#SCARF Industry Size

[caffeinewitchcraft]

Ghost Eater

Summary: You don't like exorcists. They don't much like you either.

-----

You’d always thought big restaurants like the Brownie Industry only did well in small, midwestern towns like the one you came from. A year working in LA has taught you that, no matter where you go, people will always love garlic bread and sugar.

It’s your day off which means you’re pulling a double shift. You haven’t had time to wash your hair for the past two weeks so it’s frizzing out of your claw clip and flying wild around your face. The lighting is so dim that you’ve tripped over two black purses already, luckily not while you’re running food. The big dining room sounds like an apiary with the tittering laughter of the later adult crowd that’s filtered in from the theater across the four lane road. The main difference between the Brownie Industry here and the one back home is size. The ceiling soars overhead, supported by a series of concrete pillars separating the dining area into three sections.

Normally it would be three servers per section. Today, it’s just you in yours.

One more hour. That’s what the manager promised you. It might even be true if the host stand quits seating you after the table you’re approaching.

There are three people at the table. A woman whose hair might be light blonde or gray in the light of day, her eyes light and piercing. Her face is soft from age, emphasized by the tight, lace collar of her off-season sweater. She reminds you strongly of your mom’s nemesis on the HOA board. The man couldn’t be more out of place next to her despite their equivalent age. He’s wearing a leather jacket – again, it’s not cold here – and a Norwegian metal shirt underneath. His hair is definitely white, so white it almost glows. He’s frowning at the teenager across the table as if she’s touched his motorcycle without permission.

The teenager might be the first you’ve seen all night who doesn’t have their phone out. She’s decked out in what you consider grandma florals – a t-shirt scattered with daisy chains, a bucket hat made out of nana’s carpet bag, and a hand-crocheted scarf in pastel.  You can’t really see her face under the shadow of her hat and there’s an odd, blurred quality to the way she fiddles with her napkin. You let your eyes skip past her and back to the two adults. Teenagers don’t pay the bill.

“Welcome to Brownie Industry!” you chirp. You’re sweaty and red but the faded yellow light hides that. You’re a service industry pro so none of your exhaustion shows on your face when you ask, “Is this your first-time dining with us?”

If you weren’t so burned out, you’d have noticed before you introduced yourself.

“Are you Grady?” the woman asks. Her voice is more posh than you expected even with her lace collar. “Grady Pace?”

Fuck. There’s a noticeable temperature differential now that you’re close to them. The restaurant is warm from the number of bodies, maybe even warmer than the summer air outside, but stepping up next to their table feels like walking into an ice rink.

“I’m your waitress,” you say. You don’t have time for this conversation. You’ve got five minutes in your cycle to take their order and then you’ve got food to run. “If you need any other services from me, I have a website.”

“We messaged you,” the man says. His lips thin to the point his thick mustache covers them entirely. “You never responded.”

Because you’ve been making more money at the Brownie Industry than your other job. “I’ll take a look at it tonight.”

“Wait,” the teenager says, sitting upright. She looks from you to the adults and back again. When she smiles, there’s no humor in it. “This is why we drove eight hours to have dinner at the Brownie Industry? For her?”

“Katie, be polite—”

“I’m sorry,” Katie says, ���It’s just—I found a priest, you know? An actual exorcist priest and you guys want to trust a waitress over him?”

“Ugh exorcists,” you say. The memory of sour cabbage is so heavy on your tongue that you stick your tongue out in disgust. When you see Katie’s look, you backtrack. “Effective! Definitely effective.”

“Your mistakes have cost us too much already,” the man says, shaking a finger at her. “We are not converting just for an exorcism.”

“I normally don’t agree with your father,” the woman tells Katie, “but in this case I would like to leave conversion as a last resort.”

“We wouldn’t actually convert,” Katie says, rolling her eyes.

“Pretty sure exorcists can tell when you lie,” you tell Katie. When her scowl deepens, you clear your throat. “Did you all need another minute to think about the menu?”

“We need you to help us,” the dad says. He scrubs a hand over his face. “Look, I know you’re at work and I’m sorry we’re bothering you.”

“We’re desperate,” the mom says. She reaches for her purse. “We’ll pay you. Triple the rate on your website or even quadruple. We need that thing gone by tonight.”

Katie covers her face. “Mom. You’re embarrassing me. Terry isn’t that bad.”

“Oh, he’s bad, young lady,” the dad says sternly. “A bad influence.”

“We caught her trying to perform another séance yesterday,” the mom confesses to you. She leans forward with a pinched expression. “So Terry’s friend Larry could visit too.”

“Interesting,” you say. The food bell rings, but you think you can ignore it for another minute. You study Katie’s blush. “Why did you do that?”

If she was being compelled, she won’t have an answer to your question. You’ve dealt with a lot of ghosts in your time, but so few are sentient enough – or powerful enough – for compulsion.

“Go on,” the dad says, gesturing at you. “Tell her.”

“Leroy, she’s embarrassed enough,” the mom says.

“No, she’s not, Sarah.” The dad – Leroy – gestures to you again. “Tell her.”

Katie huffs, clearly resistant. But when her dad huffs back, she caves. “So,” she says, “I have this YouTube channel—”

“I’m off in an hour,” you interrupt. You don’t care that you’re being rude. Your patience ran out as soon as she said YouTube. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” You turn to go.

“A moment!” Sarah shakes out her menu. “How’s the nicoise salad?”

Of course they’re going to order. They’d better tip too if they want you to help them with their ghost problem.

----.

“You said an hour,” mom Sarah says when you leave out the employee entrance. She’s shivering next to her daughter. Leroy is off smoking behind his motorcycle, parked next to the Tesla Katie is leaning on, but he stubs out his cigarette on the asphalt when you walk up. “It’s been two.”

“I had side work,” you say instead of it would have been one if not for you. You rub your bare arms when the familiar ghost chill washes over you. You want nothing more than to go home and wash the scent of garlic and brownie batter out of your hair. “Was there something wrong with my service?”

“No?”

You try to make your voice light. “I see.”

Sarah frowns at your tone anyway. “Why?”

“You tipped five dollars.”

Katie jolts like a scalded cat. “Mom!”

Leroy scrubs a hand over his face. “Sarah…”

“What?” Sarah throws up her hands. The parking lot lights catch on her Swarovski charm bracelet. “I tipped!”

“Like ten percent,” Katie says. She pulls her bucket hat over her eyes for a beat and then peeks at you from under it. “I’m so sorry. It’s not you, she’s always like this.”

“It was actually a six percent tip,” you say. You’re getting a clearer picture of this little family now. It’s becoming more and more understandable why Katie might have started summoning ghosts. “If you want to be precise.”

Leroy reaches for his back pocket. “Let me.”

Sarah swats at his hand. “We’re about to pay her a lot more than that!”

“For a completely separate job,” Leroy says. He pulls a twenty from his wallet and hands it to you with a grimace. “Sorry, Grady, I should’ve checked.”

“You should’ve paid if you cared so much,” Sarah retorts. She folds her arms over her chest. She taps her cheek and widens her eyes. “Oh wait… you never pay.”

“Sure,” Leroy says. This time it’s his turn to throw his hands in the air. “Sure, Sarah. I don’t pay for anything to do with our daughter’s private school or her dance classes or her health insurance—”

“If the court hadn’t mandated—”

“You make twice as much as me—"

“Guys!” Katie says loudly. Her mouth is a thin line of upset when she says, “Argue about what an expensive burden I am later when we don’t have an audience, okay?”

Her parents speak at the same time.

“You’re twisting my words,” Sarah says. “I never said—"

“Sweetie, you’re not a burden—”

“Can you just get this ghost out of me?” Katie asks you. She goes for nonchalance and falls short. “My parents haven’t been in the same room for the last five years for a reason.” She fakes whispering. “They don’t play nicely with others.”

Sarah bristles. “Katie.”

“God, I know how that is,” you say. The whole interaction is giving you the worst case of sympathy for Katie. Before her parents can say anything else, you change the subject. “How long have you been haunted?”

“Six months,” Katie says. She fiddles with her bucket hat so that you can see her eyes for the first time. They’re brown, like her dad’s, and have heavy bruises underneath. She shrugs. “They only noticed a month ago though.”

“I noticed your behavior had changed,” Sarah defends. Like her daughter, she fidgets. She plays with her bracelet and clears her throat. “I thought it was a teenage thing.”

“What signs did you notice first?” you ask the parents. They glance at each other and then away.

“Let’s just say we noticed different things,” Leroy says dryly. He pulls out his phone.

“Moodiness,” Sarah says. She ticks them off on her fingers. “Laziness. Disrespect. Over-sleeping.”

“Those are just teenager things,” Katie says with an astounding level of self awareness. She shrugs. “I’m a senior now. They’re lucky it didn’t start sooner.”

“I,” Leroy says, “noticed this.” He turns his phone towards you.

“Ah,” Sarah says, “Yes. That.”

You examine the picture. It’s of Katie on a small dirt bike. She’s wearing a helmet in the picture, but you recognize the fashion sense in the floral boots she’s wearing. The scene behind her is of the hills, low scrub brush recognizable to someone who’s lived in LA for the past five years. On the bike behind her is a smudge. It could be a cloud of dirt blown into frame or maybe a camera glitch. It could be if it weren’t for the leering face emerging from the cloud right behind her head.

“I just want to say I did not agree to getting her a motorcycle,” Sarah says.

“Mom, not the point,” Katie says.

“Look how close that creep is to my daughter,” Leroy says. He jabs a finger at Katie’s waist in the photo where you can see a ghostly hand. “I want him gone.”

“Dad, he didn’t mean anything by it!” Katie turns to you earnestly. “Terry never rode a bike before and I thought, like, what if he moved on after he got a chance to? It was a philanthropic effort!”

“Plant a tree if you want to be a philanthropist,” Leroy growls. “I want this guy away from my daughter.”

“He doesn’t mean any harm really,” Katie says. “He would move on if he could! He says he’s stuck to me because of how I summoned him. He’s like, really sorry. He even spelled out Sorry in the bathroom mirror once.”

“What,” Sarah says in a dangerous voice, “was Terry doing in the bathroom with you, Katie?”

Katie splutters. “Mom, don’t be gross!”

The family descends into bickering. You have heard about ghosts being stuck to a person before, but usually that’s when the person has some sort of psychic powers. Katie’s wearing crystal in her ears, but they aren’t charged. She might develop some talent later in life, but right now she’s a normal girl.

The parking lost is nearly empty now. You recognize a few employee cars, but very few customers. The kitchen will be cleaning for another half hour before they’re ready to go home.  The reality is that, if Terry is stuck, you might not be the best way to handle the situation. If he’s not…

Well.

It’s time to talk to Terry.

Opening your ghost sense is hard to describe. Some psychics liken it to a third eye, right in the middle of their forehead. You’ve always thought that sounded really cool like maybe the world gets cast in a blue hue when they do it and the dead appear like they do in movies. You’ve met other psychics who say it’s like a sixth sense. They know where the ghost is and it’s like they download all that information until their minds can just sort of conjure their image.

For you, it’s like letting your body remember it has a second mouth. Cats have an extra sensory organ on the roof of their mouth that lets them detect scents better. Your second mouth is a bit like that. You can still smell brownies and garlic and the city air of LA, but you can also smell/taste something else.

Something like…pepper?

Your eyes water and you sneeze so viciously that your eyes close. When you open them again, four people are staring at you in surprise.

“Gesundheit,” Leroy says.

“You sneeze like Dad does,” Katie says.

“Did no one ever teach you to cover your mouth?” Sarah asks in disgust.

“I wish you would’ve sneezed on her,” Terry says, nodding to Sarah. “She’s such a bitch.”

“Thank you for the commentary, everyone,” you say. You wipe your nose with the collar of your shirt as you consider Terry. It’s dirty anyway. “Terry. Interesting name for a ghost.”

Terry hasn’t noticed that you can see him yet. He’s floating behind Katie, one arm casually flung over her shoulder. It’s hard to place when he died based on his appearance alone. His hair is chin length, emphasizing the width of his jaw. Squire cuts have been popular for several decades and the bowling shirt he’s wearing could either be a modern fashion statement or a dated uniform. He looks to be in his mid-twenties, sun-kissed and with the air of someone who tells a lot of jokes at the expense of others. His arm around Katie strikes you as possessive, the glare he gives her parents venomous.

“I didn’t name him,” Katie says. “He said it’s short of Torrance.”

You blink. “Wouldn’t he be Torri then?”

“That’s a girl’s name,” Katie and Terry say at the same time. Their cadence is so close that it actually sounds like Terry’s baritone comes out of Katie’s mouth. For a moment, his arm flickers, clipping into her shoulder like a bad animation. When it does, Terry’s form grows brighter, more solid. Then Katie shivers and he’s forced out of her.

You and Terry click your tongues at the same time.

You remember how Katie’s hands seemed to blur at the dinner table. Terry’s not just haunting Katie. He’s trying to possess her. You wonder if that’s why Katie looked up an exorcist rather than a simple spiritual cleansing. Did she know how much danger she was in?

“Okay,” you say. You tear your attention away from Katie and Terry for a moment. Business first. “Sarah. Leroy. Who was it that found my site?”

“I did,” Sarah says. She raises her chin when you can’t hide your surprise. “When Katie was looking up exorcists—”

“She didn’t mean it,” Terry says. He pats Katie’s hat. “Right?”

“—I looked up alternative solutions,” Sarah says, not having heard Terry. Her confidence falters for a moment and she rubs her arm. “I have had some… negative experiences with exorcisms. I don’t want my daughter to go through that.”

Katie’s head whips towards her mother. “What? I didn’t know that.”

“It was a long time ago,” Leroy says. For the first time, he reaches out and hugs Sarah with one arm. You don’t know what surprises you more; Leroy hugging Sarah or Sarah leaning into his side. “When Sarah told me, we decided to put our differences aside. I vetted you through some of my contacts and they all agreed you’d be a safe bet.”

“I am,” you say. You’re not bragging either. You’re probably the safest bet in half the western states besides your older sister. “There are some…peculiarities in my method.”

“Charlatan,” Terry whispers in Katie’s ear. He’s grinning now. “Only charlatans are that confident. Look! She can’t even see me!”

Katie looks doubtful.

