Stuff and Nonsense

I submitted a column to Romancing the Blog’s Open Blog night. It was a tad controversial; you all know how I hate speaking my mind. They do open blog night on Sundays; we’ll see if they run it. If they don’t, I’ll print it here. Yes, it was over the current kerfluffle with pubs that don’t pay and…what did I call them? RoboClicking sycophants who cut a swath through Amazon reviews like drunken pirates who’ve just hit port in Tortuga. Something like that.

My first review for Enduring Romance will be up Sunday, and I’m really looking forward to it. This has been a lot of fun, even if I have to rein in the snark. Glory Girls by Linda Bleser- be there!

So my daughter and I both have problems with redness in our faces; we’re constantly being told that we’re sunburned or windburned or obviously had too much exercise. Like I’ve ever had too much exercise. We went to a makeup store, looking for mineral powder; we’d heard a lot about it and wondered if it would work for us. Normal foundation? Forget it. Makes me break out, and Beth hates how it feels. That may be because we have to use so much of it to conceal the redness. How good could it be for your skin if it makes you look like you’ve put it on with a trowel?

So a semi-helpful, brow-studded salesgirl pointed us toward the mineral counter. As you do. Pointing and almost glaring is the proper customer service attitude, after all. We read the posters, looked through the boxes, but avoided the samples. I don’t know about you, but I’m not too confident that some woman who couldn’t find a tissue for her toddler’s runny nose didn’t just have her hand in that pot of powder. EWWW.

This makeup needed a guide who could lead us to the ruins and kill our dinner along the way.
"Here it is!"
"No, that’s for eyes. It’s this one."
"Wait, that’s not foundation, it’s bronzer. Here!"
"Wrong again. Rouge."
We finally found the stuff after writing HELP ME notes and stuffing them in empty perfume bottles, just in case. We’d pretty much decided on what to buy- and you have to buy the Whole Kit, they don’t sell anything separately- and then looked at the price. Thirty-nine freaking ninety-nine. For one month.

We left immediately and went to Target. Maybelline has a version of the mineral powder. I still choked a little when I forked over twelve dollars, but Beth and I really love it. It works well, and feels good on the skin. And when you get lost in Target, at least there’s a Starbuck’s in it to help soothe your pain.