Friday, March 15, 2013

The Friday Forum - March 16

It's a little too early for tulips, but I can dream. Actually, we regressed back into a chilly spell, so it's not going to be nice over the weekend. Rain and clouds will not coax the flowers out of their buds.

This week has been painful. I went to the orthopedic surgeon mid-week. He prescribed a walking cast for the stress fracture(s) in my foot, i.e., a boot. I am having great difficulty walking in the boot because it throws off my bone-on-bone knee and my back. I ordered a pair of super-duty walking shoes recommended by podiatrists, and I may use it instead of the boot when it arrives. If not, I will wear one shoe on my "good foot" to try to level it with the boot.

I have dropped that boot, which is very heavy, on my "good foot" twice, and it is now bruised and battered. At this point, I hesitate to call it my "good foot." Meanwhile, the fractured foot hurts just as much as it did Monday.

I'm going to hobble over to Neiman Marcus this afternoon to see Mikey Castillo from Le Métier de Beauté. He is at Mazza Gallerie. It will be a nice break from hobbling around my house. I'd rather hobble for beauty. I'll also be able to see if the new Fluid Sheer shades arrived.

Yesterday, I learned that Google Reader will be going away. If you subscribe to my RSS feed that way, please find a substitute. When I find out what to recommend, I'll let you know.

I received an interesting notice about a new beauty magazine out of Australia. Called Heart Beauty Magazine, it will hit newsstands for Easter. Dedicated to "all things beautiful," Heart Beauty will cover new beauty products and services, profile industry leaders, and provide feature stories written by beauty experts.

The "Looks" pages will showcase the work of top creative talents. The first issue includes shoots by Australia's most talented makeup artists and hair stylists. You can subscribe at HeartBeautyMagazine.com.

I read at WWD that YSL Beauté will be launching Baby Doll Mascara, the latest addition to the strong Mascara Volume Effet Cils line.  Hedi Slimane paraded baby-doll dresses on the Saint Laurent runway earlier this month, so the new mascara follows the fashion theme. The Baby Doll name was first used by YSL for a fragrance in 1999.

I hope WWD will forgive me, but I'm going to quote from them.  With minor edits...

Its formula, which has two patents, was inspired by graphene, a carbon crystal with a honeycomb structure, explained Stephan Bezy, International General Manager of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté at L’Oréal, adding: “The way it’s disbursed is ultrathin, ultraresistant, and ultrabendable as well.”

Bezy said for the formulation the L’Oréal laboratories combined a new generation of exclusive polymers, a texturizing agent, and soft waxes, allowing for lengthening and curling effects.

“It mimics this graphene structure, so the way the molecules are layered and combined with each other creates a super-extra-thin film,” he continued. “What’s interesting is that the polymers are transparent, so they allow a perfect dispersion of the pigment. It creates a very even, homogenous color film.” The mascara “is very buildable, but in a very clean way,” said Bezy.

Baby Doll’s elastomer brush also boasts two patents. The wand alternates thick and wide-spaced bristles with finer, more closely spaced bristles to deposit color and define lashes.

At launch, the mascara will come in black, blue, brown and violet. “We decided we wanted to create a Baby Doll attitude,” said Bezy. So the whole look involves a YSL Vernis à Lèvres and La Laque Couture in pink, plus six eyeliners, including two limited-edition versions, in pink and in gold. 

The new mascara will be introduced in the U.S. on March 17 through yslbeautyus.com. On April 15, the entire line is to be available on that site and in Sephora in the U.S. On May 15, the collection will be available in other retailers countrywide.

The international rollout includes: France on April 29, the U.K. on May 22 and Germany on June 1, when there will also be a general launch in Spain after an exclusive in Sephora there starting on May 27. Russia is due to get the line on June 1, and Italy in early June.

In the U.S., Baby Doll will be priced at $30, and in Europe it is to be 33 euros, or $42.90.


Apparently, announcing my short break brought out the spammers. Although it's clear in the introduction to my comments section that I do not welcome and will delete link-laden comments or advertisements for their own blogs from other bloggers, I was deluged with them this week. I deleted them as quickly as I saw them, each time thinking, "Shoot me while I'm down." Either no one reads directions, or they don't believe me.

I'm going to do a flash giveaway tomorrow, so stay tuned. I'm sure you'll want to enter.

It's time for the Friday Forum. I love this part of our week. 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.

Make sure to enter this week's giveaway contest before the deadline, tomorrow, Saturday, March 16, at midnight. Someone will win a beautiful Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush set.