Usually, you’d try to talk to Terry at this point. Sometimes spirits can be negotiated with. They can be encouraged to move on or to take on a less aggressive form of haunting. Those that are truly stuck can be helped with the right sort of ritual work. But the way Terry’s affecting Katie’s mood and that fucking arm around her shoulders…

You don’t really want to talk to Terry.

“We can ask Terry to move on,” you tell the family.

“Nooooooo,” Terry says and flips you off. “Pass!”

“Sometimes spirits don’t realize how deeply they’re affecting their hosts,” you say.

“You don’t even know how deep I’m about to be,” Terry jeers at you.

“Many ghosts are confused when they’re called to interact with the living,” you say. “It can blur their understanding of death and, as a result, they cling to life. If they stick around long enough, their presence will affect the living like what’s happening to Katie. It’s not always malicious. It can be a symptom of that confusion.”

“Katie, tell her to piss off,” Terry hisses in the teen’s ear. “I’m not confused, I’m bored.” His voice deepens. “Tell her we don’t need her help. Tell her we’re going home.”

Katie opens her mouth robotically. “That’s…” Her brow creases as she tries to figure out what she was going to say. “It seems like we don’t need help then. Terry will move on when he’s ready, like I thought.”

“We aren’t paying you for a ghost therapy session,” Sarah snaps. It’s only because you’re really focusing that you can see the unease under her anger. She’s noticed something wrong with Katie. “Katie, Terry is going away today.”

“Fuck you,” Terry says.

“Fuck you,” Katie says.

Leroy’s head rears back. “Katie, you don’t use that language with your mother!”

“Fuck you too,” Katie and Terry say. The parking lot lights flicker.

“No, fuck you, Terry,” you say, stepping between Katie and her parents. Leroy starts like he’s going to pull you out of the way, but he doesn’t.

“Terry?” Leroy asks. He looks scared. “Terry said that? Is Terry possessing my daughter?”

“Not yet.” You eye Terry’s arm and the way his fingers are sinking into Katie’s arm.

“Oh fuck,” Terry says. He doesn’t look scared. Not yet. Instead, he grins. “You can see me.”

“Not every ghost is malicious,” you tell the parents without taking your eyes off Terry. “But some are.”

“I’m not malicious.” Terry runs a hand through his hair, still grinning. The parking lot lights flicker overhead again. “I care about Katie a lot.”

“Terry’s never hurt me,” Katie says.

You ignore her. She’s not even shaking Terry off now. Her gaze is dull on your face when you say, “I don’t mean to sound like I’m some sort of ghost therapist. However, it’s important to differentiate between malicious and non-malicious hauntings in my practice. My methods are unconventional and, if used indiscriminately, I can get in a lot of trouble.”

“We won’t tell anyone,” Leroy says. He steps into your periphery. His gaze flicks from you to the spot you’re staring at over Katie’s shoulder. “We want Terry gone.”

“Not a soul,” Sarah promises. She comes up on your other side. “Please help our daughter.”

“Terry,” you say. Your second mouth is yawning wide somewhere in the back of your brain. The taste of pepper isn’t as overwhelming now. “Last chance. Renounce your claim on Katie’s soul and slither back into whatever hole you came out of.”

“We’re soulmates,” Terry says. He bares his teeth at you. “Go on, Charlatan. Call on your God to banish me. I’ve been around for decades and no exorcist has ever been able to put a scratch on me. And when they manage to push me out?” He laughs and the temperature drops another ten degrees. An unholy light flickers in his eyes. “I just come right back.”

“Then I guess I won’t feel guilty,” you say.

“Guilty?” Katie asks.

You walk forward two steps and grab Terry’s face. Terry’s skin is soft and jelly-like. His facial bones undulate like rubber under your grip. “Hi, Terry.”

Now Terry’s afraid. “What the fuck, you can touch—?”

“Bye, Terry.” You drag him towards you. His fingers pop out of Katie’s arm with a wet sucking sound, and he claws at your wrist.

“Wait! Waitwaitwaitwait--”

You eat Terry.

People come from all around to eat at the Brownie Industry. They love the density of the desserts and the heaps of garlic spread over home-baked (shipped frozen) rolls. It’s a treat to know you’re always going to enjoy the meal even if you’re far from home or eating at the same location a hundred times. It’s consistency, sugar and butter. An easy addiction to have.

Eating ghosts is like that for you. They fizz in your second mouth like champagne and melt like fudge. It’s hard to describe and the ephemeral quality of it sends shivers down your spine. Somewhere Terry is screaming in anguish, maybe crying. You think that the family you’re helping is screaming something too, but the sensation of eating is so consuming you can’t hear the words.

Terry is younger than other ghosts you’ve eaten. He doesn’t have the depth of flavor you’d once been addicted to back in Illinois. The best ghost you’ve ever eaten had been like a six-course meal with all the centuries she’d been carrying. In comparison, Terry is like a bag of pepper chips. Interesting, but gone in a moment. Still, he hits the spot.

When you’re done, you burp a purple cloud of ectoplasm into the still night air.

Leroy is the first to speak. His eyes are so wide you can see the whites all around them. “Pay her, Sarah,” he says breathlessly. His hands shake as he reaches for Katie, steadying her on her feet. “Now.”

You smack your lips and graciously accept the wad of cash Sarah hands you. You raise your eyebrows. “This is more than three times my rate.”

“Consider it a tip,” Sarah says. She’s more composed than Leroy, but still pale. She studies you. “That was…revolting.”

“You didn’t have to watch,” you say. You put your money away and then perk up at a sudden thought. “Hey, if you can, can you leave me a review on my site?”

“I thought you didn’t want us to tell anyone?”

You wave your hand. “Secrets are bad for business. Besides, Terry deserved it. I’m sure they’ll understand if you write that in your review.”

“They…?”

You smile and don’t answer.

The family don’t ask many more questions after that. The parents promise to leave a review and Katie just stares at you as if concussed. You assure the parents that she’ll be back to normal as soon as the soul-shock wears off. 

“And if it doesn’t?” Sarah asks.

“Message me,” you say.

“You don’t check your messages,” Leroy says.

“Oh,” you say, patting your stomach, “I’ll be checking them a lot more often now.”

You’re hungry again.

---

(Patreon)

[yierrem]

dating headcanons - zzzero men edition (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))♡

ft. gn!reader x anton ivanov, ben bigger, lighter, von lycaon, wise ; no applicable warnings! my first request (i tried to finish it before christmas in my timezone, but still, merry christmas to the anon who requested this :DD and to those reading!!) hehehhe i hope its good enough｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

anton ivanov

you cannot look me in the eye and tell me this man isn’t the type to yell “this is for you!” or “if i hit this you give me a kiss” and completely miss whatever target he’s supposed to hit. he hits it. sometimes. he still gets a kiss anyways.

[“dude” “we’re literally dating and you’ve placed your lips on mine do NOT call me dude.” “…babe”]

big on gift giving and words of affirmation in terms of love languages. he makes sure to put a lot of thought into whatever he gives to you to properly convey his appreciation and show just how much you mean to him.

"strong, sincere, and straightforward." he's definitely the type to encourage you to try new things especially when you're the type to get easily nervous. if you're scared of looking stupid, don't worry; he'll do it with you hand-in-hand so you can be stupid together. becomes your no. 1 hype man and would give you his honest opinions whenever you need ‘em.

you see or hear him talking to his jackhammer bro for the most mundane or random things and you've become used to it at this point. its honestly endearing (you're hopeless)

["bro do you think they'd still love me if i was a worm?" "vroom vroom vroom" “you think so?” “vroom” "yeah, you're right."]

ben bigger

scary bear privileges meaning no one wants to mess with you knowing that you're dating someone who cuts such an intimidating presence but you know better than them because ben would much rather use his paws to tap away at a calculator or spreadsheet than willingly get into fights.

on that note, he's most likely to be the best companion for grocery shopping; he'll know how to get all the good discounts and haggle for the best prices for sure.

best cuddle partner to have during colder seasons no. 1. although he puts his fur care second, it's still soft and fuzzy to the touch and he likes that you appreciate the warmth it provides too.

since he struggles with some of his accounting responsibilities due to the size of his paws, sometimes you help him with sorting some of belobog industries' financial documents and eventually you end up finding the task quite relaxing after a while of doing it.

but, of course, he loves spending time with you outside of work. anything to take his mind off of the horrors of accounting. he'll mentally file away anything he learns about you when you're together for future purposes, may it be gift or date ideas.

he's the bear thiren between both of you, but in private he loves cuddling against you like you're some sort of plush toy. you don't mind. another win-win situation because you get to rest against him like a giant pillow as well.

lighter

he tries to be flirty with you and sometimes it works! but when you match his energy and it backfires on him he turns into a blushing mess who doesn’t know what to do with himself.

also the type to want to show off or act all suave. he has an image to keep as the undefeated champion! the red scarf! (he’s internally giggling and kicking his feet from one [1] cheek kiss you left in passing).

date nights with him sometimes consist of drives on his bike and stargazing at a nice little spot he found in blazewood. then halfway through, he’d get distracted from seeing the stars in your eyes and think that its a hundred times better than the real thing and fall in love all over again.

“gets as many challenges as love letters” but he makes sure that you and anyone who tries to make a move know that he only has eyes for you. could be in the form of having an arm around your waist or his jacket on you when you feel cold.

a physical touch and acts of service guy because. well. he did say he’d like to die for love one day. that’s a very romantic thing to say and do. also his heart still races whenever you hold his hand but he swears he’s getting used to it (he isn’t). probably melts when you gently run your fingers over his face or any of his scars

i honestly feel like he's one of those "me and my bae don't argue they just tell me to shut up and i do" types.

von lycaon

an ideal date for him would be a fancy dinner or picnic somewhere nice and discreet. complete with scented candles, your favorite flowers, and homecooked food (which probably tastes better than anything you've ever eaten at any restaurant). then at some point when both of you have finished eating and you're both in conversation, he brings your hand up to his lips and leaves a kiss on your knuckles.

["darling, your face is...concerningly red. are you feeling alright?" "i'm fine. i think."]

you WILL be receiving that prince/princess treatment (threat). breakfast in bed when he isn’t busy, spontaneous massages offered when you mention ONCE that you feel tired, and all that jazz. you probably will never have to open another door yourself with him around and he ALWAYS offers his arm for you to take when you're walking together.

best cuddle partner to have during colder seasons no. 2. just prepare yourself for horrendous shedding as summer begins… but you don’t mind helping him brush through his fur (*´ω`*) its therapeutic and you’re one of the very few people he trusts with the task so its a win for both of you.

since he's a wolf thiren, he sometimes unwillingly attracts the attention of stray cats and dogs; he usually pays them no mind but it is somewhat of an inconvenience for him. however, the sight of you playing with them while quietly cooing eases some of his discomfort. seems like you aren't the only one suffering from cuteness aggression.

his guilty pleasure is squishing your cheeks in his hands. no i will not elaborate

wise

this is one of the random play managers we’re talking about, so. movie date nights are mandatory. both of you alternate when picking movies but sometimes you bicker over options like an old married couple just for the fun of it.

a lot more chill when it comes to PDA but he can be flirty when he wants to be. if he knows you have a weak spot for it, he uses it to his advantage to get what he wants. scheming little minx. /pos

words of affirmation and quality time guy, i think. since he's always so busy with managing the store and completing commissions alongside belle as proxies, he makes the most out of the time you guys can spend together alone. even if it's just laying in his bed or on the couch doing nothing together sometimes.

everyone and their mothers and grandmothers on sixth street will probably know that you’re dating or figure something out at some point even when both of you don’t really do much together in public/are trying to keep it on the low. never underestimate these aunties man

unfortunately for wise, he will become the target of teasing or nagging from belle when it comes to your relationship. once you get close enough she'll also share embarrassing stories from when they were younger or before you and wise started dating much to her brother’s chagrin.

secretly likes clinging and cuddling up to you like a koala. both of you are in bed? oh okay, don’t mind him, he’ll just scooch a bit and wrap his arms and legs around you, claiming that having you in his bed helps fix his insomnia (it does, to some degree). [“wise i can’t move.” “you don’t need to.”]

on the days you help out with tasks in random play, you could quite literally just be standing while doing something and then you’ll feel a pair of arms sneak around your waist from behind as he leans his head on one of your shoulders with a quiet, satisfied sigh.

[deramin2]

Taliesin's neat swimsuit here is from Beefcake Swimwear of Portland, Oregon. They're based on androgenous 1920s bathing costumes, and were designed by a lesbian to be affirming to gender-nonconforming friends. They're also size inclusive from XS to 5XL with the full range of models.

ID: Taliesin Jaffe sitting with his hands in his lap looking looking off to the side. He's sitting ion the bench of a dunk tank surrounded by a cage with a large rope woven between the bars. He's wearing a teal and purple scarf tired around his head, several necklaces, and a one-piece swim suit with a sleeveless black and white horizontal stripe top and black shorts. End ID.

They're a bit pricey at $99, but it's because they aim for ethical labor at all stages of production and durable more sustainable materials. They have a pretty low markup (she's been very transparent about how they're made and costs). Slow fashion horrified by industry norms.

I just think they're a very interesting company. I bought one of their swimsuits early in my trans journey & it definitely unlocked gender euphoria. I like seeing how companies run when they're founded on the principal that industry norms are terrible & they can do better.

(In addition to recognizing the distinctive design on sight, I also know it's not a knockoff because the CR guys filmed an All Work No Play episode in a hot tub before the pandemic, bought these to comply with Twitch/YouTube rules, and mentioned the company by name.)

[madameaug]

BTS w/ Short Reader

Pairing: BTS x Black Fem Reader

Synopsis: Different moments with BTS having a short girlfriend

Request: @lelewright1234

A/N: Not edited just wanted to get it out. Will clean up later :)

Seokjin: Going to Dinner

One of the major perks of living in the city was being close to many diverse food cuisines. There was an Italian restaurant two blocks from your apartment, authentic Mexican food on the same block, and your favorite restaurant just ten minutes' walking distance away.

That was what you and Jin were currently doing. The fall breeze felt nice as you all engaged in small talk. The restaurant was a casual establishment. Not necessarily a hole in the wall, but it didn't require reservations either. Even during peak hours.

