Infiltrating the inner circle of noble ladies
Zhou Miaosi kept her word and approached Fu Zhiqiao within two days.
Zhou Miaosi briefly recounted what happened that day, her face showing a hint of embarrassment: "Sister Zhiqiao, I'm so sorry. I said I would introduce you to them without your permission. You're not angry, are you?"
Fu Zhi Qiao was both amused and exasperated. Why did Zhou Miao Si always ask her for help with makeup every time she came to her?
How many of you are there?
Zhou Miaosi thought for a moment and replied, "About ten!"
Fu Zhiqiao thought for a moment and then agreed.
Firstly, it wasn't a bad thing for her to befriend noble ladies in the capital. Secondly, she was able to successfully open Fuyun Pavilion in Qingzhou thanks to Zhou Miaosi's promotion, so she naturally wanted to help Zhou Miaosi with this small matter.
However, there are about ten noble ladies who want to learn. She doesn't have that much energy for one-on-one teaching, and she doesn't want to spend a lot of time on these noble ladies. It would be better to just bring them all together and solve the problem at once!
Fu Zhiqiao told Zhou Miaosi her thoughts.
When Zhou Miaosi heard that she was willing to teach, she knew that she was giving her face, and she was very touched. "No problem! Sister Zhiqiao, consider this a favor I owe you."
"There's no need for us to talk about owing each other anything. However, my restaurant is opening next month, and Sister Miaosi, you must come and help me out!"
"Definitely!" Zhou Miaosi readily agreed.
With the opening of Taibailou imminent, it would be difficult to fully penetrate the market in the capital city solely based on the reputation of Taibai wine. Perhaps she could start with these noble ladies, using the act of teaching them makeup to enter the circle of noble ladies in the capital, and then gradually promote her restaurant from the inside out.
The main consumers of Taibailou are not only men, but women are also a large consumer group.
Teaching the noble ladies how to do makeup also benefited her. According to Fu Zhiqiao, the young ladies either did their own makeup or had their maids do it for them. So when they saw Qin Xiyu become beautiful instantly through makeup, they all wanted to learn.
With the aim of promoting her own restaurant, Fu Zhi Qiao became even more attentive to giving a makeup class to a group of young ladies from prominent families. She learned about the appearance and dressing style of the noble ladies from Zhou Miao Si in advance, and searched her mind for a few simple and easy-to-learn makeup looks.
On the other side, Zhou Miaosi finalized the teaching date and repeatedly emphasized to her sisters, "You can learn Zhi Qiao's makeup techniques from her, but you can't teach them to others. If I find out that someone has leaked the secrets... don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
Zhou Miaosi was the daughter of the governor of Qingzhou, and also Qin Xiuqi's fiancée and the future daughter-in-law of the vice minister of rites. Her words carried considerable weight among the group of sisters.
On the day of the formal teaching session, Fu Zhiqiao arrived with an invitation. The maid at the door, having received instructions from her mistress, immediately came forward to greet Fu Zhiqiao's carriage.
The teaching location was set in Qin Xiyu's courtyard, and all the participants were her own sisters.
Because she was going to teach a group of young ladies from wealthy families, Fu Zhi Qiao dressed up specially, wearing a dark blue satin dress with butterfly and flower patterns, and a well-fitting brocade jacket with a snow-white rabbit fur trim around the neckline, which was both warm and beautiful.
She had a slender and well-proportioned figure, with a delicate waist that made her look charming. Her face was lightly made up, and her black hair was styled into a reverse bun. A small red gemstone hanging in front of her forehead made her skin look like jade.
In terms of appearance, Fu Zhiqiao is already a rare beauty in the world, but what is even more attractive is her temperament. She is ethereal and fairy-like, like a fairy who has mistakenly fallen to earth, untouched by the dust of the world.
Zhou Miaosi came over and introduced Fu Zhiqiao's identity to the girls.
Fu Zhi Qiao nodded slightly, her rosy lips curving into a perfect arc.
Upon seeing Fu Zhi Qiao's appearance, the girls present disregarded their status and came over to greet her with smiles, showing great enthusiasm towards her.
In Qin Xiyu's boudoir, the dressing table was filled with various makeup tools, and white smoke drifted from the incense burner beside her, filling the entire room with fragrance.
While Fu Zhi Qiao was preparing the tools, Zhou Miao Si turned to her sisters and admonished them: "Don't interrupt Zhi Qiao while she's teaching. If you have any questions, wait until she's free to ask. Don't be impolite!"
Everything is ready, Fu Zhi Qiao's subtly sculpted no-makeup makeup tutorial is officially starting!
The model for her was a cousin from the Qin family. Because the other young ladies were unwilling to expose their facial defects to everyone, the cousin, who was of slightly lower status, was chosen.
Women in the capital city seem to care a lot about skin whitening, as evidenced by the thick layer of face powder they apply.
Fu Zhi Qiao summoned a maid to wash off her cousin's makeup. "First of all, you must apply face cream before applying makeup. Face cream can keep our skin moisturized, so that the makeup will be smooth and adhere well later."
Fu Zhiqiao scooped up a dollop of face cream and spread it on Miss Biao's face. Then came the base makeup step. "When you apply face powder, you must not apply it too thickly, otherwise it will easily look fake..." Well, "fake" seems to be a modern word. Fu Zhiqiao put it another way: "Applying face powder too thickly is like adding a mask to your face, which looks very unnatural."
