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Friday, October 28, 2011

The Friday Forum - October 28

The early leaves are turning shades of red, yellow, and orange. Some are falling. We still have plenty of green left here in Northern Virginia, but as the days pass, I expect that will change in a hurry. While I love fall fashion and beauty, I don't love the season itself. There are too many reminders that the snows of winter come next.

This was the week when my Sephora Friends & Family box arrived. I'm hoping for sunshine, after two days of rain, so that I can get photos of things you might want to order. The sale ends on November 2. I also need some nice mid-day sun to get photos of my other new Dolce & Gabbana beauties. I can't wait to show them to you!

This week, I started physical therapy for the pinched nerve in my neck - the one that is making my upper back hurt and my right arm tingle. If you've ever been to PT for anything before, you know that it's not exactly play time with a supervisor. I'm seeing John, the fabulous therapist who helped me heal after my knee surgery early this year. He's gentle while I'm there, but the pain sets in later in the day. We are working to reawaken and strengthen muscles that have apparently been dormant for many months. Those muscles are currently in rebellion, signaling to me that they are not pleased to end the nap. I'm adding insult to injury as I do my home exercises twice/day. I'm hoping PT works because some of the other alternatives are not enticing.

I have some new-to-me fragrances I must feature this weekend. I love them! This was quite a week for fragrance news. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are introducing Soul2Soul, Tory Burch has inked a deal with Estée Lauder Companies to create her own fragrance, America's Next Top Model fragrance will launch at Target in January, and Louis Vuitton is following Bottega Veneta's lead, announcing it is creating a new fragrance. WWD provided the news that a third-generation perfumer who hails from the floral mecca of Grasse in the south of France, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, will start work at the leather goods powerhouse in January. Clearly, fragrances remain hot in a lukewarm market for consumer products.

There's a new Tory Burch store at Tysons Galleria. I stopped in last weekend. It's a lovely store, but it left me cold. In the five minutes I browsed, no one greeted or acknowledged me. In fact, there appeared to be only one sales person working, and she was busy helping a customer with shoes. There was another employee in the store, actively discussing with a man where speakers should be placed. I was actually looking for some boots I had seen in a magazine ad, but no one seemed interested in finding out why I was there. So I wandered out the same way I entered. While I hate being attacked in stores (how many times must I say, "I'm fine, thank you, and you?), I do appreciate some acknowledgement of my presence. Perhaps the woman worried about speaker placement could have said, "If you need help, please let us know." Anything would have been more welcoming than what I experienced. What first impressions in retail stores stand out for you?

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.

Last week's giveaway, Chantecaille Love, went to Kindy in India! Who will win this week's? You still have a chance. Just click on this giveaway link to enter to win Sephora's Glitz & Glam sampler set. Just make sure to enter before midnight tomorrow, October 29.

Photo courtesy of cosmosmagazine.com

12 comments:

  1. This week is a parfume week for me.

    I've found on that I ansolutely hate - it is Pulp by Byredo. Starts with the scent from tropical fruit, but in 30 minutes you fell like these fruits were here for at least a moth and aren't eatable any more. This smell made me sick, really.

    But I've found one that I absolutely love - Prada Candy. It is not that sweet smell for me that you associate with kitchen or candy shop, but it is brown sugar, a bit burned sugar, very deep and kind of light powdered milk after a while.

    I hope you'll fell better soon!

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  2. Interesting news about a Tory Burch fragrance. She has frequently said that she wears Vetiver by Guerlain as that is what her father wore. I'm hoping her new fragrance will include those kinds of sophisticated masculine notes and not be one of the new icky sweet kinds or generic Lauder florals.

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  3. This week has been crazy for us. We returned from Europe on Sunday night. It was a wonderful whirlwind as our holidays usually are. I bought a small fortune worth of fragrances and body products from Spezierie Firenze in Firenze. Wonderful little shop near the Piazza della Signora. It was truly amazing!

    Cosmetics-wise, I now understand why Spain holds first place as being the largest consumer of cosmetics world-wide. All women wear loads of makeup! They look so beautiful, though. Even elderly little ladies have heavy red lipstick and long red nails. Love it!

    El Corte Ingles, in Barcelona, has a GINORMOUS beauty department. Every imaginable makeup product and brand can be found...except for some American brands. I came soooo close to purchasing Guerlain's Les Verts and YSL's Midnight Garden palette. They're both so stunning. Too pricey in Euros, though. I need to have my makeup done to see if they would suit me. Lemming!!!!

