Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Memphis Shopping: Oak Court Mall, Clinique Powder, and an Outfit Post

I really love shopping.

Well, let me qualify that.

I like shopping when I want to shop.

I like shopping when I'm by myself, or with like-minded shoppers.

I like shopping when I'm not in a hurry.

I like shopping when I'm not hungry.

I like shopping when I have money.

Luckily, I recently had the perfect storm of time, money-ish, not grumbly tummy, desire to shop, alone time, and I happened to be by Oak Court.

*Via Simon.com.

Oak Court is a smallish mall in East Memphis/University District. It's pretty close to the University of Memphis, between Poplar and Southern. 

The anchor stores are Macy's and Dillards, but they have quite a few other stores I like. In recent years they've lost a lot of stores and replaced them with ones that I don't have any interest in, but the community as a whole probably does - things like school uniform stores. 

This particular trip I needed to take a sweater back to Loft. My only complaint about this particular Loft, which I love, is that they rarely have a range of sizes. Literally 20 XS shirts, 10 S, and 1 M, a lot of the time. Or they have a bunch of XL, and nothing else. So a lot of times, I will buy something, get it home, decide it's too big/small, and order the right size online. Especially when I paid full price in the store and it's 50% off online...

*Um, cute. From Loft. 

So I did my thing at Loft, left without anything else because I just ordered a billion dollars in clothes online during the sale, and went to Macy's

Before I talk about my AWESOME Macy's experience, Oak Court is actually a really nice mall to get stuff in without taking a million years. 

There's a:
Godiva
American Eagle
Victoria's Secret
Finish Line
Banana Republic
Charlotte Russe
Bath and Body Works
...and a pretty nice food court.

But I was on a mission. 

A mission to buy makeup.  

And get some damn Starbucks. 

It was so hot, so I got an iced coffee, no cream, no sugar. I'm hardcore like that. The Starbucks guy actually said, "wow...you're a brave woman." I have a problem.


And then I was sad that it was all gone. :(

I also got some really good chocolate almond things. Yum.

I think maybe I eat too much. 

Fuck it. 

Anyway.

Then I went to the BareMinerals counter. Like Shelbey from Love, Shelbey said, the READY Foundation is really really hydrating. I tried it, liked it okay, but I think it's just too much for me. Plus I like pressed powder that comes with a brush or pad in the compact, since I lose stuff constantly, and the whole point of getting a compact is so I don't have a million things to take. 

However, like she said (and I agree, and the girl at the counter also said), it's hit or miss. I can see that some people would really like it, especially if you have dry skin or don't need a ton of coverage. I need about a medium amount, and my skin is classically combination, so, unfortuantely, it just doesn't work for me. 


I had heard really good things about Clinique's compacts, so I headed over there. 

I'm so glad I had someone help me instead of just buying it. 

First, the girl who helped me was awesome. 

Second, she picked a color that I would never, ever have thought would work, and a powder that I probably wouldn't have thought to look at. 

I had wanted to see the Superpowder Double Face Makeup. Probably in Matte Bisque.

I am really, really white y'all. Like, glow in the dark, I don't tan, you'll never lose me at night, WHITE.

But she said that was too much. Too light, too much coverage, and since I'm so white (yeah, she said that...which was awesome) I definitely need some SPF, which this doesn't have. 

Instead, she had me sit down and she put the Almost Power Makeup with Broad Spectrum SPF 15 on me. 

In neutral fair. I would have chosen fair. It would not have gone well. 

These pictures from the website look a little off, but here's what the compact actually looks like. 


Pretty! And the little "Clinique" button pushes in, which makes it super easy to open. I have stupid fingers sometimes, so that's a major plus. 


I'm pretty sure I actually am Philip J. Fry. 


The inside of the compact. The lights in my house are kind of yellow-y, but it's not as golden as it looks. Also, bonus shot of Oliver! Evil...


I'm much better at using the pad than a brush for pressed powder. I just don't have the patience. 


Back of the compact. It seems pretty sturdy, the mirror is a good size, and it's easy to hold in one hand. 

And I'm a sucker for packaging. And this one is really pretty!




So I really like it. I'm going to wear it for about a week and then I'll report back. 

I also went to the Philosophy counter to try to get the bath stuff I used at my cousin Samantha's house in Utah. I liked the Field of Flowers, but I really liked the original, "Pure Grace" body wash. I'm super allergic to a lot of body washes, so something really clean is what I usually go for. 

*Via Philosophy.


And yes, I'm a house guest who steals the host's bath products. It's how I try new things!

While I was at the counter, the girl working there, Yvette (Hi Yvette!) told me about the Full of Promise Eye Duo. I already use Full of Promise Restoring Cream everyday, and it's probably the best face stuff I've ever used. My skin feels more hydrated and firmer, and I notice that it's more even and my wrinkles (and scars) are less pronounced.
*Via Macy's.

I can't find a good pic of the duo, but it's basically a stick with two ends, one of which goes on your upper lid and the other on your lower. Yvette gave me a sample of each which I'm going to try for a week, so we'll see how it goes!

So that was my trip to Oak Court. On a Saturday. Overall low stress, didn't buy much but it was a nice break from the heat, and it's a great mall for shopping but not being overwhelmed. 

I went back with my friend Kirby and her little girl a few days ago. We were shopping for clothes, but nothing super specific, so we did a lot of wandering around, just hanging out, which was super fun. We did buy a couple of things at Express and Charlotte Russe and New York & Co., and I got these shoes at Payless (!):


And they were BOGO with another pair of black wedges. Via Payless.com.

I'm thinking about wearing them with this outfit tonight:


Thoughts?



Enjoy!


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