Dans le style d'un...
Shopping Blog
I originally had planned to check out a farmers' market in West Windsor this afternoon, but when I drove past the site (near the Princeton Junction station), all I saw was one lone tent and a couple of vendor trucks pulling out. I'm thinking it was due to the rainy bluster of the weather.
Rather than slink back home and torturously develop another plan for the day, I decided to head north to Menlo Park Mall. There's been so much hype around the Uniqlo flagship store opening in Soho this week; I wanted to finally leverage my Jersey-ness by re-visiting the Uniqlo in Edison. So, how did it go?
Well, I walked into Nordstrom, which was holding a beauty event. I can't resist any opportunity to have people use me as a canvas, so I wended my way through the different cosmetic counters. At first, I was thinking, Chanel. My rationale: I wanted to have really expensive products available to be applied to my face! Then again, with the expectation that I'd actually have to buy a couple of things, it would be ... Cutting off my nose to spite my face? Six of one, half dozen of the other?
Unfortunately, this reasoning only occurred to me after I'd actually clambered into the chair with the Chanel artist. When I saw Laura Mercier products at the station to the left, I decided that it would be worth seeming like a rude weirdo to switch. I couldn't quell my inner voice telling me: Laura Mercier = fresh-faced and luminous, Chanel = French sophisticate a la Carine Roitfield.
Not that I would mind looking like Carine, but I just thought I'd be able to get away with the former far easier than the latter. Somewhat timidly, I asked the Chanel artist whether she would mind if I got my makeup done "next door" instead, explaining that I already use Laura Mercier products (not a lie!) The Chanel artist was really gracious and not awkward-making about it and said, "We want you to be happy!" Clearly, I should've gotten in touch with this lady a long time ago.
So, Laura Mercier. I'll start with what I ended up buying, because I'm pretty excited about it.
This eye palette:
And this cream.
As for the experience - it was kind of hilarious because the artist that was doing my face was a spaz. She kept misplacing brushes, didn't know what any of the products cost, and actually made my eyes tear (reminiscent of the time at Douglas when a well-intentioned Origins lady got that absurd mint gel in Lisa's eyes) as she tried to line the "membrane" of my eyelids with a brush.
Okay. I'll allow that it must be extremely difficult to do such a thing to someone else, but please - don't keep insist on CONTINUING when your client/victim has tears running down her "flawless skin". And don't say that you're applying makeup to a "membrane". It sounds like a hygiene "don't" at best. Although of course it looks wonderful. I do it every day :^) I'm just thinking "inner eyelid", not "membrane", when I do it.
She did a nice job, though! In the end, my eye makeup looked intense, very "let's create some dramatic violet-hued depth to your eye socket where it doesn't exist". This effect was somewhat obscured by my wearing glasses, but overall, I thought I looked very "made up" in an amusingly mature and worldly way (read: not so much fresh-faced or luminous). Well, I was really excited by all the dabbing and brushing that she did with my eyes - hence buying the eye palette. I'll try to reproduce the look on Monday. Ooh, already super excited!
And I know that my skin will be flaky and parched in a few weeks, so I sprang for the face cream. I'm not that happy in retrospect to have paid so much for it, especially as I remembered later that I've been wanting to try something more drugstore. I might pick some cheapie stuff up tomorrow and experiment using both products. I will use each product on each half of my face for a week and if you see me, you can let me know what you think. If only it could be a double-blind! Speaking of price, I should mention that I got some "deluxe" samples: a moisture mask, a compact powder foundation, and an eye shimmer cream in a little brown nylon pouch. Samples always weaken the blow...
I am pretty mentally exhausted right now, so I'll just quickly enlist the other spoils of my day:
The wool "Charlie" coat at J. Crew. Unbelievably cute.
Clothes from J. Crew consistently fit me wonderfully, which is more than I can say about any other store. (Hear that, Banana Republic? Whatever, you suck anyway.) Anyway, the reason I've been obsessed with this coat ever since I tried it on last weekend in New York?
Proportion. And I don't mean in the manner of recent fashion parlance, where 'proportion' usually refers to a witty play with volume. I really just mean how much proportion matters in the fit and flattery of a garment.
Three-quarter sleeves and rather short length (to say nothing of the nautical double-breastedness and Peter Pan collar) made this coat look great on me because I'm petite (an unwilling petite, because I hate the word 'petite' and all its pert Asian yuppie connotations).
I almost forgot a real piece of news! J. Crew has started a rewards program! I found this out because I applied for a J. Crew credit card to get a 10% discount on the coat. The saleswoman told me that for each $500 you spend, you'll receive $25 in rewards! Pretty great! Intrigued, I checked J. Crew's site and it's true, true, true. I didn't need motivation to spend any more money at J. Crew, especially at the sales and outlets, but I guess I just got some :^)
Uniqlo? They were having a 20% off anniversary sale, so I decided to be a trendster and bought another pair of really cheapie dark denim skinny jeans. I wasn't overwhelmed by the rest of the merchandise at the store, though of course I'm eagerly anticipating what's to come next spring with its collections by Philip Lim and the like.
I'm tired and it's time to finally wash this violet-hued drama from my eyes. Night!
