The New Kat Von D Collection at Sephora

I am so excited about the Kat Von D collection that she did for Sephora! Her makeup always looks incredible, and her coloring is similar to mine, so I have high hopes for the color combinations for us girls who aren't blond. Her line currently includes eye shadow palettes, liquid eye liner, lipstick, and a set of brushes. The eyeshadow palettes were apparently created with Kat's love of the smokey eye and each of them have seven shades to help you get that look. One palette, the Ludwig, looks like it might be a little more on the neutral/light side, while the Beethoven looks a bit darker. I haven't seen these in person yet, so it's hard to say by the website, but I am lemming this line pretty badly. I'm a huge fan of liquid liners, so I was very intrigued with her liner line. Looks like the Autograph Eyeliner sports some fun shades, both shimmery/metallic as well as matte.

I'll probably pass on the eye shadow brush set, as most of these I already have in various different forms. The case is lovely, though, and from what I can see on the website, they look to be of good quality. But I will write a more thorough review of them after I return from my Sephora jaunt in a week or two!

Beautiful Speed Racer

Speed Racer is a really beautiful movie. The storyline is kind of "meh," but my 7 year old son loved it. But the visual effects were striking: bold uses of color, sharp graphics, and bright outfits really made everything stand out.

Because it was a rather long movie with a few slow bits thrown in, I found myself really checking out Christina Ricci's makeup in the film. It was lovely. Very traditional nude face with a striking red lip. The red that they used must have been a blue-based red, which really pops on a pale face, which is, I'm sure, exactly what they were going for. The dark hair also made the lips stand out. I could tell they also used a liquid liner on the top lids only, with light mascara. The eyeshadow was definitely matte nude, and the overall effect was striking.

I'm inspired to try the look myself. When I do, I'll be sure to post!

Total Beauty Web Tour

Time to check in with my Total Beauty bloggers and see what the buzz is this week. Happy reading!

Beauty's Spot goes back to her college days to give you her oldest beauty secret, The Soap Opera.

Beauty Anonymous shows you Givenchy Summer 2008 Makeup Collection!

Beauty411 reviews Soaptopia, a bath line that promised to be "100% junk free"! Check it out!

The Beauty of Life brings you the highs and lows from the celebs' beauty looks at the Costume Institute Gala.

What makes you feel your most beautiful? Toya at The Life of A Ladybug wants to know!

Kitiya from Mischo Beauty helps you determine if you’re a candidate for microdermabrasion!

Monique from Beauty Girl Musings finds a great natural deep conditioner is not so natural after all...

The Muse whispers in your ear about Benefit's new cheek stain and has a link to swatches!.

Jeanne at Periodic Style goes platinum -- is it really true about blondes having more fun?

Christine, from Beauty in Real Life, offers up some phenom looks for spring for under $25.

Henna, from CanadianBeauty.com, tells you about a fabulous new scent inspired by Andy Warhol!

Mother's Day

If you don't recognize at least SOMETHING in this, you're not human!

Carol's Daughter Coming to HSN

One of our favorite beauty brands is coming to HSN this weekend! Check out some of Carol's Daughter's fantastic products, and even call in to share your experiences. Starting today through Saturday, you can catch them at various different times. Be sure to check HSN's listings, though, because I'm notoriously bad at catching anything on TV. Long live TiVO!

FOTD: LORAC Croc Palette

Did I mention that I won a free LORAC Croc Palette from Total Beauty? No? Well, it arrived yesterday, and of course I decided to try it out today.

Forgive the photo - it was taken with Photo Booth while sitting at my desk at work.

Here is what I used for this look:

1.Laura Geller Spackle: still one of my favorite primers; applied evenly over entire face
2.Laura Geller Caulk Pencil: an excellent concealer. Used on problem spots and under my eyes.
3.NARS Oil Free Foundation: applied with foundation brush evenly.
4. MAC Studio Fix Powder: applied with a big brush.
5. Next comes the Croc Palette: the blush is called Soul and is described as a burnished rose. I applied this lightly to the apples of my cheeks.
6. Then I moved on to my standby,Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I use this every day. It really does a fantastic job keeping my eyeshadow on my kind of oily eyelids.
7. Back to the Croc Palette: I brushed the lightest color, Moonstone, all over the lid as a highlight.
8. On the lower eyelid, I used Garnet, which is a nice bronze color. I covered the lower eyelid completely, then moved on to the crease:
9. Using Suede, which is a chocolate in the outer crease and along the lashline.
10. Then I lined my eyes with Rimmel Liquid Eye Liner in copper brown. I love this liquid eyeliner - it manages to be shimmery without being obnoxious, and the stiff brush makes it easy to apply.
11. Then I tried a new mascara (I've got a few reviews in the works for you!),Lorac - Lotsa Lash Mascara. I have only good things to say about this mascara so far, but it was my first day using it.
12. Finally, on the lips, another LORAC product,LORAC Co-Stars in French Kiss. A little darker than I normally use these days, but the lasting power was pretty darn good.

