Rougeography: Fall {Intro}

In my free time - if I'm not reading the latest articles on digital and social media or loafing about online with my mother's sassy Bichon Frisé in tow - I often like to revisit and reorganize my vanity.

The process is soothing. It's calming. My eyes feast on myriad textures and hues while I palm the weighty silver, black, and gold compartments laid out before me. I internally catalogue what I have, mark what I won't repurchase, and note what gaps in my routine I'll be seeking to fill later.

I'm not invested, financially or otherwise, in surreptitiously pushing any brand on my blog, and I'm not suggesting I have the knowledge and skills of a makeup artist either. In addition to suggesting beauty methods I've learned over the years, I merely wish to exalt tools and products that happily work for me without the presence of a sponsorship or commercial ad. And the incredibly contradictory process in which people can negotiate their gender, race, sexuality, self-worth, security, measure of happiness - and not to mention, quite literally, their face - through a marriage of cosmetics and willful/unwilling performativity is very fascinating, frustrating, and beautiful to me.

Most of all, I find that faces are intuitively mediated as stories. Every wrinkle, blemish, crevice, and freckle - and conversely, every attempt to obscure or enhance them - express who we are or who we wish to be to the world, and I hope to add to that collective narrative with my humble offering of sketches.

So while this space isn't primarily reserved to discuss beauty, I'm carving out a little corner anyway. I'm excited to share some of my thoughts on looks, products, and other beauty-related items in what will henceforth be known as Rougeography, a series of beauty maps that plot out real product swatches, product links, and style schemes I'm dreaming of and coveting via homemade watercolor sketches.

{Fig. 1 Image from personal collection, 2011}

'Stay All Day' Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Black [$20]

'True Color' Eye Shadow in Riverstone [$30]

Blush in Desert Rose 15 [$24]

Velvety Matte Lip Crayon in Blossomy Nude 04 [$7.99]

  A pair of Herringbone Boots [$258 via Anthropologie]

  An abundance of deliciously crunchy autumn leaves

  A vintage felted cloche hat, preferably in burgundy

Fall is absolutely my favorite season because I begin to feel energy slip into my body. The slight dip in temperature sends me into a tizzy. My brain opens up and takes a stretch, and my spirit leaves the lethargy of a stifling hot summer behind. The air turns crisp, impossibly bright leaves canvass the ground, and the warm scents of apples, cinnamon, and honey continually waft around me. Oh, September...

When autumn approaches, several keywords and phrases come to mind, like hunter green, plaid, museums, hot tea, fur-trimmed jackets, vintage paperbacks, and knee-high boots. These fancies are complemented with clean, bare-skin, and especially with thick, slightly-arched brows. Heavy mascara is skipped in the beginning of the season, and a trusty eyelash curler to create subtle curves is reached for instead.

Next, Riverstone from Le Métier Beauté, a finely-milled summer red with light brown undertones, is gently swept over the entire lid and finished with a jet-black cat eye look that's so striking yet minimal. I love how Stila's waterproof eyeliner pen does the job effortlessly. There's no tug, and the pressure is perfectly calibrated.

Bobbi Brown's Dusty Rose Blush is brushed on in quick swirls on the apples - a shade of dark pink that I've found flattering for any skin tone - and the look is finished with a thick layer of Blossomy Nude Lip Crayon from Sonia Kashuk. The rose pigment is incredibly saturated yet forgiving, unlike many berries or reds. I'd always wear this shade whenever I'd attend a lecture or seminar, and I'd feel put-together immediately afterwards. Fall has arrived, but alas, school is no longer routine for me. Strange feeling, but I'm going to embrace it as best I can anyway.