Personal Shopper

David and I were at Target the other day and I made two purchases: a pair of shoes and a tube of lipstick. As is usually the case with me, the more expensive item was the quicker shop. David pointed to a pair of cute, little platforms (at 5'7", a style I normally don't spend a lot of time on)* which we agreed would look spiffy when we go on a real date**. Tried them on, decided to buy them, moved on. Three - five minutes, maybe.

Back in college Sarah told me that every woman needs a tube of "good whore-red" lipstick. It took me years to realize that in that phrase "good" was modifying "red," not "whore," but no matter; I was out and needed another. The lipstick, of course, required scouring every make-up related rack in the store and comparing and contrasting colors and brands and prices and types. I would hold a tube up to my face and get David's feedback on how it worked with my coloring. I'm a winter, but I still avoid reds that are too blue.

To my great delight, I found a L’Oréal color (#350) called British Red which fits the bill. It's a true red without a blue undertone, it looks fabulous, and it wasn't too expensive. (woot!) How long did it take to finalize this choice? 10 minutes, possibly 15. And he has a better eye for this sort of thing than I do, so having him there probably cut the decision time in half.

David's first real experience with my shopping inversion was back in January when we went to buy me a new winter coat (Christmas present. Isn't he the cutest thing?). We went to Macy's, I think, and he pulled out 3 or 4 coats and I pulled out two. Tried them all on. Chose the dark green, wool/cashmere Ellen Tracy trench. Twenty minutes. Later that day we stopped at the market for a few things, including some body wash for me to keep at his house. So many brands, so many smells, so many attributes.

For the record, I don't really like body wash or lotion that smells like fruits or vegetables,*** so that elimination was pretty quick. I found a nice "clean cotton" smelling one whose price didn't offend me. Twenty five minutes.

Yep. It takes me longer to pick out a $5.99 bottle of body wash that I will use up in a few months than to pick out a $200 coat that I will wear for years.

I will be wearing my spiffy new color today, in case you'd like to admire David's consulting handiwork.

*I was 5'7" by the time I was 12, when platforms were also popular. I bought a pair of 5-inchers, bringing me to 6' at a time when all the boys in my class were 5'4". (Idiot) But David's 6-something (1? 2? Who can tell with his Alan Alda slouch), so the additional altitude is no longer such a bad thing.

**Real date means doing the sorts of things that regular people do instead of the things that theater people do. Like go to dinner somewhere with tablecloths.

*** Herbs, spices, tea, and flowers are all fine. I don't know whether ginger, a root, counts as a vegetable or not, but it smells like a spice to me.