter than before.

———————————————————————

[sleepynoons]

ok so unprompted but since i refilled some makeup, thought i'd do a review on my last batch of products (everything is from yesstyle!!!) - do share your own favs/recs/opinions!!

skincare: · heartleaf 77 clear pad, anua - been trying diff toner pads, and honestly, really like this one! it may not seem like it's doing much, but since i have very acne-prone + sensitive skin, the fact that it hasn't caused a speck of redness or irritation bc it's so soothing and not sticky is a literal godsend. pads are circular, so good for placement and adjustment, but surface area is slightly minimal, i have to use 2-3 pads every time. no obvious smell either. (8.7/10)

· clean it zero cleansing balm, banila co - was on this shit for years!!! and then i was like lemme try other ones - nope, this is still the best. a little goes a LONG FUCKING WAY. i love this product. i will never abandon you again. literally gets my heaviest, water-proof mascara and foundation off with just a few swipes. but idk if it's heavy-duty enough for stage makeup. (infinity/10)

· heartleaf quercetinol pore deep cleansing foam, anua - like the toner pads, not irritating, hasn't caused any breakouts, etc. but otherwise, no visible change. like it does not actually get gunk out of your skin like some other cleansers that i've tried before. so... doesn't really do what it's been marketed to do. eh. (7/10)

base makeup: · three-shades concealer palette (#2, KO panda eye), judydoll - works great if you understand color theory. drastically helps with my under-eye dark circles, as well as brightening my temples and chin, which are perpetually plagued with large acne scars. definitely tackier than your usual, casual concealer, so great if you have some stubborn spots! but def need to moisturize your base well, or else it could leave splotchy, dry spots behind. also means you need to make sure your base complements the formula well, or else it could cause pilling. (8.1/10)

· duo eyebrow pencil (#03, medium brown), judydoll - love the pencil, not the biggest fan of the gel end. maybe it's because i've never used eyebrow gel before, but it does not apply very evenly. i honestly think it's bc the spoolie is so tiny. but the color is def there if you like darker, thicker brows. i just have very thick eyebrows already, and am constantly trying to make them look sparser and lighter, so the eyebrow gel def does not help. (5.4/10)

· creamy gel liner eyeshadow pencil (#11, gray brown + #08, nature beige), judydoll - i use it for my "aegyosal," and it's fantastic. i got the right colors, and they blend out so easily with just a brush of my finger. a little goes a LONG way. honestly, great, no complaints at all. could see the pencil being used to draw a light eyeshadow, along your waterline, creating a shadow underneath your lips, etc. (9.5/10)

lip: · lip potion steaming milk, alternativestereo - still trying to figure out how to use it with the brand's lipsticks ("lip potions"). i see better application of the lipstick when you apply the steaming milk first and let it sit for 10-15 min. i honestly just bought this because the packaging was cute in the photos, not that cute irl. it's fine? feels great though lol but def can live without it. also overpriced, compared to all the other lip products available on yesstyle afdjlkds (4.4/10)

tools: · concealer brush, mogugu - i honestly just bought one of the cheapest options on yesstyle bc it's j a brush lol i think it works just fine, can see it needing to get cleaned often though. i'd say it doesn't capture as much of the product if you let your concealer sit, but it's fine for the most part even if you don't. feel is fine, not particularly soft, but not scratchy either. (7.5/10)

[cleverhottubmiracle]

Have you ever found yourself staring in the mirror, wondering if it’s time to stop coloring your hair and let your natural color take over? You’re not alone. I reached that point five years ago after decades of frustration with my highlights turning brassy. I finally decided to stop coloring my hair cold turkey, and it’s been quite a journey! silver mixed with gray mixed with remnants of blonde Going gray is such a personal decision, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on lifestyle, upkeep, finances, and even health concerns. Some women love the freedom of embracing their natural color, while others feel their best keeping up with the dye. The beauty of it all? There’s no right or wrong choice—just what feels best for you. Let’s talk about both options, the pros and cons, and how to make the transition if you decide to go for it. FAUX LEATHER CROPPED JACKET size 8 / FLARE LEG PULL-ON TRAVEL JEANS size 6 Why Do We Start Questioning Hair Color After 60? As we age, our hair naturally changes both in color and texture. What once looked rich or vibrant might start to feel a little harsh against our skin. The shade we’ve been coloring our hair for years may suddenly feel like too much or require more upkeep than we’re willing to commit to. You may also enjoy How To Find Your Personal Contrast Level. At the same time, our priorities shift. Some of us are busier than ever, while others are settling into a more relaxed pace. Sitting in a salon chair every few weeks might start to feel less like self-care and more like a chore. The real question is: Do I still enjoy this, or am I just doing it out of habit? For many women, confidence grows with age, and the pressure to keep up with societal expectations starts to fade. Gray hair can be just as stylish, modern, and beautiful as any other shade—it’s all about how you wear it. The Case for Coloring Your Hair If you love your hair color and it makes you feel great, there’s absolutely no reason to stop. For many women, coloring their hair is about more than just covering grays—it helps them feel polished, youthful, and put-together. The right shade can also brighten your complexion and add warmth, especially as your skin tone shifts over time. The good news? Hair color has come a long way. If the constant root touch-ups are starting to feel like a hassle, techniques like balayage, highlights, and root smudging can ease the grow-out process, creating a much more natural and flattering transition. Many women over 60 are embracing blended shades that require less upkeep but still deliver a polished, well-groomed look. It’s about finding a hair color strategy that supports your lifestyle and helps you feel confident every time you look in the mirror. Of course, some women choose to keep coloring their hair, especially if they’re navigating thinning hair. In these cases, the right color can actually add dimension and the illusion of fullness, which can be incredibly empowering. Read about more Haircare Products I Use For My Thinning Hair There’s no one “right” approach—just the one that makes you feel most like you. Embracing Your Natural Hair Color After 60 More and more women are choosing to let their natural gray or silver hair shine—and they’re doing it in style. The idea that gray equals “old” is outdated. Instead, it’s about how you wear it. A sleek bob, soft waves, or even a bold pixie cut can make gray hair look sophisticated and modern. One of the biggest perks of going natural is the low maintenance. No more frequent root touch-ups, no more worrying about fading color, and no more salon bills. Without chemical dyes, your hair can also become healthier, softer, and shinier over time. That said, gray hair does require some special care. It can be more prone to dryness, frizz, and even yellowing from environmental factors. A good silver shampoo or purple toner can help keep your color bright and fresh, while hydrating hair masks can combat any coarseness. Of course, the biggest challenge is the transition. If you’re not ready to chop off all your old color at once, the growing-out phase can feel awkward. But there are ways to make it easier. Wondering how to dress after transitioning to natural gray hair? Check out Choosing Flattering Wardrobe Colors As You Go Gray I still have some blonde left, which often looks brassy, so I use this Olaplex No 4P Toning shampoo every few weeks to control it. How to Transition to Your Natural Hair Color Without the Awkward Phase If you’ve decided to embrace your natural color, you don’t have to suffer through a harsh grow-out phase. There are several ways to make the process feel smoother and more intentional. First, consider working with a stylist to blend your gray with highlights or lowlights. This helps soften the line between dyed and natural hair, making the transition much less noticeable. If you’re feeling bold, a fresh, shorter haircut can speed up the process. A stylish bob or pixie cut is a chic way to remove some of the old color and showcase your natural shade. Purple shampoos and conditioners can be your best friend during this phase. They help neutralize any brassiness and keep your gray looking bright and healthy. Another trick? Adjusting your makeup. Gray hair can sometimes make your skin look a little washed out, so adding a bit more color to your lips or cheeks can bring warmth back to your face. A soft pink or berry lipstick can make a big difference. What’s the Best Hair Color for Women Over 60? If you’re not ready to go fully natural but want a lower-maintenance look, there are plenty of beautiful shades that work well for women over 60. Soft, blended colors tend to be the most flattering. Warm honey blondes, rich caramels, and cool ash tones can add dimension and brightness without looking harsh. Many women also opt for highlights or lowlights instead of a full-head dye job. This creates a softer, more natural look and reduces the need for frequent touch-ups. The key is working with a stylist who understands how to enhance your natural color rather than fighting against it. A well-done color should complement your skin tone and bring out your best features. I find lipstick mandatory now that my hair has gone “natural”. My Personal Hair Journey For me, going gray was a big decision. I started adding highlights to my hair when I was just 15, mainly because I felt my natural color was missing the brightness. As I got older, coloring my hair also helped with the texture—swelling the hair and giving it more body, which was great for my thinning hair. But by 2021, I knew it was time for a change. I made the choice to go gray and embrace it fully. The process wasn’t easy, and it’s definitely not for every woman, but it’s been a powerful act of self-acceptance for me. Along the way, many of you reached out to share your own journeys, and your support kept me going. As the gray has come in, the texture of my hair has changed too—it’s lost a lot of its shine. I’ve missed that brightness, but I’ve learned that this new stage is just as beautiful. It’s been a journey of learning, adjusting, and ultimately embracing this new chapter. I’ve earned every single one of those strands, and they’re a testament to the full life I’ve lived. Are you embracing your natural hair color after 60, or are you sticking with the dye? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear about your own hair journey! You May Also Enjoy Source link

[norajworld]

