Women behind bars: Skittles, Crystal Light as makeupSun-Herald
By Nicole Oliverio - WINK-TV
06/10/07
CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Inside the "H" block of the Charlotte County Jail, you won't find a hotel heiress. Instead you'll see 54 female inmates, all serving their time. "We don't let the time do us, we do the time," said inmate Veronica Posey. Inmates say Paris Hilton doesn't stand a chance behind bars. "She would not survive here at all," said one inmate who did not want to identify herself by name. "You know, she just always has her makeup and hair done, all the necessities, like facials and spas," added Traci Mace, another Charlotte inmate.
But Friday afternoon, a California judge ordered Paris to go back to jail. So, how will she survive this time around? Charlotte inmates say the answer is: Skittles. Female inmates at the Charlotte Jail aren't allowed to bring in or wear makeup, so they improvise. They use things such as: Skittles candy, Crystal Light and instant coffee to look pretty. They call it "fake-up."
"We get some hair grease stuff and put it on our lips. The ink pens that I have, we use as the eyeliner. This is coffee, the eye shadow," as Mace pointed to the light shade of brown above her eye. "We use the glitter from cards, so thank goodness people send cards with glitter on them. Vaseline for my lips and a little bit of coffee and Crystal Light mixed, so it's neutral," said the unidentified inmate. "The lips are Crystal Light and the blush is Crystal Light," Posey pointed out.
Sitting face-to-face and talking with the women, you would have no idea that these items could end up looking like makeup you would find at any professional counter.
"Basically just being here for so long you'll find a way to look pretty," said Posey.
Many of the products can be purchased at the jail's commissary. Guards say if they see it happen, they'll stop it, but it happens often.
"It's something to feel more feminine because you can be pretty gross in here if women don't have their makeup," said Mace. "I don't do it every day. I do it when I need to feel like I'm on the outside," added the unidentified inmate. It's the only way these women can keep looking glamorous. As for Paris, perhaps she'll quickly learn the "secret to beauty" behind bars.
http://www.sun-herald.com/Newsstory.cfm?pubdate=061007&story=tp8ch3.htm&folder=NewsArchive2