Weekend Without Makeup

This weekend I had a planned trip to Zion National Park in Utah. It was with my STC chapter colleagues. We've been planning it for a couple of months or so. And as the time approached I was excited for the chance to get out of town, and see our St. George friends and to experience something new. Even though I'd lived in Utah for five years (in Provo), I'd never been to Zion. I'm not a big fan of the outdoors much of the time. Especially when it's so hot, but I do appreciate amazing scenery and natural history.

The day before the trip I had to take care of my car registration. I expected to spend the day at the DMV. First though, I took MINIfir to my regular garage to see if she was ready to pass the smog test. A week earlier, she failed due to the thermostat keeping her a little too cool. I didn't realize that would affect emissions, but it did. I had to buy the OEM thermostat and my dad was kind enough to install it for me. My mechanic cleared the engine code, but he advised not to have her retested until I'd driven a good 100 miles with the new thermostat. The computer had to cycle through some checks before she'd pass smog. So no trip for the DMV for me that day. I was out so early in the day, I wondered if there were any other errands I should run before my trip the next day, or if I could just pass some time before going home to watch the Mets game. Being on that side of town, I figured I'd stop into the mall to see if there was anything good at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. I knew it was dangerous to go there, but I had a plan to avoid overspending. I had been good about it lately. Browsing and seeing things I liked, but ultimately deciding I didn't need them. I could stay out of trouble. Exceptions only for things that were a good deal AND absolutely wanted (as in not just purchased for the sake of it being on sale) AND that I could afford. I had some money in the bank now, and had paid off my credit cards and it seemed doable to drop $600 on a new handbag. But I realized that I would feel bad about it later, and that I shouldn't do it. And that any new bag would eventually be on sale if I waited long enough, and if I still wanted it when it was on sale, I could buy it. Rules. I had to stick to them. Especially if I wanted to make some extra car payments as I'd planned before all the repair bills set me back. Anyway, I went to Nordstrom and looked at all the new bag styles that were on sale. Lots of nice stuff, there was a big crowd sifting through the items. But I easily settled on the bag I'd been thinking of, a hobo by Treesje that even came in a blue color that I hadn't known of before. It fit my criteria. Half price. Even when it's out of season, it's unlikely to be sold for less than that. And I really wanted it. Now that I saw it in person, and not just the catalog, I realized it was exactly what I was looking for. And at half price, affordable. And buying it wouldn't derail my plan to make extra car payments. I was within my means. Okay. Good.

So then with my new purchase in hand, I stopped into Macy's. The bag department there is a nice place to browse, but I rarely find anything I really want to buy, so it's pretty safe. As I made my way past the Origins counter, the makeup artist made her pitch. "Want a free makeover?" I politely declined. I admitted that I could probably use a makeover, considering my less than polished appearance, but it was rather pointless as no matter how great a job she did, I'd never use any of the products that I might end up buying. She said that she didn't mean to imply that I needed a makeover. And that I didn't have to buy anything. She was just bored and would be grateful for an opportunity to work on someone instead of just standing around. For some reason I was moved. I agreed with the condition that she kept it light. No reason for me to be walking around fully made up. But a cleansing would be nice.

Her name was Jessica and she had on a sleeveless top showing off her full sleeve of tattoos. She asked me about myself, what I did for a living, what I'd been shopping for. I told her I bought a bag. And she said, "Oh, you're a bag girl. I'm defintely not a bag girl. I won't pay more than $20 for a bag usually." I shared the deal I got on my new Treesje. Fifty percent off. She said, "Yeah, 50% off $600 dollars right." She had guessed correctly. She said she'd never even consider spending that much on a bag. But she had her own thing, Tattoos, $1000 worth at least. That's cool, I responded. Everyone has their own thing. While we chatted she cleansed and exfoliated and then began asking if I felt comfortable with some loose powder, blush, mascara, etc. I asked her to be minimal. No mascara as I'm allergic. But I guessed evening out my skin with powder was okay. She set to work. And we continued chatting. She was true to her word. She didn't try to sell me anything. And she was grateful to be kept busy. I thanked her and she thanked me too. I went about my way in the store. Bought a pair of shoes on sale. And then I ran into Jessica in the restroom. She was on break I guess. She told me to enjoy the rest of my day and I wished her the same. I didn't feel weird. She had done a nice understated job. Of course I knew that by the time I got home, most of it would have melted away, after I had something to eat, and then ventured out into the hot sun. After a trip to CVS on my way home. It was barely noticable. I cleansed the rest off with a moist towelette and then got ready to watch the ballgame. It wasn't pretty. An 11-0 route by the Braves.

Oh well. I had the Zion trip to look forward to the next day. And of course it wouldn't much matter how I looked then. After a couple of tough hikes (for me, my companions considered them easy), the sunscreen and sweat had blended and dripped into my eyes. It was messy, but fun. I rewarded myself with an ice cream. In the late afternoon, we made our way back to our hosts' house for a bar-b-que. And then we got to go visit their horses. They were sweet, friendly animals. A joy to be around. We fed them carrots and then went back to the house for some pie. I was sweaty and dirty all day. But I didn't care. Everyone else was too. Even Jessica would admit there was no point worrying about appearances. The real star of the day was the natural beauty. The massive rock formations, the wild animals we saw, and of course the horses.