Issue 9 - Gold Dust magazine
Issue 9 - Gold Dust magazine
Issue 9 - Gold Dust magazine
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That's right Lucille, cry your<br />
pathetic little heart out. Let your<br />
makeup run so you end up with<br />
ridiculous panda eyes.<br />
Screwing her eyes shut, she<br />
sucked a deep, quivering breath<br />
through her nose, then threw down<br />
enough money for the bill and a sizable<br />
tip and stormed off to her<br />
beauty session.<br />
***<br />
Back at home, Lucille changed out<br />
of her summer dress and into a Dior<br />
silk kimono. In the living room, she<br />
mixed herself a gin and tonic. After<br />
a moment's hesitation, she topped<br />
up the glass with another generous<br />
measure of gin.<br />
She dimmed the lights and<br />
reclined on the chaise longue,<br />
enjoying the melt of the soft leather<br />
as it touched her skin. When she<br />
flicked the radio on the soothing<br />
strings of Bizet's "L'Arlésienne"<br />
swept over the room. Lucille let the<br />
music flow through her, its sweet<br />
melody massaging the nagging<br />
voice she detested so much into<br />
submission. Within minutes, she<br />
was smiling and swaying her head<br />
in time.<br />
The man in the beige raincoat<br />
flashed in her mind.<br />
Why was she thinking about<br />
that bothersome man? How did his<br />
opinion of her matter? She tried to<br />
let the music carry her away again.<br />
What did he mean by 'you<br />
glossy types'? Her brow furrowed.<br />
Immediately she forced her face to<br />
relax - got to watch those wrinkles!<br />
Wrinkles…wrinkles…<br />
Lucille hurried to the bathroom.<br />
Leaning into the mirror, she<br />
swung her head from side to side,<br />
faced front, pouted, pulled her lips<br />
back, primped her shiny, bobbed<br />
hair. She bent in closer, traced a<br />
nail through the shallow wrinkles<br />
beside her eye, the only ones marring<br />
her otherwise smooth face,<br />
and frowned, deepening them.<br />
They're coming back already.<br />
Heart sinking, she opened her<br />
face wide, eyes shocked, mouth<br />
screaming, then scrunched it slowly,<br />
observing the age lines as they<br />
appeared. The pit of her stomach<br />
soured.<br />
She dragged up an extendible<br />
mirror and positioned it behind her<br />
head. She swished her hair,<br />
searching for glimpses of the millipede<br />
scars nestling behind her<br />
ears. She grabbed at the sink.<br />
Scars and wrinkles. Scars and<br />
wrinkles. Scars and…<br />
"Please stop," she whispered.<br />
Louder, her knuckles whitening<br />
over the edge of the sink, "please<br />
stop. Please stop it Lucille! There's<br />
nothing wrong with you, you're not<br />
ugly. Stop torturing yourself! Ple–"<br />
The doorbell rang.<br />
Who could that be? She wasn't<br />
expecting any guests, and none<br />
of her few remaining friends would<br />
be so rude as to turn up on her<br />
doorstep unannounced. She waited,<br />
tensed.<br />
It rang again.<br />
She padded out to the door<br />
and peered through the spyhole.<br />
On the other side, a lustrous mane<br />
of brunette hair tapered into a sharp<br />
navy blue jacket and skirt. "Who is<br />
it?"<br />
The woman outside faced the<br />
door. "If I could just have a minute<br />
of your time to demonstrate our<br />
miraculous new skincare product-".<br />
"I'm sorry, I have all I need-"<br />
"This is a new product on the<br />
market, guaranteed to make you<br />
see your beauty that's in you!" The<br />
lens stretched her pristine smile<br />
impossibly wide.<br />
Lucille hesitated. Well, she had<br />
www.golddust<strong>magazine</strong>.co.uk - <strong>Issue</strong> 9 - Winter 2007<br />
The Beauty That’s In Me [cont’d]<br />
nothing better to do. She opened<br />
the door.<br />
"Hi Jolie Wonder, I work for<br />
Clearview Cosmetics. Thanks for<br />
your time, can I come in?"<br />
"Yes, please come through,"<br />
said Lucille, examining Jolie's face.<br />
How old was she? It was hard to<br />
tell. Her manner, the experience in<br />
her eyes, implied a woman in her<br />
early forties, maybe even her own<br />
age, but her skin – amazing, blemish<br />
free. And her makeup, so<br />
immaculately shaded as to be invisible.<br />
Without the faint whiff of<br />
expensive cosmetics Lucille would<br />
have been certain she wasn't wearing<br />
any at all!<br />
Lucille led her through to the<br />
kitchen where the evening sun<br />
bathed the room in an orange haze.<br />
She guided them to the breakfast<br />
bar and switched on the strip light,<br />
the harshest light in the kitchen.<br />
Without breaking stride, Jolie followed<br />
her and plopped a small silver<br />
briefcase down. As she<br />
unpacked her equipment, Lucille<br />
scrutinized her. Even under the<br />
most unflattering of light she found<br />
nothing tainting Jolie's perfect skin.<br />
She leaned in. Not a mark or a<br />
wrinkle. Flawless in every way.<br />
Jolie looked up and Lucille<br />
reared back.<br />
"That's quite all right." Jolie<br />
flourished her manicured hands<br />
beside her cheek. "I only look this<br />
good at my age thanks to our new<br />
product, Vani-Tygo. It's guaranteed<br />
to make you see your beauty. We at<br />
Clearview Cosmetics believe in the<br />
holistic nature of beauty, that beauty<br />
starts on the inside. That is why<br />
we offer this product as a two stage<br />
process." She opened a small jar.<br />
"First we apply the cream – it's a<br />
facemask which must be left on<br />
overnight.<br />
"After applying the cream,"<br />
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