What a miraculous week in Cleveland! Three women and a child, kidnapped, tortured, and violated for 10 or more years, gained their freedom. I've been glued to the news - simultaneously elated and disgusted. I don't think there is a legal punishment horrible enough for men who are as evil as the accused. I hope the best for those three woman and young girl. I know they are drawing strength from their families and medical professionals. They have a long recovery ahead of them.
This morning, there was news of another miracle. A woman was pulled alive from the rubble in Bangladesh - after 17 days. While her rescue doesn't temper the horrible tragedy of the loss of over 1,000 lives due to negligence, it does - along with the situation in Cleveland - remind us that we should never give up hope.
I must offer an apology for the Clinique feature I published this week and subsequently deleted. When I went to the Clinique press site, the most recent upload was about a bronzing powder, posted in May. I made the assumption that Clinique was maintaining its site. The other Estée Lauder brands do. Silly me. They haven't updated it for a year (seriously pitiful). That powder was launched in May 2012 and has subsequently disappeared from existence. If you are interested in a great bronzing powder, you should be able to find what you want from Guerlain. With the addition of new shades this year, Guerlain covers the full range of skin tones pretty well.
Once again, we seem to be in between cosmetic launches. Every few weeks, those of us haunting the stores are finding nothing brand new. That's probably a good thing for me. My wallet is strained, although I'd be thrilled if Tom Ford would introduce another summer collection. I am so stoked by his new colors.
I'm still expecting Chantecaille Summer, but no inquiries over the last week have gone unanswered. As an aside, if you go to the Chantecaille Web site, you will see three Cheek Crèmes displayed as new. They aren't. I had a Chantecaille disaster last weekend when I accidentally knocked the glass bottle of Eau de Rose de Mai onto the tile floor of my bathroom. I had quite a job cleaning all the shards of glass off the floor. My bathroom certainly smelled good that day, though.
As most of you already know from my Tweets, Le Métier de Beauté has been running a Lids for Lou Gehrig's Disease philanthropic auction every day this week to benefit the ALS Foundation. Shoppers are able to bid on the last of selected Kaleidoscopes and other items by visiting the company's site. All proceeds are being donated to the ALS Foundation. There is also a Sample Saturday promotion you can enter to win Le Métier de Beauté samples. Like LMdB's Facebook page and enter to win at this link.
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.
I will probably slip in a flash giveaway this weekend, so make sure to check back. In the meantime, don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for the gorgeous Aqualillies for Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eye & Cheek Palette. I'm excited about this one. The deadline for entries is tomorrow, Saturday, May 11, at midnight. Good luck!
Update #2: I am useless today. I meant to ask a question. You know how you get those little poll pop-ups when you buy something online? You are promised a chance to win $50, right? I never answer them. I think it's a ruse. Have you EVER won anything after filling one out?
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27 comments:
Hey CG, or any other ladies that can help me, I've been waiting all week to ask my question. :-) I'm wondering if anyone can compare the bronzing color of Guerlain's Emilio Pucci bronzer from last year and their Terra Ora bronzer from this year? I have the Pucci bronzer and I've been trying to compare it with on-line pics of the Terra Ora and IMO the Pucci looks like it might run a bit more 'orange-ish'. I'm not really a bronzer lover but that Terra Ora one is calling my name. :-) I hope everyone has a lovely Mother's Day weekend. It's going to be in the mid-80's today but by Sunday it's suppose to be raining and 69. Pretty typical. It seems like everytime I plan to visit my Mom's grave it's raining. :/ Well I guess the rain will just make the flowers last longer. Thanks for your help on the bronzer and have a lovely weekend!
Yay, it's my favorite beauty day of the week! :)
(I hope you ladies - and gentlemen! - don't mind if I sneak in a plug for my birthday today. :) I've been cooped up for the past several weeks, and will be for the next several weeks as well, while I study feverishly for a very important exam. My own birthday celebration will have to be postponed till Sunday, for a combination birthday-and-Mother's-Day very-mini-celebration with my mom, as I'll be working/studying till late today. I feel like if I don't amass all the birthday wishes that I can today, I'll spend all of the next year thinking I'm still 2X! I really need to get outside to get the stress out, but the books, they call ... And sorry in advance for the babbling, it's evident that I'm going insane!)