"I'm starving," you said dramatically. Your work was insane, and time just got away from you. Not even able to pick up something quickly from the nearby gas station. It was that type of day.

"Well, I just got paid, so feel free to splurge. I'm craving a juicy steak." Jin, equally enthused, rubbed his hands together. Jin had been working hard to put himself in the best position for a promotion. The industry was lucrative, but it was a dog-eat-dog world. He didn't have many 'friends' at his job. He did not see the need when he had his girlfriend, his best friend, anyway.

Taking a seat at the resteraunt, it was long before a friendly waiter greeted you all.

"Hi, welcome to Cheesecake Factory. I'm Ryan and I'll be your sever for the evening."

The waitor placed down the menus. "Can I get you started with something to drink?"

He tilted his head. "Oh my apologizes let me get you a kids menu." He rubbed the back of his head. He collected the menu in front of you so fast, you didn't have a chance to even correct him. Jin watched as you fixed your lip to correct the waiter. But he quickly shook his head no.

The waitor was moving amile a minute, and turned around going to go get a kids menu.

"I don't know if I should be offended or take it as a compliment." You jokingly posed the question.

"Take it as a compliment. Plus it's cheaper." Jin shrugged.

When the waiter came back, Jin accepted the miniature kid-sized menu.

"Okay, sorry about that. What can I get you to drink?"

Yoongi: Driving

"Good morning lovie." You cooed into the phone.

Yoongi groaned in response. Your warm greeting reminded that he agreed to pick you up from the airport. You traveled back home to your home country for a couple of weeks in the summer.

"I'm getting ready to get on my flight. I'll see you soon." You blew a kiss into the phone before hanging up. Yoongi was so delirious that he didn't even recall you hanging up. The eight-hour time difference was messing with him. He was already recovering from a long night before. He was one of those sleepers, where if you interrupted him, he couldn't go back to sleep after that.

But the warmth of the bed was working its magic. Yoongi, in one huff, flipped his pillow over. His body physically relaxed at the coolness. The satin pillowcases were a nice little touch that you added to the bedroom. They protected your natural hair in the event that your scarf slid off at night.

Soaking in the couple more hours of sleep that he got. Yoongi rolled out of bed, grabbing his keys. He shuffled slowly to his car. He slid one foot in the car, and groaned in pain as he hit his knee on the steering wheel.

Amid the pain and waking up, Yoongi looked at the driver seat.

"Why is it so far up?" He leaned down, sliding the chair at an appropriate distance for his legs. Finally getting in the car, he saw that all the car settings were off. His side mirrors turned in a lot more, and his rear view mirror was practically looking down into the back seat.

He smacked his lips, realizing the only person capable of adjusting his car settings was you, his girlfriend. You did some last-minute shopping before flying out all those weeks ago. You must have taken Yoongi's car.

He checked your location and saw that you were now twenty miles from the airport. Starting the car, hearing the engine purr. Yoongi felt his seat moving closer and closer to the steering wheel. Despite pressing the button, the car kept moving up the previous location. Yoongi's knees were damn near on top of the steering wheel.

Instead of responding grumpily, he laughed. "Shorty."

Hoseok: Clubbing

Finally, you and Hoseok reached the front of the club. Star Lounge had recently opened. You loved hitting the scene. Always being in the know. Hosoek your boyfriend was accompanying you. Thinking of your safety, a woman going to the club by herself- wasn't gonna happen on his watch. So he got dressed and met you at the line.

So after waiting nearly forty minutes in line you were rightfully upset when the security guard told you 'no.'

"What do you mean no."

"Read the sign lady." His head nodded to the sign in bold print beside him.

21+ club

"Yeah, I'm older than 21. Look at my ID." You did your best to keep calm. You are used to people thinking you are younger due to your age. Usually, a flick of your driver's license clears everything up.

The security guard was too involved in the other clubgoers to even look at the driver's license you had in your hand.

"If you hand me a fake, I'm putting you on the blacklist." He threatened.

Hoseok stepped in. Taking your license.

"We're not here to cause trouble or to hold up the line. Look at the driver's license. It's real."

With an attitude he looked at your ID. He even brought out the UV light. Flipping the card multiple times, trying to find any signs of fraud. But to be expected he couldn't find any.

"You can go in." He handed you the license, not making any eye contact. But make sure to add something smart to say. Hoseok ushered you in, taking you straight to the bar, to get the night started.

Namjoon: Pictures

You were taking yearly anniversary pictures with your fiancee Namjoon. The theme of the photoshoot was Midnight Kiss, fitting as Namjoon asked you to be his girlfriend on December 31st, mere seconds before the start of the new year. You were wearing a strappy four-inch heel that wrapped up your calf. Your dress was black with a sequence trailing the mesh sides. It cinched in your waist.

Namjoon wore a classic three-piece suit. He was handsome as ever and rocked the new low cut. The photographer was an energetic man who walked you both into placements. Complimenting on how photogenic you both were.

"Would you all like to do cute kiss pose?"

You nodded. Taking Namjoon's hands and placing them on your hips. As the taller individual natural Namjoon craned down to reach your lips. Right before your lips could touch, the photographer spoke up.

"Uh maybe we should find a new pose for Namjoon."

Slightly flustered, you looked to your fiancee. He too also looked confused.

"With the major height difference, Namjoon just looks... awkward."

"Oh-" Namjoon spoke. His slender fingers coming up to cover his mouth. You could see a smile creeping up.

"It just looked painful. Maybe let's try it sitting down." Pulling out a prop from the studio, Namjoon takes a seat first. You sit on his lap.

"Much better." The photographer crouches snapping the pose in different angles and lighting.

"I didn't think I was this short with the heels." You spoke between the kiss.

Namjoon chuckled. "I am six-foot, babe."

Jimin: Awardshow

You were at the Grammy's sitting beside your best friend, who accompanied you as your plus one to the event. The ceremony was dragging, and it was only forty minutes into the evening. The jokes were tiresome and the performances were frankly too loud. Overstimulated wasn't the word.

During one of the commercial breaks, you were getting ready to sneak a snack into your mouth when you heard your name called. Stuffing the snack into your purse, you smiled, turning your head.

Humbly coming up to you it was Jimin from BTS. You were well aware of who the singer was, as you both chatted privately from time to time. This was the first time you too were meeting in person.

"Yn. Hi!" Jimin bowed. He looked ethereal in his suit. His brown was a sandy brown hair. A middle part that looked perfect for him.

"May I hug you?" He spoke lowly taking note of your friend.

"Yes, of course. It's so good to see you." Standing up, you gave Jimin a warm hug, mindlessly rubbing his back. Jimin was glad to experience being in your arms. However, he didn't realize how short you were.

You only had a view moments before it was now time, for the show to continue. You waved Jimin goodbye as he walked back to his seat. It wouldn't be until after the award show that you would catch up with Jimin and his members. He was speaking informally about his encounter.

"I didn't realize how short Y/n was til I met her. She looks taller in her pictures."

Taehyung laughed hearing the retelling. Taehyung watched as you slinked up behind Jimin. In a more comfortable attire for the afterparty.

You wrapped you arm around Jimin's waist. Snuggling up to his side.

"I'm short eh." You feigned attitude.

Jimin looked down. Smiling seeing your face.

"You are it kinda caught me off guard."

"You're lucky my heels were hurting my feet." You laughed.

Taehyung: Sharing Clothes

It was a lazy Sunday at your apartment. Taehyung, your boyfriend was crashing at your place for the weekend. You all had an eventful day exploring new sites in the city. You all went rock climbing, ate lunch, and binged the newest season of Love is Blind.

Now you stood in the kitchen blending a fruit smoothie for yourself and Tae. The summer heat was seeping into your house, getting to the point where you had to take off your pants.

Taehyung just waking up stepped out from the corner. His wispy strands slightly sticking up on top of his head.

"Morning sleepy head." You greeted.

"Morning." Taehyung responded. He sat at the kitchen island. He sipped on the smoothie. Loving the pineapple and strawberry combination.

"Thank you."

"No problem baby." You smiled. You walked by Taehyung going to sit on the couch. Starting back up the season of Love is Blind you left off on last night. Taehyung followed your body as you propped your feet up.

"Yn?"

"Yeah?" You paused wanting to hear the conversation on the tv. Taehyung walked out the corner of your eye standing in front of you. He looked you up and down.

"Are you wearing pants?"

"Yeah." You pulled down the basketball shorts.

"I thought you were naked underneath."

"You sound disappointed." You teased back. Raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Mmm maybe." He spun back around sipping on his homemade smoothie.

Jungkook: High Shelf

The summer heat was nothing to mess with. It was increasing in temperature each passing summer. Jungkook's skin was slightly pink as he slid open the screen door from the backyard. He had a couple of friends over, and they were sitting outside sipping lemonade in the shade, doing everything in their power to avoid the scorching heat.

" Don't tell that story Jaehyun." Jungkook closed the door behind him.

Jungkook's heart nearly dropped watching you climb up in the chair. With wobbly knees you stood up on the chair.

Sturding the chair, Jungkook whisper scolded you.

"Jungkook. You scared me!" You placed a hand over your heart. "Don't come up behind me like that."

"You scared me stepping up on this chair. What are you trying to reach anyway?"

"I'm tryna reach some seasonings at the top of the cabinet." Jungkook motioned for you to step down off the chair. He slid it out of his way, stepping on his tiptoes to reach up and get the spices you pointed out for him.

"Just tell me next time okay." He lifted the chair placing it back. You laughed watching him slip back outside to converse with his friends.

[lilly-chou-chou]

GYARU GUIDE,

MID-PLUS SIZE EDITION:-

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Welcome to yet another post!! Today I'd like to focus on plus size gyaru because let's be real every size deserves to dress the way they want and even Japan's iconic gyaru brands sadly didn't cater to them and the only thing plus size gyaru could buy from these brands were accessories, shoes and scarfs, but they deserve more!

In this post I will be talking about a lot of things from skinny ideal type gyarus to obviously mid-plus size gals, how gyaru has become a toxic fashion culture, the whole ethical and sustainable debate and of course where you can source your clothes from and many more.

Context page:-

Introduction

Background

The Harsh Truth (privilege, living in a bubble, etc)

Problems, are they really tho? (Ethical, overconsumption, fast fashion etc)

Resources (where to buy)

Outro

I have been war with my body for a really long time and it took me so many years to finally love what I saw on the mirror and I have been fluctuating my weight for a long time so I can definitely assure you guys that I can understand and see all perspectives.

Every time I see any posts or something mid size and plus size are always excluded but not anymore, I have few guides and even sites and such to help you girlies and even few criticism and opinions <3

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Background:-

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As we all know the whole purpose of gyaru was and still is to rebel against the norms of societal pressure, especially for Japanese women where topic such as freedom soeech and general personal choices are very considered to be very dire but with the rise of Gyaru and having global celebrity sensation like Namie Amuro and kaoru watanabe popularizing the gyaru concept really helped the youth of Japan express themselves lot freely.

Economic and fashion market saw this as an opportunity and so soon household names that defined gyaru fashion started to erupt like D.I.A, MA*RS, JSG (Japanese super girl), ALBA ROSA, Liz Lisa etc and malls like Shibuya 109 and magazines like ahega, egg etc became the household name for these brands but sadly amidst the uproar and the rise of Gyaru fashion one thing that companies and even magazines to even this day the digital footprint of Gyaru always excludes MID-PLUS size people.

Some of y'all might say "but almost everyone is Japan are really slim so why should they cater to others?" Well the truth is plus size people do exist in Japan but finding that demographic in google is really difficult but when I spent my years in Japan, yea, they do exist and there are good number of them.

It also doesn't help tue fact that even in general there isn't much famous MID-PLUS size models or popular people in Japan the only celebrity who managed to push the way through the harsh and diabolical Japanese entertainment industry is obviously Naomi Watanabe she has been the pioneer for size inclusiveness for many years and it absolutely admirable how she manages to survive such harsh industry where even dating is considered taboo, although I would like to put 2 more honorable mentions to this and they are Dulmi who is Sri Lankan and Japanese model and Miu Tomita (actress) they aren't gyaru by any means but they are definitely tue closest representation of plus size media in Japan and you guys can already make out how few mid-plus size people actually make it a success in Japanese entertainment industry especially if you're a woman.

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The Harsh Truth:-

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I will say few things that will definitely cause a lot of rage but it must be said. We shouldn't live in this rose tinted glass and be real and connect with the reality. Doing any sort of fashion it doesn't even matter gyaru or even Japanese fashion in general but either way when you choose to dress a certain style only and focus on your craft that is called privilege. I don't think people I'm general realize how lucky they are to be able to spend 300$ on a singular iconic bow hair accessory from ma*rs that went on sale on eBay or Zenmarket.

I also don't think people realize how much of a privilege it is to be able to go to thrift stores buy what you like then go to fabric store get your things and tweak your own clothes like that also I don't think people realise how much of a privilege it is that sometimes when other gals try to do something different they shame them and thus it's one of the reason why gyaru is almost dead fashion culture, the toxicity and whole plethora of "oh I know better than you, you are stupid for acting and asking such easy questions" and etc is why new gals are so afraid to ask seasoned gals some advice.

We all started somewhere some early and some late, gals in it's peak were known to be one of the most kindest people and total girls girls to ever exist, their "loud" behavior was just them being unapologetic and having fun, where is this energy now? Especially gaijin gals, most foreginer gyarus know that main reason of gyaru's existence was to refute Japan's traditionalist views and letting women be who they wanna be yet they forget the most basic thing and often shame a lot of gals for not sourcing clothes the "correct way" and even if some gals make mistakes can we all please be kind to each other about it? I have joined and seen multiple YouTube videos, reels, tik toks, even reddit, tumblr, X and even Instagram of new gals and plus size gals literally getting scared and saying "I just keep my mouth shut and google and do my own research because my past experiences of asking were very negative"

Okay, to old gals can we please be welcoming to new gals and not scrutinize them like this? And this doesn't end at just new gals but we have to keep in mind that every single of us have different body types, not all of people can have the privilege to buy of brands because of financial issues or sizing problems so can we as a community please for the love of this fashion culture stop saying such jaded things like "you don't even own one gyaru brands? You aren't real gyaru" and this doesn't just apply to clothes but accessories produced by those brands as well.

