Get your Monday face on (Beth)

[Marnie Sullivan]

While Marnie had not been looking forward to sharing a bathroom with people she barely knew, in the few days since moving into Hammel dorms, it really hadn't been much of a problem. Getting up early to run in the mornings allowed her time to shower before a lot of her neighbors were up and about. Marnie almost had a routine pinned down - run, shower, lounge around her room while her hair dried, and then when she could put it off no longer, attempt to primp and polish.

This is the stage where she found herself now - standing in front of one of the communal sinks, rifling half-heartedly through the zip-up pencil case she used as a makeup bag. Here and there she would pull something out - a mascara that was supposed to give her plump! colossal! Xtreme! lashes, or a foundation she approximated was close to her skin tone - but most she decided against and just returned to the bag. Marnie wished, not for the first time, that she'd learned more about makeup when she was younger, but at the time she had to leave public school the most her friends were ever wearing was basic mascara and lipgloss named after candies.

Marnie's fingers found a lipstick that she still had yet to try; uncapping it, she held it next to her face and studied it in the mirror. She could tell it was a bold color, but she wasn't sure exactly which. To her, it appeared to be a weird yellow, but she knew it must be a red of some kind because it was called Red Fever and who wears yellow lipstick anyway? She could probably get away with it today, her first day of class, she thought. No one knew enough about her to know what a variation this would be on her usual look. No one would ask her what she could possibly have been thinking, wearing something so different... unless she just couldn't tell what a terrible color it was.

Then again, maybe it was better to play it safe.

[Elizabeth Sloane]

Beth was prepped for classes. She had her face on, and had just finished sewing her new dress over the weekend. There was nothing that made Beth feel better than rocking a brand new outfit. On her way out of her room, a couple younger girls rushed by her. She laughed slightly and stepped out of the way. So much energy. She was jealous, but smiling. Until another girl came darting around the corner and barreled into her. The girl apologized profusely, and Beth assured it was okay, but darted to the washrooms to check her appearance.

When she got there, she saw a face that she didn't recognize. But she recognized the lipstick in the girl's hand and frowned. "Red Fever isn't REALLY your colour. It's pretty but it's a red with an orange base. You should be wearing a red with a blue base. It would suit you more, and it makes your teeth look whiter as opposed to the orange base which makes them appear more yellow." She put her bag on the counter, rifled through her bag, pulling out a brand new lipstick. "I always carry a spare." She handed the lip stick, labelled 'Scarlet Fever' - it was in the same makeup line and everything - to the girl and turned to face her own reflection. "Not that you need the lipstick. You have a super pretty face." Satisfied with her own appearance, she glanced over at the girl again, smiling. "I'm Beth, by the way."

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie was briefly taken aback by the unfamiliar girl's advice and offer - blue bases whiten teeth? Nobody had ever told her that before, and she never would have thought to ask. This new color had an irritatingly similar name to the one Marnie had been about to try, but this new one was distinctly a darker, almost muddier yellow. When she looked up from studying the lipstick, she saw the other girl smiling at her, and it put her enough at ease to crack a smile herself.

"Oh, thanks," Marnie answered. "My name's Marnie. Thank you for the tip, I'm still kind of experimenting." She only hesitated a moment before uncapping the lipstick; Beth looked a little older than her and was clearly well put together, Marnie was inclined to trust her judgment. She applied the lipstick carefully, making sure not to miss any edges, and pressed her lips together to even it out. "Does it look okay?"