Friday, April 15, 2016

The Friday Forum - Plus Guerlain's Maxi Shine Intense Color and Shine Lip Gloss

It's 8:00 pm Thursday night. I had intended to write two features: 1) a story about a gorgeous Guerlain Maxi Shine lip gloss, and 2) The Friday Forum. I have to finish by 9:00 pm because I am totally hooked by The Blacklist, a television drama for people who can think. So, I'm writing now because I have an 8:00 am meeting at work. Yikes, I feel a little overwhelmed!

I think I mentioned that Marcus Monson used this beautiful lip gloss, Guerlain Maxi Shine in #467, Cherry Swing, ($30) on the customer who sat in his chair last weekend after me. It looked gorgeous! I purchased the last one they had in stock at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria. I am never without a Guerlain Maxi Shine lip gloss at my side. I have at least two shades in my handbag at all times and more in my bathroom stock and in my special storage box for Guerlain products. I adore them. They look good, feel good, and complement any look. I'm a happy customer when new shades are introduced.

Here is what Guerlain says about Maxi Shine, all true...
Guarantee your lips a shimmering, radiant, and plumping finish. The oil composition creates a moisturizing barrier to ensure an intense softness. Additionally, each shade presents varying degrees of coverage and pigment intensity. The perfect partner for a desirable, appealing smile, Maxi Shine offers tailor-made effects for beautifully enhanced lips.

This Cherry Swing shade is spectacular. I am not sure why I didn't have it already. Check out the swatch photo below. It was taken in mid-day sunshine, applied directly from the tube.

This beautiful rose pink shade makes my lips sparkle - and, of course, look fuller as an extra-added benefit to the fabulous hydrating feel. The sun picked up the sparkle in this shade, which I love.

I can't count the number of compliments I have received when wearing Guerlain Maxi Shine glosses. Coral Wizz (#440) is one of my favorites. It looks more warm pink on me than coral.

Guerlain's lip glosses stand out, and the colors, when combined with my own lip color, enhance my lips - like my own lips, but better. I know that's an over-used phrase, but in this case, it's accurate. I usually wear these glosses without a lipstick underneath. They carry enough pigment that I can do that.

You can purchase Guerlain's Maxi Shine glosses wherever Guerlain makeup is sold. Or if you are an online shopper like me, you can find them at Sephora.

It's time for our Friday Forum and weekend conversation. 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. I hope you are ready to share. See you in the comments.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

15 comments:

Anna R said...

Hi Charleston Girl,

I have a disappointing experience with a product to share with your readers. My son won a basket at a fundraiser containing WEN hair products. I decided to give them a try, not really thinking too much about it. After the first use I noticed significant hair loss in the shower, but I just assumed it was seasonal "shedding" that we sometimes do when the weather changes. I took a break from WEN and resumed by normal shampoo and the hair loss subsided. I assumed the "shedding" was over. I used WEN again and the drain of my shower was covered in hair. I did a quick search online and I was shocked at the number of similar complaints from other women. Since then I've had blood work done and everything is normal. I'm doing a patch test on my arm with the product and I'm not seeing any allergic reaction. I don't know what is going with this product, there are just as many positive happy reviews and so many people with hair loss. Mine is not as severe as some that have balding patches, but my ponytail is much thinner and I feel I have less hair. I hope my hair returns to it's previous fullness.

I did not purchase this product so I don't know where it was obtained. The contents lead me to believe it came from the infomercial web-site. I went to the ChazDean salon site where the product can also be purchased and the ingredients listed are different then the ones on my bottle. I have emailed them my concerns because I believe there must be a quality control issue or a change in formula that has negative effects and I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I've never had a hair product make me lose hair.

The first five ingredients on my bottle are Water, glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine. Then come the essential oil extracts. The infomercial site doesn't list ingredients. QVC lists different ingredients as well.

So everyone, I just wanted to make you aware so that this experience is not shared by anyone else.

Anna R

LilJeJa said...

