Weekend Roundup - June 4

Have fun in the fresh, summer air this weekend - but first, please take a ride with our favorite beauty bloggers.

The Non-Blonde may be fighting her husband for Aviation Club by Monsillage.
Fab over Forty lost her fabulous new AVEENO Hydrosport SPF 50 sunblock to her son! Men are known product thieves.
BeautyXposé showed us how to shimmer in the sun with Hawaiian Tropic's new sunscreen.
Best Things in Beauty found the Enchanted Garden with Rouge Bunny Rouge makeup (yep, that's me in the garden with those enchanting bunnies and butterflies).
Café Makeup was hopping down the same bunny trail. Sea of Tranquility will make you glow. Mine is in transit. I was so glad to see Amy's post after I had ordered it. Now I want it even more.
The Beauty Look Book discovered a refreshing and moisturizing treat for your skin: Koh Gen Do's Macro Vintage Essence Mask.
Check out Gouldylox Reviews for a unique foundation (and founder) you should know.
DivaDebbi found that John Frieda's Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight styling spray made her hair humidity-proof.
Product Girl is onto one of the best secrets of the universe: Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Washing Liquids. I can't live without Aqua Universalis. I wear it on my body regularly.
Check out Daly Beauty for Jane's random, beautiful thoughts for June.

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

The Friday Forum - June 3

Clematis, a beauty that rambles around and through other plants, is one of my favorites this time of year. This beauty in my garden may not be show quality, but it delights nonetheless. I took this photo while I was out grabbing swatch photos one day last week. The flower called out, "Do me too!" I was happy to oblige.

Yesterday, I arrived home from work to find so many boxes, I couldn't get in my front door. That's guaranteed blog love for days to come! I won't spoil the suspense; let's just say that my boxes included makeup, skin care, and fragrances - and a new camera toy too. I need to figure out the camera over the weekend. I decided not to sniff all the fragrance at once, but dole out my treats one by one. The first one I opened, though, left me in such a state of delirium I had to call Kathy Shoreman, one of my few friends who gets as excited about beauty products as I do.

I had the treat of the year when my friend and reader Clarisse wrote from France to tell me she had been able to procure Chanel's Byzantines de Chanel Palette Highlighter for me. I had seen it on Amy's site, and I wanted it so badly, I started calling every Chanel boutique in the United States. The answer was always the same, "We're so sorry; that sold out before it arrived at the store." I did make a few new friends on the phone, so the effort wasn't wasted. Then, I had the idea of asking Clarisse if she could look for it in France. That sweetheart went above and beyond. She got on a waiting list at the boutique in Paris because it had not yet arrived there. They called and gave her a few hours to pick it up; she sent her son, a attorney who works nearby; he purchased it; and he FedEx'd it from his workplace - all in one day. How am I going to return THAT favor? I think I see a huge box headed to France.

I have a "reasonable suspicion" that Charlie brought a mouse in from the screened porch last night. The commotion in the kitchen, preceded by his appearance, was suspect. He brings them inside to play with them. Now, thanks to hunter cat, I think I have a poor mouse in my house. I hope I can catch and liberate him before one of the cats decides to torture him to death. Catching a worn-out mouse isn't as hard as you might imagine.

I'd like to remind you about a couple of upcoming events and promotions - both national and DC-area.

Chantecaille will be celebrating World Ocean Day (June 8) with a promotion from June 5 to June 12. Please help them save blue whales, creatures that symbolize the health of the high seas, which are responsible for producing close to 80% of our planet's oxygen and are now threatened by industrial fishing, acid toxicity, plastic garbage, sonar pollution, and other human interference. Online only, from June 5-12, Chantecaille will offer a free Amaretto Lip Gloss with the purchase of any La Baleine compact. Use code WHALES at checkout. Proceeds will go to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. I'll be posting this promotion again this weekend - with the pretty photo Chantecaille sent me last week.

There's an upcoming Chantecaille event at Neiman Marcus in the DC area. On June 10 at Mazza Gallerie and June 11 at Tysons Galleria, you could have a consultation with national makeup artist Eddie Hernandez. The event is during the Neiman Marcus' Camp Gorgeous promotion, which runs Sunday, June 5, through June 12. There will be a Chantecaille gift with purchase. DC gals will want to call their closest Neiman Marcus to make an appointment with Eddie. I'd love to see you. I'll be seeing him at Tysons on June 11.

