Pages

Friday, August 31, 2012

The Friday Forum - August 31

What a week! I've been very busy at work plus "suffering" from an unusual summer sinus infection, which has left me very tired. I'm looking forward to this three-day weekend. I'm hoping to relax and do some Neiman Marcus Beauty Event shopping to ensure that my treasures will be ready for me the day the event begins, September 6.

Speaking of Neiman Marcus, you might want to check out some of the new fragrances that should be available for the event.

Remember I told you about Houbigant Paris' Oranges en Fleurs? I now have it, and it's gorgeous!  This beautifully sophisticated fragrance is centered around the warm head notes of orange blossom. A heart of Turkish rose and Egyptian jasmine is highlighted by a subtle combination of tuberose and orange leaf absolute. The accord is delicately balanced by the fresh floral note of ylang, slightly spiced with nutmeg. I can't even put into words how gorgeous it is. Even the packaging and bottle are beautiful. Try it!

I also purchased Eaudemoiselle de Givenchy. It is a "couture" fragrance dressed up in contrasts. Here are the notes.
  • Top: mandarin orange, Italian winter lemon, and shiso
  • Heart: Turkish rose, ylang ylang heart, and orange blossom
  • Base: ambrette seeds, cedar, tonka beans, and crystal musk
It's a gorgeous fragrance, and you must smell it. I also purchased the mist, which leaves a tiny bit of iridescence on the skin.

One year ago, Elie Saab Eau de Parfum captured the hearts of fragrance lovers everywhere. Now, Elie Saab has introduced an Eau de Toilette, which reveals an extra touch of lightness and versatility. The notes of mandarin blossom, orange blossom, gardenia, vetiver, and honey rose are sure to charm you. I'm charmed. If you like light fragrances (that won't offend anyone), this will be a good choice.

There's also a new-to-me line of fragrances called Eight & Bob. I'm looking forward to catching a whiff. More to come after I do.

Interested in exploring a niche fragrance? How about Hindu Honeysuckle ($115) by Providence Perfume Company? This was a recent purchase for me, and I'm captivated by it. You can find it at Beautyhabit, where there is a sale this weekend. Use the code SUNNYDAYS for a 20% discount through September 3. There are exclusions, but Hindu Honeysuckle isn't among them.

From India with Love...Revered for its lush aroma, honeysuckle symbolizes generosity and kindness. Notes of sweet Indian Jasmine Sambac meld with green vetiver, musk ambrette, rose, and coriander. Crisp bergamot belies the sweetness of honeysuckle.

What more can I tell you? It's divine - everything I had expected and more. Even as I write, my nose is nuzzling my arm, where I left a little of this intoxicating scent.

I want to tell you about an event at the Neiman Marcus in Westchester, New York.  Le Métier de Beauté representative Sabrina Autera will be hosting a Beauty Master Class on Saturday, September 8, from 1:00-2:30 pm. The class will provide will skin care and makeup lessons, including individual makeovers. As at the classiest Neiman Marcus events, there will be Champagne and little finger foods circulating - enough to make you feel good while you learn how to look good. If I lived closer, I'd be there. If you live within driving distance, call Sabrina at (877) 634-6269 to save your spot.

Perhaps you heard it here first? Dustin Lujan will not be leaving Le Métier de Beauté. I'm beyond excited! He won't be based at Bergdorf Goodman, but you'll see him around the East Coast - yea!

That's enough for my news and treasures right now.  Let's talk your week of beauty. 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 will have moved on.

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway contest. You could win the Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful Pretty Palette for Eyes, Lips & Cheeks. The deadline is tomorrow, Saturday, September 1, at midnight.

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Photos courtesy of Neiman Marcus and Providence Perfume Company

12 comments:

  1. Wow--it's like they took every single one of my favorite notes ever and created Houbigant Paris Oranges en Fleurs!!! Jasmine--check. Tuberose--check. Rose--check. I love nutmeg and orange but have never worn a fragrance that contained either--so I'm VERY curious to try this scent out. So excited!! :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Charleston girl
    I live close to the LMdB master class you wrote about.
    Can you tell me how a class differs from usual makeover event?
    Also how much are you expected to purchase usually? There is not much I currently want from LMdB but would preorder the fall kaleidoscope.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Charlston girl,
    I am in the process of moving and put a majority of my maskeup products in storage. I thought I would be feeling sad about it, but it seems to make getting ready in the morning a lot faster! I've been wearing Rouge Bunny Rouge's neutral duo and boy, is it easy to wear.