If you're looking for a good solid neutral palette, I would definitely recommend the LORAC palette. The shadows were long wearing, and nicely pigmented. I'm pleased with it, and will certainly be using it often.

Who - Five O'Clock Heroes feat. Agyness Deyn

Never been too sure about Agyness, but I have to admit, she does have a voice.

Summer Loves: Infrashine Flat Iron


As I think I've mentioned here before (about a million times and then some) my hair has to be beat into submission. One day when curly hair comes back into vogue, I will be absolutely thrilled, but until then I have to rely on fabulous hair styling tools to make my hair behave the way I want it to. But a quick recap before I talk about the infrashine flat iron: My hair is dark brown, almost black with bright red highlights; it's coarse, curly, and cut shoulder length. It's super thick, requires thinning, and has never been straight a day in it's life. In fact, due to hormonal changes during pregnancy (I'm guessing - or the curly headed gods singled me out) it got even curlier after I had my first child. These aren't the gorgeous beach tossed waves or ringlet curls we're talking about. No, no - these are frizzy, out of control wild kinky waves/curls that just you just can't leave alone.

Clearly, I need powerful tools to get the job done. Because you know I want the soft, shiny, straight hair that I see in all the magazines. No curls for me, thank you. But it is a challenge to get my hair to be both straight and shiny - shine is hard to come by on curly headed girls.

I should also state that I have tried dozens of flat irons, from drugstore brands all the way on up. My position is that you should invest in a good flat iron as soon as possible. Wasting your time on cheaper versions only end up costing you more and frustrating you in the end.

Whew. Okay. Moving on! Here is the product description:


Previously known as UNIL, the 1" ceramic Infrashine flat iron is one of our top sellers and favorite picks, offering maximum styling options and superior hair conditioning. With rapid infrared ray heating from ceramic heaters and ceramic coated paddles to protect hair color and condition follicles, this iron also features adjustable thermostat control for different hair textures, even chemically treated, fine or damaged hair. Very lightweight and flexible for easy styling (just over .5 lbs!). See more shine and less damage with the Infrashine Flat Iron.
Let me just say that this sucker gets hot! And that's a good thing! The temperature is controllable and can go anywhere from 140 to 400 degrees. I did not test this out on anything other than full on hot: 400 degrees. It worked perfectly.

I managed to flat iron my entire head quickly, in less than 20 minutes, which for me is nothing short of amazing. This flat iron boasts an extra long cord, as well as excellent grip between the paddles to keep hair in place without losing sections as you iron. It's sturdy, made extremely well, and kept my breakage to a minimum. Does it add shine? I don't know. I didn't really notice anything extra, but I was too busy being amazed at how flat I was managing to get my unruly hair. I always add a shine booster after I flat iron anyway, so I can say that it certainly didn't hurt my shine factor. If anything, it made my hair so smooth that it gave the appearance of increased shine, and that is always a good thing.

And just between you and me? I reach for this flat iron just as often as I reach for my Chi. In fact, maybe more. It's that good. You can find this amazing flat iron at Misikko Beauty, and if you head over there now, you'll find that it's actually on sale for $104.99. An excellent price for a fantastic iron.

Random Thoughts for Today

I have no idea why, but I can't seem to put together a coherent post today! So let me just bulletize what is going on in my head:

  • Audrey Tatou is the new face of Chanel, and she was simply gorgeous at the Met's gala last night. Have I mentioned how gorgeous I think she is?
  • I am obsessed with Madonna's new song Four Minutes. Madonna is hot, JT is sexy, and Timbaland is a genius.
  • My big win from the Macy's raffle was disappointing: a beach bag, a beach towel, some Maidenform flip flops, soap from the dollar store, and two Clarins products.
  • I did, however, make a Chanel haul when I was picking up my prize: Flamingo nail polish and the green mascara, both from the summer collection which I am loving beyond all measure. I must do a FOTD.
  • I am completely obsessed with The Tudors. If you aren't watching this show, you absolutely should be.
  • I still have not seen Juno, although I did go see Horton Hears a Who. I obviously have children!

Mother's Day: "Mommy Needs Coffee" Mug

The Happy Woman® Store "Mommy Needs Coffee" Mug

The funniest thing about this gift (that I'm really hoping I actually get!) is the fact that I must say this at least once every day. At least! If the mom in your life needs that morning coffee to get going, I can't think of a better gift to give her. Trust me, she'll appreciate it! (via javajenn)

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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