The Muse Proudly Introduces and Joins Total Beauty!

Finally! Total Coverage, Total Honesty, Total Personalization. Never before has so much information about the products you use, or may want to try, been assembled in one, easy to use place... TotalBeauty.com! As a VIP member of TotalBeauty.com, you'll be the first to receive great beauty tips and advice from our how-to videos and Editor product reviews. Come Join us today! At TotalBeauty.com, you can: Get valuable advice and beauty tips from the pros. Read real user reviews of all the latest brand name products. Receive exclusive promotions and tons of free samples. Write reviews and be entered to win* great prizes! P.S. - We're Giving Away Over 100 Great Prizes! You could win a brand new 2008 Pontiac Solstice, one of three great four day, three night all-inclusive spa vacations, and more. 100 runner-ups will win a $50 gift certificate to Dermstore.com. Simply sign up now, write three reviews of your favorite (or not-so-favorite) beauty products, and you’ll be entered to win.* Join Now and be one of the first to experience TotalBeauty.com! TotalBeauty.com - the smart girl's secret weapon. where you go to get all the answers to your beauty questions.

B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful Perfumes

I've been wanting to do a post about B for a very long time but I just never had the time to take the photos of my rather large stash of B! I've decided that it's long overdo and I'm bringing you a tale of B today!

I'll be doing the post in two separate parts. Part 1 will consist of B's perfume line and Part 2 will consist of B's cosmetic line! I was going to do a Part 3 discussing B's Bath and Body lineup but I think it might be overkill so I'll only cover that briefly (plus if I had to haul out my entire collection of B Bath and Body goodies I'd be here for the next year of my life).

If you've no idea what I am talking about allow me to explain a little.

B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful is Lush Cosmetic's younger, groovier little sister (it's also alot more expensive and posh than Lush is). B is not available in the US or any other country other then jolly old England so sadly it's either order online and have it airmailed to you or hop the nearest plane to London to grab yourself some!

I've been collecting B products for about 4 years or so now. I visited B for the first time about 3-4 years old in London with one of my best mates and from that day on I was forever a fan and lover!

The store is something to behold and if you happen to live in London or are visiting do drop by 39 Carnaby Street for the full effect! It's gorgeous and you'll leave the store about $1000 dollars poorer while wiping the drool off your mouth and trying to snap yourself back into reality. I wish I had photos of my visit but sadly I do not! I've googled and you can locate images for yourself by clicking here.

If you're expecting something similar to Lush you'll be shocked to learn this is NOTHING like Lush. It's completely different.

B consists of vegan friendly cosmetics, perfume, bath and body items. It's mostly popular for it's bejeweled cosmetics but it also has quite a cult following when it comes to it's very different perfume line!

Scents have come and gone in the B line and at the moment there are eight scents as the main line up (seven of which I have tried and six of each I own!). Nine if you consider the Body Spray, Dirty, part of the line up!

Perfumes you'll find at B are a unique, expensive experience that are well worth the price of omission in my personal opinion. If you have a taste for the posh and gorgeous these will appeal to you. Be warned they take some getting used. First sniff will almost always have you pulling back in dismay but slowly B perfumes grow on you and you become deeper and deeper in lust and love with them as time passes!

The thing I adore about B perfume is how exotic and unique they are. It's something you can wear and not worry about smelling like the rest of the population which means you'll truly have your very own personal scent as B is not exactly easy to get around these parts!

Prices on B perfume range from $90 and upwards (cheaper for smaller bottles or sprays!). These are not cheap in anyway, shape or form but they are well worth the disgusting price tag in my humble opinion!

Sadly, the Muse is unable to explain the perfumes because they are such a unusual blend of notes but I'll do the best I can!

One of my favorite perfumes from B is entitled Love. The main notes in the blend are jasmine, rose, and ylang ylang. These combine to create a strangely citrus floral blend on me.

Love


The only true way to describe the scent of Love and other B perfume is to sum it up as Old Hollywood. B perfumes remind me of vintage, retro, black and white Hollywood. Fay Wray, Joan Crawford, Vivian Leigh, Etc...

B perfumes all come in vintage victorian style bottles with a tasseled pump so it brings you way back into a gorgeous, glamorous era!

My second favorite scent would be Keep It Fluffy which is slightly on the sweet side but it too falls into the floral combination of rose, ylang ylang, and vanilla! It's a very deep blend so don't expect something light (don't expect light from any B perfume).

