The best way to get into a new makeup routine is through a comprehensive starter kit. Usually these kits are the best bang for your buck since you get enough of everything you need, and sometimes you try out products you never would have picked up separately. RAWMinerals gifted me with just such a kit—the RAWMinerals 7-Piece Discovery Kit ($180), which includes everything you need to get started with mineral makeup, including two mineral foundations, Mineral Glow, Active Veil SPF 18, a foundation brush, a concealer brush, a multi-tasking retractable brush, and a DVD titled "Getting Started."

With the recent launch of some new products to the Christopher Drummond Beauty makeup collection—an innovative line created by former model and professional makeup artist Christopher Drummond—the company sent me free sample sizes of a few of their products to test and review. This line prides itself on being "100% natural, vegan, made with organic ingredients." I like it because it's great makeup.

The newest product to become a part of the Christopher Drummond line is the (2) Revitalizing Facial Serum ($55), which contains the "breakthrough" organic ingredient DMAE along with carrot extract, meadow foam extract, aloe, sugar cane and vitamins. This product certainly seems to have the ability to do it all! Firm, lift, tighten, hydrate, exfoliate and fight the effects of aging (whew!). Of course, only time will tell if this product can deliver on all its promises, but what I can say with certainty is that it feels great going on, absorbs into the skin nicely and leaves no greasy or sticky feeling in its wake. If I could afford to drop $55 on this stuff, I would, but I can't…so I won't.

Shady Stroll Collection eyeshadow quad, $10 at everydayminerals.com

Mineral makeup is here to stay, and I definitely think that Everyday Minerals is here to stay too. I recently received a complimentary product from their line to review, namely, the Shady Stroll Collection ($10 at everydayminerals.com). This eyeshadow quad includes four colors with hints of shimmer: grey, navy blue, purple and cream. These colors are versatile since they can take you from day to night, depending on how you apply them. Plus, you get loads of pigment (a little goes a long way, the mark of a good eyeshadow) and the brush that's included actually works really well in terms of applying and blending. With this particular collection, I loved the way I could create a subtle, smokey eye that accentuated my blue/green irises.

Since makeup is such a visual, artistic endeavor, I wanted to mention how cool the Everyday Minerals website looks, too. Combined with the poetic names they give their colors, the whimsical illustrations adorning the site make you want to be a part of their world. The colors and textures make you feel more like you're playing with an artist's palette than with makeup. With names like "Anna Karenina" and "Bubble Tea," how can you resist?

Delicious marketing aside, when I get a freebie, the question I ask myself is, would I buy this product again if I had to drop my own money down for it? And the answer in this case is a resounding yes. I think $10 is a very reasonable price to pay for a high quality eye-shadow quad (it's comparable to what you'd pay for Sonia Kashuk at Target, less than what you're pay for MAC at a department store). In the future, I hope to try products from the rest of their line too.

P.S. You can try a bunch of Everyday Minerals samples for just $5 each (or get one FREE with any purchase).

Kiki Bella
xoxo

There's a Shu Uemura sale going on today at Hautelook.com, a popular designer sample sale site that I've purchased a couple things from in the past, most recently some Christmas gifts for friends (yes, it's that time of year again). Products include a $10 eye lash curler, $13.80 lipsticks and $20.10 false eyelashes. These aren't rock-bottom prices but they are really good for a luxe beauty brand like Shu Uemura, which boasts a cult following of stylish gals who swear by the quality and performance of these products. If you've ever wanted to try something from the line, now's your chance! Use this link to join the sale.

Magazines, TV shows and advertisements always seem to be telling us what to buy and what to do to help us look younger and more beautiful. But there are arguably just as many things we should not be doing—things that cost absolutely nada—which can help us achieve similar results. So here's a quick list of 6 beauty don'ts that might just help improve your already amazing good looks.

Don't scrub your skin with harsh soap. If you lather up until you've reached that squeaky clean feeling, you've gone too far. This holds true for both skin and hair. Your body's natural oils are there for a reason—no need to strip them away entirely only to replace them with inferior man-made products (which we all use but just sayin').

Don't touch your face. Aside from your morning and/or bedtime beauty routine, try to keep hand-to-face contact to a minimum. This means no pimple popping, no extracting black-heads (gross, but we all do it), no nervous picking or pulling or tugging. I'm convinced that messing with your skin just makes it worse and can even lead to scarring. Your hands also carry germs and oils that you're spreading to your face which can potentially lead to breakouts.

Don't skip sunscreen in the winter. We need sunlight to help our bodies produce vitamin D, elevate our moods and set our biological clock, but too much sun exposure speeds signs of aging and all that bad stuff. The sun's harmful rays are always present to some extent, so use a moisturizer with sunscreen in the fall and winter, too.

Don't let yourself get dehydrated. When it's cold out, we sometimes tend to forget to drink enough water but it's obviously important to do so year-round. You don't have to chug gallons a day, just make sure you stay hydrated with delicious, filtered tap water.

Don't buy expensive beauty products—especially ones that make too-good-to-be-true claims. Makeup is fun, I get it, but the truth is you don't have to spend a fortune on quality, effective products. The drugstore or health foods store has everything you need to enhance your natural beauty. Remember, just because you pay more for something doesn't mean you're getting more.

Don't wear antiperspirant every day. I am not a medical doctor (duh) but something tells me it can't be healthy to apply a chemical that prohibits your body from naturally perspiring every single day, for years on end. I'm not saying antiperspirant has been linked to any types of diseases or cancers, but I think common sense dictates giving your skin a breather (literally) every once in a while is probably a good precautionary measure.

What don'ts would you add to this list?