Have you ever found yourself staring in the mirror, wondering if it’s time to stop coloring your hair and let your natural color take over? You’re not alone. I reached that point five years ago after decades of frustration with my highlights turning brassy. I finally decided to stop coloring my hair cold turkey, and it’s been quite a journey! silver mixed with gray mixed with remnants of blonde Going gray is such a personal decision, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on lifestyle, upkeep, finances, and even health concerns. Some women love the freedom of embracing their natural color, while others feel their best keeping up with the dye. The beauty of it all? There’s no right or wrong choice—just what feels best for you. Let’s talk about both options, the pros and cons, and how to make the transition if you decide to go for it. FAUX LEATHER CROPPED JACKET size 8 / FLARE LEG PULL-ON TRAVEL JEANS size 6 Why Do We Start Questioning Hair Color After 60? As we age, our hair naturally changes both in color and texture. What once looked rich or vibrant might start to feel a little harsh against our skin. The shade we’ve been coloring our hair for years may suddenly feel like too much or require more upkeep than we’re willing to commit to. You may also enjoy How To Find Your Personal Contrast Level. At the same time, our priorities shift. Some of us are busier than ever, while others are settling into a more relaxed pace. Sitting in a salon chair every few weeks might start to feel less like self-care and more like a chore. The real question is: Do I still enjoy this, or am I just doing it out of habit? For many women, confidence grows with age, and the pressure to keep up with societal expectations starts to fade. Gray hair can be just as stylish, modern, and beautiful as any other shade—it’s all about how you wear it. The Case for Coloring Your Hair If you love your hair color and it makes you feel great, there’s absolutely no reason to stop. For many women, coloring their hair is about more than just covering grays—it helps them feel polished, youthful, and put-together. The right shade can also brighten your complexion and add warmth, especially as your skin tone shifts over time. The good news? Hair color has come a long way. If the constant root touch-ups are starting to feel like a hassle, techniques like balayage, highlights, and root smudging can ease the grow-out process, creating a much more natural and flattering transition. Many women over 60 are embracing blended shades that require less upkeep but still deliver a polished, well-groomed look. It’s about finding a hair color strategy that supports your lifestyle and helps you feel confident every time you look in the mirror. Of course, some women choose to keep coloring their hair, especially if they’re navigating thinning hair. In these cases, the right color can actually add dimension and the illusion of fullness, which can be incredibly empowering. Read about more Haircare Products I Use For My Thinning Hair There’s no one “right” approach—just the one that makes you feel most like you. Embracing Your Natural Hair Color After 60 More and more women are choosing to let their natural gray or silver hair shine—and they’re doing it in style. The idea that gray equals “old” is outdated. Instead, it’s about how you wear it. A sleek bob, soft waves, or even a bold pixie cut can make gray hair look sophisticated and modern. One of the biggest perks of going natural is the low maintenance. No more frequent root touch-ups, no more worrying about fading color, and no more salon bills. Without chemical dyes, your hair can also become healthier, softer, and shinier over time. That said, gray hair does require some special care. It can be more prone to dryness, frizz, and even yellowing from environmental factors. A good silver shampoo or purple toner can help keep your color bright and fresh, while hydrating hair masks can combat any coarseness. Of course, the biggest challenge is the transition. If you’re not ready to chop off all your old color at once, the growing-out phase can feel awkward. But there are ways to make it easier. Wondering how to dress after transitioning to natural gray hair? Check out Choosing Flattering Wardrobe Colors As You Go Gray I still have some blonde left, which often looks brassy, so I use this Olaplex No 4P Toning shampoo every few weeks to control it. How to Transition to Your Natural Hair Color Without the Awkward Phase If you’ve decided to embrace your natural color, you don’t have to suffer through a harsh grow-out phase. There are several ways to make the process feel smoother and more intentional. First, consider working with a stylist to blend your gray with highlights or lowlights. This helps soften the line between dyed and natural hair, making the transition much less noticeable. If you’re feeling bold, a fresh, shorter haircut can speed up the process. A stylish bob or pixie cut is a chic way to remove some of the old color and showcase your natural shade. Purple shampoos and conditioners can be your best friend during this phase. They help neutralize any brassiness and keep your gray looking bright and healthy. Another trick? Adjusting your makeup. Gray hair can sometimes make your skin look a little washed out, so adding a bit more color to your lips or cheeks can bring warmth back to your face. A soft pink or berry lipstick can make a big difference. What’s the Best Hair Color for Women Over 60? If you’re not ready to go fully natural but want a lower-maintenance look, there are plenty of beautiful shades that work well for women over 60. Soft, blended colors tend to be the most flattering. Warm honey blondes, rich caramels, and cool ash tones can add dimension and brightness without looking harsh. Many women also opt for highlights or lowlights instead of a full-head dye job. This creates a softer, more natural look and reduces the need for frequent touch-ups. The key is working with a stylist who understands how to enhance your natural color rather than fighting against it. A well-done color should complement your skin tone and bring out your best features. I find lipstick mandatory now that my hair has gone “natural”. My Personal Hair Journey For me, going gray was a big decision. I started adding highlights to my hair when I was just 15, mainly because I felt my natural color was missing the brightness. As I got older, coloring my hair also helped with the texture—swelling the hair and giving it more body, which was great for my thinning hair. But by 2021, I knew it was time for a change. I made the choice to go gray and embrace it fully. The process wasn’t easy, and it’s definitely not for every woman, but it’s been a powerful act of self-acceptance for me. Along the way, many of you reached out to share your own journeys, and your support kept me going. As the gray has come in, the texture of my hair has changed too—it’s lost a lot of its shine. I’ve missed that brightness, but I’ve learned that this new stage is just as beautiful. It’s been a journey of learning, adjusting, and ultimately embracing this new chapter. I’ve earned every single one of those strands, and they’re a testament to the full life I’ve lived. Are you embracing your natural hair color after 60, or are you sticking with the dye? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear about your own hair journey! You May Also Enjoy Source link

[chilimili212]

Have you ever found yourself staring in the mirror, wondering if it’s time to stop coloring your hair and let your natural color take over? You’re not alone. I reached that point five years ago after decades of frustration with my highlights turning brassy. I finally decided to stop coloring my hair cold turkey, and it’s been quite a journey! silver mixed with gray mixed with remnants of blonde Going gray is such a personal decision, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on lifestyle, upkeep, finances, and even health concerns. Some women love the freedom of embracing their natural color, while others feel their best keeping up with the dye. The beauty of it all? There’s no right or wrong choice—just what feels best for you. Let’s talk about both options, the pros and cons, and how to make the transition if you decide to go for it. FAUX LEATHER CROPPED JACKET size 8 / FLARE LEG PULL-ON TRAVEL JEANS size 6 Why Do We Start Questioning Hair Color After 60? As we age, our hair naturally changes both in color and texture. What once looked rich or vibrant might start to feel a little harsh against our skin. The shade we’ve been coloring our hair for years may suddenly feel like too much or require more upkeep than we’re willing to commit to. You may also enjoy How To Find Your Personal Contrast Level. At the same time, our priorities shift. Some of us are busier than ever, while others are settling into a more relaxed pace. Sitting in a salon chair every few weeks might start to feel less like self-care and more like a chore. The real question is: Do I still enjoy this, or am I just doing it out of habit? For many women, confidence grows with age, and the pressure to keep up with societal expectations starts to fade. Gray hair can be just as stylish, modern, and beautiful as any other shade—it’s all about how you wear it. The Case for Coloring Your Hair If you love your hair color and it makes you feel great, there’s absolutely no reason to stop. For many women, coloring their hair is about more than just covering grays—it helps them feel polished, youthful, and put-together. The right shade can also brighten your complexion and add warmth, especially as your skin tone shifts over time. The good news? Hair color has come a long way. If the constant root touch-ups are starting to feel like a hassle, techniques like balayage, highlights, and root smudging can ease the grow-out process, creating a much more natural and flattering transition. Many women over 60 are embracing blended shades that require less upkeep but still deliver a polished, well-groomed look. It’s about finding a hair color strategy that supports your lifestyle and helps you feel confident every time you look in the mirror. Of course, some women choose to keep coloring their hair, especially if they’re navigating thinning hair. In these cases, the right color can actually add dimension and the illusion of fullness, which can be incredibly empowering. Read about more Haircare Products I Use For My Thinning Hair There’s no one “right” approach—just the one that makes you feel most like you. Embracing Your Natural Hair Color After 60 More and more women are choosing to let their natural gray or silver hair shine—and they’re doing it in style. The idea that gray equals “old” is outdated. Instead, it’s about how you wear it. A sleek bob, soft waves, or even a bold pixie cut can make gray hair look sophisticated and modern. One of the biggest perks of going natural is the low maintenance. No more frequent root touch-ups, no more worrying about fading color, and no more salon bills. Without chemical dyes, your hair can also become healthier, softer, and shinier over time. That said, gray hair does require some special care. It can be more prone to dryness, frizz, and even yellowing from environmental factors. A good silver shampoo or purple toner can help keep your color bright and fresh, while hydrating hair masks can combat any coarseness. Of course, the biggest challenge is the transition. If you’re not ready to chop off all your old color at once, the growing-out phase can feel awkward. But there are ways to make it easier. Wondering how to dress after transitioning to natural gray hair? Check out Choosing Flattering Wardrobe Colors As You Go Gray I still have some blonde left, which often looks brassy, so I use this Olaplex No 4P Toning shampoo every few weeks to control it. How to Transition to Your Natural Hair Color Without the Awkward Phase If you’ve decided to embrace your natural color, you don’t have to suffer through a harsh grow-out phase. There are several ways to make the process feel smoother and more intentional. First, consider working with a stylist to blend your gray with highlights or lowlights. This helps soften the line between dyed and natural hair, making the transition much less noticeable. If you’re feeling bold, a fresh, shorter haircut can speed up the process. A stylish bob or pixie cut is a chic way to remove some of the old color and showcase your natural shade. Purple shampoos and conditioners can be your best friend during this phase. They help neutralize any brassiness and keep your gray looking bright and healthy. Another trick? Adjusting your makeup. Gray hair can sometimes make your skin look a little washed out, so adding a bit more color to your lips or cheeks can bring warmth back to your face. A soft pink or berry lipstick can make a big difference. What’s the Best Hair Color for Women Over 60? If you’re not ready to go fully natural but want a lower-maintenance look, there are plenty of beautiful shades that work well for women over 60. Soft, blended colors tend to be the most flattering. Warm honey blondes, rich caramels, and cool ash tones can add dimension and brightness without looking harsh. Many women also opt for highlights or lowlights instead of a full-head dye job. This creates a softer, more natural look and reduces the need for frequent touch-ups. The key is working with a stylist who understands how to enhance your natural color rather than fighting against it. A well-done color should complement your skin tone and bring out your best features. I find lipstick mandatory now that my hair has gone “natural”. My Personal Hair Journey For me, going gray was a big decision. I started adding highlights to my hair when I was just 15, mainly because I felt my natural color was missing the brightness. As I got older, coloring my hair also helped with the texture—swelling the hair and giving it more body, which was great for my thinning hair. But by 2021, I knew it was time for a change. I made the choice to go gray and embrace it fully. The process wasn’t easy, and it’s definitely not for every woman, but it’s been a powerful act of self-acceptance for me. Along the way, many of you reached out to share your own journeys, and your support kept me going. As the gray has come in, the texture of my hair has changed too—it’s lost a lot of its shine. I’ve missed that brightness, but I’ve learned that this new stage is just as beautiful. It’s been a journey of learning, adjusting, and ultimately embracing this new chapter. I’ve earned every single one of those strands, and they’re a testament to the full life I’ve lived. Are you embracing your natural hair color after 60, or are you sticking with the dye? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear about your own hair journey! You May Also Enjoy Source link

