Finally, a little more than 24 hours after they discovered the problem, their IT guys fixed it, and I was able to order. I had been checking every six hours or so. My box was waiting for me when I got home yesterday. I quickly swatched Sakura in late-afternoon sun, and I'll show it to you as soon as I get home from work today. It is extremely pretty.
That, plus receiving other boxes, was my excitement for the week. Unfortunately, the weather forecast does not show me having sunshine to take pictures this weekend. What's a blogger to do? Pray for spring. God is the only one who can change this Arctic weather pattern.
This week, there was a terrible tragedy near my house. It left me in tears. Jennifer Lawson, one of the many mothers who picks up and drops off her children at Nottingham Elementary School, has just put her child into the back seat when a dump truck drove by, sideswiped her mini-van (with sliding doors), and killed her - in sight of her child, which haunts me.
There is no room on that street for dump trucks. It is narrow, and when school is active, it's really tight. Those trucks belong on the main roads, but are using neighborhood streets to save a few traffic lights on the main roads. One dump truck, trying to save five minutes, killed a mother of three and left a whole community in mourning. I left flowers at the site and tried to donate to a memorial fund that a friend of the Lawsons had set up. The fund goal was $5,000, but had amassed $17,000 less than 24 hours later when the Lawsons asked that it be closed.
What can I do? I'm putting my citizen activist hat back on after a long pause. My new cause is to get dump trucks, tractor trailors, car haulers, you name it, off our neighborhood streets and back on the main roads. Yes, DC area traffic is terrible, and everyone looks to save a few minutes by cutting through neighborhoods. Few people die as a result. When the cut-through traffic changes in character and includes large trucks, more tragedies will result. I had already asked my county supervisor to ask VDOT to get tractor trailers off Great Falls Street. Now I have asked the Arlington County Board to ban through trucks on their neighborhood streets. The City of Falls Church did it over 30 years ago, and it stops most of the truck traffic. Something must be done to ensure that children will grow up having mothers - or that mothers will not lose their children to reckless truck drivers. I'm upset. Just like I was upset yesterday when a school bus hit a 90-year-old man crossing the street with his walker. Are people paying any attention when they drive?
I have so many new things in show you, in addition to Chanel. There is more Armani, Shiseido - pretty things. I have some new fragrances too, and they are really nice. I want you to know about them.
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.
Photo courtesy of Chanel
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16 comments:
I too received my Chanel.com order and love everything. The pink illusion d'ombre is particularly stunning.I also finished my samples of La Prairie's new Ice Crystal cream and dry oil. While the texture is lovely, it proved too heavy for my skin. A week after using it, I developed some painful, cystic pimples on my chin and I hadn't broken out in months. Im just gald my skin decided to rebel before I decided to purchase them. On the fragrance front, I have been testing the new Jo Malone London Rain collection. They are all truly stunning both physically and in its composition. The only one I don't care for is the White jasmine and Mint. While I expected to love the Black Cedar and Juniper, i never expected to like the Rain and Angelica. It started out as powdery but as the day progressed, it became much warmer. I just wish they came in the smaller size
I am so sad I missed out on Sakura due to the glitch! Like you, I tried ordering online and with a phone rep and tried checking back multiple times, but I guess I didn't check enough as it's now sold out! I'm hoping it comes back in stock. :(
I love the Jardin de Camélias collection but, unfortunately, the lovely Sakura blush is "out of stock" and there is no indication as to if or when it might become available online again. But, since the Le Blanc collections eventually end up in the department stores, I'm not particularly worried about it. In the meantime, there are so many other lovely products to be tried.
