Softsoap offers up two new body washes, called Nutri-Serums. They contain softening “Serum Pearls” that help keep skin nourished and healthy. The Restoring formula has Vitamin E and the Moisture Retaining formula features Omegas 3 & 6 (those essential fatty acids that help your skin retain moisture). I like the body washes because they aren’t drying to my skin at all. In fact, they leave my skin with the same soft, comfortable feeling left by more expensive brands. The lather is rich and foamy, but rinses clean.

Both formulas have a somewhat sweet, fruity scent, and I find I prefer the Restoring (the one with green pearls) to the Moisture Retaining. The scents aren’t the best ever, but for a large bottle of body wash for under five bucks, I’m not complaining. They smell nice while I’m in the shower but don’t particularly linger (which is exactly what I want). No clashing with perfume here.

Overall, I believe it’s definitely worth checking out Softsoap brand body washes, especially if you are looking for places to trim your beauty budget without sacrificing a happy experience in your morning shower. My morning shower is sacred, so whatever cleanser I’m using better feel and smell good or the day just doesn’t start out on a good note!

From Aromaleigh, I ordered a full sizes of Strawberry Despair from the Gothic Lolita collection and Winged Psyche from Les Papillons. I also ordered a full size tube of Sweet Tart Nourishing Color Creme (also from the Gothic Lolita collection). I ordered two samples from Les Papillons, Flying Flower and Vigil of Change, and also received samples of Bete Noire Solange, Ozone and Destination Unknown from the Rocks! Collection, and a Nourishing Color Creme sample in Limbo.

I decided to order the sample set of the Japanese Garden collection eyeshadows from J. Lynne Cosmetics. I can’t wait to try them all out! I’m thinking Sakura, Mokuren, and Wakakusa look particularly awesome and I wore Mimoza and Seri together today (that’s a gold and sage-y pale green) and they were so pretty! I will try to get a photo of some of these soon. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to photograph my eyeshadow this morning. I’ll post a full review on this collection soon.

From Fyrinnae, I ordered samples sizes of Shinigami, Sumatran Tiger, Jaguar, Iberian Lynx, and a Lip Lustre in Bloodstains. I am really loving that Lip Lustre, and the greenish tinge of Sumatran Tiger seriously rocks! I need to try to get some eyeshadow pictures with these colors too. Shinigami is an AWESOME shade of purple.

I love new makeup! What have you ordered recently?

Introducing the limited-edition Heidi Collection 2009, Exotic Jewels. Inspired by Heidi’s life-changing trip to the spiritual city of Varanasi, India, it’s her most personal creation yet. The collection interprets her exotic discoveries into a sparkling and rich palette of irresistible shades in packaging as beautiful and precious as Heidi’s favorite jewels.

The eyeliner is a dark, almost black, purple  silver sparkles.  The color shows as an almost black on skin, but not quite. The silver sparkles are subtle, and aren’t too much for daytime wear. If you’re looking for super-sparkle, you won’t find it here, but if you want something more subtle, it’s perfect.

I like the lipstick, because it has a creamy texture and a great neutral brownish pink  sort of color. It’s a darker shade but not crazy dark. It’s a fun color when you want something with a little drama, but not too over the top. I like the texture.

Isn’t the packaging on the Luminous Face Powder Gems so pretty? The product is basically a darker, more colorful version of Guerlain’s Meteorites, and comes in a cardboard container like the Meteorites. I think the jeweltones and gold trim on the box really beat out the Meteorites packaging, though. It’s a nice blush, perfect for adding a bit of color that isn’t too bright. Buy it for the box, keep it for the product!

The mascara is a nice purple color, but isn’t anything particularly special, in my opinion. It gets the job done, but didn’t knock my socks off particularly. Likewise with the lip gloss. It’s nice, but not something I can’t live without.

I haven’t tried the eyeshadow palette, but the colors are very pretty. It also has really pretty packaging, continuing with the gold and jewel theme from the other products.

Overall, I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these products, and I think the packaging is so pretty! The quality is nice and the colors are fun. Try the eyeliner!

The Cure for Dry Winter Skin

Find out which top hand hydrators our testers found desk drawer-worthy

We spend hundreds on youth-enhancing face lotions — but when’s the last time your hands got some love? “Hands show aging more than the face,” says Los Angeles-based dermatologist Dr. Howard Murad. Good point. So we had 10 testers review hand creams for two weeks. Which ones offered the best hydration — and which were just greasy? Find out in the ratings.

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I happened to stop at the Nordstrom counter yesterday, and discovered that they had put out some ADORABLE little gift sets, of mini lip glosses and mini pigments/glitters. I just had to have the 5 Cool Capers mini pigment set, the colors are awesome!! The set has Kitschmas, Fuchsia, Grape, and Deep Blue Green Pigments, and Reflects Transparent Teal Glitter. I don’t have a lot of experience with MAC pigments, so I don’t know if these are limited edition or what, but I love the colors. I did my eyeshadow today with Kitschmas and Grape, and used the glitter on top of my eyeliner. It’s a little over the top with all that glitter, but it’s my day off so I don’t care.

I also snagged a Cremesheen Glass in Ever So Rich, from the Magic, Mirth, & Mischief collection. It’s a sheer lilac that is just too pretty! I love the texture and creamy color.

