The Friday Forum - November 20

It's hard to believe it's Friday again - time to kick back and relax. It's also time for The Friday Forum.

You will remember that our new Friday Forum is devoted to what you have to say about anything related to beauty. 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? Ask! Want to talk about a celebrity miscue? Go for it! We will use the comments for what I hope will be a fun and helpful exchange of information.

I had fun last week, so on we go! Because this is totally open-ended, I won't provide a topic or ask you a question to kick off the conversation. I do have some "beauty bits" to share this weekend, but I'll put them in the comments.

The microphone is yours!

Photo courtesy of thestarryeye.typepad.com/pets

Lancome Holiday Eye Shadow & Blush Palette

These darling little limited-edition Lancome Eye Shadow & Blush Palettes ($39.50) are a great value. Six coordinating shadows join a blusher and a mini shadow brush in a beautiful compact. What a nice way to try some new colors!

The palettes are available in four color families. I bought Alluringly Bronze, and I'm considering going back for Evening Splendor. Our friends in beauty at Saks in Chevy Chase, Maryland gave me the 411 on a discount offer that starts on Sunday the 22nd and rolls for a week. During that time, there are discounts tied to spending levels, and the lowest is easy to reach - $100.

The Plum Irresistible palette features Color Design Sensational Effect Eye Shadows in Rapturous, Seductive Gaze, Magnificent, Captivating, Diva Shimmer, and Entrancing, plus Blush Subtil Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush in Violet Sunrise.

The Alluringly Bronze palette features Color Design Sensational Effect Eye Shadows in Fabric, Alluring Presence, The New Black, Enticing, Get It Now, and Daylight, plus Blush Subtil Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush in Mocha Havana.

The Evening Splendor palette features Color Design Sensational Effect Eye Shadows in Honeymoon, Tempted, Impress, Mannequin, Model, and Lezard, plus Blush Subtil Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush in Bronze Escapade.

The Nude Seduction palette features Color Design Sensational Effect Eye Shadows in Pink Zinc, Wear It Well, Erotique, Amorous, Kittenish, and Feline Strut, plus Blush Subtil Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush in Aplum.

Essentially, there's a color family for everyone! These palettes are available online at Lancome.com (where there is free shipping on all gift sets) and at Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and most Lancome counters. They will only be available for a limited time - until they sell out.

Want to see swatches? Visit The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself.

Update 11/24: Lancome is having a Friends & Family sale online. Just enter code HOLIDAYJOY2 at checkout to receive a 20% discount and free shipping through November 30.

Photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Dermatologists' Tips for Your Beauty Budget

Leading dermatologists Susan H. Weinkle, M.D. and Heidi A. Waldorf, M.D. have shared their expert tips on getting the most out of your beauty budget. The key is to invest wisely and know where you can compromise and where you can’t. The two said the three essential items to keep your skin in top shape now - in order to avoid expensive corrective procedures later - are sunscreen, an antioxidant moisturizer, and a product containing retinoic acid.

Here are their product tips, along with some notes from me.

Worth the Price

• Prescription retinoids (tretinoin, tazarotene, adapalene) – Nothing else has been show to do as much for photoaged skin, and one tube should last several months. I sure wish I could use this stuff!
  
• Certain cosmeceuticals, particularly idebenone (Prevage MD shown above) and coffeeberry (RevaleSkin products) – These are available online, and you just have to try them to know which ones will work best for you.
  

Where You Can Save Money

• Cleansers – If you need to save, a gentle over-the-counter non-drying lotion cleanser will do the job (for example, Cetaphil).
  
• Sunscreen – Drugstore options with appropriate ingredients are plentiful, and you need to use a lot of sunscreen to get maximum effectiveness. I like Anthelios from La Roche-Posay.
  
• Eye cream – The doctors say if you’re trying to save, you can use your face cream for your eye area too. I say that depends! Some face creams will migrate into your eyes, so be careful!

If you have to make choices about where you spend your money, these are some good tips to remember!

Photo courtesy of Amazon
Press release courtesy of the Women's Dermatologic Society

Armani Sheer Lipstick Giveaway Contest

The generous Armani Beauty Team at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland has donated an Armani Sheer Lipstick ($25) for this week's giveaway contest. The shade is #5, Brique (not the shade shown in the photo here). It's a beautiful nude-rose blend.

I love the sheers. I'm partial to sheer color, and they feel great on my lips. They combine a hydrating base with transparent lip color, making them the perfect everyday colors for me. I have to agree with Armani Beauty: "the lightweight, soothing formula creates a moisturizing veil of color and enhances all lip tones."

The Sheer Lipsticks are available in 13 ultra-pretty shades to flatter all skin tones. You can see them all at the Armani Beauty Web site.

