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Friday, May 6, 2016

The Friday Forum - May 6

Today's Le Métier de Beauté event with Ivan Castro was great fun. Our Account Executive's daughter served as Ivan's model. She started out with no makeup and was beautiful. Then Ivan showed us how he applied her skin care and makeup, explaining his techniques step by step. She finished the session even more beautiful - which seemed impossible, given her natural beauty.

We were treated to a wonderful lunch at Maggiano's, the site of the master class. The lunch was wonderful and filling. I tried not to eat too much, but dessert put me over the top. I enjoyed watching Ivan as he worked his magic on this beautiful young woman (I'm not identifying her because I did not ask for permission to use her name). Ivan started with skin care, explaining Le Métier de Beauté's products, their benefits, and their distinctive ingredients. Then he used gorgeous colors that suited his model perfectly, showing me that he can do both "East Coast" and "West Coast." He also showed us the new brush collection. Great job, Ivan!

Ivan will be doing makeup applications tomorrow at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie. If you would like to make an appointment, call Michael or Andy first thing tomorrow at (202) 966-9700, ext. 2258. There are a few slots left. There are gifts with purchase too. It's a great time to go!

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 to see you in the comments.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

25 comments:

  1. Can't wait to read all about the event. I just received samples of La Mer's perfecting treatment and La Prairies's new ice crystal transforming cream. I love both products. I just wish they weren't soo expensive. Nordstrom has a great gift for triple points but I just spent way too much on Dior, Guerlain, Armani and Burberry. I'm also looking forward to Chanel's summer collection as well. Soo many great products so little time and money

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  2. My birthday was Tuesday. Monday night I was checking out the CHANEL website and WOW! Here was the summer collection! I ordered the entire collection plus some extras. It has now arrived, and I love it. I think this collection is one of the most exquisite yet. It was kind of funny in ordering because every time my darling husband would leave for a minute I'd put something else in my shopping cart. Never had such fun!!! The biggest thing I bought was a 6.8 oz bottle of CHANEL No. 5, my favorite perfume. I had a very happy birthday!!

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  3. Happy birthday, Nemo!

    I'm glad Chanel Summer 2016 is available. That means I can publish now.

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  4. I agree, Anahita. So many products, so little money to go around.

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  5. It sounds like you had such a lovely day, Charlestongirl. I hope you'll have time to share some of the details with us. Believe it or not, I have never attended a Master Class. I've had my makeup done by some superlative artists but I've not actually participated in a Master Class before. I should probably put that on my "bucket list". ;-) Speaking of lovelies, are you going to be doing anything special with your mom for Mother's Day? I loved that beautiful picture of your mom that you posted awhile back. Such a lovely and luminous soul!

    Happy Birthday, Nemo. It sounds like you had fun indulging your Chanel passion. You'll have to tell us what you think about the summer collection. So far, my heart is set on the gorgeous new quad, Empreinte du Désert. At first I was concerned that it would be too similar to Tissé D'Automne, but now that I've seen swatches of the new one, it's obvious that it is different enough to warrant the purchase. Also, I understand that it is a different formula and that it creates a lot of gleam. Sign me up! :-) As for the eye pencils, I've been admiring Sable (copper) and Oasis (golden green). Both look positively divine and are lighter and brighter than is typical for autumn colors. That means they'll be a nice addition to summer's golden hues. After a terribly disappointing and mixed up spring collection (to me, at least), Chanel is back on track with a gorgeous one for summer. I think I'll go ahead and order this evening. I've talked myself into it! LOL

    I didn't buy much in the way of cosmetics during Nordstrom's triple points event. I focused mainly on summer clothing instead. Besides, the Anniveraary Sale is not far off and there will be loads of new products out by then. Plenty of time to splurge up ahead!

    Have a great weekend, everyone, and a very happy Mother's Day.