In the picture, I used Kitschmas on the lid and inner corners, Grape in the crease, more Grape on the lower lashline, and Nijiro from Fyrinnae under the browbone. Liner on the upper eyelid is from the Heidi Klum collection at Victoria’s Secret (review coming!). I patted the glitter on the upper and lower lashline, just for fun. The mascara is Kiehl’s from earlier today with extra brushed on when I did my eyeshadow, which was a little later in the morning.

Everyday Shea is a sister company to Alaffia Sustainable Skincare, a company that makes products I really enjoy. I especially love Alaffia’s body care products, but because they usually come in smaller jars and I like to slather them on, I can’t really afford to buy them all the time. That’s where Everyday Shea comes in. It was created to offer customers a quality petroleum-free shea butter lotion (and body wash!) at an affordable price.

When it comes to affordable, you can’t beat the value on the Everyday Shea lotions. They come in giant 32 oz. bottles with a pump, in an unscented formula as well as lavender and vanilla.  The texture is light and creamy, but still has a richness that comes from all the shea butter. You can slather it on all you want, but you won’t feel greasy. The price? Just $14.95 for the giant 32 oz. bottle. Can’t beat that with a stick!

As with Alaffia, 10% of sales is given to community projects in Togo, like Bicycles for Education, maternal health, and school supplies and repairs.

Everyday Shea also makes shea butter body wash, and as soon as I find it locally I’ll be buying a bottle. For now, you can order directly from the company or use the store locator on the site to find a store near you!

My experience with mineral makeup, specifically eyeshadows, has been limited to companies like Bare Escentuals (who I’m assuming make their colors themselves), and smaller companies like AromaLeigh, Meow Cosmetics, Fyrinnae, and J. Lynne Cosmetics. These companies also create their own colors and formulas. I appreciate their creativity and the unique colors they have to offer. As a former small business owner (making soap and lotions), I especially respect the smaller companies’ dedication to their craft. I know what kind of time and effort and trial and error has to go into developing your own formulas and techniques and product! I also know how awesome it feels to develop a product that is truly all your own creation.

With that said, I want to wholeheartedly support the Mineral Makeup Mutiny.  I pledge to support independent companies that are doing interesting things with color, creating interesting shades, and working hard to make something new and different for their customers. I have no interest in supporting companies that buy pigments wholesale, divvy them up into smaller jars and slap a label on them. If I wanted that kind of product, I could do it myself.

I love makeup. I love fun, interesting colors, both bright and subtle, and so far some of my favorites have come from the aforementioned companies – like Cupcake Sprinkles from Fyrinnae and Strawberry Despair from AromaLeigh. The hard-working entrepreneurs behind these companies have earned our support and respect!

I have a pretty short list of demands when it comes to mascara. I want it to be dark, I want it to be flake and smudge-free, I want it to be volumizing, and I want it to give good separation. Rimmel meets these needs, but does have a few drawbacks as well.

The brush is this neato comb/brush thingy, with four rows of the bristles. The formula is very smooth, with no clumps or globs that stick to the brush. The brush does a nice job separating the lashes and coating them evenly with the mascara. It’s nice and dark, and overall I’m pleased with the dramatic (but not over the top) look that results from this mascara.

On the negative side, I get mascara on my eyelids above the lashline if I’m not SUPER careful when applying it, which is annoying. It also does seem to be really susceptible to smudging if my eyes water at all, which isn’t a problem with most mascaras I’ve tried. It means it comes off super-easy when I wash my face, but as my eyes water a lot, this is kind of a bad thing.

The two strikes aren’t enough to put me off finishing up my tube, but I can only give it one thumb up. Your mileage may vary.

The 12 Best Foundations Under $15

Get flawless-looking skin with these beauties from L’Oreal, CoverGirl and more

When it comes to foundation, it really pays to find the perfect product for you. After all, all the eye makeup and lip products in the world won’t make you look gorgeous if your skin looks blah. On the bright side, TotalBeauty.com readers have found that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get flawless-looking skin. In fact, there are plenty of cheapie products that will give you just that! Read on to see what they are.

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No. 12: Almay Line Smoothing Compact Makeup for Dry Skin, $14.78

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8

“It actually does improve the appearance of lines …”

No. 11: Maybelline New York Pure Stay Powder Foundation, $7.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8

“First time in my life, someone commented on my ‘beautiful skin’ …”

No. 10: CoverGirl Advanced Radiance Age-Defying Liquid Makeup, $10.13

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8

“I recently saw a friend I hadn’t seen for a while and she asked if I had something done …”

Want to see what’s No. 1? Click here!

Lush introduced Ghost in 2007, but I didn’t actually buy it until this year. It’s made with dove orchid and rose infusion, and smells like lilies. Actually, it has the same scent as Lily Savon, a delightful soap that has since disappeared. I never did get around to reviewing Lily Savon, but needless to say, it had a great scent. If you snag a bottle of Ghost, you’ll know what I mean. What I love most about Lush’s shower gels is the fact that most of them will double as shampoo – and then your hair smells good all day long!

Lush has also brought out some new soap, namely Vanilla in the Mist and Noubar. Vanilla in the Mist is a vanilla soap (duh!) but is also apparently scented with “a dash of coconut and tonka.” Me want!! Noubar is a scrubby pistachio soap, with the scent of rose, coffee, and vetiver. You can believe I’ll be calling my local shop to see if they have these in!

I love new Lush products!