Weekend Stroll around the Internet

I worship at the altar of Giorgio Armani. I think his designs are original, stunning, elegant, graceful...just insert any superlative you can imagine. The man is a fashion and beauty genius. On the Spring 2012 Ready to Wear runway in Milan, he showed split trousers, a jazzy way to glam up (and lighten up) an ensemble for warmer weather. I simply hope the lovely top of this look is delivered to stores with lining. Even if it's not, I could find a discreet way to line the top.

At least Armani's transparent designs offer a masterful elegance. In contrast, look at this silly Emilio Pucci design by Peter Dundas. While most of the spring collection shown in Milan had a colorful gypsy theme, this white number should have earned his show an R rating He wasn't alone in his fascination with nudity. Check out the Dior Paris runway below, courtesy of designer Bill Gaytten. Designer after designer (all men from what I've seen) sent models down the spring show runways exposed.

The nude look, so popular with male designers, doesn't mesh with the reality of the way women dress or the reality of a world recession (or depression, depending on the definition). Every time I see a "fashion statement" like this, I think, "In your dreams." It will be a happy day when designers return to the reality that most of us live. Fashion may be about art and inspiration, but nothing about these exposed designs inspires me. Not only that, if I were an owner of one of the leading fashion houses, I would want to see creations so exquisite they entice retailers to order and women to spend - even in a time of scarce money. Nothing about these nonsensical looks is enticing to women. End of rant.

On a happier note, I read a couple of blog features this week that inspired me to open my wallet or validated my impressions. I haven't ordered anything yet, but the weekend is young.

Daly Beauty fascinated me with her feature on powdery perfumes - from baby powder to face powder, the comforting scent is clean and fresh.

I'm enjoying The Non-Blonde's Paris features. She's slowing revealing the fragranced narrative of her trip.

We don't hear enough about Trish McEvoy these days. Fab over Forty remedied that. I tried to buy a lipstick last week from her latest display. Sold out!

Olfactoria's Travels expressed my opinion of Acqua Di Parma Gelsomino Nobile perfectly. It's a fragrance I should have loved. After the first few minutes on my skin, I decided I didn't need it. It's nice to read an expert's opinion.

I still haven't purchased Exude. Fruity Lashes reminded me I must try the new lip colors.

Delicate Hummingbird featured a M·A·C blusher I might actually buy! Since it's permanent, I don't have to worry that it's a two-week wonder, already unavailable.

I was captured by Prada Candy, which I've featured. Eyeliner on a Cat described it perfectly. I need a full bottle.

Beauty Black Book is a great place to see the NARS Holiday Collection.

Product Doctor compiled her favorites from September. She selected some great products!

There were more great blog features this week. Make sure to click on the blog links on my sidebar to visit.

Photos courtesy of WWD and Getty

Weekend Rant - July 2

I hadn't planned to write this rant. Nordstrom set me off. The last time I was in the store, my friends in the beauty department started telling me about the Anniversary pre-sale and how I could come in on July 5 and buy new treasures. Yes, they know I write a beauty blog.

Today, I called my favorite counter manager to make an appointment to come in. Quickly in our conversation, he told me I had to have a Nordstrom credit card to be eligible to "pre-order." I don't. Years ago I learned a lesson with credit cards. Keep the number to a minimum. I try to use my AmEx card for everything. I get one bill; it's convenient; and I can keep track of my purchases online in one fell swoop (really good for a gal who tends to spend too much). Besides that, AmEx has amazingly good customer service and fraud protection. Nordstrom doesn't. Take my word for it; I could tell you a story that is on record with the police department.

Apparently, last year, Nordstrom's credit card holders who had been asleep at the switch complained. They came in on the first official day of the Anniversary Sale, and all the great offers were sold out (they sold out in pre-sale). They complained. So, Nordstrom, in its infinite wisdom, decided that they would reward them this year. Only cardholders would be eligible to purchase during pre-sale.

The rest of us who might spend more than their average cardholder in a year? Out of luck. So sorry. One ding-a-ling who worked there suggested to me that I should open a credit card, just for this event. No thanks! I've chosen a better way to manage my affairs.

