#clarins blush

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[aichablogsbeauty]

Glowing Makeup Tutorial for Spring

[sseditorialmagazine]

sseditorial magazine Retro News Lead 04 December 2021

We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links.

Read the article now: Does Your Makeup Kit Need An Overhaul?

We are experiencing a new season, so some of our products won’t be used again until spring. As spring is a while away, that can leave our makeup kit very dull. Our favourite products no longer fit into the vibe of the colder months, and we want to go on a shopping spree. You may need to overhaul your makeup kit if this sounds like you.

Are you somebody who likes painting your face with a little of this and a little of that? Do you have that impatient bug awaiting some brush and bling? Are you yearning for that perfect antidote to dark circles? I’m here to tell you that all your prayers have been answered!

Humble Beginnings

Using makeup is a hobby for some and a passion for others. For the passionate, makeup is an art that requires the proper knowledge of technique and tools. This article will be your step-by-step guide that you can refer to whenever you have any doubts or queries about the whole process.

Cleansers For Your Kit

Let’s begin with a skin-friendly cleanser that helps prevent acne and dead skin, ensuring a replenished skin tone. Say hello to the F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial by Drunk Elephant. This face mask is recommended by reputable sources to clear your skin just before applying makeup. Next in line is the moisturiser, which is the most important.

Moisturise & Conceal

Cetaphil by Nestle Skincare is a highly reliable moisturiser, especially when it comes to affordability, the reduction of dark spots and maintaining your soft glow.

Dark Peach by Bobbi Brown is here to conceal all your dark marks and make you shine through. Getting the inch-perfect one is a herculean task, but this one matches almost all skin tones and works as a makeup primer.

Foundation & Application

Vitalumiere by Chanel comes in 10 shades for the foundation range. Whilst it is not the most competitive line (Fenty Beauty with 40), it is still one of the finest. Also, a Chanel purchase is on your wish list for everyone who loves beauty. Foundations are much easier to get a hold of than bags, so why not start small?

Then come the brushes and the blenders, which have the most variety when it comes to cosmetics. The Glow Professional Wooden Handle Makeup brushes have been crafted in a traditional wooden design, giving your kit a royal look. The bristles are well-spaced and have a smoothly blended look, but ensure you clean them every four days as that guarantees long-lasting effects.

The Maybelline New York Facestudio Makeup Blender is the most comfortable. It is washable and cushions the skin well, ensuring seamless application.

Eyes For The Kit

Clarins has created The Perfect Eyes and Brows Palette, which lives up to its name! Giving your eyes a detailed and defined finish, the textures have their own tales. To get that flawless mascara and eyeliner, the most vouched for is the Voluminous mascara and the Chanel cream eyeliner. As we all know, eyeliners are both liquids and in pencil form, so choose it or lose it.

We will now head over to the blush, bronzer and highlighter palette, and there are no two ways about the Sephora Collection. It gives you the satin, dewy look you’re internally craving and is an amalgamation of the shimmery shades. It is combined with an eye-shadow palette which is their signature one!

Charlotte Tilbury’s Instant Look of Love is also something to go gaga over. Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette has its fan base, and you will turn into one as it is the perfect combination of bold and bright, garnished with subtle and nude colours.

Lips & Removal

How can we forget lipsticks and tints? Casablanca by Tom Ford and Dragon Girl by Nars are the two we recommend for you. Bobbi Brown Face Mist will help you set it all up at the very end.

Last but not least is the makeup remover; micellar water wipes or Cetaphil’s removal wipes work well for cleaning out and give you supple and rash-free skin. Use this as a guide for some of the best products on the market today for your makeup kit. Be sure to do your research and find the best products for you. Remember that you always want to look presentable and ready for the new season. Not someone who always lives in the past or can’t function during certain times of the year.

Author: Yashika for sseditorial magazine.

[traditional-with-a-twist]

lxxiv. Beauty and Her Beast

<<Previous || first arc || second arc || third arc || fourth arc || AO3

Obi woke to the scent of herbs and mossy earth.

He inhaled, drinking it in: spice…and flowers. Something silken brushed his cheek.

He opened his eyes to a rosy halo, like the sun at dawn.

“Ah…” Obi sighed. “Miss.”

...

His lips curved unconsciously as he looked into her face. “I thought I dreamt you.”

Now the dawn was sweeping across her cheeks, and he loved to see her blush. This was too good, even for a dream.

She spoke now; he heard her say his name in her own voice – “Obi!” — and her confusion was pretty to see.

“Obi, you’re awake!”

“It seems so, miss.”

“But…” She looked down at the bottle she held. “I gave you enough for eight hours…” A frown creased her forehead, and that was lovely, too.

...

Every look, every sound, every shape — he loved it all. Too much, Obi remembered, as his consciousness slowly won out over the traces of drug still swimming in his system. 

The hazy glow was fading; imperfectly suppressed pain had returned to intrude upon him.

It sharpened his mind and reminded him of the realities awaiting.

He hated to give her cause for distress, mar her sweet looks, but better now than prolong and delay it.

...

Obi levered himself upright for an exaggerated stretch, surreptitiously testing the range of his movement.

He swallowed a wince.

Above the waist, it left much to be desired, but his legs would support him, he figured.

...

Shirayuki was caught between scandalized and outraged, but he switched on a wide smile to head her off.

“Not to worry, miss, I’m nearly good as new here,” he said heartily. “Save your medicines – I’ll go as I am.”

This announcement floored her; he could see her blinking as she tried to process it.

Seizing his opportunity, Obi made to swing his legs clear of the bed.

...

He had miscalculated, however; Shirayuki never lacked decision in professional matters.

Her hand shot out, catching his good arm.

“No, Obi,” she told him firmly. “It’s too soon for you to get up. Your body needs more time.”

He gave her his drollest grin. “Really, miss, I’m a medical marvel. You wouldn’t believe how fast my–-” 

He stopped. 

There were tears pooling in her eyes.

...

He had said something, gone too far; he didn’t know how to fix it, so he froze and waited.

“D-don’t leave, Obi,” she gulped. “Please. I was wrong to let you go before.”

The words came spilling out of her — everything she had been longing to tell him since the day she had gone in search of him.

Her hand slid down his arm until she reached his fingers, and then she clung to him, raising his hand to her lips as she had on the night of their wedding.

...

“Please,” she whispered around his fingers. “Stay with me, Obi. I—I love you.”

Something in her lifted as she declared it to him.

Hope lightened her heart, along with the giddiness of suspense, but more than that, she felt the gladness of truth.

At last she knew her own heart, and at long last she had spoken it.

...

Now it was Obi’s turn to sit transfixed.

Her words rushed over him like the surf, washing away everything he had thought he knew and leaving blank sand behind.

Don’t go — she had asked that of him before.

Stay with me — yes, for that, he had pledged his life to hers.

Love, though — he knew of her compassion, her affection, her laughter, her forgiveness for him…but her love?

...

Though he could not have known it, Obi looked as lost and vulnerable in that moment as a new lamb.

Touched to her core, Shirayuki released his hand and reached out to cradle his face between her palms.

His lashes drifted down at her touch then up again as he gazed at her with such tender need that she longed to answer it.

...

“I love you,” Shirayuki said again, and she kissed him, joining their lips as she wished that their lives might be.

A tremor swept through Obi; she leaned back to smile at him.

“I thought,” she offered tentatively, “we might go somewhere new together. We don’t have to stay in Clarines — we can start on a path of our own.”

...

