| Everything you need for gorgeous lips, eyes and more! |
 Who couldn't use a little more glam in their life? We know we could! That's why TotalBeauty.com put together the ultimate guide to getting glam. From makeup tips and tricks to products to try, everything you need is here! |
Total Beauty's Get More Glamorous Guide
Cookies that Make Your Skin Better: Leave it to BORBA
Want to rev up your skin and enjoy a tasty baked treat at the same time? Who doesn't, am I right?
BORBA, one of the leaders in the nutraceutical movement, has partnered with celeb-favorite LA bakery DeLuscious to offer supplement-enhanced cookies for improved skin.
Available in oatmeal raisin and chocolate white chocolate truffle (no, I didn't type it twice by accident - it has that much chocolate in it!), these can be ordered at BORBA online for $24.95/half dozen.
Best in Beauty Launches Want Toxic Free Cosmetics Push
Tired of toxic chemicals in your makeup? Best in Beauty shares your concerns, and has created a new campaign to convince the FDA to remove harmful ingredients from personal care products like makeup, shampoos, and antiperspirants.
How can you get involved? Write a message in lipstick on your mirror, take a photo, and send it to takeaction@bestinbeauty.com, or join the cause on Facebook. All the photos will be delivered to the FDA, and your photo could be chosen for a national ad campaign.
Download posters to help spread the word and find out more information at Best in Beauty.
Exfoliation Is Important: Three Primary Types
No matter how flawless your makeup application is, the most important part of your look is the condition of your skin. If you don’t have a good canvas, then you will have a difficult getting a smooth, flawless finish. Exfoliation is a crucial step to achieving clear, glowing skin because it removes dead skin along with debris to reveal the new layer of skin underneath. Exfoliation is typically done once or twice a week, depending on the results desired.
There are three primary types of exfoliation for the skin: manual, enzyme, and chemical. One or a combination of these may be the most appropriate for your skin type, depending on the specific needs of your skin. Manual exfoliation is the most popular, and the easiest to find.
Manual exfoliation involves removing the dead skin cells physically, such as a washcloth, puff, or even fingers. Typically, these exfoliant products have granules such as ground solid ingredients such as almonds or “beads” created with synthetic ingredients. You can often find such things as crystals and even sand in these types of products. Higher end products tend to stick with rounder additives for these, as they tend to not scrape the skin like an ingredient with jagged edges.
Enzyme exfoliation uses enzymes, which are highly specialized proteins, which can help break down the dead cell layer which lays on the top layer of the skin. These can be very useful for sensitive skin types, as they don’t require pressure or friction to work. However, for an enzyme exfoliant to work, it needs to have the correct strength and pH balance.
Chemical exfoliation includes an ingredient such as alpha hydroxy acids or beta hydroxy acids which help loosen the sebum which traps dead skin against the skin. These are most beneficial for those with oily or acne-prone skin and don’t require pressure or friction to work, although many products combine this type of exfoliant with a manual exfoliant.
Deciding which of the exfoliation methods can often involve some trial and error. Taking into consideration your skin type and sampling the different methods will yield amazing results.
Photo by hdconnelly via Flickr.
Real Woman Tutorial: Bright Eyeshadow - Beauty Bubbles
| Yes, you can wear teal shadow without looking garish -- just follow these steps |
 This tutorial is designed to show you step-by-step how to wear bright colored eyeshadow (which is doable even if you have small or Asian eyes). Brightly colored eyes can dress up a look when paired with a neutral or nude face, or accessorize an entire outfit. Just make sure you know how to wear it before rocking it in the office. |
Calling My Chicago Girls: Head to the New Nine West Digs and Save
Listen, you lucky ladies in Chicago - you must go check out the new Nine West stores! There are two that have just reopened in the Chi-town area: 701 North Michigan Avenue and in the Watertower. Purchase $75 worth of goodness and save 15%! Click here to view and download your coupon.
Not in the Chicago area? Not to worry. Visit NineWest.com and enter NWBLG11 to get the exact same deal if shopping online. While you are there, be sure to check out the "What Not To Miss" video.
Happy shopping!