I received a loud and clear message from Nordstrom. They don't care about my business. They have no way to distinguish between those who spend and those who happen to hold Nordstrom's credit cards. It's sad, but it's OK. Most of what they sell can be procured elsewhere. The good news is that I won't be stretching to pay my bills this month!

If I can't purchase on July 5 with their cardholders, I won't purchase at all. It's a matter of principle. To their credit, when I tweeted my dismay, Nordtrom replied quickly that I didn't have to use their card, just have one. Huh? I replied, and the response I got was, " We apologize. Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to help."

I would never ask a store to change its policies for me (that would be crass, and few deserve special treatment), so it appears there's nothing they can do to help. I hope that someone at Nordstrom carefully considered the potential consequences of the new policy. If not, they need a good (better?) customer relationship management consultant.

What do you think? Has Nordstrom lost its luster? The store used to be known for customer service. Am I just whining?

Photo courtesy of thinktravel.asia

Weekend Rant and Beauty Baloney - May 15

I'm kind of opinionated - can you tell? Sometimes, I go on a roll, as I'm about to do on a variety of subjects, and there's no stopping me. I hope I don't lose 100 followers today, but I can no longer hold back some of my rage.

On current events, I feel as devastated as my Cajun friends in Louisiana about the purposeful flooding in Louisiana, the first in 40 years, which will devastate some so others can avoid the wrath of Mother Nature. I don't think it's fair that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided with officials from Louisiana and other states to open the flood gates on which people counted, to "save" cities down-river. I am fully aware of the suffering in New Orleans from Katrina - and my empathy is unbounded - but I can't condone what's being done to the farmers who barely make a living off the land and poor people in the Cajun countryside of Louisiana. Many of those about to be flooded - or already flooded - had no flood insurance because of the levees. Perhaps they should have, but they didn't. Will the government compensate for their monetary losses? Nope. Who will help them? I will financially, but I'm a drop in a huge bucket. I cry for them and the abandoned pets, farm animals, and wildlife in the states being flooded.

One incredibly generous and heartwarming tweet came from Bourne Natural Beauty in Australia, who offered to donate for those being harmed. I tear up when I think of her generosity and that of others who are helping and will help the folks who are about to lose everything. I'll be looking to help people, but also an animal rescue organization on the ground helping abandoned animals - the silent sufferers who are sometimes forgotten by society at large.

Then there is the world of beauty, which should be beautiful, but is filled sometimes with crazy ideas and crazy women craving attention. Just a few of many examples follow. See, I can return to topic. I call this beauty baloney.

I am a voracious reader. I read magazines, blogs, online sites, newsletters, e-mails - everything I can find related to beauty. I have learned so much by reading, and I love tips about fabulous products. I also like to talk to experts, so I take every opportunity that comes my way to attend special events at the stores.

Twitter is a wonderful thing! I have grown to love it as a source of information, a community, and great entertainment. I wonder why I was originally reluctant to join. I love others' beauty blogs - I have so much fun reading them.

In social media land, I love to follow people and companies in the beauty industry, including lots of other bloggers. The beauty "tips" you read range from helpful to tread-worn to sheer nonsense. One of my most recent laughs was the recommendation that you match your mascara to your clothing each day. That came from a "beauty expert" with almost 6,000 Twitter followers. Scary - but if you see any lemmings running around your office wearing green mascara to go with their green spring outfits, you'll know why. The expert went on to recommend - all in 140 characters - that you dust your mascara with powder before you leave home. Yikes!

Seeing that tweet made me think about all the bad or useless beauty advice I've read on Twitter, in magazines (top offenders for overselling skin care), and even on blogs. The experts (I don't include myself in that expert category) often get it wrong.

I finally figured out, after many years of reading magazines, that the editors' monthly choices for the "best makeup" are really new products they couldn't have used for a long time. They are usually brand new products, and sometimes they aren't even available. There is nothing more frustrating than going to every store in town looking for something that you finally learn hasn't even shipped to the stores. There's nothing wrong with alerting us to fabulous makeup (or any beauty products) that will be arriving in stores; that's a great service. Just don't make us think we can buy it now!