For Valentines Day I received a gift card to Sephora so off I went to see what would catch my fancy. I settled on Hourglass Femme Rouge in Ballet and Clinique blush in Plum Pop. Both are pretty in pink colors without being childish. I've always liked the Hourglass Femme Rouge formula so I was happy when Ballet called out to me. As for Clinique, I was pleasantly surprised by the pretty sculpted flower blush. It has a soft glow without being frosty or glittery. Both Ballet and Plum Pop have a transparency to them that is light and spring-like and yet they can easily be built up for people who want or need stronger colors. Personally, at this time of year, I like a bit of translucence. After winter's deeper opaque colors, a bit of delicacy is in order. It makes a refreshing change. You see, I'm one of those people who love seasonal shifts in makeup colors, textures, and finishes. I wouldn't wear the same clothes throughout all the seasons so why would I limit my makeup? What fun is there in that? And, despite rumors to the contrary, we do have seasons in So Cal :-)
I finally saw Clé de Peau's La Boheme collection and was so very pleased. It's very pretty, indeed. It's all about soft peaches, pinks, and plums with a pan of brown to ground the colors. I bought the eyeshadow quad in 212 Plum Brown and the Face Enhancer Luminizing Powder in Delicate Pink. Since I already have a luminizer case and a quad case for when I travel, I only needed the refills. The Plum Brown surprised me with the inclusion of two matte shades. Usually Clé de Peau's quads are quite shimmery but not in the case of these two new quads. In Plum Brown, the ivory and rose base and lid shades are a soft matte and the purple and brown liner and contour shades have just a hint of fine shimmer. The quality of the shades is outstanding: über soft and blendable, true to pan color saturation, fade resistant, long-wearing, and all in a moisturizing base. I'm a huge fan of CdP's quads. Their quality is simply superlative. As for the luminizing powder, CdP really knows how to do it right. They always look quite sparkly in the pan, but they blend out and melt into the skin leaving a beautiful veil of light in their wake. I have two of the other shades and was thrilled to add this cooler pink tinged one to my collection. Charlestongirl, Delicate Pink would look positively ethereal on your fair complexion.
Hi Anahita,
I also had difficulty with La Prairie's Ice Crystal oil. I had received a couple samples but within three days my skin started getting congested. I love beauty oils and usually don't have a problem, but this one simply didn't work. It's a shame because it smells heavenly and feels silky.
Have a restful weekend, everyone.
Hi Anahita, I really like those fragrances too. I plan to buy one before Beauty Event ends.
White Jasmine and Mint is old. I don't know why JM threw it into this collection!
Melissa, that was so annoying. I hope you will get a second chance. If I were you, I would call and ask when it will be restocked for those of you who tried.
Hi Eileen,
I bought all three of those darling Clinique blushes. I just haven't had a chance to photograph them (very frustrating). They are really nice.
I have the PR on the CdP collection. I hope to post it this weekend. I would also like to see it in store.
I am so sorry about that young mother. Cg, it sounds to me like a lawsuit against the municipality and dump truck owner should be considered, especially if the city had OKed their using the street despite its inadequacy OR if they used it without authority. Anyway, a wrongful death suit is in order. Meanwhile, turning to the happy stuff, I ordered the Jardin de Camelias as soon as it was posted because I was able to get the Sakura blush. Yes, it is exquisite. I also have the Jardin Zen eye quad, also beautiful, and both lipsticks: Fleurie and Charmeuse, and Baie Rose gloss. I think the 2 CHANEL spring collections--the other being Notes de Printemps--are the loveliest I have ever seen. My prayers are with your neighbor's family. Was the dump truck driver cited for anything by the police? Sorry to digress so much here.
Nemo, right now, the police have a flashing signboard in front of the school asking for witnesses. It appears they are trying hard to build their case. I would be surprised if there is not a suit. It's a small trucking company, though, so who knows what kind of insurance is "there."
I bought most of the collection and will be posting the pieces in the days to come. I think they are very nice.
Dear God, what a horrible thing to have happened. I can't fathom how awful that must have been for one and all in the community, not to mention the family. Heaven help the child in the back seat, they will need counseling, not only about their mother's death but the fact that they themselves could have been killed but for a few seconds, and then the guilt of having lived when the mother died. Why do these things happen? Why is everyone in such a hurry? Does speeding or cutting through really make that much of a difference come the end of the day?
My husband and our two children were living on what we found out was a cut through street. We tried to address the heavy traffic, often speeding, for a couple years but to no avail. We had to leave Santa Barbara and ended up here in Seattle. We have loved it here but both our families are in So. CA and so my children missed growing up with their cousins.
We had a somewhat similar accident here in Bellevue about 3 years ago. The freeway bottlenecked and a truck wasn't paying attention and hit a logging truck which lost it's load which crushed the side of a car and killed a little girl. Her name was Rachael Beckwith and she was, in lieu of birthday presents, was gathering money to build a water well in an African village. She needed $300. When people heard of her death, her fund collected over a million dollars and was able to build many wells in many villages so the girls and women didn't have to go far with buckets and risk getting raped just because they needed water.
