Total Beauty Bloggers Web Tour: What the Cool Kids are Talking About

Time to see what my Total Beauty Bloggers are chatting out this week. Come along for the ride!

The Makeup Divas
reviews Clinique's Quick Eyes Cream Shadows and Blushcream Stick.

Enter to win a Twisted Silver necklace worth $80 from Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog.

Viva Woman shows you how colored stockings can add style and fashion to your wardrobe.

Beauty Tyrant has found a very effective 3 steps waist slimming exercise!

Beauty Anonymous plays with the fall nail colors of OPI's France Collection.

Alison of the Advice Sisters is blogging daily about Fashion Week, including sneak peek, up-close-and-personal reports of latest hair and makeup trends that you'll want to be wearing in Spring 2009

Frappelattes finds another skin brightening serum to rave about, perfect for correcting those summer sun spots!

Monique at Beauty Girl Musings finds a better alternative to Proactive Solution. Find out what it is!

Boutique Flair reviews The Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask.

Beauty411 discovers a foundation that thinks it's a skin treatment product, too!

Beauty Blogging Junkie's Napoleon Perdis Lip Service is her version of Napoleon Dynamite's precious ChapStick. If she were to leave it at home, she'd borrow "your guys's" phone to get someone to drop it off, stat.

Product Girl turns 3 years old in September! To celebrate they're doing a series of giveaways all month long. Enter their first giveaway, goodies from the MAC Cult of Cherry collection. Good luck!

Toya from The Life of A Ladybug has started a new feature: Ask me how to! Each week, she will answer a reader question. In the first installment, she shares how you can use your bronzer all year long!

A Mom in Red High Heels shares one of Fall Makeup's Hottest Trends. Find out what it is!

Christine over at Beauty in Real Life is loving everything L'Oreal lately. Check out her faves here.

Christina Aguilera Inspire New perfume-Talking Makeup!

This week, Spoiled Pretty is hooking you up, Gossip Girl style. Get in touch with your inner Serena and Blair, with two haute headbands, courtesy of Colette Malouf. Winners will also receive Gossip Girl: The Complete First Season on DVD. Enter today!

Smoky eyes are all the rage this Fall. NARS has a brand new sexy kit to help you get them, and you can win it only at Fifty-Cent Head. Post a comment and let the smoke begin!

Meredith at Daily Dose of Coffee isn't a fan of the mineral makeup craze but experiments with L'Oreal's Bare Naturale Mineral Eye Liner and actually likes it!

Glossypink is committed for life to this hair product.

In Case You Needed to Spend Any Money This Weekend

Ulta is having a pretty nice sale. Several of the things that I've talked about recently have been reduced in price, and there are a few bonuses for their prestige lines.

If you book an appointment for an in-store consultation, you can get free samples. Here is the list:

  • 3 Lorac samples (Neutralizer, makeup PREP, Breakthrough Performance Foundation Shade SMS2) with your Lorac consult.
  • Anastasia Clear Brow Gel sample with your Anastasia consult.
  • Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer with your Urban Decay consult.
  • Mini Sugar Lip Gloss with your Sugar consult.
  • Smashbox Mini Eye Shadow Trio with your Smashbox consult.
  • bareMinerals Mini Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Polish with your bareMinerals consult.
  • Purminerals Mineral Mudd Masque with your Purminerals consult.
  • Bourjois Lip Tint Pen with your Bourjois consult.
One brand gift per customer, and you must have a prebooked appointment.

Other sales and promotions going on:
  • Cover Girl cosmetics are buy one get one 1/2 off
  • Free eyeshadow or eyeliner of your choice with a purchase of any L'Oreal mascara
  • L'Oreal lip color is buy one get one free, as well as the face cosmetics
  • Natural Beauty Cosmetics Inspired by Carmindy by Sally Hansen is buy one get one 1/2 off
  • Rimmel and Rimmel Underground is buy one get one 1/2 off
  • Receive a free nail treatment with any $14 Essie purchase
Happy shopping! I'll be setting up an Urban Decay consult, I think. I'm always interested in what someone else can do with my look.

ProjRun: Episode 8 Random Thoughts


  • While I think Kenley is incredibly talented (I wasn't feeling the pattern on her Shanghai dress, though), is she crazy to talk back to the judges like that? Michael Kors might just hop up and bitchslap her if she's not careful.
  • Leanne is my favorite to win. Her designs are stylish, classic, wearable, and feminine. At the very least, I am looking forward to seeing her at Bryant Park, because she certainly deserves a slot.
  • I don't think that Blane REALLY wants to marry Mary-Kate Olsen, do you? Um...
  • Wasn't Korto's dress made out of the most beautiful print? I think she has fantastic style.
  • I love, love, love DVF. LOVE her. Every time I wear a wrap dress (which is just about every time I go out) I thank all the fashion gods for her. She's a genius.
  • I'm not going to miss Stella and her leatha. I'm surprised she made it as long as she did. I agree with MK when he calls her a one note.

Souvenir from Colorado: Melt Skincare Products

When I was in Denver for my sister-in-law's wedding, I happened across a Melt store at the mall. I was pretty excited because it reminded me a bit of Lush. I'm a huge fan of bath products, scrubs especially, and if they have amazing scents then I'm a loyal customer for life.

I enjoyed walking around the store, and the customer service was impeccable. I only found two scents that I really connected with, and one of them has since been discontinued, so I won't even bother talking about that one. The other one, Maharani Mist is a gardenia and tuberose combination, always a classic. I bought the bath salts, body scrub, and soap.

