The Friday Forum - August 15 - Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Lip Kits

It's hard to believe it's already mid-August, until you remember that the days are growing shorter and the mornings cooler. Today, it's beautiful outside - a morning perfect for hanging out on the screened porch.

I am bracing myself for the inevitable I-wants that will come as the new fall and winter beauty collections hit the counters en masse. Fall turns into an expensive season. Like the rest of you, I am on the prowl for that Tom Ford eye palette, new Chanel, and more to come from Le Métier de Beauté.

During the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I purchased a hand cream I'm loving: Antica Farmacista's Bergamot & Ocean Aria ($18). It was one of those little extras I often throw into my shopping cart, not a planned purchase. I love it! Built on the allure of the ocean, ozonic saltwater notes blend with jasmine and lavender, while crisp bergamot adds sparkle. Warm notes of oakmoss captivate the lush scent. This beauty needs to be better known, so give it a whiff next time you are at Nordstrom.

Antica's hand creams include luxurious botanicals to nourish and moisturize. Shea butter and vitamin E produce a silky formulation that is restorative and beautifully fragranced. I'm using it so quickly that I'm going to have to purchase another - or maybe one Bergamot & Ocean and another in a different scent. I know I love Ala Moana.

Do you spend much time on Facebook? There is a growing and disgusting trend there - one that Facebook seems disinclined to stop. Haters - aka trolls - are attacking all of the animal rescue and related sites trying to raise money, most often for vet bills and all of the expenses of caring for abused and abandoned animals. They are also going after people down on their luck who are using sites like GoFundMe to try to get help from readers who donate voluntarily. I guess the haters don't believe in charity.

Each week, I am reading anguished posts by good people - no, great people - who are sacrificing their lives to save animals, but are being attacked as frauds by the haters. It must be some kind of game for bullies. Facebook has an anti-bullying policy, but they will do nothing about the trolls. I have reported them. Hundreds of people have reported them, with no results. No wonder there are predictions that Facebook is old school and will be replaced by an as-yet-known competitor. I hope it will be a company with a conscience - one that will realize that words are being used as weapons.

Trolls exist everywhere. That's why most beauty bloggers moderate comments. You would not believe the comments that come in to BTiB for moderation. My friend Gaia gets them too. It's hard to believe that there are so many women who love makeup, a community I would hope, who think nothing of attacking me or my readers. I had to add a notice to the comments page stating that I will not publish comments attacking my readers. It's no surprise that these comments are always anonymous.

I did not write an obituary for Lauren Bacall. I wanted to, but her death came too close on the gut-wrenching news of Robin Williams' suicide. Instead, to remember her, take a close look at this photo and her makeup. What an extraordinary photo of an extraordinary woman! I would love to know what lip color she was wearing. The lipstick, the blush, the eye shadow - everything was perfect. Her makeup enhanced her features. It's a good lesson to remember. That should be why we wear makeup.

It's time for our weekend sharing, the Friday Forum. I love this part of our week. What new products did you discover this week? We have all seen the upcoming Tom Ford collection, so I think we can skip that 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.

Update: I wanted to show you a photo of Le Métier de Beauté's new Gemini Kiss Kaleidoscope Lip Kit ($125). It is exclusive to Neiman Marcus stores. It is much like the V.I.B. program Gemini Rising Kaleidoscope, with the dual pans, one including a reformulated Hydra-Crème Lipstick, and the other side with a Lip Crème Lip Gloss. The colors are intended to be layered.

I was not going to show you Gemini Rising because you couldn't buy it. I did take photos and swatch it this morning. I want to warn you not to leave this Kaleidoscope in your purse in a hot car. I had it outside for photos this morning, and the Lip Crème Lip Glosses turned to mush. This is definitely a keep-indoors product.

The photo directly above is Gemini Rising. It was hard to get all of the colors in my photo without taking the Kaleidoscope apart, and I wasn't up for it. A swatch photo is below, starting at the top level, applied as directed, with the matte shade applied first, topped by the gloss. My photos were taken in full, mid-day sun.

It looks like my Gemini Rising has more pink in it, and that Gemini Kiss has more coral and nude. You never know, though. Press photos can we way off. I'll report back after I see Gemini Kiss in person. If you would like to order one, give Michael Reinhardt at call at (202) 966-9700, extension 2258.

Update #2: You have to read this! 

Happy weekend!

Photos by Best Things in Beauty and courtesy of NBC