overlap

Now, I need to type this now before my typing gets all wine-enhanced and unreliable. It would be unrealistic to say I missed out on everything people tend to take for granted in adolescence and early adulthood, and especially from my position of comfortable middle age, but I imagine there are things like a first pint or a first bra and stuff like that that some people see as landmarks. Everyone has different standards and expectations, I'm sure, but I expect it's not so hard to relate to the idea of doing something for the first time and it meaning something. In the modern world where everything is under CCTV surveillance, I'm absolutely paranoid about leaving the house or indeed being out in public anywhere in a dress. But there are ways of dealing with this, by picking the timing carefully, and of course dependent on the season and the conditions. So a rainy early evening rush hour, a late shop opening thursday evening and somehow as if by magic, I found myself on a main city centre street I've walked thousands of times. But I'd never have dreamed I'd walk it in heels, though being able to hide my face under an umbrella works wonders for a nervous girl's confidence. And rather than turn back and go home, it was that much easier to keep on going to where I'd planned to head. So now I can legitimately say that in seasonally sensible knee high boots, a borderline smart skirt and a weather appropriate short mac, I bought myself another pair of very pretty shoes in the same model I bought before xmas just in a different colour. And then, and for the first time in decades of never imagining I'd ever be in the right place and have the right attitude at the same time, I sat down in front of a very well lit mirror and had someone work on my make up, to match a shade against my skin tone and offer me the benefit of her wisdom. So yeah, I've spent a few quid today on make up and shoes, but you couldn't buy how good it feels to have bought them as my marginally more glamorous self. And getting flattering compliments on my choice of lipstick, and of another brand to the shop I was in no less, was an unexpected bonus. Ninety minutes after starting typing and only four glasses in, this appears to still be vaguely literate. Don't believe it!

Labels: make up

After some giving it serious consideration last time I saw them, and after a more recent abortive trip to another gig in roughly the same place, Crowded House in the outdoors seemed like a fine opportunity to get properly dressed up for a saturday night out. I had been planning to wear my new white jeans, but with the recent weather's unseasonal performance, I was holding off buying the wedges and anything else I'd need to go with them until the last minute. Which was just as well, as this longest day was blessed with the sort of showers that make April and November look like desert months. And so it was I ended up with the dark blue jeans and the knee high boots rather than the white jeans. I'm happy aiming for ever so slightly over-dressed, that suits me, and the conditions required my brand new mac-style jacket and my even newer big grey handbag. With several fields full of cars and people everywhere in all kinds of rainwear, the waterproof cape was pressed into action, and I made it inside the arena to catch the last couple of songs by The Delays, having been listening to them and watching them over the fence on my way in. They seemed entertaining enough, good bouncy, poppy fun and lively enough to make the rain seem less oppressive. From my distant vantage point on my new camping chair, I got a decent view of the light show, even if the darkness didn't descend upon us until very late on in the set. I was not absolutely surprised, having seen pictures from previous gigs there, when Neil announced that capacity is 5,000 - a lot of people for me to hide among. There were a number of new songs, some of the familiar banter, and the weather just about held off until they finished. I thought about making an early break for the car, but ended up staying longer - having previously mentioned the way the situation lends itself to paranoia, you may imagine my state of mind when I realised two of Her Majesty's finest were stood behind and to either side of me. At that sort of event, stewards, security personnel, the police and all manner of hi-vis jacketed authority figures abound, though until that point I'd only been aware of them circulating around the arena. I guessed I may as well stay till the end of the encore whether or not they had any intention towards me, and picked up my handbag and chair with some trepidation. The fact I'm home already tells you nothing actually happened, and that they had simply picked that spot to watch the last few songs, but it was with some relief I headed to the car. With 5,000 people to clear the site, you may imagine there are other priorities than harassing someone who is doing no particular harm. Taking fifty minutes to move half a mile to get out of the car park was no fun, especially with the rain coming down very heavily and impatient people jumping around and even pushing the sides of my car. I should say that as well as my fine choice of new jacket and handbag, Diorshow is fabulous mascara for a more dramatic effect. And that I had a fabulous time. * is the first line of the Crowded House song Don't Stop Now

