Total Beauty Web Tour


Is everyone out there twittering these days? I know I am. I have developed quite an addiction! If you're on Twitter, add me! I'd love to add some new folks to follow.

In the meantime, here are some superfab reads from my fellow bloggers over at Total Beauty. You don't want to miss these.

Fifty-Cent Head reviews the 2008 Readers' Choice Awards in two posts, because there are so many (and so much to say!): Part One and Part Two.

Viva Woman takes a close look at ingredients in mineral makeup that can cause irritation to your face.

Who couldn't use a little stress relief? Beauty411 raves about Johnson's Melt Away Stress line; check it out and enter the contest to win a free assortment of Melt Away Stress products!

Beauty Anonymous loves Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer for lips!

Talking Makeup loves Smooth
Indulgence Concealer
by Dermablend.

Alison (aka. "Advice Sister Alison") of The Advice Sisters de-mystifies beauty product labels.

Kitiya from Mischo Beauty invites you to enter her “Mischo Beauty Johnson & Johnson Melt Away Stress Giveway!”

The Beauty of Life welcomes in the dog days of summer with an assortment of cocktail-inspired beauty products!

Bare Escentuals' Warm Radiance has passed muster with Toya of "The Life of A Ladybug!" Come check this out and the rest of her "Bronzers for Brown Girls" series!

Hair Therapy continues for Monique at Beauty Girl Musings!

Jeanne from Periodic Style is back from her Vegas vacation and wonders what to do with her winnings...

Beauty in Real Life has the scoop on the soon-to-be-released, fab new colors for CoverGirl Eye Enhancers.

Joy from Makeup Junkie is wondering if no! no! is A No-No? Check out Week 1 of her review!

Henna from Canadian Beauty found a gloss that really lasts - find out which one she's using!

Laurie at Beauty's Spot sacrifices her perfect tan to bring you the skinny on L'Oreal Sublime Bronze ProPerfect Airbrush Self Tanning Mist.

Product Review: American Cream Conditioner by Lush


Yes, I know. I have written about my love for all things Lush before, haven't I? I can't help it. Their products are almost completely across the board fantastic, and they are certainly socially conscious, making sure to use eco-friendly ingredients, keep their products mostly vegetarian, and use free trade practices almost exclusively. I have not run into many items from Lush that I wouldn't purchase again, and I love to feature such a fantastic company.

American Cream Conditioner by LUSHis described as a sweet honey milkshake for the hair. Like all Lush products, it smells heavenly, and you'll find yourself catching a whiff of it every now and again, which is a good thing. Praised for it's softening abilities, it claims to help even frizzy hair calm itself.

If I was a person who wanted to use only natural products, American Cream Conditioner would be my conditioner of choice. I'd buy it by the gallon and use it every day. However, because my hair is so frizzy and wild, I prefer modern silicones in my hair products - as many as I can get. Because American Cream Conditioner is silicone free, I don't find it works quite as well as my other conditioners, although I can appreciate that it is due to it's mostly natural formulation. So for the type of product it is, it's excellent.

And, just for fun, here are a few of my favorite Lush products. Have you tried Lush? What do you think?

Today's Eyes: Bleu Celeste

I was inspired by Temptalia's Blue Eyes Challenge, so today I broke out my Chanel Bleu Celeste palette and Blue Jean eyeliner. My looks aren't nearly as dramatic as the ones on Temptalia's site, but trust me - this is as much blue as one girl really needs.

On my lashes I'm also wearing Urban Decay Big Fatty Colored Mascara in indigo. It's really fun, and the formula is just as good as the regular Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara.

Well, Look Here!

Look what I found while browsing the internets! Apparently the new season will begin next month - and the time slot moves to 10 PM instead of 9 PM.

Buzz Sugar has more info on the upcoming premiere and why the time slot was changed.

I am so excited! How about you? Are you a ProjRun fan? Because I'm obsessed.

Beach Waves

Doesn't this thing look like a old-fashioned torture device? Seriously. It's crazy. And it's big. But it totally gives you those beach waves that you are craving this summer.