We are having a very special Fresh event with Jawn Marques at Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria on June 22. It's a master class, and I can't wait! Jawn is as talented and fun as it gets, and he is flying in from New Orleans for our party. If you would like to attend that evening, please call (703) 761-1600 and ask for Kathy Shoreman at extension 3282.

I have other DC-area events I'll be telling you about very soon. Stay tuned!

It's time for The Friday Forum? We use the forum to share information and chat. Did you find any deals you couldn't resist this week? 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 Monday, most (not all) readers have moved on.

Don't forget, even though it's buried on the blog at this point, that I have a giveaway contest for a fabulous Bobbi Brown Bare to Bold Eye Palette. My heart dropped last year when I saw the photo of this palette in the company's training manual, marked Asia Only. I thought I would have to try to get it from Asia, but it popped up at QVC. It's absolutely gorgeous. The deadline for entries is Saturday, June 4, at midnight. Hope you'll enter!

What's happening in your life?

Photo by Best Things in Beauty

Giorgio Armani Beauty Gloss d'Armani - Part 3

I had decided to forgo a Part 3 on Giorgio Armani Beauty's new Gloss d'Armani ($28). I think I showed you enough to whet your appetites in my Sneak Peek, Part 1, and Part 2 - three features on one new lip gloss! Then Eileen left a comment about Rouge #400, a red she described this way.

Every now and then, a translucent red will come along that makes my heart skip a beat. #400 was just such a red. It's a beautiful, neutral red that is neither too warm nor too cool in tone. And, because it's a gloss, it has that all-important transparency and delicacy.

After that comment, I had to see it and, it turns out, buy it. Eileen was absolutely right. Gloss d'Armani is a red gloss to love. I can't wear red lipstick. I don't like to lead with my lips, and my coloring is so fair that it looks ridiculous on me. I can wear red gloss, as long as it's transparent and the shade doesn't lean orange. This is a perfect red lip gloss for me.

Here is a swatch photo of Rouge #400. My photo was taken in full sun. Isn't it gorgeous?

If this isn't your shade, check out my earlier features, linked above. They should tell you everything you need to know about Gloss d'Armani, Giorgio Armani Beauty's newest lip gloss sensation. It's now available at an e-commerce site, Nordstrom. Here's what they have to say about it.

More than a mere gloss…concentrated high-definition color-fusing shine, comfort, and lasting hold. Inspired by icons of the cinema, Giorgio Armani re-introduces glamour with Gloss d'Armani. Gloss d'Armani's flexible velvet applicator adds volume and defines contours instantly and effortlessly, with an expert touch. Color-Fil Shine technology boasts a translucent base that traps pigments and pearlescent particles for a hydrated, silky-smooth feeling without any stickiness. Comfortable, stay-fast color is like a second skin that remains true for eight hours without fading or migrating.

Nude beiges, at the heart of Armani's color DNA, are expressed in luminous tones, draping the lips in a sheer chiffon-like veil. Desaturated pinks, from rosewood to raspberry, add an extra dose of chic to your style. Like moiré silks, the plum shades combine shine and depth of color. Rouge 400, the incendiary signature Armani shade, now comes in a sheer version for an astonishing, explosive effect.

I'll say! Rouge #400 in Gloss d'Armani is a hit at my house. Thanks, Eileen! Anyone who wants to browse or purchase Gloss d'Armani should be able to find it at any Armani Beauty counter.

Photo at top courtesy of Nordstrom; swatch photo by Best Things in Beauty

Estée Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator

Estée Lauder's new Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator ($58) is pretty cool! I started looking for it when I saw it in a magazine (probably WWD's Beauty Inc.). I tried the Estée Lauder counter at Nordstrom first. The representative had never heard about it. That's OK; sometimes the leading magazines publicize products before the reps have been trained.

The second time I checked at Nordstrom, the units had arrived, but the tester was missing in action. When I asked about the tester, the woman behind the counter (someone I had never seen before) seemed clueless - rather unusual for Nordstrom. Anyhow, it finally arrived at Neiman Marcus, and I purchased it. I love happy endings. Even delayed gratification is better than no gratification.

Cooling Eye Illuminator is said to be the first illuminator with a coutoured, cooling ceramic-tip applicator - the kind that's all the rage for under-eye serums. This new eye illuminator will definitely brighten your eye area instantly. I love the way it does that.

Estée Lauder reports that in two weeks of testing, 90% of their test participants saw a reduction in the look of dark circles and puffiness. I have no way to evaluate whether this claim could possibly be true because the ingredients are not listed on the box or on the tube itself - most unusual.