I do love guerlain maxi shine glosses. Have couple of them and they are great. My favorite is La petite robe noire.

Charlestongirl said...

Anna, that's appalling! I did like the products years ago, but now that they are marketed by spammers, I will not buy them. If I were you, I'd start using Rogaine to stimulate hair growth. It's not fast, but my stylist recommends it to everyone, even those who want to prevent hair loss.

CGstrein said...

Hi Anna,
You should report this to the FDA. They have a website, I don't think I am allowed to link, but Googling, "report a cosmetic-related problem to FDA," should get you there. You can also call to report it, 1-800-FDA-1088. I am sorry this happened to you! Scary stuff! I don't think they can take action off of Internet reports but they can if they receive enough complaints directly.

Anne said...

I like Guerlain glosses a lot. I bought my first one - Nahema Smack on your recommendation two or three years ago.

At the moment I'm searching for a new foundation. I've tried a few samples and so far my favourite is Guerlain Parure Gold. The lightest shade 01 is slightly too dark for me right now but it should be ok in the summer. I'm still looking for a light foundation whose formula I like.

Pamela said...

Anna, I had the same problem with Wen. My hairdresser told me to stop using it immediately when she saw the amount of hair I was losing. I purchased the Wen from QVC. Apparently the ingredients vary depending on the vendor.

Charleston Girl, I will definitely be picking up some Rogaine tomorrow. Some of my hair has started growing in, but not all.

Unknown said...

Another little goodie to add to my shopping cart! Thanks, CG! I love this shade.

Lisa said...

Anna,
There are huge lawsuits against WEN right now. It's been all over the NET. So sorry to hear you got burned!

On a happier note, I adore the Guerlain glosses and this one is a must-have!

Eileen said...

Hi Anna,

As Lisa said, there have been lawsuits, both individual and class action, filed against Wen. Wen still stands by their product, but . . . If you spend some quality time with Google, you can find the latest information about the law suits as nothing has yet been settled.

On a much brighter note, I was generously gifted with two of Laura Mercier's new highlighters: Devotion and Indiscretion. Devotion is a stunning light pink that produces a soft metallic gleam that is simply gorgeous. It can be worn for day or built up for evening in which case it has that gleam that is perfectly in keeping with the concept of spotlighting. I like to apply it browbone to cheekbone for day and keep it light and diffused. For night, I apply Devotion in the same shape but after I apply a bit of blush (I like Chanel's Cresendo with this), I go back over the high point of my cheekbones with a bit more highlighter for a more polished look. Indiscretion is another beauty. It is a molten rose gold and seems to be the "star" of the four highlighters. I noticed it has sold out at all three of the LM counters at the local mall. It has a bit more color than I want right now, but as I shift more into my summer looks, I know Indiscretion will become my go-to for those balmy days and long sultry nights. All four colors are really lovely, but those are the two that my MA friend said would suit me best. He said to think of them as an early birthday gift :-) Lucky me! The texture of the highlighters is a bit harder than many of the others currently on the market and so I had to switch from my super soft squirrel highlighter brush to one that was a combination of goat and squirrel (both brushes by Hakuhodo). That one lets me pick up plenty of product without packing it on. I'm afraid I'm a bit "long in the tooth" for Instagram looks! LOL. Anyway, these are really beautiful in the pan (goegeous wave-like pattern) and even more beautiful on the face. There's no visible shimmer, but there is a pronounced gleam so if you're after more of a soft glow, then these won't be for you. The four colors are well thought out and will suit a wide variety of skin tones.

