Valentine's Day Makeup with Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics

Go red this Valentine's Day with Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics!

I have been a personal fan of mineral makeup for many, many years now. For me, it gives me a natural, flawless face, and the ingredients are natural so it lets my skin breathe. So, you can imagine my excitement whenever I got the chance to try this new mineral-infused makeup brand, Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics. Discovered at NYC's The Beauty Plaza, this trio kit has gorgeous red must-haves to wow your date on Valentine's Day.
(Read more reviews on TotalBeauty.com)

This trio set comes in an adorable clutch to stash your beauty must-haves and 3 gorgeous products to look rouge-ready for Valentine's Day. The Crushed Mineral blush in Rouge, a classy and stylish rosy colour ($22, USD), a bright shimmery pink lip gloss in Promiscuous ($23, USD) and a pretty red lipstick in VIVID ($16, USD).



The products themselves are fabulous and the colors are rich and moisturizing. I adore this kit because the products are really good. The blush is long lasting and even a tiny bit of the blush gives me a hint of color. The lipgloss isn't too sticky and gloopy and gives it a nice bright hue. The lipstick is perfect (even looks a bit blue-based tone to make your teeth look white and brighter) to get berry-stained lips that look moisturized and kissable! All in all these products will enhance your overall Valentine's Day look and the products are neatly packed in a handy little clutch for you to take with!

To see more Youngblood Mineral cosmetics, check out The Plaza Beauty in NYC for more luxurious beauty essential right near Central Park.


(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

100% Pure Cosmetics- Eye Shadow Palette

When I first learned about 100% PURE cosmetics from Meg's Makeup (where else would I learn about the latest and greatest brands?), I was intrigued by their concept. Making cosmetics from fruit pigments? I wasn't quite sure how it would work... but t

So when I discovered the brand at a local store, I was psyched! Their body collection looks to die-for. Why? They offer delicious pomegranate, chocolate, strawberries, peach and more flavors in their sugar scrubs, lotions and body washes. Their simple packaging also makes it look very clean and fresh. I haven't tried them though, but if they're all natural.. must be good.

The Cosmetics are also a bit pricey than what I would pay per single item right now. I have way too much in my collection, so I cannot justify spending $14 for a single eye shadow pot even though I really want to try this creamy formula! I did go back after a few months and the tester still looked pretty nice- so I know it will last longer than I expect.



What caught my eye was their sets and palettes. They had a Chocolate lip palette, a Pretty Naked palette (neutral shades) and gift sets with brushes/eyeshadows/face powder and more! In addition, they had this lovely Plum Eyeshadow set.

If you don't know already, purple is going to be hot this fall. Whether you're rocking the violet on your nails (stay tuned for my Fall Nail trend article) or clothing, this Plum palette has enough neutral and plum shades to wear everyday. What pleasantly surprised me the most is that the color stays! At first, I thought the colors would be too sheer, but the trick is to pat the colors on your eyelids. Obviously the lighter shades don't show as well, but they make great highlighters under the eyebrows.



Looks like this palette is discontinued, but I definitely recommend seeking out and trying to get this if you can!

Their Cosmetic line also includes mascara, lip/cheek tints, tinted moisturizers, powder, cheek pots, and lipsticks!! I would buy everything if I could! :)

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

100% Pure Cosmetics

Recently made a drugstore trip and found the 100% Pure Cosmetics line available! They didn't have their Fruit Pigmented cosmetics.. which is something I really want!

These two shelves carried the body scrubs in assorted flavors ($22 US) and gift sets (price varies).



The bottom two shelves carried the Nourishing Body Cream ($17 US) and Shower Gel ($15).

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

I Need This in My Life: Louis Vuitton Train Case

Hello Divas!

I hope you are having a gorgeous day!

Every Tuesday I feature a different "lust" item of the week. Hey we can all dream and fantasize right? LOL!

In my opinion the ultimate "IT" accessory is a Louis Vuitton Train Case. I mean how can you not like it? Gorgeous and functional. I love it! The LV train case is a DIVA item. When you are carrying one, people turn and stare. The LV logo equals quality, style, and function. A Louis Vuitton train case will last for years and years. I will certainly hand mine down to luxe baby!

Of course, the train case is roomy and full of compartments. You can store all of your cosmetics, beauty products, and accessories in one place. There is no need to minimize here! And it comes with a full size mirror! Swoon! I have been eyeing this vintage train case for a while....mmm this would be a great Wedding Anniversary gift!


Toodles!

