Friday, November 11, 2016

The Friday Forum - November 11

Veterans Day - our opportunity to honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces. It's a very special day for many families and can be (should be) a day of recollection for all of us.

Americans originally celebrated Veterans Day as Armistice Day on November 11, 1919. President Woodrow Wilson called for a moment of silence exactly one year after Germany signed the World War I Armistice document, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The President used these words. "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

Today we associate Veterans Day not only with peace, but with war. We celebrate with flags, memorials, parades, and acts of kindness for members of the military. We have a collective hug to let them know that we owe them our way of life. Whatever time of year, it makes me teary-eyed to hear someone walk up to a uniformed member of the armed forces and thank him/her for service.

Today, veterans will be remembered in ways large and small. Full-page patriotic messages from military contractors will run in our newspapers. Restaurants will serve veterans for free, and retailers will offer discounts.  Whatever you choose to do, please do something. Donate to a charity for veterans. There should be no veterans sleeping in tents this winter because they are homeless. We need to end that national disgrace. Support companies hiring veterans. How disappointing it must be to come home from war to an economy with no job for you! Attend a local ceremony. We have many in our area. I plan to go to the one in Falls Church, simply to show the veterans who attend that we care.

We owe our veterans so much. There are 22 million living American veterans and young men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I don't think we can ever fully repay them for their bravery, patriotism, and suffering. There are men and women lying in military hospitals around the country, their bodies and lives shattered. I'm not sure how we can do enough to help them, but I am sure that we all need to try.

The poppies referenced in In Flanders Fields grew in profusion in Flanders, France in the disturbed earth of the battlefields and cemeteries where war casualties were buried - and thus became a symbol of Remembrance Day. The poem is often part of Remembrance Day solemnities in Allied countries that contributed troops to World War I, particularly in countries of the British Empire that participated.

The poem In Flanders Fields was written after Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae witnessed the death, and presided over the funeral, of a young friend, Lt. Alexis Helmer. By most accounts it was written in his notebook the day after the funeral. Because of this poem, poppies have become a symbol of the Armistice.

My mother has a photo of the President of the United States holding her as she gave him a poppy on Veterans Day. As I was growing up, I never fully appreciated the significance of that photo. I do now.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Thank you to all the members of the military - past and present - and your families for your sacrifices. We love you.

Yes, 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. I hope to see you in the

Photos courtesy of hitchinpeople.co.uk and members.virtualtourist.com

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am on week 2 of using Illuminage skin treatment pillowcases. They are sateen pillowcases infused with copper. I used to sleep on silk pillowcases as they're great for skin and hair, not as drying as cotton cases.n
So far I prefer the illuminage cases, not only is my hair great upon waking my skin feels less dry
I bought these at Sephora they are also at Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. They were nominated by Neimans and Allure for best beauty tool in 2016
Just ordered the Glo pro tool from Neimans it's also a beauty tool winner will try for a couple weeks let you know what I think of it
Kris in Seattle

Charlestongirl said...

Kris, I've been using those pillowcases since they were introduced at NM. I love them! I used to get lines in my face overnight. No more!

Eileen said...