I originally had planned to check out a farmers' market in West Windsor this afternoon, but when I drove past the site (near the Princeton Junction station), all I saw was one lone tent and a couple of vendor trucks pulling out. I'm thinking it was due to the rainy bluster of the weather.
Rather than slink back home and torturously develop another plan for the day, I decided to head north to Menlo Park Mall. There's been so much hype around the Uniqlo flagship store opening in Soho this week; I wanted to finally leverage my Jersey-ness by re-visiting the Uniqlo in Edison. So, how did it go?
Well, I walked into Nordstrom, which was holding a beauty event. I can't resist any opportunity to have people use me as a canvas, so I wended my way through the different cosmetic counters. At first, I was thinking, Chanel. My rationale: I wanted to have really expensive products available to be applied to my face! Then again, with the expectation that I'd actually have to buy a couple of things, it would be ... Cutting off my nose to spite my face? Six of one, half dozen of the other?
Unfortunately, this reasoning only occurred to me after I'd actually clambered into the chair with the Chanel artist. When I saw Laura Mercier products at the station to the left, I decided that it would be worth seeming like a rude weirdo to switch. I couldn't quell my inner voice telling me: Laura Mercier = fresh-faced and luminous, Chanel = French sophisticate a la Carine Roitfield.
Not that I would mind looking like Carine, but I just thought I'd be able to get away with the former far easier than the latter. Somewhat timidly, I asked the Chanel artist whether she would mind if I got my makeup done "next door" instead, explaining that I already use Laura Mercier products (not a lie!) The Chanel artist was really gracious and not awkward-making about it and said, "We want you to be happy!" Clearly, I should've gotten in touch with this lady a long time ago.
So, Laura Mercier. I'll start with what I ended up buying, because I'm pretty excited about it.
This eye palette:
And this cream.
As for the experience - it was kind of hilarious because the artist that was doing my face was a spaz. She kept misplacing brushes, didn't know what any of the products cost, and actually made my eyes tear (reminiscent of the time at Douglas when a well-intentioned Origins lady got that absurd mint gel in Lisa's eyes) as she tried to line the "membrane" of my eyelids with a brush.
Okay. I'll allow that it must be extremely difficult to do such a thing to someone else, but please - don't keep insist on CONTINUING when your client/victim has tears running down her "flawless skin". And don't say that you're applying makeup to a "membrane". It sounds like a hygiene "don't" at best. Although of course it looks wonderful. I do it every day :^) I'm just thinking "inner eyelid", not "membrane", when I do it.
She did a nice job, though! In the end, my eye makeup looked intense, very "let's create some dramatic violet-hued depth to your eye socket where it doesn't exist". This effect was somewhat obscured by my wearing glasses, but overall, I thought I looked very "made up" in an amusingly mature and worldly way (read: not so much fresh-faced or luminous). Well, I was really excited by all the dabbing and brushing that she did with my eyes - hence buying the eye palette. I'll try to reproduce the look on Monday. Ooh, already super excited!
And I know that my skin will be flaky and parched in a few weeks, so I sprang for the face cream. I'm not that happy in retrospect to have paid so much for it, especially as I remembered later that I've been wanting to try something more drugstore. I might pick some cheapie stuff up tomorrow and experiment using both products. I will use each product on each half of my face for a week and if you see me, you can let me know what you think. If only it could be a double-blind! Speaking of price, I should mention that I got some "deluxe" samples: a moisture mask, a compact powder foundation, and an eye shimmer cream in a little brown nylon pouch. Samples always weaken the blow...
I am pretty mentally exhausted right now, so I'll just quickly enlist the other spoils of my day:
The wool "Charlie" coat at J. Crew. Unbelievably cute.
Clothes from J. Crew consistently fit me wonderfully, which is more than I can say about any other store. (Hear that, Banana Republic? Whatever, you suck anyway.) Anyway, the reason I've been obsessed with this coat ever since I tried it on last weekend in New York?
Proportion. And I don't mean in the manner of recent fashion parlance, where 'proportion' usually refers to a witty play with volume. I really just mean how much proportion matters in the fit and flattery of a garment.
Three-quarter sleeves and rather short length (to say nothing of the nautical double-breastedness and Peter Pan collar) made this coat look great on me because I'm petite (an unwilling petite, because I hate the word 'petite' and all its pert Asian yuppie connotations).
I almost forgot a real piece of news! J. Crew has started a rewards program! I found this out because I applied for a J. Crew credit card to get a 10% discount on the coat. The saleswoman told me that for each $500 you spend, you'll receive $25 in rewards! Pretty great! Intrigued, I checked J. Crew's site and it's true, true, true. I didn't need motivation to spend any more money at J. Crew, especially at the sales and outlets, but I guess I just got some :^)
Uniqlo? They were having a 20% off anniversary sale, so I decided to be a trendster and bought another pair of really cheapie dark denim skinny jeans. I wasn't overwhelmed by the rest of the merchandise at the store, though of course I'm eagerly anticipating what's to come next spring with its collections by Philip Lim and the like.
I'm tired and it's time to finally wash this violet-hued drama from my eyes. Night!