Dodging between the creams, shoes and ‘phonambulists’ It is disappointing that shopping has not lived up to its promise, and failed to be the retail therapy it was meant to be. The blame can be laid on shoes, clothes, and seemingly small but the most pernicious of all articles – cosmetics. The ‘happening’ clothing stores are like the sea – you can never really fathom them even as cupboards are no longer able to hold one’s possessions.
With clothes taking over the chairs and other furniture, it’s not uncommon that one loses one’s favourite old garment in the heap, and finds it again after months or even years. Skincare and cosmetics are another universe, infinite and puzzling. Earlier, you bought a cream.
Now, you buy a hand cream, face cream, body lotion, exfoliating cream and body butter, while sunscreen has multiple SPF levels. For night, there are healing creams and ones that remove dark circles. It is horrifying to my family when a fashion rustic – me – deliberately uses a foot cream on the face with no allergic reactions the next day.
The search for the right shade of eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, lip gloss and lip liner is endless. Since perfection doesn’t exist, the shopper makes do with what is at hand. But she never stops searching, collecting multiple articles, each making the previous one redundant.
As for shoes, the choice has gone past bellies vs heels. Now there are pumps, stilettos, wedges, platforms, block heels, Cuban heels and puppy.