Total Beauty Web Tour
The Informed Makeup Maven talks new products to try this month , reviews Benefit's Dr Feelgood, Clinique's High Impact Curling Mascara, The Bodyshop's Eye, Lip and Cheek Palette, invites you to join the Informed Makeup Maven Facebook group to share and socialise all things beauty, and hosts the Makeup Confessions giveaway (2 double packs of Softlips Raspberry and Strawberry lip balm).
Beauty Anonymous reviews Shiseido's Tiss Deep Off Oil.
This week, The Beauty Couch asks (and answers!) the question: Can wearing sunscreen lead to Vitamin D deficiency?
Check in with Amber at Beauty Junkies Unite as she completes her first month on NutriSystem and is giving away an entire month of the NutriSystem plan and food to one very lucky reader!
Lipgloss Break has partnered with UMI hair products to giveaway UMI S Liquid & UMI d Fuse! Enter up to once a day!
Brittny Gatineau dishes on her favorite beauty products exclusively to Beauty Banter!
Before time runs out, enter Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog's Watch Giveaway for a chance to win a man's stainless steel $290 watch or a woman's $190 watch.
Meilily is giving away Spring Bridal Makeup from Benefit Cosmetics!
Beautè Noire and Whole Foods are giving away a Mineral Fusion Cosmetics Spring Blossom Color Kit worth $90!
Find out what Smashbox product The Makeup Divas uses to achieve a perfect smoldering smoky eye.
On a budget? Monique at Beauty Girl Musings shares 10 beauty items for under $10 each-- take that recession!
Addicted to Lipstick tells all about the new Urban Decay Primer Potion wand.
Boutique Flair is giving away $225 worth of Sustainable Youth swag! Enter by 05/24/09.
LA Pretty is giving away an item from Givenchy's Summer 2009 makeup collection to one lucky reader! Find out all the details here.
Cybelesays.com has discovered the perfect makeup primer for the summer heat. Click here to read more.
The Shades Of U is giving away a bottle of Lancome Magnifique Eau de Toilette. Enter to win!
A Little More Beautiful is giving away 1 Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin so head on over and enter to win!
Don't forget to enter the neuLash/Anastasia Giveaway over atBeauty in Real Life!!
Glossypink tells you how to get Jessica Biel's latest red carpet look!
The Beauty Alchemist wants to give you A Lancome Magnifique Fragrance
eye4style paid a visit to the new Memoire Liquide counter at Bloomingdale's!
Two lucky winners will get clear and beautiful skin- the natural way! Visit MissWhoever You Are for the Kiss My Face Giveaway!!
This week, Spoiled Pretty is partnering with Ojon for a giveaway. Three lucky winners will receive Tawaka Ancient Tribal Rejuvenating Cleanser and Conditioner (a $64 value)! This unique duo cleanses and conditions hair, leaving it soft, silky and manageable.
You Can Wear the Maxi Dress Trend
I know that everyone is a bit hesitant about the maxi dress trend. If you're of a certain age (cough over thirty five cough) it can be hard to sport something that the 18 year olds are wearing.
I think the key here is restraint. Avoid anything that is too much. Too much print, too much makeup, too much heel, too much jewelry. Keep it simple and use restraint, and you'll carry it off just fine. One thing I noticed when browsing the maxi selections this season is the use of big, obnoxious prints. Anything from flowers to butterflies that are over a square foot on the fabric are going to add those square feet to your behind. Don't do it, no matter how cute you think it is. Leave that for the size 2 girls. If you are a size 2 girl, then go for it, but don't say I didn't warn you.
When I think of the maxi, I truly think carefree, southern California, beaches, barefoot, light winds, maybe some palm trees. I think wearing a heel with a maxi is sending a mixed message, if you will, and looks silly. Unless it's a dressy fabric such as silk, and you're at an evening function, I'd avoid this look. I adore the longer necklaces with the dresses - it really pulls it all together. An armful of bracelets would really work with this too.
Keep the makeup simple, don't forget the bronzer, and head on down Carefree Highway.
How To: Contouring Cheeks Like a Pro
Contouring your cheeks is one of those things that just doesn’t cross your mind often. I mean, unless you have forgotten the 80’s, or are simply too young to remember the three shades of blush that came in every compact, the severe look is a little much for most of us. But did you know there are some easy ways to play up those gorgeous cheekbones without the harshness of the 80’s “contour” blushes?