[sunainaa0]

Power of Arbutin: Your Guide to Brighter, Even-Toned Skin

When it comes to skincare, finding the perfect ingredient to target pigmentation, dark spots, and uneven skin tone can be overwhelming. Among the sea of options, one stands out for its effectiveness and safety—Arbutin. This powerful ingredient is a favorite in the skincare world for its ability to brighten and even out the complexion without harsh side effects. In this blog, we’ll explore what makes Arbutin so special and how you can incorporate it into your skincare routine for brighter, glowing skin.

What is Arbutin?

Arbutin is a naturally occurring compound found in plants like bearberry, pear, and cranberry. It belongs to the family of hydroquinones but is much gentler and safer for the skin. When applied topically, it releases hydroquinone slowly, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation, melasma, and age spots without causing irritation. This makes Arbutin an excellent alternative for those with sensitive skin who may struggle with other skin-lightening treatments.

How Does Arbutin Work?

Arbutin works by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase, which is responsible for melanin production in the skin. Melanin is the pigment that gives our skin its color, but when produced in excess, it can lead to dark spots and uneven skin tone. By blocking tyrosinase, Arbutin prevents melanin production, helping to fade existing dark spots and preventing new ones from forming.

Benefits of Using Arbutin

Brightens Skin Tone Arbutin is highly effective in lightening and brightening the skin. Whether you have sun spots, acne scars, or general dullness, regular use of Arbutin can result in a more radiant, even complexion. Unlike some harsh skin-lightening agents, it delivers results without causing dryness or irritation, making it suitable for daily use.

Reduces Hyperpigmentation One of the most significant benefits of Arbutin is its ability to reduce hyperpigmentation. It targets melanin at its source, helping to fade discoloration caused by sun damage, hormonal changes, or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne. With consistent use, you’ll notice a more uniform skin tone and fewer visible dark spots.

Gentle on the Skin Unlike hydroquinone, which can be too strong and cause adverse reactions, Arbutin is much gentler. Its slow-release formula ensures that the skin is not overwhelmed, reducing the risk of irritation and inflammation. This makes it an excellent option for sensitive skin types who want effective brightening without compromising skin health.

Prevents Future Pigmentation Not only does Arbutin fade existing pigmentation, but it also helps prevent future dark spots from forming. By inhibiting melanin production, it acts as a shield against pigmentation triggers like UV exposure and hormonal changes, ensuring your skin stays clear and even-toned.

How to Incorporate Arbutin into Your Skincare Routine

To maximize the benefits of Arbutin, it’s essential to use it correctly within your skincare routine. Here’s a simple guide:

Cleanser: Start with a gentle cleanser to prepare your skin for the application of active ingredients.

Toner: Use a hydrating toner to balance the skin’s pH and provide a base for the serum.

Arbutin Serum: Apply a serum containing Arbutin as a treatment step. This allows the active ingredient to penetrate deeply into the skin for maximum efficacy.

Moisturizer: Follow up with a moisturizer to lock in hydration and maintain a healthy skin barrier.

Sunscreen: Arbutin works best when paired with daily sunscreen use. Since it helps lighten pigmentation, it’s crucial to protect the skin from UV rays to prevent further darkening.

Is Arbutin Safe for All Skin Types?

Arbutin is generally considered safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin. However, as with any new product, it’s important to do a patch test before incorporating it fully into your routine. This will help you determine if your skin reacts well to the ingredient. Additionally, always use Arbutin products in conjunction with sunscreen, as sun exposure can reduce its effectiveness and increase the risk of pigmentation.

Conclusion: Embrace the Power of Arbutin

Arbutin is a skincare powerhouse that offers a gentle yet effective solution for those seeking brighter, even-toned skin. By targeting hyperpigmentation and preventing new spots from forming, it delivers visible results without compromising skin health. Whether you’re dealing with age spots, sun damage, or acne scars, Arbutin can help you achieve a more luminous and balanced complexion.

Ready to learn more about how Arbutin can transform your skin? Check out this comprehensive guide on the Power of Arbutin for additional insights and tips on incorporating it into your daily routine.

[love-skincareroutine]

What Does Toner Do For Skin

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What Does Toner Do For Skin

A. You Asked: What Does Toner Do? The Answer Might Surprise You

Ah, toner. While some consider this to be a useless and unnecessary part of a skin care regimen, others swear by its skin balancing effects. It is safe to say that toner is an integral part of the constantly evolving beauty world, where innovative product launches are appearing on the left and right. It may not have as much impact as a retinol cleanser or serum, but it is still presented as a definitive product that can greatly improve your skin. But while many may feel hydrated and clean afterwards, the constant question is, “What does toner really do?” It remains.

We know that the Japanese swear by the tonic (or what they call it, lotion) and if that is any indication of what we are missing in our quest for lighter skin, then we will seek all the help we can get. We asked several skin care professionals to assess the importance of this water-based solution. Keep rolling to find out everything you need to know about skin toner.

1. What is toner?

“Toners are skin products with a watery consistency,” explains dermatologist Joshua Drawer. “Traditionally, they were used to remove excess oil from the skin and were particularly useful for people with acne. These products contain high levels of alcohol and are therefore dry. Toners today contain a variety of soothing agents, whitening and anti-aging. ” New York-based cosmetic dermatologist Sejal Shah agrees, adding that the new toner formulations are completely different from their traditional counterparts.

“Traditionally, the function of a tonic is to completely cleanse the skin and, many times, they are formulated to be very astringent to remove traces of oil and dirt,” she explains. “While the new generation of toners can still remove traces of dirt, they are designed to nourish and replenish your skin after cleaning and act as a primer for the rest of your skin products.”

2. What are the benefits of toner?

We often hear that toners help to balance the skin’s pH after cleansing, but we have found that this is not the only benefit.

Removes impurities: “The toner removes oil and traces of dirt, bacteria and makeup,” says accredited dermatologist Debra Jaliman. “It also removes dust, dirt and contaminants that may still be present after washing with detergent.”

Protects the skin: toner closes gaps in skin cells, reducing the risk of contaminants entering the skin (this also has the added benefit of shrinking pores).

It improves the effectiveness of other products: according to Gunna Covert, leading esthetician at Daphne Studio, “toners exfoliate, help to balance the skin’s pH and even help other skin products penetrate deeper into the skin.”

3. Is toner optional?

The answer depends on your skin type and needs. According to Covert, people with a tendency to acne and oily skin should tone up in the morning, as we sweat at night, and this can cause pore clogging or skin rashes. If your skin lacks essential vitamins and nutrients, you may need more toner than, say, someone with already healthy skin.

