Insights into the explorers’ complexions
and their use of sunscreens are long overdue; the Fashion Plateau readers ought to know the truth about tanning on the Plateau.
First, I needed a local correspondent, to gather
the facts. I used a shifting plane of reality to find this person.
After a short stay on the Plateau I recruited
Kiri, a native of the Plateau, who has a passion for fashion and is an avid reader of the Fashion Plateau, as my local correspondent.
He volunteered to try to get an interview from the explorers about this delicate matter. The Treehouse inhabitants all graciously
accepted to be interviewed by Kiri. Obviously Kiri is well-connected on the Plateau and was the right choice as the local
source.
Without further ado, here Kiri’s interview with
Miss Marguerite Krux and Miss Veronica Layton:
Kiri: Miss Krux, Miss Layton,
thank you for this interview. The readers would, I’m sure, love to know more about how you keep your amazing complexions?
Marguerite Krux: Well, first you need to realise
that under this tropical sun a tan like Veronica’s is very easy to get …
Veronica Layton: Not at all, not for a blonde
like me.
Marguerite: Well, what about a brunette like me?
I have a fairer complexion than most blondes. Fortunately it is a gift of mother nature and I don’t have to use any
lotions or potions to enhance it.
Kiri: So, Miss Krux, you say your fine complexion
is completely natural, no creams or lotions needed to moisturize and protect? What about you, Miss Layton?
Veronica: Since I was born in a tropical jungle,
my mother took great care in teaching me how to look well in these hard conditions. She taught me a lot about skin care matters.
(With a glance at Marguerite) She warned me that women with fair skin
can easily look ill or tired.
Marguerite (rather irked): I learned on my own, without the help of a mother figure, that women with tanned skins never
look as elegant and glamorous as fair-skinned women do. A tan is the surest way to early aging of the skin.
Kiri (interrupting Veronica who was about to
respond to this in a rather harsh manner): That’s all very nice, but how do you both keep your complexion so perfect?
Veronica (eager to start): Each morning
I start my day with a glass of carrot juice before breakfast. Before going outside the Treehouse, I put on a good sun screen,
a simple SPF10; and when I am already tanned a little, I only put on a SPF8, that’s enough.
Kiri: Fascinating…What about you, Miss Krux?
Marguerite: Each morning I drink a big glass of
lemon juice, perfect to keep skin fair. I never go out without sunscreen, generally a SPF30. And of course I never leave the
Treehouse on longer expeditions without taking my hat with me. Not only do I look smashing with the hat, it also shields my
face from the harsh effects of the sun.
Veronica: The advantage of MY complexion is evident:
you don’t have to wear a hat!
Marguerite (miffed): Wearing a hat is a
fashion statement that no one expects from a simple jungle girl!
Kiri (trying
to catch their attention): Hum… Miss Krux, Miss Layton, and what is your skin care regime at night, before you go
to sleep?
Marguerite (hastening
to speak first): I put on a hydrating cream before putting on my night cream.
Veronica: Same here.
Kiri: Thank you for all these wonderful information.
Now, do you have any brands that you can recommend to our readers?
Veronica: Oh yes, Zanga Tropical Glory Sunscreen,
that’s an absolute must-have.
Marguerite: I do agree. Their products are all
odourless.
Kiri: Isn’t that a bad thing?
Marguerite: Absolutely not. When I first came
to the plateau, I brought my own sunscreen of course, but it was bad, because its scent attracted the dinosaurs.
Veronica: You can’t imagine how many times
she’s been chased before she figured out why!
Marguerite (annoyed): You should have explained
this to me earlier, if only you weren’t so jealous of your little
beauty secrets.
Kiri: That’s perfect, thank you for the
name of your favourite brand. Now, do you have any other secrets…little things you do to…
Marguerite: My dear friend, you must understand
women do not like to reveal their secrets!
Veronica: For once, I agree with Marguerite about
secrets.
Marguerite (firm
but with a dazzling smile): This interview is over.
Kiri: Well…hum…so…in that case…thank
you again for this interview.
This is the full interview that Kiri did with Miss Krux and Miss
Layton. He told me that while they were going back to the Treehouse, he heard Veronica whispering to Marguerite: “You
haven’t revealed everything” and it seems Miss Krux answered “You haven’t either!”
Much intrigued by this report I decided
there was only one thing left to do: I looked for a conveniently located shifting plane of reality, so I could have a little
look into their bedrooms in the tree house.
I took the SPR from my office and arrived directly in the lower
level of the Treehouse, just in front the bedrooms.
I entered the first one and immediately figured out that it was Veronica’s.
Magazines about environmental preservation were strewn all over the bed. I also saw a journal by Abigail Layton. I hesitated
a little, but my professional conscience made me open it.
I certainly made the right choice, for its entries were all about
the beauty secrets that Mrs Layton had written down for her daughter!!
I didn’t dare to read it all, less out of respect for her
privacy, but rather out of concerns of being discovered.
I skimmed through the pages searching for information related to
skin care and tanning. Mrs Layton was certainly very well informed, yet a bit too partial about the beauty of tanned skin.
She recommended for example that pale women can’t go natural, according to her they always need to use make-up,
preferably at least three tones darker than the natural skin tone.
I jotted down a few notes and then proceeded on to Marguerite’s
room. Again easy to recognise: on her night stand I found a book about precious stones and another one about how to build
a successful relationship when both partners carry a lot of emotional baggage. A bookmark was at the chapter: “How
to reveal your darkest secrets to the man you’re in love with” . Very interesting.
Well, that was not what I was looking for. I searched the room diligently
and finally found a notebook with the name Marguerite Krux embossed on the title page.
I was sorely tempted to rip out a page to analyse her handwriting,
but it would not have been fair to do this without permission. Or did I have a journalistic obligation to the readers of the…
Wait a minute! A passage about tanning: “If you have tanned too much despite your efforts, try this:” Oh
my, this was a formula to make your complexion fairer.
Unfortunately right at this moment the rumble of the elevator announced
that the explorers had returned and at the last second I was able to escape though my SPR. But don’t worry, dear
readers, I will do anything I can to get my hands on these precious beauty secrets another time.
My personal opinion as a fashion and skin care expert: these two ladies
show perfect taste. Each of them prefers a skin tone which suits her particularly well. Miss Krux is perfectly aware that
fair skin is a fabulous contrast to her wonderful dark and curly hair, while Miss Layton knows that her beautiful blonde hair
looks even better if it frames a tanned face.
