The thought of leaving the house without makeup is horrifying.

Coming into work without makeup? A nightmare!

Being photographed without makeup and posting it for the world to see? No way!!

… WAY.

One fateful morning, the ladies of Punk.com and Newbury Comics volunteered to have some nude photos taken. Now, now, settle down—only our faces were nude, though it felt as if many more layers were missing…

Oversized sunglasses and a few bemoaning status updates later, our courage was rewarded with a makeover by the very talented Alanna of Smokeshow Make-Up Artistry and Danielle Mignosa, of Danielle Does My Hair and the Hair Solution. Alanna knows MAC like the back of her hand (which also serves as her blending palette) and toys with the elements of shadow and contour, taken from her background in photography. Her expansive list of clients includes the likes of David LaChapelle, Pamela Anderson, and Cirque du Soleil, and her work has been featured on HBO, E!, and Lifetime. Punk was thrilled to have her stop by, and after one quick glance at our faces, she worked her magic. We adored the results.

Models are real people. And real people can be models. Punk strives to prove this, since we always scoop up coworkers and friends for photoshoots. We’re pretty sure our customers are real people, too.

Our before-and-after experiment shows that the transformation to glamour is standard practice with props to foundation and Photoshop.We exist in such a beauty and visually-stimulated culture, that this faux flawlessness is everywhere you turn. So, darlings, no self-consciousness when you gaze at the cover of the latest fashion mag and wish your cheekbones would migrate north. Remember that most of the “perfection” you see is simply sleight of hand.

(For the record, this was most definitely a fashion experiment, and certainly not an excuse for the girls to play with makeup and clothes. Promise.)

-Christina