4. How to apply toner

Want to know how to use facial toner? It is best used by saturating a cotton ball or cotton ball with the formula and gently tapping the skin. Isn’t it the round cotton type? Many toners are available in spray form, which minimizes waste (bonus points) and makes them convenient and easy to use. According to Tammy Yaiser, vice president of product development at Algenist, toner is best used as the first step after cleaning, as it removes remaining impurities from the skin and refreshes it and prepares it perfectly for your skin care routine. subsequent skin. Any creams, serums or treatments applied after toning will penetrate more deeply and reap their full potential.

5. How often to use facial toner

You shouldn’t be afraid to make toner a part of your routine, but it may take some trial and error. Shah explains: “The timing and consistency of how often you use toner really depends on your skin type, skin problems and the ingredients of the toner.” She recommends taking it slow with harder toners before “increasing” daily use or twice a day. On the other hand, she says that “moisturizing, soothing and soothing toners can usually be used twice a day”.

6. Is toner suitable for all skin types?

As with any new skin product, be careful when adding toner to your morning and / or night beauty routine. “Make sure the toner does not dry out excessively or irritate your skin,” says Shah. Even when it comes to sensitive areas of the face (think, close to the eyes or nasal folds), you must be tired of not overdoing it. And, according to Covert, always pay attention to alcohol on the ingredient label. “Make sure you use the toner that suits your skin type and stay away from alcohol in the toners, as they tend to dry out your skin,” she says.

However, modern toners are often softer and adaptable to your skin’s individual needs. Yaiser gives us an overview of changing the ingredients. “Many toners today do not use alcohol and combine advanced anti-aging ingredients with mild, botanical natural ingredients that clean and balance the skin while moisturizing, treating and soothing,” she explains.

For oily skin, choose a tonic with antibacterial and exfoliating properties to absorb excess oil, remove dead skin cells and prevent future rashes.

  B. Facial Toner: 7 Benefits and Why You Should Use it

When it comes to skin care, a sophisticated regime is not for everyone. However, cutting too many corners can cost you that brilliant shine you’ve always wanted! Even if you keep bathroom shelves empty, there are a few additions that can make a big difference in the look, feel and long-term quality of your skin.

For example, toner can help you light up, keep your face clean and revitalized, minimize the appearance of pores and more.

1. How Toner Works and Why It is Worth Using

You may be wondering what is a facial toner? Are you really doing something?

In short, toners are generally designed to minimize the appearance of pores, temporarily tighten the skin and naturally remove oil and dirt.

Toner helps to temporarily minimize the appearance of pores and create a smoother appearance.

Toners also help to clean dirt, oils and impurities more efficiently than detergents alone and better protect your skin from environmental stress.

Adding toner to your daily routine can often be the key to a shiny, refreshing look.

2. Which toner should you use?

Once you start exploring facial toner options, you can easily be surprised by the insane variety of products on the market.

However, choosing the right toner for your face doesn’t have to be complicated. It is best to choose natural products and avoid certain ingredients that can irritate your skin or cause unpleasant flare-ups if you have problems.

a. Avoid

Alcohol – Unsurprisingly, alcohol has a super-drying effect. It can ignite and irritate sensitive skin.

Salicylic acid – Salicylic acid is commonly found in acne-fighting tonics and is considered aggressive. It tends to dry out the skin.

Benzoyl peroxide – Benzoyl peroxide is also commonly used to fight acne and can also be very intense for many people.

Aromas – it is better to avoid artificial smells. Don’t you prefer to smell like real roses than fake chemicals?

Phthalates and parabens – these two belong to a group of chemicals commonly used as low-cost preservatives.

You don’t want toxins like these to be absorbed by the skin. Instead, check the labels for ingredients from botanical sources. Remember, Mother Nature knows best!

b. The common ingredients in natural toners are

Witch Hazel: A type of flowering plant, witch hazel (s), has long been used for skin care. They are known to promote uniform skin tone and are often used to even out natural oils and clog pores.

Green tea: green tea is no longer just for drinks! Known for its antioxidant properties, this ancient ingredient can act as a tonic to help rejuvenate and rebalance the appearance of the skin.

Aloe Vera: Aloe is known for its soothing properties. In a tonic, it can increase hydration and relieve redness or temporary discomfort.

Tea tree oil: The tea tree is traditionally used to clog pores and remove residues from the skin’s surface. It can minimize and renew the appearance of the pores and leave a matte finish.

Rose water oil: Rose water oil is made from rose petals soaked in purified water – in other words, a concentrated bouquet. Rose water has a multitude of benefits, from the natural removal of impurities to the temporary hardening of the complexion – and is great for many skin types. Fleur & Bee’s natural rose water toner, Rose and Shine, contains only two ingredients: distilled water and rose petal oil.

3. What toner does for your skin: 7 benefits

When wondering if you should add toner to your routine, here are seven main reasons to consider! Read on to find out why toner is critical and how it can improve your self-care:

a. Minimizes the appearance of pores.

When the pores appear smaller, your skin becomes smoother and more polished. Facial toner gives you a beautiful, radiant appearance, so you can expose yourself and feel completely safe.

b. Protects the skin from the elements.

Toner is designed to keep your skin clean and free from damage from environmental factors.

c. Temporarily firm the skin.

Facial toner is an incredible rejuvenator and gives the skin a firmer and firmer appearance. Use it twice a day and you will feel the difference immediately.

d. It is super refreshing.

Spraying your skin with a rose-scented tonic is a great way to start (and end) your everyday life. It’s great – and you deserve to be nice to yourself.

e. Soothes the skin.

Using a facial tonic of botanical origin is a great way to soothe your skin and relieve any redness or temporary discomfort.

f. Helps remove oil and makeup.

Adding toner to your regime can naturally cleanse your skin, removing dirt and other impurities.

g. Helps the skin retain moisture.

Toner – especially toner made from rosewater – is naturally moisturizing and will help increase the absorption of the moisturizer of your choice. So, when you apply your crème de la cream, your skin will absorb it!

In short, adding toner to your skin care routine twice a day is easy, fast and affordable (Rose and Shine costs just $ 18) – and can make a significant difference in the look and feel of your largest organ.

In addition, you deserve to be pampered, and nothing is more luxurious than a bouquet of flowers to put on your face.

4. Toner frequently asked questions

a. What are the benefits of using a facial toner?

The toner hydrates the skin, minimizes the appearance of pores, cleanses the skin of excess dirt and oil and prepares the skin for the rest of the products so that they can be absorbed more easily. Toners are also a great anti-aging product, as they temporarily soften and stretch the skin, making it firmer and restoring its youthful appearance.

b. Who should use toner?

Absolutely everyone, from oily to dry skin and all the middlemen, there is no one who should not use toner! Moisturizes dry skin, removes oil that clogs pores in oily skin, soothes sensitive skin, protects mature skin and evens out skin tone in combination skin.

c. How do I choose facial toner?

As with all skincare products, the key is to choose a product suitable for your skin type. Also, check the ingredient label and make sure not to choose one with a variety of chemicals or drying ingredients, such as alcohol, parabens or artificial fragrances. Instead, choose natural herbal ingredients such as green tea with antioxidant properties, aloe vera to soften your skin, witch hazel to balance oils or rose petal oil to temporarily tighten your skin.

5. Fleur & Bee: know who you’re buying from

At Fleur & Bee, we are a small, united team that manufactures natural skin products that are good for you, your wallet and the planet. Our clean skin care products are packed with carefully selected herbal ingredients that have been proven and are gentle. Our collection is 100% vegan and cruelty free and contains no unpleasant substances such as parabens, sulfates, phthalates, silicones and artificial fragrances. Oh, and everything is under $ 30!

We are also a sustainable skin care brand. Our products are made from sustainable ingredients and consist of 100% renewable wind energy. Our packaging is 90% recyclable! If we seem to be your clean skin care brand, check out our product line! Also, visit our blog for tips on simple, affordable and correct skin care products and ways to get your shine!

  C. What Does Toner Really Do for Your Skin?

Take a look at your skin care routine. Is it a toner? If the answer is no, you probably believe that the toner is only for oily and acne-prone skin. Although it has been believed for a long time, the newest options on the market have proven to be a beneficial addition to any beauty routine, regardless of whether you are shiny or dry. To understand how and why toners are so effective, we brought in several experts to tell us everything they know about the product.

1. Toner 101

Toners are liquid products frankly designed to treat oily and acne-prone skin. By tapping the liquid, users can remove excess oil, balance the skin’s pH and promote a healthier looking face. Although toners with exactly these benefits still exist, dermatologist Dr. Joshua Drawer that the latest iterations also offer a number of anti-aging benefits, including whitening, moisturizing and stimulating effects of collagen.

Award-winning researcher and clinical dermatologist Dr. Carl Thornfeldt also notes that toners can also remove traces of dirt, oil and makeup, making them an essential step in any routine, as they ensure that the skin is truly dirt-free, even after the first one. cleaning. “Finding the right toner can improve the benefits of a regimen by nourishing and cleaning the skin,” he explains. Dr. Jennifer Chwalek, a certified dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology in Manhattan, explains that toners are also effective formulation products. By restoring your skin’s pH levels and removing any oil, dirt or makeup residue, they encourage better absorption of any other products you put on your face next.

