Friday, May 31, 2013

The Friday Forum - May 31

My body is angry with me. After getting help pulling ivy off my house and clearing some invasive plants from my garden, I had a pile of yard waste in my driveway that was roughly three feet high and 10 feet long. I had to move it from my driveway about a block up the the county's collection point. Each day this week, I dragged, hauled, and carried until my back and knee cried uncle. My neighbors helped finish the task yesterday. This morning, the county took it all away, making me extremely happy I will never see it again.

Now, as I "prepare" to go over to Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie to see what Michael Reinhardt at Le Métier de Beauté and Jeannine Barnes at Chantecaille have in store for Camp Gorgeous, I'm wondering if I need a walker.

The onset of extremely hot weather has me thinking about sunscreen this week. There have been many posts in the blogosphere - most spurred by press attention or e-mails from vendors - during the last week, one reason I didn't write yet another feature on sunscreen. What you need to remember is that it must be applied frequently, an SPF over 50 is basically a waste of your money, you must wear a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects from UVA and UVB rays, and the experts frown on spray sunscreens. I actually like sprays for touch-ups. Most spray users don't apply them evenly, so they aren't as effective as they should be. Spray with abandon!

By now, you have probably seen the Cosmetic Executive Women's Beauty Insider's Choice Awards for 2013, but just in case you haven't, here's the list.

Indie Beauty Award: Julep

Best Seller Award Mass: Makeup L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail
Best Seller Prestige Skincare: Estée Lauder Perfectionist [CP+R] Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum.

Fragrance launch of 2012 (mass and class): Lancôme La vie est belle

Bath and Body Mass: Eucerin Professional Repair Lotion Extremely Dry Skin Lotion
Bath and Body Prestige: Bliss Fatgirlsixpack
Acne Treatment: Glamglow Super-mud Clearing Treatment

Anti-Aging Mass: Avon Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser Treatment A-F33

Anti-Aging Prestige: Philosophy Full of Promise Treatment Duo for Uplifting Days and Volumizing Nights

Cleanser and Scrub: Fresh Rose Cleansing Foam

Eye Treatment Mass: L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Eye Treatment
Eye Treatment Prestige: Lancôme Génifique Eye Light-Pearl

Lip Treatment: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy

Moisturizer Mass: Neutrogena Naturals Multivitamin Nourishing Moisturizer
Moisturizer Prestige: Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator

Skincare Tools: NuFace Trinity Skin Boosting System with Microcurrent and Red LED

Sun Product: Elizabeth Arden Prevage Triple Defense Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 50+++

Hair Care Product: Ojon Rare Blend Oil Total Hair Therapy
Hair Coloring Product: Rita Hazan New York Foaming Color Gloss in Tones Down Brassiness
Hair Styling Product: Ojon Super Sleek Restorative Blowout Perfector

Eye Product Mass: Maybelline New York The Mega Plush Mascara by Volum’ Express Mascara

Eye Product Prestige: Dior Diorshow New Look Mascara
Face Product Mass: Sonia Kashuk for Target Chic Luminosity Bronzer in Goddess

Face Product Prestige: Smashbox Photo Finish More Than Primer Dark Spot Correcting

Lip Product Mass: Sonia Kashuk for Target Satin Luxe Lip Color with SPF 16
Lip Product Prestige: Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick

Men’s Grooming: Jack Black Dry Erase Ultra-calming Face Cream

Nail Product: Sally Hansen Salon Insta-gel Strips

Men’s Scent:Viktor & Rolf: Spicebomb (Perfumer: International Flavors & Fragrances)

Women’s Scent Mass: Coty Closer by Halle Berry (Perfumer: Firmenich)
Women’s Scent Prestige: Marc Jacobs (Perfumer: Firmenich)

A few of these awards surprised me. Several left me amazed. The selection of Elilzabeth Arden's Prevage sunscreen may lead me to try.

Did you do any Memorial Day beauty shopping? I did, with restraint. Jouer's sale was impossible to ignore.

It's time for the Friday Forum. I love this part of our week. What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? 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 early the next week, most (not all) readers will have moved on.

Don't forget this week's giveaway contest for Aquallilies for Tarte Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder. The deadline for entries is tomorrow, Saturday, June 1, at midnight. Good luck!

Photo by Best Things in Beauty

16 comments:

Joanna said...