She traced along his temple and the edge of his cheek with her thumb as she spoke, soothing him – but also caressing, for she found she enjoyed touching him and didn’t want to stop.

As her fingertips trailed down the line of his jaw, Obi said slowly, “You mean that.”

She nodded.

His eyes lit. He caught her around the waist with his good arm, dragging her against him.

 Shirayuki cried out for his bandages, his healing, but the warning was lost as his mouth found hers and he kissed her hard.

...

Obi held Shirayuki to him with all his strength, heedless of his muscles’ protest.

A dizzy thought had seized him: that there was nothing between them any longer and no reason to hold himself back from her. 

It flooded him with the exhilaration of leaping from a cliff, and he would never let her go, never – except–

...

Shirayuki had made a sound, low in her throat, muffled by his embrace, and Obi remembered himself.

She was so slight — he was crushing her —

He broke away, stammering apologies. “Sorry! Sorry, miss! Did I…hurt you?”

...

Shirayuki raised her face to his, and her eyes crinkled.

She was smiling — no, laughing — and she gave no answer but to pull him in for another kiss.

Obi’s head spun as she pressed closer, fitting herself to him. He was drinking her in when she drew back, holding him at bay with a fingertip.

“Obi?” she whispered, still close enough that he felt her breath on his skin.

He swallowed hard, trying to concentrate. “Yes, miss?”

...

Shirayuki tilted her head; he could feel her smile against his ear.

“Obi,” she said, low and soft. “I’m not a ‘miss’ anymore.”

He shuddered and caught her in his good arm, wishing with all his might that he could use both.

They were tangling together; he was dropping kisses down the curve of her shoulder, but as his fingers splayed against her side, something gave him pause.

...

Panting, Obi leaned back. Something was different — she had changed shape.

Shirayuki understood the question in his look and smiled. She laid her hand over his, guiding both to rest on the gentle rounding over her stomach.

“Missus,” Obi whispered. “You… you’re…?”

She nodded, her green eyes deep and luminous. 

...

Obi’s face is unreadable as he looks down at their hands. “This…is mine?”

...

Shirayuki starts to laugh again, and tears spill over, sparkling on her cheeks.

Obi’s lips move as if they are remembering how to smile. His whole world has been turned inside out, and now it is upside down, but there is one thing he knows:

“No. No, this is ours.”

He turns his palm up to hers, and their fingers intertwine.

Resting their clasped hands over the precious new life, Obi holds his wife and child close.

This time, he is not letting go.

[machiavellli]

hiii 💕💕

I saw your lip oils recommendations post and I was wondering if you had more cheap recs? I would also love some blush recommendations😊

In my influencing era I guess 💃 (part 1)

I’ve not been testing so many new lip products recently, but here goes nothing. Also before you may ask anything else, I only wear liquid blushes, highlighter and lip products (my fav makeup items), because I find mascara hideous to remove and I don’t like foundation on me. I do love makeup and I sporadically do artistic looks, but I also have a weird way of doing it. Makeups is an art and I respect everyone that does it, however they like it, but on me I personally don’t find cute a full face<3

Lip oils recommendations pt.2 + blushes 🍓✨

•Lip oils•

1. Catrice tinted lip oil | 4,99€

This is my new love. Chef kiss. It’s a thick formula, long lasting (IMO) that leaves a cute stain on your lips. Smells amazing (it’s not too strong tho, if you are sensible to this type of stuff) and it’s really so pretty, this up here is the lightest shade (there are so many! I want to try more ngl), and it’s called 010-Keep it juicy. The effect is very close to the Clarins 02 Raspberry, even if that’s 30€ and does not leave a stain, also the formula is way thicker and I like that. The container doesn’t spills out, easy to reapply during the day. 10/10 for me :)

II. Essence “got a crush on apricots” jelly lip care | 2.49€

I live this lip jelly so much!! It’s really hydrating and the gel-like texture is pretty unique. Has a cute apricots smell (not to harsh!) and is basically transparent. Leaves the lips feeling nourished and doesn’t leave any weird peelings! It’s cheap but it’s pretty worth it. 9/10 only because this is limited edition and I am sad about :,)

III. Catrice Power full 5 Glossy lip oil | 5€ (?)

This is actually not a new entry, but I had it for almost a year now. I have the shade “Raspberry Glow” and it’s such a cute sheer red tint on me. It’s also pretty hydrating, I wasn’t too fond of the smell at first, I would honestly pick the other Catrice lip oil that I showed here over this, but this is a nice product too! Also I know that there are more shades now, some should be even full coverage! I give an 8/10 :) (also yeah I can’t find the price online and I don’t remember it, but it’s wasn’t more than 5€ for sure)

Blush recs in the reblog<3

[didyousaystyle]

the top 10 items to put on your christmas list this festive season:

the secret to gorgeous skin and a gorgeous bathroom cabinet

the ever-classic, ever-practical le pliage

https://www.johnlewis.com/fujifilm-instax-mini-40-instant-camera-with-built-in-flash-hand-strap-black/p5610036?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

to capture all those oh-so-special holiday memories

https://www.johnlewis.com/clarins-hand-and-nail-treatment-balm-100ml/p6053766?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

your hands will thank me later

https://www.johnlewis.com/slip-silk-sleep-mask/pink/p4811896?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

to catch up on some well-deserved Zs after all that partying

https://www.johnlewis.com/totes-wool-and-cashmere-blend-ribbed-ankle-socks/oat/p110638544?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

anyone else’s feet get unexplainably freezing at night?

https://www.johnlewis.com/clarins-lip-comfort-oil/01-honey/p6151964?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

who wouldn’t want a new years kiss from lips this soft?

https://www.johnlewis.com/bala-bangles-0-45kg-1lb-wrist-and-ankle-weights/blush/p5235650?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

pink is scientifically proven to boost motivation, it’s me, I’m the scientist

https://www.johnlewis.com/bobbi-brown-eyes-all-aglow-long-wear-cream-shadow-stick-makeup-gift-set/p110784066?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

please, please someone get me this for christmas

https://www.johnlewis.com/opi-sheer-simplicity-exclusive-infinite-shine-sheer-nail-polish-giftset-3-x-15ml/p110162900?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

there’s absolutely no stopping me when it comes to minis

[sabraeal]

Tangled Among the Roots

[Read on AO3]

The second of my Holiday Gifts this year! This pairing also one its place by a landslide, tying with Suzuri-- while the non-AnS pairings struggled to be chosen, it seems like everyone knew exactly what they wanted from me for this fandom 🤣 This concept also won by a landslide (as if typical with any of the more ‘canon compliant’ options), though the Kain Lives AU put up a spirited competition

“C’mon, Miss.” Obi sprawls on the sill with all the casual abandon popular in portraiture this season, lounging on a slat of wood hardly thicker than her wrist as if it were silk sheets and rose petals. And still, there’s not a single wrinkle in his dress blacks, each seam still ironed and crisp. “You’ve made this thing a hundred times by now. You don’t need to hover over it like it’s going to break.”

It’s unfair, that’s what it is; Shirayuki’s hardly moved and her skirt’s rumpled. Even with all her smoothing, it’s barely made a dent in, well, all her dents.

“It’s not about how many times I’ve made it,” she sighs, crouching down to watch alembic bubble and spit, liquid splashing up just short of the tube. “It’s about why Lord Shinsu’s asked me to make it.”

