Friday, October 18, 2013

The Friday Forum - October 18

I can't wait to see the full, real Dior Golden Winter Collection. I sure hope I'll find it in store this weekend. Last weekend, I suffered one of my worst pet peeves: a display with a few items from the collection and many items pulled at random from Dior's stock. I was misled by the sales associate at the counter when I specifically asked if certain items were new and part of the collection. Those items are going to be returned tomorrow. I'm tired of nonsense at the Dior counter. It doesn't seem to matter which store. The counter staff will pull just anything, stick it on the display, and then lie and say it's part of the collection. I don't know whether they are dishonest of just stupid. Unfortunately, I suspect it's the former. Why is it always Dior? Do you have any makeup shopping pet peeves?

Golden Winter is a beautiful collection. You can see it at Temptalia or Chic Profile. While I probably won't purchase one of the gorgeous nail lacquers, I see other items I'd love to have.

Has holiday been fabulous so far - or what? Far eclipsing fall, Holiday 2013 color has been a smash hit. Remember, Chantecaille, Armani, and other lines have yet to hit the counter. We will be totally glam by Christmas. Tim Quinn and I talked about Giorgio Armani Holiday. I can't wait to see it. He said it will surprise you.

This weekend, Kathy Shoreman (an aesthetician who is freelancing these days) will be doing RéVive facials at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria. If you would like an appointment, call Anna Befanis at (703) 761-1600, extension 3295, and ask to be booked with Kathy. I'd love to go, but I hate to take up time a "paying customer" might use. My beauty budget for this month was blown about a week ago, and there is new Le Métier de Beauté set to land. However, I am very interested in RéVive's new eye serum.

I want to thank all of you for your kind comments on my photos from last weekend. You were very sweet and made me feel young again. I know I don't look my age, but a little reinforcement now and then is very good for the spirit.

It looks like Chanel may be dumping Brad Pitt and returning to Marilyn Monroe. From WWD, comes the news that on her first cover of Life magazine in 1957, Marilyn Monroe famously said she only wore Chanel N°5 to bed. Now, a newfound recording of her from 1960 discussing the subject further with Marie-Claire’s then-editor in chief Georges Belmont is being used in a new advertising campaign for the fragrance set to break this fall.

She said people pose questions. “They ask me: ‘What do you wear to bed? A pyjama top? The bottoms of the pyjamas? A nightgown?’ So I said, ‘Chanel N°5, because it’s the truth...,” she explained. “And yet, I don’t want to say nude. But it’s the truth!” The voice of Monroe, who passed away in 1962, is to be accompanied by a photograph of her, taken by Ed Feingersh, holding a bottle of N°5. The ad will run in publications and on television. So long, Brad. You looked ridiculous.

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.

I received even more fragrance this week. I see a lot of fragrance features coming in the next few weeks. I push fragrance aside when new color comes. I have to make time for fragrance! There are some lovely new ones, and I'm still discovering the last 10 years of introductions.

I can't wait to hear what's tempting you at the counters. Please spill the news. Happy weekend!

Photo courtesy of Dior

32 comments:

Kate said...

Same situation at Chanel with the Winter Collection yesterday at Macy's.
Are the lipsticks new colors or repromotes, she didn't know or didn't care and wanted me to buy. Yuck

Nemo said...

Here is some free legal advice: When you return the items to Dior, advise them that what they are doing is in fact a crime: It's called bait and switch and it can get that particular store in big trouble, especially with your state's Office of Attorney General. You should ask to speak to the store manager, not the cosmetics manager. I have done this numerous times. And they never get my business again. Hate to say it, but it's actually better to buy online after seeing the products in person.

Solanace said...

Dear CG,

Please do not delete my email subscription. Even if I prefer to read your articles directly, my email warns about new posts when I'm at work. :) Have a colorful weekend!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Solance,

Your e-mail subscription should only give you one e-mail/day. Did you sign up to be notified of all posts?

Charlestongirl said...