Keep It Fluffy


My third favorite is Cocktail which is indeed a cocktail of different notes including cassia, sandalwood, jasmine, ylang ylang and other interesting bits!

Cocktail


My fourth favorite would be Two Hearts Beating As One which is a blend of jasmine, rose, and musk. It's a very sophisticated floral combination that's positively gorgeous!

Two Hearts


My fifth favorite would be A Thousand Kisses Deep which is a blend of vanilla, asian spices, and musk (and a few other things). It's quite an interesting blend and like all B perfumes glamorous and gorgeous!

A Thousand Kisses Deep


My sixth and least favorite perfume is B Scent which contains notes of sandalwood and jasmine over a base I can't quite pinpoint. It's difficult to describe B Scent but it's not really a favorite of mine! Although, I like it well enough it's not the first bottle I reach for!

B Scent


Ladyboy and Breath of God are two other scents offered by B. I haven't yet tried Breath of God and I can tell already I'll hate it as it contains patchouli. Breath of God is pretty new and takes the place of another fragrance that used to be offered called Om which strangely enough contains a majority of the same notes as this new scent thus it's just a rename I guess! Ladyboy is a scent I had purchased a while ago and absolutely hated. It was actually something I thought I'd love due to it's notes but it's terrible. It's a violet banana blend that just doesn't work at all and makes me gag and cringe (sorry B)!

B perfumes are sophisticated blends that are very "evening" wearable. They aren't something you can spritz on for a light splash of scent. They are more of a "out on the town" scent that are very strong and lingering.

They take some getting used to but in the long run they are downright delightful (and addicting) once you've gotten a taste for them!

B extends most of these scents into Bath and Body goodies as well such as Bath Bombs, Bubble Bars, Lotions and other bits and bobs!

Keep It Fluffy Body Powder






Love and B Scent Body Sprays


If your tastes run to the unique, unusual, rare, and posh B Never is something you'll want to try!

My Collection of B Perfumes


B Never perfumes (and everything B offers) is most definately Muse approved!



Questions?
Comments?
Tell the Muse!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Muse

I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Thanksgiving! Indulge and Enjoy!

For those of you that don't celebrate Thanksgiving I send my best wishes anyway as the holiday is always a good time to be thankful for friends that are near and far!

Sephora Black Friday Deal

Available in store or online for your shopping pleasure a Free Full Size bareMinerals All Over Face in True when you spend $100 at Sephora!

Wahoo!

The Solution to Life, the Universe, and Everything: Rosebud Salve

I guess my heading is a bit dramatic and if you're not a Douglas Adams fan you have no idea what the reference is about however it is slightly true!

Behold my solution to Life, the Universe and Everything lays within a tiny tin of lip balm!


Ok, ok enough drama but I will say I can't recommend this balm enough and if you don't have at least five of these tins in your draw already you better hurry to the store and grab some immediately! Rosebud Salve is my cure all, multitasking beauty demon that works in any number of ways to save the day! This works on everything! When I say everything I really mean EVERYTHING! If you visit the website they'll recommend it for any number of things that will amaze you but I personally use it for the following reasons:

Chapped Lips: I get severe chapped lips come winter and this is wonderfully soothing and healing on my cracked, dry lips!
Eyebrows: A small amount keeps my brows in proper shape all day long!
Zits: Yes I said zits! This works great on small pimples and dries them up almost instantly!
Elbows, Knees, and Feet: I use this on all my rough patchy skin areas like my knees, elbows, and on the heals of my feet! It makes my skin smooth and soft!
Cuts, Cuticles, Hangnails, and Burns: I'm not exactly Betty Crocker in the kitchen but when I do get small burns from removing something from the oven I can dab a little of this on to soothe it! It also works great on small cuts! Smooths out my cuticle area and for hangnails it works amazingly well to sooth the dry skin and makes me less likely to rip it off!

I can probably go on and on with this list! I've been using this stuff for ages and it's amazing! I've seen imitation brands but nothing works as good as the original Rosebud Perfume Co. Smith's Rosebud Salve!

I love the fact that over the course of the last few years they have done different flavors! I really can't pick a favorite as I adore them all! Mint Rose is a delightful Victorian rose and mint flavor! It may sound weird but the taste is yum! The strawberry is yummie too! And the regular rose flavor is delightfully fragrant and tasty! The mentholated one I don't use on my lips but I do use on my chest when I'm feeling a bit congested!

Mostly this post was inspired by the fact that a new flavor has been introduced that the Muse is dying to try!

Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm

This new flavor promises the taste of freshly baked berry pie! Mmm my lips are singing already!

Here are a few in my collection (I keep these everywhere! My desk draw, washroom, nightstand, etc...):

Minted Rose


Strawberry


Original Rosebud Salve (This is my body tin which accounts for the amount used hehe! Hands, Feet, Toes, Legs, Etc...)


These tins run $6-$7 each and are an incredible value as the tin is HUGE! The Muse highly recommends Rosebud Salve which makes these Muse approved!



Have 'em?
Love 'em?
Tell the Muse!

Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Pink Quartz Shimmer Brick First Impression

I fear my curiosity got the better of me and I had to go sneak a peek at the Bobbi Brown Pink Quartz Shimmer Brick. On seeing it in person I, of course, fell in love with and had to have it so somehow it ended up in my cart (that happens alot! Stuff randomly falls into my cart without me even realizing it! Honest!). I have a love/hate relationship with shimmer bricks but I must say that the Pink Quartz did tickle me as being quite gorgeous so it suddenly became a must have for me upon seeing it in person!



I originally thought this would be a very light shimmering pink but I was completely wrong. It's actually a bronze, dark, dusty pink that shows up quite nicely on my cheeks! You are getting some softer pink tones but the darker browner pinks are dominant in the palette. I don't normally like bronze colors of any tone or shade but these are quite lovely together! Of course, like almost all Shimmer Bricks you're getting no color! I normally jump around in excitement when I see a darker Shimmer Brick in hopes it'll work as a shimmer and a blush but sadly that's not the case! It's not nearly pigmented enough to work solely as a blush so you need to use this over your blush as a highlighter! I tried it on my bare face and it makes me look silly but over blush it makes my face light up and sparkle!





The palette itself is the standard Limited Edition palette which consists of a black case, goldish bronze lettering on the front, and the gold surround inside the compact. I love the LE cases as they are a bit more glam than the standard Shimmer Brick compacts!



Overall, for $38 I'd say it was something you should consider picking up! It's quite inexpensive for the price and if you're absolutely a HUGE lover and collector of Shimmer Bricks you're going to want this really badly!

Have it?
Want it?
Tell me!

Lush Gift Sale

Since Lush NA is located within and distributes from Canada the chances of a Black Friday sale are 50/50 (Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October not November) and the same goes for Lush UK (Our brit friends don't celebrate Thanksgiving at all).

The bad news is there may or may not be a Black Friday sale this week but the good news is you have your Muse to tell you if their is or isn't come Friday morning!

While we await word of a Black Friday Sale you can take advantage of purchasing pre-wrapped gifts at Lush with a 10% savings code! Use Code LUSCIOUSGIFTS03 to get 10% Off this offer is good for all Holiday and year round gifts but is only good from Lush NA (the coupon codes does not extend to Lush UK).

If you're a Lush Connoisseur you've realized that buying pre-wrapped gifts isn't exactly the best deal in the world! If you're new to Lush and wondering why that is allow your Muse to explain that the gifts are gorgeous, wonderful, and lovely but they aren't exactly cheap! If you purchase each item included in a gift set individually you'll notice a $3-8 (or more) increase on price when purchased within a gift set! Which obviously means you're paying for all the delightful wrapping! In the case of hat boxes it's well worth it but when it's just a brightly colored packaged with a cardboard box underneath when unwrapped it may or may not be worth the extra dollars you're paying for it!

So.........10% off is basically like getting free gift wrapping service for your gifts! It takes just the right amount off to even out the costs of all that lovely wrapping paper!

Head on over to Lush and score some great gifts for your mum, sister, friends, and hey maybe even your boyfriend (Might the Muse recommend Stocking Fella and Overhaul for him!)

The sale is ongoing until December 10th!

I know the Super-Size Christmas Pud is on my list plus a Hat Box (I already purchased a Retro Hatbox from the UK for me but my sister would love one I'm sure!)!

Shop, Save, and Tell the Muse what you get!

Our Origins Contest Winner!

And the winner of our Origins Contest is..........

Drum roll please.......................

DANIEL!

But Daniel you didn't leave the Muse an e-mail address :) So if you'd kindly e-mail me your address I can ship all your goodies out!

Thanks again for everyone that participated!

Bare Escentuals Classic Rock Collection First Impressions

I've done first impressions on both the Gold and the Platinum Collections that Bare Escentuals introduced and now I have the Classic Rock Collection which is more of a sparkling white diamond in comparison with the silver and gold of the other collections! If you missed either of the posts about the other collections you can click here and here to view them!

