Diorshow Isn't Just for Lashes Anymore


Diorshow is one of my favorite mascaras to use - thick, black, plush lashes are always guaranteed, and now they are bring their special brand of awesome to your brows.

Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil has a super thin retractible pencil in a universally flattering shade of dark brown. You use it with feather-thin strokes to fill in any sparse spots, then flip it over and use the spooly wand to brush the brow and even it out. This blends the product with your brow and gives it a much softer look.

Find the Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil at your local Dior counter or Amazon.com for about $24.


Recreating Beautiful Miley Cyrus Hair



I'm not much of a Miley Cyrus fan, but her hair has been looking fabulous lately, and now I've figured out why. She's been using Leonor Greyl products! Here's a breakdown of some things she's been trying:
  • Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice Volumizing Styling Mousse: Formulated without silicone or alcohol, this divinely scented product will detangle, style and protect hair in all weather with discretion and performance.
  • Voluforme Setting Spray for Volume and Hold: This spray was created for those who don’t have a lot of time on their hands to style their hair. Using Voluforme reduces both the temperature and timeof drying your hair, thus avoiding damage or dehydrate to the hair because of over heating.
  • Eclat Naturel Daytime Nourishing and Styling Cream for Dry Hair: The cream repairs damage caused by perms, straightening, tinting, sun exposure or blow-drying. It also gives shine and makes styling easier, keeping the hair light.
I've never seen Miley's hair look so lovely. What do you think? Have you tried Leonor Greyl products? Do you like them?

Glamarazzi finished

Welcome to the first installment of The Glamarazzi! Check out this weeks links and look out next week for an even bigger list. And if you'd like to be a part of it check out the details here.


The Body Shop Releases Three Collections for the Holidays

The Body Shop is amazing, isn't it? When I'm strolling through the "big mall," as we call MacArthur Center around these parts, you can always smell The Body Shop before you get anywhere near it. I always have to stop in and see what they are burning in their fancy oil burners and perhaps take a few home to add to my ginormous collection.

Lucky us, they have released three new collections just in time for the holiday. There isn't one that I would turn away. Then again, I'm not sure The Body Shop has ever released anything that I didn't at the very least appreciate.


Merry Cranberry Festive Treasures $50. Sweet cranberry certainly evokes the idea of the season. This set includes 1.69 oz. Body Butter, 6.75 oz. Body Smoother, 8.4 oz. Shower and Bath Gel, 3.5 oz. bar Soap, two tone red/gold Bath Lily, all in a decorative gold wire basket.

Velvet Apricot Celebrations $15. Creamy and sweet, Black Velvet Apricot features a plum note, too. This gift idea includes 2 oz. Body Lotion, 2 oz. Bath and Shower Nectar, and 2.5 bar Soap.

Nutmeg and Vanilla Joy To Your Skin $20. Toasted nutmeg and sweet vanilla make this set perfect for anyone who prefers a gourmand scent. Set includes 1.7 oz. Body Butter, 2 oz. Shimmer Lotion, 2 oz. Bath and Shower Gel, white Bath Lily, all put together in a cotton canvas bag with metallic stitching.

Simon Doonan Thinks Gift Guides Suck



I was reading Simon (my hero) Doonan's latest article for the New York Observer, and he had this to say about gift guides:
After a casual poll of friends and colleagues, I recently ascertained some important information: People HATE gift guides, universally. I was, in point of fact, unable to find one single person who liked them, is prompted to shop by them, looked at them or even lined the cat’s litter box with them.

Well said. I don't like them either, so I'm not doing one this year. I'm just going to keep posting as I usually do, and I'll do an end-of-year wrap-up towards the end of December.

If it's good enough for Simon, it's good enough for me!

Are You Down With the New Ombre Hair Trend?




I don't think it's for me, but it really is so 80s-fantastic (think Terri Nunn, lead singer of Berlin) that I can't help but love it. Marie Robinson, celeb colorist at Sally Hershberger Downtown gives us some tips on making the trend work for you.

Who can pull this off?
Teens and young fashionistas are perfect for this! It is also great for anyone in the arts and music industry. (Notice she doesn't say anything about 30-somethings who live in the 'burbs - that totally rules me out!)

Who should avoid this look?
Although the extreme color is beautiful, it is also a little distracting. Anyone that works in a corporate environment should avoid the look. (And they should also avoid green nail polish, which is what I'm getting ready to use right now!)

How do you get this look?
If you want to go for natural tones, then just lighten your mid length and ends at least three shades lighter than your base. Then go back to your last two to three inches and lighten again. If you want to make it a funky color, have your hair professionally bleached and tone with any desired pure pigment shade such as Manic Panic Color. Apply shade at the bottom two to three inches and let it process. Then dilute the remaining color with water and using your fingers work it into the mid-shaft. (Ladies, please, if you want to bleach your hair and use Manic Panic, please find a professional to help you with that. It's not worth it to do it yourself if you want funky color. Please heed my advice on this one.)

Is it hard to maintain?
If you go for natural shades, the color looks better as it grows - so it's very little maintenance! If you use a pure pigment color such as Manic Panic it will need to be refreshed every couple of weeks.

I Have it On Very Good Authority...

That L'Oreal's Elnett hairspray is now available nationwide at mass retailers, not just Target.

