volume ii.
putting on my face
~
~
Step 1: Floss
Cover Girls don't wear breakfast
between their molars.
Step 2: Brush Teeth
Until the vibration patterns
of the toothbrush begin changes
in pulse,
signally that two minutes
have passed--
the minimum
for how long you must brush
so as to ensure optimal dental hygiene.
Next is charcoal.
I imagine it tastes
the way flames must--
bitter and black
like charred fire logs.
How I burn
for a chance to be lovely,
teeth a scintillating white,
like a string of pearls worn about
a flapper girl's collar bone.
Step 3: Moisturizer
The tube wheezes
as I attempt to excavate the
remaining morsels of lotion
from its limp body.
I knead what is leftover
into the dry fissures of my skin.
Step 4: Primer
I await the masterpiece
(it never arrives).
Step 5: Eyeshadow
I am not in the sixth grade anymore.
I've finally mastered the art
of colouring inside the lines
by utilizing the precise end
of an angled makeup brush.
Having graduated from
the primary colour wheel,
I only play with Metallics now.
I want to be The Golden Girl.
But with the passing of a few hours,
the gold with have melted away
to reveal sad, waterfall eyes.
Step 6: Green Concealer
Rosy cheeks
flower in splotches
of unflattering pink.
I force them into wilting.
Autumn has arrived early this year.
Step 7: Foundation
These crimson precipices
take cover beneath freshly painted skin.
If I do not wash my artist's brush
before the next use,
they will sprout anew atop my forehead
come the next morning.
Step 8: Blush
The artifical rouge of my cheeks
is preferable to their natural pigment.
Step 9: Highlighter
I still don't know
how to contour;
how to Houdini my nose
into smallness
to conceal its beak-like slant.
(when will ugly duckling
transform into Swan?)
So maybe if I cake it
in rose gold highlighter
it will be big and arched--
but big and arched and
magnificent
like the steep decline
of Mount Olympus.
I pray to Aphrodite
for a nose as brilliant
as hers must be.
Step 10: Eyeliner
Black, magpie wings
spread towards my temples.
But never on the first attempt.
I apply.
Too thick.
I remove.
I apply.
Angle's too sharp.
I remove.
I apply.
smudge.
I remove
I apply--
then on to the next broken wing.
After all,
magpies have always
had an unfortunate habit
of swooping far too low
towards the pavement,
straight into the vortex
of oncoming traffic.
Step 11: Mascara
When I rub it off
after work each day,
it makes the bags
under my eyes look heavier.
There is a fine line between beauty and exhaustion.
Sometimes,
I can hardly tell the difference
Step 11: Eyebrows
It doesn't matter
how much of myself
I fill in--
I am always empty.
Image Source:
Melanie Martinez plastic surgery Mrs. Potato Head gif (n.d.). [image] Available at: https://weheartit.com/entry/268580824 [Accessed 11 Sep. 2019].
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