Isn't that annoying, Kate? For every good SA, there are 10 bad ones who are there only for the hourly rate. They have little to no pride in their work.

Charlestongirl said...

Nemo,

I usually know what I "should see" on the display, but for some reason, Dior keeps tricking me up. It annoys me no end.

As for Virginia's Attorney General, what a laugh! He only cares about being elected governor.

Nemo said...

Each state's Office of Attorney General has a Consumer Fraud division. Use that. They're online and easy to use.

Anonymous said...

British Beauty Blog has the ARMANI holiday stuff up....I was underwhelmed save for the one hot pink lip maestro, which I am a huge fan of the formula!

J Lee said...

Nemo - great advice! I have unfortunately had to do the same thing. Stores just can't be trusted anymore :(

Makeup Remastered said...

I have had the same problem at other counters. The problem here is that sometimes we do not receive the whole collection -at all- -but when asked 'most' of the time the will tell me they fill in to keep the display full. It must have been annoying to purchase 'old' products.
Throw them back!

virginiaisforluvrs said...

lol at your Brad Pitt comment! As for Dior, I'm really looking forward to the collection but I can do without their antics. Every blogger has a different version of what the collection will be and then Dior is doing the same with their own sites. Put it up, take it off, put it up in another country, take it off. Just put out the collection and we can figure it out ourselves!

Melanie said...

Yes, so long Brad Pitt! I agree that he looked ridiculous. It will be nice to see Marilyn Monroe for Nº5.

Dior Holiday looks enticing, especially the 3-Color Glow Palette. I am still hoping for some of the Chanel Holiday -- it's my birthday tomorrow and I left very explicit instructions on how one (i.e. the husband) may go about obtaining it. We shall see!

Enjoy the weekend!

Anonymous said...

Hello,

Armani has been on sale in the UK for a couple of weeks - it's not traditional "Holiday", but it's very pretty. I had no willpower whatsoever ! I am keen to see Dior, but we only have the Holiday gift sets at present, the full collection will be next month. November will be expensive between Dior and Chanel....

Have a good weekend.

Anne

DC=HollywoodforNerds said...

I was excited to pick up my new CdP pencils last night, but unfortunately am on a 3 day bender of a migraine so didn't feel up to playing; still waiting on the palette to come in. I think the plums with my fair skin and dark hair will work nicely. CdP shadow in 106 is my new go to fave.

I also have a new Clarisonic waiting for me at home today after my last one keeled over during my last work trip. I desperately miss feeling like me skin is super clean.

Next purchase I think will be the Armani highlighter from the holiday collection (not sure about the lip and polishes. I have enough for my own Dept. store already) and Chantecaille's Kalimantan rollerball perfume. I'll get the full size eventually, but even with my collection, the BF will notice that bottle when it shows up out of nowhere! Can't wait to see what Chantecaille puts out for holiday.

Chateepatee said...

Hi CG!
I think the holiday Dior collection looks beautiful! Too bad the Dior associates try and pull such silly tricks especially when so much info is available prior to a collections release. But Dior is not alone is this unsavory practice- I travel the East Coast and often shop at stores where I don't know the staff, and I've had Chanel and Estée Lauder pull the same trick. I always ask for an associates business card and if my service has been lovely - I compliment them to the management in a short email- if it's been subpar I also reveal this to the head honchos! I know social media is a powerful tool these days- so that is my next frontier to conquer.
I did order that lovely eyeshade from Nordie's online- the one Tim used on you CG-& am anxious to see if it will work as an eyeliner.
Chocolate brown shadow with a bright blue or green liner is my new " thing".
I also can't resist the lure of the flash sales websites (Gilt, Hautelook ect) and have ordered the mother load of Eve Pearl, Laura M- Paul Dorf and 3 Custom Colors to experiment and sample other brands at a fab price. My daughter & my goddaughter happily snatch up any products I don't like. It's a win win situation for me to spend some of my beauty budget on different companies- plus we have fun trying it all on!
I see it's a full moon- so here's to a lovely weekend everyone!

