The Friday Forum - March 11

What an eventful lunchtime I had today! After a meeting at Tysons, I zoomed over to Bloomingdale's to see Pamela Morgan, YSL's National Makeup Artist, and now their fragrance guru as well. She showed me a set of the new-ish fragrances that Bergdorf Goodman is carrying, and I was enchanted with almost every one of them.

The Patchouli? Not for me. Don't even get that stuff near me. All of the rest, in my opinion, are divine. I'm wearing Saharienne, which was first presented in 1968 and relaunched in 2011. Fragrantica describes it as a blend of the contrasts of hot desert aromas and fresh tones that are desirable in the summer as the hottest of all fresh waters. Sparkling and invigorating notes of lemon, Italian bergamot, and mandarin give way to the core made of white flower petals, orange leaf, galbanum, and black currant bud. The base is warm and sensual due to the spiciness of pink pepper and ginger, and their is a powdery effect as it dries down. Heavenly.

After smelling all of them, I think I want four. How am I going to pull that off?

As I left Bloomingdale's and got in my car, who should walk by but Loyd Cassler! I haven't seen Loyd in years - since he left Saks Fifth Avenue as "Mr. Armani." I was thrilled to jump out and have a five-minute chat, which we hope to continue on the phone. He is now with Algenist and spends a good bit of time managing the brand in the greater Maryland, DC, and Virginia region. I'd love to see him again soon. We have a lot of catching up to do.

I want to give you a warning about an advertisement you may have seen here or on Facebook. Do not purchase from the scammers that call themselves Dress Lily. I am in the process of a very tedious process with them to return a mis-advertised item. It turns out they are in China. Because of their unresponsiveness, I have filed my first-ever PayPal dispute. Just don't even consider their products. I have blocked their advertisements from showing up here ever again.  There is even a Facebook page called People Scammed by Dress Lily.

It's time for The Friday Forum. The Friday Forum has always been an opportunity to share information. 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? We can help! Want to talk about skin care? I'm game. Just use the comments. We have busy weekends and slow ones on the forum. I hope you are ready to share.


Photo by Best Things in Beauty

My Afternoon with Pamela Morgan, National Makeup Artist YSL Beauté

Last Saturday, Pamela Morgan, YSL's National Makeup Artist, made an appearance at Bloomingdale's at Tysons Corner Center. You'd better believe I made an appointment! Pamela is one of the most creative artists I know, and she has become a great friend.

I have made clear in the past that I hate photos of myself, but I wanted to show you the results of Pamela's work. I went out to dinner just so that I wouldn't have to go home and wash it off!

I asked her to show me how to use the 5 Colours Couture Palette in #11, Ballet Russes ($60). We had oohed and aahed over it when we first saw it weeks ago. I purchased it, but had not worn it. I asked Pam to use it on me, and she went to work eagerly, using all five shades. Although #11 may be the most flamboyant of the new quints, it is sold out at YSL's Web site. That amazes me.

Pam spent a lot of time on my eyes. Before that, though, she selected lip color for my "look of the day." She chose a Baby Doll Kiss & Blush in a color I would never have selected: #07, Coral Affranchi, shown below. She also selected a Gloss Volupté to make my lips sparkle: #30, Corail Lingot, also shown below.

I took swatch photos in full sun. I swatched the new Baby Doll Kiss & Blush ($40) at the top of my arm, then followed below with the Gloss Volupté ($32). At the bottom, I applied the Baby Doll Kiss & Blush and then overlaid the Gloss Volupté to show you the blended effect.

I would never have believed these shades could be flattering on me, but they were. Pamela has an extraordinary eye.

As always, I found my time with Pamela to be a treasure. If you ever get a chance to book time with her - and you should because she is always traveling - I recommend you do it. In addition to seeing an artist work, you will learn some incredible techniques and enjoy your time in her chair.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

All New YSL Couture Palettes and My Day with Pamela Morgan, YSL National Makeup Artist

I'll bet you've seen Pamela Morgan. When I met her, she was a national makeup artist for Guerlain. I used to watch her work at events, and I was always impressed with her artistry - and her personality. Very recently, Pamela joined YSL and is now a national makeup artist for them, traveling the country making women beautiful. If you get a chance to book an appointment with her, do it!

Yes, I am getting shorter by the year. I look like a shrimp next to the statuesque Pamela Morgan. I'm going to have to start carrying a step stool around.

Pamela visited Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria this weekend, right after a wonderful week of training in Paris - and just as all-new YSL products arrived. It will probably take me all week to tell you about them. I want to start with the new Couture Palette 5-Color Ready-to-Wear eye palettes. There are 11 of them. They are replacing the older palettes.

This "stylized" picture from YSL does not do any of them justice. I did a quick take when I saw them and selected three. Pamela and I both thought that they would be the first three to sell out. Then, after our makeup session, I photographed them (below) and chose a fourth that absolutely had to go home with me. Four new eye makeup palettes, and I've got my eyes on a fifth. I selected numbers 2, 3, 4, and 8.

The colors are stunning. Even when they appear to be over the top in the palette, they apply beautifully to create a sophisticated eye. Pam and I had fun playing with some of the colors that appeared to be outré and found them amazingly wearable.

In the photo above, I am wearing #3, shown directly below. The upper-left corner shade is intended to be the base shade; the upper-right shade is intended to be the highlighter; and the three colors, lower right and left and center and labeled "colors." Don't let those or any guidelines stifle your creativity. Wear the beautiful shades any way you like.

I'm sorry about the glaring reflection in the photo above. I normally see those sunspots, but I was blinded by the palette's colors. I took my photos in full, high-noon sunshine, and the sun was bright. I swatched all five shades with a sponge-tipped applicator, starting at the top left corner and working clockwise, ending with the center shade.

This palette of bronze and complementary tones is absolutely perfect for summer. I cannot tell you how many compliments I got before I left the store. The colors made my eyes pop green, aided by YSL's wonderful Beauté Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils Long-Wear Cream Eyeliner in Black Cherry (or is it Cherry Black?).

One really nice thing about these palettes is that the highlighter colors (second down on my arm) are pigmented. They aren't just glitter and glitz.

I decided to show you the pretty greens in #8 today too. My camera has difficulty with greens, so the photos above shows more grey than green in the palette. Trust me, these are gorgeous greens.

My swatch photos, taken at the same time (high noon) and in the same way as the #3 photos, tell the green story a bit better. I am so thoroughly smitten with these colors, I will be wearing them to work tomorrow. It's going to be a green day.

The green at the top does have some grey in it, making it a most unusual shade. I think it's drop-dead gorgeous. the pink blends into my skin. I can see it in the photos; I hope you can too. The softer green is like a mint teal. Stunning! The antique gold will pay nicely with the greens, and the darker charcoal is the perfect liner. It shows its green in strong light. Sorry, my swatch is uneven on the right.

I think these two palettes are beautiful. I have two more to show you as soon as I can get photos. Today, I used up sunshine time to spend time with Mom, but as soon as I can catch those rays again, I will get photos of #2 and #4. Meanwhile, you need to get over to a YSL counter and see all the new pretty treasures. I'll be featuring them all week.

The Couture Palettes has just arrived at Neiman Marcus, so call your favorite counter before you go. They may be available online. I haven't had time to check every site. Don't forget to take any opportunity to work with Pamela. She is a superstar!

 Two photos courtesy of YSL; other photos by Best Things in Beauty