Here I took the opportunity to try and get my camera set up right (hell when you’re having to point the camera at a mirror surrounded by bright lights) while the makeup artist, Charlotte served another customer. I had already been primped and polished at this point with moisturiser, eye cream and serum. Apparently you’re never too young for eye cream – prevention is better than cure. It had been for that reason that a month or two ago I found my old eye cream in my cupboard and started using it again. Until I realised that the subsequent outbreak of spots I suffered was no doubt linked to the fact I was smearing stuff onto myself that was x years old and had most likely been acting as a petri dish all that time for whatever crud was on my finger last time I’d stuck it into the pot.

I took this while Charlotte was applying my eyeshadow. We’d gone for a purple smokey look and she’d used a pale lilac all over and was then apply a dark shadow in the outer corner. She also used a funky purple eyeliner, which came home with me in a posh Chanel bag. That’s the trouble with buying this posh stuff, you end up with posh bags that you don’t feel you can throw away. But then it’s not as though you can use them to package gifts for other people, either. Happy birthday, here’s a Chanel bag, but don’t get excited, it’s just a bracelet from Marks and Spencer.

This is the final look – a little more glamorous than I’d usually go in the daytime, but great fun. You can just see me swanning out of Fenwicks clutching my Chanel bag looking like this, can’t you? Now I feel like going round all the other counters and seeing what they come up with for me.

On Wednesday evening Mum and I went to the Royal Albert Hall to see a concert production of “Kristina“. The musical “Kristina från Duvemåla” was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and enjoyed great success in Sweden in the mid-90s. The term “musical” does it somewhat of a disservice though – it’s so much grander than that, leaning more towards the tragic and operatic. It is based on a series of books by Vilhelm Moberg that tell the story of Swedish emigrants who leave their hard lives in Sweden and travel to the New World to start again in America. In no way is it “Mamma Mia!”.

I have the CD set of the Swedish production, which is full of fantastic music and singing. Now having played an English language concert production at Carnegie Hall in New York, “Kristina” came to London for a night and – thanks to seeing some Facebook chat about it – I found out in time to get tickets. We were up in the Circle with a good view of the stage and I’d taken my little binoculars along for when I wanted a better look at the faces of the performers. They were also useful for spotting ABBA fans I know from a mailing list to which I used to subscribe down in the front rows.

There was a standing ovation before the show had even begun, as Benny and Björn took their seats in the auditorium. It was the first time I’d even been this close to any members of ABBA, the group who were my first musical love, whose music is always in my playlist.

The performers were Russel Watson as Karl Oskar, Louise Pitre as Ulrika and Kevin Odekirk as Robert. The title role of Kristina was taken by Swedish singer Helen Sjöholm, who was the original Kristina in Sweden and has an incredible voice. I was excited to see her perform live, but was still surprised by the tears that came rolling down my cheeks as she came on stage and started singing to the melody I know so well.

This is a Swedish performance in Minnesota, with English subtitles, of that first song. Kristina waits for her love, Karl Oskar, to come to her from his home.

The real showstopper of “Kristina” is “Du måste finnas” (“You Have To Be There”), which I have written about before. For the first time in her life Kristina doubts her faith, she has lost a child and for the sake of her health must have no more. She questions the existence of her God.
This is the English performance from London:

The applause for Helen went on and on. I do so hope that the plans of the two talented men below to bring “Kristina” to the stage as a full-scale musical come to fruition.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus at the curtain call.

I went to Tonbridge today and was accosted by a very nice Friends of the Earth man who talked to me about factory farming. He knelt down to talk to me on the wet pavement, which I found very chivalrous. He asked if it was ok to do so and I told him that he’d done absolutely the right thing. If you’re going to ask for my money for your charity, I’d much rather you did it at eye level. I had my camera in my bag, but unfortunately it didn’t occur to me to get a photo with him until I was quite a walk away from him and had already called for my lift home. So instead, here’s the puddle where I waited, reflecting the tree and the photographer just waiting for spring.

Messy pile of hair. I have much more of it at the moment than I usually do and it was getting in the way tonight as I tried to get a shot. So I put it up in a knot on the top of my head. And that was that.

My current obsession: Watching Pixiwoo videos and getting ideas for new makeup styles and techniques. My current bad habit: Watching YouTube videos on my iPod for hours when I go to bed.

I’m certainly more screwed up than usual. While walking about for an hour would always be sure to make my hips hurt, they now hurt much more easily and I get backache that was never previously a problem.