2. Research ingredients

As with all skincare products, the trick to maximizing any formula is to look for options made with ingredients that are good for your skin. This is especially important to note because traditional American toners (which have been consistently developed for oily and acne-prone skin) are often alcohol-based and contain active ingredients like salicylic acid and witch hazel, says New York dermatologist Dr. Hadley King can be dehydrating and irritating – although aloe and glycerin are also part of the formula.

Because of this – and the need for smoother options in general – Korean beauty has begun to establish itself in the United States. “In Korean beauty and the new generation of American skin care, toners are generally less aggressive,” says Dr. King and notes that they are often called essences today. “They are designed to prepare the skin for the next step. They can be moisturizing or exfoliating, but even those with active exfoliating ingredients should still add to the skin’s moisture barrier without compromising it.”

3. Application Tips

It is so important to understand when and how toners can be used sensibly: in general, they can be used when your skin needs a boost of cleansing, moisturizing or oil absorption. However, it is best to apply them after washing your face and apply the moisturizer beforehand. “Toners are an essential step in any skin care routine,” says beautician Nicole Hatfield. “When used after cleansing, they replenish vital nutrients and add beneficial ingredients to the skin.”

The exception? If you are using toner made with exfoliating ingredients. Dr. King says that in this case it is better to use them only once a day, preferably at night, as many exfoliating acids can make the skin more responsive to the sun when used in the morning. However, be careful when combining an exfoliating toner with a retinoid product. “Remember that alpha and beta-hydroxy acids can deactivate retinoids, so if you are using a retinoid at night, avoid using toner with these ingredients before applying the retinoid,” she says. What about the actual application process? For best results, Hatfield recommends applying toner with a cotton ball. “Make sure you try to work upward movements,” she notes. “As a final step in the toning process, apply around the hairline and behind the ears to clean these areas as well.”

[jackrrabbit]

Clean /// Sakusa x f!Reader (18+)

Summary: [College dorm AU] Sakusa can’t stop thinking about you in the shower.

A/N: Indirectly inspired by @seita​ and @bakatenshii​, who made me think about soap and Sakusa’s cum in conjunction…thanks guys :P

Tags/warnings: masturbation, mild cleanliness fetish if that’s a thing?, Sakusa wants you and is in deep denial about it

It’s not like he started doing it on purpose. Not at first.

On weekdays, you wake up at the same time that Sakusa gets back from the gym: 7 AM exactly. He timed it that way because they clean the dorm bathrooms at 6:30—they’re still revolting, but they can’t be as bad as the ones at the gym. He can avoid touching the stall walls if he has to, and…he has to. 7 is the perfect time—even the students with 8 AM class can’t be fucked to wake up that early, so he gets the row of mirrors and stalls to himself.

Except for you.

Your room is right next to the stairwell; when Sakusa jogs up the stairs (two at a time, blood still pumping from his workout even though the sweat is already cooling on his back) he can hear your alarm through the thin wall. Always 7 on the dot: your phone blares an obnoxiously loud ringtone, there’s a muffled protest from you and your roommate curses at you to turn that shit off, it’s seven fucking AM. By the time he’s standing at the bathroom sink brushing his teeth, you’re usually pushing through the door in your pajamas, holding your towel in one hand and rubbing your puffy eyes with the other.

So it’s not like Sakusa plans this. It’s a coincidence. Mostly.

“G’morning…Kiyoomi.” You interrupt yourself with a yawn in the middle of the sentence. Your voice sounds heavy with exhaustion and he wonders, not for the first time, why you bother waking up so early. You don’t seem like a morning person.

The toothbrush is still in Sakusa’s mouth, so he just nods to greet you. You smile sleepily and then bend down to reach your bathroom locker, and—fuck, fuck, you’re wearing the shorts again, the threadbare cotton ones you wear whenever the weather gets a little warmer. They’re thin (so thin he can see the high cut of your panties underneath when they’re stretched over your ass, not that he’s looking), and they’re short.

Do you know how much you’re showing off when you bend over like that to rummage through your locker? You’re basically showing your ass off, the smooth muscle of your thighs rising up into those perfect cheeks, and between them, the dingy cotton stretched tight over your mound—

He’s not looking. He shouldn’t be looking. Sakusa lowers his gaze in the mirror to spit the toothpaste into the sink.

“Hey, can I borrow some of that?”

You’re standing at his elbow now, blinking up at him. Pleading. When he wordlessly hands over the tube, you grin, eyes crinkling up at the corners like he just offered to take your hand in marriage rather than letting you have some toothpaste that he wasn’t going to miss anyway. “Thanks! You’re the best.”

You barely know him. Sakusa’s pretty sure that these early-morning bathroom encounters are the only times you two interact.

“How was your workout?” you ask when you’re done brushing your teeth.

Sakusa has to grip the edge of the counter to tear his eyes away from you when you spit it out—white foam dribbling out of your mouth and down your chin—but that’s beside the point. “It was fine.”

“Yeah? Did you run or go to the gym?”

“Gym.” Why are you so curious? You’re too friendly.

You hum appreciatively, rubbing foamy circles of cleanser into your skin. The smell of it is light—floral, but barely. Lavender, maybe. That’s step one of your morning skincare routine, which Sakusa’s pretty certain he knows as well as you do by now. Next will be toner, and then you’ll save the rest for after your shower—but before you reach for the next little bottle in the row you’ve lined up on the bathroom counter, you turn toward him. “I should get back on a regular gym schedule too. Maybe one day I’ll go with you?”

“If you can wake up that early.” The remark must come out harsher than Sakusa intended, because you raise your eyebrows and your mouth drops open—but a second later you’re smiling again, turning back to the mirror so you can pat the toner into your skin.

“You’re probably right. I don’t know how you wake up at six in the morning every day.”

5:45, he wants to correct. But if he keeps talking to you, you’re going to notice he’s staring. So he just finishes washing his face without answering, puts his stuff back into the locker, and makes his way over to the shower stalls, leaving you and the scent of lavender behind.

There are five stalls. All open, of course. Second from the left has the best water pressure, and the one on the far right has a removable shower head and heats up the quickest. But Sakusa chooses the middle stall. For no reason. Not because he knows exactly which stall you’re going to pick, and he wants to be sure he’s in the stall next to yours when you do. He takes his time—undresses slowly, folding his dirty gym clothes even though they’re going straight into the laundry; sets his shampoo and conditioner and body wash out on the bench in the order that he’s going to use them; turns the knob to just the right angle to get the right temperature and waits for it to heat up until he can see the steam saturating the air.

By the time Sakusa’s under the water, massaging shampoo through his hair and feeling the sweat slough off his skin along with the shower spray, you’re done with your pre-shower skincare, padding over from the sinks to the stalls and picking—predictably—the one next to his. He has to strain himself to hear it over the sound of splashing water but he does hear it: your cheap pink flip-flops slapping against the tile floor, the relieved yawn in your breath as you stretch (you always stretch) and the soft rustling of fabric as you take off your clothes and deposit them in a heap on the bench.

Sakusa tilts his head up into the shower spray and feels the stray drops clinging to his eyelashes and wonders how much he’d be able to see if the walls were made of glass.

Today is Wednesday, and that means you’re going to wash your hair today because you always wash it on Wednesdays. Sakusa can already smell the shampoo you use filtering into the air. What is it? Sharper and more bitter than mint, medicinal almost—he’s considered asking you a few times what it is, but he can’t figure out a way to phrase the question.

Hey, (Y/N), tell me what product you use to wash your hair. Ever since I started jacking off in the shower to you, I can’t get off unless I’m smelling it.

That probably wouldn’t go over well.

Fuck, he’s already hard. The heat of the shower is nothing compared to the heat of his blood pumping down to his cock. Sakusa rinses through his hair quickly, freeing up his hands so he can palm his shaft and give it a tentative stroke.

Through the shower wall you give a light, soft sigh of appreciation, and Sakusa feels his cock jump in his hand. You prefer your showers hotter than he does—white puffs of steam are rising up over the gap between the stall divider and the ceiling, and you always come out flushed. The heat must feel nice, hm? He can almost see you, standing naked under the shower head in just your stupid pink flip-flops, letting rivulets of water drip down from the crown of your head to flow lower…over your shoulders, your back, your tits; your fingers lathering the shampoo through your hair, soap bubbles washing the grease away from you, draining away yesterday’s grime so you’re all fresh and squeaky clean.

You sigh again, and your voice is pushing out behind the breath. A moan, almost. Do you ever touch yourself in the shower? He’d be a hypocrite to think you shouldn’t be able to take advantage of this rare moment of privacy…it’s so hard to get time to yourself in the dorms, he can sympathize… So maybe you let your hands dip lower while you wash, shift your thighs apart so you can fit your fingers between them. Pet that puffy little cunt, push your fingers inside, feel your slick wash off in the water just to be replaced with more.

Sakusa wraps his fingers around his cock and slides his hand up the shaft, moving slowly so he can savor the light friction. Your hands would be soft, wouldn’t they? Softer than his. You don’t have calluses like he does—all that lotion you use must be doing you some good. And your hands are a lot smaller than his are…you’d probably have trouble getting one hand all the way around. You’d have to use both hands to hold him, hold his cock and pump him, jack him off…

If your hands are too small for him, what about your mouth?

The shower is so warm and you’re so close. Sakusa closes his eyes so he can breathe in that sweet medicinal smell and imagine you in here with him.