Obi stretches lazily, like a cat ignoring its name. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“This isn’t going to return his sight.” His lordship hasn’t deigned to let her examine him, at least not any more than what’s polite over dinner, but with the ease he feigns sightedness and the nonchalance he displayed at being discovered, well--

She doubts it’s a new condition, or an unexpected one. “I’m actually not sure what this is supposed to be for,” she admits, squinting down at the recipe. “Hyssop, koko grass, savory-- that must be for taste-- verbena...?”

When she glances up, his grin is waiting, half fondness and half mischief all rolled up into trouble. “Are you asking for my professional opinion, Miss?”

Shirayuki turns before he can catch her blush. “No, I was just talking out loud.”

“You sure?” His smile glints like a knife’s blade, and oh, just as she feared, he didn’t miss it at all. “’The dose makes the poison’ and all that.”

“I’m sure,” she huffs, smothering a laugh. “Koko grass might handle quite a few ailments with the right dose, and the North’s always sworn by hyssop for the same. Combining them is an interesting thought, though I’m not what good it would do.”

Obi shrugs. “Maybe he’s hoping for a miracle.”

“There’s none I know that will bring back sight once it’s faded. There’s a surgery for a very specific condition, but...” Her finger taps out a lively beat on the desk, but it doesn’t dislodge any wisdom in its measure. “His last pharmacist was certainly doing something, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what.”

“Maybe,” he hums, “he was incompetent.”

“I don’t...think so.” She frowns at the parchment, as if her disapproval might make it give up its secrets as easily as it does with Suzu. “If this was all there was to it, I don’t understand why he’d bother with all those requirements. A title in Tanbarun and royal approval from Clarines...”

His shoulder lifts lazily. “Wanted to get a good glance at his niece-in-law?”

The ink pot tips, and it’s only Obi’s quick reflexes that save it from soiling the one copy she has in Pharmacist Abe’s hand. “Miss?”

“Ah, I’m fine.” There’s no way to start this conversation, to say, there’s something I don’t think I made clear. Her hands smooth over her skirt, stilling their tremble. “I just, er...”

“Pharmacist Shirayuki.”

To her credit, Shirayuki doesn’t startle-- after three years of Obi’s sudden comings and goings, the reflex to flinch was trained out long ago-- but Shinsu’s steward looks bemused even so, his stern mouth shadowed by something not quite a smile. “Forgive me, I surprised you.”

“Oh, not at all, Botan!” Her heart may flutter against her ribs like a spooked bird trying to escape its cage, but after the past few days, she can say with confidence, “I’ve had far worse.”

To inform him most of them happened here seems...unnecessary, especially when Obi is already so quick to add, “I’m surprised your lord doesn’t have bells sewn into your shoes. My lady is always telling me I should I wear a few to keep from spooking her.”

They have known Botan for less than a fortnight, but Shirayuki already knows that he’s a man of little words and even fewer expressions. So when his eyebrow twitches, it speaks to her louder than most men shout. “My lord prefers a quiet house. Unnecessary noise distracts far more than it helps.”

“Ah, yes, I suppose he’s already used to, er--” not seeing people coming-- “relying on his other senses.”

Botan does not so much nod as incline his head; an approval of an opinion he must consider obvious. “As you say, mistress. Since we are speaking of my lord, I must confess I am here on his request.”

His glance flits over her alembic, assessing, before he asks, “He wishes to know how much longer he can expect to wait for this next dosage.”

“Ah, just a few more minutes!” Her hands flutter around the flasks, as if anxiousness could urge them to bubble faster. “Once the distillate has collected over here, in this lower bit, all we’ll have to do is wait for it to cool.”

“I see,” Botan hummed, disinterested. “And when will that be.”

“Well, now that it’s all at a boil, it shouldn’t take too long for it to--” Botan clears his throat, a pained expression haunting the corners of his polite mask-- “ah, fifteen minutes. Give or take.”

“Just got to get the glass cool enough it doesn’t shatter when we shove it in the snow,” Obi adds, so helpful. “Gets a little messy if you miss the mark.”

“As you say.” The steward steps nearly to the side of the door, lingering the way chairs do in corners. “I will wait, then, for it to be complete.”

“Ah, there’s no need!” Shirayuki springs around the table, smile bright as she waves her hands. “I’d be happy to bring it by when it’s done. I can oversee his--”

“My lord prefers his medicine to be administered my someone of his household.” His tone is friendly but firm, laying bricks between them with the faintest of smiles.

“Isn’t that what my mistress is? A member of his household?” Obi’s on his feet now, skulking about the edge of the room like a tom prowls his alley. “His Lordship hired her on, didn’t he? Or is there someone else paying her wage?”

Botan’s smile floats stiffly on his face, like a dead thing found in a pond. “Excuse me, sir, I have misspoken. I meant to say, Lord Shinsu prefers to be treated by a trusted member of his staff. You understand.”

What remains of Obi’s humor drains from his expression, leaving only the raw bones beneath. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

Botan’s mouth pulls thin, showing teeth. “Ah, I meant no offense. If the administration of my lord’s treatment is of interest to the pharmacist, perhaps she might send along her assistant...?”

“Ah, that isn’t my--!” Her mouth clamps down around the truth with a wince, hoping the assistant in question isn’t within earshot. The last thing she needs is him swanning in here, smirk slanting as he drawls, I see someone is getting comfortable with being in charge. Perhaps tomorrow you might call me it just to see how it feels. “I mean, ah, he isn’t my, er...”

“I believe the word Mistress Shirayuki is looking for is colleague.” There’s no smirk now, no sneer, only the politest curiosity as a white coat drifts through the threshold, an unfortunately regal face above it. “Or perhaps classmate? We were both under the Head Pharmacist together in Wistal.”

“Lowen! I mean, Master Lowen,” she blurts out, too flushed under Botan’s stare. “What are you--? I mean, you’ve finished with your, um...?”

“I’ve finished with straightening out the stocks, yes.” Lowen smiles with a blinding earnestness, the kind that couldn’t be faked-- except by an inveterate liar. A good thing, then, that His Majesty has so much practice. “But there’s something in the treatment room I’d like to show you. If you don’t mind, of course.”

Shirayuki isn’t one for scowls, but it’s a close thing when it comes to Master Lowen. “I’m afraid I don’t have the time right now. This last dose has to finish distilling for Lord Shinsu, and I can’t really walk away--”

“I can handle it.”

She whips around to stare at Obi, betrayed. “I...but you...?”

His hands fly up, as if that might ward off her disappointment. “Hey, it’s just watching this flame, right? Making sure this whole thing doesn’t boil over?”

“Y-yes.” Her mouth knots up into a frown. “But are you sure you can--?”

“Yeah, I can handle a little fire, Miss.” He glances up to where Izana stands, grin pulling tight. “I think I’ve learned not to burn myself by now.”

Shirayuki hesitates. “All right,” she sighs, stepping away from the table. “I’ll be back to look it over once it’s cooled.”

“Please don’t worry yourself, mistress,” Botan hums, already looking more pleased. “I’m sure we can get along just fine without you.”

Lowen’s mild manners don’t last past the click of the door behind them.

“Come with me,” is her only warning before he turns his back to her, striding down the darkened hall. Gone is the pharmacist’s polite earnestness, dropped like a wet cloak to make way for the king beneath. “This way.”

His stark white coat is her only guide as he navigates through the twisty corridors of Jiran’s pharmacy, drawing her out of its deepest bowels and toward the more public-facing rooms.

