Sunday, December 2, 2012

Sunday This and That

Le Métier de Beauté's Bauhaus Kaleidoscope Lip Kit ($95) has arrived at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie in anticipation of Erin Lockard's visit Friday and Saturday of this week. If you live in the DC area, make sure to call Michael Reinhardt (phone below) to make an appointment to see Erin. She will be showing us how to perfect our holiday looks, and Michael will have plenty of new treasures for you. You will love Erin; she is beautiful inside and out.

The Bauhaus Kaleidoscope Lip Kit has already arrived (I picked mine up today). The Bauhaus Kaleidoscope Eye Kit will arrive this week. The new CHEM60 Pro-Peel & GLOW10ai Mask Set ($265), a Neiman Marcus exclusive, has also arrived. If you don't live in the area, Michael can always help you by phone. You can reach him at (202) 966-9700, extension 2258 or 2236. Here's there today, unusual for a Sunday.

I'll swatch my Bauhaus Kaleidoscope Lip Kit as soon as the sun returns. It has been extra-gloomy here. It looks like fall outside.

Here's a discount you may not see. I adore Caron fragrances, and every year I wait for the 20% discount offers near the holidays. Between today and December 7, you can purchase that fragrance you've wanted, but didn't buy because of the price. Call (877) 88 CARON. My favorite? Caron's Tubereuse.

This morning, I got an e-mail that intrigued me - until I started to study the ingredients. We chatted on The Friday Forum about peels, exfoliators, and flaky skin. Along came a new one exfoliator from Perricone: Blue Plasma. Called the unPeel and leveraging the popular Cold Plasma brand, Blue Plasma ($95) contains salmon roe. That turned me right off for two reasons: 1) I don't believe our cosmetic products should contain animal ingredients, and 2) I don't like it when Perricone's products start to smell fishy, as Cold Plasma Eye did for me.

Here is the marketing blurb...
A unique, non-acidic daily peel designed to deliver all the benefits of a traditional peel without redness or irritation. This cutting-edge liquid treatment works with Bio-specific Peeling to attack only dead skin cells, Micro-extraction to lift surface debris, unclogging and purifying the skin of build-up, and finally Hydro-fusion to rebalance skin's hydration with enriched water. No rinsing needed. Apply and follow with your daily skincare regimen.

After I saw the promotion, I looked for the ingredients, trying to figure out how Blue Plasma could deliver on its promises - ever the amateur chemist. The ingredients aren't specific enough to identify salmon roe. Hydrolyzed Roe is listed. It's described as a skin conditioner, and it could come from caviar, which is endangered because of over-fishing. I was instantly turned off. I like to support cruelty-free cosmetics, and this one certainly isn't. Would you buy it?

Do you know how frustrating it is to shop for knee-high boots that are slim and fit skinny legs? I am ready to give up. I have searched high and low and cannot find a pair that doesn't look like galoshes on me. I shopped this weekend and last at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and other stores, and I've finally given up. I wonder what I'd find if I Google "skinny boots." That may be next.

Yesterday, I bought myself a new toy: a new iPad. Mine didn't have a camera, and I thought it would be fun to have the camera and take photos of Charlie in bed with me. I'm still learning to use the iPad as a camera. Here you can see that I cut off the little darling's ears.

That's all for now. Hopefully, "the sun will come out tomorrow" (cue the music) and allow me to get a few photos to share my new makeup with you.

Photos courtesy of Neiman Marcus, Caron, Perricone MD, and by Best Things in Beauty

26 comments:

Vanessa said...

Hello Charelston Girl and Charlie,
Snow is falling in the Sierra Mountains and rain is bringing the Truckee River to flood levels. It is cold and so damp. My curly hair is springing with life; talk about volume. I just applied Rusk's Argan Hair Oil to calm it all down. The oil causes my highlights to glisten and it smells nice. Some argan products smell like a compost pile.
Charlie is handsome and very smart to be spending the day in bed. My girls are on thier cat beds, snailed into themselves with their paws over their eyes.
The cat life is the best life.

Take Care and stay warm and dry .
Vanessa

lovethescents said...

Oooh, that LMdB looks as gorgeous as ever.

That Caron sale is a good one, eh? Are you going for anything? My favorite is Tabac Blonde, but I only know the vtg formulation. It's gorgeous. I also like Nuit de Noel but certainly don't need a FB!