Photo at top courtesy of proflowers.com; magazine by HeartBeauty; YSL photo provided to WWD

41 comments:

Makeup Remastered said...

Hello CG
oh boy - sounds painful!- wishing u well.
on a lighter note I got my Cle de Peau concealer- so far loving it as well as quads 201/208- very japanese in texture- sheer sparkle but sophisticated!
Boo Spammers -can drive u nuts!

lovethescents said...

Very sorry to read about all the pain and discomfort you are having. What about just crutches instead of that boot? You'll be taking pressure off your fractured foot and allowing it to heal? Keep us posted. Also, don't forget to call in on your physiotherapist! You'll be needing him/her shortly, I suspect.

That YSL mascara? Hmmm, not sure. I'm so thrilled with Chanel's Le Volume that I don't even feel like bothering.

NARS had an event at our local plaza for the release of some of their products. What led me there was to try their new concealer. The MA first applied their eye cream which she said was so fantastic, blah, blah. Then she chose the right colour for my raccoon eyes and told me to always use my fingers when applying concealer. I told her I'm happy to use my concealer brush but she was dead against it. It looked great but I did need to walk around for a while to see if the Nars would stay put.

After a few hours, the concealer had partially migrated into my wrinkles, and other parts had blotched together exposing my dark circles again. The MA said I looked great and shouldn't be so picky. So I left her in the dust!

Well, at least I didn't spend any money on it!

I've also been on the lookout for a new travel palette. My old one didn't make the last trip home. We fly in June and I'm very tempted by some of those gorgeous duty-free items! We'll see, as they *are* pricey.

Good luck and Happy St Patrick's Day, Charlestongirl and everyone!

Anonymous said...

I hope you feel better and that you stop dropping heavy objects on your "good foot" I hope the new colors are there, they sound pretty!

Bellyhead said...

Agh CG... I hope you will have a good weekend for resting your foot and the "good" foot. It sounds terribly painful.

I'm insanely anxious about getting Spring started. Seeing 8" of snow last week and then seeing near 60 degree weather and then now 30 is pulling a number on my head. Why won't spring come?! I'm starting too see little buds on the trees around my house and green stems poking through. It's a new house so I'm excited to see what pops up and blooms.

None of the new releases are catching my eye these days but I'm anticipating my Suqqu spring package. I did buy a Dolce & Gabbana lipstick in Only Monica in anticipation of Spring and it's making me very happy with its clear coral color.

Hope everyone is having a great Friday!!

AnneD said...

I will be shopping for cosmetic travel bags this weekend. We make our yearly trek (by car - a 1960 Ford Station Wagon)to Las Vegas next weekend. I must be organized with my cosmetics or it drives me nuts!
I am so excited to shop Vegas! Right now there is not one thing I am short on, but I did a pre - sell of Estee Lauder to get a Lillie Pulitzer bag. A copy of a 1969 print! I realize I am probobly late to the party, but I got caught at the right time.
Wishing you the fastest recovery for your foot CG!

Charlestongirl said...

It is painful, Makeup Remastered, and now my other foot is black and blue. I'm a mess!

That concealer is one of the best ever. Congrats!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Lovethescents,

I can't use crutches, but I can use a walker. Maybe I'll give it a go, with those new walking shoes.

I have read many different accounts of the NARS concealer. I'm afraid I'm too old to even consider it. The reason she told you to use your fingers is that the warmth melts the concealer into your skin. Use your fingers, and it won't migrate into and magnify any lines. Pat, pat, pat.

Check out the BB palettes if they have them at the duty-free shops.

Happy St. Paddy's Day! I think I'll go to the gourmet store to get Mom some ready-made corned beef.

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Anonymous. The "good foot" actually looks worse than the bad one!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Bellyhead,

Yes, it makes me think twice about going downstairs!

A new garden - what an opportunity to plant! Have fun.

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Anne!

Make sure to go to the Guerlain boutique (ask for Rhoda) and the Armani boutique. Great beauty shopping in Vegas!

Charlestongirl said...

Oh, and Chanel too!

Nemo said...

