Get your SATC fix with the girls' best and worst looks over the years |
 If you're waiting in anxious anticipation for "Sex and the City 2" you've got a way to go. But you can get a fix right now by indulging in our gallery of the girls' best and worst looks over the years. |
Total Beauty
Sex & The City: The Best & The Worst!
Should Beauty Brands Work With Bloggers?
Yesterday, Total Beauty CEO Emrah Kovacoglu ignited a firestorm in the blogosphere and on Twitter thanks to his most recent CEO Outlook newsletter, titled Beauty Brands Should Not Be Working With Bloggers... Essentially, Kovacoglu drives home the point that in this era of "Blogola" and FTC attention, it's dangerous for brands to work directly with bloggers and that it's more beneficial to rely on a liason to send products for review (that would be the Sneak Peek program, offered by Total Beauty, in case you were wondering). In part, he says:
"We have developed a community of vetted bloggers who are impactful, truthful, and not compensated for their posts/reviews -- and we continue to monitor that community. We guarantee to get your products in the hands of the right bloggers, and that they will use your product as recommended, post about it on their blog, and review it on TotalBeauty.com. What we don't guarantee is whether it will be a positive or negative review. That fate falls upon the performance of your products."
As both a blogger and a social media professional, I have a pretty unique perspective and I disagree with Kovacoglu. At Attention, I work with some of the leading beauty brands in the business and consistently, we counsel them on the value of building relationships with beauty bloggers and on the importance of continuing a conversation once it's begun. On the other hand, Total Beauty's Sneak Peek program sends bloggers (there are well over 100 that are part of the network, though fewer participate in this program) packages of products (with no regard for whether they're a good fit for that blog), no press materials to give context to the product and no contact information for anyone at the brand. That isn't relationship building, it's one way communication (or as I prefer to call it, the antithesis of social media.)
Kovacoglu's CEO newsletter also stated that "However, whether you are a professional journalist or a blogger, publishers have a responsibility to hold true to ethical standards in journalism. It's not worth ruining a reputation or selling out in the short run for small amounts of money or free products."
The beauty of the blogosphere in its diversity and here, Kovacoglu disrespected the network of bloggers that he created. Among the beauty bloggers that I know personally are lawyers, dermatologists, journalists and published authors. To imply that they would "sell out" for free lipstick is absurd. In fact, if anything, bloggers are less inclined to cover a sub-par product - they're not as dependent on advertisers as traditional magazines are.
In case you were wondering, Kovacoglu DID respond to the uproar he caused about 12 hours later. His chosen communication vehicles? A mass e-mail to network bloggers (that was clearly cut and paste from separate documents) and a YouTube video with comments and ratings disabled. Essentially, he made it clear that he's not interested in engaging in a conversation. Yet again, this is one way communication.
Several Total Beauty bloggers have posted editorials responding to yesterdays newsletter - to read a few, click here, here or here.
What do you think of Kovacoglu's editorial?
Link Love: Total Beauty Web Tour
The Informed Makeup Maven talks Kissable Couture, Genie and gives away Diorshow, MAC, Stila and Maybelline!
Beauty Junkies Unite shares an easy guide to sexy summer legs!
Can you lose weight by eating cookies? eye4style invesigates The Cookie Diet. Nom, nom!
Beauty Anonymous reviews Shiseido's Maquillage Face Creator 3D!
My Makeup Blog answers one reader's question and gives tips and tricks on monolid eye makeup. Come and take a look!
Makeup Files wants to know: What is your nighttime skincare routine?
Meilily discusses cosmetics ingredients: are they harmful, safe, or who knows?
addicted to lipstick gives us the rundown for the top 2009 Celebrity summer hairstyles.
For more great posts from Total Beauty bloggers, click here!
Beauty Bubble: Makeup Finds for $5 or Less!
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Save money with almost-free beauty products from your favorite brands |
 If your budget's not what it used to be, your makeup doesn't have to suffer. Take comfort in these consumer- and editor-approved, quality finds -- all available either online or at your local drugstore. |
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Beauty products and tips for great beach hairstyles and glowing skin |
 New bathing suit? Check. Cute beach tote? Check. Glowing skin from head-to-toe? Ummmm... If you're not quite ready for the sand and swim season, check out this guide to look and feel your best all season long. |
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How bad is a Brazilian, really? Real women tell all |
 We polled Total Beauty readers about their most common hair removal tortures. Find out what hurt the worst, and how to avoid the same mistakes. |
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The environmental aggressors in these towns could be damaging your skin |
 Before blowing your next paycheck at the derm's office or on pricey skin care products, take a closer look at the place you call home. We looked at pollution levels, sunshine and humidity averages, skin cancer, smoking rates, and even tanning salons per capita to determine which U.S. locales could be disastrous for your skin. Did your city make the list? |
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From Chanel to L'Oreal, which creams firmed thighs and which failed |
 Let's face it: Cellulite is a part of life most of us need to accept. Experts generally agree that while you can't completely get rid of it, you can minimize its appearance with the right products. But what are those? We had a panel test a variety of at-home approaches. Find out which products worked best for them -- and which were a waste of time and money. |
Beauty Bubble: The Best Cities for Skin!
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These towns all have perfect conditions for smooth, clear, wrinkle-free skin |
 In a perfect world, we'd all have flawless-looking skin. In reality, few of us are that lucky. However, some of you are fortunate enough to live where the conditions are ideal for skin. We looked at pollution levels, amount of sunshine, tanning beds per capita, humidity, number of smokers, stress, diet and more to find the places best suited for your skin. Check them out, maybe it's time to relocate? |
Beauty Bubble: Seven Deadly Skin Sins
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Want gorgeous skin? Start by making sure you don't commit any of these skin-damaging crimes |
 We hate to get preachy on you, but if you want your skin to look great well into your 80s, you'll follow this advice, courtesy of dermatologists and skin care experts. When asked what the worst possible things for our skin are, these topped their lists. So now, repeat after us, "thou shalt not"... |
