From my Pink Diary......

Staying beautiful and looking pretty is a costly proposition as I have realized that here in Dubai. The ambience inside the cosmetic stores is very alluring and they have ‘something in offer’ to fix any flaw, imaginable or not-imaginable! …..but the price tags that these beauty products carry , are scary enough to drive away the faint-hearted from the display counters in those cosmetics superstores in the malls.

Back home in India, life was a roller-coaster ride almost all the time! Managing two little kids, a regular 9 to 5 job, a husband who spent more time in airport lounges than at home and a battery of part-time maids who will turn up for work on their whims and fancies, was not an easy task by any means. I did have only 10 minutes time every day to stand in front of the mirror to dab some variety of cream, tie my long hair into a plait before rushing to the rickshaw to the workplace. Counting fine lines on the face and crow’s feet around the eyes were last in my priorities! To make things worse, the husband only has a heart to love me but not eyes to tell me that I was aging (or may be, he loves me so much that he did not want to break my heart).

Things suddenly changed once we moved in to Dubai. As I wanted since long to take a break from work and study again, the dream finally found its way to reality and I became a student for 2 years in a University here. The most relieving factor was that I found a full time domestic help and suddenly there was plenty of time in between university runs, school runs and mall hopping. With those extra hours in hand and a longer time in front of the mirror, I was heart-broken to discover those dreaded fine lines and crow’s feet in plenty! Secretly, I started my search for ‘something’ to cover those flaws – the perfect day cream that would give a ‘natural glow’ and the super-perfect night cream that would rejuvenate the skin all night and I would look like a fresh daisy in the morning!!

For a novice, to find out something suitable for my “skin tone and type” (how on earth to find that out?), was extra difficult looking at the sheer range and variety of products that are available! The beauty page of weekly Friday Magazine turned out to be my favorite read very soon as I tried to gain knowledge on the subject from whatever the Beauty Editor wrote! I ventured out one day to “Areej” all by myself with bagful of knowledge on “foundation, eye shadow, concealer, blusher” and secretly hoped that I would surprise my husband with my ‘subtly made up’ look when he would come back from tour after few days!

Even though, I was well prepared with knowledge on those cosmetics, I was least prepared for the ‘financial shock’ that my poor husband would have to endure in case I chose to buy something from those ‘high end’ cosmetics brand.. Fresh from India, I was still reeling under the shock of “rupee-dirham” mismatch and was yet to adapt to the “dirham” mindset while buying anything anywhere here in Dubai. I walked inside the cosmetics shop almost few kilometers, stood in front of each display counter of each brand and in my mind, multiplied the dirhams by 12 , countless number of times! Exhausted with the walk and shocking revelation, bought myself a cup of coffee and a “Garnier” face wash only to justify the taxi fare that I had to shell out.

…..but the change of mindset was inevitable and I grew out of the conversion misnomer pretty soon as my husband was on a mission to educate me on this economic phenomenon. Finally I learnt to buy things without comparing how much it would have cost me in India and my wardrobe got few fashionable clothes and there were accumulation of beauty products of decent variety on the dressing table.

But there still was another side to this story of “looking beautiful”! I was not clear whether the foundation should be applied under the moisturiser or over, the blush-on should be a ‘dab’ or ‘dash’ or the bronzing powder should be applied parallel to the jaw line or on the apple of cheek! The confusions were plenty and I did not know who to ask such technical questions!! Shedding all inhibitions, I opened my heart to my only savior, my dear husband! An indulgent husband that he is, he took me out the other day to Marina Mall, called one of those ‘ever smiling and pretty’  sales girl and asked her to give me a makeover! After those precious 10 minutes under her care, I could not recognize myself in the mirror – actually glowing like a fresh daisy!!!

 The husband picked up everything that the girl recommended and warned me not to come in front of the “cashier’s counter”. After 13 years of staying together, he knew pretty well that if the price tags catch my eye, I will pull him out of the shop immediately! He was the happiest man on that day – after all, husbands also want their wives to stay beautiful and look pretty!

And now when I was thinking of finding an opportunity to show my ‘flawlessly made up’ look to my lovely friends, the doctor dropped the bomb while the chemo session was on….

“Minakshi, you will feel dryness of skin too much while the treatment is on but stay away from the chemicals as much as you can”

I was almost in tears! So do I have to use coconut oil, the only natural moisturiser that I know of and smell like a coconut all the time? And I cannot use the Dior Glow Compact Powder, the Clarins BB Cream, and L’Oreal’s Red Velvet lipstick on the Naboborsho celebration of our FFS club? My big man looked at me indulgingly and said “you can use it occasionally while the treatment is on but you can buy L’Occitane products as many as you want, they are plant-based and free of chemicals”. By the way, I discovered the treasure of L’Occitane product long ago but only use the face cream and body cream. Again, the prices pull me back from buying anything else from them even after lot of pursuation from my husband.   

Now that it is time for overhaul and I am being persistently nagged to give him a chance to pamper me, I also feel it is time to spruce up my cosmetics cabinet with all things ‘natural’ and I should give him a free run!

It is a costly proposition but overhauling of a machine with such well ‘wear and tear’ ought to be a costly proposition, right friends?

Stay beautiful and happy, always, my lovely friends…..