I think it must be common.
I have never had many female friends myself, but, I have run across girls gathered in bathrooms at the mall, touching up their makeup together. I have also been in situations where I've had to hang out with my friends' wives, and they spend an inordinate amount of time discussing shopping and television shows that are heavily relationship based (like soap operas and reality tv).
Oh, and I was in a wedding once, because my friend's fiance had fallen out with one of her bridesmaids and I was the only tall person they knew to take her dress... so, I was invited to a 'spa day', where there were half a dozen of us getting primped and painted eta ALL FRICKIN DAY, and according to the ladies at the salon place, they hosted those types of things all the time.
Anyway, since I've got so many examples in my own limited experience around women, I have to extrapolate to reach my conclusion that it's normal.