As far as beauty goes, I really have to rant a little. With the advent of spring/summer, I've renewed my search for an oil-absorbing moisturizer, so that I'm not perpetually chained to my oil-blotting papers. I've been looking for quality reviews for some of the higher-end, purportedly oil-absorbing moisturizers that I've been looking at (La Mer Oil-Absorbing Lotion, La Prairie Cellular Emulsion Matte Pore Minimizer, etc), since obviously, if I'm going to be spending that much on a product, it had better be good!
In summary, I am REALLY fed up with the "reviews" that Google has turned up, which amount to nothing more than product shilling, plain and simple. Where disclosures are even provided (maybe 1 out of 10?), the claim "all opinions are my own" just makes me laugh and laugh and laugh ... and cry. When all a blogger does is parrot the claims that the company publishes, you call that an "opinion", much less a review?
(Of course, I also think Google search has gone downhill from its earliest days, so there still may be quality reviews out there but just much harder to find, but that's a rant for another day.)
It's bloggers and blogs like these that make me all the more thankful for BTiB - and also remind me why BTiB is the only beauty blog I follow. I'm sure there are other quality blogs out there on the same level as BTiB (care to recommend any?), but golly, I am just so jaded by the morass of greedy people purporting to be "honest, independent" bloggers yet who amount to nothing more (and often much less) than salespeople for the companies they claim to "review". At least it's obvious to the average consumer that companies will be biased; they have no such protection against self-serving bloggers.
Okay, rant over. :) On a happier note, the profusion of flowers everywhere just makes me SO happy every time I step out-of-doors (which, sadly, is an all-too-rare occasion these days ...). I'll never understand why some people have to be utterly contrary and hate on spring. How can you not love the profusion of color and growing things?
Okay, back to the books ... And if I'm not around on Sunday, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and mothers-to-be out there!
P.S. Sorry to hear about the broken bottle of perfume, CG! I would have been so sad. At the very least, to make up for the loss, I hope your bathroom stays smelling fabulous for a good long time!
Hi Charlestongirl,
I agree--- the stories this week were certainly complex and surprising, with both joy and sadness balled into one. Like you, I'm hoping for some peace and recovery to those involved.
As for new things, I'm enjoying dark purple polish this week, both Butter London Pitter Patter and NARS Purple Rain!
Hi Dawn -
I can't fully answer your question, but I do have the Terra Ora palette and it never seems at all orange, even on my fair (NC15-ish) skin. It's more of a brown-gold (but not overly brown). I was scared it would add too much color, but basically it's more of a highlighter than a bronzer, at least for me. I hope that helps at least a little bit!
Happy birthday, May! Oh I do understand those days of books and studying. Grad school was a long haul.
Most bloggers did not disclose before the FTC forced the issue. Even now, there are some who don't. I can understand your frustration. I hope that someone here has oily skin and can give you a recommendation.
I would lean toward the doctor products (Perricone, Murad, etc.) if I were going to look for something new. Clinique also makes good products for oily skin.
Readers, can you help May out?
Hi Dovey,
I haven't checked your blog. Have you tried Chanel's Taboo?
Happy Birthday May!! Good Luck on your exam.
CG. Sorry about your broken perfume, it's very hard to get all the tiny pieces of glass cleaned up. Since we're in between makeup now, how about fragrance, any thoughts on Ramon Monegal? Received a card from NM with a sample, smells great.
Thank you. Have a great weekend!
Hi Dawn,
When you say Pucci bronzer, do you mean Terra Azzurra? The one with three colors? I dug mine out and gave it a whirl. On my skin, it is definitely brighter and more orange so that it coordinates with the strip of coral blush that is paired with it. Terra Ora, on the other hand, is a more subdued, ever-so-slightly rose-tinged, terracotta shade (large outer ring) in a semi-matte finish that looks completely believable when lightly swept on the skin. I must admit, I haven't been using the center gold shade to highlight as I've been using my TF Guilt Blush instead, but it is lovely nonetheless. I haven't been feeling bronzers this year, but I'm enjoying this one (I'm using a fan brush for the lightest application) and my TF Bronze Amber when I want a more dewy look.
