The Diary
of
Anne Ku

20 March 2001 Tuesday

sunny, nice

MOROCCAN MAKE-OVER

To my surprise, the sales lady replied that Dillards was not selling gloves as they were out of season. Having decided not to join the cardio bench (step) class, I was visiting this department store solely to purchase much-needed gloves. So what do I do now?

I asked the Estee Lauder sales agents to give me a make-over. It was to symbolise the full circle I had come. When I first arrived in Houston during the crawfish season five years ago, I had taken the hotel shuttle to the Galleria and gotten a make-over. On my way back, a Japanese guest took notice of me. I felt like a different person under all that Texan make-up.

Tonight I wanted to be a different person: not the tired, poorly made-up, busy traveller, but the glamourous dinner date of some lucky person.

The sales lady muttered that it was her first day on the job. She searched high and low for various make up. First, she cleaned my face with a cleanser. Then she applied a toner. Then moisturizer, concealer (to conceal the dark patches beneath my eyes - from lack of sleep), and ivory beige foundation. This was Chemistry 101 as I asked her basic questions like "why do you put on the concealer before the foundation?"

An hour later, I was "made up" like a woman I've never known before. This made-up woman had purple eyeshadow and bright pink lips.

The romantic candlelit five-course dinner at the Morrocan restaurant on Westheimer was almost perfect. The owner did not understand our repeated requests and hints to turn down the fan and turn on the heater. We were shivering in our jackets as we indulged in the delicious North African dishes in an arctic environment.

When we finally finished eating, my dinner date invited me to warm up in his car. We had to get warmed up before we could continue our conversation. Meanwhile, my make up held up. I was someone else for the evening.

Yesterday

Tomorrow