I had to buy some makeup today.

It's amazing how quickly I use up my containers of makeup.  I figure that I will buy two or three containers of Dermablend every year, while I buy three or four smaller containers of beard cover and of contouring makeup.  I don't bother to count how much setting powder and concealer sticks that I buy, as I easily make do with what I find in the stores.

Dermablend is not that popular a brand.  Yet, it is popular enough to have its own area in Ulta Beauty stores.  However, when I went to the new store in Hartsdale, no one knew where this makeup could be found.  Instead, I was directed to a different brand with a similar sounding name.  So I left the store, and had some falafel for dinner.

Once finished with dinner, I took a leisurely drive to Ulta's store in Dobbs Ferry, where I hoped that I'd have more success with their sales help.  When I found the makeup, I had to make a decision: Do I take a slightly different shade of makeup, or do I mail order the shade I really want.  Since the shade in stock works for me, I figured that a bird in the hand is better than one in the bush.  (Too bad that I didn't know that Dermablend's website was holding a 25% off sale.  But I digress.)  So, I bought the makeup, and took the roundabout way home.  (There was an accident blocking all Northbound lanes of the Saw Mill River Parkway, preventing me from using that route home.)  

I decided to make a quick stop at Trader Joe's to pick up some food.  As usual, I bought more than planned.  While checking out, the male cashier made some polite talk and said "Hope to see you tomorrow." Normally, I wouldn't think twice about this, save that he used the word "Tomorrow".  Could he be trying to send a subtle signal?  If so, he will be disappointed - both as Mario and as Marian, I prefer the company of women. And yet, I can take this as meaning that my feminine presentation is getting better than I might have thought.  What do you think?
 

 

How empty the malls are.... (A quick post)

 

I was looking for a picture of the interior of the Hudson Valley Mall when I decided to post this entry.  Sadly, I couldn't find it in all the mess in my picture folder.  However, I was saddened by what I saw today in a local mall.

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After lunch with a former coworker, I decided to drive to Ulta Cosmetics in the Jefferson Valley Mall and pick up some Dermablend foundation.  When I got inside the mall, I became sad - almost no one was walking the mall, and more than half the storefronts were vacant.  I was in and out of Ulta in 5 minutes, and decided to kill some time before RQS's train arrived.  This might not have been the best thing to do, as I could see the signs of an obsolete mall - most storefronts were empty, and the on-site health club, Orange Fitness, was closed as well.  Only a handful of stores were open, and I was the sole focus of attention at Bath & Body Works, as I was the only customer in the store.  

30 years ago, this mall would have been crowded in the middle of the day.  Now that most retail shopping seems to be done online, there is no need for most of the malls that used to populate suburbia.  It's sad to see things change.  At least, I can get what I want and more on Amazon....