This collection is quite nice but a bit smaller than the others as it doesn't contain nearly as much product and goodies as the others do! I'll be doing a comparison post of all three sometime next week but this definately contains a considerably amount less product than the Gold and Platinum Kits however it is still nice.

The first thing that deserves mentioning is the Buxom Lip Gloss included with this kit. Bare Escentuals must be listening because they have changed the applicator on the Buxom Lips from a sponge to a brush. Many complaints have arisen about the Buxom Lips being a great product but the sponge applicator wasn't distrubing enough product and you would be triple dipping to get enough gloss to apply on your lips. Well, have no fear, this Buxom Lip Gloss has a brush applicator and makes application simple. It's entitled Dominique and is a gorgeous clear gloss with a ton of sparkle. Our other two sets did not include a gloss but a lipstick. While this failed to include a lipstick the gloss is gorgeous enough to make up for that!

Dominique Buxom Lip Gloss


YAY Out with the Sponge Application and in with the Brush Applicator!


This set included two brushes instead of the normal three as seen with Gold and Platinum however they brushes are far more prettier than those collections in that they have a cute little rhinestone on the handle! You get a Flawless Face Brush and a Tapered Eyeshadow Brush with this kit! Both are pretty soft and I haven't seen any shedding yet after applying blush with the Flawless Face Brush this morning! So far so good!








You also, like the Platinum Collection, get a Beautifully Luminous Mascara Duo. If you're worried about getting repeat products when purchasing both sets you can rest easy knowing that both sets are dramatically different color wise. Where as the Platinum Kit contains a silver Beautifully Luminous Mascara this kit includes a sparkling white one! You can read my review on Beautifully Luminous Mascara by clicking here.





The Diamond Gossamer included with this kit is a gorgeous sparkling white color! They recommend using the Gossamer's as a body powder for arms, legs, cleavage, etc...I personally like using it on my eyes, face, and body! It's possibly my favorite Gossamer aside from the gold that was included with the bareGold Kit!



Classic Rock Eyeshadow is a sparkling silver color much like the silver color that was included with the Platinum collection but it is a bit lighter so it'll be nice to use both in a look for contrasting!



The blush you'll get is called Laughter and is a peachy color which is very nice! I fail to see too much diamond sparkle in it though! It appears quite matte to me but it's still a nice color.



Nice Rock Glimmer is a sparkling chocolate brown and you can most definately see the touches of diamond powder in it! I'm eager to give this a try!



And finally you get a cute little white clutch which I'm in love with. The other two kits did not include clutches but instead sturdy boxes to store your bits in! However, I am loving the clutch as it's quite lovely!



Overall, the collection is quite nice but I'm happy I didn't pay the original price tag of $59 for it. It's a nice set but the shadows included just don't seem to match up in my eyes (silver and chocolate?!?!).

There are definately some plus posh items in the lot such as the gossamer and clutch plus the brushes but it still fails to give me that WOW that I'm looking for!

It's definately a nice gift or for yourself but don't pay $59 for it! Nab it now while 20% at Sephora is still ongoing so you can save a few bucks on the kit!

Nice but no wow factor!

The Muse likes it but felt it was missing something!

Got it?
Love it?
Need it?

Tell me!

Lush Cosmetics Limited Edition Ghost Shower Gel

I'm celebrating Halloween a month late as I just now received my lot of Ghost Shower Gel from Lush UK (I should add that it's no fault of Lush UK that shipping took so long! I was participating in Lush Retro Races and my Ghost order was part of my Retro Race order thus the wait time!)! You may remember me previously blogging about this if not you can always take a skip through my past and click here to read all about Ghost prior to reading this review!

If you're a fan of Lush Cosmetics you might remember a little cult item called Skinny Dip from ages past! Ghost quite reminds me of Skinny Dip with a bit of a twist! Skinny Dip was luscious, thick, creamy, and gorgeous and much to fans dismay, discontinued (as you become more and more of a Lush fan you realize how much hoarding and stashing large quantities of Lush away is essential to survival! Because once it's gone it's a difficult time mourning the lost of a hair product, bath bomb, or other essential item that you may use from day to day and suddenly have disappear!). If you suddenly develop a case of the lems for Skinny Dip you can always get it in it's new form as a Buttercream but I will tell you the Buttercream is nothing like the original, gorgeous shower gel which I still mourn to this very day! I secretly believe that Mark decided to axe Skinny Dip because it had a tendency to go bad after 6 months or so (at least for me it did! I'd be the one that was stashing bottles of Skinny Dip in my fridge to keep them from going bad before I could use them! Later on in life I may (or may not) admit to purchasing a mini fridge to store all my Lush in but that's a story for another day!) instead of it's year expiration date but he'll tell you it was because it wasn't popular!