“There’s so many labs.” She pauses at a door pushed slightly ajar, glancing at the shrouded tables within. “And stock rooms. Almost as many as Wistal.”

Izana huffs, amused. “It is a lord’s duty to serve his people. Seeing to their well being is a large part of that.”

Shirayuki blinks, guiding the door shut behind her. “So these rooms were all used once?”

“Nearly all.” Lord Shinsu may keep his halls dim, but she still catches the flash of his teeth. “My uncle is a prudent man. By necessity, the manor must house a pharmacy, but he does try to keep their...experiments as far from the main house as possible. Accidents do happen.” She doesn’t see so much as feel his grin widen as he says, “Sometimes with alarming regularity.”

As much as she might like to disagree, Shirayuki does work with Suzu. It’s only been by the grace of Obi’s reflexes she’s kept her eyebrows this long. “Most of us are very careful with out work.”

“Most.” Izana glides to a stop, pushing open a door with the barest touch of his fingertips. “Come, in here.”

All their stumbling through the dark has turned her around, but one step inside-- and the glow of the hand lamp he lights-- gains her bearings. “The east treatment room?”

“I did say that there was something for you to see here.” He swans past as if she were nothing more than an inconvenient obstruction in the stream of his thoughts. “I’m not in the habit of wasting words.”

You could have fooled me, she knows better than to say. However, the urge grows more tempting by the moment. “What is it?” she asks instead, struggling to keep her tone curious rather than contemptuous. “I’ve worked in here for a few days, but I haven’t noticed anything peculiar.”

“I wouldn’t expect you would.” His fingers hook around the edge of a tapestry, sweeping it back to expose not a wall, but a corridor. “Some things take the memory of a curious nephew to find.”

It’s with caution that she approaches the entrance; the last time she believed a prince about hidden tunnels, she ended up knee-deep in canals, ducking poisoned arrows and worse. She would typically credit Izana as possessing more common sense than nature saw fit to give Raj, but...

Well, she’d like to think the king of all Clarines had better things to do than play pharmacist with her for two weeks. And yet, here he was, wearing a coat just as clean and crisp as hers, suffering Botan’s superiority. “What is this?”

“A secret. Come here.” His fingers look so slender when he is at his desk, so delicate, but they close around her wrist now like a vise. How easy it is to forget that he has earned Kiki’s praise as the best blade in Clarines. “It’s just this way.”

She stumbles to keep up with him, shivering as he drags her through what she can only hope is a cobweb. “What is?”

He’s little more than a silhouette in the lamplight, but she sees his chin turn over his shoulder, smirk implied as he says, “You’ll see.”

There is no sense to these corridors; they twist and turn, a warren of passages that must weave around the main house like honeycombs around a queen. When he stops, it’s without warning, her momentum sending her stumbling into his back.

“Ah, sorry!” she squeaks, untangling her limbs from his. “I didn’t mean--”

“Be quiet.”

“I...” She shakes her head, abandoning the thought. There’s no point to finding breath when his attention is already elsewhere, peeping past the raw backing of yet another tapestry.

He nods, a motion made by a man who is more used to royal waves than hurried beckons. “Come, he’s not here. Though it’s still best to keep silent. My uncle’s hearing verges on the supernatural.”

She stumbles out behind him, squinting at where the lamp shines. “Is this...?”

“My uncle’s study.” Izana wastes no time, striding to where the lord’s desk squats in the center of the room, a heavy edifice of Yurisian teak. “If he is busy taking that concoction of yours, we should have plenty of time to find what we need.”

“I-it’s not my concoction!” she sputters, staring at his back. “Abe was the one who--”

He holds up a hand, and to her utter dismay, her mouth clicks shut.

“Either way, he’s not here, and he won’t be here for some time.” There’s a sharp sound of wood sliding against wood, a metal handle jingling as it’s left at rest. “From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t rouse from his chambers for at least a quarter of an hour after he takes it. If not more.”

Odd, considering; the roku liquor might bring relief for more acute conditions, but Shinsu hardly gave off the impression of a man of failing health. Unless she had misunderstood some critical part of its recipe, his medicine was just a fussier version of herbal tea. “What are you doing?”

“Finding topics for tea, of course.” He opens a ledger, then closes it, setting it aside before he reaches for another. “What do you suppose I’m doing?”

“I don’t know,” she admits, wincing as he cajoles another drawer from its track. “Looking for information, I guess? Though I don’t really understand why.”

He glances at her, brows raised. “Why...?”

“Why you would need to hide from him.” It’s second nature to pace, to do something with this energy as she speaks, but she doesn’t dare move, not when a squeaky boot heel could be the difference between success and failure. “You’ve gone through all this trouble to sneak in through the pharmacy, but...he’s your uncle, isn’t he? Couldn’t you just ask?”

A king does not deign to make so base a noise as a snort, but Izana certainly comes close. “The last time I saw my uncle I was little more than a boy. We’re hardly close.”

“Still--”

“This is not the marketplace, Lady Shirayuki. Blood may be a kind of currency among Clarines’s courts, but it is hardly the only one.” He frowns at the ledger in his hands, brows drawing tight. “Shinsu Jiran is northern lord with a pedigree that reaches back to the days of their petty kings. There is little that happens here that he doesn’t know about. And yet...”

He shrugs, both indifferent and hopeless at the same time.

“Sereg.” His shoulders tense at the word. “You think he might have known about Sereg. Or at least about Touka.”

“That or any number of odd occurrences that have happened of late.” Izana may play at casual, but his words are tight, pained. “Even if he had no part in Bergat’s plans, they could not have gone unnoticed. And if they did not, then it begs the question...”

Why wasn’t I warned? He might not be able to bring himself to ask it, but Shirayuki hears it loud and clear. Zen had the same thought, though he’d barely had the time to pry into it, not when he’d been to eager to, er--

Ah, some things are best left unthought. “The passage,” she blurts out, her fingers knitting and unraveling without anything better to occupy them. “Why is there a secret passage going from the pharmacy to...?”

“Hundreds of years ago, when this manor was first build, the Lord Jiran who lived in it made this his bedchamber.” The lamp casts odd shadows from where it rests on the desk, but she can see Izana’s chin clear enough, nodding toward another tapestry on the wall. “He married well, a king’s daughter-- the Northern one, not my father’s people-- but he had a mistress among the maids. With a much less prestigious wife, he might have kept her without comment, but a princess...”

She can barely make out the stitching the shadows, but there’s enough color to make out a tree, like the one she’d seen on the servants’ livery. “I’d imagine that might not go over well.”

“To put it mildly. Loving her was a scandal he could ill afford.” Izana huffs, too amused. “It seems some things really do breed true.”

It would be easy to balk, to tell him that he had not been the only Wisteria that had thought to come to his uncle’s house and keep an eye on her. No hardship at all to lay her frustrations bare, to say to him the words she had bitten back for Zen--

But she bites her cheek instead, copper coating her tongue. “So these changes are...recent?”

Izana nods absently, busy shuffling through a stack of letters he’s liberated from a locked drawer. “The maids’ quarters had long since moved-- as much as I would like to think my antecedents were more pragmatic, I assume they were more discreet, or at least less devoted. When my uncle became lord he thought it prudent to keep his old bedchamber-- his vision had been fading, even then-- but furnished this room as his study.”

“But why?” Her finger trace over the tapestry, and letters seem to rise up beneath her fingers; Haruto here, and Shinsu not far away. She reaches up for the the Z of Zen to tickle her fingers. “That’s a lot of effort to be able to visit the pharmacy in private.”