Labels: Crowded House, gigs, make up, shopping, The Delays

Be careful what you wish for... I've had an eye on the weather of late, hoping today wouldn't be such a fine weather day that anything more than a floaty summer skirt and strappy sandals is overkill, and with the week we've had so far I wasn't expecting to be disappointed. Getting a certain distance away from home remains important, and the late hours of daylight don't help with that, but not leaving work early as originally intended put a further delay into things. All the same, the new asos top, the skinny jeans from Next and the boots I've had for years combined with the proceeds of last week's trip to MAC to make a look I was perfectly happy with, and which seemed appropriate to the occasion. Now, this gig was one where I missed out last time they were over this way, a bit closer to home in fact, due to buying other tickets for things that subsequently got cancelled, by which time they'd sold out and it was too late to do anything about it. The refund on one of those other tickets paid for tonight's ticket, and sure enough there have been a couple of other things this last week I might have preferred to see instead, so it's truthful to say this wasn't something I'd been impatiently looking forward to for ages and perhaps more an obligation to be met. So, late leaving, roadworks on the motorway, and then it got really good fun. I hadn't intended things to get this far, but the kind of torrential rain that's produced reports of floods on national news further slowed me down. I've mentioned before that sometimes driving is a bit more stressful, and it's simply not the case that I have any trouble driving in heels, but I'm sure aquaplaning to the left and then to the right had me sweating enough to start shifting my make up! By the time I got to the ring road of the small town I was heading for, I was already expecting to have missed the support band and the start of the headline act's set. What I wasn't counting on was the unfathomable one way system and the helpfully shifted no entry signs. Knowing I was already well behind schedule, I took a spin round the blokc a couple of times, thought 'sod it' and headed for home. Of course, having a bit more time to play with I tried a more creative piece of navigation, using an alternative route I have not used in ages. Which was my next mistake. There's an extra dose of paranoia that comes with spotting the mix of fluorescent yellow and dark blue squares on the side of a car stopped in a layby, and when one of those pulls out to follow me up the road you can add a zero on the end! Obviously they have a job to do, and on a quiet road like that late at night it will be no surprise that they pay attention even to my sedate driving style, just for something to do. In any case, no major drama as I didn't get pulled over, no major disaster for missing the gig, and a lesson or two learned. and half a bottle of wine improving my typing no end, so if you spot any typos you know they came from the vineyard and not directly from me. Which brings me back to what I was going to say, that next time I may remember to take a small amount of alcohol that makes driving off not a good idea once I've parked. If I can get parked in the first place! * Battling The Bottle is a song from Jim Bob's fine Humpty Dumpty Thing album

Labels: gigs, make up

It's been a funny last year or so workwise, with various instances of stupidity. I've saved quite a bit of money by often not leaving the office in my lunch hour due to the apparently ever changeable "security" routine that doesn't need any sort of pass or identification one day and then has a red-faced buffoon shouting his way up the stairs insisting that nobody could possibly have got in the building without showing a pass for months. My tolerance for that sort of nonsense is limited, especially when it requires a mind reader to work out what is supposed to be going on, so the plus side is that my cash spending has been limited, even if my internet spending has gone some way to making up for that. My tolerance for my time being wasted by the world's most inept "training specialist" is not much greater, especially when this requires two full hours that could have been spent doing something more productive being lost to listening to something that even David Brent would have considered unnecessarily peppered with utterly meaningless business-ese. Naturally I did the only sensible thing possible, and after holding my tongue in the interests of not causing trouble, increased my collection of handbags by exactly one. Oddly I usually enjoy my work, with the proviso that it is only work, but indulging this sort of pointless craziness really doesn't bring out the best in me, and especially so when I'm still a little tired from the changing of the clocks and the disruption that brings. In addition to the fuzzy, barely recognisable postage stamp sized photo on the pass that the operators of the building insisted they needed even if they couldn't decide if they ever wanted to look at it or not, it has now been decreed that the company must issue photo-passes to everyone. Fortunately I'm in a position, both technologically and otherwise, to produce a picture that I'm happy with rather than the production line one-off mugshot. So when this came up, the least I could do was a quick dive for the Ronnie James Dior, and when the photo-pass eventually turns up, all of this is what I'm wearing in it.