Sorry for the long story, but sometimes when I hear of things like this, I really have got to wonder if there is any sense in this universe. I will pray for the husband and children. If one is not religious, one can always send "good energy" to them. There, but for the Grace of God, go I.
I already got Cle de Peau spring collection: both quads, luminizing powder, and a couple of lip colors. LOVE them ALL!!! Can not wait to read your review on Cle de Peau spring. And Got 5 new lipcolors from Tom Ford with one backup for In the Buff. Love that two. Now I am really excited about TF summer beautiful palette for summer. Raeview has pictures of it. And really happy to take one month of makeup shopping and to be able to focus on other things. It is finally rain here in Southern California. So nice and cozy to stay at home.
CG, I am just struck numb by your stories...the young woman and the old man. How tragic! I certainly hope this tragedy results in real change for the area's traffic. And, unless the bus driver who hit the elderly man was struck with a sudden health issue, he/she should be fired and prosecuted!
CG, your stories of misfortune (including your fall in the shower this week) are making me sad. It's so tragic when someone dies because of something that was so avoidable. And good for you that the accidents have made you put on your advocate's hat.
I think the beauty news of the week was Jessica Lange being named the face of Marc Jacobs and Charlotte Rampling a model for NARS. I was thinking that the Jacobs line is more for the younger set but it seems Marc wants to appeal to the older folks. I'm loving this trend of using older models. For a fun story on the subject visit this link http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/feb/22/older-models-in-fashion
have a great weekend everyone!
CG- I had a brush with your celebrity status yesterday! I ran over to NM in Tysons to grab one of the Armani #10 Sheer Blushes (thank you for the heads up). As soon as I walked up and said "I need Sheer Blush #10," the lovely rep replied "You read it was being discontinued, right? That's my friend!".
Thanks for leaving a few for the rest of us- you weren't kidding when you said you stocked up! Your friend at Armani is just lovely. I wish I could say the same about the experiences I have in that store generally.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Jo,
Yes, this is shaping up to be a banner year in the beauty biz for us senior citizens :-) When I think of older models, the one name that immediately comes to my mind is Carmern Dell'Orifice. Not only is this 82 year old extraordinarily beautiful for a woman of any age, but she has an air of confidence and class that is so much more than skin deep. To quote from Rolex's add campaign that featured Carmen, "Class is Forever". Helen Miran has that same been there, seen that, done that-- and can now laugh about it! --type of confidence. Can you imagine how many products she could sell if she ever lent her countenance to a beauty brand? Sales would go through the roof.
I applaud Nars and Jacobs for acknowledging that we don't lose our interest in cosmetics just because we've put another candle on the birthday cake. And, although I do not care for the physical appearance of either Ms Rampling or Ms Lange, I can understand why they were selected. Rampling looks like a world-weary femme d'un certain âge, an image that would appeal to Nars. Lange's quirkiness and overt sexuality would be right in step with Jacobs'. This isn't something new, though. I think it was the daring and avant-garde Illamasqua that really brought older women to prominence in campaigns like Generation Q and Sacred Hour. The older women aren't just incidental as they are in Bobbi Brown's Pretty Powerful campaign, but are prominently featured front and center in the glamour shots. Generation Q's 72 year old Evelyn caused quite a stir styled like a turn-of-the-century courtesan who could teach younger women a thing or two. Sacred Hour has some particularly moving pictures of an older warrior woman offering power and confidence to a younger woman. Both women are stunning in the depth of their beauty.
I better get down from my soap box! Have a great weekend.
wow..as a mother of school age children myself, I am just haunted by that story.How awful, and tragic, and so very avoidable if that person had been paying attention. I'm sure the driver will never be the same either, but that poor child, and family. I hope something good will come of this, and am glad you are getting involved.
On a happier note, I ordered the Armani blush #10 this week, on your recommendation of course. I can't wait to receive it. I'm sure I'll love it and then have to order a backup since it's being retired.Have a lovely Sunday and hopefully a better week ahead. It's Mardi Gras down here, so the kids are out of school and everybody's jolly and festive!:)
xoxo
Ann-Marie
Hi Eileen,
Helen and Carmen are awesome! I would buy anything they're selling!
Jessica lost some of her beauty to a plastic surgeon's knife but the picture I saw of her in the Jacobs campaign really does her justice. It is not overly photoshopped. She is such a great actress. What a boost to her ego and confidence it must be to be named the face of the line.
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