I do like the way it illuminates the under-eye area. It leaves a subtle radiance - definitely illuminating and brightening, without being shimmery or glaring. I don't appreciate the applicator. While it's an OK way to dispense the product onto your skin, I have to manipulate my under-eye area too much to blend it with the applicator. So, I apply a dab to my palm with the applicator and then blend it under my eyes with a brush, or I pat the product into my skin with my finger. So to me, the applicator is a gimmick.

Cooling Eye Illuminator is available in two shades: Light/Medium and Medium/Deep. Naturally, I bought Light/Medium. I took a swatch photo for you in full sun. Yes, there's a lot of shimmer on my arm, but that's reflected sunlight. The illuminator is nowhere near a shimmer bomb when blended. I applied the illuminator with the applicator, but then lightly evened it out for the swatch at the top of my arm. I used the excess from that exercise to show you the blended shade below.

It's white-ish on my skin without being ghoulish. The color on my skin does not have a pink cast. If anything, it's ivory, with an ever-so-subtle yellow-cream cast. Once blended, it's enormously brightening - and very flattering. You can apply it under or over your foundation.

Want to try it? It's available at Estée Lauder counters now and at Estée Lauder's Web site.

Photo at top courtesy of Estée Lauder; swatch photo by Best Things in Beauty

Chantecaille Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser

Attention makeup fans! You need a nice cleanser to remove that makeup before bed, a mandatory step in your beauty routine. Even if you fall asleep in your clothes, even if you didn't finish your chores, you must remove your makeup and prepare your skin for sleep - a time when it breathes, relaxes, refreshes, and regenerates. Why not have a luxurious experience while you perform this daily ritual? Chantecaille has just the cleanser for you!

I rotate through a few favorite cleansers every month. They come, they go. Chantecaille's Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser ($55) is one of the cleansers that never goes. It's always on my bathroom counter.

Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser leaves my skin unusually smooth, thanks to the exceptional softening and extremely gentle exfoliating properties of rice bran. The other ingredients? Geranium, an antibacterial agent traditionally used for healing nicks and cuts, helps stimulate the lymphatic system (something aestheticians do while performing facials). Seaweed aids in the regulation of sebum production. Soybean, green tea, and olive leaves are antioxidants that protect the skin from free-radical damage.

This cream cleanser turns to a thick, foamy cream on my face, cleansing effectively without stripping the moisture I guard. In fact, I think my skin is more hydrated when I finish. My face always feels and looks great after using this divine cleanser. The teeny tiny rice bran in it exfoliates very lightly, ensuring that my makeup and any gunk left behind from the day goes down the drain. It's remarkably easy to wash off. My cleansing routine with Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser is a fast task - nice at the end of a long day.

The cleanser serves as an aromatherapy treat too! Geranium has wonderful balancing properties for the mind and body, while orange blossom eases tension and stress. The scent is relaxing and extremely pleasant. Who would have thought washing one's face could be fun?

You can purchase Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser at Chantecaille's Web site and Chantecaille counters. It's not new, so you won't have to call ahead.

Photo courtesy of Chantecaille

Rouge Bunny Rouge Silk Aether Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadow

My personal soap opera continues...love at first sight, obsession, pursuit, possession - love turned to lust for everything Rouge Bunny Rouge. This morning I featured Original Skin Blush for Love of Roses. Now I'd like to show you Silk Aether Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadow ($40.32). I purchased Velvet Fritillary from Zuneta. If you don't know the online boutique, please read this morning's feature. Knowing Zuneta is like having a door pass to an exclusive club.

I was placing my first Rouge Bunny Rouge order, sight unseen, and trusting my instincts to select products and colors I would like. Since I adore cream eye shadows, Silk Aether Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadow, with a wand applicator, was a natural. It's available in five shades. The one that fascinated me the most was Velvet Fritillary, described online (and perfectly) as a satin wash of greyish khaki with golden reflections, buildable to a darker, more opaque, metallic hue of the same shade. I love grey, and I love khaki, so it jumped right into my shopping cart during my e-mail conversations with the team at Zuneta.

Since I love the way Rouge Bunny Rouge is described at Zuneta, I have to share this enchanting description of Silk Aether Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadow.

