All things girly
Dec 29th, 2005 by Accidental Thinker
It’s a good thing I have loads of Christmas gift certificates burning a hole in my pocket, because otherwise being off from work this week would be getting very expensive by now! Yes, it’s true. The reason I have been neglecting my blog is because I have been too busy shopping and otherwise pampering myself.
Note to my male readers: Unless you have a burning desire to read about shopping and perfume and makeup and the color lavender, you might just want to stop here. I’ll forgive you for not reading on. You’ve been warned.
Okay, now that we’ve rid ourselves of those who would roll their eyes at such talk, let me speak candidly about my shopping week. On the plus side, I have beefed up the "skinny" wardrobe a little, with the help of my 25-year-old sister who is much more in tune with current styles than I am. She told my husband she was turning me into a "hot mom." I don’t know about that, but I did buy a couple of cute tops that I never would have looked twice at if she hadn’t been with me.
I’ve also fallen in l-o-v-e with a pricey perfume that I just might have to invest in. That’s saying a lot because I’m usually not much of a perfume person. While there are some I like, most don’t work on me. They are either too heavy or too dramatic or too powdery or too sickly sweet. I tend to stick more with inexpensive scented lotions and such. But today, I sampled a fragrance on a recommendation that it is similar to my favorite Bath & Body Works lotion. Every time I catch a whiff I keep asking myself, "What is that lovely smell?" Then I remember. It’s me! I smell just like the freshest cut flowers and I love it. Even as I am typing this, I keep sniffing my wrists because I smell so darn good!
On the downside of my shopping extravaganza, I was held hostage at the Clinique counter in the department store this afternoon. As with fragrances, I’m not a big cosmetics person. I HATE to feel heavily made up. I much prefer to keep my makeup as simple and natural as possible. But every once in a while when I have too much time on my hands, I get to thinking that it’s time to try something new. I can’t help it. I just get antsy that way sometimes. So I subjected myself to a "professional" makeover during a special makeover event currently in progress. Big mistake. The woman knew nothing about color. First she used a foundation that was way too dark. Then she kept asking me what colors I usually wear in various cosmetic products. But I wanted HER to tell ME what colors would complement my skin tone and the clothes I wear. I didn’t quite see the point in wasting an hour of my time to get made up the same as I would do it myself with products I already have at home. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of trying to make a sale? Because why would I buy things that are essentially the same as what I already have? Except when I let her choose, everything she chose was either too dark or too light. So much for being a color "expert." I came home and immediately washed it all off. Despite the clownish makeover, I did manage to leave with a couple of new products, which I then reapplied, but the way I like it.
Last but not least, we’ve been examining paint swatches in every shade of pink and purple known to man, and have finally selected the perfect lavender to paint Maia’s room. It’s a long overdue step in a slowly evolving room makeover. She’s ecstatic, because we’ve been promising to do it for a year. If SHE’S lucky, we’ll buy the paint and get it done this weekend. If WE’RE lucky, the paint on the wall will look the same as the color on the swatch. That’s all I’m going to say about that, because anyone who’s ever tried to pick a paint color from a swatch knows exactly what I mean. Or maybe it’s just me. Sometimes we hit it dead on, but sometimes we have to go back to the drawing board. When we painted Noah’s room, for instance, what looked blue on the swatch was purple on the wall. On the second try, though, we got the perfect blue.
So there you have the highlights of my post-Christmas week, wherein I have immersed myself in all things girly.
Oh boy, painting is on my list of things to do. I’m afraid I’m going to screw it up, though. Don’t have much experience in doing it myself.
I kind of skimmed the rest of your post after the warning. I will tell you that we went out to dinner last night thanks to a gift card. So, The Missus and I are sharing the plentiful supply of cards that we got for Christmas.
Good for you. It’s nice to pamper yourself. I’m always up for a good story about shopping and painting rooms. I’m always painting rooms in my different colors. And by I, I actually mean Brian is for me. Good luck with the color.
Half the fun of being a male reader is reading blogs as good as yours. You can’t get rid of me that easily. Happy New Year.
I had to smile at the mental picture of you typing while sniffing your own wrists, or did I just make that up? HaHa
Have a great time painting, I use to do it all…alone (spouse can’t be near paint without spilling or stepping in it), but now am too old to climb ladders or bend over, so must hire it done.
Happy New Year!
I need to go kill something…
Being a manly man, I stopped at the disclaimer – and appreciate the heads-up. But, I love ya anyway. 😉
Your husband doesn’t have any guns does he???? I meant that in a Plutonic sense.
Random comment not related to your post topic: We have all been secretly hoping (as indicated by the number of replies you are getting to your posts, even though you have TOLD us you wouldn’t be here), and generally pleased that you are terminally incapable of not posting, even when you declare otherwise. 🙂
Sports. I need sports…
I’ve been spending my tokens too! (They’re very under-rated!)
On the painting front – one way to get an idea of the final colour is to get a large box and paint the insides, then see it inside the room so the light conditions are the same – however don’t forget the base colour must also match to get a true feel. Good luck :o)
Gift cards are wonderful. So is shopping with a sister. *sigh*
Okay. I admit I’m just a little bit jealous that you found a wonderful perfume. I’ve given up. Most overpower me or make me sneeze. But . . .I wear a lot of Bath and Body lotion. Just curious what your fav scent there is and if it’s one of mine then of course I’ll want to know the perfume you found! LOL
I had a horrid makeover at Merle Norman when I was in college. My roommate and I left there looking like Geisha girls. It was funny until we ran into some guys we knew from college. We were mortified!
Isn’t shopping with someone else’s money a blast? Gift cards are grrreat!
Happy New Year to you and your family.
I hope 2006 is blessed for you all.
Monique ~ I bailed at the “BURNING DESIRE” sentence ~ but just wanted to say Happy New Year and welcome back! ~ jb///
Thanks for the visit to my Australia Trip blog. I have added a few things. The answer to BOTH of your questions is YES! ~ jb///