About your foot--feet: all I can pass on to you, Cg, is that this too will pass. Last nite I almost died. Really. I was eating peanut butter out of the jar when suddenly it wouldn't go down. I started choking. I couldn't breave! I staggered into the bedroom and stood there, choking and croaking over my husband. He is a heavy sleeper, but knew enough to do the Heimlich (sic) on me and saved me. A huge gob of peanut butter exploded out of me and hit the oriental rug. I still could barely breave and my throat felt absolutely raw. No more peanut butter for me! This morning, to celebrate my being alive, I started using my new LMDB Melange eye kit in the color schemes you showed in your feature. The only reason I bought the Melange was to buy it. I didn't think I'd like it or use it. Well, I love it. Thanks to the couches de color (sic), and the color charts, it is so easy to apply and look good that it is almost humorous. I recommend the Melange and the charts and your blog feature about them to everyone. Stay well, Cg, and your readers, too!

Bellyhead said...

@Nemo, OMG! I'm so glad you are ok now!!! I'm so glad your husband woke up.

Celebrate life with a little color!! I'm happy you're getting use out of the melange palette.

Nemo said...

Sorry, I am still so stunned at almost croaking that I misspelled breathe. I hate doing that.

Charlestongirl said...

OMG, Nemo! Did you know that you can do the Heimlich on yourself? Use an edge (table, cabinet?) and use it instead of someone else's arms.

I'm glad you found a celebratory use for your palette. Hope you enjoy it.

As for those near disasters, be careful! We can't lose you!

Charlestongirl said...

I do typos all the time. I've learned that everyone does. :)

Elizabeth said...

CG! I've been trying to stay off the beauty blogs to focus on, ahem, my real work - and thus have only just read that you hurt your foot, are suffering under the sequester, are taking a well-deserved mini-break, and have now hurt your other foot, too.

So here goes: A) Please take care of yourself and your foot (feet!). My mother has knee problems - bone on bone, the doctor said, like you - so I can somewhat empathize with the idea of living in pain :(. Please be careful, especially with the bad weather hitting the East Coast. B) Argh, sequestration! C) Your vacation! I know I'm not exactly a regular commenter but I just wanted to say that your taste is flawless and following your blog and your recommendations has made me feel so much prettier and more sophisticated. So you take care of yourself and your reduced posts will be even more eagerly anticipated.

Also, in the spirit of The Friday Forum - and I know she's not a favorite of yours - but I have been loving my Ellis Faas creamy eyes lately! Her brand is slowly taking over my makeup stash. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Look after yourself, hobble away from heavy objects, and I recommend arnica cream for the bruises:-)

Wishing you better soon,

cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh

Marta said...

You'll be interested to know that Edward Bess will be premiering a new foundation on QVC this April. The new QVC Insider magazine came out today with an interview and pre-order of the item for subscribers! The item description:

Instantly achieve the look of healthy, youthful skin with this unique texture foundation for a weightless feel. Nourishing and revitalizing ingredients sourced from the Black Sea region leave your skin looking luminous and smooth all day. This remarkable ultra-lightweight foundation moisturized and conditions skin throughout the day. Apply with expert blending brush for a perfectly flawless finish every time. Choose from: fair, light, medium, tan, deep. Receive: (1) Complexion Correcting Mousse Foundation; 1.5 oz & (1) Blending Brush. USA/China

The interview makes it seem as if he's joining the QVC beauty roster, which usually means more products and special deals. He'll be on the air April 14.

Marta said...

Actually, he'll be on the air April 14 during the Lisa Robertson show.

Marta said...

ACK! April 12. I blame trying to type this on a finicky tablet.

Eileen said...

I know it's hard to keep a good woman down, Charlestongirl, but keep the weight off that foot as much as possible and let it mend. Spend some quality time cuddled up with Charlie. He'll have you feeling purrrfect in no time :-)

When one of my sons was a fearless teen, he had to wear a boot because of a skateboarding injury. When he asked his doc if he could take it off to skateboard, you should have seen the look on the doctor's face. He said, "Dude, you do that I'll put you in a full body cast!" Now, I know you won't be skateboarding anytime soon ;-) but give that foot as much time as possible to heal.

I haven't been drawn to much in the way of beauty items just lately. I've been enjoying my Estée Lauder Mad Men blusher and lipstick. They are so effortless and yet there is nothing blah or neutral about them. I also bought the Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful Pot Rouge which I passed on to my sister-in-law. For some reason, it was darkening on me. I've never had that happen with BB's Pot Rouge before. But, a donation was made to a worthy cause and the rouge found a good home, so all's well that ends well. :-)

Hi Lovethescents,

I find it ironic that as we get older and could really benefit from using a good undereye concealer, that that's when it becomes harder and harder to find one that won't settle into our lines or look cakey and unnatural on our thinning skin. A product designed to camoflage the signs of aging actually works better on a younger woman :-P

Hi Bellyhead,

A mystery garden! How fun! I'm always finidng a surprise in my garden come spring compliments of all the birds. One year I had tomatoes popping up amidst my azeleas. Like you, we've had such crazy temperature swings that the poor garden is in shock and a lot of the more fragile plants were lost. Over the next couple of weeks the gardeners will "remove the bodies" and then I can go choose some new plants.