Deep inside one of the Enchanted Garden’s dense jungles, surrounded by a thick and leafy rain forest, lies the Butterfly Makers Workshop. As the hot, monsoon rains drum down upon its roof, inside there is serene calm, as hundreds of the most skillful tailors labor lovingly over exquisitely fine fabrics, cutting and moulding them with a precision that only a select few can ever manage to attain. Rolls of light and airy chiffon, luxuriant velvet, delicate white batiste, and sparkling brocade are cut, smoothed, and shaped by the expert fingers of the craftsmen. A tailor will close his eyes, and, fabric in hand, imagine on a mental canvas the image of a perfect, elegant butterfly. After many hours of work, the outline of smooth wings becomes apparent, absent of the smallest crinkle. It is said that some of the butterflies are so perfect that they burst forth from the fingers of the tailors. Acquiring a life of their own, they mingle with the light and fly away into the rain forest, gently flapping their smooth, silky wings.

We were inspired by these very butterflies that sprung to life, to bring you Silk Aether Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadow. Our utmost Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadows caress your skin with the ease of a butterfly wing beat, so that your lids appear smooth and renewed, while coated with a semi-matte, slightly luminous color. It’s an irresistible combination of exceptionally long-wear, a non-crease formula, and smudge-proof texture. Our comfortable wand includes a light, velvet, creamy formula for silky gliding. Easy application is achieved by innovative silicon waxes and gels, in combination with beeswax. Rouge Bunny Rouge added para cress flower extract to stimulate natural skin-lifting capabilities and coffee extract to increase collagen and elastin production while also enhancing the natural skin defenses.

How could I resist? An enchanted garden, butterflies, whimsy, airy chiffon, and skin-enhancing color will get my attention any day! When my shadow came, it was love at first sight. I loved the packaging, the tube, and the color of Velvet Fritillary. I'm fairly sure that one or two of the additional colors will populate my third order.

My photo above right shows the box, tube, and wand. My photo at left shows a close-up of the applicator, which should give you a pretty good idea of the Velvet Fritillary shade on the wand. It intrigued me the second I opened it. I could see the subtle greyed khaki, just as promised, and I couldn't wait to get it on my skin! I was applying eye shadow long after my "public day" had ended.

My swatch photos show Velvet Fritillary in two ways. They were taken in outdoor sunlight. In the photo below right, the shadow was applied directly from the wand to my arm to show you the unblended color.

Look at its complexity! It's a greyed khaki, as promised, with golden tones, but words cannot describe its elegance. The photo below left shows the same swatch smudged lightly with my finger. Had I wanted to tone it down even more, I could have used any synthetic brush I have or Rouge Bunny Rouge's Large Shader (003) or Mini Shader (005) Brush - or my finger - to even the application of the cream shadow. Can I gush? Isn't this shade exquisite? What khaki or neutral lover wouldn't want it? Even gold enthusiasts will covet it.

All Silk Aether Long-lasting Cream Eye Shadows can be worn in two ways - as a satin wash of color with a one-layer application (my personal style) or a stronger application for more oomph. The shadow is so easily blended, you can achieve any look you desire.

Of course, there's a Product Application Guide at Zuneta. Their swatch photo at the beginning of the clip makes Velvet Fritillary look way more green (and honestly less interesting) than it really is. It's possible it's just my computer display, though, since all displays portray colors differently. The soft jazz that accompanies the demonstration is relaxing, making the experience of purchasing a treat, even if I can't look like that young model.

As I mentioned this morning, Zuneta's customer service, helping me (or you) select colors online is superlative. The shipping from the U.K. is free to U.S. customers who order enough. I didn't have any trouble achieving the free shipping level. I did it twice, and I'm sure to do it a third time soon! There's more Rouge Bunny Rouge to come here at Best Things in Beauty.

You can find the Rouge Bunny Rouge Web site at this link. They have a Facebook page here. Head over to Zuneta to browse and order. You must.

Photo at top courtesy of Zuneta; all other photos by Best Things in Beauty

Rouge Bunny Rouge Original Skin Blush for Love of Roses

Gaia, The Non-Blonde, is totally responsible for one of my newest obsessions, Rouge Bunny Rouge. It's a London-born and Moscow-London-based line, launched in 2006, that's quickly moving from a quirky cult secret to a global beauty brand.

Recently, I placed two orders with Zuneta, a U.K. luxury online beauty boutique and magazine that specializes in providing cutting-edge brands and simple, tailor-made beauty advice for every skin type. The team at Zuneta is passionate about beauty, and they search high and low to find the best brands from around the world. It's the best source for Rouge Bunny Rouge fanatics in the United States.