Eye creams have many virtues, but they can't remove under-eye bags that are caused by fat that has shifted downward with time. Removing bags cannot be achieved with cosmetics. It takes surgery. The appearance of under-eye bags can be lessened with injectables (facial fillers) around them to plump the skin where it is sunken around the fat. You'll need a physician for that. Eye creams can tighten the skin slightly, with caffeine and other ingredients, but they will never make fat melt. The same principle is true for creams that are supposed to dissolve the cellulite on your legs. Don't spend a lot of money on those creams. A temporary firming is all you will achieve.

Now, to the subject of beauty bloggers. There may be thousands of us, and my feeling is the more the merrier. I love reading blogs, and some of my favorites are relatively new. Unfortunately, there are a few beauty bloggers - fortunately not many - who trade on their "blog power" in a self-serving way. They feel entitled by their perceptions of power. Some examples? You tell me if this is acceptable behavior.

• Slam individuals who depend on their jobs in the industry because you were unhappy with your treatment, not caring or trying to understand why things might have happened the way they did.
• Purchase products to blog about them, with swatches and glowing reviews, only to return them once you have profited from them. Do these few bloggers not realize they are harming the sales people who help them - or worse that they are unethical?
• Break U.S. federal regulations by not sufficiently disclosing in a feature that the product reviewed was provided gratis. It's not OK, in my opinion, to put a general disclosure statement on a blog that from time to time companies send products for review - and consider that a disclosure. Many bloggers object to the federal requirement - I'm not sure why. Yes, we are singled out for unusual treatment, when magazines aren't. Oh well. I disclose gratis products in every feature I write - and I don't mind at all.
  
• Pester beauty companies and/or stores for gratis products. I'm enormously grateful for what is sent/given me for free, but I've got good reason to believe (and proof) that some bloggers take advantage of the generosity.
  
• Copy other bloggers' features in their entirety and publish the content on their own sites without permission. During the last six months, I have found my complete blog posts on four other "blogs"! Charlie is there, my arm is there, my opinions are there - in one case without any attribution. Gaia and Kari have also suffered the same fate. It's frustrating because many of those blogs are beyond reach in countries that will not enforce U.S. copyright laws. Grrr!

That's what's been on my mind. What's on yours?

Weekend Rant - Sex and Nudity

Are you tired of sex, nudity, and exhibitionism? It's everywhere - in advertising, fashion pages, entertainment, politics, and everywhere else. You'd think people in the United States were obsessed with sex. Are we really no more sophisticated than a randy bunch of male teenagers?

The new Gucci Guilty advertisement? Sex. The pages of W, Vogue, and other popular fashion magazines? Nudity (not fashion). I want look at clothing, not naked women. I can buy Playboy if that's my thing. The red carpet? The girls have become a bit too exposed. Clearly, Hollywood Fashion Tape can't hold on to a dress bulging with silicone or saline. I got so tired of Dolce & Gabbana's tasteless advertisements, I stopped buying their clothing. And I like my leopard print, silk-lined suit jackets. Even politics is now impregnated with sex bombs, as the indiscretions of political leaders have become big money and front-page news. Can you even imagine meeting a presidential candidate and the first thing out of your mouth is, "You're hot"?

Since when did it become OK to run to the mall wearing little more than a bra from the waist up? Why do parents let their young girls go to school looking like street-walking tramps? Are we shocked by nothing? Have sex and nudity become the norm? No wonder other cultures regard us with disdain.

I've had it with sex - and I don't mean what you think. I'm tired of the relentless pressure on women, especially young women. The message is, "You need to look sexy to look beautiful." Grace Kelly was beautiful. Women wanted to look like her; men wanted her. She didn't project sex - she projected "gorgeous." The mind can make the leap without help! Do they think we're all stupid?

Did Madonna start this trend? No, she's just a wickedly savvy entertainer who recognized a good thing and used it to her advantage. Same with Lady Gaga, who continues the exhibitionism for the latest generation of wannabes. Apparently, sex sells.

The next time you read a women's magazine, take note of the advertisements and editorial pages that scream sex. If I had a daughter, I wouldn't want her to think that her value to the world - and attractiveness - is inextricably linked to sex.

I think it's time for a sea change. What do you think? Have I gone round the bend?

Photos courtesy of Maybelline, Dolce & Gabbana, and Madonna, only a few I could have selected for this rant