Fu Zhiqiao took out her homemade powder puff, which was actually a simple powder puff made of cotton wrapped in two layers of brocade. She used the powder puff to take an appropriate amount of face powder and patted it lightly on her face, so that the face powder could be evenly absorbed onto the face cream. This way, she could cover up her pores without worrying about her face looking deathly pale.
After the base makeup was applied, Ms. Biao's skin instantly became radiant, and she looked much more energetic.
Fu Zhiqiao carefully examined her face. This young lady's appearance was not outstanding, but her eyes were very beautiful, with grape-like pupils that were black and bright.
Therefore, Fu Zhi Qiao focused the entire makeup look on her eyes. First, she used her finger to apply a little blackish-gray blush as a base, then lightly applied pink lipstick to the crease of her eyelid. She then used her fingertip to blend the blush along the curve of her eyeball from back to front in the eye socket. Finally, she used a bright color to accentuate the center of her eyelid and the inner corner of her eye to complete the look.
While applying makeup, Fu Zhiqiao explained, "Use a dark pencil to draw and elongate the outer corner of the eye to create depth."
The watery eyes are elongated and enlarged by the eyeliner, so that the overall eye makeup is not heavy but still makes the eyes sparkle.
After being enhanced with makeup, her eyes became clear and bright, with a touch of charm amidst their freshness. This immediately brought Miss Biao's originally somewhat bland face to life, her eyes sparkling like clear waves, captivating all who looked away.
"Wow!" Several exclamations came from the crowd.
That wasn't all. Fu Zhi Qiao's fingers, which had been stained with lipstick, still had a little color left. She took the opportunity to dab the remaining color on the center of her cheekbone and then slowly blended it out with her fingers, creating a rosy blush on her face.
This operation left the ladies stunned. They had never imagined that there was such a makeup method. They all disregarded their image and surrounded Fu Zhi Qiao, afraid that they might miss any steps.
After finishing her makeup, Fu Zhi Qiao showed everyone the cousin's makeup look.
"Is this really me?" Miss Biao opened her eyes and looked at herself in the bronze mirror, turning her head left and right with delight to observe herself. She realized that she could be so beautiful.
After witnessing firsthand the transformation of Miss Biao from bland to vibrant, the Qin family girls couldn't help but gasp. How could her entire demeanor have changed so drastically just from changing her makeup?
"Her eyes really look bigger! How did she do that?"
"This makeup looks very natural; it looks like her own skin."
"Miss Fu, you're amazing!"
Faced with the facts, they had no choice but to admit defeat. The girls exchanged glances, their eyes filled with undisguised surprise. If they learned this makeup technique, would they still be afraid of not stunning everyone at future banquets?
The boudoir suddenly became lively, and a group of noble ladies no longer maintained their status, taking the initiative to wash their faces and have Fu Zhi Qiao do their makeup.
With so many people, she simply couldn't manage them all, so Fu Zhi Qiao had no choice but to say, "Instead of letting me do it, why don't you try it yourself?"
"Can...can we do it too?"
"Of course!" Fu Zhi Qiao instructed them to practice their makeup techniques when they got back, so that they could create beautiful makeup looks just like her in time.
The girls couldn't wait any longer and started practicing with their maids. Although it looked like Fu Zhi Qiao could do it very easily, when it was their turn, they always got it wrong here and there.
Fu Zhiqiao patiently guided each person through the process.
She spent the entire afternoon teaching.
The Qin family girls benefited greatly from what they learned today. They all admired Fu Zhi Qiao immensely, asking her questions and trying to memorize every word she said.
Fu Zhi Qiao patiently answered their questions, explaining how to apply foundation smoothly, how to draw eyebrows and eyeliner beautifully, how to apply eyeshadow and blush... she even taught them how to make powder puffs.
Seeing that Fu Zhi Qiao was so open and generous with her knowledge, the Qin family girls' impression of her improved significantly.
"Alright, that's all for today." Zhou Miaosi noticed Fu Zhiqiao's fatigue and stood up to say, "Our Zhiqiao also makes sweet rice wine and beauty porridge. My skin only got better after drinking her porridge. And her plum wine is sweet and sour, the taste is absolutely amazing!"
"Sweet fermented rice?" Qin Xiyu had never heard of this before.
Zhou Miaosi explained, "Sweet fermented rice is a porridge that can nourish qi and blood, and the meatballs inside are soft, chewy, and delicious!"
A beauty-enhancing porridge? They were already impressed by Fu Zhi Qiao's makeup skills, and now, hearing Zhou Miao Si mention sweet fermented rice, they immediately became interested. However, having already learned her unique techniques, they couldn't make any unreasonable demands, but the beauty-enhancing sweet fermented rice was truly tempting!
The girls looked at Fu Zhiqiao with pitiful eyes.
In an instant, Fu Zhiqiao understood Zhou Miaosi's meaning.
"Next month, my Taibai Tower in Liuhe Lane will be opening. Ladies, if you don't mind, you are welcome to come and attend the opening ceremony. You can also enjoy sweet rice wine and plum wine!"
Fu Zhi Qiao generously promoted her restaurant to them. Before leaving, the girls all came over to curry favor with Fu Zhi Qiao, saying that they would definitely come to patronize her restaurant when it opened.
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