Make-Up Your Mind

## Excerpt

"Why do I have to be your make-up model?" Dominique Rollins complained to her older sister, Eva. They were both in the bathroom where Dominique was washing off her edgy make-up in preparation for Eva's make-up lesson.
"Come on, Dom," Said Eva in a soft tone.
"With Mommy at work and Tanzie at school, you're the only person around here to be my make-up model."
"Can't you just use your old Barbie dolls as a make-up model?"
Eva laughed at Dominique's comment. She knew she can't use Barbies as make-up models. She needed a real-life person. Dominique wiped off her edgy, rocker make-up, feeling embarrased, and threw the make-up removing towelette in the trash. Eva was in the kitchen setting up her make-up like she was setting up a make-up station.
"Okay, I'm ready," said Dominique as she entered the kitchen. Eva pour a dab of rich brown liquid foundation to her metal palette, along with a dab of light foundation in the same plate and she mixed up the two foundations together to create a shade to match her sister's skin tone. Eva took out her concealer brush and dip it into the foundation before applying it to her sister's face. As she spread the foundation on Dominique's under eyes with the concealer brush, the foundation matched Dominique's skin tone and Eva believed that Domininque could use the mixed-up foundation to fix her under eyes.
"What are you doing, now?" Dominque asked.
"I'm using the concealer brush to conceal any flaws on your face. Like you have a new pimple scar on your upper lip."
"I had a period last week and mommy said that it's normal to have a pimple while on your period."
Other than an pimple scar from Dominique's menstration and a few pimple scars on her right cheekbone, Dominique didn't have any other flaws on her face, which was such a relief to her sister not to cover up so much of Dominique's flaws. She placed her concealer brush down and picked up her foundation brush and dipped it into the mixed foundation and spread it all over Dominique's face and her neck. Their mother, Monica always told them that the neck is a part of the face.
Eva placed her foundation brush on the table and took out her smoky eyeshadow palette from her make-up box. Eva had planned to master the smoky eye look, which is the hardest thing to do. She also new that Dominique loved any smoky eye looks that were currently popular online or on the red carpet.
"Dom, I'm going to master the smoky eye look I saw online," Eva reminded her sister. "Okay, sis." Dominique sighed. Eva took out her REAL COLORS Smokey eyeshadow palette in darker colors. She planned to use both the silver and black eyeshadows to make the silver smokey eyes. She picked up her eyeshadow brush and dipped it in the silver eyeshadow and spread it all over her brow bone, her eye crease, and eye lid. She even spread it lightly under her eye. Then she took the brush and spread it on her paper towel to clean it and dip it again on the black eyeshadow and applied it on the edge of both the crease and the lid.
"Ready to see your silver eyes?" Eva asked excitedly.
"Okay."
Eva handed her sister the mirror and Dominique was really surprised by her work. Eva had really mastered the smokey eye look. She had doubts about Eva's smokey eye look mastering abilities since she has been having trouble nailing the smokey eye look in the first place.
"Whoa, girl.... you rock!" said Dominique.
"Thanks. Now I got to put the mascara on."
"No! I'll do that. Thanks for the smokey eye technique."

### Excerpt

Chapter 10

Eva packed up her busted-up brown XOXO bag with her sketchpad, hair magazines, along with hot pink Jaclyn Smith wallet, and her keys with the chocolate-donut keychain. She was going to the Cosmetology Orientation at Los Angeles College in Downtown. It was just one bus-ride away.
"Damn it! I can't find my sunglasses!" Eva hissed.
Her bedroom had been a mess for the last four months, stuff was all over her floor, her nightstand, her dresser, and her shelf. Dominique came into her room knock on the door with her finger knuckle.
"Can I come in?" she asked.
Both Dominique and Eva share a bedroom, weird enough for young women to be still living with their mother. But because they're in college and unemployed, they couldn't afford their own place. So they were just stuck with their mother and their little sister.
"Sure. It's your room, too," said Eva.
Dominique checked the bus time arrival on her LG Smartphone with internet connections. She told Eva that the next bus was in twenty minutes.