I’ve been given an exercise to do, but I have to admit I’m not doing it as much as I need to. I have to lie flat on my back and tilt my pelvis, pressing the bottom of my back into the floor, but I can’t do it with my trousers on because of the waistband – and whipping my trousers off three times a day while I’m trying to work in the office isn’t so easy. But I must persist.

Aside from the exercise and getting medical help I need to also follow through on my eternal intention to get more massages. The one I had today was a “de-stress” massage: head, neck, face, shoulders and back. It was wonderful – even if it did leave me with this tangled mess of oily hair you see above – and I must make sure to book another appointment soon. As the therapist was working I could feel some real knots that need undoing.

I looked on Etsy for a bag and found one in exactly the right dimensions to fit my shelf, but I didn’t like the fabric, so I continued my search. Then I found Sewfriendzy, who had great fabrics and seamstress Aimee was able to make me just what I wanted.

One big plus on the bag: a bright interior. Why are so many bags are black inside. How does that help me find what I’m looking for, hmm?

I’ve stuffed the bag with all my gubbins, even my new big brushes fit in there. Though actually I put them in first, so I can’t get to them very easily now. Good move. I need to weed out what I don’t want/need and what I want to replace with something better.

And speaking of brushes, I have a couple of new ones for my collection: a MAC 239 and a 150. The 239 is an eyeshadow brush, which is delightfully soft – and quite in demand on eBay, where I made the winning bid! The 150 is a powder brush, so I’ve hiked out the cheap one I had that was liable to powder me with its black bristles as an unexpected gift.

But just look at those two. Aren’t they pretty? I’m loathe to put anything on these brushes. I think I may just keep them as low-maintenance pets.

A little later I met him again in the changing room, where he stuck his head under the curtains to find Suzy an empty cubicle.

“Your Mummy’s at home?” he asked me.
“Yes, she is. How old do you think I am?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have a guess,” I said, playing for time as I tried to remember the answer myself.
“4?”
“No, higher,” I said, still somewhat unsure of my own age.

He was stumped, unable to imagine any age other than his own, and so I told him, “I’m 27″. Suzy promptly poked her head out of her cubicle and corrected me, “No, you’re not, you’re 28!”.

Damn it.

I’ve always liked makeup. Mum used to be an Avon representative, so makeup was available fairly cheaply and I would read articles on how to apply it. Even from pretty young I’ve been fairly good with makeup, though there is photographic evidence that I used to get a bit carried away with the eyebrow pencil.

Watching the Pixiwoo videos has opened up a world of new techniques and products and in my zen state I have been swayed into thinking that maybe it would be worthwhile investing in some new products – something with a good brand name, something that costs more than £3.

The first was something I didn’t know existed until I watched the videos: a foundation brush. I’d always applied foundation with my fingers, so this is new to me. I’ve bought a MAC 190 brush and while putting the foundation on with it seems fairly easy, I have yet to master standing back from the mirror so I don’t keep wacking it with the brush handle.

So that was the first foray into something new and today I headed to the makeup counters at Fenwicks in Tunbridge Wells to get a couple more bits. Concealer is something of a staple that I don’t really have and so I asked for advice at the Bobbi Brown counter. I thought I’d just be sold X, Y or Z, but I was invited to take a seat and the makeup artist tried out various shades and two different types of concealer, telling me how to apply it and make it stay put. Then there was no hard sell, I simply chose the one I wanted and that was that. Oh, apart from feeling 100 years old, because the girl doing my makeup recognised me from school and turned out to be about 6 years younger than me. I’m not sure I’m happy being old enough to have someone 6 years younger than me and still looking like an adult. But I digress.

The kit holds a pot of concealer, with loose powder in the section below. There’s a mirror in the lid and a little powder puff is included for touching up, but I think a brush would be better, as the girl used when demonstrating it on me.

I also wanted to get a bronzer and the Bobbi Brown girl recommended that I ask for that at the MAC counter as they’d have better colours for me. Using bronzer is a new concept I’ve picked up from Pixiwoo. They use it in particular below the cheekbone, magically adding the definition that I’m definitely missing. Somehow it works subtly without being all Boy George about it. So the MAC girl found me a nice non-shimmery mineral powder and showed me how to apply it. Sold.

Man, this buying new stuff is fun and the makeup counters aren’t anything like as intimidating as they seem when you’re scurrying past them en route somewhere else. In fact I’ve got quite a taste for it now. I feel like I want to tour them all and get makeovers and be all glamorous. This from the person who works at home and so doesn’t bother getting dressed up for the office with makeup and jewelry during the week. Hell, it took me days to even get around to putting on the nail varnish I’d been wanting to wear.

What are you like – do you like getting dolled up, or is it a chore you avoid? Are you a brand snob, or does any old product suffice?