Anyway....I guess that was a rather long eulogy about my love affair with Skinny Dip and at this point you might very well wonder what I am on about! Well...Ghost is much like my beloved Skinny Dip and I'm so happy I did a nice large order for it! I ended up purchasing 5 bottles because I had figured if I hated it at least it would make great swap bait on MUA!

BOO!


But swap bait be damned it's now a part of my beauty vault as it's wonderfully delightful! I was somewhat worried about the "scent of lillies" in a shower gel but to my delight it does somewhat smell like an offbeat Skinny Dip version! It's quite milky, creamy, very, very very thick and just yum all the way around! When I say thick I'm talking about taking the cap off and putting the bottle over your head top side down and watching how it doesn't slide out of the bottle at all! It doesn't move! Magic my friends!

Yummie Ooey Gooey Ghost!


Now this is just from sniffing it in the bottle mind you! I'm not sure if the smell will be better or worst once I use it in the shower but I think it's safe to say that this will turn out for the better once I lather up with it!



All in all I should have never been worried about Ghost not being a fabulous product because really it's rare I run across something Lush puts out that isn't blessedly wonderful! The only disappointing thing about Ghost would be it's 250ML size (8.4oz)! I'd rather have had the 500ML (15oz) size offered at a bit more on the price tag but sadly I guess, for marketing purposes, they settled on making it in 250ML size! It's ok I still heart it!

Cheers to Ghost! I think I might hop into a shower right now just so I can use it!



Got it?
Tell me what you think!

Need it?
It's gone from both Lush US and Lush UK but you can always check E-bay or MUA!

Tell your Muse what you think if you ended up purchasing it!

Origins Contest

I'm wrapping up the Origins Contest shortly!

First of all I'd like to say excuse my rudeness for not replying individually to each one of you! I normally reply to all comments but during this contest I didn't because I didn't want to confuse myself too much while writing on the names for everyone that participated ;)

Secondly, THANKS! I appreciate each and everyone that commented and joined in the fun!

And finally the winner will be announced tomorrow morning! Which means you still have a little more time to join in if you haven't already!

Click here if you are wanting to join in!

Thanks again :) And I hope to do more contests in the future!

Bare Escentuals Beautifully Luminous Lashes Review

I did a "Givenchy Lash Sparkles on a Budget" post a few weeks ago which was a list of alternative lash sparkles you could use that were cheaper options! You can read that post by clicking here.

In the same vein Bare Escentuals Beautifully Luminous Lashes does something similar to Givenchy Lash Sparkles but with a bit of a different effect.



Beautifully Luminous Lashes are actually a colored mascara gel that you can use as an overcoat over your own mascara to create a gentle shimmer of color to your lashes! I do really like these but there are some pros and cons to the use of it!

The main reason I am mentioning these is because a new color has been introduced which looks lovely for the Holidays! That color is Sapphire which is a gorgeous twinkling blue color!

I have these in all the colors offered including some not offered any longer and one that was included in the Platinum Kit which is a gorgeous silver affair (Click here to see it!)!

Currently there are two colors available plus two colors that are included with kits. The two colors you can purchase minus a costly kit are Gold and Sapphire. Each overcoat is $15 which isn't too bad a deal!



These are a bit tricky to use but with a little bit work you can do well by them! The brush loads up with color really quickly and you think that would make application easy enough but sadly it does not. When I brush this over my mascara coated lashes I get next to no sparkle or shine on my lashes!





I don't understand the why or the how but it just doesn't distribute the product correctly for whatever reason! I'm still in debates whether it's the formula or the brush that causes this problem! The brush is really fat and chunky and you'd think that would make application a breeze however it's a no go!

So....

After all that ranting the solution is simple. Basically the way I get this to work correctly is by using the tip of the brush to coat my lashes with color and then proceeding to swipe the color over my eyes using the full brush!

The results: Beautiful lashes with a sparkle of the color I'm using!

Overall, the product is inexpensive and pretty nice aside from that fact that application is such a challenge!

I'd say they are worth trying out but only if you have the extra money! If not, hold out for something better!