“As I’m sure you’ve surmised, my uncle has been ill for a long time.” His words have the ease of ones often spoken, an excuse ready to be given, and yet there’s something beneath that carefully casual tone, a bitterness not even experience has wrung from them. “In the south we suffer our invalid lords, perhaps even make accommodations for them in the council. But the North likes their earls whole and hearty. One must make do with they lot they are given.”

Her palms trail down, the names unfamiliar, fading into obscurity. “But there’s nothing wrong with him! I mean, aside from the obvious.”

“So it might seem,” Izana allows, each word neatly clipped. “But who knows what secrets lie among the roots of Jiran’s tree?”

The strange names itch beneath her fingertips; Masatane here, Kanami there. Yurina lays beneath her thumb, a woman too far back to even be a memory. “If he’s had such easy access to the pharmacy, and why does he never use it?”

His teeth flash in the lamplight “Hardly never. That’s what that steward of his has been using.”

“Botan?” She blinks, fingers curling away from the fabric. “They why hasn’t said anything? It would be so much easier for me to simply carry it up--”

“Because Lord Jiran doesn’t want you to know about it.” One eyebrow lifts, impossible shapes forming in the shadows of it. “My mother’s people are a wary lot, Lady Shirayuki, and you have too many friends. Powerful ones.”

“Isn’t that why he invited me here?” she asks, crossing to where he stands. “He was the one that required applications to hold titles from Tanbarun and have a recommendation from the royal court. He couldn’t have been expecting anyone else.”

“I think--” a laugh haunts the corners of his words-- “my uncle wanted to make your measure. See if you were everything the rumors made you out to be.”

“Rumors?” It’s hard to cross the room in the dark; Shinsu might know where every twist in the carpet lay, but she doesn’t, nearly catching her toe on a clawed foot before she makes it to the safe harbor of the lamp’s light.“You mean, from Eisetsu?”

“No. Count Rugilia’s word wouldn’t count for much with my uncle. He’s too young, too much in trouble after that business with the perfume.” His mouth hooks into a smirk. “No, he gets his gossip from Wistal. It might be old news, but the folk still talk of the red haired pharmacist who’s caught the eye of prince.

If there’s one thing comforting about the dark, it’s that Izana will never know she grimaces.

“And as you know, the Jirans have a history of loving infamously. My uncle must have been worried that his dear nephew had fallen into some trap--”

“Well, he doesn’t need to!” Heat burns at her cheeks, mortification loosening her tongue at the same times it hones it to an edge. “I’ve already told Zen that I have no interest in being a princess!”

It’s not often that she catches Izana left-footed, but as he stares down at her, eyes so wide they could be the abyss itself, she realizes she’s done it. If only it hadn’t been in the worst way possible. “I’m sorry,” he manages, faintly, “could you run that by me again, Lady Shirayuki.”

“Ah, I, um--”

He holds up yet another infuriating hand, but this time she’s determined not to let it stop her-- at least, not until he hisses, “Shush. Do you hear that?”

“What--?”

His hand wraps firmly over her mouth. “Listen.”

She hears it now, tick-tack-click, tick-tack-click. Footsteps, though not the clomp of a scholar’s boots, or the shy shush of a servant hesitant to impose even the barest noise upon their lord. No, this is the clack of hard-soled shoes, the sort that only the well-to-do in Lilias could afford, plus--

Ah, plus a cane. “Shinsu,” she gasps, the sound muffled against his palm. Izana’s searches have been neat, orderly even, but there’s still too much sprawled out on his desk, papers covered in strange little bumps that shadow every text in the manor. “What are we going to do?”

The pace in the hall quickens.

A swear catches between Izana’s teeth. “I’m afraid, Mistress Shirayuki, that I’ll have to ask you to forgive me.”

In Wirant, Zen had drawn her close behind the curtains, his hand burning hot against her back. The city had bustled outside those windows, but she’d hardly noticed, not when his lips urged her to reach for him, to search for the spark that would make her thoughts burn the way he sighed into her shoulder.

Not everyone gets hot and bothered, Yuzuri had told her, I mean, I do, but some people like making out for the intimacy, not for, er, you know, sexy stuff.

It’d been easy to assume that was her. Sure, she’d felt frisson in those first few kisses, her surprise making static zip through her spine and settling her limbs to tingle. But now that excitement had settled, turning into a kind of comfort, a familiarity she thought she could fan into a smolder given time.

Not fast enough, though, not for either of them. Guilt had gnawed at her as he rode away, reading fault in the way his shoulders slumped and whispering blame with every sigh. And yet, yet--

There was relief too, more of it than grief. It was fairer this way, wasn’t it? He would no longer waste time trying to coax cold coals to embers, and she-- well, she would no longer have to try to burn.

A state of affairs she would have been happy to live with, if only she had never learned she could catch flame at all.

Izana has always gone to great pains to obscure his body-- oh, the other young women in the pharmacy used to sigh over the fit of the first prince’s trousers, but the rest of his wardrobe had been billowing shirts and waistcoats cut to accentuate the narrowness of his chest, every seam tailored to emphasize length and leanness over strength. But his arm cinches around her now, and it might as well be a band of steel, still hot from the forge. There’s no polite distance, no question in the way he yanks her to him, so close that when his breath catches she feels it rumble beneath her palms, like a kitten’s purr in a grown man’s body.

“Why...?” The sound rattles behind his cupped fingers, and-- and that’s enough to remind him that they’re there, still muffling her every breath, His palm peeling from her lips with all the grace of a banana losing its peel, and yet they tingle from the loss, a phantom pressure so acute her hand’s half raised before she realizes she’s moved at all.

“Oh...” She blinks, turning it front-to-back, then back again. “I didn’t think...?”

“Good.” He catches her wrist, his mouth burning a brand over her pulse before he urges her, “Don’t.”

His lips slot against hers, stoppering up whatever words might try to escape. It’s unnecessary-- the moment his mouth drags over hers, changing from a firm press to a teasing flutter, she loses all of them. The nails of one hand curling into his coat to hold her steady, and she’s not-- this isn’t--

This is different. Not the gentle question she’s used to, a careful probing of the embers to see what might take light. Oh no, this is a conversation, one she’s drawn into the same way a flame is lured into a conflagration, fed with just the barest hint of something more before it pulls away, making her chase, making her tease.

His mouth opens against hers, coaxing hers to match. It’s all the encouragement she needs to grip at his sleeves and pull him down, making him that much easier to hold.

Never one to cede the advantage, Izana’s hips urge her back, not stopping until she hits the hard limit of her tailbone against teak, both too solid to give way. It’s terrible standing there, unwilling to let him go but unable to give herself the inches to rise up. He’s too close and too far all at once, both overwhelming and not enough.

A slender hand curls beneath her thigh, the heat of his palm scorching even through her stockings, but she can’t complain, not when he’s lifting her, each finger gripping hard enough to bruise. A gasp jolts out of her when her bottom settles on the wood, a little chill even with a wool dress to cover her, but Izana seizes the opportunity to sweep his tongue past her lips. It curls over the roof of her mouth, his taste flooding her, and she-- she--

And she bites down. Hard enough to hurt by the sound he makes, but it’s not a protest, not at all. His hips nudge between her thighs, urging her open against him, and-- and there’s something hard pressing into her belly, something that isn’t so controlled as the rest of the king, and--

Someone coughs. Politely.

“Oh!” she gasps, bracing her elbows against him to gain some space. “Oh.”

