Amber's Transformation Ch. 02

"This is concealer, it is for spots only. Don't apply this to your entire face. This only goes where you need it, like covering blemishes or abnormally large or rough looking pores. I'll only use a tiny amount on your chin and upper lip to help any five o'clock shadows from showing through. Also your eyes look like you haven't slept and you've been crying, this will hide that."

She proceeded to apply the thick formula to the areas she designated.

"Next is eye shadow, this is where you can start to deviate and play with different looks. For today we are going with a barely there look, so we'll just add a light pink on top of your eye lid and up to your eyebrows. Normally I would pluck those, but yours aren't obscenely thick so we'll leave them today."

The eye shadow went on easy, followed by mascara and eye liner.

"The last two steps are blush and lip gloss. Blush just goes on your cheekbones to add back a little color that is now covered with foundation. You can go as light or heavy as you want, but for the daytime, a little lighter is better. Too much will look fake. In low light conditions like a club or bar, a little heavier can help."

She used a brush and lightly brushed my cheekbones with a light blush.

"Lip gloss is self-explanatory, but it goes on your lips and adds color and gloss. We will go with a light pink color to match your pretty blouse. Just apply it to your lips, then rub your lips together to spread it out."

She had me pucker a little and she applied the lip gloss. I pressed my lips together to spread it around.

"Now look at yourself." Jasmine pointed at the mirror.

I looked good! I could still see myself in there, but it was definitely muted. I smiled and for the first time, I felt like the prettiest girl in the room. Jasmine then surprised me by telling me to go wash it all off my face and try for myself.

"Do I have to? I have never looked this good." I pouted.

"Yes, that way you can learn and look this good every day." Jasmine laughed.

I did as she asked and washed my face and reapplied my makeup from the start with Jasmine coaching. It definitely didn't look the same, but passable.

"Again. You will be perfect when you leave and be able to do it yourself."

I washed my face again and reapplied it all again. And again... And again. By the fifth time, it was pretty damn close to perfect. I smiled the biggest smile after that, because I looked good, and I did it myself.

"Thank you so much for being patient with me!!" I told Jasmine. "I look perfect!"

"No problem dear." Jasmine smiled. "I think our time is up now, but I look forward to seeing you again sometime."

"Thank you Jasmine." Heather said. "I'm sure we'll be back."

We left the room and Heather checked out. She would not let me see the cost, but that just made me more worried.

When we got back in the car, I said. "Thank you, Heather! I hope it didn't cost too much."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Heather frowned. "You need a new name; I can't keep calling you Jack dressed like that. What do you think Christine?"

"Hmmm... you could go with Jacklyn." Christine said.

"I had a Grandma Jacklyn, that's where my name comes from, I didn't like her much." I said.

"Is there a name you like?" Heather asked.

"I like the name Amber. I had a crush on a girl from Junior High called Amber." I blushed.

"Amber huh." Heather tried out my name like she was tasting it. "I like it. Amber it is."

"I guess we can go home now, I already got my clothes replaced." I said.

"Home? After all this work? Oh no. We are far from done. We are just getting started." Heather laughed. "We need to teach you some style, and get you clothes you can wear at work. You're not allowed to wear skirts or dresses in the lab for safety reasons, so we need to get you something pretty that is dress code approved."

"Pretty? At work?" I asked. "I can't dress pretty at work! All the operators and other managers will laugh at me. No one will take me seriously."

"Well, you don't see yourself like I see you. No-one will be laughing. Drooling maybe, but not laughing."

"Anybody else hungry besides me?" Christine asked from the front.

"Yes. That is just the thing. Let's go to that new bistro downtown for some late lunch." Heather replied.

Heather proceeded to drive to the downtown public parking lot and parked. As I got out of the car, I adjusted my skirt, and then realized what I was about to do.

"Um.. Heather? I've never been in public like this before."

"You look amazing Amber, no one will have any idea that you're different. Let's go and you'll see. If you get there and feel uncomfortable, we can get our food to go and we'll eat in the car." Heather comforted.

"Honestly Ja... I mean, Amber. You do look amazing. If I didn't know that was you in there I wouldn't guess anything out of the ordinary." Christine added.

"O.. Okay. I guess we can give it a try." I said softly

We started walking out of the parking lot toward the sidewalk. Christine hooked her arm around mine like we were just a couple girlfriends out for a nice walk. We passed a few groups of people on the way to the restaurant, and no-one paid us any attention, other than a few curious glances by a couple guys in the groups, but it wasn't the look of someone clocking me, so I ignored it.

We reached the restaurant and grabbed a table out front on the sidewalk. A waiter about my age approached the table and asked what we would like to drink. Both Heather and Christine said white wine, so that's what I ordered as well. The sun was shining nice and warm, with a gentle breeze that ensured we didn't get too hot. The waiter brought our wine and inquired if we were ready to order our food.

"Sorry, we've been a little preoccupied talking do you have any specials or recommendations?" Heather asked.

"We have a special salad and sandwich combo that consists of a small garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette and a turkey club sandwich with avocado and swiss cheese. It is very good." The waiter replied.

"Very well. What do you think girls?" Heather asked us.

"Sounds fine to me." Christine and I both answered.

"Then, we'll take three of those. Thank you."

"Sounds good. I'll get those put in for you." The waiter replied, taking our menus.

"I think that waiter has a crush on Amber." Christine whispered.

"I think so too." Replied Heather.

"What do you mean? How can you tell?" I asked.

"He was looking at you no matter who was talking to him." Christine said.

"Do you think he knows? Did I get found out already? Crap, he probably thinks I am a freak!"

"Calm down, Amber. He doesn't know anything. He was practically undressing you with his eyes just now. He probably wouldn't even mind that you've got something extra to offer." Christine smirked.

"Are you sure? How do you know?"

"Call it a woman's intuition. You'll get that too, in time."

It took me a while to calm down after that, but the next time the waiter appeared, he was carrying our food and asked if we wanted another glass of wine. Heather declined but said that the Christine and I were more than welcome to have another. Christine got a refill, and I decided to as well. This time, I watched the waiter, and I could see his gaze linger on me just like Christine and Heather said. It actually made me feel a little better that this guy couldn't clock me even with the increased scrutiny he was putting me under. The food was delicious, and just perfect for a late lunch.

After lunch, we walked to the main road of town to check out some shops. I had never gone to a brick and mortar store to buy my clothes before, so this was going to be a new experience...