Hi Evelyn,

My friend came to lunch and we had fun playing with makthe up. Before I tell you what my friend did with Himalia and Calisto, though, let me tell you a bit about her. Marge is 78 and was a successful runway model in Europe and New York back in the 50's and 60's. In those days, most models did their own makeup and many of them had great makeup skills. Marge is an excellent stylist, has a keen eye for color and proportion, and has kept up with the latest looks and techniques. She's drop dead gorgeous--tall, slim, white blond hair, luminous emerald eyes, and cheekbones to die for. Is it any wonder I wanted a lesson from her? Before I tell you what she did, I must say that my eyes are totally different from yours. I have moderately deep set eyes, a large moveable lid with zero hooding and a large browbone area. So that I don't look like a cadaver, I always need somthing to catch the light on my lid. Anyway, here goes: Marge decided to use the midtoned caramel color from Chanel's Candeur et Expérience all over my lid, up into the crease, and blended it out over the orbital bone. She then used the next darkest shade in the contour and along upper and lover lashes. Now here is a trick. Rather than create the classic V on the inside of the orbital bone (where it would make my eyes look sunken), she created it on the outer side of the orbital bone. It created the illusion of a longer eyelid which opened up my eye area. She then used the darkest brown to smoke my upper and lower lashes and to add some depth to the V so that it looked like a natural contour which she then blended perfectly with my crease. She used Bobbi Brown's Espresso to line my eyes, top and bottom, and smudged the liner before it set. To bring that much needed light to my lids, she used a large soft brush with Himalia to create a subtle glaze of shimmer. She then damped a smaller brush and applied a spotlight of Himalia on the lid directly over the iris and blended the edges. It's a technique called foiling and the idea was to have a metallic gleam every time I blinked or moved my eyes. She used Calisto in the same way on my browbone and placed the foiled spotlight just under the arch of my brow. She used Chanel's pencil in Clair on the inner corners of my eyes and lower water line and finished off with black mascara top and bottom. It was quite a production but, because her eye shape is similar to mine, she was able to do it quickly. So, I guess the take away from all this is to use Himalia and Calisto first as a subtle glaze and then to "foil" the area where you want a smooth, metallic gleam. Marge, being Marge, actually suggested I use Rigel instead of Himalia because it is a metallic to begin with and is a warmer color better suited to the warm browns in my stash. So, I'll pick up Rigel for the evening look and use Himalia dry for everyday wear. It is such a beautiful color.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Charlestongirl said...

Wow, Eileen! That's a very cool lesson.

Anonymous said...

Eileen,
Thank you for the detailed description of your eye make-up and your friend, Marge. She sounds delightful. I have that quad and have not used it very frequently. Did Marge use the red at all? My eyes are deep set and recently a make-up artist at Nordstrom showed me some tricks. Yet, when I duplicate them I feel like it is too much. She recommended focusing on my eyes and smoking them by using the darkest shade of a quad over a liner on the top lashline, then go up towards the eye brow with the next darker shade, and so forth and then smudge everything thoroughly. Her other tricks were to put a little concealer on a brush and apply it over the eyebrows and to be sure to use an eye lid base. I liked it after she had done it but have had difficulties replicating. By the way, I also very much enjoyed your explanation of how you apply the Chanel quad Particuliere.
I have been using an old lose Chanel powder called Poudre Precieuse Or on my face and lids for some fall/winter sparkle.
Have a good weekend.
Tanja

LadyJicky said...

November the 11 is our Remembrance Day in Australia. On the 11th hour on the 11th day and month we stand for a min. silence - everywhere . At that time in the Shrine of Remembrance in my city a shaft of light goes over to shine on the forgotten soilder's grave in there. "Lest we Forget".

Its my birthday and my daughter and I are going to a very big and fancy shopping center . Having lunch and going to Sephora , looking at the Posh Spice Lauder range. Hunting down YSL rouge coutre 57 Pink Rhapsody and looking / buying Guerlain Christmas range??? or anything else that takes our fancy.

I do hope I find you well CG !

Eileen said...

Hi Tanja,

Yeah, Marge is a total delight--warm, humorous, and gregarious. She's also highly intelligent and is active in all kinds of community endeavors. When I grow up, I want to be just like her! :-)

No, she did not use the red in Candeur et Expérience as we were going for a cooler, shimmering evening look. I love the red shade, but this just wasn't the time for it. I frequently wear CetE and always use a bit of the red as a transition shade between the brown crease color and an ivory browbone color like the one in Particulier. I don't know what there is about using a bit of red/pink/coral/etc. just above my crease on the orbital bone, but it really makes my eyes look larger. Perhaps it is because my eyes are a warm, mossy green. In any event, it's an interesting illusion.