Labels: jobsworth, make up, photos

Unexpectedly I find that a handbag I haven't used in years, and which, if I'm honest I've only kept for the sentimental reasons of where it came to me from, works perfectly with an outfit which would otherwise be sorely lacking in the handbag department. Having twice in the last week had reason to walk a couple of miles, it is interesting to note that it's not the height of the heel that makes the difference but the fit of the shoe. In any case, it's nice to find an outfit that works this well.

Labels: handbag, make up, shopping

From most of two thousand people listening and two thousand empty seats to a packed, sold out venue holding two hundred at the most in a matter of days. Then again, yesterday was Wembley so Duke Special (yep, them again!) must know their way around a variety of venues by now. And as I hoped, it also turned out to be a great opportunity to break Trinny and Susannah's preference for not combining black and colour, finally taking the jeans out though the weather meant that tights and boots was a far better plan than the shoes, even if they do go better. However, even the best laid plans, and so on... The previous night's gig saw me turning up fifteen minutes after doors, and still missing some of the first set. Tonight I made it for doors plus nearly an hour, to find that the venue still wasn't open, and that I had another hour and a half before DS were due on stage. In the circumstances, it has been known for me to not hang around - the walk round to this venue isn't a long one, but it's not without a little stress in the walking. After way too long spent aiming for Britney dressed as Whitney, it's probably true that I was marginally over-dressed, but it's a tricky thing to make work in these conditions, to be warm enough outside without melting inside. Lucky my improvised shawl/wrap made out of splitting a seam on last year's poncho was just the job. After killing some time listening to the radio in the car and giving my nails a second coat, I went back round in plenty of time to get the predictable reaction on the door, and at the bar. Nothing happened, the world didn't end. Lurking in the dark was comfortable enough, and eventually Pete came on to a rapturous reception. Only one of the first eight or so songs was included in the Crowded House set, and for all the delay and technical difficulties causing it, when we finally got going it was superb. Last gig I went to that got this delayed was in the same city, and produced the sort of debacle that means I'm not prepared to see that particular artist again, so I was wary how this might turn out. Again, I needn't have worried. For the next two hours we got what sometimes follows technical difficulties, and what comes at the end of a tour - more great songs than you could shake a whisk at, and a cosy atmosphere of celebration and enjoyment. Of course I had an extra angle for my own personal enjoyment of the night out, and by this point my typing skills are deserting me so I'll leave it at saying that this sort of venue is a great place to see Duke Special, though the chance is now gone while they are off the road for a bit, hopefully working on a new album. Particular highlights were the version of Chaka Khan's I Feel For You and the boys and girls split crowd work on I'm Gonna Love You Till You Love Me Back. Having now seen DS five times in the last fifteen months, there's no doubt I'll still be waiting for them when they come back.

Labels: Duke Special, gigs, make up

I spend a lot of time and petrol going to see bands, often because I've never seen them before and want to find out for myself, but every now and then something pops up when I'm going through venue listings that's less a must see, and more a 'that might be interesting' job. Due to a combination of factors of timing and location, that's how I came to see Robert Plant again. Can't say I'm a big fan so much as an admirer of his work, though some way back in the mists of time I saw what was one of his first instances of being on the same stage as Jimmy Page since Led Zep, so the chance to see a gig for its own sake rather than because I'm desperate to hear stuff from the new album or whatever looked a good idea when I didn't have somewhere else I needed to be. Obviously that on its own would be too simple, so the arrival of payday and my current interest in shopping for jewellery and my shiny new blunt ended haircut meant that combining a pair of jeans I've had for many years with a top that's not been worn out yet seemed a really good idea. Being delayed getting home to get ready and struggling to find the venue when I got there meant it was more a case of getting on with it than instead of having time to think too hard about it, so that was no bad thing. And sure I got a couple of looks from people though that's nothing new, but the woman at the bar and the bar staff were lovely. I got the latest Plant album a few weeks ago, so I was more familiar with the newer material than I might have been, and the mix of old and new songs and was about right, and Robert was on great form, and what he had to say about the world we live in was spot on too, so I'd thoroughly recommend it if you get the chance. In a jam-packed venue, it was no surprise that a little sweating was inevitable, but here's the top, my new necklace and bracelet, and how much make up I needed to get out of the house in the first place - most of it was still where it was supposed to be when I got home!