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  6. Dear CG, please publish Chanel summer 2016. I am excited to read more about it. Nordstrom shows it back ordered until May 27th. I have been craving coral lips but don't seem to find anything in my lipstick stash which is surprising. I pulled out the ancient Chanel Creme Gloss Lumiere in Creme Brulee and still love it.
    Happy to hear that Nemo likes the summer Chanel collection.
    Have a great weekend.
    Tanja

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  7. A new brush collection from Le Metier?? Do you have more details to share? I love LMdB!

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  8. Hello again, Cg! The rest of my birthday loot arrived last night. Most of the Tom Ford stuff you featured in your posts. I ordered it to take advantage of the Camp Gorgeous event at NM. But I must caution others about this event. In the past, Camp Gorgeous meant a nice big beachy, summery bag of the usual makeup & fragrance samples. Not so this year. What I received were 2 bags (because I had bought enough for 2) with nothing inside but the kind of fragrance samples you can get yourself simply by walking through the cosmetics section of a high-end store. But it is the bag itself that deflates the whole event. It was a tiny, ugly little affair, thin enough to hold almost nothing, and with a rounded bottom that will not permit the bag to stand on its own. Even my husband noticed this. Sad. I gave my 2 away.

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  9. Hi, Eileen & Anonymous! Yes, you will love the Chanel summer! Eileen, the summer eye quad is nothing like the fall one. In fact, the summer one will take some getting used to, because it can be applied in so many ways. It is exquisite, however. As for the rest of the collection, here is my report: The glosses are lovely, absolutely lovely. And the applicator is different and better! Instead of only 1 flat side at the bottom of the applicator, there are 2. This makes it so much easier to apply gloss in the dark or when you don't have a mirror handy. The blush duos are beautiful! They are delicate but long-lasting. And I like Chanel because they always provide a brush, as do these. No. 1 is the more sultry of the 2, but in my opinion perfect for even a fair skin. The lighter one, No. 2, is a perfect pink, like candy. The eye pencils are lovely. Everything is wearable and fun. And, may I add, sultry & sexy. Need I say more???? The polishes arrived yesterday. Unusual and beautiful. Cg, you are our green girl. You will love the green polish, Emeraude. An unusual, summery green, like a Fragonard painting. I like Cavaliere, and may wear that first. I will be using my new Tom Ford today. I already love Pipa. Thank you all for my birthday wishes!

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  10. Ooooo . . . Nemo! Thanks for the update about the collection. Now I'm really glad I ordered the quad and the pencils yesterday :-) I'll wait until I can swatch the glosses before purchasing those because I like to see how the rosy hue of my lips interacts, but since Glossimer is one of my favorite formulas, there's sure to be a few that call my name.

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  11. OK, Ladies, listen up for a Tom Ford report! Because of our fearless enabler, Charleston Girl, I bought the TF pink sand cream blush, the Bicoastal powder blush, and Pipa, the $$ moisture-core lipstick. All were featured on this blog. I also bought Aphrodite, a gorgeous blue-based pink lipstick from the TF summer collection. I wanted these--heck, because I wanted them--but to coordinate with my TF Honeymoon eye quad, and the 3 TF eye duos from spring 2015. Today I wore Bicoastal with the Honeymoon quad and the Aphrodite lipstick. Wow, just gorgeous. I have very fair skin with rosy tones, blue/grey/green eyes, and dark blonde hair with highlights. The TF makeup gave me a sultry look. Hahaha! These are lovely colors and lasted well throughout a gym workout and a bit of humidity. Once again, our beloved CG was right!
    And Eileen, please let me know how you use the Chanel eye quad. Some quads are so easy to use they almost self-apply; others, like this new one, take some practice. So please advise!

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  12. Happy Birthday, Nemo! Mine is a week away, and I, too, have been busy ordering my presents! I am excited to see Chanel's summer collection. I am actually sorry I ordered the quad in Tisse Essentiel. It is a lovely nude, but I should have waited for the summer collection!
    Anxious to see your preview, CG!

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  13. Anonymous, the brushes are goat hair (cashmere) and goat plus synthetic on some. They have short handles. Very nice! I don't have the prices yet.