“I thought I might wait until you finished.” Shinsu may be the youngest of the Jirans, but in this light he seems more cousin than uncle. “I suppose it is impossible for me to be a voyeur in the strictest sense, but your breathing suggested the situation might become...quite scandalous, should I wait.”

“Ah, Lord-- Lord Shinsu.” She squirms off the desk-- or at least tries. One wiggle and Izana clasps her tighter, his groan muffled into her hair. “I’m-- I’m so sorry, I can--”

“No.” Izana gathers himself-- or rather, gathers Lowen, stepping away from her with a smile that wouldn’t melt butter. “Let me explain, Shirayuki.”

It’s terrible how good her name sounds in his mouth. “We stumbled across this passage quite by accident, and when we found ourselves alone for the first time in weeks, well...” He shrugs, so humble. “Surely you can’t blame us, my lord.”

Not much vision of Shinsu’s vision may remain to him, but oh, he stares with the intensity of man in full possession of his sight. “For the past three years I have heard of nothing but how hard you take your brother to task for his dalliance. And now, not two weeks into your stay, I find you not only doing the same thing, but with the same girl?” He sighs, weary. “Just what am I going to tell your mother?

Izana’s breath hisses through his teeth. “Uncle, you...?

“Oh, come now.” Shinsu’s mouth slants into a smirk. “Do you really think me so much a fool I wouldn’t recognize my own nephew?”

“But...” Shirayuki blinks. “He said you hadn’t seen each other in years...?”

“We haven’t. Now, take a seat.” The Lord of Jiran’s mouth curves into a smirk that is unfortunately all-too familiar. “I think we have quite a lot to talk about, don’t you?”

[maisondeliam]

makeup + skincare recs for my friends!!

something im doing for funsies since im getting more into beauty products :-) if anyone randomly stumbles across this feel free to use the recs for urself!

ELLA

Eyes

L'Oreal Telescopic Lift Mascara in Black Brown

NYX Epic Wear Liquid Eyeliner

Too Faced Major Love Mini Eyeshadow Palette (weird theme but the shades r so good)

Milani Gilded Nude Palette

Cheeks

e.l.f Luminous Putty Blush in Maui

Essence The Blush in Believing

Winky Lux Cheeky Rose Highlighter in Champagne

Lips

e.l.f Hydrating Core Lip Shine in Happy

r.e.m beauty Essential Drip Lip Oil in Pickin' Petals

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Rose

Benefit Cosmetics Liquid Lip Tint in Floratint (doubles as a liquid blush!)

ISABELLE

Eyes

L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara

Clinique Quickliner in Intense Ebony (you can blend it out w/ an angled brush and it would slay also)

r.e.m beauty Midnight Shadows Eyeshadow Palette in groovy baby

Colourpop All Amethyst Pressed Powder Palette

Cheeks

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Encourage (will last you FOREVER but it takes a learning curve to use it right bc of the formula)

Milani Baked Highlighter in Rosa Italiana

Lips

rom&nd Glasting Melting Balm in Coco Nude

Too Faced Too Femme Heart Core Lipstick in Never Grow Up

Fenty Beauty Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain in Mai Type

NYX Suede Matte Lipstick in Brunch Me

NYX Suede Matte Lipliner in Cannes

RAVANA

Eyes

Clinique High Impact Mascara

MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline Eyeliner in Lowlights

Essence Super Precise Eyeliner

Morphe 9T Neutral Territory Artistry Palette

Too Faced Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette

Cheeks

NARS Mini Blush in Orgasm X

NYX Sweet Cheeks Creamy Powder Blush in Summer Breeze

Colourpop Super Shock Highlighter in Wisp

Essence Kissed By The Light Face Illuminator in Sun Kissed

Lips

Maybelline Lifter Gloss in Topaz

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Ice Cooling Lip Luminizer

Essence Heart Core Fruity Lip Balm in Cherry (has a bit of tint!)

LYNDSEY

Eyes

Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara

Wet n' Wild Megaliner Liquid Eyeliner

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Starfire

Colourpop Sweet Talk Eyeshadow Palette

Juvia's Place Warrior II Eyeshadow Palette

Cheeks

Benefit Cosmetics WANDERful World Powder Blush Mini in Shellie

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Melon Pop

Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight in Mesmerize (will last you FOREVER but it takes a learning curve to use it right bc of the formula)

Lips

MAC Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick in Lady Bug

Benefit Cosmetics Liquid Lip Blush and Cheek Tint in Benetint (doubles as a liquid blush!)

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Heat in Hot Cherry

NYX Butter Gloss in Rocky Road

ANNA

Eyes

Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara

L'Oreal Infalliable Grip Gel Mechanical Eyeliner

Too Faced Natural Eyes Neutral Eyeshadow Palette

Colourpop Sage The Day Pressed Powder Palette

Cheeks

e.l.f Powder Blush Palette

Benefit Cosmetics Dandelion Twinkle Highlighter Mini

Lips

r.e.m beauty On Your Collar Plumping Lip Gloss in scrunchie

Clarins Lip Comfort Oil in Pitaya

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Zurich

e.l.f Hydrating Core Lip Shine in Joyful

LUCY

Eyes

r.e.m beauty Flourishing Lengthening Mascara

NYX Epic Ink Vegan Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

Morphe 18T Truth or Bare Artistry Palette

Milani Guilded Terra Eyeshadow Palette

Cheeks

Pixi On-The-Glow Blush in Juicy

Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Sunset Glow

Makeup Revolution Highlight Reloaded in Dare to Divulge

Lips

Essence Extreme Shine Volume Lipgloss in Nude Mood

Urban Decay Vice Hydrating Lipstick in Dtla

r.e.m beauty Essential Drip Lip Oil in lavender kiss

Fenty beauty Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain in Berry Banger

MISCELLANEOUS + SKINCARE

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint are my fav concealers!

Morphe Continuous Setting Mist is one of my fav setting mists!

I use a mix of CeraVe, The Ordinary, and Good Molecules for skincare! The Cerave cleansers and daily lotion have become my non-negotiables, if u dont already have a skincare routine i recommend them

The LANIEGE Lip Sleeping Mask works so well and is def worth the splurge, but it has a scent so if sickeningly sweet scents give you a headache it might be best to stay away from the sweet candy version

I just use Kroger Brand micellar cleansing water as a makeup remover, but I recommend Garnier's! Especially this rose water and glycerin one (which i think lyn might already have LMFAO)

Cleansing balm is a bit more expensive but honestly works a little better than the micellar cleansing water and it doesn't take much product to get a clean face, my fav is the e.l.f cleansing balm

For pimple spot treatment, I use neutrogena rapid clear

My dermatologist told me to use the dove beauty bars since bar soap doesn't dry your skin out like liquid soap and it is SO GOOD, i use those alongside my philosophy 3-in-1 as an exfoliator + extra wash

this was fun to do, i hope u guys enjoy the recs! <3

[shellyvizanko]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: NEW CLARINS FOREVER DIAMONDS MAKE UP PALETTE.

