Lash goals. Yes dear reader, that’s a thing!
Yesterday I went shopping on the British high street. (After my year in the forest, shouldn’t that be something to get excited about?)
The task was simple: buy some mascara.
One of the upsides of living in Uganda is there’s not a lot of choice. Yes, to me that’s an upside because the options in the UK are OVERWHELMING. You can dither endlessly. At one point I wanted to walk out of the shop empty-handed and then I reminded myself how lucky I am (I thought of a few Ugandan girlfriends who would be agog at all the products on offer!)
This photo shows one quarter of the intimidating “makeup wall.”
Do I choose between black and brown mascara?
How much should I spend?
Those are the small details.
First consider: microblade effect. natural volume. dual wand. smudge proof. curl addict. masterpiece divine lashes. waterproof. lash boost complex. lash sculpting. big drama volumising. long shot lengthening. wonder extension full stretch technology. And then there’s “false lash Bambi” – one for my Ugandan friends 
Beyond the marketing vernacular, did I want to buy a vegan product? Or something made in the UK? Had the mascara been tested on animals? I could feel my head exploding. I do miss having ethical choices in my shopping decisions but they are a whole other headache too. (To be honest, I don’t want ethical options, I want ALL products to be ethical).
I love culture shock but it takes me time to adjust to the UK’s consumer culture. I don’t much like it.
(I have always had mixed feelings about the (over)abundance of options and the unrelenting pressure to spend, spend, spend).
Oh yes! How I agree!
You’re lucky to have any choice in Uganda. I came back to the UK after living in outback Iran! My visit to a superstore which a friend introduced me to the day after I arrived had me in tears. Overwhelmed at first with all the choice, it very quickly turned to disgust.
Give me the relative simplicity of Uganda’s options. Shopping in Kampala was so uncomplicated in comparison, and a lot more efficient, friendly and fun—if you like shopping, that is.
The best place to shop is in the village: you buy avocados and tomatoes, or you go hungry!
Absolutely. And nowhere are there better avocados!