    Time4beauty, I adore Pulp. Maybe retest when the weather is hot/warmer? You only need a tiny dab. It is powerful!

    Candy is wonderful, eh? :-)

    I'm glad you started your physio, C-girl. You and your muscles needed it!

    Must run to check my schiacciata con l'uva in the oven. If I can't be in Italy, at least I can eat like I am!!

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  4. Thank you for the funny picture, Charlestongirl. I'll e-mail you a picture of our youngest husky, Bobby. She's my smoky eye inspiration--blue eyes ringed in black, set in a snow white face. She's quite glamorous :-)

    I sincerely hope that all the PT is of significant help. John sounds like a real gem: gentle while working with you but obviously doing what your muscles need judging from the reaction later in the day. It's a bonus that he's worked with you before. He knows how to work with you to best advantage. Good luck!

    It sounds like this has been a fragrance week for some of you, so I'll share my rediscovered loves.

    Cuir de Russie (Issued in 1924):

    Lovethescents (Welcome back!) suggested I try Chanel's Cuir de Russie. I vaguely remembered wearing it over fifty years ago. When my sample vial arrived last week, I fell in love with the scent all over again. "Russian leather" might sound masculine, but these riding gloves were definitely worn by a lady. On me the scent is a subtle whiff of leather, some soft spice, and a hint of incense brought together in a creamy floral blend. I ordered a full bottle and plan on bathing in the stuff ;-) LOL

    Sous le Vent (Issued in 1933):

    Another rediscovered love was Guerlain's Sous le Vent (1933). It opens like a bright and sparkling chypre but quickly mellows into a mélange of soft, creamy flowers and sweet spices that overlay the green notes. And the dry down is absolutely intoxicating resulting in the proverbial wrist-glued-to-nose syndrom :-) Yes, I ordered a bottle of this, too.

    As for cosmetics, I ordered Edward Bess's Summer in Capri this week and can hardly wait to get it. I was on the fence about it because the pictures I had seen of it weren't that impressive. However, as soon as I saw it in person (a friend had purchased it), I was completely won over. So, a bit more EB is coming my way.

    That's about it for my beauty week. I hope everyone has a fun Halloween. Happy haunting :-)

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  5. I'm with you, time4beauty, on Prada Candy. I love it!

    I don't know Pulp. It sounds awful from your description. :)

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  6. Hi Nina,

    That would be nice. I suspect it will be something she would wear. :)

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  7. Hi Lovethescents,

    Welcome back! Your trip must have been a blast. Special stores! That's exciting.

    I'd like to eat Italian. After watching Lydia on television for years, I think I could live in her house quite happily. :)

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  8. Hi Eileen!

    You did have a fragrance week! What fun! I know those fragrances have enormous followings among the fragrance mavens, so they must be sophisticated and wonderful on you.

    Hope you like the EB! I sure do.

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  9. Eileen, I spent Tuesday with a perfume blogger friend, and she was kind enough to dab me with vintage Cuir de Russie. To say I was spellbound is a vast understatement.

    CG, I hope you are feeling better! Did you ever pick up the Salonpas patches?

    xo

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  10. Hello, hello! Remember me, or have I been AWOL for too long? :) I'm so sorry to hear about your neck, but I know PT will be effective for it and you'll be back in fighting shape in no time.

    I hit the mother lode the other day at Macy's where they had a department-wide "Ask the Expert" event. I procured a great shadow brush (the Eye Sweep, which I haven't seen online, only in-store), plus 2 powder shadows, a cream shadow, and a blush called Desert Rose, which is a dead-on dupe for the Desert Rose I used to love back in the day when I worked for Prescriptives (RIP). Plus, I got the awesome gift of a 2-pan compact for the shadows...it's so nice to get practical gifts I'll actually use.

    Over at Dior, I snagged the Holiday 5-Couleur shadows plus one of the lipsticks (sorry for not elaborating on all the colors I chose, but it's early and I don't feel the urge to hunt them all down quite yet). With that purchase, I got a great makeup case (not bag), PLUS an adorable mini Dior Addict lipstick in a little bag.

    Can't wait to review everything in the coming days and weeks!

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  11. Not yet, Joey, but I haven't forgotten. I'm getting to know my moist heating pad well, though.

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  12. Hey there, Shannon, I wondered where you had been!

    You got some nice things! I'm sure you'll have fun for weeks. That eye brush sounds VERY interesting.

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