When I first saw pictures of Terra Ora, it actually reminded me of my Terra Inca from 2011, but that one is a deeper, coppery red and has more shimmer. To sum it up, Terra Inca (2011), Terra Azzurra (2012), and Terra Ora (2013) are not dups. I don't know how Guerlain does it, but their mastery of undertones and how they combine color pigments yield results that just keep bringing me back for more :-)
Hi May,
Best of luck on your exams. No pressure, huh :-P As for your mini-rant, I couldn't agree with you more. When we read a magazine or newspaper, when we see a billboard, when we watch or hear a commercial, we know that it is paid advertising and is, therefore, biased. That, unfortunately, is not always evident when we read a blog. Many bloggers are trust-worthy, honest, and completely open about their relationships with various brands. Unfortunately, there are so many others who lack that same sense of integrity. I was, therefore, pleased when the FTC issued guidelines about free products, affiliate links, sponsored posts, etc. It was long over-due. Some bloggers got their knickers in a twist over it because they felt they were already being honest with their readers and that the guidelines unfairly targeted bloggers. The new guidelines; however, just brought bloggers more in line with other forms of communication which already have strict guidelines to follow. Bottom line: Honest bloggers should be supported, valued, and held in high esteem.
Hi Charlestongirl,
I smiled when I read your comment about the lull in collections. We've got a couple months to relax, save our money, and enjoy our summer selections before we start obsessing about the fall. I have my Tom Ford and my Guerlain. I'm completely satisfied--for now ;-)
Last week we had a terrible fire a few miles from where I live (Camarillo Springs Fire 28,000+ acres burned as it marched to the sea), but after a couple days of scorching temperatures and driving Santa Ana winds, Mother Nature sent the rain to help the firefighters. Those brave men and women did an incredible job of protecting life and structures. God bless everyone of them!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
Hi CG,
Happy Friday to you and everyone reading. I am loving my new Tom Ford items. Especially the Blush Guilt cheek stick. It's positively lovely. My Guerlain bronzer in nudes is also getting much use as is my Dior gloss in Amber.
CG: Have you ever posted about what you use for certain looks? For example, do you use illuminator every day? Do you use a highlighter when you wear one or do you pick and choose. I want to wear everything at the same time and that's not a good look :)
Have a great weekend!
May, it was rosewater, not perfume, per se. So, I'll replace it when I have the money. Not tragic, but I am angry with myself. :)
Hi Dawn,
Let me go find mine. I'll be back later. I checked my photos of the Emilio Pucci one, and it's definitely pinker on me. http://bestthingsinbeauty.blogspot.com/2012/04/guerlain-by-emilio-pucci-collection.html
I'm sorry to think that you have to celebrate Mother's Day at her grave. I'm sorry.
Hey Mary Ann,
Pure Mariposa by Ramon Monegal is a floral fruity fragrance that was launched this year - exclusive to NM. Because I love his fragrances, I bought it instantly. Love it!
You reminded me I should review it.
Hi Eileen,
I think she meant the one with three colors. Interesting because I find it pinker on me than the new one. I must go look for it and do a side-by-side blended test.
I heard about that fire and cringed. Fire scares the hell out of me - wildfires particularly. I'm so glad the rains came. The destruction of forest, farms, homes, animals sickens me. Sometimes, I have to turn off the news when they show them. I get too emotional.
Like I did this morning. I turned of the Today Show because they were about to show the spire placement at One World Trade Center. I knew it was going to bring back 9-11. Couldn't deal with it today.