Great photo, by the way :-)

The Beauty Professor said...

I have the LMdB Bauhaus Kaleidoscope too...all of the shades are really wearable and I used the top color over some Tom Ford Nude Vanille lipstick last night at a party. Love. I'm the the West Coast and am also dealing with the gloomy rainy weather challenging my swatching capabilities...too dark to capture anything useful!

Have a wonderful week...xoxo,

--The Beauty Professro

Victoria said...

Hehe, I think I'm to blame for veering our Friday Forum towards exfoliators and flaky skin. I have to say, I'm so used to skincare marketing promising the sun and the moon that I always read marketing blurbs with a raised eyebrow. The Perricone one was no different.

CG, when you say you shopped Nordstrom for skinny knee-high boots, was that only in-store or also online? I also have difficult-to-fit feet (and narrow calves), and never bother with the shoe selection in-store. I know that Nordstrom online has a large selection of "special sizes" shoes. Does this link work for you? http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/womens-boots?origin=topnav&cm_sp=Top%20Navigation-_-Women-_-Boots%20&%20Booties#category=b60139933%7Cf60129341&type=category&page=1&size=&width=&color=&price=&brand=&instoreavailability=false&lastfilter=filtercategory_2&sizeFinderId=8&resultsmode=&segmentId=0

Alternatively, go to Nordstrom.com, and under the "Women" tab, click on "Boots & Booties" under the "Shoes" category, and then search by "Shaft". The above link is supposed to limit you to those shoes with a "Knee-High Narrow" shaft. There's also "Mid-Calf Narrow" and "Over-the-Knee Narrow".

Speaking of hair (throwback to Vanessa), I recently purchased a Mason Pearson brush, as everybody raves about the brand, and ... I am not impressed. I don't have unmanageable hair by any means; it's just thick, and mostly straight. I bought the MP brush because people said it does a good job of redistributing hair oils evenly, and like most people, my roots get oily before my ends. Unfortunately, the MP brush just seems to make my hair frizzier and - horrors! - triangle-like. The bristles also don't so much "stimulate" my scalp as simply scratch it. I'll give it another week or so, but I'm disappointed to be disappointed.

On a happier note, Charlie is ever adorable, with or without ears. ;)

Catherine said...

Hi CG, Charlie's adorable! I also have extremely skinny calves (they're actually 11" naked so there's pretty much no hope that any regular sized boots will fit me and even most "narrow" ones look ridiculous. It doesn't help that I'm slightly bow-legged too. I've heard good things about Stuart Weitzman's boots from Jean at Extra Petite but from reading around it looks like online is going to be the best option. When I did a search I found a company based in the UK called Duo that does boots as narrow as 30cm (11.8in). I haven't pulled the trigger yet but I'll let you know if I have any luck with them. :)

Running with Scissors said...

Have a great week! xxx

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Vanessa,

Except for the fog today, all is well and dry here. If I sit on the bed, Charlies does. He's my little dog in a cat uniform. :)

Charlestongirl said...

I don't know, Lovethescents. I kind of went for broke last year. Literally.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi BP, don't you want to kill for sunshine? I have read about all the rain on the West Coast.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi May,

Charlies sends his thanks.

I LOVE my MP brushes. I always have a small one in my purse.

The exfoliator discussion is always interesting. There are so many different skin types - and so many products. I just don't want one that has animals in it.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Catherine,

Thanks for the tip. I'll go looking. I did try on SW boots, but they were all too big on my legs.

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Christy! You too.

Evelyn said...

All I have to say is that Charlie has such beautiful eyes, they're mesmerizing! I should let a cat adopt me one of these days :)

Anonymous said...

Hi CG! What a lovely beastie Charlie is! I noticed your comment about finding "skinny boots." I have the opposite issue even when I'm at my ideal weight (darn runner's legs!). Anyways, there's a company in London that caters to ladies of all calf widths and I've gotten several pairs of well made boots from them and I think you will be able too as well: http://www.duoboots.com. I hope that helps!

Charlestongirl said...

Evelyn, get a Bengal! They are the most extraordinary cats.

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, makeupandentropy! I will check it out.

Anonymous said...

There are plenty of options at DUO Boots and be sure to check out their outlet as well; you may be able to try them out at a discounted price! Also, I didn't realize Charlie was a Bengal. I've read they are a wonderful cat breed and quite vocal! Perhaps in the future-I think we're going to stop at four cats for now! ;-)

Eileen said...