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Problems, but they really tho? :-

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over here we take a little philosophical route to be honest, we need to understand and empathize with all sides. I will say something which will case a lot of controversy but it must be said, as someone who has been gyaru follower and started dressing up gyaru quiet early in life and even experienced gyaru in Japan and who practically lived inside Shibuya 109 I can tell you that whole gyaru culture lives off of overconsumption and this is the truth, from well known and very famous subcultures like agejo Or himekaji to very less known and rare subcultures like mode and bohemian everything is and extension of overconsumption like it Or not even if you diy some clothes or such majority of it like hair extensions, brands, makeup to iconic gyaru nail designs everything is a part of overconsumption and you are a willing participant of it, shit! I know I am because I for one can't make my own extensions or wigs ffs and even if I were to make my own nails I'd still have to go out to buy necessary tools for it.

On this topic I'd also like to say another controversial thing and that is we shouldn't really judge people for shopping from fast fashion and here is why because some might have financial issues or live around were there isn't really second hand clothing stores or they are mid-plus size. There might be a debate and I might definitely get comments like "but oh I am big size, poor and live in remote area yet I don't indulge in fast fashion" and that's okay, that is your opinion and you are entitled to it but don't judge without knowing the reason why.

Sure, you might even think "no you are being stupid" but I'd like just for you guys to maybe look into this thing called perspective and maybe get off of your privileged view and look into other perspectives. Being ethical in this era is very difficult with us being the victims of capitalism from the phones we use to even down right food we consume, be it from supermarket or even organic farm. There are many questions to he asked like were our Vegetables grown ethically? Were the pesticides made with ethical ingredients? Did the farmer source the seeds ethically or not? The truth is we can't always be 100% ethical but we can try about best to reduce when we can.

Above reasons are also why I'm always sympathetic towards gals who happen to shop on fast fashion. You and I are blessed and privileged enough to mindlessly spend $$$ on Vivienne Westwood or Sandy Liang but others aren't due to financial issues and just because they are financially unstable doesn't even they can't dream, they also have 100% right to dream and partake in their hobbies and likes. I'll also always have sympathy for gals because finding big sizes in thrift stores can also be a hassle.

In conclusion what I'm trying to say is as bad at it seems not everything is 100% ethical one of the few examples of this is himejaki and tsuyome winter wear usually they wear fur and to be honest vintage real fur is WAY more ethical and environmentally friendly because that fur has been passed down from generation to generation from first manufacturers to family heirloom or given to thrift and someone thrifted it and now using it than faux that we get these days because they aren't ethical AT ALL!!

On the side note thrifting these days also is very difficult due to it being the next new "it" thing and store owners are literally racking up the prices because Veronica from lower East Side, New York wants to buy it and then sell it for 500 or more $$$ in Depop to profit off of literally pre worn and second hand clothes!

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Resources:-

(where, when, how?)

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The most awaited part of the post is here, so let's begin!! These are some of the few ways that I source my clothes, this applies to not only gyaru clothes but other types of fashion as well like grunge, emo, coquette etc etc. Mind you that gyaru is almost dying fashion community and finding clothes that cater to mid to plus size is difficult but I tried my best and here are few lists that I found by searching and have experience from having buying from these stores.

Instagram stores: there isn't one specific stores that I can recommend because for this you really need to search and look at every single post to see if it fits substyle you're following or not but there are some of the pages that do international shipping. y2xvintage (London Based) , velvethrift (Mexico based) , pepxicola.thrift (Ho Chi Minh based) , pixz_style (Peru based), weirdwearx (Philippines based), gimmeclothingy2k (Thailand based) I must say that not every one of these stores sell only gyaru but I have seen one or few pieces that fit gyaru style and it is difficult to find plus size sizes because they are second hand clothes and they buy in wholesale regardless of size but once you see a plus size clothes they're good and worth money.

Online stores: these are some of the online stores that you guys can visit. Honey wardrobe, punyus Naomi Watanabe's brand (not gyaru by all means but they do have good collection for kogal inspired skirts and few pieces that can go well for rokku gyaru), ank rouge (good selection for hime and himekaji although dresses aren't plus size friendly their poncho and oversized clothes collection is really good) , Dreamvs, Yumetenbo, Tokyo otaku mode (you can search Galaxxxy which is brand for Haady gyaru), Zenmarket and taobao (3rd party shopping) and I will get hate for this but Amazon yea they do have cute accessories like leg warmers and iconic light brown cardigans for kogal and those buckles shoes for kogal, hime and himekaji

Physical store: well for physical store there is only one which is Shibuya 109 and that too if you go to Japan. Sorry there isn't any physical stores in present era that cater to gyaru, although throughout years stores in Shibuya 109 has changed so much and in the recent years the latest I know is this year when I had gone to Japan again and there on the either 4th or top floor i forgot but there is this store called spinns and next to that store is this Gothic and emo store and both spinns and gothic/emo store sell pretty good street style but few belts and accessories can totally work for Tsuyome they have belts for plus size too and few belts even have bedazzled words that lowkey resemble the bling bling visual of iconic D.I.A belts, but i think spinns does have an international site with worldwide shipping as well so check them out.

Other ways: obviously is tweaking here and there and making your clothes, for people who don't know how to the most easiest trick is to find the clothes you wanna change and start small like for example agejo is my favorite subculture so i go ham on animal print or any cute print bows and buy lots of bead string decors from online (Amazon and Instagram wholesale stores) and stick them to my heels, denim skirts and my tops.

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Outro

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So sorry for the delay I kept editing, adding and removing but I think so far what I have done is good enough, for now it's this much, hope to meet you guys in my next post. Bye pretty gals!! <3 💃🏻💕

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[casteliacityramen]

Jack is hit with every type of exhaustion under the sun: the food coma has set in, Rio's healing has replaced his sharp pain with dull aches, and his horrendous sleep schedule has finally caught up to him. He's only three, painless breaths in before his eyelids slam shut.

One last thought occurs to him before he drifts into unconsciousness:

'Since when could a rockruff learn heal pulse?'

...

"There's another Reshiram," Ray telepathically groans as he leans forward on the counter. She looks back at him to see him staring off into the distance, taking in her account of what she saw in Sinnoh that night.

"I know how much you don't like surprises, so I wanted to give you a warning."

"It's good to know that our encounters so far have been friendly, but if any troublesome legendaries show up, there's going to be issues." Ray slowly says as he shakes his head, making adjustments to the menu. He's not subtle about which legendary he's most concerned about.

Rio reflects on the brief connections she's made. She might be leading some of the aforementioned "troublesome legendaries" to this stand, if her memory is still serving her correctly. She decides to keep that bit to herself.

"The Hoopa report mentioned that we might be dealing with Pokemon and humans across different timelines, different origins, and different rules. So far, we've seen a Mew, a Kyurem, a fox spirit, and a subordinate of death, itself," Rio says.

"Let's hope that this day is stranger than the others," Ray says, already exhausted when thinking about all of the potential new, strange customers.

Luckily, the two of them are in Castelia City--a good portion of the residents work for the movie industry. If any strange people hang around, they can be brushed off as someone in costume, at the very least.

Rio furrows her brow,"What if we're faced with someone who can do serious harm? What are we supposed to do about it? We're still on probation. We can't take any action against active threats unless we want to get into more trouble with the triumvirate. But... if I'm remembering correctly, Unova is one of the most affected regions."

"Supposedly, there's a team of Oathkeepers dealing with this, but the only other Oathkeeper in Unova is our Warden." Ray shakes his head, stopping to think deeply. "Even if we're on probation, the Order has no reason to hide any operations in Unova from us. It's our territory."

Rio slowly turns to him, realization slowly spreading across her face and dread flashing in her eyes.

"When was the report filed?"

"Six months ago-" Ray stops. Six months ago. One day before Rio was released from her metaphorical prison. He was so preoccupied with her return under his supervision that he never put two and two together. He sighs heavily, his tongue scarf hiding a deep frown.

"This isn't just probation. It's also a reassignment." Rio's telepathic voice is so quiet that it's practically a whisper.

Rio is the best overall combatant in the Order. It'd make sense for the higher-ups to take her out of her metaphorical prison to act as a gatekeeper for any extra-dimensional threats. Ray's under the same category. He follows Rio shortly behind in terms of fighting prowess.

Between the three of them; Ray, Rio, and the Warden; they fulfill a standardized team size of three Oathkeepers per task force. It's starting to make sense as to why Rio hasn't gotten into immediate trouble with the way she acted with Kon.

The Order doesn't trust them enough to hand out official orders. If they break their oath again in dealing with an other-worldly threat, the Triumvirate get another reason to put them back on ice.

Ray feels a pang of hurt spread across his chest. Is this how they view them now? Shepherds turned into sacrificial lambs?

Judging by her offended silence and the sad interest she's taken to looking at the ground, he sees that Rio is thinking the same. She lets out a bitter laugh at her current disguise--fitting for someone who's being treated as a glorified guard dog. Ray lets out a soft sigh, making a sympathetic face at her.

"For what it's worth, I still think you're ready to be out here."

Rio's gut reaction is to quickly lash out at Ray spotlighting her hurt feelings, but whatever retort she readied got stuck in her metaphorical throat.

"What if I'm not?"

"You are," Ray responds immediately, confidently. From Rio's perspective, it hasn't even been a year between her time in war and out of it. Yet, he remembers when he was in the same position she's in now. If he got better, she definitely can.

"We've both had a long day," Ray says gently, "Thanks to your and Ayumi's efforts, I don't have to stay open for long for tonight. We both deserve some rest."

"I'm getting a head start," Rio says. She gives Jack one last look-over before she rests her head on her paws and closes her eyes.

Ray gives her a sharp exhale as a laugh. As long as she's curled up on that stool, he knows that she's never really at rest. A glorified guard dog, indeed.

"Liar."

"Yeah."

((The Inbox is open for three to five orders! Everybody is available for questions, even Jack. If you ask Ray and Rio about any dealings with the Order, they will brush you off.))

|| Previous Post || Ask || The Story So Far ||

[heartrender6]

My rendition of the 5 golden ticket kids from Willy Wonka

(nerdy explanation of details and process below the cut)

Augustus Gloop: my poor child gets ragged on so much by those stupid fucking oompa loompas when he really didn't do anything that bad. You'll notice that he's holding a caramel apple in one hand and a lollipop that looks kinda like a snake in the other. This is, of course, a biblical reference. Augustus committed the first "sin" by drinking out of the river, therefore he is Eve From The Bible. I didn't wanna incorporate being sucked into an industrial tube into a character design. Also I made him cute and silly because fat =/= evil.

Violet Beauregard: This was kind of tough because all the other kids have a very clear fundamental flaw whereas violet just... chews a lot of gum. Her hair is supposed to look like a blueberry, a clear reference to her turning into one after chewing the forbidden gum. The dress is a cute bubblegum pink (self explanatory). I'm convinced Violet had an iron deficiency because no other kind of person is just obsessed with chewing. Thus her outfit is a little overstimulating and has maybe too many patterns, like the void in her nutrition that she tries to fill with gum. (she's also dressed like that because she's, you know, a child.)

Veruca Salt: In the book, Veruca presumably gets mauled to death by squirrels (god forbid a woman be assertive in the workplace), so I gave her design a squirrel-y appearance. the swoop of hair is like a little squirrel tail and she has a bit of a chipmonk-y face. Is the velvet-cardigan-brown fur boot-lace combo kind of hideous? of course. It represents overindulgence. wearing velvet with a sweater on top, fur boots, and a gigantic velvet bow is a very heavy and sweaty outfit choice. this shows how Veruca' father enabling her consumerism piles on top of her and weighs her down.

Mike TV: a neglected child immerses himself in the hollywood dream as an escape from his broken home and pays the ultimate price: being shrunken, reduced to the size of a TV box, and then stretched impossibly thin. That's why he has the little tassels, to symbolize the taffy from the pulling machine that turns substance into bite-sized entertainment. I went back and forth between making him obsessed with space, cowboys, or the military, but in the end I landed on cowboys to fully complete that national anthem lana del rey american dream aesthetic. also there's little tvs and stars on his bandana.

Charlie Bucket: His sweater is too big and his pants and shoes are too small, a representation of his family's poverty. He's tiny and he's cold because he's malnourished. the sweater-scarf combo is meant to be the shape of a bottle, representing the fizzy lifting drinks Charlie steals. The scarf is wrapped around charlie's mouth, suffocating him a little, representing the virtuous charlie's struggle with temptation. he's also just a little chilly.

[mariacallous]

On a stifling April afternoon in Ajmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, local politician Shakti Singh Rathore sat down in front of a greenscreen to shoot a short video. He looked nervous. It was his first time being cloned.

Wearing a crisp white shirt and a ceremonial saffron scarf bearing a lotus flower—the logo of the BJP, the country’s ruling party—Rathore pressed his palms together and greeted his audience in Hindi. “Namashkar,” he began. “To all my brothers—”

Before he could continue, the director of the shoot walked into the frame. Divyendra Singh Jadoun, a 31-year-old with a bald head and a thick black beard, told Rathore he was moving around too much on camera. Jadoun was trying to capture enough audio and video data to build an AI deepfake of Rathore that would convince 300,000 potential voters around Ajmer that they’d had a personalized conversation with him—but excess movement would break the algorithm. Jadoun told his subject to look straight into the camera and move only his lips. “Start again,” he said.

Right now, the world’s largest democracy is going to the polls. Close to a billion Indians are eligible to vote as part of the country’s general election, and deepfakes could play a decisive, and potentially divisive, role. India’s political parties have exploited AI to warp reality through cheap audio fakes, propaganda images, and AI parodies. But while the global discourse on deepfakes often focuses on misinformation, disinformation, and other societal harms, many Indian politicians are using the technology for a different purpose: voter outreach.

Across the ideological spectrum, they’re relying on AI to help them navigate the nation’s 22 official languages and thousands of regional dialects, and to deliver personalized messages in farther-flung communities. While the US recently made it illegal to use AI-generated voices for unsolicited calls, in India sanctioned deepfakes have become a $60 million business opportunity. More than 50 million AI-generated voice clone calls were made in the two months leading up to the start of the elections in April—and millions more will be made during voting, one of the country’s largest business messaging operators told WIRED.

