In the spotlight

16

Sofia Christensen

Pleasant warmth has radiated towards my head as quiet sizzling is heard while the hair straightener runs through my blonde curls in my hand. I decided that completely straight hair was my go-to for today before turning it off and unplugging it from the wall.

I stood still in front of the full-body mirror in my hotel room, examining my reflection in it. I was wearing a black Dior dress that reached a little above my knees, with long but almost completely see-through sleeves and some flower embroidery in front of my chest. I picked my favorite pair of black high heels along with a pair of stockings that matched my skin color.

Long blond locks were falling on my shoulder freely, with two braids starting from the two sides of my forehead and going towards the back of my head, bringing them together while the braids themselves intertwined.

My makeup took the most time out of all these. All these years of practice only to start it over three times because I didn't like any of them. The first version was way too smokey for a simple dinner, while the second one looked like I didn't put effort into it at all. The third time was the charm, though.

I liked to emphasize my eyes, so this is exactly what I did today. Pale brown eyeshadow covered my eyelids as they stretched almost until my eyebrows, while the other side ended next to the cat-eye-shaped eyeliner that took me half an hour to draw perfectly. I put mascara on my eyelashes, highlighting my different colored irises behind my contact lenses even more.

Above the foundation, I used highlighter and some blush before finishing my makeup with a little lip gloss on my lips. As I ran my gaze up and down on my reflection, anxiety started to creep up on my back and I started to discover the flaws in my appearance.

"Absolutely ravishing." I heard Adrianna's voice from the other side of our FaceTime call. I snapped my head towards my phone, which was leaning against the wall on a shelf next to the mirror. She was smiling at me widely, lying on her stomach on her bed in Paris. This put a small and very uncertain smile on my face, and I turned back towards my reflection.

"You are very nervous." She stood up while making this statement, and I sighed clearly as I sat down on the edge of my bed. "I just don't get why." My friend looked at me inquisitively, scanning my face for possible answers.

"I don't know, like... I just want to be perfect." I mumbled into the air as I took a deep breath.

"You are above perfect already. Look into the mirror again." She commanded me fiercely, and so I did. Uncertainty and excitement flashed in my eyes; my paleness was only not visible due to the makeup I used.

"You are one of the most successful topmodels in the world, a soon-to-be Victoria's Secret Angel, and not to mention a master's-level physicist. No man could ever want anything more; as a matter of fact, it is he who needs to step up his game in order to match you. Imagine how anxious he can be right now, having to please someone as beautiful and smart as you." Adrianna chuckled evilly on the other side, which finally cracked my upset mental state, and I burst out laughing myself.

"I love you so much, Adri. Thank you." Nobody could have wiped off the smile she put on my face with those few sentences. I felt as if I were the luckiest person alive to have friends like Adrianna.

"I love you too, babe. But you must tell me everything after you get home." My black-haired friend stared at me reassuringly, but what she said was self-evident for both of us already. Whenever one of us went on a date, we were talking through the night after, but it was mostly her who had those occasions. This is going to be my first date after a very, very long time.