Apropos deep set eyes, years ago a MA told me to concentrate the contouring color just slightly above my crease rather than in it since I already have a significant shadow there. The goal is to create a better, more balanced, proportion between my lid and my browbone. He also told me it was OK to use dark shadow and eyeliner to smoke around the lashes and create an ombré look (one of the perks of having a lot of lid space) but that it should morph into a mid-tone or lighter shade on the lid itself so that my eyes don't look small and hollow. As for lining the waterline, he said forget-about-it! It makes the eye look smaller and I completely agree. He said something very light and pearly would be beautiful for evening or a light nude shade for day, but to leave the dark waterline to the young vamps ;-) His tips were invaluable and I've been following them for ages. Consequently, when Marge showed me how to "cheat" the V, I knew exactly what she was going for.

I'm glad you enjoyed the explanation about Particulier. I found myself reaching for that quad time and time again. I'm not sure why it didn't get move love in the blogging community. Perhaps it was because a lot of people simply didn't understand how to mix that blue with the rose gold and pink. Oh well, to each hear own.

Chanel has created some beautiful fairy dust powders in the past. I bet that Precieuse Or would also be lovely swept on the décolletage. I love the sparkle that Guerlain's Holiday Météorites have and sweep them all over. It makes me feel festive. Have a nice weekend, Tanja.

BookGirl said...

Hi everyone,

CG, I hope you're feeling better. While mine are not as frequent as yours, I've struggled with migraines for over twenty years now. I sympathize with my fellow sufferers.

Eileen, I enjoyed your description of your fabulous friend Marge and the eyeshadow application technique. Thank you for sharing that. Sounds like Marge needs to join us here on Fridays! ;) I'd like to hear her tips for older, saggy eyelids. My go-to is a lighter color (sometimes with shimmer) on the lid and a dark satin or matte above the "crease" to create a crease.

Also, Eileen, I meant to tell you how much I like the Chapstick Total Hydration 3 in 1 lip care. So far, so good with my fussy, sensitive, dry lips.

This week I bought the Tom Ford Illuminating Primer. It just arrived yesterday, so I haven't had time to use it yet. I did dab a tiny amount on the back of my hand, and it looks lovely.

Hope everyone has a peaceful week.

BookGirl said...

Forgot to say Happy Birthday to LadyJicky! Hope you had a terrific day and lots of fun shopping with your daughter. Let us know if you scored the YSL. :)

Eileen said...

Happy birthday, Lady Jicky. Shop 'til you drop! LOL I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful time.

Charlestongirl said...

Happy belated birthday, LadyJicky! I had a friend, now deceased, whose birthday was on Veterans Day. I could always remember it,

I hope you had fun shopping!

LadyJicky said...

Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes!
I had a wonderful day shopping with my daughter and we went to 3 YSL counters ... but I got one at the fourth!!! Yeah! No. 57 is a very popular colour and I got the last one.
I love Goutal perfumes and I bought the violet one and the beautiful honeysuckle as well. My daughter bought the Gardenia Passion.
Guerlain did not have their Christmas line in yet ! Yes - maybe next week. ???? LOL
We were so excited to see it but .....
Ana and I had a wonderful lunch with a glass of champers ... so it was a great Birthday.

Anonymous said...

Happy BD. Ladyjicky. Shopping with your daughter sounds like a great day.

Thank you, dear Eileen, for the additional details. I shall play and try even though our eye shape is different, it sounds like we have a similar eye color. Mine are mossy green as well.

We went for a long walk with the kids and dog today. It was a mellow fall day with beautiful shades of grey and blue in the sky.

I need to dig out my TF Drake for this season.

Have a great week,
Tanja

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing such heart felt thoughts. I loved the poem.
Zazie

Anonymous said...

Thank you CG for Veterans'Day msg. Surprised that most schools in my area were open.
Re Beauty News: Tatcha has F&F 20% off sale through Nov. 20th - code is on their site.
I only purchased (I'm budgeting) the mist based on CG's & Eileen's recommendations.

Evelyn said...

