Friday, January 22, 2016

The Friday Forum - January 22

This is what we are expecting, with snow starting within the hour and turning into a blizzard overnight. The forecasters have predicted two feet of snow, but some have said we may get closer to three feet. With high winds, many are expected to lose power. It will be disastrous for many - even after the snow ends Saturday night. They are calling the impending snow historic.

I have a full tank of gas (had to go to three stations to get it). There's nothing I can do if my power goes out and I can't get out of here by car. Charlie and I will have to hunker down under the covers. My mother and her caregiver are moving out of her house. It's in a wooded area, and it doesn't take much to lose power there.

FYI: The Chanel Spring 2016 eye shadow quad has arrived in stores. I have not had time to get to one to swatch it. Yesterday, I had to make several trips to Mom's house, and I had a doctor's appointment. I promise to swatch it as soon as the roads are safe.

It's time for The Friday Forum. The Friday Forum has always been an opportunity to share information. Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Tell us about it! Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Tell us why! Do you have questions others might be able to answer? We can help! Want to talk about skin care? I'm game. Just use the comments. We have busy weekends and slow ones on the forum. After a long delay, I hope you are ready to share.

If you don't hear from me during the weekend, you will know I have no power and no Internet. Wish us luck in the DC area, please. Good luck to you if you are also in the path of this storm.

Photo courtesy of weatherbook.com

24 comments:

Poppy B. said...

I got a Keratin treatment and love it, and also love that because of it, I've discovered Perfect Hair Day shampoo, which is sulfate-free and helps preserve the keratin AND my hair color. After years of using an expensive Kerastase shampoo that was supposedly good for color, and discovering that it has sulfates, I can see why my color was fading so fast.

TLDR: If you color or Keratin treatment your hair, sulfate-free really does make a huge difference.

Good luck with the blizzard--I couldn't believe when I heard about it. Further north, yes, that far south? Be careful driving--watch out for the other people on the road. South of New Jersey, people don't get much practice driving on ice and snow!

Anonymous said...

Stay safe CG, good to hear you, your Mom, and her caregiver are as prepared as possible! I hope you'll take extra care moving around on the snow when you can get out.

I'm always on the hunt for that perfect foundation, and recently a couple of the "stick" versions have caught my attention, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra and Make Up For Ever Ultra HD. They both seem to get good reviews so I got some samples to play with. I have combination skin and really like them both, but lean more towards the Make Up For Ever because of my fine lines and aging skin. The Lancome version is a lovely formula, but more matte and not as forgiving. The MUFE has a beautiful subtle satiny finish. Has anyone else tried either of them?

Stay safe out there everyone!!!

Denise at aeiokid at gmail dot com

Charlestongirl said...

Poppy, you hit the nail on the head. People around here can't drive in the snow. They come from countries where snow is unheard of.

I love dry shampoos! I have used up a few. In fact, I need to pick up a new one. Thanks for emphasizing the risks of sulfates!

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Denise! I use the Bobbi Brown stick when I'm on the go. It's really convenient for touch-ups.

Nemo said...

Hello, CG. Good to see you more frequently. I have the CHANEL Tisse Beverly Hills eye quad. I had my wonderful husband order it as soon as it popped online. Even that was a joke. He got a call from a CHANEL customer care rep to "help" him place the order. Hello, morons at CHANEL: My husband has been ordered from you--big orders--for years. Anyway, he was working when she called and when he returned her call, the woman who answered the number he called said they had never heard of that particular rep. Then they actually got into a fight with him over the order, insisting that the Tisse BH was not out yet. He said, well I am looking at it right now. Finally, the light bulb that so eludes CHANEL these days went off. (As to that little email exchange some time ago, Cg, never heard another word.) It is clear that the great HOUSE of CHANEL has a call center staffed by women who know absolutely nothing about the website or the products they sell. Sad. Anyway, I do like the Tisse BH. Most women will not. It is garish, but applied correctly, a la Le Metier de beaute, it is lovely. The bright blue and the purple blend together beautifully. I have the ribbon blush and the Purple Croc pencil. I will be thinking of you & your ever-faithful Charlie tonight and this weekend.

Eileen said...

I remember that year so many of you lost power for such a long time because of the terrible blizzards. Judging from the weather reports and flight cancellations, it looks like you're in for another whopper. You've weathered such storms before and so it sounds like you're prepared. Now, just don't do anything crazy like trying to dig yourself out or clear your driveway. Isn't that how you fell last time? Stay safe, snug, and warm with Charlie. I'm glad your mom and her caregiver have relocated for the time-being. That will be one less thing for you to worry about.