Your mouth. Soft lips, no makeup, just your natural color dampened from the water and your spit and his precum, closed around him, stretched around him to accommodate for the mass of his cock sitting in your mouth. Little pink tongue flicking out to tease the tip, lapping flat at the underside and then kissing it. You’d be a tease, a fucking tease. Looking up at him with those eyes, batting your eyelashes over your dewy-wet cheeks as you try to swallow him a little deeper. He’d tangle his fingers around the back of your head, push the strands of wet hair away from your face, pull your mouth up and down on his cock while the water splashes down around the two of you—

There’s a click of a cap popping shut and your shoes smacking wetly against the floor while you reach over to grab another bottle. You’re humming to yourself—a song Sakusa’s heard on his friends’ playlists and at parties but he doesn’t know the lyrics. Sometimes you sing in the shower (always softly, under your breath, so quiet he’d barely be able to hear if he wasn’t listening) but today you just hum. Maybe you’d sing out loud if he wasn’t there?

You’re probably being considerate to him...you do seem like the type. After all, you must be as aware of his presence three feet away from you as he is of yours. You probably think about him in the shower too.

Sakusa’s hips buck forward, pushing his dick through his hand as he pumps it with no real technique or rhythm, just trying to match the pace of his breathing to what he can hear of yours. The heat of his impending climax is coiling low in his belly, even though it hasn’t been long—it never takes long when he’s thinking about you. You’ve practically become a part of his own morning routine, to the point where he couldn’t even get off when he went home for spring break a few weeks ago. When the two of you move out of the dorms and go your separate ways, it’s going to be annoying. He should really stop this, wean himself off you while he can…not that he really wants to.

Your voice isn’t bad when you sing, but it’d be a lot better moaning his name.

People fuck in the showers. Sakusa knows that, he’s heard them himself and always been acutely disgusted at the filth of it all. Dorm bathrooms are notoriously foul—there’s a reason people wear shoes when they’re showering, and the thought of people actually fucking in here makes his skin crawl. But with you? He can see it, he can feel it—the soft fat of your thighs in his hands, skin dimpling under his grip as he holds you up; your arms twisted around his neck hugging into him; the hot water streaming over both of your bodies as his cock slaps into your pussy, burying into that tight wet heat.

Sakusa grits his teeth to stifle a groan and wonders if you heard it, and then he’s feeling around for the memory of your sleepy “Good morning, Kiyoomi” and warping your voice in his mind until he can almost hear your lips wrapping around his name, panting it, whimpering it, choking it out between pleas for him to fuck you harder—Kiyoomi, please, fuck me fuck me just like that, fuck my little pussy til I can’t walk straight Kiyoomi I need you!

God, he wants to hear it, he wants to say your name, wants you to know he’s jacking off to you. Sakusa’s hand speeds up and his hips are thrusting into his fist, the water making wet clicking noises every time his cockhead moves up past his fingers as he imagines fucking you right here in this shower. He’d make you cum, make you clench and tighten around him, make you wake up the entire goddamn floor with your screaming, and—fuck, he’s mouthing out the syllables, and then he can hear his own voice out loud and he’s saying your name—

“K-Kiyoomi?”

Your actual voice—lifted, high and clear as a bell ringing even stifled by the stall and the rushing water hits Sakusa and he flinches—and cums, cock jerking under his grip as the sticky white fluid shoots out to coat his hand. It’s good, so good, so fucking good, you said his name, you said it, fucking perfect—the release passes over him so forcefully that he has to hold his breath to bite back the stuttered hiss of pleasure from deep in his throat.

“Kiyoomi?” you ask again from the other stall, voice uncertain. “Did you say my name? I thought I heard you…”

It takes him a long moment to catch his breath, and another to work up enough control to straighten and raise his hand to the spray, letting the cum wash off his skin and down the drain in cloudy white trickles. “I didn’t.”

“Oh, sorry! Guess I imagined it.” You’re back to your cheerful self, humming that brainless melody and soaping yourself up without a care in the world. So gullible. Like always. And it’s not like Sakusa wanted to get caught, but…he can’t help wondering what you’d do if you knew.

Maybe you’d hate him. Maybe you’d call him a creep, stop showering when he does, avoid his gaze when you pass each other in the halls.

Or maybe you’d be into it.

Sakusa finishes his shower at the same time you do, so he can catch you just as you step out of the stall. “Oh—“ you start, barely keeping yourself from bumping into his chest. “Oops!”

Your face is stained pink from the heat of the shower…or maybe it’s the way you’re staring at his bare chest that’s making you blush. Sakusa’s not flattering himself—he knows he’s good-looking, knows what the years of athletics have done for him, and you are staring—but just for a moment before you catch yourself and right your gaze back up to his face, absently watching him towel off his hair. The fact that you let your eyes stray a little gives him permission to do the same, so he takes a moment to examine the lines of your shoulders, your soaked hair sticking to your neck, the dip of your cleavage under the fluffy white robe you’re wearing.

You smell good, all soft and wet and clean. Sakusa can’t help imagining if you taste that good, too.

“Um…s’cuse me,” you say after a moment when he doesn’t move to let you pass through the walkway. You could try to skirt around him, but he’s so big.

“What shampoo do you use?”

You blink and pat your hair self-consciously. “It’s, uh, tea tree oil? It has peppermint and lavender and stuff too I think, it’s really good for waking up in the morning—sorry, I know some people don’t like the smell—“

“No, it doesn’t bother me.” Sakusa’s eyes narrow before he steps out of the way to let you walk past.

I like it, he wants to add. But he doesn’t.

[taeyohonic]

favoritism (m)

summary: you’re quarantining with your favorite person during a global pandemic (established relationship, idol au) pairing: min yoongi x fem!reader rating: explicit (18+) warnings: the pandemic is discussed, smut (vaginal intercourse, heavy kissing), swearing, the tv show f.r.i.e.n.d.s is discussed (i imagine that can be a trigger for some…) info: this is a follow-up to this drabble! i needed some established fluff… words: 2.2k

“since when does rachel like ross back?”, your boyfriend asks as he shoves a piece of pancake into your open mouth. your eyes widen while you chew – your comeback right on your tongue.

“what do you mean since when? these two have been canon since episode one season one.”

yoongi snorts and bites into a strawberry. “no way – rachel is way too good for a guy like ross.”

you snort right back in his adorable face and pinch his stuffed cheek. “yoongs, every girl is too good for the guy she ends up with”, you respond and steal fruit from his plate.

the both of you are cuddling on the couch while the f.r.i.e.n.d.s theme song is playing in the background. yoongi has you lying on top of him and uses your belly as a makeshift table to hold his breakfast plate. you don’t mind – as long as he shares his bowl of fruit with you.

some people would mock you for binging a 90’s sitcom in pajamas while munching on pancakes in the middle of the night. but you don’t care anymore – your sleep schedule is fucked. no need to sugarcoat it.

yoongi plays with your hair and you hum as he presses softly against your skull.

“are you too good for me, then?”, he whines and brushes his fingers now across your collarbone. again, you huff and push back against his body.

“who is the one who got us quarantined?”

monica’s rant at a confused and slightly apprehensive chandler is overshadowed by your quarrel.

“it happens, _____”, he says with a serious undertone. “you should know best.”

he is right. the pandemic is widely spread; of course, it’s not going to just… turn around at the bighit building. you still were surprised when sejin called your boyfriend two days ago, frantically talking to your confused idol.

a background dancer was tested positive hours ago – and now all of bangtan had to quarantine for fourteen days. while most of the members were safe at their luxurious dorm yoongi was stuck at your two-bedroom apartment. not that he is complaining… much.

“so, is monica too good for chandler then?”, your boyfriend asks to change the subject. you shake your head at him and feel his bleached hair grazing your neck.

“duh”, you start, “he fat-shamed her so badly in their college days.”

“but… chandler is your favorite character, _______.” you’re munching on the final piece of pancake as you answer him – your mouth still full of carbs.

“yeah, so what? just because he’s my favorite doesn’t mean i think he’s an honest and lawfully good person.” you point with your greased finger at the tv. “you see me defending moriarty? or loki?” yoongi takes the empty plate off of you and places it carefully on the couch table. it now rests on top of two unread architecture magazines and a few unread binders from yoongi’s upcoming collaboration. the soon-to-be graded tests mock you right next to an empty bottle of wine.

“am i your favorite?”, he asks in a sing-song voice so unlike yoongi’s cool persona, you can’t help but search for his mischief eyes. he looks so relaxed – it’s a joy to witness.

“in a world where park jimin exists?”

yoongi’s finger find your ribs and start to tickle you in an instant. your body twitches helplessly in his arms as you feel the air rushing out of your lungs. there is breathless laughter echoing around the living room, and you are too preoccupied to locate the source.

“he-elp”, you whine and feel his arms tighten around your waist. still, his fingers dance across your stomach and you try to escape his touch. “yoonggs-s pleassse.”

“say i’m your favorite and it’s all over”, he taunts you mockingly.

“oka-ay, ok.” you give up in milliseconds. your bladder is too full to handle his tickling any longer. you don’t want to pee on your boyfriend – your relationship isn’t that strong yet.

yoongi ceases his attack at your surrender. “say it, ______.”

sucking in much needed air, you turn around to straddle him. his slim body gives you enough room on the couch to shift into a comfortable position.