Hi Midwestern Mama,
I will try to do that soon. I often do the no-makeup thing when I'm home, and after being home for months, I'm getting lax about my look. I'll play - and try to write. :)
Thank you Ellen, CG, and Eileen. I think you all told me what I already knew...I need the Terra Ora bronzer! :-) Yes Eileen the bronzer I was comparing it to is the one with the 3 swirls of color on the bottom. I never thought about the 'orange-ish' tone of the bronzer matching up with those stripes of color. Of course it would! So since the 2 bronzers are not the same then I need them both.
I just received TF's Bronzed Amber in the mail today and it's gorgeous! On me it turns a little rosey which makes it unique to what I already have. In fact getting ready to go to an appt I applied the TF lightly on my cheeks, blended, and then very lightly swirled my brush in the 3 stripes of color in the Guerlain bronzer and applied and it makes a.gorgeous, unique color for me. I am absolutely loving every TF item I bought. After this next bronzer I need to take a break in buying. I'd have to apply my makeup 3x/day to enjoy everything I've bought recently, lol. But I did hit pan today for the first time ever I think. It was in my Dolce and Gabbana pressed powder foundation. I absolutely LOVE that product!
Yes CG it is sad that I need to visit my Mom's grave on Mother's Day. She passed away a little over a year ago and it's still hard. But my kids said they have made some special things for me for Mother's Day so that wil help make the day a little more cheery. Thanks again ladies for your help in basically making me spend more money! :-)
Dawn, we are nothing if not enablers. :)
Based on my swatches, I'm not dead sure that the pinker shade is this year's. I really need to do more swatches. That said, Terra Ora is not orange - on me. Is the Pucci still available?
Wow, hitting pan is something I almost never experience. It happened with a Chantecaille quad, but wow! Of course, this place looks like a makeup museum. Boxes everywhere.
I'm sorry about your mother. I still grieve for my father. It's been six or so years (I suppress the date because it was three days after Christmas). I understand the pain.
Perhaps you could convince your kids you really want makeup. Try to close off the pain on Sunday. Hard to do.
What an incredible garden, how lovely! If the people saw you taking photos I hope they felt flattered and happy that they had created such beauty for the neighborhood. The story about the 3 women and child is just mind boggling. How can any man be so ill? I'm so thrilled for the woman who was rescued from the rubble after more than two weeks, just incredible to hear that she had endured and was saved. Wonderful. I must change the subject now and thank you for my being the winner of the Aveeno contest. I have been out of town and just returned home to this surprise. I love Aveeno products and have always had good results from them, thank you!
Hello CG and Ladies! Happy Friday to everyone!
Just a few things to share because free time has been fleeting this week. My computer's hard drive blew up on Wednesday and tonight I am finally back in action on a new notebook. I lost a whole wack--technical jargon--of data and I'm going to be working on a few methods (one includes the freezer) to try and pull info from my toasted hard drive.
Get this: We have a peacock (I think a peahen) living around our barn!! We discovered her earlier this week and it's shockingly tame and I took dozens of pictures--yes, I lost those too--but had uploaded a number to my Flickr. Anyhow, yes, she can be seen virtually all day hanging about and today she jumped up on the large sliding window of our livestock barn and then jumped into the pen with some of our young sheep. She's fearless! It's the most incredible thing. I had no idea peacocks could live this far north. I've been advised by one of my flickr friends that it actually may be a young male since the neck/head/chest regions are a brilliant--teehee--peacock blue. If anyone is interested or in the know, my Flickr is, you guessed it, Wwendalynne.
On the beauty side of things, I finally safely received the remaining pieces of my Tom Ford haul and I especially adore the Escapade cream eyeshadow. It's so gorgeous with that ethereal gold glowy thing going on. I also love the illuminator which has the same wonderful effect and I tapped bits on it on the upper ridges of my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose. Lovely! I'll be wearing these faithfully this summer.
Oy, it's 3:00 a.m. and I need my beauty rest. I'm just happy to have a functioning computer again. I'll resist temptation to pull a Monty Python and sledge the old one to smithereens.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Wendy xoxo
Late to the party as ever.. Happy Birthday, May! I hope you enjoyed a special day.
