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April, 2013 - The Seventh Sphinx - Page 14

details: what’s in my makeup bag?

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I really like finding out what is in people’s bags and makeup bags–it can be so telling, and so instructive–so I’m going to show you the current contents of mine.

I carry my various cosmetic bits in this great Korean pencil case, which is partially obscured by the Visine but which reads ‘things I like to do?’, which things include, ‘listening to pop music?’, ‘shaping up myself?’, ‘fulfill my dreams?’, ‘making a good shape?’.

Compact and thought-provoking.

The things in the bag are not as relevant as the categories of the things: sunscreen, lip balm, lip tint and/or lipstick, eye cream, moisturizer…the items rotate but the categories are consistently represented.

What’s inside:

Maybelline Color Whisper in Cherry on Top – a bright pop of pink, effortless to apply, fairly moisturizing formula. Also doubles as a cheek tint. I think these and the Revlon Balmstains are my favorite of the sheer tints every brand seems to have come out with recently. Actually there would usually be a Revlon Balmstain in my bag…but it has proven that it cannot be trusted (the cap fell off). [I used to carry eyeliners but they have been likewise banished. Anyone making an eyeliner with a screw cap yet?]

Ole Henriksen Vitamin C sunscreen – trying to ingest, apply, and generally incorporate more Vitamin C. I just throw in whatever sunscreen samples I have on hand, but this is a particularly nice one.

e.l.f. Nourishing Cuticle Pen – amazing use of $1. I love this thing. I have several strategically placed throughout my environment.

Visine – for dry eyes or for taking down redness in the face.

nail clippers – these have proven useful in so many non-cosmetic circumstances, I always carry some in my bag.

Kiehl’s Lip Balm – OK, not great, but OK, and can double as an all-purpose ointment when needed.

Clinique Even Better dark spot corrector – what is this even doing in here? I don’t think this is working as well as the other products I have for the purpose, but…I’ll use up the sample.

Caudelie Premier Cru eye cream – really nice! Too expensive to tempt me in the full size, but nice.

Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate oil (decanted) – I put this on intensely dry patches of skin as needed, when moisturizer won’t cut it.

Kiss My Face ginger & mango lip balm, Nivea Olive Oil & Lemon lip balm – love them, as I’ve mentioned. Maybe it seems like there are a lot of lip balms here…that is true. I cannot argue with that.

MAC lipstick in Hug Me – a lovely pink nude that is my most worn MAC lipstick.

Oh, usually there is a hair tie and a hair pin in there as well.

Not much, right? You are wondering maybe where is the mascara, where the concealer? Where is all the makeup?

I make temporary additions if some event calls for them but really there is nothing that needs solving in the mid-day life of my face that cannot be solved with these items.

 

Day Dream

Last year I agreed to donate my body to art for my erstwhile roommate, who began designing carpets as a child in Iran and now makes intricate ink drawings meticulously shaded with watercolors. My piece will be part of a dream sequence; a series of pieces depicting a figure in a dream, or on the threshold of a dream. The working title is Day Dream.

She has finished the black and white stage (which version I sometimes prefer to the colored end product (as none of the intricacy is lost), so I asked her to send it to me before any color was added), and doesn’t mind my sharing a bit early.

I am depicted with massive wings, geometrically wreathed in vines, flowers, snakes and pheonix-like figures, enclosed in an illuminated-manuscript-style frame with flanking sphinxes.

I love it, and she says it is her best work.

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Farrin created this piece with some of my personal symbols and aesthetic preferences in mind. Here is the description I provided to outline my influences:

I find resonance in spirals and circles, especially intricate, natural versions of these abstractions; webs, peonies and other flowers, whorls of smoke, fractals. Also the sun. Colors I find compelling include sage, lavender, and rich shades of brown, copper, and gold.

I have been drawn to certain figures of nature and mythology since childhood, particularly the sphinx and the serpent, symbols of mystery and wisdom. In addition to being a hybrid of woman, lion, and [in my favorite cases] bird, the sphinx is also a guardian and can represent a gateway or threshold. To choose the sphinx as a personal symbol reflects my own hybrid nature, my acknowledgement of pervasive mystery, and my preoccupation with individual evolution. Most importantly, I find the sphinx and the serpent inexplicably beautiful and significant, and in embracing them I embrace my instincts.

You can see more of Farrin’s work here.