Sunday This and That - Plus Fun with Sisley's Alfredo Lizardi

I am heartbroken. I learned this morning that our panda cub at the National Zoo had died. I think I cried for an hour, and I spontaneously cried all day.

We were all so excited by the birth of Mei Xiang's cub last weekend. All week, zookeepers told he the cub and his mother showed signs of health and well-being. Suddenly, NBC Washington announced on Facebook that the baby had died. "Panda keepers and volunteers heard a distress vocalization from the mother, Mei Xiang, at 9:17 a.m. and notified the veterinarian staff immediately," the statement read, in part. "The panda cam was turned off and the staff were able to safely retrieve the cub for an evaluation at 10:22 a.m. Veterinarians immediately performed CPR and other life-saving measures but the cub did not respond."

DC is going to be in mourning. It's a very sad day - for us and for the world of panda lovers. You may think we are consumed by politics here, but I assure you that panda was more important to us than any politician.

It seems incongruous to jump from such sad thoughts to happy ones, but I'm going to do it - partly to keep from descending into total depression. I feel like one of my own died.

The adorable, delightful, and talented Sisley makeup artist Alfredo Lizardi applied my makeup Friday evening. I went over to Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria after work and had a blast. He is so much fun!

I'm always wary of makeup artists. More often than not, I go straight home after a session and wash my face. Not this time! I wished I had had somewhere to go Friday night. When Alfredo finished, I thought I looked good. He asked me about the kind of look I wanted, and we decided on natural, but with pizazz. He entertained me as he worked. Here you can see were were both smiling about something as Simone took our photo. We may have been laughing about the prior photo, which I was sure made me look like an eagle (not in a majestic way).

Alfredo used all Sisley products on me, including a new clump-free mascara that I will show you this week. It's a new formulation, and it comes in black, brown, and blue. He used black on me, but when I found out from my Sisley friends it came in blue, I pulled out my charge card for the second time that night.

The two eye shadows he selected for me are gorgeous. Sorbet (#2) and Stardust (#7) came home with me. They are both shimmering (how did he know I prefer shimmer?). Sorbet is a light, natural peach shade, and Stardust is a green-silver hybrid. Like grey greens? Stardust will make you enormously happy. Of course, I had to get photos of them today.

Alfredo selected a lip gloss for me. Sisley has a collection of new ones. They are shown in the photo below. He choose Rosewood, with my hearty consensus. Then we found out the tester unit had arrived, but not the for-sale products. Darn! I was ready to buy Rosewood and another (#5 and #7) - for a start.

The nice thing about these fabulous glosses is that they are extremely saturated and offer a shimmering finish. I may end up with five, or six, or whatever. They meet all my criteria for a great gloss.

Sisley has also repackaged its blushes, giving them a zebra theme. This in-store photo is not color-true. They are much prettier. Once they arrive, I'll buy a few and feature them.

Here we are when Alfredo finished. That's as close a photo as I'll ever show. Once you're two years out from qualifying for Medicare, you do not relish close-up photos. Isn't he a doll? After my makeup had been perfected, we took off and played with perfume. He mentioned to me that he liked the new Tom Ford Noir, and I wanted to share with him a few other Tom Fords I thought he might like. Loula was so sweet. She got samples of Noir, the new Ombre de Hyacinth (which he loved), and others so that we could send Alfredo home as happy as I was.

If you ever get a chance to jump in his chair, do it! He has the right touch.

Speaking of my favorite makeup artists, Tim Quinn from Giorgio Armani Beauty will be at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria on Saturday, October 13. If you are a DC-area local, you might want to call to make an appointment. I'll take care of my favorite sales associate there and ask you to call Loula Ayoub at (703) 761-1600, extension 3230, to make an appointment with Tim. Loula is one of the the most successful sales associates at the store (if not the most), and there's a great reason for her success. She is a consistent paragon of customer service.

The Saks Fifth Avenue beauty event starts this week on Thursday. The totes look pretty, so I've pre-ordered. I have purchased enough to get the two I want (blue and green). I use them to carry my laptop and/or iPad - and often food - to work. If you need help, give Loyd Cassler or Georgia Marmaras a call at Chanel at (240) 497-5363 or (240) 497-5301. They asked me to convey their gratitude to those of you who called to order the Blue Illusion de Chanel Collection.

In closing, I love my new striped three-quarter sleeve tee. It was a birthday present from a friend. I want more of them! Wouldn't navy and red stripes look nice? Or solids.

Photo at top courtesy of the National Zoo; other photos by Best Things in Beauty