PRODUCTS

I know that the women of Rome have access to beauty products because they can throw on a dress to hit the grocery store that is hipper than anything I would wear to a super-cool club. Not that I go to super-cool clubs. But let's say I do for the sake of comparison. Do you know what I wore to the grocery store in the US of A?My gym clothes. Because I usually stopped there on the way home from the gym. So I marvel at how these women literally look like they are on their way to a magazine shoot and somehow look as effortless and casual as if they were dressed in gym clothes. And they never look sweaty. Maybe they are born without sweat glands. I'll have to look into that.

And so, back to my point: I know that somewhere in Rome are all the things I took for granted at Target. I love you Target. Don't forget me. I will spend so much time with you when I'm in America. I promise.

However, the closest thing I've found to the type of beauty products I need to enjoy life was something that I thought was astringent because I'm breaking out like I need Stridex pads or Sea Breeze (God, that stuff  stung. I feel like I can still conjure up its smell.) but it turns out it was regular face wash which stinks because I've been wiping it over my face to absorb oil and surprise! I've really just been piling soap on my face and leaving it there. And I did find "nail polish." I found a stand of nail polish at the grocery store and it was a brand I didn't recognize and the colors were so outdated and the nail polish was so old it had separated and had that thick mess on the bottom and water on the top, but I was desperate. But then I saw the price: 9 euro. 9 EURO. That is $11.21. OPI only costs $8 and they have fun colors and I would buy it for the names alone. So I did not buy the nail polish.

Today, however, today we decided John needed a shirt because our things from America have yet to arrive and we go out to dinner enough that a t-shirt with a monkey wearing headphones is not always the best choice. We walked to OVS which I suspect is sort of like Old Navy....except they had what equated to a mini-sephora inside jam-packed with beauty products. I could hear the angels singing.

These are my current favorite things:

this I did not buy at the European Old Navy, but it will be my best friend until my "hoover" (that's British for vacuum) arrives from amazon.uk

My new "Blue Addicted" nail polish. Sure, the name could be better. But it was 1.25 euro and it has pieces of glitter in it. And yes, I know I have finger toes and that they are strangely wrinkly. However, I can twirl a baton with my toes and having a second toe longer than the rest of your toes is a sign of royalty. So if you were going to leave me a comment like, "What's up with your weird, wrinkly, finger toes?" you go right ahead because I never have to bend over to pick up a pen I've dropped on the floor. Winning.

I just noticed that this is really some kind of cellulite scrub but I don't care. I am considering it a facial scrub because it has two things going for it: a scrub brush and salicylic acid. And it will obviously prevent cellulite on my face.

this is the wonderful tool that now allows me to use our stove. John can now ask for food that has to be cooked.

Oh, and yes, we got John a shirt.