My goodness, Cherry Swing is certainly a juicy type of color. I'm a big fan of Guerlain gloss. In fact, it is actually my favorite (Chanel comes in second) because it is light-weight, never sticky, applies evenly, doesn't settle into lip lines, wears well, has definite color, and never dries out my lips. Wow! What a gloss! :-) In fact, it is hydrating and plumps my lips a bit without the irritation that I get from regular plumping type glosses. The color selection is also so beautiful and wearable. I always have several of them in rotation. My only regret is that I didn't buy a back-up of Reflets Étoilés from the Winter 2015 collection. It's one of my favorite toppers. It can be worn alone, but it really shines when worn over pinks, roses, and berries. It's clear and shot through with multicolored shimmer that gives it a holographic effect. And, because it is Guerlain, the glitter is not chunky or gritty like in many cheaper glosses.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Vanessa said...

Hello;
Charleston Girl, would you say that the Guerlain lip shine is better than the plumper Marcus used last weekend?

My carry all was stolen today! However, thank goodness I was carrying my wallet as I dashed into the store. My first thought though was, "My cosmetics bag! with my powder compact! my brushes! lip stick and glosses!, (plus tissues, eye drops, neosporin, hand wipes, tweezers, advil, band aids...) The phone, Rx glasses, notebook & pen, running clothes and shoes were after thoughts! This made me laugh. There is always a bit of humor to be found in life's ups and downs. Everything can be replaced and I save my angst for soldiers and animals.

My experience with WEN was that it worked well once or twice and then stopped. My hairdresser said he feels WEN wants to do too much.

The absolute biggest hair improvement for me came with installing a filter with my shower head. My hair color, especially the blond highlights stays true much, much longer.
Have a happy weekend and let me know what lip plumpers work for everyone.

Vanessa

Eileen said...

Hi Vanessa,

I know you asked this of Charleatongirl, but since I've also had experience with the Abeille Royale lip treatment and the glosses, I thought I'd also chime in. The Abeille Royale is a treatment product designed to plump the lips by restoring moisture to them in the short term and over time. Well moisturized, healthy lips are plumper lips :-) It doesn't contain the usual irritants that are responsible for the plumping action of most lip plumpers. You know that tingle? That's irritation and that causes an increased blood flow to the lips (as does any kind of massage, tapping, etc.) which temporarily plumps them. Abeille Royale is actually skin care designed to plump and smooth the lips by increasing the moisture in the lips and then tapping the metal applicator on the them to increase blood flow. This is the result: More moisture + increased blood flow = plumper lips. So, think of Abeille Royale as a treatment product. The beautiful glosses don't function that way. They are beauty products meant to enhance the lips with non-drying, non-irritating color and shine. Because they are moisturizing and occlusive, they protect the lips' moisture barrier and prevent the lips from drying out. That, and the optical illusion created by gloss, is what makes the lips look smoother and fuller. Long story short: Abeille Royale is targeted skin care. The glosses are makeup.

Hi everyone,

In my first post when I said the LM highlighters did not have visible shimmer, I meant to say they don't have visible glitter. They do shimmer and shine, but don't have fairy dust :-)

Jill said...

Hi ladies,

I just took the plunge this morning with some YSL summer products. Of all the looks I have seen from them, Chanel, Dior, etc. there's was by far my favorite. However I'm a little nervous because I've never really used their products before. I'll let you know once my order comes in what I think.

Depending on the type of hair loss that you had, sometimes a steroid cream like clobetasol can be very effective. It's worth asking your doctor.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Charlestongirl said...

Eileen, I purchased one of the LM highlighters, and it's gorgeous. Hope to get swatch photos tomorrow!

Charlestongirl said...

Oh no, Vanessa! Where were you when it was stolen? I would just die, although I certainly agree with your concern for soldiers and animals.

Charlestongirl said...

I had quite a nap after my trip to NM today. Three and a half hours! I guess I needed it.

Hylton was very sick and had to stay in his hotel today. The doctors in the ER told him he couldn't fly home because of the congestion in his ears. I think he might have bronchitis too. So he missed the event at Mazza, but Michael carried on splendidly.

Tonight, I watched the eagles for hours. The eaglets had been alone and unfed since breakfast, and I had to watch until a parent showed up. She first came with no food, then she took off and got a fish. I wanted to go to the Arborteum and leave a bucket of fresh fish.