Mary Ann said...

I never shop at the Dior counter here. I hurry up and walk past,if you give even a slight glance, they pounce on you. However, when shopping at King of Prussia Mall, the Dior girl suggested I try CDP or Lemetier lippies, instead of Dior.
Although she was very busy texting,
perhaps I was interrupting her.

Dawn said...

It's been a really hard week. We live on the outskirts of a small, rural farming town. It's a town where most everyone knows each other and all the kids definitely know each other. Tragically, a 13 year old boy was killed by a train earlier this week and it's hit everyone very hard. All my kids, except for my youngest, knew him and my middle son was in his grade and on the same football team. It's so very sad and heartbreaking when a young life ends. This boy lost his mom 5 years ago and as I told my kids, at least mother and son are together again.

On the other side, I've been using my new YSL Youth Liberator foundation in BR20 and I really like it. It makes my skin look fabulous and even though I've got combo skin, it works very nicely for me. I am also planning on making another Ichibankao order for a THREE palette, an Addiction lipstick and cheek polish. I will probably wait a bit before ordering though because makeup doesn't seem all that important right now.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Miss Brahms said...

C-Girl, some of the people that work in sales in beauty are SO GREEDY and they do not care about customer service or long-term goals - only the money they can make that day.
I am so sorry that these bad apples have to spoil the bushel....

Anonymous said...

I looked back through my stash this past week and rediscovered La Prairie's holiday eyeshadows from a couple of years ago, Les Midnight Blues, and a blush called Champagne Frost. I had forgotten how much I love their makeup colors! But they are smooth and creamy and they outlast all of my other eyeshadows and blushes. I wish La Prairie had created a makeup collection for Christmas 2013.

Anonymous said...

I looked back through my stash this past week and rediscovered La Prairie's holiday eyeshadows from a couple of years ago, Les Midnight Blues, and a blush called Champagne Frost. I had forgotten how much I love their makeup colors! But they are smooth and creamy and they outlast all of my other eyeshadows and blushes. I wish La Prairie had created a makeup collection for Christmas 2013.

Meredith said...

I am sorry for you, Dawn, and everyone who has been hurt by this accident. How very sad. Who can explain why these things happen, why life sometimes goes this way?
I saw the Dior collection at NM today but it does not include all the colors I've seen online, such as the lipstick called "Joy" and another one I was interested in and the highlight powders. Maybe different in different countries? I didn't purchase, but I've spent plenty at Guerlain and Chanel and others so that's alright. Always more to come!

Gail said...

Chantecaille's Diamonds trio looks very interesting. Looking forward to swatches if you get it!

Crista said...

Gosh, the Dior counter at Macy's (where I do most of my shopping) is fantastic - sorry to hear about everyone's bad experiences! The Chanel counter will often put in a permanent item in the display if a LE sells out which is pretty sucky, but I've never had them tell me it's the LE item. These ladies know me too well and that I know my makeup. :)

I'm annoyed that all the Chanel holiday displays around have the stupid plastic eye shadow palette and no one knows when it's actually going to be available -- grr! Anyone here have info on that?

Have a great weekend all!

Mamavalveeta03 said...

When I saw the Brad Pitt commercial for Chanel, all I could think of was the dead-on Saturday Night Live take-off of the ad. It was hilarious! I'm sure that had something to do with it being pulled.

And as for pet peeves, how about brands promoting something in magazines MONTHS before it ever hits store shelves?!? Talk about frustration!

Eileen said...

I'm not sure what the problem is with Dior regarding the lack of new product/collection education their SA's seem to receive and their tendency to just pop any old product into a display. When I go to the counter to see a new collection, I go armed with a list of exactly what I'm interested in seeing and I don't let the SA distract me with other products. Dior is not the only brand to put older products into a display when something is missing, but the SA's at those other counters are usually quick to volunteer the information that the product is not part of the new collection. If Armani, Chanel, Guerlain, Shiseido, etc. can be upfront about product substitution, then so can Dior.

