My images searches take me kinda random places, and one led me to a page with before and after model makeup links.

Interesting in the same way as the "they photoshopped Faith how???" before and after--but less depressing, since at least they're optical tricks, not CGI.

Right now I'm mostly caught up in the resurgence of a childhood memory. Ebony magazine had taught me that I was supposed to be cocoa brown and wear rich purple makeup.

Still a little caramel over here, and I don't think my colouring could pull off this rocking of the purple. Man, that's lovely. And I don't even think she's pretty.

Back to tab-flipping.

Okay, maybe it's a bad thing to say, but I think I'm prettier than most of those girls. And I honestly don't think I'm all that pretty. Their noses are inhumanly tiny. Sophie Dahl with her tiny nose and huge eyes just looks weird.

ita, I bet you could pull off the purple. You're definitely prettier than them.

I only clicked on some, but it's kind of reassuring to see how not-different they really look un-made-up.

ION, holy crap -- I was watching HBO earlier, then was watching something on tape, then went back to HBO, and it's some documentary about Deep Throat, and I was idly wondering if they would actually be showing the porn-porn, and sure enough -- there was a big old blowjob, right there on my TV.

There are some weird looking ladies there. I guess they get work because of their bone structure, bodies, and carriage. Or something.

She's totally not rocking the purple. Isn't there supposed to be a rule about strong eyes or strong lips? She's actually quite pretty. Just made up weird.

I bet you could pull off the purple

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I think I feel like I...I'd look like the Lakers with my skin clashing.

I was interested to see Devon Aoki's eye makeup, because my eyes look most like hers...nothing useful there. But I think when I'm underweight like now I have a hint of bone structure and can probably look to Naomi Campbell's as, well, somewhere to start.

Not that I'm going to change my makeup routine, because that involves makeup shopping (worse than clothes!) and learning and glayvin.

Alibelle! Hi! You're probably gone now, but what I"m reading, 150 messages back, you're there! Hi! How the hell are you almost 25? Are you sure you're not 19?

I had no idea how to contact her again until now. I just found her on MySpace.

That's awesome, Melpomene!

Now, the question is, is it about the specific job, or working in general. Because if it's the first, presumably I could do something about it. If it's the second, I need to get a grip on reality.

Someone asked me the other day "Ooh, so you are excited to go back to work?" and I was like "....are you crazy?" I mean, yes, unemployment gets kinda boring after a while, but if I could get paid to not work, heck yeah, I'd take it!

how not-different they really look un-made-up

Do you mean they look like supermodels still?

Mmm. Blowjobs.

Wait...no...that's not right.

I was in an escalator yesterday that had obscene graffiti which a coworker pedantically pointed out (we'd totally all seen in). I told him he wasn't allowed to point at it. I think I may be that girl.

Speaking of elevators and yesterday! One tried to kidnap me! A bunch of us were on it going up, and my floor (7) was the highest. After 6 the readout goes "Z...7...Z ...6...Z ...5...Z ...4...Z ...3...Z ...2...Z ...1...Z ...2...Z ...3...Z ...4...Z ...5...Z ...6...Z ...7! Took me all the way down and back up again, no doors opening until the second time on 7. Making me late, to boot, so no one believed my tale of possession.

Do you mean they look like supermodels still?

Well, some of them look gorgeous in both pictures, and some of them look weird in both pictures, IMO. It's not like it's the makeup turning them from regular to supermodel. Not that I actually thought that, but a lot of times, I think the difference in regular people is a lot more significant.

a lot of times, I think the difference in regular people is a lot more significant.

Which'd lend support to why they get paid the big bucks, I guess.

Going through them is quite fascinating. One of the reasons I don't wear much makeup is because I have blending issues. It's also why I don't work in colour when I'm drawing, so at least I'm consistently hung up. I think it's fair to conclude that even though some of those makeup jobs are outlandish or ugly, that they're well done, right? I may have lost some of my blending hangup.

I love the carefully wrought natural look. Hey, she looks good. I guess she's the one I should be stealing tips from, but that's more boring than artfully natural. Damned nice cheekbones too.

Gorgeous woman and makeup. Love the green and bronze.

Those are neat pictures, but I'm with Jesse--most of them, the makeup doesn't completely change them. And most of them are very weird looking.

Which'd lend support to why they get paid the big bucks, I guess.

Which was my point, really. It's not just about being 5'10" and 125lbs.