a beauty in red lips

i started referring to laura as "a beauty" the first time i got a cell phone. i was 16. laura was 12. i promised her that she would be the first person on my contact list...always. 

its 6 years later and she is as much of a beauty as ever. with cool style--its part grunge, part boho, with eccentric elements--and a great niche for makeup. anyone who thinks i do it well must now be told, i stole all my makeup tricks from my sister.

when i saw her in the bathroom singing along to the glee christmas album in this adorable outfit i made her pose. 

the clothes are a perfect fit. the dark brown almost riding pants are folded to become toothpick ankle pants (she's a genius) and hug all the right places. the floral print brings all the focus of the total outfit up to her face and the scoop neck exposed just enough collarbone to be totally attractive. plus, the sweater is flouncy enough to add an ease to the entire look. add some  adorable flats and a locket necklace and you've got those eccentric accessories i was talking about.  

her make up was actually my favorite. i've been searching for years for the perfect red lipstick for my skin tone. laura has slightly more olive skin than i do so this ruby raspberry works for her. it may seem more dramatic for a day look, but who's gonna argue with the queen of boundary pushing herself? and the eyeliner? yeah...she's been doing that since she was 11. 

My favorite picture of our little photo shoot.