An intricate and luxurious cosmetics brand, Rouge Bunny Rouge, twists opulence and beauty with embellished detailing to deliver a range of color makeup that embraces both romance and whimsy. Wearable, blendable, and adaptable formulas and shades are at the very heart of Rouge Bunny Rouge. The formulas are absolutely outstanding and have been sourced from the world's most sophisticated laboratories. Zuneta delighted to be able to share this unique and qualitative brand with you.

Zuneta calls Rouge Bunny Rouge easily the most imaginative, inspirational, and addictive brand they’ve come across! The formulas are out of this world. They state online, "Be warned, once you fall down the rabbit hole and try this brand there is no going back." I'll say!

My first order arrived remarkably quickly for an international shipment. Before it arrived, I had a friendly online correspondence with Zuneta. I had ordered a highlighter that had just sold out. They offered me many possibilities, from cancellation to substitution. I wanted to try something different. After I told them about my skin tone, they offered product suggestions. Their customer service was extraordinary! I ended up spending more than I had planned to spend. I was so happy with everything that I placed a second order, which has not yet arrived.

Today, I'd like to show you Original Skin Blush for Love of Roses ($38.77) in two shades, Delicata and Gracilis. When ordering sight unseen, I gravitate toward light, mistake-proof colors. These turned out to be exactly that.

The packaging of these "darling" compacts is whimsical - adorable, actually. From the box, which has a botanical theme on one side and the Rouge Bunny Rouge coat of arms, with bunnies, of course, on the other, it's enticing. The compacts have a pretty white-on-black floral design. I had to show you the insert that protects the powder blushes. It's shown in my photo at left. The blushes themselves have an embossed design too.

The photo shows Delicata at left and Gracilis at right. Delicata is described by Zuneta as a nude beige-rose with the barest hint of peach for an illuminated natural glow - excellent to accentuate your cheekbones. Gracilis is described as a medium rose with a hint of mauve and best suited for pale, cool complexions. Those descriptions are spot-on!

I applied both shades heavily for my swatch photo at right. I used a sponge-tipped applicator to get enough pigment for swatches. The photo was taken outdoors in full sun. Gracilis is shown at the top, with Delicata is below. You can see that my arm gleams from the sunlight, but the blushes are fairly calm and natural. They are relatively matte. Delicata is actually a good bronzer for very fair skin.

Here is how Zuneta describes them...

Deep inside a labyrinth of perfectly topiaried winding lanes in the Enchanted Garden lies the Rose Orchard. The sweet and tantalizing fragrance of the roses, combined with the sight of their intense pigments, provokes torturous visions of languorous beauty. The thorns of the flowers, so piercingly sharp, can slice through flesh as though it were air, and the elegant, gorgeous Floribunda-Elves are the only guardians that the roses, with their poisonous thorns, will allow to tend the orchard. The Floribundas perfectly preen and nurture each flower, and in return, they are gifted by the roses with the most effervescent and radiant faces in the whole of the Enchanted Garden, their cheeks exuding happiness and excitement, causing many a lover to fall to his knees. Rouge Bunny Rouge has recreated for you this radiant glow with six petal-soft colors to impart a splendorous bloom and captivate your heart's desires.

Original Skin Blush blends with a sheer, silky touch for a naturally luminous glow. A medley of active ingredients, including Uhaloa from Hawaii, also known as velvet-leaf, and modern technologies impart a long-term brightening effect. Indian gooseberry fruit extract stands guard against free radicals. Sheer pearls amplify the creamy, soft touch and ensure a limpid glow. Innovative powders entwine with your skin to preserve perfection all day long. The result is your skin but better; you'll wonder how you blushed before.

How could you resist that? I couldn't. Now that I have two of them, I want more. I would love to try Habanera, Orpheline, and Florita - even though some of those are recommended for darker skin tones. The Original Skin Blush powder is sheer, so I think I can pull off the shades for warmer and darker skin tones.

You are going to love these blushes - and everything else I'll feature in the coming week(s). Zuneta offers product application guides for the Rouge Bunny Rouge products. As I mentioned, their customer service, helping me (or you) select colors online (in a friendly e-mail conversation in my case), is superlative. The shipping from the U.K. is free to U.S. customers if you order enough. I didn't have any trouble achieving the free shipping level. I did it twice! There's more Rouge Bunny Rouge to come here at Best Things in Beauty.

You can find the Rouge Bunny Rouge Web site at this link. They have a Facebook page here. Head over to Zuneta to browse and order.

Update 6/3: See this Best Things in Beauty feature on RBR's cream eye shadow!

Photos at top courtesy of Zuneta; compact and swatch photos below by Best Things in Beauty