Jadoun is the poster boy of this burgeoning industry. His firm, Polymath Synthetic Media Solutions, is one of many deepfake service providers from across India that have emerged to cater to the political class. This election season, Jadoun has delivered five AI campaigns so far, for which his company has been paid a total of $55,000. (He charges significantly less than the big political consultants—125,000 rupees [$1,500] to make a digital avatar, and 60,000 rupees [$720] for an audio clone.) He’s made deepfakes for Prem Singh Tamang, the chief minister of the Himalayan state of Sikkim, and resurrected Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, an iconic politician who died in a helicopter crash in 2009, to endorse his son Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, currently chief minister of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Jadoun has also created AI-generated propaganda songs for several politicians, including Tamang, a local candidate for parliament, and the chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra. “He is our pride,” ran one song in Hindi about a local politician in Ajmer, with male and female voices set to a peppy tune. “He’s always been impartial.”

While Rathore isn’t up for election this year, he’s one of more than 18 million BJP volunteers tasked with ensuring that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintains its hold on power. In the past, that would have meant spending months crisscrossing Rajasthan, a desert state roughly the size of Italy, to speak with voters individually, reminding them of how they have benefited from various BJP social programs—pensions, free tanks for cooking gas, cash payments for pregnant women. But with the help of Jadoun’s deepfakes, Rathore’s job has gotten a lot easier.

He’ll spend 15 minutes here talking to the camera about some of the key election issues, while Jadoun prompts him with questions. But it doesn’t really matter what he says. All Jadoun needs is Rathore’s voice. Once that’s done, Jadoun will use the data to generate videos and calls that will go directly to voters’ phones. In lieu of a knock at their door or a quick handshake at a rally, they’ll see or hear Rathore address them by name and talk with eerie specificity about the issues that matter most to them and ask them to vote for the BJP. If they ask questions, the AI should respond—in a clear and calm voice that’s almost better than the real Rathore’s rapid drawl. Less tech-savvy voters may not even realize they’ve been talking to a machine. Even Rathore admits he doesn’t know much about AI. But he understands psychology. “Such calls can help with swing voters.”

[nickeverdeen]

Hii! Im requesting a matchup for Arcane and TLOU, only women please <3

My pronouns are she/her, I am Caribbean-American and have brown skin, my hair is naturally really really dark brown but I have reddish brown braids rn. When my hair is straightened (I’ve only straightened it once recently, I don’t like doing it cuz of heat), its like past my shoulders a bit in length. My eyes are really really dark brown as well.

I am 5’4 and on the curvier side, my thighs are on the bigger side with some muscle (I played soccer and danced all while I was younger), my stomach is on the flatter side but not completely flat and I’m a size 36D.

Its hard to explain my style but its like a mix of stockholm style, downtown girl, but also pretty simple and minimal. I like lace tops, dark colored jeans, colorful scarfs, linen pants, soft hoodies, low cut tops (I like showing the girls off every now and then :p). I’m a gold jewelry girl but love silver in shoes, clothing, and my bag.

I unfortunately have one of the worst resting faces. Sometimes I look sad (when I’m nott), sometimes I look upset/mad, and sometimes I just have a blank stare. I’ve been told many times from friends and family that they can’t tell what I’m thinking. In reality I have a very silly personality, I like making jokes and being sarcastic here and there but I think this part of me only comes out when I’m comfortable and close with the other person. In general I’m introverted but will usually be the first to start the conversation with another introvert. I’m pretty shy and have never really been approached or approached anyone in a sober setting. I’ve been compared to being most like a bunny or a cat in that sense.

I’m reserved but at the same time love going out with friends. Recently I was working in a group project and when I was in a group project last year, I naturally take on a leader role where I make sure ever is ok but I’m also a bit bossy bc I like getting work done. I admit I can be mean at times but I’m quick to apologize in a group setting. I can get quite annoyed easily but I never let it show unless I want it known I’m annoyed. I’m a big sister. My mbti is INTP.

Interests wise…I loveee the beach. Especially the beaches in California (I don’t live here, visited a few years ago) and the Caribbean for the clearer water. I love cats, my favorite domesticated animal. My favorite animal in general are penguins <3. I like music sm you will almost never find me without my airpods or headphones. I go to concerts as often as I can. I like anime, not into kpop in terms of the industry happenings but love the music. My career interest rn is data analysis and I actually did a data analysis on my Spotify. I listen mostly to dance pop, bedroom pop/indie, kpop, rap, grunge, and a lot more other genres.

I don’t like people with toooo much energy. I love my extroverts but they know when to be chill and serious. I don’t have a preference on whether my partner would be introvert or extrovert. I love someone that can catch my sarcasm and my jokes. I like it when ppl are honest and upfront with me, I don’t like dancing around topics. I am confrontational only when I notice something is seriously wrong in the other person. There are times or days even where I just need to be alone but I still like being checked on. My love language is definitely acts of service and quality time.

Your Arcane match is…

Caitlyn Kiramman

Caitlyn would be drawn to your reserved nature and would make it her personal mission to draw out your more playful side, finding every subtle smile or laugh you give absolutely enchanting

With your love of the beach, Caitlyn would plan a surprise trip to a lakeside spot near Piltover

The day would include a private picnic, quiet moments by the water, and, of course, an excuse for her to see you more relaxed and in your element

She’d be fascinated by your music taste, letting you introduce her to K-pop, indie, and grunge while she shares her own favorite classical or jazz pieces

She’d even bring you records from Piltover’s best music shops as little surprises

Caitlyn’s calm and observant demeanor would perfectly balance your preference for chill energy

She’d know when to give you space and would always be there to listen when you’re ready to talk

Caitlyn would be captivated by your mix of Stockholm style and simplicity, admiring your looks every time you dress up

She’d subtly hint at how stunning you look in lace and dark colors

She’d notice your love of gold jewelry and even gift you a bracelet or necklace that complements her own minimalistic style

Caitlyn’s sharp detective skills would help her interpret your resting face, making her one of the few people who can tell if you’re actually upset or just neutral

She’d pride herself on “reading” you correctly

Knowing you appreciate quality time and occasional alone time, Caitlyn would be the type to quietly sit with you while you work or read, respecting your need for space but keeping you company all the same

She’d match your sarcasm and dry humor easily, delivering sly comments right back at you

Together, you’d share a playful, teasing dynamic that brings out both your clever sides

Caitlyn would respect your natural tendency to take the lead, and in group settings, she’d subtly back you up or help you stay organized

Your TLOU match is…

Dina

Dina would understand your introverted side, loving quiet days in where you can both relax

She’d be the type to hang out at your place, listening to music or binging shows, while you both recharge

Dina would check in on you regularly without being too intrusive

She’d be aware of when you need your alone time and would respect that, but she’d leave little notes or send you a quick message, so you know she’s there

Dina’s wit and sense of humor would match yours perfectly

She’d find your sarcasm adorable and would keep the jokes going, bringing out your sillier side in the best way

As someone who’s been through intense situations, Dina would understand your reserved nature and be patient with you

Her empathy would make her both gentle and direct, knowing exactly how to approach tough subjects with honesty

Dina would take on a slightly protective role, understanding that you sometimes feel reserved around others

She’d casually keep an eye out for you in social settings, making sure you feel comfortable

She’d absolutely love your Stockholm/downtown girl aesthetic and would compliment you endlessly

Occasionally, she’d borrow one of your hoodies or scarves, adding a hint of her own rugged, effortless style to your closet

With your shared love for animals, she’d be over the moon to volunteer with you at the shelter or spend lazy days with your cats, adoring every moment of caring for animals together

Dina is straightforward, but she’d appreciate your approach to confrontation

You’d both have deep, honest conversations about anything on your minds, knowing that open communication is your foundation

She’d tease you gently about your “serious” resting face, finding it cute that you can look so intimidating while being such a warm person

You’d both laugh about how people misread you

Dina would pick up on your love language quickly, leaving little notes, cooking a simple meal for you, or organizing small surprises

[gmettleart]

yo!

i’m a silly bat girl who draws all kinds of stuff! mainly big furries! i have a few furry OCs, which make up most of my stuff!

#furry art & furry oc: my characters are: Gina, Kacy, Claudia, Spite and Malice. you can find refs/bios at the bottom of this post!

#art is for non-furry art!

if u like my stuff maybe follow me or sumthin! i dunno!

- vv OC refs below !! vv -

if u wanna draw em feel free!! do whatever u want. take liberties. have fun!! ✨

KACY

Polite, cautious, somewhat reclusive and overall… pleasant! - Kacy Catbush is just trying to get by!

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Cat

Likes: Cellphone, Video Games, Fish & Chips, Burgers, Industrial Music

Key features: Swept hairstyle, black makeup, suspenders.

(Note: Kacy’s eyebrows in this are not entirely accurate. I typically draw them fully squared instead.)

——————————————————————————

GINA

Tough, mean, ignorant, and a real loudmouth - Gina Mettle’s got some real “battitude”!

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Bat

Likes: Guitar, Pizza, Cheap Beer, Attention, Basketball, Loud Music

Key features: Bandana/headband, bags under eyes, voluminous hair.

(Note: Gina’s bare forehead should never be visible. I find it fun to explore ways to keep it concealed, with other headwear for example!)

(Note: I have pretty much ditched the 2 diagonal white lines on her headband, leaving it blank, but the option is there!)

——————————————————————————

CLAUDIA

Sweet, loving, very overbearing, and a li’l clumsy - Claudia Cateaux is our big southern sweetheart!

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Cat

Likes: Chatting, Shopping, Cake, Jazz, Wining, Dining, Helping her friends

Key features: “Cloud-like” hair shape, pearl necklace, boa scarf.

——————————————————————————

MALICE

Immensely strong, angry, brutal, and hellbent on destruction - Malice and her partner Spite make for an imposing pair of demons!

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Bat

Likes: Violence, Destruction, Spite

Key features: Skull face, horns, rock-skin, sheer size.

(Note: Malice is non-verbal.)

——————————————————————————

SPITE

Lazy, petty, boastful and all-around brute - Spite and their partner Malice make for an imposing pair of demons!

Pronouns: She/They

Species: Antelope

Likes: Violence, Destruction, Eating, Sleeping, Lounging Around, Manipulating, Malice

Key features: Skull-face, antlers, neck fluff, sheer size.

——————————————————————————

Voices/Dialect!

Gina - New York: Uncouth, Informal

Kacy - Britain: Polite, Inquisitive

Claudia - Texas: Bright, Chipper

Malice - N/A

Spite - Non-descript USA: Deep, Masculine, Laid-back, Informal

——————————————————————————

Misc.

——————————————————————————

ALICE

Immensely strong, shy, kind-hearted and very nervous - Alice Aforthout makes for one gentle giant!

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Bat

Likes: Sunflowers, Gardening, Reading, Lifting, Eating, Helping her friends

Key features: Huge & soft hair, mole on left cheek, nervous or happy smile, sheer size.

(Note: Alice is non-verbal.)

(Note: I typically draw Alice softer / fatter than when I draw Malice. I think it’s cute!)

[vnnmr]

Ocean Vuong, "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker" [POEM]

Mar.

Advil (ibuprofen), 4 pack

Sally Hansen Pink Nail Polish, 6 pack

Clorox Bleach, industrial size

Diane hair pins, 4 pack

Seafoam handheld mirror

“I Love New York” T-shirt, white, small

Apr.

Nongshim Ramen Noodle Bowl, 24 pack

Cotton Balls, 100 count

“Thank You For Your Loyalty” cards, 30 count

Toluene POR-15 40404 Solvent, 1 quart

UV LED Nail Lamp

Cuticle Oil, value pack

Clear Acrylic Nail Tips, 500 count

May

Advil (ibuprofen), 4 pack

Vicks VapoRub, twin pack

Portable Electric Nail Drill

Salonpas Heat-Activated muscle patch, 40 count

Lipstick, “Night Out Red”

Little Debbie Chocolate Zebra Cakes, 4 boxes

Jun.

Large faux-clay planter pots, value set

Carnation Condensed Milk, 6 pack

Clear Nail Art Acrylic Liquid Powder Dish Bowl, 2 pcs

Birthday Card—Son—Pop-up Mother and Son effect

Nike Elite Basketball Shorts, men’s small

Jul.

Saviland Holographic Gold Nail Powder, 6 colors

Nescafé Taster’s Choice Instant Coffee

Advil (ibuprofen), 4 pack

PIXNOR Pedicure Double-Sided Callus Remover

Bengay Medicated Cream, 3 pack

Aug.

Newchic Ochre Summer Dress Floral Print, sz 6

Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum, 8 pack

Plastic Adirondack Lawn Chair, colonial blue

Sep.

Nail buffers and files, 10 pcs

Coppertone Sunblock, 6 oz

Oct.

CozyNites Fleece Blanket, pink

Sleep-Ease Melatonin caps, 90 count

Icy Hot Maximum Strength pain relief pads

Nov.

Tampax, 24 count

Faux-Resin Hair clips, 3 pack

Dec.

Advil (ibuprofen) Maximum Strength, 4 pack

True-Gro Tulip Bulbs, 24 pcs

Jan.

Feb.

Healthline Compact Trigger Release Folding Walker

Yankee Candle, Midsummer’s Night, large jar

Mar.

Chemo-Glam cotton head scarf, sunrise pink

White Socks, women’s small, 12 pack

Apr.

Chemo-Glam cotton scarf, flower garden print

“Warrior Mom” Breast Cancer awareness T-shirt, pink and white

May

Mueller 255 Lumbar Support Back Brace

Jun.

Birthday Card—“Son, We Will Always Be Together,” Snoopy design

Jul.

Eternity Aluminum Urn, Dove and Rose engraved, small

Perfect Memories picture frame, 8 x 11 in, black

Burt’s Bees lip balm, Honey, 1 pc

Aug.

Sep.

Easy-Grow Windowsill herb garden

Oct.

YourStory Customized Memorial Plaque, 10 x 8 x 4 in

Winter coat, navy blue, x-small

Nov.