Overall, the products are okay. Nothing about them really stands out, although I do really like the Maharani Mist scent. I think they are ever-so-slightly overpriced, even if they are handmade. The quality is fine, just not over the top fantastic, like I associate with Lush. I think if you find a scent that you really connect with, then you'll probably love the line. Otherwise, you would probably be better of skipping it.

One word about their Glamazon line: just don't. It's considered a "face shine" in both a bronze tint and a luminizer. While it does give you a glow, it also balls up right on your skin. Not good.

Total Beauty Beauty Byte: Celeb Eyebrow Makeovers


Celebrity Eyebrow Makeovers

From pencil-thin to insanely bushy, see how stars like Madonna, Tyra Banks and Mariah Carey have tamed their unruly brows


Brows hold center stage in the beauty world, breeding "brow gurus" like Anastasia and more tweezing, waxing and threading techniques than ever. Why? Because they can make an amazing difference in how you look. Check out our gallery to see the improvements your favorite celebrities have made to their brows over the years and decide if you should step up your brow maintenance. Even if you have to lay off the tweezers for weeks ... it's worth it.

See eyebrows

Target's Next Collaboration is Jonathan Saunders

The Cut has some images of the next Go International collection by Jonathan Saunders from Target. With the exception of my Erin Featherstone coat last winter, I'm usually disappointed with these capsules. I see some promise with the cobalt tunic, though. It might be worth a closer look. Do you have luck with Target's Go International line?

British Catfight! Fun!



Absolutely hilarious. British people are so much fun when they drink, aren't they? And on a beauty related note, doesn't Lilly Allen look fab? Her dress was magnificent, and I'm so glad she got rid of that blonde hair - it didn't do her any favors.

Total Beauty Beauty Byte: Discount Deals of the Week


Discount Deals of the Week

Check out these free samples, beauty product steals and contests from top brands like Clinique. Hurry, they won't last long!


Everyone loves a good bargain, which is why we've rounded up some of the best deals, sample offers and contest opportunities from favorite beauty brands like Clinique, Stila, L'Oreal and more. Take advantage -- they'll only be around for another few weeks!

Shop deals

Getting Real: A Different Look at New York Fashion Week

The ever-so-talented Sarah Conley over at StyleItOnline.com is producing an amazing project that you all simply must check out. After attending New York Fashion Week three times, she found that she let the fashion culture affect how she felt about her self as a plus-size woman. Let's get real, people. The average American woman is a size 12-14, and doesn't even remotely fit into the size 0 that most of the models strut down the runway in. I truly think this is breaking some new ground and helping to make the spectacle that is Fashion Week more accessible to women of all shapes and sizes.

Enough talking about it. You must go over there right now and watch Chapter One: Introduction.

Photo by Peter Duhon via Flickr.

Style.com Brings New York Fashion Week to Your iPhone

I love my iPhone with a passion that might very well be close to obsession. I sleep with it right next to my head, I always have it with me, and I tend to text far more than I actually talk.

So it brought me such happiness to find out that I can almost be at New York Fashion Week with style.com's new iPhone app! Since I am not actually going to be joining in the fun, you can bet I'll be watching all the shows via my iPhone.

According to the description, you will be able to select the designer, and then flip through photos of the runway show. Or you can just push play for an easy slideshow. You can also select videos from the front page and choose from season and/or designer. The fall runway shows will be instantly delivered to your device. The app includes coutoure shows, the Style File blog, and runway videos.

Head on over to iTunes and download your copy - did I mention it was free? Now go!

Photo by Fr3d.org via Flickr

Total Beauty Beauty Byte: Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner


Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

Guest review by TotalBeauty.com editor Kristen Oldham-Giordani


This little pot o' liner is awesome. It goes on easier than a traditional liquid liner -- especially if you use a quality fine-tip brush -- and actually lasts.

See review

Total Beauty Beauty Byte: Your Makeup Could Be Causing Acne


Your Makeup Products Could Be Causing Acne

Maybe trying all those free makeup samples at once wasn't a great idea. Take this quiz to see if your beauty supply needs a makeover


Stress, the environment and hormones all contribute to unsightly blemishes ... but could part of the problem be your makeup? Even seemingly acne-friendly products can clog your pores if they're not right for your skin -- or if you're combining them with not-so-skin-friendly habits. Take this quiz to see if your makeup products and practices put you at a higher risk for acne.

Test your routine

More Mineral Makeup Goodness: L'Oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Eye Liner

Here is my disclaimer: I'm not into mineral makeup. I tried it when it first came out, and it was an absolute disaster - instead of a beautiful coverage, it made my face look worse than it did before makeup. My pores looked larger, everything looked cakey, and I couldn't get it off fast enough. Plus, I've never been impressed with the color selection, since everything always looked neutral, and I'm not much of a neutral girl. So I'm always kind of "meh" about any kind of mineral makeup line.

However, this particular eyeliner might just change my mind. I tried L'Oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Eye Liner in Defining Bronze, and I was surprised at how pigmented it was. It didn't take much to create a beautiful solid line on my upper lash, and it was easier to use than I thought it would be.

The included brush isn't bad, but if you have your own angle brush, you may prefer using that. It was a little stubby for me, I couldn't seem to get a good handle on it, although the quality was okay, especially considering that most brushes included with product are crappy, this one was actually useable.

But back to the color: very vibrant. The powder form works for me since I will often use powder shadow as a liner anyway. Once again L'Oreal is shocking me with their pigments, though. It was dark and I didn't have a bunch of fallout down my cheek at all, which was surprising as well.

This is an eyeliner that I would personally invest in, especially given the price point on it. It's nice and pigmented, you can find it just about anywhere, and it's easy to use.

NARS Cosmetics Spring 2010

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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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