Photo Credit: Antiques on Bardwell

Three Reasons to love Smashbox Cosmetics

Smashbox Cosmetics is one of my favorites and here are my Top 3 Reasons why..
(Read more Smashbox Reviews here)

3) Jumbo Samples
You can choose one of three deluxe samples from Smashbox which are three of their more popular items, including their Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Lip Enhancing Gloss in Aura, and O-Glow Intuitive Cheek Color. I would pick the Foundation Primer because a little bit of it goes a long way and primers are such a great way to make your face makeup last longer throughout the day.

(Source: smashbox.com)

2)Let's do Lunch program.
If you complete a purchase on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9-2pm PST, you will receive a free full-sized product. This freebie can vary from a lip gloss to an eyeshadow trio, so check out their page to see what they offering each week and plan accordingly!


(Source: smashbox.com)

1) Spectacular sale

(Source: smashbox.com)
They are offering up to 25-50% off on over 5 pages worth of products. Some of my favorites include their color kits which are basically sets with lip, face, and/or brush products.

Here are two of my favorites, GLAMBOX VOL. 3 - BEAUTY ON THE GO


(Source: smashbox.com)
The Glambox Vol. 3 is a $190 value and contains: Bionic Mascara in Jet Black
Basked Cheek Duo in On The Town
Shadow & Liner Trio in Hot Date
Shadow & Liner Trio in Girls Night Out (read reviews for Eyeshadow trios)
3 Lip Glosses in Happy Hour, Cocktail Hour, and After Hours -It seems like they cover all three time zones after work ;)
3 Travel Brushes in Angled Blush Brush, Precision Liner Brush, and Definer Brush

All of these goodies for $50!
I'm a huge fan of their eye trios and I just love that they offer a neutral palette (the one with the browns) and another fun one (the one with the purple shade- great to create a smoky eye look)
I also like that they give you 3 of their brushes and lip glosses- all handy for travel and to carry in your purse. If you can't afford this set and want good quality brushes, may I suggest e.l.f. brushes for only $1 each!

And another Bonus..

they offer free shipping!
Check out Smashbox Cosmetics now @ www.smashbox.com

Bobbi Brown Makeup- Free Shipping

Thinking of ordering Bobbi Brown Cosmetics? Now's the time to do so!

Get free standard shipping with any order by Friday, January 23, 2009 using the code: BEST1

Enjoy!

Tarte Cosmetics's Vanity Edition Palette

Remember the mini-train case of samples that I received from Sephora?



As part of my haul, I ordered Tarte: The Vanity Limited Edition Palette; it is truly a treasure chest. Since I have purchased this palette, I have used it many times but mostly the eye shadows. I really like how this case has 3 levels- one for eye shadows, lip colors and blushes. It also comes with their Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara and two brushes.



First Level: Eyeshadows


I am not crazy with these colors because I find a lot of them are very similar-such as 5 & 12 (both are whites), 1& 8 (peaches), 2& 11 (turquoises) and 4 & 9 (purples). Although color #1 looks to have more shimmer than #8, the different is not that big. Either one would make good eye brighteners or highlighters. I am a bit disappointed because this was a splurge and I didn't get that many choices in colors.

I do however really like the turquoise #11 because it is a fun, vibrant color that pops when you do a smokey eye. The golden color # 6 did not come out as strong as it does in the pictures. Most of the lighter shades were not as well pigmented as it could have been which meant I needed to pack on more and/or use other shadows.

Second Level: Lip glosses



The glosses here are also a bit sheer, but I do find they wear well. I am hesitant to wear some of the colors alone but I can mix and match some of the shades together to get a wearable look. My favorite nude color is #8 and nude frosted lip color #4. Since they are mostly sheer, I usually mix a bit of my other lipsticks and use these to top my lip color. Lip gloss color #16 is one of my favorites because it is a nice deep wine shade which is great for special occasions. For the everyday look, I stick with my neutral shades.

Third Level: Blush Colors/Etc.



I haven't used the bronzer/luminizer, the two colors on the left, yet but I have used the third blush from top. I used it as a contour and it works pretty well. The first blush color reminds me of.. to find out-

Smashbox's O color- so pink!!

Overall, I found the powders to be very loose even after my first use, so it was a bit messy. But I do like the colors and it is a compact, so it is convenient to take it somewhere. It also comes with a mirror, but there is no back support so you can't apply your makeup while looking at the mirror without holding on to the case. (Inconvenient)

This palette is exclusively sold at Sephora for $52.