Wool socks, grey, 1 pair

- From the collection Time is a Mother

[fangqitex]

Quick Dry Cooling Cotton Ice Scarf

Product description

Made with 100% Polyester Cool Mesh for enhanced performance Economical and effective Provides 2-3 hours of cooling relief per soaking Lightweight, durable, and easy to activate Colors: Blue, Black, Pink, Khaki, USA Flag, Lime Size: Adult

Season:Summer

Service:24h Online

OEM/OEM:Acceptable

Usage:sports, walking, etc

Our company is located in the famous textile town in China-Shengze Town. the geographical position is superior and the transportation is convenient. Our company is an industrial and trade integrated company. independent research and development and production of cooling vest. cooling reflective vest. cooling scarf. cooling wrist. cold pants. cooling towel. Our company has the right to import and export, and the products are exported to Europe, America .Southeast Asia and other countries and regions. Loved by Amazon sellers around the world .and have a good reputation and win the trust of customers.

Contact us 3rd Floor, East Gate, No. 2599 Park Road, Sheng Ze Town, Wu Jiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province +86- 0512-63519080 +86-13584404311 FQsales1@163.com fqsales3@163.com fqsales4@163.com

[cleverhottubmiracle]

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a slow-burning “Shark Tank” success story.Included in this issue: Bondi Boost, Brunello Cuccinelli, Clean Classic, Curie, FAQ Swiss, F. Miller, Fekkai, Good Chemistry, Hard Candy, Ideo, I Dew Care, Hard Candy, K18, Loops, Mama Sol, Mara, Milk Makeup, Murad, Oribe, Pat McGrath Labs, Saie, Skin Memory, Starface, The Ordinary, Thrive Causemetics, Tonymoly, YSL Beauté, Wild and Thin Mint supremacy.But first…They’ve figured out a way to take more of our money. “They” are luxury fashion brands and “more” is about $200 – $600, which we’re now spending on — apologies for this — hair brooches. There’s been small explosion in actual brooches this season, with brands from Prada to Anthropologie sticking them in their jewellery offerings and Bode, JW Anderson and Carolina Herrera using them in recent runway collections. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a brooch-wearing guide by Freya Drohan; Harper’s Bazaar did a refined shopping pull by Julie Tong. Then Town & Country editor-in-chief Stellene Volandes copped to hating them in her new Gems of Wisdom newsletter but admitted she’s coming around on the super-size versions worn by Michelle Yeoh and Adrien Brody. We’ll likely see even more laden lapels at the Oscars on Sunday.Now gems are migrating north for the winter, and spring, with Chloe and Valentino debuting costly hair adornments that look a lot like regular brooches, but with a bobby pin or clip instead of a stabber. (Saint Laurent’s gilded hair pins are basically mini-versions of their $550 logo badges.) Hair-forward accessories brands like Jennifer Behr are also minting investment pieces like crystalline butterfly and snowflake barrettes that mirror recent runway pieces from Erdem and Simone Rocha. Elle recently pointed to Khaite’s $580 gold hair cuff as a must-have street style accessory. (“Always give them a new detail to look at!” was how paparazzi magnet Chloe King put it before tonight’s Fendi show in Milan.)At a preliminary hair and makeup test this week for a big Paris fashion show, giant hair baubles — brooches, basically — were stuck onto the models, waiting for designer approval. To quote Taylor Swift’s 2009 “Saturday Night Live” song, I’m not gonna comment on that in my monologue … because said designer would kill me, and I fully intend to die after glamorously taking up smoking in my 80s, not because a French luxury conglomerate strangles me with a $950 monogram belt. Besides the hair brooches on influencers at Gucci, Marni and Fendi this week, designer Corrada Rodriguez d’Acri took some of her label’s signature logo buttons and pinned them into the updos of several models, creating branded buns. Antonio Marras bejewelled his models’ hair, too; the effect was almost striking enough to pull focus from front-row guest Sharon Stone. (Wow!) Why are hair brooches a good call for retailers? Well, some industry sources peg the hair accessory market pegged at a current value of over $20 billion, with expected growth up to $33 billion by 2034. After Ashley Williams created solid brand growth with her caustic bedazzled hair pins in 2019, Gucci branded barrettes, Prada scrunchies, and Miu Miu clips took off, along with the Emi Jay kawaii claws that hit Sephora on Feb. 11. But bows and scrunchies are hitting a saturation point, and brooches let you telegraph a logo pretty literally, helping spread brand awareness and status while taming flyaways. This is hair’s equivalent of a Burberry check scarf, but it’s a lot cheaper to manufacture. And as TikTok and YouTube Shorts push people toward 360 beauty looks instead of static imagery, these clips can be the eyes — or at least the Valentino “i” — in the back of the head. What Else Is NewSkincareI Dew Care introduced an Aqua Kitten Mask on Feb. 20 with hyaluronic acid for a “dewy, post-facial glow.” It’s $23 at Ulta Beauty, and my one critique is that there are no kittens pictured on the jar. Tonymoly’s first-ever body care line, Plum Bum, debuted with a range of seven SKUs on Feb. 21. Target is digging deodorant. On Feb. 23, the superstore introduced five scented sticks from Curie, the “Shark Tank”-famous brand, going for $12. The next day, the natural UK brand Wild hit the bullseye with starter packs going for $20 and refills priced at $10. Murad’s two face oils, Retinol Youth Renewal ($72) and Cellular Hydration Repair ($65), hit shelves on Feb. 24. They’re meant to be used alone or dropped into your normal serum or moisturiser, which is a nice touch as temperatures finally increase — but so do rainy, windy days.Skin Memory is a moisturiser that “functions on a cellular level” to make skin “remember” how to bounce back from sun damage and fatigue. Meanwhile, I can’t remember where my last five Starface lip balms went… (Sorry, Julie.) If you’re intrigued, the formula from Ideo dropped on Feb. 24 and retails for $135 — so, more than lip balm.Speaking of Starface, its cleanser and moisturisers hit shelves on Feb. 25 with electric blue “splat!” graphics that bring to mind the YouTube slime of yore. See also: A swirly, sweet video that mimics the aesthetic of an ‘80s cartoon. On Feb. 26, F. Miller introduced Support Serum, an $82 “cloud-like” formula with tremella mushroom extract and floral stem cells that promises more elasticity and firmness, plus relief for sensitivity. Founder Fran Miller is also one of the creative directors at Literary Sport, the clothing line which occupies a liminal, fascinating place between High Sport and Sporty & Rich.Even your jewellery has peptides now. On Feb. 26, Mara launched Pearl Peptide Glaze, an all-in-one liquid that doubles as both toner and moisturiser, and counts pearl powder as a key ingredient, along with algae. It’s $54, which is fairly premium — but not the $400 of a Monica Vinader version. (Still: wow.) FAQ Swiss made a “glass skin” face mask that launched Feb. 26. It’s meant to be used underneath an LED light therapy mask to “achieve that glossy doll-like appearance.” The Ordinary’s first-ever essence debuted on Feb. 28 for $12. It has propanediol, a hydration booster and solvent that’s also used in antifreeze. Please do not panic about this; even the stern scolds at Environmental Working Group say it’s fine.Loops launched a sheet mask on Feb. 28 that’s just for the lip area. (There’s a slit you can breathe through.) It’s called the Weekly Reset, sells in $25 packs of $5, and looks just wacky enough to be a potential selfie trend. We don’t think of mid-priced hotel boutiques as launchpads for beauty brands but… well… maybe we should. Case in point: The Four Seasons just added Mama Sol, the independent sun care brand, to its St. Louis spa and pool menu. The line entered Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and the Fairmont Hotels in California last year, along with a Florida Keys golf club and a massage therapy spa in Venice Beach. Consider this the beauty equivalent of an actor signing with a boutique agency instead of a massive talent firm: Mass exposure is smaller, but the potential for one-on-one attention is greater. In the “if you know, you know” economy, that could ultimately be a big boost… and if you’re only making 50,000 or so units a year, that might be all you need.MakeupOver 255 million people play Candy Crush daily; now they can wear it, too. Pat McGrath Labs has teamed with the block-and-break video game on a limited-edition range of lipstick, blush and nail polish with swirly packaging. In a Wonka-worthy twist, three random buyers will also win a $10,000 diamond ring from Basliq, which is one heck of a gift-with-purchase. This is the first time Candy Crush has entered the runway realm since 2017, when Moschino did a streetwear collab with the game during Coachella. Then-designer Jeremy Scott told me that he didn’t get any free lives or unlimited game codes from the partnership — I sure hope Pat got them to cave on that!Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip added a “gel skin tint” with 15 shades and a dewy finish. The $36 tubes hit Sephora on Feb. 21 and offer buildable coverage, so you can go a little sheer or more selfie-proof. Saie gave its Sephora fans an exclusive on Feb. 24: The chance to buy their SuperSuede Baked blush a day before anyone else. It comes in six shades, including three — Stella, Mia and Bella — named after many of their Gen-Z customers.YSL Beauté is so smart to design its Hyper Blur Soft-Focus powder, which premiered on Feb. 24, with a lid that resembles the brand’s signature leather Loulou bag. More fashion brands should have this kind of hyper-literal integration with their beauty packaging. Charity awareness may start at home, but brand cravings often get planted at a teen Sephora visit.Thrive Causemetics dropped a clear brow laminate that’s $26 and launched on the 26th. (Symmetry!) Girl Scout Cookie Season officially kicked off on Jan. 7, but it wasn’t until Feb. 26 that Hard Candy dropped a collaboration worthy of a jamboree (or at least a “Troop Beverly Hills” rewatch). The range includes lip oils, eyeshadow palettes, a primer and cookie-scented body oils. Now we just need Boy Scouts to collab with Merit on a badge.Hair CareBondiBoost’s Long Barrel Infrared Thermal Bounce Brush hit Sephora on Feb. 25. The $110 brush uses infrared light to “gently heat hair from within” and “lock in moisture with negative ions.” It’s $110, or two Drybar blowouts.The higher the hair, the closer to TikTok? K18 is testing that theory with AstroLift, a $46 volumizing spray that launched Feb. 25 with peptides — yes, they’re even in hairspray now — meant to protect against breakage and dullness.Beauty sleep hits the hair care aisle. On Feb. 25, Fekkai rolled out its Super Strength PM Repair Serum, a $30 overnight treatment meant to stop split ends during your REM cycle. Oribe’s Densifying Collection debuted on Feb. 25 with a $52 shampoo, $55 conditioner and $76 densifying spray. The formulas use red clover and pea sprout extracts, making this the most cottagecore luxury drop since Loewe decided tomatoes were really for soap. FragranceGood Chemistry’s Not That Vanilla fragrance hit Target and Amazon on Feb. 19. Despite the name, it is indeed loaded with vanilla, along with cedar, cocoa bean and forest chestnut. Cherries are getting their flowers right now, but strawberries are starting to bud, too. Clean Classic’s Strawberry Fields perfume launches tomorrow, Mar. 1, at Ulta Beauty and Macy’s with notes of jasmine, linen and amber. It’s $44.Brunello Cucinelli included its fragrances in its Feb. 26 presentation at Milan Fashion Week. The glass-and-matte-metal bottles were lined up alongside the brand’s small leather goods, and just across from the new collection of must-haves for capable heiresses and too-focused-to-fuss CEOs. It was a nice touch, but hardly a surprise for a label that’s made a killing understanding the coded details of wealth. And FinallyNeutrogena flew beauty editors to Aspen last week. Shiseido is playing host in Tokyo this week. At least five editors I know are touring the spa at the Four Seasons in Thailand as I write this. After a cooling period because of Covid and mild FOC (fear of cancellation), the miles game is clearly back on! Plan your frequent flier periods accordingly. Source link

[norajworld]