“you”, a kiss is placed against his right cheek, “are”, another one is mirrored on his left cheek, “my”, the third is planted on his small nose, “favorite.” before your can kiss your final destination – his forehead – yoongi’s mouth captures your wandering lips. you feel him smile into the kiss as warm flutters travel across your body.

without a second thought you move against him and open your mouth. yoongi moans as your tongue caresses his own softly. he presses himself closer to you, hindering you to rut against his solid erection. instead yoongi topples you over by forcing most of his weight against your heated body. “ahh”, you breathe in surprise at the changed position. now it’s him on top of you. your boyfriend looks down with darkened lust – surely mirrored by your own expression.

“yoongs”, you whine and squirm against his weight.

“yes, baby?”, he purrs while his swollen lips descend upon your neck. the heat rises in your cheeks and you know you only have moments before you are too far gone to think straight.

“yoongs, i gotta pee.”

“huh?”, he breathes against your jaw, his mind clouded by your smell.

“let me pee”, you cry and push against his chest. your boyfriend soon shakes with silent laughter as he eases off of you.

“really, ____?”, yoongi asks while watching you rush to the bathroom. you fidget from tile to tile as the cold marble bites your feet. adorable.

“get the condoms and move it to the bedroom, min! i don’t want to clean the sofa – again”, you yell before closing the bathroom door. adorable and bossy, he thinks and turns off the tv.

it takes you not more than two minutes to flush the toilet and rush into the bedroom. moonlight shines through the big windows, illuminating your boyfriend in the middle of your bed. his upper body leans against the headboard while his right hand is stroking his cock at a leisured pace. yoongi smirks as he notices your eyes on his erection.

“you look… really beautiful”, you say and feel your cheeks darken at the uttered compliment. it always surprises your boyfriend how shy you can get in moments like this. you’ve seen him countless of times – his cock is very familiar with the tightness between your legs. still, right now you look at him as if he’s untouchable.

“you’re the beauty between the two of us, _____”, he answers mid-stroke smirking at your barely dressed state. his t-shirt suits you.

“come here, baby”, he commands softly when you don’t make a move to close the distance. “i’m too tired to fuck you against the wall”, he adds jokingly.

you can’t help but laugh at your boyfriend and join him on the bed while shaking your head at his crude words. up close he looks not as intimidating as before. the lighting bathes him in an unreal gleam. you can see the veins decorating his thick shaft. delicious.

yoongi’s cock isn’t the biggest you’ve ever had – but it’s the thickest by far. your pussy clenches at just the memory of him inside you as you can’t suppress the needy moan escaping you.

his hand moves from his erection to your neck, pulling you closer to him. yoongi already abandoned his hoodie – the cream-colored skin as inviting as his smirk. you fumble with the t-shirt separating you from his touch.

yoongi notices your impatience and helps you out of your clothes in seconds. he comes face-to-face with your bralette and groans in annoyance.

“why are you still wearing a bra during quarantine?”, he whines and pushes the flimsy material away from your nipples. you coo in thanks as his lips close around one of your breasts, sucking at the flesh vigorously.

“we… ah”, you babble, “the zoom meeting with … with joon today – i di-didn’t want aaa-nother nipple-gate.” you have to take a deep breath when your boyfriend switches sides. his hands move on the now neglected nipple by twisting the erected flesh. “ah, fuck, yoongs”, you moan as you feel yourself getting wetter.

“god, baby, your breasts are really, really pretty”, yoongi praises against your skin.

“you know what else is really pretty?”, he asks, not sure you are still capable to answer him. he smirks at your flush body on top of him. you can only shake your head as your fingers find their way into his hair.

since you met him his head has always been a nightmare. the hair frayed from layers upon layers of bleach, toner and coloring. still, his strands between your fingertips are thick and you grip them tightly before pushing him against the headboard and away from your tortured nipples.

yoongi groans at your actions, the dull arch soon forgotten as you answer him.

“really pretty? your cock in my mouth.” you rain kisses down his jawline while mumbling the second part of your reply. “really, really pretty? your dick in my pussy.”

“damn, baby”, yoongi growls before grabbing your waist to position you above his erection. you feel your walls flutter as he presses his tip at your entrance. your boyfriend sees the need in your hazed eyes, but he has to check how wet you are first. with only one arm holding you up, the other hand wanders to your core. as soon as his fingers touch your engrossed clit, you bite the flesh beneath his jawline in heat.

“yoongs”, you plead while flickering your tongue against his throat. your boyfriend hushes you, endeared by your responds.

“i’ve got you, baby”, he promises darkly before pushing you down on his cock. there is the briefest moment of discomfort, but soon the pulsing between your tights sends flames through your body. you can’t help it as you press closer against his pelvis, sinking deeper onto his erection.

“fuck”, he groans. your wetness hugs him so tight – too tight. “you gotta relax, baby”, he soothes you. his hands move from your hips to softly caressing your back. “don’t make my dick fall off.”

you snort nuzzled against his neck as you will yourself to relax. “just like that”, yoongi praises as he feels your walls soften around him. his words encourage you to start rocking against him. there is no rush behind your movement, just yoongi’s cock sliding in and out of you slowly.

his hands dig into your shoulder blades as you feel him hitting the spongy spot deep in your hole. “right there, yoongi”, you cry and your boyfriend snaps is hips instantly into you. “more, please”, you beg, lost at his tip massaging your g-spot.

your scenes cloud in heat as you feel his pelvis bone rubbing against your clit. helplessly, you bite his neck. “fuck, baby”, yoongi grunts in surprised pain and presses you closer to him. your wet nipples touch his chest and you can witness his swallowed breathing.

his skin tastes salty and you brush your tongue against his jugular vein to collect more of his sweat.

yoongi speeds up the pace as he feels your walls squeezing him tightly. fueled by desire he pushes you down hard on his cock. “harder”, you beg. there is fire spreading faster and faster in your core. you feel yourself vibrating against him every time his pelvis brushes against your sensitive clit.

“your wish is my command”, your boyfriend vows between clenched teeth as his climax approaches. he quickens your movement and you help him, riding his cock in desperate need of release.

“i’m close.” yoongi can’t help but smile at your whiny tone and rushes his hand between the two of you. when his fingertips brush against his cock meeting your slit, he nearly looses it. hazed he finds your enlarged clit and rolls it between his fingers. you tense instantly as your orgasm rips through you.

there is no warning, only shockwaves of fire traveling across your body. “damn it, baby”, yoongi hisses. your walls clench around him with vigor. his own release is not far behind – you milking his cock being the final straw.

with a deep groan he empties himself in you. white stripes paint your hole from within. the bedroom is silent while the both of you try to regain some sense.

“you know you are good enough for me, don’t you?”, you whisper against the brand-new hickey on his neck. yoongi needs a moment before he gets the connection to your conversation from before.

it’s really maddening how the two of you are this self-conscious in your relationship while at the same time so quick to reassure one another.

“as long as i don’t call you the wrong name at our wedding, right?”, he chuckles lightheartedly.

“slow down, yoongs. nobody said anything about marriage”, you breathe tiered from your activities.

yeah, nobody said anything, but the ring in his drawer is screaming louder than ever.

“go pee, baby”, your boyfriend orders softly. he’ll ask for your hand in marriage tomorrow when his own isn’t full of pancake grease.

____

yeah, i’m a very new smut writer, so i try to practice! hope you found this as fluffy as i did! i’d love to read some feedback! love and well wishes from, dana

[heartthrob-jpg]

gonna post my shower routine for this morning (technically. i guess) shower.. itll help me do everything and remember what i did and what to do

all of it will be under the cut, to avoid this super huge long post on peoples feeds

items for actual shower

--

Hair:

- Garnier Fructis Purifying Shampoo (I ran out of my typical shampoo, which is the Suave (strawberry scented) one! This specific shampoo is not specifically scented)

- Luseta Biotin & Collagen Conditioner (Color Safe)

- Shea Solutions deep moisture shampoo and leave in conditioner (I tend to double shampoo and double condition my hair when I haven't showered in a bit and leave in conditioner is good for my hair + helps avoid tangles!)

Body:

- Suave Wild Cherry Blossom Gentle Body Wash (cherry blossom is one of my favorite scents ever and makes me feel clean! use whatever scent is your favorite and it might help you shower more (it does for me!)

