It's definitely autumn here. Some of the leaves have started to color; the earliest are already falling. There's a morning chill in the air, and the animals are hoarding food. This hydrangea, the prop for many of my makeup swatch photos, is sunbleached. It should be a vibrant pink, but instead it's pastel pink - almost ivory. I think it's pretty no matter what color it is.If only we had some sunshine! I have been waiting not-so-patiently to get swatch photos of new things to show you. The sun is predicted to make an all-day appearance tomorrow. It's about time!
I had a great week - some of the highlights were anticipated and some not. My quick introduction to Thomas Saujet, President of CREED North America, was a total surprise. I had dashed over to Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria to pick up a Chantecaille holiday piece I wanted. Thomas had just arrived at the store, and my CREED friends introduced me. He had a tiny sample of Royal Service with him, sprayed some on a card for me, and talked a little bit about the notes and its "story." It was love at first whiff. I felt so privileged to receive one of the first introductions to the extraordinary fragrance. There's a CREED event coming up later this fall; I'll make sure to let you know. At the event, some of CREED's hard-to-get fragrances, such as Windsor, are made available. I can't wait!
Yesterday's Neiman Marcus visit by Dr. Gregory Brown, founder of RéVive Skin Care, was informative and fun. He was accompanied by Hylton Lea and John Gates. All three of them, along with the rest of the team, were an inspiration. Dr. Brown doesn't make appearances as often as he did in the past, so it was a special day. I have photos and a lot to tell you about RéVive's products. I hope to start writing this weekend.
There's been a Chantecaille sighting in our area! Yesterday, Fernando Cadavid, Global Makeup Artist for the company, was at Bloomingdale's Tysons. Today, he will be at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie, and Saturday he will be at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria, making women beautiful. I have an appointment with him tomorrow. If you live in the area and would like to see him, call or text Kathy Shoreman at (571) 212-8399, and she will schedule you. I hear there may be some time slots left.
There's a lot going on at Neiman Marcus. It's InCircle, and there are many gifts with purchase (and points if you care). If you can get over to a store this weekend, you'll find it worth your while to see the newest fall and holiday makeup, skin care, and fragrances.
A Dozen Roses, a collection of rose fragrances that was exclusive to Neiman Marcus at its launch, will be introduced at Bergdorf Goodman on Monday. If you live near New York, you'll want to give these scents a whiff next week. My favorite is Gold Rush.
OK, I'll stop talking. It's time for The Friday Forum, our open chat. What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? 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? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers have moved on.
We have an amazing giveaway contest underway. Make sure to enter before Saturday, October 15, at midnight. The lucky winner will receive Giorgio Armani Beauty's Jacquard Eye Palette #2 for Fall 2011. If you don't enter, you can't win. Good luck!
Photo by Best Things in Beauty
I can't believe the InCircle beauty event snuck up on all of us so quickly! I'm a little "beauty event fatigued" after September!
ReplyDeleteWhen are you going to share your thoughts with us about the new Sublimage cleanser? I was using the new Omorovicza foaming cleanser, which I liked (didn't love), but as winter approaches I move from foaming cleansers to oil or cream cleansers--and Sublimage fits that bill to a tee! (I also quite like Natura Bisse's new Tolerance Recovery cleansing emulsion.)
Have a fantastic weekend, Best Things!
Waow, Charlestongirl, you never stop having appointments with Beauty, lucky girl! I'm really glad you had a great week after all the worries you had last week:-)Enjoy a wonderful (and sunny) week-end♥:-)
ReplyDeleteHi Laetitia,
ReplyDeleteI plan to publish my feature on the new Chanel cleanser this weekend. In short, I love it!
Hope you have a great weekend too!
Hi Clarisse,
ReplyDeleteI'm writing as it rains. Sigh!
I have had a lot of events to attend. Sure keeps me going - glad they are usually fun. :)
Good morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteLast weekend resulted in a beautiful Chanel haul: Lumière Sculptée, Brun Rose, Beige Lamé, and Empire. I already have more than enough golds in my stash and so, as lovely as they were, I gave those particular items a miss. I particularly like the Brun Rose blush which is a soft, translucent rosewood shade on me. It looks particularly pretty with a bit of Lumière Sculptée swept around the browbone and cheekbone in the classic "C". Overall, I'm very pleased with the warm, gilded pinks and beiges that are in this Holiday collection. When I first saw the promo pictures with the emphasis on light gold eyes and ruby lips, I didn't think there would be that much for me in the collection other than the LS. I was very pleasantly surprised!
Hi Laetitia,
A lovely cleansing oil is made by SKII. I find it is gentler, yet works better, than Shu's. Just two squirts is enough to remove makeup and sunscreen from my face and neck. It has a very light, natural rose scent which I find soothing as I massage the delicate oil over my face. As with all cleansing oils, you remove it by emulsifying it with warm water. I then use a wash cloth wrung out in warm water to remove any remaining vestiges of cleanser. It leaves my dry, mature skin super soft, clean and clear, and ready for my serum.