The first step is making sure you are applying your regular blush to the right spot. Smile as big as possible while looking in the mirror, and begin your application with a small fluffy brush right on the apples of the cheeks. Move back just a bit, to the hairline if you wish, making sure to blend well. In most cases, complaints of blush looking “streaky” is just a lack of blending. Make sure to blend well!
Next, suck in your cheeks as if you’re making a fishy face. Remember that face? My kids love it. Suck those cheeks in and take note of the area that moves inward. That is where you will (lightly, please!) apply a color one shade darker than your normal blush. I personally use my light colored bronzer here - it is close enough to my natural shade to blend well, and is neutral enough to work with every color of blush. Use your blusher brush or a slightly stiffer kabuki brush, if you have it. Blend, blend, blend!
The final step is highlighting those cheekbones. No need to go overboard here - leave the glittery white highlighter for others, we have no need of it. A nice luminizer, such as Benefit’s High Beam, or any of the “shimmer” powders on the market will work well, just don’t use anything with visible glitter, for goodness sake. A pearlescent look is what we’re going for here - something to add glow. Apply a very thin line right above the area you applied your normal blusher to. This should be as close to the under eye as possible without leaving your cheek area. Blend well, then blend again.
If the look is too much, give it a once over with a neutral pressed powder or a bronzer. And blend! Always blend. After that, stand back and admire your cheek contouring abilities!
Beautiful photo by ya_ye5 on flickr
Waging and Winning the War Against Acne: Mario Badescu
I have always struggled with acne. From the minute my hormones took to making my life a living hell, I’d started to see little red bumps popping up all over my face. I was twelve, an evil age when dealing with acne, and looking for a solution. Thousands of dollars and fourteen years later, I’ve finally found it.
Natural ingredients that are gentle enough for my sensitive skin but strong enough for my acne have always been the “impossible dream” for me until now. Mario Badescu created a Glycolic Foaming Cleanser that with the help of Chamomile, Yarrow extract and St. John’s Wort has literally saved my skin. The scent is important to me, so imagine my joy when I breathed in that first sniff and felt immediately relaxed with its clean, natural scent. I only have to use a dime-size amount, twice a day, which is fabulous with a tight budget like mine. The 6 oz. bottle retails for $15.00 at Nordstrom. I bought this bottle 3 months ago and I still have over half the bottle left! Within the first week of use, I noticed my skin feeling softer, healthier, like it was breathing for the first time.
The second (and only other!) step in this process is Mario’s Drying Mask. It retails for $18.00 and is a 2 oz. tub. I have used a little more of this product, although I still have half the tub left! It uses colloidal sulfur to pull toxins to the surface and then absorbs them out of your pores. The sulfur smell does take a bit to get used to but if you have experienced acne for as long and with as much suffering as I have, a little stink will be just fine. After a month of using it, it doesn’t even bother me anymore. This Drying Mask is the ticket to keeping your pores clear and breathing. The first two nights I used it, I covered my face and slept with it on over night. By Day 3, I had significantly less pimples than on Day 1. Now, 3 months later, I use the mask on my entire face once a week and spot treat when I have an eruption. Might I add that by putting the mask on the pimple/problem area and letting it work through the night, I cut back my outbreaks by half. Instead of having to deal with 5-10 pimples at a time, I now only deal with 1-2.
I understand there is a huge amount of skepticism that comes along with the treatment of acne. I lived it. I am still amazed by the drastic changes I have seen by using Mario Badescu’s two products. I recommend this for anyone who likes to understand everything there is to know about the products they use. You can also learn more about these two products and many more by going online to: www.mariobadescu.com From one skeptic to another, it may not be impossible to have beautiful skin.
How Not to Look Old Winners!
Thank you to everyone who entered! The winners are:
Debora
Janelle
Vickie
Tina
cazzicd
Look for an email from us to get your deets!
My Love for All Things Lush Continues with Ambrosia
It's the season for hair removal, ladies. So get yourself ready, because I'm going to be writing about it a lot in the next month. Look for my Ultimate Guide to Hair Removal to come out right before Memorial Day - I've already began working on it!
In the meantime, we need to talk about Ambrosia. I grabbed this awhile back on a trip to New York City when I left my shaving cream at home, and goodness knows I wasn't going to trek around the city with unshaven legs and other bits.
