Cecille: A Story in Noir

This is a story about Cecille, the only daughter of a well-to-do family, and her transformation into a femme fatale, having grown tired of her boring life. (Let's see if you recognize any of the products in the photos.)

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It was a hot summer's day. The sun shone brightly through the trees, illuminating spots here and there all over the porch, and there sat Cecille. Rocking back and forth on the bench swing, sipping on some ice cold lemonade, she was reading a novel that had just come out, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It seemed that no one was buying it at the bookstore downtown, but something about the face on the deep blue cover drew her in.

"I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."

As Cecille read over this line, she began to think about herself. Daisy had spoken this line about her hopes for her infant daughter, and it became apparent to Cecille that she was in a similar situation. She had all these expectations and at the same time, a lack of expectations. She was just going to be married off to some millionaire so that her family connections could grow deeper. Everything was already planned out for her, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Or at least, that was what she'd thought. Cecille put down the book and ran back into her room. She headed toward the dresser, on top of which was a clutter of cosmetic products, perfumes, and jewelry. She saw the necklace that her mother had given her as a child: a pink acorn bejeweled with white crystals on a gold chain. It was a symbol of her innocence, her childhood. She examined it peculiarly -- why had she kept it all these years? It wasn't anything particularly beautiful. Why did she even keep all of these frilly things in the first place?

Quickly she shoved everything into the first drawer. She didn't need them. Why did she have to go by the current standards? Do they even matter? She went down to the kitchen and something caught her eye. On the table was a newspaper with headlines in big bold letters plastered across the front. There was a show on Broadway that night, labeled as scandalous and provocative, but a must-see for the new generation. She glanced over at her father snoozing away on the recliner, having fallen asleep after looking through his business papers. Glasses still on. Mother's traveling somewhere in Europe. Brothers are at the company or on some road trip. This is the perfect time to escape, thought Cecille.

She ran into her mother's room and found a lipstick, with a dagger at the end of the bullet. Perfect. She also found a pair of black leather gloves. She went through all the rooms and gathered her new wardrobe. She found a black suit jacket and pants, her brother's black dress shirt, and brought everything to her room. She took out her sewing kit and took everything in. She worked in a hurried daze, pricking her fingers every now and then, but it didn't matter because now, her transformation was near complete. She slipped into her new outfit and found that it fit like a glove, literally.

It was now night time. The hot summer haze had turned into a breezy twilight. She stared at herself in the mirror. The new her. Was she ready for the night? Was she ready to leave behind this comfy, mundane life? She tied her long flowing hair up into a bun and hid it under a hat. It was time to go. She grabbed the money she had been unconsciously stashing away and shoved it into her pockets. After applying the finishing touch on her lips, she headed downstairs to leave. At the door she looked back at her father, still rapt in his dreams.

Sorry, Cecille uttered as she rushed down the porch steps and disappeared into the mystery of the night.

A Faithful Companion

"It's been such a long time, dear friend," I said to Birthday Suit. "Sometimes I feel naked without you."

We embraced and I twisted open her cap to find that her edges had shrunken away. A pang of guilt hit me. I had neglected her and all of my makeup for far too long. Having met her three years ago, when the Benefit Creasless Cream Eyeshadows had just come out, Birthday Suit had been a constant presence in my makeup routine. That was, until I'd decided to take a break from makeup. 

I had always been fond of her. I'd crack a smile every time I caught a glimpse of her wearing her cute, dove-patterned lid. In the beginning of the hiatus, I'd open my drawer just to swatch her on my hand ever so often. But then, after a while, I left her alone. She just sat there, staring out wistfully from inside my drawer. It would be months, even a year before I lay my fingers on her again.

And when I finally did, she showed me what exactly she was made of. Even after all this time, she was the same lightweight, smooth, and creamy eyeshadow she was the first time we encountered each other. She had shrunk a little, but she was still that beautiful shimmery pale taupe I had fallen in love with in the first place. She was still my one and only, Birthday Suit.

Her smile was just the same as ever. It was bright. And it shone with gold sparkles here and there. Just like always. I found myself inevitably drawn to her yet again. We began to talk. She told me about how she loved watching me grow up, even if it was a little bittersweet. I told her about how much I wanted to have her with me everyday, on my eyes, but I just couldn't find the time.

We talked it out, then she reached for my hand. And she laid down onto the back of my hand, as comfortable as ever. I rocked my hand back and forth, and she smiled her same old illuminating smile at me. I smiled back, enchanted again by her beauty. Soon, we were talking and laughing and joking like old friends. 

Now, we're inseparable, just like me and my very own birthday suit.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

It was another typical day on Maggie's bookshelf: the books were stacked on top of each other in disarray, the little trinkets were all on the verge of falling off the shelves to their doom, and the miscellaneous items were all just...miscellaneous. Everything was just the usual.

But on this day, Domo, an inhabitant of Maggie's bookshelf, happened upon an Urban Decay eyeshadow. The eyeshadow had always been there, but Domo had never really taken notice. There was someone familiar inside that eyeshadow -- it was his robot friend from way back when! Domo was extremely confused as to why his friend was stuck in there. In desperation, he let out a thunderous roar...

Note the comic book-like effect. 

But alas! His frantic outcry was to no avail; nothing happened. Domo started clawing at the little eyeshadow. His friend wasn't moving either. He seemed perfectly content in that little container. Domo flipped it over and read the label on the back. Whatever it was, its name was Ruthless.

Domo walked away, sad that he couldn't free his dear friend. But suddenly, the eyeshadow flipped open! It revealed a pale taupe rectangle with a pearlescent sheen. It had the slightest signs and marks of prior usage. Startled but still curious, Domo slowly inched back toward the eyeshadow.

I'm getting quite tan...

He finally realized that he had actually passed by this eyeshadow many times in the past. He just never really paid much attention to it. He stared at the interesting color it had.  Domo thought, huh, it must look good on the skin. And so he borrowed Maggie's hand to swatch the eyeshadow. Indeed it looked great on her skin. It was a lovely medium-tone lid color. It was the perfect natural smokey eyeshadow color. There was this nice golden sheen to it too.

Excited by the eyeshadow's pretty color, Domo began to dance. It was a simple, silly dance, but the eyeshadow seemed to feel compelled to join in as well. He lifted his little arms up and down as the eyeshadow opened and closed. It was a delightful little show. 

By now, Domo had forgotten his little friend stuck in the eyeshadow. The little robot seemed fine in there; he had his pet dinosaur to keep him company anyway.

Ode to Ye Jack Black Lip Balm!

...in Lemon & Chamomile. Let's dim the lights please.

Many lip balms I have tried,

yet this one can't be denied,

to be one of the best from all the past.

I surely hope all that remains will last,

for your Lemon & Chamomile scent

is just oh so elegant.

You replenish my lips so very well,

having been chapped by the cold winter chill.

Your name turned me off at first,

for Jack Black, the actor, is the worst.

But your SPF packs a punch,

offering 25 in such a little bunch.

I really do love you though,

but how silly it would be

to write you an ode like so.

and snap, snap, snap, snap.

Yes, indeed. I did write an ode to this awesome lip balm. As you can tell, I really do love it. I might be a little late in discovering this, but better late than never! Pulling this deep cobalt blue tube out of my bag makes me feel so cool for some reason. It must be the ambiguity/masculinity of the packaging. I adore it.

Have you tried the Jack Black lip balms? If so, what are your favorite flavors? :D