I received a deluxe sample of the Sublimage cleanser and wasn't that impressed with it. It did an adequate job of removing makeup, but it didn't leave my sensitive skin feeling as soothed and comfortable as the SKII. That could well just be my skin's particular reaction to it because none of the Sublimage products I've sampled to date, have really done much for me. I'm sure your Chanel SA would be happy to give you a couple samples because they seem to be quite proud of this newest addition to the Sublimage line.
Hi Charlestongirl,
I'm so pleased to hear you had such a great week--especially after the past couple! Some rest and relaxation to renew your energy; lots of beauty treats to boost your spirits--sounds like a winning combination to me :-) The Chantecaille makeup should be an especially lovely experience. The last time you reported on a Chantecaille session, you looked absolutely beautiful. I think Chantecaille's color palette and esthetic is perfect for you. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
I have been on the search for a great under-eye concealer...so hard to find! Charleston Girl or Eileen, have either of you tried the Edward bess? The best I've found so far is Cle de peau but I do find it a bit dry....
ReplyDeleteHi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI haven't personally tried EB's concealer yet, but Gaia at The Non-Blond has a review of it (10/25/10) and described it as "creamy" and "dry skin friendly". She is still using it. Just type Edward Bess concealer in her search bar.
Hi Eileen,
ReplyDeleteI chuckled when I read the word "stash" in your comment. You strike me as someone who doesn't use that term. I had a good giggle.
What a day I've had, and I'm still running around like the Energizer Bunny! Tomorrow promises to be just as crazy. Just made a trip to NM to pick up things that came in before I expected. I can't wait to show them off!
I really like the Sublimage Cleanser. I don't want to get too far ahead of my feature, but I like the way it converts from oil to foam - all in one application. Used as directed by Janine at Chanel, it removed my eye makeup perfectly. You know I'm very dry too, but I felt hydrated. A reminder that we are all different.
Of course SKII is a fabulous line! I'd love to live in it, but I would have an empty wallet. :)
Thanks for filling in with info. I've been gone a good bit of the day, and it's been hard to keep up. I always count on my expert readers like you to help and answer questions. That's what the forum is for.
Happy weekend!
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI have not tried the EB concealer (as far as I remember), but I can definitely recommend the Chantecaille one, which I love. Also the Temptu one (from Sephora) is FABULOUS. I featured it here, so just search on "Temptu" on the sidebar.
I know you can't go wrong with Edward Bess. Please do pop over to Gaia's blog to see her review.
Thank you so much ladies. I really appreciate your recommendations. My under-eye area is a real achilles heel. I'd love to hear what sk-ii products you both are loving. I finally gave in and bought their treatment essence but then chickened-out and returned it before opening....as often as I hear that it's just empty hype I still want to try it. I do have their eye film, recommended by Lisa Eldridge, and really like it - though I need to use it on top of something more moisturizing during the evening....
ReplyDeleteKatie, my skin is dry enough to peel off, and the Edward Bess concealer is just lovely under my eyes. Dry enough that it stays put, but moist enough to not emphasize lines, flakes, or other bad skin woes.
ReplyDeleteI am curious about the new Sublimage cleanser too. I've finally realized that with all the makeup I wear, I need a pre-cleanser + a cleanser to ensure clean skin. I need to take a Bergdorf trip this week.
I am going to pretend I didn't see that Eileen mentioned a SKII oil cleanser. I love SKII...I just wish I could more readily afford it! =)
Thanks for the info, Joey! Hope you have fun with Dustin. Give him a hug for me, please. Jason too.
ReplyDeleteHi Charleston Girl! Glad you had a better, less exhausting week! Thanks for the heads up on all the events – I hope that when things slow down a bit at work I’ll be able to attend some of them.
ReplyDeleteJoey- I’ve tested several oil cleansers and there are some less expensive ones that perform well including Seikisho, Perfect Cleansing Oil, by Sekkisei, sold at Bergdorf and Drugstore.com. It's $28 for 6oz. MAC and Lancome also make good ones.
Hi ladies,
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who travels to Asia once a month so I'm able to get my SKII for about half the price which makes it quite reasonable. I don't know about the anti-aging products in the line because I use a prescription strength retinoic acid cream from my dermatologist rather than use those products from the cosmetic brands. From the cosmetic brands, I look for things that are ultra calming, soothing, moisturizing, nurturing--you get the picture :-)
SKII Treatment Essence is a tricky product that inspires love or hate probably because of its watery nature. Personally, I love it. After cleansing, I pour a scant 1/2 teaspoon into my palms and apply it all over my face, neck, and décolleté. Any residual dampness in my palms gets wiped over my hands and forearms. I'll say this about it, it is calming and soothing and has actually lightened my overall skin tone by about half a make-up shade. In short, it works for me. I think a lot of people trying it for the first time waste a lot by pouring too much into their palms and splashing it on or by using it with cotton pads like a toner.
Well, ladies, I also like Bobbi Brown's Cleansing Oil, and it's much less expensive than some of the other brands that have been mentioned in this thread.
ReplyDeleteEileen, we are turning green with envy at the thought of getting SKII at such a discount!
Such great info! Thank you all. Edward Bess concealer is on order from Bergdorfs and I'm seriously thinking of ordering the Sk-ii treatment essence. Perhaps as soon as tomorrow!!! ;-)
ReplyDelete