Happy weekend! Hope you are feeling better soon.

Have you tried Guerlain's Sun Moisturizer Tan Booster? It looks like it offers UVA and UVB protection and it comes in Blonde and Brunette shades. I haven't seen it in stores, just a few photos online.

Unknown said...

I have what might be a stupid question: I use The Body Shop's Seaweed Facial Lotion SPF 15. I usually use that and lip gloss when I go out during the day. However, I have an event coming up on Sunday for which I might want to wear makeup. It's going to be hot. I have Maybelline Dream BB Creme, which also has SPF. Do I need to apply both the SPF facial lotion and the BB cream, or can I just let it go with the BB cream?

Also, how can I keep makeup from sliding off my face and eyes in the heat?

I personally find makeup very confusing, which is why I use it so seldom.

Unknown said...

While you're waiting for the weather to get warmer, here, in India, we're already baked and steamed! Desperately awaiting the rains now. And where I live, in Mumbai, when it rains, it RAINS!!! My favourite season :)

Eileen said...

Friday greetings everyone. Today promises to be a hot and sunny one. The marine layer is just about gone leaving a brilliant blue sky in its place. It's a shame we didn't have this quintessential So Cal weather for all the beach goers during the Memorial Day weekend which was cool and overcast along the coast.

I saw some actual product pictures of Chanel's Fall 2013 Superstition Collection on Chic Profile (1/29). The six new cream blushes were arranged with the coordinating lipsticks which made for a tempting display. The new blush is obviously the star attraction in this fall collection. The new eye quad didn't do much for me, but that's because Khaki tones don't suit my coloring. I'm sure it will be a winner, though, for many of you other ladies.

Last week I mentioned that Popsugar had a 15% off code good until June 6 for anything from Tatcha. Just follow their link to Tatcha's site, enter POPSUGAR and bingo! 15% off and free shipping. I wanted to try the new Gold Camellia Beauty Oil, so this was a good opportunity. I've only used it a few days, but so far my complexion, hands, and nails love it. Applying it is an olfactory delight as well because the oil has a soft, light, lemony scent. Those of you who don't like fragrance; however, need not fear. Once applied, the scent completely vanishes and leaves an unscented smoothness in its wake. I have the feeling Camellia Beauty Oil will be joining my arsenal of indispensable Tatcha products :-)

Like all my previous orders from Tatcha, this one came beautifully packaged and artfully presented. You never want to just rip into a package from Tatcha; rather take your time to savor the beauitful presentation, lovely personal note, and little extras that occassionally accompany your purchase. Even the three free samples are never just tossed in but are separately wrapped. And, this time, there was an extra lovely touch to my order: Tatcha gifted me with a full sized box of my beloved gentle rice enzyme powder in travel packet form. It was elegantly packaged like everything else and came as a true and thoughtful gift; not just a throw away. So, if you order any of Tatcha's outstanding beauty products, be sure to open the package when you have time to enjoy it :-). Beauitful and effective products, refined and elegant presentation, exemplary and gracious customer service--that's Tatcha.

Eileen said...

Hi Edith,

To get the amount of SPF protection that a product advertises, you must use at least 1/4 teaspoon of it on your face alone. If you're not using that much of your Maybelline BB cream on your face, you're not getting SPF 30. As for your Body Shop lotion, SPF 15 is very low if you're going to be in the sun for more than a few minutes. And, no, SPF 30 over SPF 15 does not equal SPF 45! LOL

Look for a facial sunscreen with an SPF of 30 to 50. Apply a full teaapoon to face, neck, and chest. Let it set and then use your BB cream as you normally would. You don't need to shop high-end for this stuff. You can find many excellent sunscreens at the drugstore. Neutrogena, Aveeno, etc. make some very good ones designed specifically for the face. Or, perhaps your Body Shop makes a higher SPF lotion.

To prevent your makeup from slip-sliding away, you can do a few things. You can set your BB cream with a light-weight SPF finishing powder and use an eye primer like Urban Decay to hold your shadow and liner in place. As for mascara, that's an easy one--use waterproof!

I'm not familiar with Maybelline's BB cream, but if I knew heat and humidity might be a serious makeup problem, I'd invest in a foundation like Shiseido's Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 42. I've worn it when island hopping in the Carribean and it held up very well. Good luck and have fun on Sunday :-)

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Joanna,

I haven't because I don't do tans anymore.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Edith,

That is not enough protection. Take a look at one like the high SPF lightweight lotions, like Clarins or La Roche Posay.