    There seems to be something said for going lean and mean, but I love beautiful cosmetics too much. So far, I have taken advantage of the Beautyhabit Labor day code to receive 20% off some more RBR. (Sunnydays) And a Zuneta RBR order to round out my non-neutral eye selection.

    Have a wonderful weekend! I'm sad to see summer winding down.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Anonymous,

    Real quick here, I checked with Sabrina. There is no minimum purchase requirement. They will be offering individual makeup applications so that you can learn which products are best for you.

    They will be taking pre-orders for the new Kaleidoscope.

    Sounds like you could have a blast.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just a quick note - I've been so curious about the new Tom Ford Fall items - they are available at Saks online, so I quickly ordered the Lip & Cheek Stain and the Eye Creme Color in Plum Absolute.

    My Chantecaille Elephant palette is coming today!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Becca!

    The new Houbigant is gorgeous. I think you'll love it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Jane,

    Me too. It makes me a little melancholy to see summer departing.

    I actually keep it lean and mean in my bathroom. Too many choices in the morning, and I lose 20 minutes! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, Bisbee. Maybe I'll go shopping. I want that one lip and cheek number.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've never ordered from beautyhabit before.. seems like people generally have positive reviews of the site/company. Also 20% off won't hurt :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love Beautyhabit, AZ. Great products and service. Go browsing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am so looking forward to my Chantecaille order that I'm veritably hopping in place. Well, OK, maybe not hopping, but I sure am excited about receiving it. The more pictures and reviews I see, the more convinced I am that this is going to be one of my go-to looks this autumn.

    Oranges en Fleur. Even the name is lovely. I love trying new orange fragrances and I like them pure, simple, and natural. Nothing speaks to me more of summer than when a warm breeze blows the scents from the citrus trees into the house. Inhaling deeply and then sighing is almost reflexive. I'll definitely have to put the new Houbignant on my list of scents to sniff.

    Speaking of new scents, I received a generous sample of Coco Noir and was pleasantly surprised by how it developed on my skin. I was expecting something overt, but on me, it was subtly alluring. It became a soft and delicate floral oriental that was quite pleasing. Looks like I'll be purchasing a bottle.

    I'm still enjoying my Tatcha. It's a simple, gentle, and effective regimen that plays nicely with other items in my skin care arsenal. I especially like the cleansing oil, gentle enzyme exfoliant, and the silk cream. The silk cream is very light, though, and I would love to see Tatcha develop a richer formula for those of us with dry skin. I love the effect it has on my complexion but need a bit more help combatting dryness and so I've been patting a dab of La Mer over it.

    Hi Jane,

    A couple years ago we remodeled our bathroom and I had to pack up a lot of my cosmetics. It sure simplified things, but I got so bored with the same old stuff day after day. You'll have such fun when you can finally unpack all your beautiful cosmetics.

    I think it's great that Beautyhabit has brought RBR to us here in the US at more reasonable prices. As much as I admire Zuneta, their US prices are a tad high.

    I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Eileen,

    The new Houbigant is elegant and a real treat for orange blossom lovers.

    To my nose, the top and heart notes of Coco Noir is lovely, but it goes south at dry-down. The patchouli is all I can smell. I had to scrub it off.

    Isn't TATCHA wonderful?

    ReplyDelete

I love comments, but please do not insert hyperlinks or direct references to your or any other Web site. Those will be deleted. The comment feature is not intended to provide an advertising venue for another blog or your commercial site. Additionally, off-topic comments will be deleted at my discretion. I will NOT publish comments critical of me or other readers. I don't write this blog to argue, but rather to come together to enjoy our shared love of beauty products.

I am moderating comments. If there is a delay in publishing, please forgive the delay and know that I will get to comments and publish those germane to the feature where they are left.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.