I don't know why they didn't send out over the radio - maybe with the emergency broadcast service, or something. This is important!

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 01 December 2009


This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact meredith at retrodivasbeauty dot com.


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This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Estee Lauder Helps Make Gift Giving Easy



Estee Lauder is trying to make your holiday shopping much easier, thank goodness. I don't know about you, but I've abandoned a lot of shopping carts over the past few days because I couldn't find what I wanted or the checkout process was too complicated.

Not the case over at EsteeLauder.com. You can shop by the top 10 gifts, category, price or theme. Even better?


You will receive a free, customizable gift with any $39.50 purchase. You get to choose warm or cool lip and eye shade, as well as your best moisturizer and eye creme. You'll also get a sample of the amazing Advanced Night Repair serum.

That is something I would be pleased to find under my tree. Head on over to EsteeLauder.com and check it out!

Elle Video Star For the Fame Seeker In You



Are you a beauty guru? Every month other gurus are uploading their videos to Elle's Video Star and winning prizes as a result. The most viewed videos win prizes, and Cover Girl is now issuing challenges, with each month's winner being featured in the pages of Elle. In May, one lucky winner will be flown to LA to meet celeb makeup artist Molly Stern!

Do you post videos to Elle's Video Star? Link them here so we can vote you up!

Stocking Stuffers: YSL Gift Cards

Oh, Santa dear, I've been pretty good this year. I would love to find this in my stocking:



YSL has developed gift cards in denominations of $50 up to $1000. Packaged in a signature YSL gift box with an enclosed card. Can't wait for delivery? There is an eBeauty certificate that can be emailed to your recipient as well.

But really, the best part? It doesn't expire.

Find out more at the YSL Gift Guide online.

Skin Care Addict? Me Too. Check Out MySkin.com




I just joined mySkin yesterday, and I had a really good time playing around on the site. It's not just your typical review site - you can keep track of your daily skin conditions and use of products, which is really helpful if you're trying to track down a reaction to something. Enter in each of the products you use, and it will give you suggestions based on your profile and current product usage. It suggested a few things that I hadn't tried, so of course I'm off to give them a whirl.

I told you - I'm addicted to skin care!

I have a special invite code for you - just enter "retrodivasbeauty" in the invite area. You have to have an invite code to join, so be sure to use it. Definitely go poke around and tell me if you like it!

How To: Preserving Your Blow Out

So, you have the perfect blow out already, and you want to hang on to it for a few days. You're savvy enough to know that washing your hair every day isn't good for it, but how do you keep it looking good? I turned to the experts: other bloggers and beauty mavens on Twitter, and here are a few tips for you:

  • @HairHabitat tells me that the key to really preserving your blowout is to make sure the root gets thoroughly dry - a great blowout will last longer than a not-so-great one. Also, go easy on styling products; sometimes less is more.
  • @thevixenette points out that the hair around the hairline gets frizziest first, so make sure to pay extra attention to those pieces and flat iron/blow out as necessary. Also, to coil the hair up and pin it on the head before exercising or going to bed. Pin shorter hair up as necessary.
  • @BeautyAlchemist is lucky enough to have a mom who is brilliant at the blow out, and swears by a good hairspray like Sebastian Shaper or Bumble and Bumble Spray de Mode.
  • Mme. @FournierComm says "laque, laque, laque." In other words, hair spray, hair spray, hair spray! Plus, she recommends sleeping seated in bed. This must involve a lot of pillows!
  • @CatMojo recommends dry shampoo like Ojon's formula. She tells us that if you're trying to save a penny or two, try talc powder. Just sprinkle and comb through. She likes the minty Gold Bond formula. Must try!
As for me? The very best tip I can give you is a really weird one. If you suffer from curly or frizzy hair, and the weather is warm, or there is danger of breaking a sweat, take your antiperspirant (deodorant doesn't work, obvs) and swipe it along the hairline on your neck. This keeps all that mess from getting damp from sweat, which prevents curls and frizz.

Product Review: Parissa Wax Strips

Epilatory Wax Strips for Face & Bikini

In my neverending quest to find the perfect method of hair removal, I picked up Epilatory Wax Strips for Face & Bikini during a recent trip to Ulta.

I always approach these strips (from any brand) with a healthy dose of skepticism. I never can seem to make the work, always either completely ineffective or such a mess that I'd rather deal with my actual hot wax pot and a popsicle stick. However, these wax strips were actually quite easy to use, no mess, and they actually worked!

Were they the perfect hair removal product? Well, no. Using actual hot wax and the popsicle stick will always give you the best results. But Parissa's Epilatory Wax Strips for Face & Bikini are really good for a quick fix. You won't get perfect results, but you'll get good enough until you can make it to your waxer to properly take care of everything.

To help you get a better result, I came across a few tips that might help. Jennifer Turchi, head of makeup on the show How I Met Your Mother suggests this:
Avoid beauty products with exfoliating ingredients three days prior to waxing. Sensitive skin? A week is better. And always do a small test strip to make sure you don't get an allergic reaction.


Epilatory Wax Strips for Face & Bikini
 retail for $9, and are available at Duane Reade, Fred Meyer, Target, Ulta, Whole Foods, and Parissa.com.




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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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