Firstly, we’ve had more views in the last two days than in the last two weeks so your attention obviously has to be bought with interesting postcards, I get it now. Hussies! I’ll go mail those postcards today… or tomorrow. Sometime soon, anyhow. Winners were: Katrisse, Nicolette (send me your new address on fb!), Izaac, Nikki U, Sarah and my dog (don’t ask). Which means I have to go buy at least one more postcard so that I don’t disappoint my dog. So if anyone else wants one just say.

So, shopping! I’ve tried to put aside some money this year for shopping in the US. I’d heard things were cheaper here than in Europe and better quality than in Asia. Not that I haven’t bought stuff elsewhere, but that was mostly accidental *cough*Turkey*cough*. I had a proper list of things to buy here and I’ve made some decent inroads.

First up was make up. I’m not a huge make up person but my favourite brand, due to their super bright colours, is MAC. Turns out it’s half the price here than it is in Australia. Win! I spent .. well, no need to know how much precisely, but quite a bit in a MAC store in New York, and more in Sephora. I’ve said on FB that I’ll take orders if people want me to bring things home and a few people have already asked. I’ll pick up more stuff in LA or San Francisco.

I also lost all my make up that I’d brought travelling. Oh no, that meant buying all new stuff! Woe is me!

Thankfully I found nice people in the stores to help me with things like foundation and powders and whatnot… there’s nothing like buying makeup to make me feel like I am about 12 years old. Beyond eyeliner and mascara I have no idea what I’m doing.

Shoes were another thing on the list. I’m also not a shoe person – in fact I’ve reached that age where finding a pair that is just right means I’ll probably buy 5 pairs just so I don’t ever run out or have to go shopping again, but there’s lots of things available here that either can’t be bought at home or are far cheaper here so I’ve bought a pair of ‘Joker’ converse high tops and I’m looking for a few other pairs of shoes that are fun rather than sensible.

Now fancy clothes are something I love and the range of sixties/rockabilly/steampunk stuff in New Orleans is very impressive. I’ve bought three fabulous dresses for swing dancing and a steampunk skirt, each piece was under $100 but would definitely be double that at home. And the fabric and patterns they have here I’ve never seen before. So much temptation!

Things white people love = vintage style clothing with modern prints.

We’ve ended up staying an extra day in New Orleans so I might just head down to the boutique shops one more time before we leave…