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