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  14. I have the new Chanel and Guerlain collections and hope to get photos tomorrow.

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  15. Eileen,

    Mom is more alert and hungry at lunch, so I took her out today for her favorite crab cakes, and a Bloody Mary, of course.

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  16. So enjoying all the frequent posing CG! Glad to hear your mom enjoyed what sounds like the perfect meal!
    Nemo - the beauty event at Neimans was not "Camp Gorgeous" - that is later (June?) in the season. This was a fragrance event tied into Mother's Day. If you ordered from a store and they said it was "Camp Gorgeous" they were mistaken, and it would have been featured on the website as well. Now you can make a new list!

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  17. True, Nina. This has been a scent event. Camp Gorgeous is in June.

    Thanks, regarding Mom. She enjoyed.

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  18. Hi charleston girl!! Happy Mother's Day!! I just wanted to ask....what is a good brush to use for cream blushes? Wonderful Eileen suggested Wayne Goss #14 for Tom Ford's Bicoastal blush. I'm on the "email list" because it's sold out! Now I need 1 for his cream blushes! xoxo to you!! p .s. Does anyone have information about the makeup used for Chanel's Resort Show that was in Cuba? I heard there were more than a few looks. However, there is 1 Rouge Coco Shine that appears in many images. My eyes are tired following Tom Pecheux (spelling?) on Instagram, Twitter, etc. and nothing is mentioned.💋💄🍦🌸

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  19. Hi Wendy!

    I use Armani's Blender Brush or my fingertips.

    I'll get you the Cuba info!

    Night...I'm holding onto my seat as I watch the Caps game end!

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  20. I will message my Chanel friend. Here is one article: http://www.marieclaire.it/Bellezza/make-up/cuba-chanel-trucco. Too bad it's not English.

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  21. Hi Wendy,

    I hope the Wayne Goss #14 is back in stock soon because I think you'll be delighted with how beautifully it applies those more heavily pigmented blushers. No clown cheeks! LOL. I was a fan brush enthusiast for years, but the WG #14 put my fans to shame. I now have a couple of them in my collection so I always have one at the ready. As for TF's Pink Sand cream blush, I use my fingers. I find his cream blush blends out so smoothly and evenly, that a brush is superfluous. I lightly stroke my index finger across the blush and then spread it between the first two fingers of each hand. Pat it on and lightly blend. The warmth from my fingers does all the work. Now, if only TF would come out with some more colors. I'd be in heaven if they're as good as Pink Sand.

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  22. Not Camp Gorgeous? Then that explains everything. Thank you, and yes, there will be a new list!!!! Eileen, please tell me about your dog! I love him! Happy Mother's Day to all of you, whether you have human babies or fur babies!

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  23. Happy Mother's Day, everyone. Charlie is hanging close. I think he knows. Sweet boy!

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  24. Hi Nemo,

    We have three huskies. Jack is 13 and is the alpha. He's a big, handsome boy with all the strength, love, and courage typical of the breed. He looks after the two ding-dongs, Tommy and Bobby, who just turned 6. All three of them are bright, inquisitive, and ready for a good time--or a bit of mischief--at the drop of a hat which is also typical of the breed. Years ago, when we were searching for a companion for Jack, we came across two adorable pups. We simply couldn't bare the idea of separating brother from sister and so they both found a place in our home and in our hearts. When we brought those two sweet, little balls of fur home, Jack was absolutely thrilled to be a dad. He took to his parental duties like a duck to water and raised them up just right :-) He's a great dog and a great dad! Jack is slowing down now and has a bit of arthritis just like me, but he's still the boss--just like me! LOL. Tommy is his second in command. He has boundless energy and is always busy chasing after something. He's very good natured and loves to play. Bobby is everyone's little princess. She's very affectionate and companionable. She loves to follow me around during the day and cuddle up with me in the evening while we watch TV. I use her picture as my avatar. So, that's my pack!

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  25. Eileen, I'd love to meet the fur kids. They are adorable, I'm sure.

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