I picked up the Revlon 3-Barrel Jumbo Waver while on my trip to Denver. My husband couldn't quite figure out what it was, but it was too exhausting to explain it. At any rate, I just got around to trying it out, and it works really well.

My one complaint is in the design of the tool. When I was using it, somehow I kept accidentally turning the power switch to the off position, which obviously was a problem. I need my irons hot, hot, hot, and I would have to stop midway through and let it heat up a bit more. I'm not sure if that was just complete user error or what, but it's something I'm going to have to pay attention to the next time I use it.

Other than that, this iron works exactly as it claims - you clamp it on small sections of hair (I sectioned my hair exactly as I would if flat-ironing it, so as to make sure I kept all the hair consistent), unclamp, and move down the hair shaft. It's super quick and easy, and the waves you get stay in quite well, if the iron is hot enough.

Because it's actually easier and less labor-intensive than flat-ironing, it is a great way to get summer hair without a lot of fuss. Well worth the $20 I paid for it!

We're Now on Facebook

Finally, I got around to getting a group started on Facebook! All the cool kids are doing it! Jump on over and join up!

I've Been Tagged Again!

I've been tagged again! These things are so much fun, I never pass up a meme. Here we go!

  • Post rules at the beginning of the post.
  • Answer all the questions.
  • Tag 6 people, and go to their blog and leave a comment to inform them that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
  • Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Let's see, in 1998 I was at Old Dominion University finishing up my journalism degree with a minor in women's studies. I was already married, and my husband was on a six month deployment most of that year.
What are 5 things on your to do list today?
  • make dinner for a change
  • learn how to use the easy bake oven with the kids without setting the place on fire
  • exfoliate and self-tan
  • do some accounting work for the business
  • laundry
Snacks you enjoy?
cheese, especially Dubliner; chocolate - any kind, really, although I prefer Belgian
Places you have lived?
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Ridgecrest, CA
  • Corpus Christi, TX
  • Virginia Beach, VA
Five things you would do if you were a billionaire:
  • pay off the last of the debt
  • travel, travel, travel
  • buy a summer home in Greece
  • set up a fund for brain tumor research
People you want to know more about:
This is tough. I always want to know more about strong women who have gone against the grain and made their way, I find these stories inspiring.

Right on! Thanks to Jennifer at Beauty in Real Life for tagging me! Is there anyone who hasn't been tagged yet? I'm going to hit up Carla at Product Girl, Monique at Beauty Girl Musings, Lianne at The Makeup Girl, Jen38 at Mythbuster Beauty, and Fabulista over at Beauty Blogging Junkie.

Benefit's New Perfume


I got an email from Benefit announcing their new perfume! I was a fan of maybe baby eau de toilette for a really long time. In fact, I think I wore it all last summer. B spot, however, looks a bit more sophisticated and intriguing. Notes include mango, freesia, peony, sandalwood and amber.

I'm scared of sandalwood - it usually overpowers everything else on me, and I'm not a huge fan. But I love amber, especially mixed with light florals for spring or summer.

What say you? Will you be trying it out?

OPI's Sea Ya Later, Sailor


This is a super fun blue - it's light, sparkly, and part of OPI's Retro Fun in the Sun line, which I adore already, and I've only tried one. It's hard to see here, but each of the colors are glittery, but not obnoxiously so. I don't feel like it would be better suited to a 16 year old, just that it's fun without being completely in your face. The color is sheer and light, and I got three compliments on it just today alone. Fun!

Shopping at Ulta


Did a bit of shopping at Ulta today! I was looking for the China Glaze Ink collection (still), but was unable to find it. Instead, I picked up some mini collections and a few wants from Urban Decay. Here is my haul:

So I will have plenty to write about in the next few days!

Eye of the Day

I'm still in Colorado, and the wedding was last night. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired and couldn't muster up a lot of energy for eye makeup today. But I've been inspired by the teal eyeliner craze lately, so I picked up Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Electric, which is an aquamarine blue. There is only one shade on my lid (I told you I was lazy today), and that is Woodwinked by MAC. The lashes have Lorac Lotsa Lash Mascara on them. I'm still enjoying this mascara.

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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