Hi Nemo,

Those near brushes with death can be quite sobering! You'll need a few days to recover emotionally so take it easy and be extra good to yourself. I'm so glad your husband was able to perform the Heimlich on you. I can only imagine how terrified you must have been. Bless you and your husband!

When I was working at a high school, the entire staff was required to undergo training in CPR and in the Heimlich Maneuver. Throughout the years, many young lives were saved because a teacher, a custodian, a clerk, etc. could respond in an emergency while awaiting the paramedics.

Hi Marta,

I've been looking forward to hearing about the new Edward Bess foundation so thanks for the QVC heads up. When his original cream compact came out, I bought it and loved the long-lasting, real skin glow it created. The color was perfect and the finish created one of the most naturally flawless looks I had ever seen. Although I used it right down to the pan, I didn't repurchase because I prefer a foundation in a pump. I hope the shades in this new formulation correspond to the original one because it sounds very promising.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Jo said...

Hi CharlestonGirl,

I have an idea, why don't you get yourself one of those little assistive devices on wheels that look like a scooter but are a little smaller. You could just zoom around the mail in search of all that's new in beauty! LOL!

Seriously, I hope you do your best to take care of yourself and stay off you feet for at least a few days.

Edward Bess has a new product on the Neiman Marcus website called Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfection. It comes in 4 shades and is not really supposed to be a foundation or tinted moisturizer it just has special light diffusers that even out your skintone and make it glow. I'm not sure if that is the product that will be on QVC. I'm curious but I haven't ordered it yet.

Happy St. Patricks Day! and Happy Weekend, everyone!

Paige said...

You have a good idea there to use one of the shoe to level with the boot. The situation sounds painful and I wish you a speedy recovery.

I'm a long time fan of YSL faux cils mascara. Therefore I look forward to trying the Baby Doll version.

Happy St. Patrick's day :)

lovethescents said...

Hi Charlestongirl,

Yes, the MA used her fingers to apply the Nars and it was *ineffective*. I'll use my fingers to apply the only concealer I have now, that silly Armani. I'll see what it does tonight. Thank you!

Hi Eileen,

You are SO very right! How frustrating, right? And goodness knows, on the best of days, I need good coverage ;-)

Melanie said...

CG, I have empathy pain for you! Eileen is right -- a little rest will help the healing speed along.

I received a bespoke sample set of skin care and perfume, which I have been finally trying out. I think that I have fallen in love with the Ultra Rich face cream by Patyka, a Parisian company. In just a few days, my skin looks and feels better. Of course, it's $160 a jar! I also discovered a tinted moisturizer by Suki. It made my skin look even better! Then I finally ordered a vitamin C serum. I hope it helps with the hyperpigmentation that I have had around my mouth and chin for ages. (If not properly covered up, it *glows* in photos. We call it my "murky monkey muzzle.") And I am really antsy for Chanel summer to emerge. I am a nutter for blue eye makeup, and this promises to deliver. I have used little else since Blue Illusion's release last July. And all while I promised my husband that I was all set for makeup and skin care and that I would stop spending!!!

And I hate making typos, too. And spammers and trolls should go play somewhere else.

Judith DM said...

Last year, January, I walked outside, stumbled, crashed to the ground smashing my left patella and right foot. I wore The Noot for months, learned fractures in foot take time, on the other leg I had casts and braces, so I can relate. I had a slight platform shoe to wear that evened me out. Had to have second surgery on patella (kneecap) so I have been 'Out' for a year! Be patient.

Joni said...

Hi CG!
So sorry to hear about all your foot problems, I hope you feel better soon! Try to stay off your feet as much as possible and get lots of rest. I had elbow surgery this morning to decompress my ulnar nerve, I'm a little sore right now, but am looking forward to being able to sleep without my hand tingling! I ordered the trial regimen of the Pevonia Spa Clinica that you posted about last week! It arrived yesterday and although it is too early to see any results, I love the way it smells and feels on my face. I hope you have a great weekend!

Mamavalveeta03 said...

OMG, Nemo!!! Thank God you're OK and your husband was there to help you. And good info to know in case we're all alone, CG!

