We have a winner!

I went to Sephora today because I discovered that there's one in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. Luckily, it sucks. Well, by "sucks" I mean that they don't stock Nars, and if they don't stock Nars, I don't wanna talk to them.

Ostensibly, I went there to buy... OK, I went there to buy. Period. I didn't need anything. I wanted to look into a Shu Uemura foundation, because I'm running out of the Stila, which isn't exactly the right shade any more. I'm paler than I was when I bought the Stila. Besides, I adore the Shu Luminizer.

The first thing that lept into my little basket was a hair-drying towel. You know, the super-absorbent ones. I've always wanted one but for whatever reason I never bought it. Next, I looked at the Sephora brand mascaras. Now, I love this mascara, it's just perfect on my lashes. I wanted to get a fun color, but I couldn't find one that spoke to me today, so I passed. I was going to get the Hard Candy glitter mascara, but they only had the blue and I wanted the silver.

Next I checked out the Shu display, but they hadn't put the testers out; there went my excuse for being in the store. I solaced myself with a #20 Handy Brush, which is beautifully soft. I've often said that Lola's paws are the softest things that have ever touched my face; the Handy Brush is softer than that. I have always wanted a really nice cheek brush, and now I have one.

I looked at several other things, including more BeneFit cream eye shadows, but passed again. The Cargo blushes caught my eye, mostly because they're huge and terrifying. I can't imagine anybody needing a blusher the size of a hockey puck. It would take me 10 years to use up that much blusher.

As I was walking toward the checkout, two things came to my attention. First is that the BeneFit eyebrow product is a pigmented wax, which intrigued me. I bought that in Light and already I don't know how I lived without it. The other might, just might, be a winner in the Lip-Colored-Lipstick sweepstakes. It's Body and Soul Thrill, which comes in a very chic brushed aluminum tube. It has a nice satiny finish, not too thick, and the color is close to perfect subtle brown-pink. It's close to MAC Spirit, but the finish is better.

I did this, of course, because I needed a buffer between this afternoon and this evening. I have to psych myself up to ask my brother to consider giving me a kidney. I think I'll do that this weekend.

before - after