Knowing that my "Laura time" will be significantly reduced once I start my new job in a week, I've been kinda trying to absorb all that I can. Ideally, if I can be sick of it by the time I start my new job, that would be perfect (probably not likely though!)
So I woke up this morning, got my little guy off to school... and decided, "Dammit - I'm going to go out!" Figured, it's kind of a chilly, blustery day, so it should keep most folks indoors - which means it's perfect to go out for a little walk through the local outdoor outlet mall. Not go IN to any stores, mind you (that's crazy talk!) but just kind of wander, actually LOOK at the window displays (as opposed to trying to catch a quick glance as I walk past while otherwise looking uninterested.)
I decided I'd take a stab at makeup, too. Just basic stuff (which is advanced for my skillset.) Some foundation, a little blush on the cheeks, some of this light powder stuff (no idea what it is but I found it in my wife's collection) and some lipstick. I chose an outfit that was both casual and comfortable, and also got to wear my new flats I bought a few months ago. I easily spent a few hours rotating through different options... and actually the first outfit I wanted to wear looked fantastic BUT didn't seem to mesh well with my coat! (Silly?) Just didn't fit right. It's a nice Ann Taylor wool coat that comes down to about mid-thigh. So after swapping in a few different things, I finally came down to something that worked. Jeans, flats, a salmon colored ribbed long sleeve top, and a kind of fun khaki-colored collared jacket that has this little belt that runs around it to help accentuate the waist. Grabbed a pair of my wife's sunglasses and out the door I went.
I drove for a bit, just trying to relax. Just kinda cruised around. Drove past the outlet mall, chickened out, and drove some more before convincing myself to turn around and head back. Found a parking spot in the middle of the lot (so "near-ish" some cars but not right in the thick of it all), told myself, "do or die time" and hopped out. I had to keep reminding myself to walk slower (I'm supposed to be enjoying this, not hustling through the place like I'm running a last minute errand) and, eventually, I did. Just kinda strolled through, checked out the window displays (my wife's favorite is Ann Taylor and I can see why - they have some fantastic stuff!!) There weren't many people around so it helped keep my nerves calm. As I turned a corner, I almost walked right into a pack of women out shopping - and to my surprise, they looked, smiled, and continued walking and carrying on their conversation. Phew! I passed a few more people as apparently I managed to find the "busy" part of the mall - again, not even a 2nd look! Awesome! I really started to relax, kind of enjoy myself, really just kind of meander through the mall at this point. So liberating!!!!!!
About 30 minutes into it, I realized I was FREEZING and couldn't really feel my hands anymore. So I headed back to the car. I didn't really want to go home yet, so I figured I'd just drive around some more. As I cruised down the road, I happened across another shopping center. This one had a Kohl's in it. Now I've heard a few stories here on C-F.com about Kohl's being friendly... plus, every time I have ever gone in to one, it's been pretty empty. Feeling pretty confident (aka ballsy) from my mall experience, I dared myself to go in.
And I did.
And it was pretty awesome.
I spent a solid 30-45 minutes walking around. There were quite a few other shoppers in there. I was able to discreetly maneuver away if one of them headed my direction while pretending to look at another rack. But I realized that, they were all busy shopping, and NOT paying attention to anyone else - including me. So I browsed! I also noticed that Kohl's has a LOT of random mirrors around. So it was easy to casually check myself in the mirror as I browsed ("Is everything still looking ok? Do I look like an idiot?" Etc.) Each time, I looked like nothing other than some random woman browsing the racks. It felt great to really be able to LOOK at stuff, pick it up, inspect it, think about it, etc. I found a couple items I was rrrreallly tempted to buy. But I have a VERY deep voice and wasn't about to actually interact with someone. So I eventually left, empty handed.
Problem is, now... now, the cat is out of the bag. I knew I'd pass a Goodwill on the way home. You see all kinds of strange people in there (you think the stereotypical Wal-Mart shopper is bad.. you should try a Goodwill!) So I figured, why the hell not. If I can pull off Kohl's without as much as a 2nd look, then Goodwill should be cake. This time, getting out of the car was easy. Parked the car, fixed my hair, grabbed my purse and off I went. Actually found a really great shirt (a short-sleeved ribbed turtleneck) in a reddish color that I really liked... and it was $3.99. The woman at the cash register looked harmless, so I got my cash ready, and got in line.
I *think* she may have figured something was up when it was my turn to check out. I was a little eager to fork over the money (kinda like my 6 year old does, he doesn't realize the cashier isn't ready to take the money yet so he stands there with his arm out, cash in hand.) She asked me if I wanted a bag, and I just quietly smiled and shook my head "no." She paused briefly, but quickly smiled, took my money and handed me my change, and wished me a nice afternoon. Just that brief pause may have been a "realization" on her part.. but, whatever. Don't really care!
At that point, it was time to go home. I wanted to try on my new top, and I had to get showered and cleaned up before my wife and son got home. But it was QUITE the adventure, and really super cool to just "blend".
I put up a couple photos I took after I got home of what I wore today (and one of the top I bought... which wound up being too short and will have to go back.)
Big thanks go to my wife for the love, support, support and the shopping/wardrobe tips. If she hadn't done my makeup the first time, to where I could really see myself transform, I never would have made it 1/4 this far. I'm also grateful that she has a better work ethic than I did today and was at work while I was busy slacking. If she was there with me today my credit card would probably still be smoldering! Though I'm thinking about maybe doing this again next Friday... maybe she can go with me.
Thanks for reading
Laura