Sweet Charlie! He looks so content all snuggled up with his mama :-). He's such a doll!

I think I finally have it all sorted out as to what products are being featured in the three up-coming Chanel collections. There is Les Délices de Chanel which is the Asian exclusive (Nordstrom has made a tradition of offering it during their anniversary sale in July), then there is the Versailles de Chanel which seems to only have one new item which is that stunning highlighting compact powder, and finally there is Les Précieux de Printemps which is the actual spring collection which also has a stunning highlighting compact powder. Do I have it right so far? LOL! Some very good pictures of the interlocking C compact from the spring collection are beginning to surface. It looks very promising. I know that many makeup artists say that a woman my age should only use cream blushers and highlighters, but Chanel creates some lovely powders that go on smooth as silk so I've never had any problem with them looking anything other than beautiful :-) Besides, think how boring it would be to limit ourselves to only one type of product. I don't think it really matters whether it is powder or cream. I think it is the quality of the formulation that counts. In any event, I want to see both compact highlighting powders. The one from the Versilles collection looks golden pink. The one from Les Précieux looks ivory. I'm really feeling the spring collection. There are quite a few new items that will be a good match for me. Best start saving my money :-)

As for smearing salmon or any other such thing on my face--bleck! I'm with you, Charlestongirl. I don't think there is any reason to load our skin care with such products. I'm vegetarian and wouldn't even consider eating a salmon much less using it in my face cream.

Here's hoping you all have a wonderful coming week!

Anonymous said...

Talk about rain..........up here in Seattle, oye! Went out in the slop for groceries and was worn out by the time I returned. Bad drivers, crummy parkers in those monstrous SUV's. Never understood why anyone would want to drive around in something the size of their living room (just a bit of an exaggeration!) Anyway, no the Blue Plasma does not sound appealing to me either. A good daily exfoliant even for dry, delicate and sensitive skin is made by Tatcha. It is a powder that when you add water, turns into a creamy lather that has no scratchiness to it. It has enzymes that dissolve dead skin cells, excess oil etc. without harming your face. It comes in 3 strengths so you can pick which one you'd prefer. It's lovely to use and far preferable to anything that may be fishy smelling.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Eileen,

I haven't spent the time you have trying to keep track of all the upcoming Chanel collections. I rely on the Chanel "books" the counters get to know what's new and what's a repromote. I do know I want that Versailles palette, and I'll be one the phone today trying to find out exactly when it will arrive.

Can you even believe? Fish eggs on your face? I realize it's not a new concept, but I don't find it beautiful at all. It reminds me of those disgusting foot treatments in which people let fish nibble at their submerged feet.

Charlestongirl said...

LOL, Anonymous, I'm with you on SUVs. Anyone who drives a smaller car finds them a menace.

I like that TATCHA product. It's gentle on the face.

Clarisse said...

Hi Charlestongirl!
Caron Fragrances are winners I agree with you and their shops are wonderful!
As for Cold PLasma, really...non merci!
Can you find European shoe brands (Bally, etc...)? they might suit your slim legs? everybody is complaining: here you keep reading about girls who can't find boots large enough for their legs!!!!The brands should make boots with different width, why don't they?
Charlie is a darling boy with gorgeous blue eyes, I'm sure my Tonkinese cat would love a friend like him or are Bengali exclusive?
Anyway big hugs to him and to you of course:-)

Makeup Remastered said...

Hi Charlston Girl
Putting the salmon issue aside-I have tried this product for over two months now-does not smell like other "fishy" Perricone products-I have had no irritation and since this is a exfoliator this is a good sign-my skin does look really nice!

lovethescents said...

Dear Eileen, thank you for doing all that research! I have looked up the collections and they are a lot of fun.

Nemo said...

Cg, I love Charlie. Oh, what a darling. There are those who will take one look at him and remark that he looks not happy. In fact, he looks like a cat wanting to sleep and being interrupted. But so darling. Next time, ears!

BooBooNinja said...

Finally, a post where I can offer a suggestion rather than ask a question! (I appreciate your help, but I also like feeling needed.) :)

I am also a skinny-legged lass, and I finally found rain boots this season. Brand: Aigle. Style: Juliette, tall. I don't look like I'm wearing galoshes, nor do they create cankles where none exist. Aigle is based in France and have been making boots for several decades.

I hope this helps!