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a slow-burning “Shark Tank” success story.Included in this issue: Bondi Boost, Brunello Cuccinelli, Clean Classic, Curie, FAQ Swiss, F. Miller, Fekkai, Good Chemistry, Hard Candy, Ideo, I Dew Care, Hard Candy, K18, Loops, Mama Sol, Mara, Milk Makeup, Murad, Oribe, Pat McGrath Labs, Saie, Skin Memory, Starface, The Ordinary, Thrive Causemetics, Tonymoly, YSL Beauté, Wild and Thin Mint supremacy.But first…They’ve figured out a way to take more of our money. “They” are luxury fashion brands and “more” is about $200 – $600, which we’re now spending on — apologies for this — hair brooches. There’s been small explosion in actual brooches this season, with brands from Prada to Anthropologie sticking them in their jewellery offerings and Bode, JW Anderson and Carolina Herrera using them in recent runway collections. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a brooch-wearing guide by Freya Drohan; Harper’s Bazaar did a refined shopping pull by Julie Tong. Then Town & Country editor-in-chief Stellene Volandes copped to hating them in her new Gems of Wisdom newsletter but admitted she’s coming around on the super-size versions worn by Michelle Yeoh and Adrien Brody. We’ll likely see even more laden lapels at the Oscars on Sunday.Now gems are migrating north for the winter, and spring, with Chloe and Valentino debuting costly hair adornments that look a lot like regular brooches, but with a bobby pin or clip instead of a stabber. (Saint Laurent’s gilded hair pins are basically mini-versions of their $550 logo badges.) Hair-forward accessories brands like Jennifer Behr are also minting investment pieces like crystalline butterfly and snowflake barrettes that mirror recent runway pieces from Erdem and Simone Rocha. Elle recently pointed to Khaite’s $580 gold hair cuff as a must-have street style accessory. (“Always give them a new detail to look at!” was how paparazzi magnet Chloe King put it before tonight’s Fendi show in Milan.)At a preliminary hair and makeup test this week for a big Paris fashion show, giant hair baubles — brooches, basically — were stuck onto the models, waiting for designer approval. To quote Taylor Swift’s 2009 “Saturday Night Live” song, I’m not gonna comment on that in my monologue … because said designer would kill me, and I fully intend to die after glamorously taking up smoking in my 80s, not because a French luxury conglomerate strangles me with a $950 monogram belt. Besides the hair brooches on influencers at Gucci, Marni and Fendi this week, designer Corrada Rodriguez d’Acri took some of her label’s signature logo buttons and pinned them into the updos of several models, creating branded buns. Antonio Marras bejewelled his models’ hair, too; the effect was almost striking enough to pull focus from front-row guest Sharon Stone. (Wow!) Why are hair brooches a good call for retailers? Well, some industry sources peg the hair accessory market pegged at a current value of over $20 billion, with expected growth up to $33 billion by 2034. After Ashley Williams created solid brand growth with her caustic bedazzled hair pins in 2019, Gucci branded barrettes, Prada scrunchies, and Miu Miu clips took off, along with the Emi Jay kawaii claws that hit Sephora on Feb. 11. But bows and scrunchies are hitting a saturation point, and brooches let you telegraph a logo pretty literally, helping spread brand awareness and status while taming flyaways. This is hair’s equivalent of a Burberry check scarf, but it’s a lot cheaper to manufacture. And as TikTok and YouTube Shorts push people toward 360 beauty looks instead of static imagery, these clips can be the eyes — or at least the Valentino “i” — in the back of the head. What Else Is NewSkincareI Dew Care introduced an Aqua Kitten Mask on Feb. 20 with hyaluronic acid for a “dewy, post-facial glow.” It’s $23 at Ulta Beauty, and my one critique is that there are no kittens pictured on the jar. Tonymoly’s first-ever body care line, Plum Bum, debuted with a range of seven SKUs on Feb. 21. Target is digging deodorant. On Feb. 23, the superstore introduced five scented sticks from Curie, the “Shark Tank”-famous brand, going for $12. The next day, the natural UK brand Wild hit the bullseye with starter packs going for $20 and refills priced at $10. Murad’s two face oils, Retinol Youth Renewal ($72) and Cellular Hydration Repair ($65), hit shelves on Feb. 24. They’re meant to be used alone or dropped into your normal serum or moisturiser, which is a nice touch as temperatures finally increase — but so do rainy, windy days.Skin Memory is a moisturiser that “functions on a cellular level” to make skin “remember” how to bounce back from sun damage and fatigue. Meanwhile, I can’t remember where my last five Starface lip balms went… (Sorry, Julie.) If you’re intrigued, the formula from Ideo dropped on Feb. 24 and retails for $135 — so, more than lip balm.Speaking of Starface, its cleanser and moisturisers hit shelves on Feb. 25 with electric blue “splat!” graphics that bring to mind the YouTube slime of yore. See also: A swirly, sweet video that mimics the aesthetic of an ‘80s cartoon. On Feb. 26, F. Miller introduced Support Serum, an $82 “cloud-like” formula with tremella mushroom extract and floral stem cells that promises more elasticity and firmness, plus relief for sensitivity. Founder Fran Miller is also one of the creative directors at Literary Sport, the clothing line which occupies a liminal, fascinating place between High Sport and Sporty & Rich.Even your jewellery has peptides now. On Feb. 26, Mara launched Pearl Peptide Glaze, an all-in-one liquid that doubles as both toner and moisturiser, and counts pearl powder as a key ingredient, along with algae. It’s $54, which is fairly premium — but not the $400 of a Monica Vinader version. (Still: wow.) FAQ Swiss made a “glass skin” face mask that launched Feb. 26. It’s meant to be used underneath an LED light therapy mask to “achieve that glossy doll-like appearance.” The Ordinary’s first-ever essence debuted on Feb. 28 for $12. It has propanediol, a hydration booster and solvent that’s also used in antifreeze. Please do not panic about this; even the stern scolds at Environmental Working Group say it’s fine.Loops launched a sheet mask on Feb. 28 that’s just for the lip area. (There’s a slit you can breathe through.) It’s called the Weekly Reset, sells in $25 packs of $5, and looks just wacky enough to be a potential selfie trend. We don’t think of mid-priced hotel boutiques as launchpads for beauty brands but… well… maybe we should. Case in point: The Four Seasons just added Mama Sol, the independent sun care brand, to its St. Louis spa and pool menu. The line entered Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and the Fairmont Hotels in California last year, along with a Florida Keys golf club and a massage therapy spa in Venice Beach. Consider this the beauty equivalent of an actor signing with a boutique agency instead of a massive talent firm: Mass exposure is smaller, but the potential for one-on-one attention is greater. In the “if you know, you know” economy, that could ultimately be a big boost… and if you’re only making 50,000 or so units a year, that might be all you need.MakeupOver 255 million people play Candy Crush daily; now they can wear it, too. Pat McGrath Labs has teamed with the block-and-break video game on a limited-edition range of lipstick, blush and nail polish with swirly packaging. In a Wonka-worthy twist, three random buyers will also win a $10,000 diamond ring from Basliq, which is one heck of a gift-with-purchase. This is the first time Candy Crush has entered the runway realm since 2017, when Moschino did a streetwear collab with the game during Coachella. Then-designer Jeremy Scott told me that he didn’t get any free lives or unlimited game codes from the partnership — I sure hope Pat got them to cave on that!Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip added a “gel skin tint” with 15 shades and a dewy finish. The $36 tubes hit Sephora on Feb. 21 and offer buildable coverage, so you can go a little sheer or more selfie-proof. Saie gave its Sephora fans an exclusive on Feb. 24: The chance to buy their SuperSuede Baked blush a day before anyone else. It comes in six shades, including three — Stella, Mia and Bella — named after many of their Gen-Z customers.YSL Beauté is so smart to design its Hyper Blur Soft-Focus powder, which premiered on Feb. 24, with a lid that resembles the brand’s signature leather Loulou bag. More fashion brands should have this kind of hyper-literal integration with their beauty packaging. Charity awareness may start at home, but brand cravings often get planted at a teen Sephora visit.Thrive Causemetics dropped a clear brow laminate that’s $26 and launched on the 26th. (Symmetry!) Girl Scout Cookie Season officially kicked off on Jan. 7, but it wasn’t until Feb. 26 that Hard Candy dropped a collaboration worthy of a jamboree (or at least a “Troop Beverly Hills” rewatch). The range includes lip oils, eyeshadow palettes, a primer and cookie-scented body oils. Now we just need Boy Scouts to collab with Merit on a badge.Hair CareBondiBoost’s Long Barrel Infrared Thermal Bounce Brush hit Sephora on Feb. 25. The $110 brush uses infrared light to “gently heat hair from within” and “lock in moisture with negative ions.” It’s $110, or two Drybar blowouts.The higher the hair, the closer to TikTok? K18 is testing that theory with AstroLift, a $46 volumizing spray that launched Feb. 25 with peptides — yes, they’re even in hairspray now — meant to protect against breakage and dullness.Beauty sleep hits the hair care aisle. On Feb. 25, Fekkai rolled out its Super Strength PM Repair Serum, a $30 overnight treatment meant to stop split ends during your REM cycle. Oribe’s Densifying Collection debuted on Feb. 25 with a $52 shampoo, $55 conditioner and $76 densifying spray. The formulas use red clover and pea sprout extracts, making this the most cottagecore luxury drop since Loewe decided tomatoes were really for soap. FragranceGood Chemistry’s Not That Vanilla fragrance hit Target and Amazon on Feb. 19. Despite the name, it is indeed loaded with vanilla, along with cedar, cocoa bean and forest chestnut. Cherries are getting their flowers right now, but strawberries are starting to bud, too. Clean Classic’s Strawberry Fields perfume launches tomorrow, Mar. 1, at Ulta Beauty and Macy’s with notes of jasmine, linen and amber. It’s $44.Brunello Cucinelli included its fragrances in its Feb. 26 presentation at Milan Fashion Week. The glass-and-matte-metal bottles were lined up alongside the brand’s small leather goods, and just across from the new collection of must-haves for capable heiresses and too-focused-to-fuss CEOs. It was a nice touch, but hardly a surprise for a label that’s made a killing understanding the coded details of wealth. And FinallyNeutrogena flew beauty editors to Aspen last week. Shiseido is playing host in Tokyo this week. At least five editors I know are touring the spa at the Four Seasons in Thailand as I write this. After a cooling period because of Covid and mild FOC (fear of cancellation), the miles game is clearly back on! Plan your frequent flier periods accordingly. Source link

[ellajme0]

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a slow-burning “Shark Tank” success story.Included in this issue: Bondi Boost, Brunello Cuccinelli, Clean Classic, Curie, FAQ Swiss, F. Miller, Fekkai, Good Chemistry, Hard Candy, Ideo, I Dew Care, Hard Candy, K18, Loops, Mama Sol, Mara, Milk Makeup, Murad, Oribe, Pat McGrath Labs, Saie, Skin Memory, Starface, The Ordinary, Thrive Causemetics, Tonymoly, YSL Beauté, Wild and Thin Mint supremacy.But first…They’ve figured out a way to take more of our money. “They” are luxury fashion brands and “more” is about $200 – $600, which we’re now spending on — apologies for this — hair brooches. There’s been small explosion in actual brooches this season, with brands from Prada to Anthropologie sticking them in their jewellery offerings and Bode, JW Anderson and Carolina Herrera using them in recent runway collections. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a brooch-wearing guide by Freya Drohan; Harper’s Bazaar did a refined shopping pull by Julie Tong. Then Town & Country editor-in-chief Stellene Volandes copped to hating them in her new Gems of Wisdom newsletter but admitted she’s coming around on the super-size versions worn by Michelle Yeoh and Adrien Brody. We’ll likely see even more laden lapels at the Oscars on Sunday.Now gems are migrating north for the winter, and spring, with Chloe and Valentino debuting costly hair adornments that look a lot like regular brooches, but with a bobby pin or clip instead of a stabber. (Saint Laurent’s gilded hair pins are basically mini-versions of their $550 logo badges.) Hair-forward accessories brands like Jennifer Behr are also minting investment pieces like crystalline butterfly and snowflake barrettes that mirror recent runway pieces from Erdem and Simone Rocha. Elle recently pointed to Khaite’s $580 gold hair cuff as a must-have street style accessory. (“Always give them a new detail to look at!” was how paparazzi magnet Chloe King put it before tonight’s Fendi show in Milan.)At a preliminary hair and makeup test this week for a big Paris fashion show, giant hair baubles — brooches, basically — were stuck onto the models, waiting for designer approval. To quote Taylor Swift’s 2009 “Saturday Night Live” song, I’m not gonna comment on that in my monologue … because said designer would kill me, and I fully intend to die after glamorously taking up smoking in my 80s, not because a French luxury conglomerate strangles me with a $950 monogram belt. Besides the hair brooches on influencers at Gucci, Marni and Fendi this week, designer Corrada Rodriguez d’Acri took some of her label’s signature logo buttons and pinned them into the updos of several models, creating branded buns. Antonio Marras bejewelled his models’ hair, too; the effect was almost striking enough to pull focus from front-row guest Sharon Stone. (Wow!) Why are hair brooches a good call for retailers? Well, some industry sources peg the hair accessory market pegged at a current value of over $20 billion, with expected growth up to $33 billion by 2034. After Ashley Williams created solid brand growth with her caustic bedazzled hair pins in 2019, Gucci branded barrettes, Prada scrunchies, and Miu Miu clips took off, along with the Emi Jay kawaii claws that hit Sephora on Feb. 11. But bows and scrunchies are hitting a saturation point, and brooches let you telegraph a logo pretty literally, helping spread brand awareness and status while taming flyaways. This is hair’s equivalent of a Burberry check scarf, but it’s a lot cheaper to manufacture. And as TikTok and YouTube Shorts push people toward 360 beauty looks instead of static imagery, these clips can be the eyes — or at least the Valentino “i” — in the back of the head. What Else Is NewSkincareI Dew Care introduced an Aqua Kitten Mask on Feb. 20 with hyaluronic acid for a “dewy, post-facial glow.” It’s $23 at Ulta Beauty, and my one critique is that there are no kittens pictured on the jar. Tonymoly’s first-ever body care line, Plum Bum, debuted with a range of seven SKUs on Feb. 21. Target is digging deodorant. On Feb. 23, the superstore introduced five scented sticks from Curie, the “Shark Tank”-famous brand, going for $12. The next day, the natural UK brand Wild hit the bullseye with starter packs going for $20 and refills priced at $10. Murad’s two face oils, Retinol Youth Renewal ($72) and Cellular Hydration Repair ($65), hit shelves on Feb. 24. They’re meant to be used alone or dropped into your normal serum or moisturiser, which is a nice touch as temperatures finally increase — but so do rainy, windy days.Skin Memory is a moisturiser that “functions on a cellular level” to make skin “remember” how to bounce back from sun damage and fatigue. Meanwhile, I can’t remember where my last five Starface lip balms went… (Sorry, Julie.) If you’re intrigued, the formula from Ideo dropped on Feb. 24 and retails for $135 — so, more than lip balm.Speaking of Starface, its cleanser and moisturisers hit shelves on Feb. 25 with electric blue “splat!” graphics that bring to mind the YouTube slime of yore. See also: A swirly, sweet video that mimics the aesthetic of an ‘80s cartoon. On Feb. 26, F. Miller introduced Support Serum, an $82 “cloud-like” formula with tremella mushroom extract and floral stem cells that promises more elasticity and firmness, plus relief for sensitivity. Founder Fran Miller is also one of the creative directors at Literary Sport, the clothing line which occupies a liminal, fascinating place between High Sport and Sporty & Rich.Even your jewellery has peptides now. On Feb. 26, Mara launched Pearl Peptide Glaze, an all-in-one liquid that doubles as both toner and moisturiser, and counts pearl powder as a key ingredient, along with algae. It’s $54, which is fairly premium — but not the $400 of a Monica Vinader version. (Still: wow.) FAQ Swiss made a “glass skin” face mask that launched Feb. 26. It’s meant to be used underneath an LED light therapy mask to “achieve that glossy doll-like appearance.” The Ordinary’s first-ever essence debuted on Feb. 28 for $12. It has propanediol, a hydration booster and solvent that’s also used in antifreeze. Please do not panic about this; even the stern scolds at Environmental Working Group say it’s fine.Loops launched a sheet mask on Feb. 28 that’s just for the lip area. (There’s a slit you can breathe through.) It’s called the Weekly Reset, sells in $25 packs of $5, and looks just wacky enough to be a potential selfie trend. We don’t think of mid-priced hotel boutiques as launchpads for beauty brands but… well… maybe we should. Case in point: The Four Seasons just added Mama Sol, the independent sun care brand, to its St. Louis spa and pool menu. The line entered Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and the Fairmont Hotels in California last year, along with a Florida Keys golf club and a massage therapy spa in Venice Beach. Consider this the beauty equivalent of an actor signing with a boutique agency instead of a massive talent firm: Mass exposure is smaller, but the potential for one-on-one attention is greater. In the “if you know, you know” economy, that could ultimately be a big boost… and if you’re only making 50,000 or so units a year, that might be all you need.MakeupOver 255 million people play Candy Crush daily; now they can wear it, too. Pat McGrath Labs has teamed with the block-and-break video game on a limited-edition range of lipstick, blush and nail polish with swirly packaging. In a Wonka-worthy twist, three random buyers will also win a $10,000 diamond ring from Basliq, which is one heck of a gift-with-purchase. This is the first time Candy Crush has entered the runway realm since 2017, when Moschino did a streetwear collab with the game during Coachella. Then-designer Jeremy Scott told me that he didn’t get any free lives or unlimited game codes from the partnership — I sure hope Pat got them to cave on that!Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip added a “gel skin tint” with 15 shades and a dewy finish. The $36 tubes hit Sephora on Feb. 21 and offer buildable coverage, so you can go a little sheer or more selfie-proof. Saie gave its Sephora fans an exclusive on Feb. 24: The chance to buy their SuperSuede Baked blush a day before anyone else. It comes in six shades, including three — Stella, Mia and Bella — named after many of their Gen-Z customers.YSL Beauté is so smart to design its Hyper Blur Soft-Focus powder, which premiered on Feb. 24, with a lid that resembles the brand’s signature leather Loulou bag. More fashion brands should have this kind of hyper-literal integration with their beauty packaging. Charity awareness may start at home, but brand cravings often get planted at a teen Sephora visit.Thrive Causemetics dropped a clear brow laminate that’s $26 and launched on the 26th. (Symmetry!) Girl Scout Cookie Season officially kicked off on Jan. 7, but it wasn’t until Feb. 26 that Hard Candy dropped a collaboration worthy of a jamboree (or at least a “Troop Beverly Hills” rewatch). The range includes lip oils, eyeshadow palettes, a primer and cookie-scented body oils. Now we just need Boy Scouts to collab with Merit on a badge.Hair CareBondiBoost’s Long Barrel Infrared Thermal Bounce Brush hit Sephora on Feb. 25. The $110 brush uses infrared light to “gently heat hair from within” and “lock in moisture with negative ions.” It’s $110, or two Drybar blowouts.The higher the hair, the closer to TikTok? K18 is testing that theory with AstroLift, a $46 volumizing spray that launched Feb. 25 with peptides — yes, they’re even in hairspray now — meant to protect against breakage and dullness.Beauty sleep hits the hair care aisle. On Feb. 25, Fekkai rolled out its Super Strength PM Repair Serum, a $30 overnight treatment meant to stop split ends during your REM cycle. Oribe’s Densifying Collection debuted on Feb. 25 with a $52 shampoo, $55 conditioner and $76 densifying spray. The formulas use red clover and pea sprout extracts, making this the most cottagecore luxury drop since Loewe decided tomatoes were really for soap. FragranceGood Chemistry’s Not That Vanilla fragrance hit Target and Amazon on Feb. 19. Despite the name, it is indeed loaded with vanilla, along with cedar, cocoa bean and forest chestnut. Cherries are getting their flowers right now, but strawberries are starting to bud, too. Clean Classic’s Strawberry Fields perfume launches tomorrow, Mar. 1, at Ulta Beauty and Macy’s with notes of jasmine, linen and amber. It’s $44.Brunello Cucinelli included its fragrances in its Feb. 26 presentation at Milan Fashion Week. The glass-and-matte-metal bottles were lined up alongside the brand’s small leather goods, and just across from the new collection of must-haves for capable heiresses and too-focused-to-fuss CEOs. It was a nice touch, but hardly a surprise for a label that’s made a killing understanding the coded details of wealth. And FinallyNeutrogena flew beauty editors to Aspen last week. Shiseido is playing host in Tokyo this week. At least five editors I know are touring the spa at the Four Seasons in Thailand as I write this. After a cooling period because of Covid and mild FOC (fear of cancellation), the miles game is clearly back on! Plan your frequent flier periods accordingly. Source link

