My Day of Makeup Shopping

Lovingly laid out for you here on the most gorgeous marble sink I have ever seen is the fruit of my shopping efforts. Here is what I am taking home:

  • MAC Heatherette Eye Trio 2
  • Sephora Bronzer Brush #44
  • MAC Shimmer Blush in Flirt and Tease
  • Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Glide Pencil in Bourbon
  • Cargo Bronzer in Light
All that is missing here is the huge bottle of Chinatown by Bond No. 9 that I forgot to add. I'm going to be forbidden to enter any shopping establishment for quite some time.

Chanel Summer Collection: Oasis Swatches


It would be nice if I would actually use my digital camera rather than my iPhone. But it was there, and well, I was in a hurry. Here we have Chanel's limited edition eye quad in Oasis. I was really excited about this quad, and then I put it on and I was kind of meh about it. I do love the liner, Vert Bronze, though. It goes very well with these colors and glides on much easier than my other Chanel eyeliner. It is the waterproof liner versus the eye pencil.

I think I will grow to love these as I use them more. The green/khaki on the far left is really lovely in the crease, and the bronze on the far right is dark enough to use almost completely on it's own with a shimmery coppery eyeliner to really get that bronze look. It's the peach and pink I'm struggling with. However, they are heavily pigmented, just as you would expect from Chanel, although they didn't have the shimmer that I thought they would. Regardless, I'll be wearing this quad a lot this summer.

Do you love my shower curtain? Of course you do.

Total Beauty Web Tour


Let's see what the other fabulous Total Beauty bloggers are talking about this week, shall we?

Laurie at Beauty's Spot finally dishes on meeting Lauren Conrad at Fashion week and gives you the details on Mark. Cosmetics' makeup backstage!

Want long, lush lashes? The Beauty of Life offers you the chance to win some with an amazingly lash-tastic contest, courtesy of Ardell Fashion Lashes!

Monique at beauty girl musings shares her timesaving discovery that you are sure to love!

Tink at Casual Lavish shares her newest creations with you. Check out her Delusions of Alice nail polish "frankening" collection.

The Muse reviews the Kiss Spring 2008 Collection directly from Japan!

A Mom in Red High Heels shares about her consultation with makeup artist lebec of lebec cosmetics. Check out all that she learned!

Tea, anyone? Jeanne of Periodic Style spills on some green tea goodies!

Jennifer, from Beauty in Real Life, gives you the tips to avoid the dreaded mascara smudgies!

Beauty411 reviews the Kate Somerville skin care line. Learn how you can get your own Red Carpet glow!

Budget Beauty Love shows you how to get a Cleopatra inspired eye.

Joy from Makeup Junkie gets our skin prepped for summer with Beauty 101: Beauty Prep For Summer Part 1!

Mischo Beauty is pleasantly surprised after using natural skincare and mineral makeup by Erth.

Toya is looking for makeup artists and beauty mavens of color who'd like to be featured on her site!

Laptop Bags

Laptop Bags

I'm ready for a new laptop bag, but there aren't many out there that I would actually consider carrying. For a while, I used a Betsey Johnson tote to carry it around in, but realized that I was better off keeping things seperate, like power cords and whatnot. Anyway, here are a few cute ones that I found while surfing. I'm still not really sold on any of them yet. Except for the poppy sleeve. That one has my name all over it.

See more of my Laptop Bags list at ThisNext.


Something New: Cargo Melt-Proof Collection


Surfing Sephora today (making my wish list for Saturday, of course), I stumbled across something super cool. Some of my Total Beauty friends recommended the Cargo bronzer on the boards recently, and seeing as how I've been on the hunt for a bronzer that is natural-looking without being too dark, I thought I'd give Cargo a try. But look at this neatness: Melt-Proof bronzer, three in one eye/cheek/lip palette, and mascara in one collection! Melt-Proof! Have we discussed the East Coast summers? No? Well, let me just tell you about humidity here. It's crushing.

Anyway, Cargo tells us that they use "a mixture of emollients and waxes to form a water-resistant film on the skin." My only question would be: what do I use to take it off? I still haven't found a decent eye makeup remover. Any suggestions? Because this little collection will be in my makeup bag come Saturday.

PS: this collection is available only at Sephora, and the image is from there too. :)

My New Bag

I was out and about shopping today (not too much - have to save for my trip to Tyson's Corner on Saturday!), but I did find the greatest bag that I just had to have. Undoubtably, it's the cobalt blue that did me in. This beauty is the Maxx New York Monte Carlo Shopper in Electric Blue. Isn't it fantastic? I have never owned a Maxx New York item before, but the website is most fantastic - you must check it out.

At any rate, the bag is nice and roomy, but the best part (besides the blue color) is the zebra print lining inside. Fun! Lots of pockets both inside and out, with a special spot for the iPhone. It's not a bag that you can throw over your shoulder, but it is fun and kicky with it's shiny exterior and the buckles on either side. And the price was certainly right!

Summer Lovin: CHI Flat Iron

So, my CHI Pink Dazzle Limited Edition showed up recently, and I have to say, I'm totally loving it! I'm not sure what makes CHI different from my Tigi Bed Head flat iron that I got from Target, but there is a significant difference. I have a suspicion that it gets much hotter and the plates stay together better, thereby keeping my curly, coarse hair under control. This flat iron produces consistent results, and even came with a cute little travel case! This is a good thing, because I can't imagine being without it. So, what they say is true - invest in a good flat iron if your hair is thick like mine - you won't regret it in the long run. I've gone through four flat irons and spent far more money on them than I would if I would have just gotten a decent one in the first place. Consider me converted!

NARS Cosmetics Spring 2010

Total Beauty

About Me

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Meredith Edwards-Cornwall is the founder of online lifestyle websites RetrodivasBeauty.com and RetrodivasCloset.com. She is also known as @retrodiva on Twitter. She specializes in drinking large amounts of espresso, shopping, and enjoying social media. In all of her free time she writes for StyleBakeryMom.com twice a week, and does various other freelance gigs involving writing, designing, and generally being awesome. While she believes that success is indeed a job in New York, she currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband, two children, and two cats and has hung on to her day job.

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