[thetruetherapy]

Get ready for fun as Rimsha and Aishwarya take on a makeup challenge where every step is a surprise! Watch as they pull chits to decide their beauty routine. It's spontaneous, it's exciting, and it's all about embracing the unexpected! Products used in the video: Rimsha: 1. Foundation: Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer - WN 46 Golden Neutral 2. Concealer: L'Oreal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer - 314 3. Mascara: Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Sky High Waterproof Mascara – Black 4. Lipstick: Clarins Lip Perfector # 01 - Rose Shimmer 5. Blush : M.A.C Matte Powder Blush – Mocha 6. Eyeshadow: Lakme Absolute Spotlight Eye Shadow Palette Sundowner 7. Highlighter: Sugar Own The Light Liquid Highlighter - 03 Lass Lustre Aishwarya: 1. Foundation: Kay Beauty Hydrating Foundation - 145N Medium 2. Concealer: Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer - 25 Medium 3. Mascara: M.A.C Stack Waterproof Mascara 4. Lipstick: M.A.C Lustre glass Sheer-Shine Lipstick - Spice It Up 5. Blush : Kay Beauty Matte Blush - Coral Charm 6. Eyeshadow: M.A.C Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette X6 - Embedded In Burgundy 7. Highlighter: Makeup Revolution London Pro Illuminate Here's a comprehensive makeup tutorial featuring SS Beauty products available at ShoppersStop. Follow these steps for a flawless look: Start with foundation, followed by concealer, mascara, setting powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner, highlighter, blush, and finish off with lipstick.

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[traditional-with-a-twist]

lxvi. Beauty and Her Beast

<<Previous || first arc || second arc || third arc || fourth arc || AO3 || Next>>

Shirayuki was counting out coins to pay for the herbs when Kiki moved.

Suddenly she stood between Shirayuki and the crowd, with the apothecary’s counter at their backs. Shirayuki caught her breath, pulse quickening at the forewarning of violence.

She glanced towards the herbs arrayed behind her — their vendor looking around in confusion — there were pepper dusts and sneezing agents and many other irritants that would cause enough discomfort to hamper an enemy, but how to warn Kiki or any of the bystanders?

It wasn’t worth the risk of harming her friend, or other innocents, by accident.

Instead Shirayuki gripped the lacing of her hood and prepared to run.

...

She was just tall enough — she peeked over Kiki’s shoulder and saw the source of the disturbance.

A tall curvy woman with gleaming hair stood grinning at them, barely an arm’s length away. She set both hands on her hips, showing off her ample figure and also showing her empty hands –not that they would be far from grasping a weapon, should she hold it concealed somewhere about her generous sash or the wide belt beneath it.

Her posture bespoke confidence, but not a threat; Shirayuki felt herself relax fractionally.

...

Kiki, however, kept her guard up. She had not drawn her weapon —to do so would risk inciting panic in the crowded marketplace, to say nothing of the legal action that might follow if she could not show proper cause — but she maintained a fighting stance, angled with one foot back, and she rested her hand on the hilt of her sword.

When the woman didn’t speak, only smiled, Kiki shifted as if to draw her charge away.

“Wait,” Shirayuki broke out suddenly. “Kiki, wait—we know her!”

The stranger, now recognized, crinkled her eyes into crescents of delight. “The lady remembers,” she purred.

Kiki made no gesture of assent, only kept her gaze fixed on the other woman.

...

Indeed, it was not likely that she could have forgotten such a face, under such circumstances as Shirayuki now recalled — the inn, the dinner, the teasing, the empty bed, the dark manor, the crash in the trees, the open wound.

Had she forgotten, though, that key point — the most important detail?

“Kiki,” Shirayuki persisted. “She knows Obi!”

“Ah,” said the woman, with a knowing tilt of her head. “So you’re the one he’s running from.”

. . .

Kiki bought them all drinks at the tavern: cider, hot and spiced.

If Torou would have preferred stronger stuff, she made no mention of it, kept her complaints to herself. 

Traces of wildness clung to her, even as they did to Obi, and Shirayuki looked at her with mingled hope and yearning.

Torou was the closest link to him that Shirayuki had found in what felt like an interminably long time, the nearest chance they had of finding him.

For the moment, however, she was playing coy.

...

“Mmmm…” Torou drained her mug. “You do know how to eat, you knightly people! Ah, but what’s happened to your friend – the tall handsome one? Now, him, I wouldn’t have minded seeing again…”

“He is unavailable,” said Kiki, impassive.

Torou heaved a sigh. “Too bad…but what would two fine ladies like yourselves want with a ne’er-do-well like that Obi?” 

She winked.

Shirayuki looked back steadily. Without blush or stammer, she said, “He is my husband.”

...

Torou, for all her arts and all her experience, could not keep her composure so well.

She blanched.

“Your… you mean…” Her mouth opened wide, hesitating between a laugh and a gape of astonishment. “You mean… he tied himself down to a —”

“I was a royal pharmacist of Clarines,” Shirayuki said, proud and erect. “He was my guard.”

...

Torou lapsed into silence, staring at her. Occasionally, her angled auburn eyes darted to Kiki, as if to probe at the knight for explanation, but Kiki remained as unreadable as if she had been wearing a visor.

At last Torou said, low and gravelly, “So he was yours… and you lost him.”

...

Kiki’s eyes narrowed fractionally; the air between them chilled.

Shirayuki only shook her head. “He left,” she corrected Torou gently, and her voice was suffused with sadness.

Kiki laid a hand on her shoulder, not shifting her gaze.

...

Torou slouched in her seat, regarding the pair of them. She didn’t like to discover a new angle in a game she had thought she knew, a line of thinking that cast all the rest in a different light.

Obi’s reception at the inn felt more personal now, knowing that he had behaved that way out of some sense of obligation to another woman.

She prided herself on breaking down such petty objections.

Besides, what was there left for her to gain, since Obi had taken himself out of the game entirely? He was boring now — no good to anyone.

...

She might have left then, made her excuses or simply slipped away and left them none the wiser—but there was just one more factor to consider.

Obi might be useless, but he was definitely in danger.

The knight was competent, and the lady was the key to it all.

If Torou wanted to find him, she would meet with no better chance.

...

She surveyed the two women again, appraising them: slight and fine-featured; one sweet, the other sharp.

Obi’s wife — his wife! — had the eyes of a child, wide, open, clear.

She was unremarkable in looks, Torou thought, but for the tendrils of brilliant red that curled like flame at the edges of her hood.

...

Obi had always liked playing with fire, but this time he had shut himself in a furnace.

...

Torou had all but made up her mind by then, but transparency and decision were not in her nature.

Rather than declare herself, she threw out a lure. 

“I see, how very sad, and that’s why you came this way then…but of course you know that he isn’t here.”

...

She might as well have teased an icicle for all the reaction this produced from Kiki, but Shirayuki took the bait.

Leaning forward, she fixed Torou with her luminous eyes. “Please, if you’ve seen him–if you know where he is, please tell us. I would be so grateful.”

...

Not much of an appeal, but Torou had her own reasons for playing along. “As it so happens, I was thinking of going that way myself,” she mused, tapping her chin.

She paused, casting the other women a sideways glance. “Is it a good idea, though? He left, you say… then what good is it to me, if he won’t be happy to see you?”

The hit sank home.

Shirayuki’s gaze dropped, and she tucked her chin.

...

Kiki’s eyes were boring into Torou, but neither spoke — it was for Shirayuki to answer.

At last she drew breath and said, “I just want him to know — I want to tell him… not to leave because of me. He should know that…”

She raised her head. 

“...that I want us to be together.”

Something in the simplicity of this touched Torou, beneath all the layers of cynicism and self-interest. 

Her mind flashed back to what had rekindled her interest in Obi in the first place — that something different, an indescribable change that cast him anew. 

Here it was again, in this slip of a woman.

Torou didn’t know what it was, but it spoke to her.

...