I can totally empathize with the boot/cast/crutches dilemma since it was little more than a year ago I was in a boot or cast for almost a year, until I finally gave in, realized my foot wasn't going to heal on it's own, and had surgery to repair my torn achilles tendon. Then crutches, cast, more boot. I hesitate to tell you how long the recovery period was. So let's just leave it at that. You have my total prayers...and hugs!

Spring IS on the way! I have daffodils and crocuses sprouting and almost ready to bloom. Now, if we don't get snow again, or super-cold temps, they'll survive. And, truly, we will too.

lov2read68 said...

CG - I'm sorry to read that you're still having so much pain with your foot. I know you said crutches weren't an option. What about one of those walkers that you kneel on with whichever leg is currently booted? Does that make sense? Hoping your recovery picks up speed! *hugs*
I'm late to the party but I got Laura Mercier Oleander. This is my first foray into cream blushes. I'm over the moon pleased! So easy to work with, color doesn't fade or oxidize. This has opened up a whole new world of blushes to try!

Anonymous said...

Hi CG, Hopefully an afternoon of beauty has cheered you up... medicine for the spirit! Take care of yourself, Denise at aeiokid at comcast dot net.

Marta said...

QVC has the exclusive for the new Edward Bess foundation through April 2014. It's in a black jar and is called the "Black Sea Mousse Foundation". It comes with a brush for $68.42.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi everyone,

I'll be back in the morning with comments - AND a flash giveaway. Cheers!

Mary Ann said...

Sorry about your foot problems, I'm
sure it is very painful. Glad to hear Q is coming out with some new lines, tired of the same old beauty shows. Anyone have info on the new Guerlain Orchidee foundation? I have been checking but no one seems to know when it is coming out.

Claire said...

Hi CG, So glad to hear back from you eventhough not glad to hear that your foot is still bothering you. I hope you continue to get some rest that you deserve.

Well, I hope you'll read this, I will always post quite late as I'm at PST. About this week, let's see.. I tried the new Jo Malone Sugar & Spice collection, I'm sorry to report that I just cannot stand them *at* *all* eventhough normally I love gourmand scents. They are way too cloying/sweet that I had to open the windows of my car on my drive back home. It was THAT bad.. so sad about the direction of Jo Malone has gone in recent years. I am fond of her earlier releases, I guess the company has morphed far from where it used to be.

xo,
Claire

Katheryn K. Rose said...

Nice blog!

Victoria said...

Hi, CG! Sorry to hear that your "bad foot" isn't healing as fast as you would like. It must be very frustrating being immobile, or close to it, but I do hope that you'll give your body the time and the rest that it needs to heal properly. And stop dropping things on your "good foot"! Otherwise you won't even be able to hobble, and no more beauty events for you. :)

Spring is in the air. The wood doves (I think that's what they are? I'm not very good with identifying flora/fauna) have started looking for nesting places. Apparently one prime spot is our fenced-in kitchen door. (There's supposed to be a deck there, but we haven't gotten around to actually hiring a contractor to put in a deck, so for now, the door is fenced in.) There's a narrow space between the door and the fence that's apparently just perfect for a nest. A wood dove thought so last year and built a nest and laid some eggs there. Sadly, I think a crow (raven?) cornered it there and ate it and its babies. The aftermath wasn't pretty. Now I've taken to shooing away any prospective egg-nesters. I feel bad about it, but hopefully they'll find a safer place to call home.

That was a long story, but I thought our resident nature lover would appreciate it. :)

Novamakeuplover said...

Best wishes for a complete recovery! I'm sorry to hear you are in such pain and discomfort. Please take care of yourself!

Also want to thank you for your wonderful blog. I think it's the best one out there, and I enjoy all your posts. Take care!

LoveSugarBabyDoll said...

I can't believe that your post about taking a little time off brought out the spammers. My first response was: who thinks like that? But we all know better by now.
I went to try the Dior singles not too long ago and the SA talked me out of them. She said they aren't worth the money? I left Bloomingdale's a wee bit shocked. Come to find out, she no longer works there.
Strange times.
Are you still enjoying yours?
So sorry to hear about your pain and discomfort. I wish I had a solution for you. I know we all are hoping that your pain is alleviated and you are able to heal. Get well soon.

Running with Scissors said...

Hi CG, I've enjoyed reading all these comments, your readers are lovely! I echo all their comments re: your foot. I hope it's better very soon! xxx

Charlestongirl said...

Hi everyone, I never made it back to the Forum over the weekend. I'm sorry. I'm still moving very slowly and resting a lot. I do feel ever so slightly better, so that's the good news! Thanks much!