This week I had the opportunity to visit the Hourglass store with an out-of-town aquaintance who is an absolute Hourglass fanatic. While she was busy swatching this and that, I tried the new strobing powders. They're really beautiful, but the Iridescent that the SA demo'ed on me didn't hold up. I put off making a purchase to give the powder time to settle and am glad I did. Over the course of a short stroll and stop for coffee (no more than an hour), it had completely faded away and yet it still looked beautiful on my companion. Poor me! LOL It undoubtedly had to do with the differences in the skincare products and foundations that we use, but since I'm changing any of that for a strobing powder, when we returned to Hourglass, I didn't make a purchase whereas my companion bought two :-) I hope all you other ladies will have better luck than I did, because the powders are quite attractive. What I did get from the visit, though, was the reminder to apply highlighter and then step back from the mirror and move the face from side to side to see how the light plays on the high points of the face. The SA said she thought the true beauty of highlights was revealed as we moved. As you can tell, the SA was more about a natural approach which, in my seventh decade, is one I can appreciate ;-)

I'm still enjoying my Guerlain blush and lipsticks and my Dior highlighter. The 001 pink is very reminiscent of Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia from several years ago. I think Guerlain was ahead of the times with that one and if they repromoted now it, it would fly off the shelves. As for Chanel, my local counter still doesn't have the quad and, to be honest, I'm losing interest. You snooze, you loose, Chanel. There are just so many other things to entice.

Tom Ford! I just bought the new quad in Disco Dust and love, love, love it! The selection of colors in this quad is beautiful on green eyes and the glitter shade can be worn for a bit of glam (I guess that's the "disco"'part :-) ) or omitted depending on the occasion. Personally, I enjoy TF's fairy dust when sparingly and judiciously applied. I use my finger and press it onto the glitter and then press it only onto the moveable eyelid. I never use a brush which tends to scatter the glitter and I always avoid the inner eye area. I have a large moveable lid with no hooding and so opening and closing my eyes does not disturb the glitter or cause it to migrate. All the new quads or gorgeous and I was hard pressed to pick just one--for now! LOL

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Eileen said...

Sorry for all the typos. I should have put my glasses on when I typed my comment! LOL

Charlestongirl said...

Nemo, the rep is trying to figure out how to help you. She agrees with you on your point that Chanel shouldn't have delivered the collection without the quad. She and I talked about you yesterday. You ARE on her mind.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Eileen,

I ordered every one of those Hourblass strobing powders. They came this week, but I had no time to photograph them, and I like to get photos before trying. I hope I'm not disappointed.

The Tom Ford rep here was supposed to call me when that collection hit. No call. Not happy, however, now that we are definitely being snowed in, it will probably be next week before I can get out. I have hired a college guy to shovel me out. The same one who shovels for my mother.

I also love the Guerlain beauties. Such a great company!

No worries about typos. We all do it. :)

Anahita said...

We're getting ready for the snow here in Philadelphia as well. Couldn't Mother Nature at least allowed it to snow on a weekday do I could get a day off work? I've been on a forced no buy as my Nordstrom Visa got hacked and I'm waiting to get a replacement. I'm just glad it happened after I was able to purchase the Les sautoirs collection from Chanel. That pearl highlighter is beautiful!!!! I highly recommend this collection. Stay warm and safe.

Rebekah said...

Hey there CG! I hope you are warm and safe at home, staying cozy! I'm in southwest Virginia, we have about 16 inches of snow and it's still falling! It's time for cinnamon coffee, fuzzy blankets, and catching up on TV shows! I'm hooked on "Grace and Frankie" on Netflix so I may finally be able to binge watch! LOL!!
I ordered the golden shade of the Burberry Spring highlighter with the lace pattern, I'm anxious to see it in person (with the weather, I'm guessing it'll be late next week)! I've also been loving Le Metier de Beaute's Indelible Eye Prisms in Neoprene and Kevlar, they are so gorgeous!
I hope you had a great week and have a safe, warm, and relaxing weekend!

Tatiana said...

Hope you don't lose your power and you stay warm and safe all weekend. I'm glad you've hired someone to shovel you out when the snow is done falling. Shoveling is best left to the really young. Living in CA I sometimes think I miss snow, but then I remember by the third snowfall I was usually sick of shoveling.
I haven't seen any of the new Tom Ford makeup in my local stores and I just checked in after my lunch today.
I got a sample of the new Laura Mercier Candleglow Foundation. On one hand, it's probably the best color match I've gotten from Laura Mercier. On the other hand, once it's blended in it has absolutely no coverage. It didn't even tone down my redness. It did look like skin at first. Nice glow at first but by 3 to 4 hours it was a separating, almost oily, collecting in my pores and lines mess. I had high hopes for this one.
I will probably check out the new NARS Velvet Matt Skintint and the new Chanel foundation when they're available. I'm still looking for a foundation that looks like skin, gives medium variable coverage, lasts about 6 to 8 hours and doesn't end up aging me by emphasizing my lines and pores. I'm not asking for much out of a foundation, am I? ;)

Jill said...

