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Beauty & Transformation // Angel by Thierry Mugler {#bewareofangels}

September 11, 2014August 25, 2015 Crystal // Dreams, etc. Post a comment
Beauty & Transformation // Angel by Thierry Mugler {#bewareofangels}

The other night I went out with my best friend for dinner and shopping. Being the make-up lovers that we are, we went to Ulta, where I immediately started swatching some of the perfect-for-fall lip products. After washing the berry stains from the back of my hand we continued to walk through the store and as we passed the fragrances I stopped. There it was, in a star-shaped bottle; the first of the fragrances that we approached was Angel by Thierry Mugler.

This immediately caught my attention because I had been mulling over questions given to me as part of the #bewareofangels campaign to promote the Angel fragrance. Their questions asked me to engage the senses and explore what makes me feel feminine. Without a doubt, make-up makes me feel feminine, but I don’t say that as someone who believes that flawless make-up, perfect hair and a tailored outfit makes a woman beautiful.

It seemed fitting to contemplate this while spending time with my best friend. When I first started to truly explore the world of makeup it was with her. We’d go to a make-up counter and pick out a few products to have the make-up artists apply. At that time in my life, I thought that make-up would make me beautiful, which was a terrible reason to wake up each morning and slather make-up on my face! But the more that I played with make-up, the more that I fell in love with it for the creativity and the transformation that it brings.

Perhaps that’s a better description of what makes me feel feminine: transformation. 

I’d put on a smoky eye when we’d go salsa dancing on Friday nights and feel like Cinderella—literally. One night the manager of the restaurant that hosted the dancing saw me putting on ballroom shoes. He knelt in front of me, took one of my shoes out of my hand and slipped it onto my foot. When he tried to buckle it, my best friend and I looked at each other with a knowing smile. I wondered if he’d figure out how the buckle worked, but after a few minutes I stopped him before he ruined the buckle of my shoes. I wasn’t sure if they could be ruined—but I wasn’t going to take the chance. I showed him how to loop the hook around the buckle and felt like I was living in an “I can do it myself” fairy tale.

 I loved that bathing my eyelids in a sea of blues and greens turned my hazel eyes turquoise and that, after tying faux-dreads into my hair, I was ready to attend a mermaid pool party. I loved that at those parties we found a community of women (and men) who welcomed each other. It didn’t matter what shape or size you were; if you had mermaid hair or a mermaid tail or a mermaid heart, you were one of them.

And as much as I love the transformation, I love that it’s temporary. I can feel like a mythological creature as mermaid fins splash the water in front of me, but when the clock strikes midnight I can wipe the blues and greens from my eyes and extract the faux-dreads from my hair. I can reveal the woman behind the transformation; complete with fine hair and red cheeks and occasional spots.

I’ve come to love that woman that I see in the mirror; the one who isn’t perfect. As much as I love makeup (and can’t deny it, it’s a well-documented fact on this blog) I find that if anything, makeup detracts from natural beauty. But I love that I can use makeup to change how I look for a brief period of time. I love that I can go to work as me and add some eyeliner and a red lip after for a glamorous night out with friends.

That’s what femininity is—we can work in a school or a hospital by day and swipe on a berry lipstick for a night out with the other women in our lives. We can work to become a fire-woman or we can give someone an extra boost of confidence at a makeup counter or a hair salon. We can work at a small, county library or a large, corporate firm. We can dress up in stilettos and take a town car out for a night on the town or wear sandals and a bathing suit to canoe across a lake as the sun starts to set. We can take dance classes or martial arts. We can roll around in the dirt with our children or our dogs and paint our nails while watching a rom-com and drinking a glass of wine after. We can spend the evening out with friends or curled up with a good book.

We can transform ourselves into who we want—or need—to be.

For more information on Thierry Mugler and the new Angel fragrance, check out the following links:
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About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. 💙
Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. “The water looks cold,” I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. 😂)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle tour with a stop at Thingvellir National Park. My fingers froze as I took these photos but it was worth it to capture this view. 😍 PS - the last photo is from a lake we stopped at on our way from Geysir to Thingvellir.
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