What beautiful flowers your neighbours have, CG! We only just got rid of the last of the snow this week. I was still wearing my winter coat last weekend. Someone passing by asked me if I was nuts. Got to love Raynaud's!
Happy Birthday to May! I miss studying for exams. Best of luck on them!
I finally got around to opening my Chanel summer order. Years ago, I was at the counter hounding my SA to sell me things early. Not so now with my two kids. I am so glad that I got Bel-Argus and Azuré. The photos on-line do not do these shades justice. I tried my Blue Bay Stylo and am so in love! My husband found it mesmerizing. I tried Moon River yesterday. I was a little underwhelmed with the colour; it was almost a "My Lids but Better" kind of shade. Found, too, that it pulled more gold than taupe. Nevertheless, still beautiful. Next is Black Stream. The formula is incredible. Zero creasing on me and everything does. The cooling effect is wild! Does anyone know what makes it do that? Still have the Blue Note mascara to try and the True Blue eyeliner, although I have read some disappointing reviews on it.
The news this week has been exceptional. So many wonderful rescues, all from unnecessary events. The effort that all of those rescuers made leaves me with some hope.
Happy weekend to all!
And I fully agree with May about blogs. This is pretty much the only one that I read now.
I am so sorry for the third comment -- my thoughts were not organized the first (or second!) time that I posted.
If anyone knows, the Chanel Stylo eye shadows give an expiry of 6 months after opening. Anyone think that they could be used longer than that (I worry about such things)? Thanks!
Hi Dawn,
Bronzed Amber leans a bit pink on me as well. I'm sure TF incorporated that undertone so that it could be seamlessly paired with Blush Guilt. I like to use Blush Guilt in the classic "C" and then add Bronzed Amber just below the cheekbones. I use my stipling brush to blend the edges, and it is a striking combination. I think of it as my summertime version of Shade & Illuminate :-) Because I have naturally rosey cheeks to begin with, I don't need any additional blusher when I wear Bronzed/Blush or the drop dead gorgeous Fire Lust, but I can easily imagine how gorgeous your Bronzed Amber is with your Terra Azzurra. Talk about rosey coral bliss!
Although my mother passed 45 years ago, I still get random moments of sadness. At times like that, I enjoy chatting with my sons. Sharing some happy time with them always restores my good spirits. So, I hope you'll enjoy your day with your children and know that your mother is with you in the the same way as you'll always be with your children--in your hearts.
Hi Wwendalynne,
Years ago, when I lived on the Palos Verdes Peninsula (So Cal), we had peacocks galore! They roamed about the neighborhood and could be found in the trees, on the roofs, strolling through the yards. They always impressed guests until they started their infernal screeching :-P LOL. No one in the area wanted to be rid of them, though, because they were so lovely. All the rolling gardens in the area created beautiful spaces for them to strut their stuff :-)
Hi Mealnie,
I think the 6 months expiration is probably more because of gradual product deterioration than product safety. The new sticks contain a lot of water which would begin to evaporate and thereby change the texture but, unless you're using these every day and exposing them to air, you can probably get more than 6 months use out of them. Creams and liquids just don't hold up as well as powders. If you look at the expiration dates on most cream/liquid shadows and liners, many of them list a 6 month life. Personally, I toss mascara every 3 months and other cream/liquid eye products every 12 months.
Thanks, Eileen! Mascara is also a three-month thing for me. I am pretty rigid when it comes to expiry dates, so I was a little deflated when I saw that the Stylo Eye Shadows were given a recommended 6 months. Maybe it's a good thing that they were limited!
Hi everyone,
I'll be back in awhile. I was outside all day (it's 3:30 now) with a guy who was pulling ivy off the back of my house, which was was covered. I was taking what he threw down on my hydrangeas and moving it right away. Now, I am dirty, tired beyond belief, and basically can't walk from the stress on my back and knee. So, give me a little recovery time, and I'll be back to participate.
The good news is that "I" am now ivy-free. No more trapped moisture or the possibility of a critter evasion. :) Of course, I can see how badly my house needs to be painted. Great timing when I have no work.
I am thirsty, so it may be beer time.
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