Caelus Online

82. Makeup Artistry

Aurora had used moisturiser before so the process didn’t feel particularly unusual, and she had the same thoughts when the maids brought out a tube of primer and liquid foundation.

She only had a vague idea of what it was all for, however, the maids started to explain what they were doing as they worked, much to Aurora’s relief.

The more the maids started to apply the base makeup to her face, causing her to begin to feel like she was becoming some kind of painting with all the different layers they were using to prepare her skin for the actual makeup.

As the maids worked to apply additional layers of foundation that were apparently important, she couldn’t help but disagree that they were entirely pointless for her.

Her reflection looked almost the same as it did before, granted her skin might look slightly smoother, but if they kept on adding to her face at the rate they were, she got the impression she would be able to peel a thick layer of gloop off her face later on.

It was helpful that the maids went into detail about what each layer they added was for and the effect that it supposedly had, it would certainly help her in the future if she had to go through this process by herself. But if that did come to pass, she was almost certain that she would be fine just moisturising and adding a little of the top layer additions for effect.

Surely she didn’t need to go through all this trouble when her face was basically perfection already?

The maids then moved on to adding some light blush to her cheeks. She found the brush they used slightly ticklish, but that was probably because they were only dusting her cheeks, so she could hardly complain. The addition of the blush, she had to admit, did enhance her face by bringing out more colour than it naturally had.

The women then moved to work on her eyes, carefully adding a line of black eyeliner under her lower lashes and eyeshadow that darkened her eyelids.

After they had finished she leaned closer to the mirror to get a better look at her eyes, and she had to admit, the additional dark colouring around her eyes really made the white of her sclera and pink of her eyes stand out. 

If she were being a little ungrateful, just the work on her eyes was all she needed. Just that small application of makeup had managed to achieve more than the rest, but before she made any final judgements she would let the maids finish.

They moved on to applying mascara to her eyelashes, and she found that a particularly troublesome task. Trying not to blink when someone who effectively had a black paintbrush almost touching her eyeball was quite uncomfortable.

After the mascara, the maids had taken a little time to debate some additional applications, apparently speaking a language she could only vaguely comprehend.

There were words she could recognise from when she had been given a list of makeup purchases as potential presents for her ex Lilly, but what she was hearing sounded closer to an art bachelor’s thesis on the application of different paint types and the effect they could achieve with different techniques.

Then she remembered that there were degrees in makeup artistry and she shuddered. There was no way she was going to delve that far into the subject, maybe learn some of the basics and necessities so she could be self-sufficient when there were no professionals available like the three stood around her while gesturing to her face, but no more.

She paid people to do that sort of thing for her, so there was no point in getting too invested in it. And besides, if her first few days in Caelus Online were anything to go by, any makeup she wore would soon be replaced by goblin blood.

The maids finally decided on something as Hilda retrieved a specific pallet of power. Aurora had no idea what the head maid was going to do since she had zoned out with slightly glazed eyes as she was lost in her own thoughts while the professionals debated.

A small brush was lightly dusted over different areas of her face again as her entire view was taken up by Hilda’s focused expression and long black hair. 

The whole process lasted for a few minutes before she was asked to part her lips for the lipstick to be applied.

With all her makeup now having been finished and her vision cleared from Hilda’s presence, she focused on herself in the mirror. The expression that was reflected back at her was one of mild shock since her face was something else. 

She had always known how well-applied makeup could enhance different aspects of a woman’s beauty, but to see the face she expected to see looking more mature was a reminder of how even the most naturally beautiful face can be enhanced. Her pink eyes were highlighted by the mascara and eye liner, her usually natural lips were shaded in a vivid red that increased their allure, and her cheeks were lightly dusted in a manner that brought a subtle flush to them. 

Hilda had apparently also done something else when applying the additional makeup as it seemed that her face was more defined, her cheekbones becoming clearer as prominent facial features that defined her beauty.

Despite the additional makeup, her face didn’t feel too stuffy like she had initially expected. All those layers looked like they would just end up as a layered cake on her face, but thankfully she had been wrong. Still, despite the claims that what she had been given was supposed to be minor, the impact it had was unthinkable and worth the time.

The reflection of herself really did look even more stunning and It filled her with a sense of confidence and pride that she felt rush to her heart as it swelled. 

It was odd, she would only feel a milder version of the feeling when she was a man after she had trimmed her beard and managed to get her hair exactly how she liked it.

She pondered the issue for a few moments as she closely inspected herself, playing with the idea that maybe it was a partially biological reaction, something ingrained in the psyche that encouraged women to beautify themselves to be more appealing to the other sex? 

She decided that if she managed to find enough time later on, she would check if her wild speculations were anywhere near true and satiate her curiosity. 

With her self inspection completed, she turned around and thanked the maids, giving them generous compliments since their effort had produced such great results.

She was on a bit of a tight schedule so she left the maids to finish tidying up as she started to get herself ready. 

With the maids still in the room she picked up her clothes and moved over to the bathroom where she closed the door for some privacy.

Aurora found dressing in a skirt relatively easy, and the shirt was no different, however wearing tights she found strange.

They were soft on her skin, but the strangeness was how they were relatively airy despite clinging to her. It felt that the fabric only partially covered her skin and provided protection from the outside, sort of like wearing a partially thin T-shirt. 

She was somewhat surprised by the unfamiliar feeling at first, but felt she could quickly get used to the clothing item and it would become a regular favourite, very quickly. With her clothing now sorted, she just needed to pick out a nice pair of black high heels and the blazer jacket that matched the pencil skirt she had put on.

She noticed that the skirt had restricted the length of her stride, something that she felt weird about but would need to get used to. She just hoped she didn’t look weird walking around with shorter steps.

With her attire and looks presentable, she made a quick stop by her office to grab a few documents to check over while eating before she went down to get some breakfast. 

Within the hour she found herself entering into the back of her black Rolls Royce with baker at the front driving. What had surprised her more however was that Harold had joined them on the trip, sitting next to Baker up at the front.

When she asked why, he had simply responded.

“I know many of the changes you implemented recently didn’t go down well with the board, and now that a seemingly ignorant young girl is taking over. They will do what they can to reverse the decisions. My presence should help show that you still have the support of the one in charge of maintaining the Branford estate, and give you further backing.”

Aurora could only give the man a heartfelt thank you, the idea had completely slipped her mind since she had the nuclear option available to her if the board decided to not be compliant. Dealing with them was not as high on her list of priorities despite how important it was.