[chilimili212]

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a slow-burning “Shark Tank” success story.Included in this issue: Bondi Boost, Brunello Cuccinelli, Clean Classic, Curie, FAQ Swiss, F. Miller, Fekkai, Good Chemistry, Hard Candy, Ideo, I Dew Care, Hard Candy, K18, Loops, Mama Sol, Mara, Milk Makeup, Murad, Oribe, Pat McGrath Labs, Saie, Skin Memory, Starface, The Ordinary, Thrive Causemetics, Tonymoly, YSL Beauté, Wild and Thin Mint supremacy.But first…They’ve figured out a way to take more of our money. “They” are luxury fashion brands and “more” is about $200 – $600, which we’re now spending on — apologies for this — hair brooches. There’s been small explosion in actual brooches this season, with brands from Prada to Anthropologie sticking them in their jewellery offerings and Bode, JW Anderson and Carolina Herrera using them in recent runway collections. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a brooch-wearing guide by Freya Drohan; Harper’s Bazaar did a refined shopping pull by Julie Tong. Then Town & Country editor-in-chief Stellene Volandes copped to hating them in her new Gems of Wisdom newsletter but admitted she’s coming around on the super-size versions worn by Michelle Yeoh and Adrien Brody. We’ll likely see even more laden lapels at the Oscars on Sunday.Now gems are migrating north for the winter, and spring, with Chloe and Valentino debuting costly hair adornments that look a lot like regular brooches, but with a bobby pin or clip instead of a stabber. (Saint Laurent’s gilded hair pins are basically mini-versions of their $550 logo badges.) Hair-forward accessories brands like Jennifer Behr are also minting investment pieces like crystalline butterfly and snowflake barrettes that mirror recent runway pieces from Erdem and Simone Rocha. Elle recently pointed to Khaite’s $580 gold hair cuff as a must-have street style accessory. (“Always give them a new detail to look at!” was how paparazzi magnet Chloe King put it before tonight’s Fendi show in Milan.)At a preliminary hair and makeup test this week for a big Paris fashion show, giant hair baubles — brooches, basically — were stuck onto the models, waiting for designer approval. To quote Taylor Swift’s 2009 “Saturday Night Live” song, I’m not gonna comment on that in my monologue … because said designer would kill me, and I fully intend to die after glamorously taking up smoking in my 80s, not because a French luxury conglomerate strangles me with a $950 monogram belt. Besides the hair brooches on influencers at Gucci, Marni and Fendi this week, designer Corrada Rodriguez d’Acri took some of her label’s signature logo buttons and pinned them into the updos of several models, creating branded buns. Antonio Marras bejewelled his models’ hair, too; the effect was almost striking enough to pull focus from front-row guest Sharon Stone. (Wow!) Why are hair brooches a good call for retailers? Well, some industry sources peg the hair accessory market pegged at a current value of over $20 billion, with expected growth up to $33 billion by 2034. After Ashley Williams created solid brand growth with her caustic bedazzled hair pins in 2019, Gucci branded barrettes, Prada scrunchies, and Miu Miu clips took off, along with the Emi Jay kawaii claws that hit Sephora on Feb. 11. But bows and scrunchies are hitting a saturation point, and brooches let you telegraph a logo pretty literally, helping spread brand awareness and status while taming flyaways. This is hair’s equivalent of a Burberry check scarf, but it’s a lot cheaper to manufacture. And as TikTok and YouTube Shorts push people toward 360 beauty looks instead of static imagery, these clips can be the eyes — or at least the Valentino “i” — in the back of the head. What Else Is NewSkincareI Dew Care introduced an Aqua Kitten Mask on Feb. 20 with hyaluronic acid for a “dewy, post-facial glow.” It’s $23 at Ulta Beauty, and my one critique is that there are no kittens pictured on the jar. Tonymoly’s first-ever body care line, Plum Bum, debuted with a range of seven SKUs on Feb. 21. Target is digging deodorant. On Feb. 23, the superstore introduced five scented sticks from Curie, the “Shark Tank”-famous brand, going for $12. The next day, the natural UK brand Wild hit the bullseye with starter packs going for $20 and refills priced at $10. Murad’s two face oils, Retinol Youth Renewal ($72) and Cellular Hydration Repair ($65), hit shelves on Feb. 24. They’re meant to be used alone or dropped into your normal serum or moisturiser, which is a nice touch as temperatures finally increase — but so do rainy, windy days.Skin Memory is a moisturiser that “functions on a cellular level” to make skin “remember” how to bounce back from sun damage and fatigue. Meanwhile, I can’t remember where my last five Starface lip balms went… (Sorry, Julie.) If you’re intrigued, the formula from Ideo dropped on Feb. 24 and retails for $135 — so, more than lip balm.Speaking of Starface, its cleanser and moisturisers hit shelves on Feb. 25 with electric blue “splat!” graphics that bring to mind the YouTube slime of yore. See also: A swirly, sweet video that mimics the aesthetic of an ‘80s cartoon. On Feb. 26, F. Miller introduced Support Serum, an $82 “cloud-like” formula with tremella mushroom extract and floral stem cells that promises more elasticity and firmness, plus relief for sensitivity. Founder Fran Miller is also one of the creative directors at Literary Sport, the clothing line which occupies a liminal, fascinating place between High Sport and Sporty & Rich.Even your jewellery has peptides now. On Feb. 26, Mara launched Pearl Peptide Glaze, an all-in-one liquid that doubles as both toner and moisturiser, and counts pearl powder as a key ingredient, along with algae. It’s $54, which is fairly premium — but not the $400 of a Monica Vinader version. (Still: wow.) FAQ Swiss made a “glass skin” face mask that launched Feb. 26. It’s meant to be used underneath an LED light therapy mask to “achieve that glossy doll-like appearance.” The Ordinary’s first-ever essence debuted on Feb. 28 for $12. It has propanediol, a hydration booster and solvent that’s also used in antifreeze. Please do not panic about this; even the stern scolds at Environmental Working Group say it’s fine.Loops launched a sheet mask on Feb. 28 that’s just for the lip area. (There’s a slit you can breathe through.) It’s called the Weekly Reset, sells in $25 packs of $5, and looks just wacky enough to be a potential selfie trend. We don’t think of mid-priced hotel boutiques as launchpads for beauty brands but… well… maybe we should. Case in point: The Four Seasons just added Mama Sol, the independent sun care brand, to its St. Louis spa and pool menu. The line entered Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and the Fairmont Hotels in California last year, along with a Florida Keys golf club and a massage therapy spa in Venice Beach. Consider this the beauty equivalent of an actor signing with a boutique agency instead of a massive talent firm: Mass exposure is smaller, but the potential for one-on-one attention is greater. In the “if you know, you know” economy, that could ultimately be a big boost… and if you’re only making 50,000 or so units a year, that might be all you need.MakeupOver 255 million people play Candy Crush daily; now they can wear it, too. Pat McGrath Labs has teamed with the block-and-break video game on a limited-edition range of lipstick, blush and nail polish with swirly packaging. In a Wonka-worthy twist, three random buyers will also win a $10,000 diamond ring from Basliq, which is one heck of a gift-with-purchase. This is the first time Candy Crush has entered the runway realm since 2017, when Moschino did a streetwear collab with the game during Coachella. Then-designer Jeremy Scott told me that he didn’t get any free lives or unlimited game codes from the partnership — I sure hope Pat got them to cave on that!Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip added a “gel skin tint” with 15 shades and a dewy finish. The $36 tubes hit Sephora on Feb. 21 and offer buildable coverage, so you can go a little sheer or more selfie-proof. Saie gave its Sephora fans an exclusive on Feb. 24: The chance to buy their SuperSuede Baked blush a day before anyone else. It comes in six shades, including three — Stella, Mia and Bella — named after many of their Gen-Z customers.YSL Beauté is so smart to design its Hyper Blur Soft-Focus powder, which premiered on Feb. 24, with a lid that resembles the brand’s signature leather Loulou bag. More fashion brands should have this kind of hyper-literal integration with their beauty packaging. Charity awareness may start at home, but brand cravings often get planted at a teen Sephora visit.Thrive Causemetics dropped a clear brow laminate that’s $26 and launched on the 26th. (Symmetry!) Girl Scout Cookie Season officially kicked off on Jan. 7, but it wasn’t until Feb. 26 that Hard Candy dropped a collaboration worthy of a jamboree (or at least a “Troop Beverly Hills” rewatch). The range includes lip oils, eyeshadow palettes, a primer and cookie-scented body oils. Now we just need Boy Scouts to collab with Merit on a badge.Hair CareBondiBoost’s Long Barrel Infrared Thermal Bounce Brush hit Sephora on Feb. 25. The $110 brush uses infrared light to “gently heat hair from within” and “lock in moisture with negative ions.” It’s $110, or two Drybar blowouts.The higher the hair, the closer to TikTok? K18 is testing that theory with AstroLift, a $46 volumizing spray that launched Feb. 25 with peptides — yes, they’re even in hairspray now — meant to protect against breakage and dullness.Beauty sleep hits the hair care aisle. On Feb. 25, Fekkai rolled out its Super Strength PM Repair Serum, a $30 overnight treatment meant to stop split ends during your REM cycle. Oribe’s Densifying Collection debuted on Feb. 25 with a $52 shampoo, $55 conditioner and $76 densifying spray. The formulas use red clover and pea sprout extracts, making this the most cottagecore luxury drop since Loewe decided tomatoes were really for soap. FragranceGood Chemistry’s Not That Vanilla fragrance hit Target and Amazon on Feb. 19. Despite the name, it is indeed loaded with vanilla, along with cedar, cocoa bean and forest chestnut. Cherries are getting their flowers right now, but strawberries are starting to bud, too. Clean Classic’s Strawberry Fields perfume launches tomorrow, Mar. 1, at Ulta Beauty and Macy’s with notes of jasmine, linen and amber. It’s $44.Brunello Cucinelli included its fragrances in its Feb. 26 presentation at Milan Fashion Week. The glass-and-matte-metal bottles were lined up alongside the brand’s small leather goods, and just across from the new collection of must-haves for capable heiresses and too-focused-to-fuss CEOs. It was a nice touch, but hardly a surprise for a label that’s made a killing understanding the coded details of wealth. And FinallyNeutrogena flew beauty editors to Aspen last week. Shiseido is playing host in Tokyo this week. At least five editors I know are touring the spa at the Four Seasons in Thailand as I write this. After a cooling period because of Covid and mild FOC (fear of cancellation), the miles game is clearly back on! Plan your frequent flier periods accordingly. Source link