Labels: make up, Robert Plant

There's someting about wine-powered typing that makes for a lot of fun. On friday night I went to see "Europe's Longest Standing KISS Tribute Band" - Dressed To Kill. I've seen the real KISS, and these were at least as much fun, playing for nearly two and a half hours and doing a bunch of great songs I have not listened to in ages. You can see how seriously they take their act here, feel free to stare, point and giggle til you've had enough. Now, in matters entirely unconnected with blokes old enough to know better wearing too much make up, I've been finding that some websites do not reflect what is actually in stock. On friday I was looking at a handbag again that I have been in two minds whether I really liked, but by saturday when I'd decided I did like it and went back for it, it was gone. Which makes for a few fruitless miles driven. In between enjoying the fruits of my most recent make up shopping, I am unable to be too bothered about shops' stocking policies, and remain tempted by the idea of shopping on those websites which promised more than their shops could deliver. In the global scheme of things, it's no big deal.

Labels: Dressed To Kill, gigs, KISS, make up, music, rock

At the moment I'm having a particularly painted fingers period, and here are the two shades I'm wearing most. In this picture my nails are done with the pinker colour of the two, though I think I may just be more fond of the other shade. Funny how two distinctly different shades in their bottles can both look a suitably natural kind of shiny rather than bright enough that I'd be uncomfortable with them for normal daily wear. Update: now here's something about the difference between artificial light and daylight; in the harsh light of day it turns out they are just a little bit pinker than I thought last night - see below. And after at least one 'interesting' reaction today that I can happily live without, I'm happy to call that a lesson learned!

Labels: make up

In the last few days I have been party to a conversation in which the question was raised as to why people would wish to use an eyebrow pencil, and what difference it makes to do so. Sure I have a few stragglers that could do with tidying up, but I'm happy enough that these two with and without pictures show how on blonde eyebrows a bit of filling in with a pencil makes a big difference in framing the eye.

Labels: make up

I realised I haven't done a long list of what make up I'm wearing type post for some time, and then I figured I could let the pictures do the talking. Above you'll see everything I've used this evening, below you'll see the effect. Including the mascara in 'plum', which turns out quite a bit darker on the lashes than it looks in the tube. Pleasantly surprised with the results, I'd call that.

Labels: make up

You may recall the sparkly clear-out posts from a little while back. This is the excess or not really suited to me or, er, the long past the throw in the bin due to being many years outside any sensible useability section of the make up I've accumulated over the past cough years. By now it should be well on the way to making a landfill site that little bit more sparkly, and even if I'm not telling you which item it is, I can say the oldest thing there is at least a decade old, and it's not on its own in that by any means. This is not something to be especially proud of, but finally getting shot of the stuff I can't or shouldn't use definitely is. My thanks to the catalyst for the exercise are well-deserved, and heartily expressed. I possibly could have done it without you, but almost certainly would not have. I do appreciate your help.

Labels: make up

It comes around every once in a very blue moon. But this time, it came with the assistance of an observer armed with a digital camera, so I could see for myself just how much of a colour clash there was between the lipstick and my own natural colouring. More than half of these have now been consigned to the not-suitable-for-ongoing-ownership pile, which means I now mostly have lipsticks which suit me, and lots more space for buying more lipstick. Result!

Labels: lipstick, make up

This afternoon, my entire make up collection was re-assessed for features and colouring suitability, for non-duplication and for fitness-for-human-contact. There will be pictures to follow, technology willing and the creek don't rise, but the result was far more ruthless than any rational being would have dared suggest beforehand. And the personal and emotional cost of the exercise was both higher and of greater cathartic value than could have been expected either. I'm indebted to my sparkly facilitator for her assistance, but for the time being, there's a shoebox full of somewhat unsuitable and/or past its best sparkliness sat a long way away from me, and with an inexorable appointment with a bin. Before being stashed to await the bin, the (standard cardboard) shoebox and contents were weighed at one pound and ten ounces. That's a hell of a lot of sparkly life history in one place, and it's plenty ripe for the bin. And I'm very pleased to find that I am ready for it to be ripe for the bin. Now, if I only I could have had those shoes that were in the shoebox as well as the increased shelfspace, and the increased room for future sparkly shopping!

Labels: make up, shoes