And shopping's done:

* If you had told 18 year old me that I would have been excited about, and enjoyed going to, a makeup mega-store, she would have laughed at you.

But the Ulta was kind of fun and I was delighted to find they carry the Clinque line - I was able to replace the "superprimer" I am running out of. (Yes. The base layer I use under my foundation is called "primer." You know, like you put down before you paint to cover up the old color?)

I also bought a lipstick called "Peppermint Pop." It's.....bright.

I can't quite decide yet if it's maybe a little TOO bright; I am still getting used to the idea of me in lipstick. (It's also one of those matte ones, which has a different look).

I could not find any Couvent des Minimes products, but the Ulta near me is not that large so maybe they don't carry them.

But I did find another bottle of the argan oil pomade I use on my hair (it was getting time to buy a new one. This one is called "Unicorn Mane." So of course I had to try it.

The women working there were super nice and yeah I'm probably gonna get spammed with e-mail but apparently you get a free gift on your birthday if you give them your e-mail....I'll have to make time to get down there shortly after my birthday to get whatever it is. And they have some kind of a points system where you can get free stuff, and they are a less annoying place than the Belk or the Dillard's to buy Clinique because they have most of the stuff out on the shelf and you don't have to ask someone to find it in a drawer for you.

But there just is something about going shopping somewhere where the store clerks are super nice. I get so used to the surly folks at wal-mart (I suppose there's a lot about working at wal-mart that leads to surliness, though) that it's a pleasant surprise to find someone chatty and who says, "Oh, you picked a good month to come in for the first time because it's your birthday month!" and stuff like that. 

* And yeah, I think I am either becoming more "girly" or perhaps am less afraid to let my "girly" side show, but it really was kind of fun considering different nail polishes (and Ulta carries Pacifica, and they had more colors than the hippie store did) and body washes and hair clips and stuff like that.

I wonder if part of it is there's so much seriousness in my adult life that it's a relief to look at stuff that really is purely frivolous - that isn't necessary but that is nice.

* I bought a few more "friend hello" greeting cards at Five Below; I am doing a card swap on ITFF and they may need a few "card angels," and anyway, it's good to have a few funny and cute greeting cards without a particular message on hand.

*AND: if you want a valentine's pony sticker from me (I still have a decent number), drop me an e-mail with your address and I'll send one out. I have lots of stamps, including Wonder Woman stamps.

I sent off the book I bought back in December for my niece ("Be Nice to Spiders"). I didn't send it for Christmas because I figured it would get lost in the shuffle and maybe a Valentine's Day book would be nice. (I also dropped one valentine in the mail to someone I usually exchange with....)

* And I got a pair of inexpensive heart-patterned socks so I can quick whip up a pair of Valentine's Day socks for my Minty.

* I also bought two skeins of mustard-colored acrylic.....because I guess I'm not quite done crocheting ponies yet; I got the idea in my mind the other day I kind of want a Spitfire. (She won't be Wonderbolts!Suit Spitfire; she will probably be Naked Spitfire - or maybe Spitfire on her Day Off. I presume working ponies like the Wonderbolts run around without clothing, like normal ponies do, when they are on their days off. Or maybe I make her a little t-shirt and jacket like in that "Spitfire's Day Off" pony music video). I already have orange in probably the right colors for her mane.


I will say I am somewhat tempted to sub the RAF roundel for her more-typical flame cutie mark. (Sorry, but I think they missed an opportunity there). I probably won't, though, going for something approaching show accuracy. Or maybe I make her a little t-shirt with the roundel on the front of it.

* I also now have a short string of pastel (for Easter) fairy lights strung around the little coffee table where I have my Strawberry Shortcake and Blueberry Muffin dolls and my big brushable G4 ponies. 

* More pony stuff: reading through one of my knitting books the other night I saw a pattern for a dog sweater in it and I found myself looking at Pfred and wondering if the medium-sized one would fit him. I'm not sure but it's probably kind of silly to knit a sweater for a toy horse (which would take as long as a child's sweater would) when I have four sweaters for myself in-progress but unfinished. 

* And food has been obtained. A chicken to roast some time next week and the natural-foods store had some good looking wild-caught frozen salmon so at some point I'll be having salmon fillet. And I bought some scallions because I found a recipe for scallion pancakes (a savory Asian snack) and I've always wanted to try these - they are fundamentally tortillas with scallions cooked in them but I like scallions and I'm always looking for different simple things to have as a snack or with a meal.

* The not-quite-so-great and forgive-the-TMI: I have to reset my "time to menopause" clock. (Supposedly, if you go a full year without a cycle, you're done). Luckily I still had "supplies" in my purse. But yeah. Maybe that's why I was so full of dread over stuff last week and also why I felt so cold that one day.