To enter the contest, e-mail bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and tell me what your favorite Armani Beauty posting on Best Things in Beauty has been. I'll use a random number generator to select a winner, so your answer won't affect your chances. I'm just curious - as usual.

The deadline for entries will be Tuesday, November 24 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time. The contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents.

I'll be posting this contest on Free!Grechen, a site you should check out for all kinds of fantastic giveaways.

Good Luck!

Photo courtesy of Armani Beauty

LIERAC Coherence Giveaway Contest Winner

Congratulations to Huguette E., who was notified by e-mail that she won the Cohérence Age-Defense Firming Serum ($64), an intensive lifting serum that lifts, firms, and diminishes the appearance of wrinkles. Formulated with ASC III Collagen Accelerating Vectors (6%) to stimulate the natural synthesis of Collagen III, or "the Collagen of Youth," and alpha hydroxy acid, lactic acid, citric acid, wheat protein, and hyaluronic acid, the serum contains anti-aging ingredients known to work. Huguette, I hope you like it!

We had some very convincing entries, although not as many as I had expected. That means I have to do a much better job of telling you how wonderful LIERAC Paris products are!

Our winner was selected by independent judges, all of whom work in the beauty industry. I'm glad they made our selection - I was convinced by every e-mail that we had a winner.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for our next giveaway. It will be posted tomorrow.

Photo courtesy of LIERAC Paris

Estee Lauder Limited-Edition Holiday Color Spectacular

Yesterday, I showed you the Lancome Holiday Beauty Box. Today, we turn to Estee Lauder's limited-edition Color Spectacular for the holidays, another annual favorite.

For $55 with any Estee Lauder fragrance purchase, you can buy this fabulous collection worth "over" $340. I like this set even more than this year's Lancome set. The rub is that you have to purchase an Estee Lauder fragrance to qualify. I wish it were simply any Estee Lauder product(s). I do wear Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, but I don't really need any right now. Maybe I'll have to buy my mother some White Linen Light Breeze for Christmas!

Included this year?

• Deluxe Eyeshadow Compact with 15 coordinating shades (Sugar Cube, Ivory Box, Honey Drop, Lavender, Chocolate, Tea Biscuit, Copper Penny, Petal, Mulberry, Pale Moon, Cinnamon, Apricot, and Mocha Cup in Pure Color Eyeshadow, plus
• Sage Duo Estée Lauder Signature Eyeshadow
• Deluxe Face Compact (Estée Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush in Rosewood and Nude Rose, and Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer)
• Four Pure Color Long Lasting Lipsticks (full-size, in Candy, Rose Tea, Fig, and Tiger Eye)
• Three Artist's Eye Pencils (great for smoky eyes, in SoftSmudge Black, SoftSmudge Brown, and Slate Writer)
• Projectionist High Definition Volume Mascara (10-day supply in Black)
• Lash Primer Plus (10-day supply)
• Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (full-size 3.4 oz.)
• Four Deluxe Makeup Brushes (Powder, Blush, Lip, and Eye)
• Look Book with tips on creating four fabulous looks
• Golden Stand-Up Mirror
• Cosmetic Traveler Case
• Companion Makeup Case (red at Macy's, Cream at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and Estee Lauder)
  

This set is an extraordinary value - really nice! I want one. It is available at EsteeLauder.com, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom, and probably most Estee Lauder counters. There is also a free gift with any $39.50 Estee Lauder purchase at Bloomingdale's, doubling the value of your purchase.

Update 11/19: I ordered mine last night by calling my favorite Estee Lauder rep and having mine charged so it will be ready for me at Bloomingdale's. We were talking about what a great deal this is. And to think I just bought the new powder and blush brushes! Anyhow, Connie said that the eye makeup remover in this set is actually larger than the regular one - very nice!

Photo courtesy of Bloomingdale's

Save 25% at LaLicious

From now until January 2, 2010, you can save 25% on gift collections at LaLicious. The fragrances included in this offer are Brown Sugar & Vanilla, Coconut Cream, Lily Mango, Passionfruit Lime, Island Guava, Tahitian Flower, and Peppermint. I'm partial to Tahitian Flower, a gardenia-based scent.

LaLicious is a bath and body product collection that was created to moisturize and smooth your skin to perfection! Their famous scrubs, butters, oils, and soaps are available in eight scrumptious scents including the best-selling Brown Sugar & Vanilla line. They use the most natural ingredients available, including soothing and conditioning oils, such as almond oil, coconut oil, and vitamin E oil, and all LaLicious products are free of paraben preservatives and sulfate detergents.

Celebrities and magazine editors just can't get enough of LaLicious. With this discount, perhaps it's time you try! Enter code HOLIDAY09 at checkout. All customers receive a two-ounce sugar scrub with every order, a nice little gift.

Photo courtesy of LaLicious