- Honey Pot Normal Intimates Wash

- Spa Luxury Body Scrub (cherry blossom scent also)

- Ciroa Matcha Green Tea & Macadamia Oil Sugar Body Scrub (I know i dont need to use this + the other body scrub, but it makes me feel more clean to do so)

FACE:

- Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser (combination to oily, sensitive skin)

MISC:

- Naturavis Shower Steamers (im using morning meditation today)

- my favorite Spider-Man towel

items for after shower

--

HAIR:

- Shea Solutions Curl Enhancing Smoothie

- Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Frizz Free Curl Mousse

BODY:

- deodorant (currently using Secret Clear Gel deodorant that i Hate. i didn't buy this, but i dont want to waste it (+ i have no other deodorant right now))

- Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Lotion (i also did not buy this, it was gifted to me over a year ago :) )

FACE:

- Bolero Facial Toner Rosewater & Aloe

- Clay Mask (i dont know the brand, but im using a 'dead sea' one)

- Global Beauty Care Strawberry+ Hyaluronic Acid Glowing Facial Moisturizer

- lip oil I got from the dollar tree

MISC:

- Colgate Bubble Fruit flavor Bluey Toothpaste (i hate "adult" flavored toothpastes, they make my mouth feel itchy and burn, so i just.. dont buy those)

- Surgical Toothbrush (i buy these specifically because they have softer bristles and dont cause me as bad of sensory issues. they cost a bit more than a regular toothbrush sometimes though)

--

order of how i do it all.. i guess

--

shower

1. warm water

2. shower steamer goes right next to where the water hits the floor.. so in the steam

3. water up

4. Garnier shampoo

5. shea butter shampoo

6. color conditioner

7. body wash

8. honey pot body wash

9. wash out color conditioner

10. green tea sugar scrub

11. cherry blossom body scrub

12. face cleanser

13. towel it up and rinse off the shower floor + use shower spray

14. brush leave in conditioner through my hair

post shower

1. dry off mostly

2. scrub the shit out of my legs to get off dead skin

3. put on clay mask

4. lip oil + scrub lips

5. hair smoothie through hair + start to define curls

6. wash off clay mask

7. finish defining curls + scrunch in hair mousse

8. toner

9. hyaluronic acid

10. brush teeth

11. body lotion

12. deodorant

--

again this isnt a post of like.. "how you should do this!!" its basically just me saying how i do this. because this is the way that makes the most sense to me (and lists / routine tend to help me function better)

i would also like to say. i havent showered for a while, which is why im kind of doing a lot of stuff right now! ive been in kind of a rough patch recently and am starting to feel better and getting motivation back to do daily things. (which im very very proud of myself for)

so i guess this is a reminder that, even if things look really tough right now, i want you to know that you can do it!! you will get through it and you will survive. everything sucks right now, but we are so much stronger than we think

hi guys its 3 am and im gonna go take a nice shower. maybe a cold one im hot even though its only 18 degrees outside.

and then ill go do my comms sheet or something.. yeah.. and maybe an actual intro post too

AND ZORXES... I FORGOT ABOUT MY GUY... how dare I.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Skinship

This one is dedicated to my dear friend and fellow TWST writer, @twstpasta! 

Congrats on making it to 3k followers and for making the grand debut of your new blog mascot~ I look forward to seeing your future works, as well as all of the (inevitable) Vil brain rot once your EBG (Extreme Bias Game) is over!

Imagine this...

��Unacceptable.”

“Eh?”

“Your skin,” Vil clarified. “It is simply unacceptable. You don’t truly intend on marching to the opening ceremony looking like that, do you?”

“My...skin?” Your hands subconsciously trailed to your cheeks. “What’s wrong with--”

He cut you off, his pupils dilating in absolute horror. “No...!! Don’t touch your face! Your hands are breeding grounds for all manner of nasty bacteria!”

Your hand jolted away at Vil’s remark. He sighed in relief--but the repose is short-lived.

“You haven’t even properly buffed out the sunscreen along your hairline. See to it that you wash your hands and blend it in. Now.”

“Ah, I must have gotten some grated parmesan on me while I was making my mac ‘n cheese for lunch,” you explained, your expression sheepish. “I only put sunscreen on when I work out, Vil-senpai.”

“Excuse me?!” He brought a finger to his chin and frowned. “I don’t know whether I should be more appalled at the fact that you somehow got cheese in your hair or at the fact that you scarcely wear sun protection...What, if I may ask, does your typical skincare routine look like?”

“I splash water on my face once in the morning and once at night. And I already told you about the sunscreen when I exercise.”

“...That is all?”

“Yup.”

Vil cradled his head in his hands.

“...Sit.”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” You seated yourself on a sofa and glanced up at your senpai. “But won’t we be late for the ceremony if we wait around for too long?”

“It will only take a few minutes,” Vil insisted with a dismissive wave. “I will be right back.”

The Pomefiore dorm leader swept out of the room, his dark sleeves billowing out behind him. The intricate golden designs on his robes seem to twinkle and dance under the lights.

He soon reappeared with a tray--upon it, a few towels, several small bowls of water, and an assortment of containers. Vil sat down beside you, placing the tray on a low coffee table.

“We can’t have you going out looking a mess,” he declared, “so I shall be giving you a quick facial.”

“Whoa, really? Thank you so much for this, senpai.”

“Don’t thank me yet. The magic has yet to start.”

He took a pump of soap, working it into a rich lather, then dipped his hands into a bowl of water and patted dry with a towel. Vil dispensed a viscous substance from another bottle and swiped it on your face--from your chin to your forehead, massaging in circles.

“What’s this slick stuff? Moisturizer?”

“It’s an oil-based cleanser,” Vil corrected, “Listen well, potato. There are three essential steps to every skincare routine--the first is cleansing.”

“But I’ve already washed my face today.”

“We need to break down your sunscreen first before we apply more product,” Vil chided, wetting his hands again before running them across your cheeks. “Next is a water-based cleanser.”

He popped open a tube and squeezed out a coin-sized amount. Rubbing his hands together produced fine suds.

“You’re washing my face again?” you asked, giggling while Vil worked the product onto your face. The lather tickled a bit—and it smelled like a field full of raspberries, bright and bursting with sunshine.

“Skin has both fat and water. Therefore, you should wash once with an oil to bind to oils, and water to bind to water—this will give you a thorough cleanse.”

Vil’s words were stern, but his touch remained gentle. Even as he chastised you, you could not help but indulge in the moment, melting in his voice—rich and velvety and decadent.

Hehe...like mac ‘n cheese...

You could feel a trickle of drool forming in the corner of your mouth.

“...45 to 60 seconds washing with each cleanser,” Vil recited in a murmur. “Upward and outward circular motions to promote lymphatic drainage, and to keep the skin from sagging. Be sure to exfoliate at least once a week...Are you listening to a word of what I’m saying, potato?”

“Huh? Uh...yeah, yeah, I’m listening.”

“Hmmm.”

“I-I swear I am!”

“Pop quiz, then. How many steps are there in a basic skincare routine?”

“Three! Four if you count washing twice!”

Vil cracked a small smile. “Excellent. I expected nothing less from you.”

He moistened his hands again and removed the bubbles on your face . Then Vil patted you down with a towel, leaving your skin just a bit damp.

“The next step is moisturizer. Normally, I would have you apply a toner, essence, and serum first, but we do not have the time for that.”

Vil unscrewed the cap on a tall, frosted glass bottle. The contents were pure white, sloshing around like melted snow

“Isn’t moisturizer usually like...lotions and stuff? That doesn’t look like a lotion to me.”

“This is a 2-in-1 toner and moisturizer. Cream skin,” he explained, carefully pressing the product onto cheeks and forehead.

Ah.

His fingers. They were so plush, so soft through the thin slip of the product—like clouds brushing against your face, planting dew drop kisses.

Your eyes drifted shut for a few moments, relishing in the feel of him.

“And, last but not least, sunscreen. You must always wear sun protection, even in winter and on cloudy days. UV rays can wreak havoc on your skin.”

“Y-Yes!”

Vil sighed, squeezing a generous heap of white goop into his palms. “If you understand, then you must promise me that you will take better care of yourself in the future.”

“I promise...”

“Good.”

His hands ran across your face, tracing every contour and curvature until each spot was slathered with sunscreen. Vil was the artist, and you were his canvas to be molded into a work of art.

A sweep here, a dab there, and...

Done.

Vil held your face, cupped within his hands, and gazed upon his work. His lips pulled into mirthful smirk—and his eyes glittered like amethysts embedded with stars.

He was so close--yet you cannot make out even a single pore or imperfection on his milky face. Your heart hammered from his intense gaze, and how his pink lips--today, the color of raspberries--were parted just so. How soft they must be, if he takes such good care of his skin.

“D-Do I look better now?” you asked nervously.

“See for yourself.”

Vil passed over a handheld mirror.

In the glass, a familiar, yet unfamiliar, face stared back at you. Your reflection bore a plump complexation—all rosy cheeks and supple skin. No white cast, no oily sheen, no flaky patches, no rough texture.

It almost doesn’t seem like yourself.

“Well?” Vil inquired, his arms folded.

“It’s me, but like...way better. It’s like you cast a spell or something.”

You cautiously poked your cheek. It conformed, then bounced back.

“No touching!” Vil hissed, yanking your wrist back with a frown.

“Whoops...ehehe, sorry. I forgot.”

“Honestly,” he groaned, reaching out and grasping your other wrist, “if you are going to disregard my advice so blatantly...”

Vil flashed his pearly whites in a sly smile.  “ ...then perhaps I should keep a firm grip on these traitorous hands of yours until further notice.”

He lifted the back of your hand to his mouth and planted a kiss. His lips were every bit as tender and smooth as you had imagined them to be.

A single thought emerged from the back of your mind: just what would those lip of his taste like, set upon your own?

You reddened.

“That color is most becoming on you, potato,” Vil chuckled, pulling back. His grip on your hand remained firm, yet somehow also delicate--as though handling a precious gem.

“Come. We cannot afford to dawdle any longer. The ceremony awaits us.”

Hand in hand, you venture out into the world--

--putting you best face forward.