Hi Eileen,

Wow, thank you for the lovely lesson and history of your interesting friend! I'm going to just keep practicing makeup application to be as fabulous as you all one of these days. Even with different eye shapes it's good to try techniques and placement of shadows so you can see in front of you why something works and why it doesn't or what purpose you're trying to achieve with color and shade. I haven't tried to foil the Nars shadows yet, I'm a bit worried about ruining them although that's what they're also meant to do, I'll try it though. I have Rigel as well and love the color. Sometimes I wear it by itself because it brightens my whole eye area with some mascara and fine liner. I do line the waterlines when I'm in a fancy mood, it does help my eyes stand out because I'm usually in glasses but it's work since my eyes tend to reject color on the waterline. Go figure!

Thank you again and I hope everyone has a most wonderful week! And Happy Belated Birthday to Lady Jicky too!

Jqmde said...

Hello!

I just found your site and I hope you continue your posts! I've really enjoyed your reviews and reading some of the comments. Just wanted to share that I shopped at the sephora rouge sale and bought a whole bunch of stuff. I am currently in love with the burberry festive sets that are out for the holidays--I have sensitive lips and the burberry lipsticks don't make my lips peel unlike some others that I've tried. I also bought a bunch of skin care sets (soko to Tokyo, skin wonderland, and belif) as gifts along with hourglass's ambient palettes. They are all so pretty :)

Jessie

P.S. Happy bday ladyjicky...I bought the same ysl lipstick for my mom recently and she loves it...hope you are enjoying yours!

Eileen said...

Hi Anonymous (@ 11/14 1:30),

I hope you love Tatcha's cult fave, Dewy Mist. It's been a staple of mine ever since Tatcha released it. I used to use Shu Uemura's scented dep sea waters (beautiful fragrances), but when the wind blows, watery mists can actually cause my skin to dry out and chap. The Dewy Mist; however, contains oils as well as humectants and so it acts like a super light-weight moisturizer that can be lightly misted on at any time without disturbing my makeup. I took advantage of both Sephora's and Tatcha's F&F sales to stock up :-) I also treated myself to the LE Red Camellia Lip Balm. I haven't seen it in person, but it appears to be transparent with tiny bits of gold. According to the reviews, it provides a delicate hint of true red in a soothing and nurturing base. I'm a fan of Tatcha's regular lip balm and so I'm really looking forward to having this LE for the holidays.

Hi Evelyn,

First off, let me say that with your classic coloring, you don't need to aspire to looking "fabulous . . . one of these days". You're already there :-) As for using eyeshadow wet, I've been doing that for years; long before the industry started producing wet/dry formulas. I got in the habit of just using the upper most section of the pan for wet and everything else for dry and I still do that even with today's modern wet/dry formulas. Old habits die hard ;-) But, back to NARS. A water-dampened brush works beautifully with the dual formula and won't damage the product. If you're unsure of the formula for any reason, though, just pick the section of the pan you want to devote to wet looks and go for it!

Hi Everyone,

On the subject of NARS, I did go back to purchase Rigel and, as Evelyn said, it's a beauty all on its own. It is a metallic but, when applied dry, it isn't overwhelming--at least not by my standards ;-). I also picked up the Sarah Moon Give In Take dual intensity eye and cheek palette. The moment I saw the tester, Carl Sandberg's poem "Fog" came to mind: "The fog comes on little cat feet . . ." Those of you who are familiar with Sarah Moon's stunning and ethereal photography will know exactly what I mean. This palette creates looks that range from smoky to hazy but always with a softness that's like looking through fog. And when worn with a deep plum lip---wow! Vampy but without any hard edges. A couple misinformed people have complained that the colors are not pigmented (they probably are not familiar with Sarah Moon) but that is not true. The colors have all the pigment they need to create misty, translucent layers of light and shadow which is exactly what Sarah Moon does in her soft-focused, other-worldly images. Whether you like the style or not, the collaboration between NARS and Moon was brilliant.