morphing chameleon

I think I experienced some metamorphosis of sorts at the end of 2002. Since then I have always been told that my face is always changing, which I never realised until I started taking photographs with a vengeance. D says he gets confused sometimes, "It's like you come out of somewhere and you become another person altogether", swearing that even my mouth changes when I so much as remove my glasses." Sometimes he makes it sound like I have an assortment of facial parts that I can remove and wear at will like false eyelashes. It is quite hilarious, and he'll label each look "Girlfriend 75", "Girlfriend 483", etcetera. I actually enjoy this constant change in the face, and play it up with makeup. Here's eight faces in the last three weeks. .

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The Assassin, of which the word's etymology is derived from "Hashashin", a Nizari branch active in Iran from the 8th to 14th centuries. I've met at least ten people who've told me unanimously I look  like an assassin, especially when I'm in my Spygirl getup of tight black jeans and long black top, complete with boots with shiny buckles. Someday if I ever write a novel inspired by my days as a private investigator, that will be the cover look. Even D's friend thinks I look like a ninja assassin. There are two assassin looks though, even if both have a general uniform of black-- one has hair bunned into a high ballerina knot, an evil stare and nude lips. In that look, I remember how when I used to tutor or handle animal adoptions, suddenly my student/client would burst out, "Miss do you know who is Tomb Raider? I think you look like Tomb Raider". This one requires bold red lips, hair let down, fake bangs, and loads of mascara.

Photo taken on a Saturday night during an Italian dinner following which two mad drunk women were making a ruckus and were hauled out. Drama for that night.

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What I do best-- The Cheeky Face. Probably how I look like on most days-- hair messily knotted up, lips au naturel, and a light wash of eye shadow. Complete with The Most Vocal Cat In The World who loves to scream in photographs. God I miss her!

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Tuesday's face. I woke up looking a bit Oriental, which doesn't always happen. Since I was 17, I realise a rather annoying pick-up line is, "Are you mixed. No you can't be Chinese". Some even fought with me insisting that I'm not, which gets me really upset because I know what I am, thank you very much. Then from University onwards, I got accosted by "Hello, are you foreigner" and had to insist that I am born and bred in Singapore-- as though I would lie about that! It got so bad that I started biting back, "have you ever seen a foreigner in your life?", I can't help having a Question Mark Ethnic Face. My father has really tiny eyes with a single eyelid (and no eyelashes, as I like to tease him) and my mother has thick double eyelids. Somehow I came out with thin double eyelids and long lower eyelashes (that's from my maternal grandmother) but the biggest eyes in the family. In fact they even used to bulge a little probably due to early myopia my father would joke that if I kept progressing towards looking like a goldfish he'd put me in a tank, which scared the hell out of me. Lol. On some days my eyes look smaller than usual, so I play them down even more. All that's needed is pale eyeshadow, a thick line of liquid eyeliner with a Cleopatra flick, two coats of mascara, some blush, and nude lips. And maybe a pearl earring.

Looking a bit Oriental does scare me a little here at times. You walk down the streets and people go in some odd sing-song voice, "Heeeello, Orieeental", and then they think you can't speak English at all. Or worse would be people calling you "Suki", telling you "Mushi mushi" or "You're the first Japanese I've seen all day" which really makes my blood boil because no, I'm not Japanese. I even remembered arguing with some guy in Melbourne who insisted I am Japanese and kept asking me about cherry blossoms when I kept insisting I'm from Singapore and am ethnically Chinese. I speak three Chinese languages-- as though I wouldn't know what I am. Pffft. As you can probably guess, I have strange encounters with people, including having to insist on what my ethnicity is.

 

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Wednesday's face. Looking a bit more like my regular face again, i.e. the face I know and see most of the time. Although D would tell you there is no such thing, I insist there is. One slight wash of eyeshadow, and clear lipbalm, and I'm no longer the girl I was yesterday. With this face I get less people accosting me for reasons of playing Guess Your Ethnicity game. Really, sometimes I think people are too free. But I will shut up now. Not going to complain about people too much. 

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The deceptive faux sweet girl face a.k.a. butter wouldn't melt in your mouth. That name also made up by D, whenever I insist I look innocent. Taken in Singapore, based on this post. Makeup here requires loads of dark washes of eyeshadow blended meticulously together, some liquid eyeliner, three coats of mascara on the curled-to-death upper and lower lashes, NARS blush, and nude lipgloss. Sometimes I am amazed at how friendly I can look, because I like to insist there is not a single sweet bone in me.

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Bold lips from my Polesque Cabaret night. The general look here is red/maroon lips (or purple if I want to look like a Demonness or Vampiress), loads of dark washes of eyeshadow and boldy-lined eyes, and highlighter on my cheekbones. Generally involves feather eyelashes too. Also one of my favourite looks,  and a little like my Vintage Pin Up Girl look.

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This would be the Cyber Gamergirl look, where I feel like I've just emerged from a computer game. I love computer games, except that the moment I start playing I won't stop until I reach the highest levels or break my old records, which translates to a most almighty waste of time. The look here is nude matt lips, cheekbone highlighter, high hair and fake bangs. Eyes are done with loads of gold and Mermaid shades of teal, green, aqua, and sea foam, before lining them very boldly with a mixture of liquid and gel eyeliner. Accessorised here with the Upper Echelons necklace that I made

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Another nude matte lips look, with colourful eyes, involving shades of gold, green, blue and purple, many coats of mascara, and kohl eyeliner. Complete with blusher. Colourful eyes always make me feel like a peacock (although technically peahens are plain), and I love this t-shirt with a rather naughty-looking girl illustrated on it.

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 Hope you're having an awesome midweek so far, and thanks for all the sweet comments on the previous post! xxx