This week I bought the beautiful Rosey Frost cream blush that is part of Clé de Peau's winter collection. Now that the last of summer's gold has faded from my complexion, I'm in the mood for clear sparkling roses and beautiful berries and so I also picked up Guerlain's Gloss D'Enfer in scintillating Cherry Swing. I've really been enjoying the fall and winter collections this year.

Apropos the use of Marilyn Monroe to sell products, am I the only one who thinks it's a bit freaky to be using her image as if she were still alive? Sexy Hair and now Chanel. She was an exceptional woman who has become an icon and muse, but she is deceased, poor soul. Oh well . . .

Have a great weekend everyone!

Eileen said...

Hi Crista,

Late summer I read that the winter collection would be released in two flows--one in October and the other in November but no actual dates. The way things are going, that appears to be about right. Perhaps we'll finally see the long-awaited palette in a couple weeks. Sigh :-(

Hi Mamaval,

You came close to my one and only true pet peeve and that is the trend retailers have been adopting of soliciting pre-orders of a product months before it arrives on counter. I don't mind early released promo picutres; in fact, I enjoy the sneak-peeks so long as there is a clear release date stated in the copy, but actually doing a pre-sale is something else. I remember how frustrated many of us were when the Wild Horse palette popped up on retail sites but only for pre-order and now the same thing has happened with the Charming palette. Chanel also played this silly game with the Les Beiges powder. The rest of the world had it, but we could only pre-order in the US. Guerlain has also been doing it on Sephora, but I think that is more a parent company idea--get people to commit to the online sale on Sephora before it becomes available or is advertised online by the department stores. And, so it goes. . . Sometimes I wonder what kind of manufacturing/cost issues are underlying this trend. You'd think we were ordering a made-to-order item instead of a mass produced product.

Moonchime said...

Hello everyone. CG, thank you for the giggle over Chanel using Brad Pitt. I've never been a fan of his.

I'm also sorry to hear about your bad service when going to the Dior counter. Good for you for returning the items.

Dawn, I am so sorry to hear about your town's deep tragedy. That is extremely difficult for everyone. I'll be keeping your community in my prayers.

Eileen, I too find it freaky how Marilyn Monroe is still used to sell products.

This week, I have been kind of "shopping my stash." I'm rediscovering long ago favorites--and some not so favorites. LOL

One beauty product I have a love/hate relationship with. It's Makeup Forever's HD Blush. Microfinish Blush Cream. It is in a small container with a pump top. I cannot regulate how much comes out when I am ready to apply it. I will gently put a tiny bit on the back of my hand. Then, i will quickly work, trying to put just the smallest, sheerest amount on for a healthy looking glow.

Just when I felt I had mastered the technique, I was telling me hubby how I loved the natural look of this blush on my cheeks. His answer--"Honey, that only looks natural if you live in Siberia." LOL. Yes, he is honest. I will not be repurchasing this blush.

Have a terrific day everyone!

Moonchime said...

Melanie--I almost forgot. I want to wish you a Happy Birthday. I sure hope you received the Chanel from your hubby.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Charlestongirl said...

God, Dawn, that is simply horrible. My sympathy to his family and friends. That would shake any town.

Charlestongirl said...

Melanie,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! I hope you had a lovely day today.

Sara said...

Hi CG! Sorry to hear about the Dior debacle. I am still waiting for the Chanel 5 color palette for holiday to be available, but in the meantime am very tempted by the illusion d'ombres. I wanted to mention that I picked up the Suave Moroccan Oil shampoo and conditioner you featured a while back but just got around to using them and I like them very much! I was previously using the Moroccan oil brand products I purchased at my salon, and I think the suave ones work just as well. Hope you have a great weekend! -Sara

Melanie said...

Thank you, CG and Moonchime. He had an annoying experience at Chanel. Will share on Friday!