With more sincerity than she would have thought possible of herself, Torou replied, “If that’s the way of it, then follow me, and I won’t say no — but I will say you’re headed the wrong way.

“He’s gone east.”

[csoisoi]

volume 24 extras

[meaninginmakeup]

Primers- Photo Loving Primer by Nyx Cosmetics and Original Priming Potion by Urban Decay.

Eyeshadow- Summer Fling, Rosé All Day, then Barely There above the crease. Next was Jetset in the crease and outer half of the lid. When I wanted it darker, I then applied Taupeless and Good As Nude to the outer half of my lids. Then I applied Summer Fling and then Oh, Sandy! on the inner half of my lids, all previously listed shadows from the You're a Natural Palette by Laura Geller, courtesy of the brand and BeautyTap. Lastly I added Elecktra from the Alter Ego Palette by Private Society Cosmetics, and Super Shock Shadow in Glitterati by Colourpop (no longer sold) on the inner half of my lids for some added glitter.

Mascara- Lash Alert by Eyeko and On the Rise by Nyx Cosmetics.

Setting Spray- Oil Control by Skindinavia.

Powder- Agent Carter Finishing Powder by Besame Cosmetics.

Cheeks- Baked Blush-N-Brighten Duo in Ethereal Rose and Subtle Sateen Berry by Laura Geller, courtesy of BeautyTap.

Concealer- Pretty Fresh in Fair15 by Colourpop, Conceal and Define in C3 by Makeup Revolution, Studio Finish Concealer in NW15 by Mac.

Lipstick- Lip Comfort Oil Shimmer in shade 04 Intense Pink Lady by Clarins, courtesy of the brand and Influenster.

You can read my reviews for the Laura Geller Shadow Palette and Cheek duo on BeautyTap here, and my Clarins Lip Oil review on Influenster here! If you wish to leave a tip for this blog, you can do so here.

[essentiallyessence]

Clarins Summer Bronzing & Blush Compact ❤ liked on Polyvore (see more clarins blushes)

[sabishi-tomo]

AnS Chapter 131 Rough Summary

Since the full translation of the latest chapter won't be out for another week or more, I did a rough translation for the starving ZenYuki fans in the AnS Discord. I was asked to post it on Tumblr too, so here it is! It's under the cut for peeps who want to avoid spoilers.

Note that I have mediocre proficiency in Japanese so there may be inaccuracies. There's a reason I'm editor on the Clarines Press team and not the translator!

Summary under the cut!

The OT5 have dinner

So, at first, the OT5 are talking about Ryuu and his new assignment. Mitsuhide expresses surprise because originally he didn't think Ryuu would fit in Lilias. Obi says this subject still makes Shirayuki sad, Mitsuhide apologizes for bringing it up. Shirayuki says it's okay because she'll continue to feel like that for a while. Zen talks about Garak moving to respond to the wishes of her precious students, Kiki mentions having been worried about Ryuu being buried in the snow when he first came to Lilias. Then, Mitsuhide mentions that he was shocked to see Ryuu talk to so many people at the Rugilia estate (he's referring to after the perfume incident was over).

That reminds Zen about the Rugilia Banquet. Zen asks if Shirayuki and Obi cleared up Lord Eisetsu's misunderstanding. Shirayuki and Obi are confused at first but then they understand what he's talking about.

Mitsuhide: What happened? Kiki: To keep Eisetsu-sama from approaching Shirayuki, Hisame-dono made him believe that she was in love with Obi. Obi: It's a misunderstanding that Kiki-jo's husband needs to clear up. Zen: I don't understand how Kiki's fiance did it... Mitsuhide (to Shirayuki): How did you do it? Kiki: 10 seconds. [Gotta love our girl Kiki, so concise.]

Anyway, Zen cuts of the 10 second count at 8 seconds since Shirayuki starts combusting at the 7 second mark. Mitsuhide: I understand now... Shirayuki: I'm sorry... There's some banter between Kiki and Obi, and then- Zen: If you guys want to keep talking about the evening party you were at and drink, do what you want. Mitsuhide: I wasn't there, though... Zen: Shirayuki, let's have tea at the market.

Obi, Mitsuhide, and Kiki high five each other as soon as Zen and Shirayuki leave. Mitsuhide accidentally demonstrating the '10 seconds-to-fall-in-love' thing was no accident 🤭. By goading Zen, they were giving Shirayuki and Zen an opportunity to leave and have some alone time.

Obi's conversation with Mitsuhide and Kiki

Obi jokes about Zen not taking him out (but at least Zen bought him a drink). Kiki reminds Obi that he got a chance to talk to Zen at the Rugilia mansion after the perfume incident. Obi says they haven't exhausted convo yet. Mitsuhide says Shirayuki said not to bug Obi (at Rugilia mansion) because he was resting. Obi says that's weird because he does rest when he's with Shirayuki. Mitsuhide seems to disagree about whether Obi is truly resting.

Kiki: I guess Shirayuki got to know Obi well in their time together. Mitsuhide (seeing Obi's surprised face): Hmm? Is it surprising? Shirayuki cherishes you and your relationship with her. You don’t think it’s just your own will alone by which you are staying by Shirayuki’s side, do you? Obi: No... I know that in my own way. The young miss tells me that kind of thing. There's some more banter between Kiki and Obi. Kiki: I wonder where Zen and Shirayuki went. Mitsuhide: Ah~! I think they're going back to the base for a cup of tea. You see, we're leaving together tomorrow. That's why I left a room next to Zen's for Shirayuki to sleep in. Obi: What about me? Mitsuhide: You have a room in the base.

Zen and Shirayuki's date

Zen: I want to see if you are red. Why hide it? And then he says the Japanese expression of fond exasperation "まったく / mattaku". Anyway, I interpreted it as Zen wanting to see Shirayuki's blush from her staredown with Mitsuhide. Shirayuki: Thanks to the street lights, we still have time. (This is a reference to the end of last chapter, where Zen said it was already dark even though they finally had time together) Zen: Like this, the night will be longer.

Zen: Which tea stalls are good? Where should we sit? Shirayuki: Um, Zen, you're going back to your room at the base, right... Zen: Yeah... should we go back? There's only one room though... Shirayuki: (Shirayuki falters here a bit about what she wants to say) I... I still. I still wanted to stay with Zen. If you'll give me some time. I want to talk and drink flower tea until we get sleepy. Shirayuki: L-Lucian flower tea is what I want... Shirayuki (blushes then points): I think it's in the stall up there! I'll get you some.

Zen: Shirayuki, let's go together... (Shirayuki has run off)

Shirayuki remembers previous convo, from the inn in Ch 100. Zen had asked her then [What type of flower is in this tea?]. She basically ran off to compose herself because she is having trouble expressing her true desire of wanting to stay at the inn from last time.

Note that this is the inn that serves great food and tea, but you have to check-in for the night, it's not a restaurant. Last time, when they were trapped in the snowstorm, Shirayuki was uncomfortable because they were seemingly unchaperoned (they didn't know that Obi, Mitsuhide, Kiki were there too) and she probably doesn't want to burden Zen by going through that again. Last time she said, "Is it really okay for me to share the same room as his Highness, Prince Zen?"

Shirayuki (to herself): No matter how long you want to stay, we can’t stay at an inn. It's okay, Zen didn't realize. Zen comes back to find Shirayuki. Zen: Did you say Lucian? It's not here. Before, I had a cup of that flower tea with you.

Thanks to @alexmeli50 for the raws!