And let me tell you, I haven't gone back to any other shave cream in the past two years. This stuff is beyond my favorite - it's turned into a must-have staple.
Most people seem to not like the smell. Lush says it smells like honey and chamomile. I don't find that to be the case, really, and neither do many of the reviewers. However, it's not an unpleasant smell, and I don't have a problem with them lingering, but that could be because I follow each shave session with my body wash (almost always exfoliating, especially in the summer), a body scrub occasionally, and always a lotion or massage bar treatment. So the smell isn't an issue for me at all.
Basically, what I love the most about this product is that I don't have to use the additional oil on my razor when I shave. This has the oil already in it. It gives me the smoothest, softest shave I have ever had. It helps keep irritation and razor burn away and even leaves the skin feeling well moisturized afterwards.
If you're a heavy duty shaver like I am, give this one a try. I think you will really like it. Get it at Lush for $8.75 to $16.45 for a large bottle.
Total Beauty Bloggers Web Tour
The Informed Makeup Maven raves about Stila's #5 brush, Covergirl Smoothers Pressed Powder and Bobbi Brown's Custom Palettes.
Visit The Beauty Couch to enter the Softlips PURE Giveaway for a chance to win one of four Softlips PURE organic lip balms. Contest expires May 12th at 12am EST.
Beauty Anonymous takes a look at Lavshuca's new Lip Gloss.
Beauty Strokes was so pleased with the success of the previous giveaway of its brush collection at More Than a Pretty Face that it's provided a complete set of its Mineral Optics brushes for a new giveaway! Mineral Optics brushes are great for applying loose mineral powders. The prize consists of six brushes, including three optic brushes with natural and synthetic bristles, and a nylon brush roll. Enter now!
Meilily reviews and swatches Gabriel Cosmetics Lipstick with 100% natural ingredients.
Monique at Beauty Girl Musings is giving away 15 (yes, fifteen) Beautyfix 2 kits! Click here to enter!
Hurry on over to The Makeup Divas blog and enter to win Barielle Sugar Rush Nail Polish Collection.
Fabulous Over Forty talks with dermatologist Dr. Doris Day about what we really need for skincare.
Check out Beauty in Real Life for a fabulous neuLash and Anastasia giveaway!
Head on Over to A Little More Beautiful to check out the Great Skin for Spring/Summer series as well as Tips to Prevent and reduce the signs of aging!
Beauty Banter is doing a brow kit GIVEAWAY! Enter to win!!!
Boutique Flair reviews the Sunsilk Captivating Curls line.
Alex McCord, Luanne Delesseps, Ramona Singer and Jill Zarin from the Real Houseives of NYC, Mario Cantone, Simon Doonan, and Allure's Linda Wells are all in the Advice Sisters Post of the Cosmetics Executive Women (CEW) Awards with links to all the winning products.
eye4style is giving away a gorgeous pair of Current Elliott Boyfriend Jeans. Enter now to win!
Beautè Noire Blog gives Halle Berry’s new haircut two thumbs up!
image and style news dishes on all the 2009 summer makeup collection
Addicted to Lipstick Shows us swatches from the Mac A Rose Romance Collection.
Beauty Junkies Unite shares supermodel Alek Wek's look by Lancome from the Met Ball!
Beauty411 shares the details on the new Guerlain Terracotta Mineral Collection for summer bronze beauty!
LA Pretty is giving away a pair of lucy activewear short shorts. Pants are so 2008!
Beauty Blogging Junkie scored an exclusive interview with Star Trek Makeup Department Head Mindy Hall. Click here to read it!
Spoiled Pretty is partnering with Bath & Body Works for a giveaway - to protect you from Swine Flu. Three winners will receive Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Soap, Foaming Sanitizer, and PocketBac Deep Cleansing Hand Gel.
Butterflydiary is giving away a bottle of Lancome's Genifique and Charla Krupp's book "How Not to Look Old" to one incredibly lucky winner.
Hot Beauty Health is sharing the best beauty products from Self Magazine's Healthy Beauty Awards.
makeup loves me gives you a preview of the hot summer makeup by MAX factor.
Beauty Am Eye shares a Root Awakening experience.
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