Charlestongirl said...

Oh, and as for sliding, make sure to wear a classy hat.

Charlestongirl said...

Dollie, we could use some rain today. It's steamy outside!

Evelyn said...

Hi everybody!

Hope those in steamy places (like NYC currently!) are enjoying some air conditioning and that you are getting some rest Charlestongirl. That was a heck of a lot of work!

As I sat in the half shade waiting for the bus this afternoon I was thinking about sunscreen too. I had on the new Guerlain BB cream which has an spf of 30 but I need to add something else. I really like that this looks like my skin but it does have a bit of a hard time where my skin is oily. I just work with what I've got because I hate most foundations/BB creams for oily skin that make it matte, I just feel it makes my skin look flat and dull.

You convinced me CG to buy the Jouer shadow in Organza and it's just what I like - a shimmery taupe! It does not pull lavender on me but more silvery brown. I'm enjoying wearing Chanel's Moon River shadow stick - it feels so nice and cool going on in this stuffy heat! Plus it's shimmery lol I do like shimmer I have to say.

I'm with Eileen about Tatcha, it's so pleasant to receive your order from them. They do put a lot of effort into giving your package a personal touch which of course makes me want to order more. I use the regular Camellia Oil which is such a treat for my skin. Definitely a company well worth trying.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Charlestongirl said...

Evelyn,

It was a lot of work. By last light, the full effects of the pain reminded me, once again, to try to avoid physical labor like that in the future.

I think the situation determines the sunscreen requirement. If you wear your BB and aren't outside for any length of time, you are likely to be fine. However, a 20-minute exposure to full sun eight hours after you applied it, and you will be overexposed. It's a tough call. I got too much sun this week while hauling brush and ended up with a slight burn. That was after 10 minutes of exposure! After the first 10, I went inside and doused my face and neck with a 30 because I had another 15 minutes of work facing me.

I think you'll love Organza!

Charlestongirl said...

Eileen,

I think we all struggle with the glop factor. That's why I try to steer people to the very lightweight sunscreens that were designed to work with makeup.

Even with my dry skin, there is no way I could use serum, moisturizer, sunscreen with any weight, and foundation. They would come off in layers. I wish more companies would make foundations with 50. There's got to be a way to balance weight with protection. I'd have no problem touching up my foundation mid-day.

Eileen said...

Hi Charlestongirl,

"The glop factor" :-) Is that technical jargon? LOL

It's a problem to be sure. Fortunately, there are some cosmetically elegant, lightweight sunscreens like Clarins, Chanel, etc. that have an SPF of 30-50 and that permit us to use the recommended 1/4 teaspoonful without suffocating our skin. We still need; however, to allow products to set a bit between layers. I apply my serum and moisturizer, then brush my teeth. I apply my sunscreen, then pick out my clothes. Finally, I apply my makeup as usual. Those few minutes of set time between layers makes a huge difference.

I'd love nothing better than a lightweight, elegant, foundation with buildable coverage that could actually deliver a true SPF 50 without the need for 1/4 teaspoon of it. Oh, yes, and it needs to be a physical suncreen for those of us who are sensitive to so many of the chemical ones. Is that really asking too much? :-)

In the meantime, I continue to slather myself with SPF 50: 1 teaspoon for face, neck, and chest; 1 tablespoon for back of neck, shoulders, arms, and tops of feet and up over my ankles--higher if I'm wearing crop pants. Although I don't sunbath, my life style includes a lot of enjoyable time outdoors and I wouldn't trade that quality time for anything.

Charlestongirl said...

Yep, Eileen, definitely a tech term. :)

I do all that too. I also use the Clarins or LRP products, which are as light as it comes. Still, I get too many layers on, and often my foundation rubs off in shreds. Very disappointing - and frustrating. So my compromise is no foundation on outdoor days.

You want to start a business?

Eileen said...

Sounds great! Just think of the mischief we could get into! LOL

Unknown said...

Thanks Eileen and CG, for your responses to my questions. I will look for the products you recommended.

Don't think I'll be wearing makeup tomorrow, as it's supposed to be hot and raining. However, I appreciate the advice on SPF, because I thought SPF 15 was enough, but I guess it isn't.