How Not to F*ck Up Your Face

How Not to F*ck Up Your Face

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How Not to F*ck Up Your Face
How Not to F*ck Up Your Face
Faking It

Faking It

plus, is your face likeable?

Valerie Monroe's avatar
Valerie Monroe
Feb 11, 2025
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How Not to F*ck Up Your Face
How Not to F*ck Up Your Face
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Welcome readers, old and new!

Please hit the ❤️ above to send waves of grace and mercy into the minds of lawmakers (and lawbreakers) everywhere.

😧 😆 😠

Sometimes I come across research that bears good news. (Good news! How about a little of that right now?) According to a large-scale study by Nottingham Trent University, facially expressive people are more likeable and socially successful than, well, the stone-faced.

It’s not rocket science to understand that allowing emotions to travel across your face might more easily spark and facilitate connection. Researchers told Newsweek they think this preference might be related to facially expressive people being more predictable. If you can read someone’s face, you have a better idea of what they’re thinking (and feeling)—and consequently what they might do or say next. (How I wish we had more of that right now, too.)

😻 😻 😻

Because Valentine’s Day is coming this week, a reader question about cosmetics might be appropriate. So a HNTFUYF-er curious about fake lashes takes the spotlight:

Q: When my daughter was married last fall, the makeup artist used false eyelashes on me. Not the caterpillar type that are so popular these days; she beefed up my natural lashes with individual lashes interspersed amid my own. I was surprised how much I liked how it looked. It made my eyes pop without appearing artificial. Even my daughters were impressed!

It's something I’d like to play with on my own for special occasions. No idea the degree of difficulty. Is this something I could manage myself? Are there any brands/methods/tutorials you would recommend to make this easier? Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

HNTFUYF is a payola-free, reader-supported zone. I get no cut from sales when I mention a product. My recommendations are offered without obligation, making HNTFUYF one of the very few places where you can get unadulterated beauty advice.

This post’s expert response sits quivering with excitement behind a paywall. For full access to all posts and the archives, please become a paid subscriber at the current rate of $40/year. Can’t afford a subscription? Write to me at valeriemonroe@substack.com and I’ll give you a comp. 🙏

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