The Friday Forum - November 5

Autumn can be so pretty. This year, the Japanese Maples gave us color, but many of the trees skipped their fall display, and the leaves just dropped. I feel a bit robbed by Mother Nature!

I'm looking forward to today. I'm headed over to Saks to pick up the new Giorgio Armani Beauty holiday colors. Loyd called me around 6:00 pm to tell me they had arrived. I can't wait to show them to you!

I had had a bit of a meltdown just an hour earlier when I realized that my Armani online order had never arrived. I called customer service once I realized that I hadn't received an order confirmation or shipping notice in e-mail. I went into the hold queue, where I stayed for 30 minutes! No one ever came on the line. Speakerphones make it easy to hold, so I waited. At 15 minutes, I e-mailed a contact and asked if anyone was home. It was getting crazy that I was still waiting, but I had looked forward to receiving that box. I wanted to know where it was. Then I e-mailed customer service (lower case, you'll note) while I was still on the phone. I did bail out after 30 minutes, frustrated and wondering if I would ever see my new goodies. Note to self: restart my business of helping other companies manage theirs. I tweeted my frustration (now deleted).

Anyhow, right after all hope was lost, I heard from my contact and customer service. Customer service - the ones who couldn't pick up the phone - sent me a tracking number. I suspect it was only because I complained to a nice gal with power. How many days would someone without a contact have waited for a response? The automated response form says two.

As all of that was happening, our wonderful friend Loyd called to tell me the items had arrived in the store. I'll be seeing him mid-morning, so I should have some photos to show you later today. I love Loyd. His timely call helped me lower my makeup anxiety to normal levels. Isn't it funny how makeup can be so emotional? Maybe that's the true test of consumer lunacy.

On another front, the handyman came and fixed the porch screen, so Charlie got to go back "out" to enjoy the weather (and hunt for any mice who may have seen his absence as a license to make a cozy winter nest). Thanks to those who inquired about Savannah. She's fine. Cats (and dogs) with epilepsy usually recover from a seizure and go on with life as if nothing had happened. We all lost a little sleep, but I made up for that last night [big grin after getting eight hours of sleep].

My thanks again to Iris Moreau, who contributed this week's Top 10 for fall feature. She was a doll to offer. Now my task will be to talk her into contributing on a regular basis. I enjoyed her recommendations and lively write-up.

It's time for The Friday Forum. We use the forum to share information and chat. Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By Monday, most readers have moved on.

We have busy weekends and slow ones on the forum. Last week, we had a great exchange. I loved it anyhow. I'm always happy if even one reader stops by. Leave a comment, and say hello - even if you don't want to comment on beauty products. As I always do, I'll leave news of some great beauty offers (great, not just good) in the comments of this post. If you want to know where to find nice gifts with purchase, free shipping, and other deals this weekend, make sure to check the comments.

Thanks for reading Best Things in Beauty! Got anything you want to talk about? Tell us about your pets if beauty isn't on your mind.

Photo courtesy of freepictures