My best wishes for you on the New Year!

I hope all of you are having a nice Xmas and that this new year 2009 bring all the best for you and yours, many blessings, love and fun!

I thank God for a wonderful year with my family, we had our ups and downs but yeah, that is life and I am glad to have the chance to live it. I just know I have been given many blessings and I am so grateful.

Don't forget everyday we have an opportunity to help those less fortunate. A simple act of kindness may mean so much for a person.

As I always say, don't forget to LIVE, LOVE & LAUGH!

TotalBeauty.com: My Fine Hair

I like my hair...well, most of the time. I have wavy/very fine/dry-at-the-ends hair. If I use lots of products I could get more curls, but I hate using mousse and gels everyday...yuck. I like to stick to some minimum leave-in conditioner or anti-frizz serum, since my hair gets horrible with all the humidity around here. And it helps to get a great haircut, depending on your face shape and what you are willing to do every day when its time to style your hair.

TotalBeauty.com provide some celebrity hairstyles for fine hair, along with some tips and recommended products. I absolutely love Jessica Biel's hairstyle. Simple and sexy. Maybe you'll find one who could work for you!

Sexy Celebrity Hairstyles for Fine Hair

These haircuts and updos added oomph to flat-haired celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Biel

Fine hair can be tricky to style -- do it wrong and you wind up with flat, lifeless strands. To save you from yet another hairstyling headache we got celeb stylist Nelson Chan of the Nelson J salon in Beverly Hills, Calif., to dish on what celebrity-inspired cuts and styles will pump up your fine-textured strands. See fine hair

Drugstore products I love! Part 3: Mascara

I ABSOLUTELY love mascara. Mascara gives so much definition to your eyes, makes them look so sultry and sexy. I will pay for a good mascara, preferably one that isn't waterproof and won't smudge or flake (yeah, that is what we all want on our mascara right?). I have use many brands, pricey or cheap. I gotta tell you, you can find some damn good mascara on your local drugstore/convenience store. I don't think I'll pay more than $11-$12 USD for a mascara ever again (that price includes my favorite MAC Plushlash Mascara).

Here are my favorite drugstore mascaras. Bear in mind, I have naturally curled+decent length lashes, so I look for volume. I love big mascara wands.

COVERGIRL LASH BLAST--VOLUME BLASTING MASCARA

This mascara rocks. It isn't waterproof, but it hardly smudges! And I mean that, I live in a pretty humid environment (70%+ Relative Humidity almost everyday) and it just stays put. It does come in a waterproof version, but I found that one makes my lashes feel so hard and tight. I just prefer the regular version. Covergirl claims this mascara has "a volume-busting formula" that gives you the "the ultimate big lash look". I agree. After one coat you get more noticeable, long lashes, but you can build more dramatic lashes if you use two coats. I LOVE the brush, I like how it grabs the lashes while you apply. Yes, many people find it huge and terrible to get the smaller lashes, but I don't know, I just work my way with it.

The only con? I does clump a little when you are applying it, but I just use a lash brush to separate them and remove any excess, which I always do.

I use this in very black.

One Coat of Covergirl LashBlast Mascara:

MAYBELLINE FULL & SOFT WATERPROOF MASCARA

Image: Maybelline.com

Oh, this mascara is so soft! (duh!) But really, for this to be waterproof, you wouldn't believe how nice it feels on your eyelashes. I decided to try this one after reading reviews on MakeupAlley.com and I am so glad I did. The wand is also soft and I think it has a good size.

This mascara is perfect if you are looking for more natural looking lashes on a formula that will not smudge or run, just like Maybelline claims. It comes out pretty easy (considering it is WP). If you want to try a WP mascara but are afraid of them (some people just hate how hard they are to remove---I don't know why, Olive Oil does an excellent job) I would suggest this one. The Very Black shade is perfect for almost everyone.

One Coat of Maybelline F-n-S Mascara:

Again, most of these products you could get on drugstore or other stores on those BOGO Free sales, which means sometimes you can get this for about $4 USD.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!

Hope you guys have a lovely time this Xmas and Holiday Season!

Image: Photobucket.com

¡Vivan, Amen y Rían!
(Live, love & laugh!)

TotalBeauty.com: More Makeovers!

Yay, more beautiful TotalBeauty makeovers!

Enjoy!

