Shopping Spree

In my misguided youth, I indulged in a passion for make-up. The more garish, the better. I painted my nails in different colours (I did show a little restraint... I limited myself to five colours at a time, so that my hands would match), and went through the ghastly coloured mascara phase... if I fluttered my eyelashes, it looked like a flock of budgies taking flight! No make-up counter could be passed without some little item catching my fancy.

Over the years, this experimentation has allowed me to home in on the items which are most useful, and which brands suit me best. My taste in make-up has been refined: I now tend to buy rather expensive brands, but they are of better quality, and last longer. It also helps that I try to look as natural as possible! Unfortunately, the people who are in the business of selling cosmetics need to keep experimenting so that they can shout about how they have the latest "new" product, which is supposedly better than anything they have ever produced before, and definitely superior to whatever the rival companies are producing.

This is an awful pain in the neck for me... I have very, very pale skin (helped by an almost permanent state of anaemia) and time and time again I find that the formulation of foundation or face powder is tweaked by the manufacturers... and then it is too dark for my skin tone! And then I have to experiment again until I find the right shade... only now a mistake can be rather an expensive one! So I am willing to invest plenty of time sitting in front of make-up consultants discussing the merits of this or that formulation. If I can't test it properly, I won't buy it.

This evening I discovered that my favourite shade of face powder has been discontinued. After around half an hour of opening little pots and rubbing powder into my skin, the consultant and I managed to identify a suitable replacement. The palest powder they now have appears to be a Number 08. Number 01 was my original. Number 03 looks like some sort of bronzing powder. I am a little confused, but that's hardly a new state of affairs...

I did say that I have expensive tastes... my single purchase qualified me for a £5 money-off next purchase voucher. As I turned to leave the shop, it suddenly occurred to me that my mascara was nearly dried out, and I could do with another eye-liner pencil... so I turned round and went to the relevant section...

...alas, the purchase of those two small items was expensive enough to qualify me for another £5 money-off voucher... and a free gift...

...the free gift was, naturally enough, a make-up bag... containing an eye-liner pencil and a mascara...

*sigh*