Hi ladies!!

CG glad to hear you and your mom are as safe and ready as possible. I grew up in DC (am now in OH) and there is a special type of crazy in that city when even an inch of snow comes. Almost 3 feet will be nuts. I will be thinking of you all.

I got the two Guerlain KissKiss lipsticks this week and I adore them. I have the KissKiss base from my wedding but had never had one of lipsticks before and they are fantastic. Thank you Eileen (that is my middle name btw) for encouraging me!! I can't wait to get more. I am so so tempted on the Smile blush but I'm considering the Les Sautoirs de Coco collection... I think the Les 4 Ombres in that is gorgeous! Maybe that is the yellow shadow I've waited for all my life?? Anahita did you get that?

Jeanne said...

Hi, Everyone! Has anyone tried the new Armani Maestro Glow foundation and the Maestro UV primer/sunscreen? I need some recommendations before I try them.

Charlestongirl said...

Jeanne, I just got it. So far, I'm impressed. I will feature it as soon as the sun comes out after the blizzard.

Jeanne said...

Thank you, CG. I'll be looking forward to it!

Anahita said...

Jeanne:
I did the eye shadow palette. My package just came today so I didn't have a chance to swatch it. I'm disappointed the cream blush and nail polish didn't get released here. I'm not sure why Chanel would only put out 3/4 of the collection here. I'm sure they would have been popular.

Rebekah said...

Hi Jeanne! I'm sad to say I did not love the new Maestro Glow foundation. The alcohol content is just so high...my skin hated it, coverage was meh, and the finish was anything but glowy on me. In my humble opinion, there are much better options available at that price point (or maybe I'm still just mad at Armani for d/c'ing my beloved Designer Shaping Cream! LOL!). Sorry I don't have better news about the Maestro Glow :(

Evelyn said...

I don't have anything outstanding makeup-wise this week so I'm just settling in tonight to do some facial pampering with face masks as I watch it snow outside. Have a great weekend and for those of us in the snow - hope we all get through safely and easily! :)

Anonymous said...

CG, stay safe and warm. I'll be thinking of you.
I got a lot of spring make-up this week - must be longing for light and soft colors. The two Guerlain KissKiss lipsticks are fabulous. I was lucky to get one of the Dior pink highlighters. It seems to have poor color payoff and I have a hard time putting it on. The Chanel Sautoirs highlighter has the same issue. Both are beauties to look at but don't really show up on my skin. I have noticed this kind of issue with Chanel products that are made in Italy and the Dior Highlighter is made in Italy, too. The Sautoirs collection Illusion d'Ombre is super nice and a color that has been missing in that formula.
Thanks, nemo, for describing the new Chanel quad. I will check it out in person once it arrives. Oh, and I really wanted the Chanel polish, too.
Have a nice weekend.
Tanja

lady jicky said...

On my radio in Australia they are saying you have had just terrible snowfalls and 8 people died in road accidents in DC ! Stay inside and stay safe.

My cleanser that I have been using for years has been discontinued sadly - Shiseido Benefiance Creamy Cleansing Emulsion. Rats!
I have very sensitive eyes and this did not "bug" them up so ..... any recommendations for a creamy cleanser for the face that does not "smart' sensitive eyes ?
Thank you Jeanne.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi all!

The weekend was hell. We ended up in my neighborhood with about three feet of snow. It came up to my hips! So much for knee-high boots. Every time I dove outside to feed the wildlife, it was really hard.

I had hired a college guy to shovel me out, but Sunday, the guys who mow my lawn came by. We negotiated price, and four of them worked about 35 minutes to dig me out. They even shoveled a path to my feeder! $100. Saved my body, so worth it.

During the storm and even now, my phone and DSL service have been on and off. Mostly off. My cell signal booster runs off my DSL modem, so it goes and my cell signal degrades. I had to write today's Bobbi Bown post on my computer, but then go to my iPad to hit publish. As fast as I could reboot the modem, I'd lose service.

Crazy days. I'm sorry I was mostly absent over the weekend.

Charlestongirl said...

Jeanne, LMdB has a lovely cleanser. So does Eve Lom.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Tanja!

I absolutely adore KissKiss lipsticks! You can't go wrong with them.