The Frumpy-to-Fab Hair Makeover

TotalBeauty.com reader Jennifer discovers the hot hair she should have been born with

TotalBeauty.com's makeover dream team -- celeb stylist Ted Gibson, owner of Ted Gibson Salon in New York City, and celeb makeup artist and Beauty.com spokesperson Tina Turnbow -- give Jennifer modern hair and gorgeous makeup. Check it out! See makeover

Dramatic Hair and Makeup Makeover

She's had the same hair since high school. TotalBeauty.com's about to change that

Check out this hair and makeup makeover -- you wont believe the transformation -- and find out how to get a makeover yourself! See makeover

Look: Neutral Smoky Eyes

The other day I wanted one of those smoky eyes (again!...and will be doing more...lol) but one using neutral colors, a toned down version of the classic black smoky eyes. I chose brown. I love how smoky eyes make your eyes look, so sexy. This version is perfect for day or night, at least for me! I applied liner and eyeshadow on the lower lash line too. Love how IM-perfect it looks, that's what makes it perfect!

I used:
UDPP
MAYBELLINE Define-a-Line Eyeliner in brown as a base on lid and both lash lines
A touch of both MAC Espresso and Embark E/S
MAC Vanilla E/S on browbone
MAC Shroom (just a bit) on the inner part of the eye
MAC Eyebrow pencil in Stud
COVERGIRL Lash Blast Mascara in Very Black

I also applied Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Cream Foundation in Honey. I love the reflective properties this foundation has, my skin looks all glow-y. And again, the coverage...wow, it's amazing. It covers most of my freckles and some beauty marks I have on my forehead.

¡Vivan, Amen y Rían!
(Live, Love & Laugh!)

Drugstore products I love! Part 2.5: More eyeshadows

Okay, I forgot to mention in the previous feature these next two great eyeshadows: Revlon ColorStay Eyeshadow and L'oreal HIP Eyeshadows.

I have made tutorials (go watch my YouTube channel!) for each product because they are simply really nice.

REVLON COLORSTAY E/S

These are presented in Eyeshadow Singles or Eyeshadow Quads.

All images: Revlon.com

These eyeshadows rock. I think I have like 2 singles and 4-5 quads. They are fairly pigmented, but I use a base (UDPP, Lemon Aid, etc..) or a mixing medium if I want to get the most of them (sometimes I just prefer the soft look). And they DO stay for a loooong time. These shadows come in a nice range of colors/combos, not much, but you'll surely find something to your liking, maybe the basic neutral colors.

Right now Revlon doesn't show many shades of the single ones on their website, I don't know if they are discontinuing them (noooo!) but I still find them on Walmart or Walgreens.

L'OREAL HIP E/S

All images: Ulta.com

Okay, they claim to be high intensity pigments and yes...they are. The colors are amazing. They go on smooth. The only ones I don't like are the new metallic ones, I found them hard to apply and the color payoff is not that great in some of them (like "Sculpted"...maybe I'm doing something wrong? IDK) . But the rest of the eyeshadows are really good. Vibrant colors.


These products are a really good option if you're starting your makeup collection and are experimenting. Though I have to say, I always wait 'til they are on sale, one of those BOGO Free sales. You can get them for like $4 USD each. **I'm so cheap sometimes. Meh, I don't care. A good deal is a good deal.**


L8R!!


¡Vivan, Amen y Rían!
(Live, Love & Laugh!)

TotalBeauty.com: Hair & Makeup Makeover!

Oohhh, I love makeovers. Check this one out...

The Glam Hair and Makeup Makeover

TotalBeauty.com reader Penny gets overhauled for a 25-year high school reunion

Check out what celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson and makeup artist Tina Turnbow did to revamp the look of TotalBeauty.com member Penny the results will blow your mind! See makeover

Look: MAC Concrete+Wedge Smoky Eyes

I told a friend I would do this, because she wanted to see a smoky eyes for brown eyes and frankly, I couldn't remember if I did one b4 (I mean typical/classic smoky eyes using black or grey eyeshadows).

Honestly, I was kinda lost on how to do this, I watched many videos on YouTube that gave me ideas on the colors I could use, but I wanted to see how to do it without the look getting to messy.

So here is what I came up with. I just discovered how much I like MAC Concrete E/S. It is perfect for this look. I used Wedge on the crease to help on the transition from the dark e/s to the highlighter. I did my nude lips just as explained HERE.

I think is a great look for an evening out, but I could also use it during the day---just because I love it and couldn't care less if someone thinks it's too much. Hahaha. =P

I'll probably do another one soon, more simple. The great thing about smoky eyes is that you can use so many colors and the possibilites are endless.

NOTE: I'm getting frustrated with my camera, I don't know why my neck seems lighter than my face and chest in some pics, while in others they appear ok. And I know my foundation is the right color. I take pics without flash and they are about right. Angry. =Ç

FACE
MAC Prep+Prime SPF50
MAC Mineralize Satinfinish SPF15 Foundation--NC40 **last time I use this sample, don't like the texture
MAYBELLINE Dream Mousse Foundation--Natural Beige (as concealer)
NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder-Translucent
MAC Sweet William+Dollymix Blushes

EYES
UDPP
L'OREAL HIP Black Eyeliner
MAC E/S: Concrete(Lid)+Wedge(Crease)+Ricepaper(Highlight)
MAC Eyebrow pencil in Stud
MAC Prep+Prime for Lashes
MAC Plushlash Mascara in black

LIPS
CARMEX
MAYBELLINE Moisture Extreme L/S in G100-Chestnut
L'OREAL Color Juice Sheer L/G in Caramel Cream

**Click on the pics to see larger versions**

Concrete

Wedge

Ricepaper

I'll be posting the tutorial soon!


¡Vivan, Amen y Rían!
(Live, Love & Laugh!)

Drugstore products I love! Part 2: Concealer+blush+eyeshadows

Continuing with drugstore products I love (Read the 1st part HERE), I will know would like to mention some concealers, blushes and eye shadows that are cheap but good.

Of course, these features can be considered product reviews. I'll try to provide as much swatches as time allows me.

NOTE #1: I buy my own products. I do not get paid for mentioning these products. This is just my opinion based on my experience with them.

NOTE #2: I want to mention, for reference only, that I have MAC NC35-40 skin color with yellow undertones. My skin type is combination--very oily on my T-Zone but I can get dry cheeks on cooler weather; normal-oily cheeks during summer (crazy, I know).

CONCEALER
I need concealer, not so much for dark circles (which can be terrible, though I don't get them everyday), but for my dark eyelids, dark/sun spots and acne marks. I confess I tried using a green concealer to hide the red, a yellow to hide the brown (or was it any other color?). Whatever, it just ended up confusing me and honestly, I didn't see that much difference.

I just noticed I needed a good concealer, one that would cover my blemishes and flaws and wouldn't crease and/or dry fast. I wanted a cheaper version of my MAC Studio Finish Concealer or MAC Full Coverage foundation, which I use as concealer.

The Neutrogena 3-in-1 Concealer is a creamy concealer that Neutrogena claims "will instantly camouflage dark circles, reduce the appearance of puffiness and fine lines and protects with non-irritating SPF 20--all in one easy step. The ultra-blendable, skin-conditioning formula provides natural-looking coverage, won't settle into fine lines and is safe for contact-lens wearers". Well, I love it.



All my life I have had these small fine lines under my eyes and regular concealers just settle there. Not this one. It is very creamy and provides really great coverage and yes, it is very blendable. It feels good on my skin, lasts all day (mind you, I always put on concealer on top of my foundation) and hey, it has SPF20. Yes! One of the best Neutrogena products in my opinion.

Only cons? It doesn't do a thing about puffiness, as it claims. Sorry, but no. Glad I have my MAC Fast Response Eye Cream. Another thing is it doesn't come in many shades (just 4). I'm just lucky the Medium shade is perfect for me. But if your have darker skin, it will look way too light.

BLUSH
Ah, my addiction to blushes takes me everywhere! So I had to check out the Milani Mineral Blush in "Luminous" because some people say it is similar to NARS "Orgasm" blush. I really wouldn't know, I don't have the later --so yes, it was silly of me to get it because of that reason, lol.

But this shade? Pure love. If you like a peach-rose blush with gold shimmer, this is a cheap option. I just find it perfect for my skin tone. I find that I don't have to add highlighter to my face, because of that gold shimmer. It goes on very soft. Really good product. Here are some swatches:

EYESHADOWS
I love eyeshadows! You can get so creative with them and make your eyes look gorgeous. Believe me, I spent years running away from it until because (I didn't know) the cheap ones I tried were terrible! But after getting to know about eyeshadow bases, this whole story changed. So I went back to the drugstore after reading online reviews. The one that most people mentioned were the Milani's (yes, again) powder eye shadow--the singles ones.

What I need of an eyeshadow is high pigmentation and staying power, better if it doesn't crease. These shadows provide just that. There are not too many colors but most of the ones that they have are so pretty! They feel very soft when applying, I like that. These e/s come in different finishes. (matte, pearl, shimmer). I'd have to say the least favorite of the ones I have is Atlantis (matte). I just don't know how to work it. Sometimes, I like to apply these e/s with mixing medium to get the most of each color (don't do that with the matte e/s). They are really easy to depot and fit into the MAC E/S Pro Palettes or the ELF E/S Elements Compact.

Swatches!

**Excellent Highlighters: Illusion,
Peachy Peach, Sheer Sand

Hope you find this article helpful. 'Til next time.



¡Vivan, Amen y Rían!
(Live, Love & Laugh!)