Archive for April, 2009

Macy’s Friends and Family Sale is on right now.  25% off most items.  10% off small electrics, personal care electrics, technology, furniture, mattresses and area rugs.  Typical exclusions i.e. cosmetics and fragrances.

The online coupon code for Macy’s Friends and Family sale is MACYSFRIEND.

Feel free to print the pdf version —-> Macys Family and Friends Spring 2009

Happy Haulin,

Mix Maven

One of my favorite beauty icons is Queen Latifah.  She carries herself very well and always looks glam when she is at industry events.  Her makeup is always flawless! She has come along way from her rapping days.  There was not too much about those looks that I admired.  I started to really like her style when she was on “Living Single,”  the precursor to “Sex and the City”. LOL I will say that when I look back on the show, I am not feeling some of her wardrobe.

I must confess that I have not used her CoverGirl line, but I hear good reviews.  One of Twitter peeps recommended one of her bronzers, CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Bronzer, Light Bronze Q100.  She loves it very much.

I love this smokey eye look on Queen Latifah.  I wanted to try it out!

FOTD Products:

All MAC Products unless stated.

Face

• Makeup For Ever HD Primer
• Makeup For Ever Mat Velvet + (#75)
• Natural MSF – Dark
• Face Atelier Pressed Powder – Translucent

Eyes

• Matte Gel
• Blackground p/p
• Carbon e/s
• Glamour Check e/s
• Patina e/s
• NYX Nude loose pearl eye shadow (Highlight)
• Soba (Highlight)
• Nouba Black e/l
• Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara

Cheek

• Warmed MSF
• Refined Beyond Bronze Bronzing Powder

Lip

• Pucker t/t
• NYX
• Naked Space l/g

No, I am not going blonde, but I do Love the Blonde MSF from the Blonde Brunette and Redhead collection from MAC.  I know, I know this collection came out in in 1876 LOL, but I was not a huge fan because the collection looked totally dupable.

MSFs and I have a love affair that cannot be easily broken, which is why when I mozied into Macy’s MAC a few months ago, I swatched it.  The Blonde (degrade) MSF is smooth and not chunky like previous MSFs.  Even Stereo Rose (my favorite) is smooth but not as smooth as Blonde. Fortunately for me, I purchased the last one *so they said*

My plan was try this MSF as an eye shadow.  This decision was prior to the post that I was no longer going to try to rock Pink shadows because they were not working out for me.  But I had to remember that the best base for Pink shadows are bright/darker pink bases.  I used Maybelline Cool Effect Liner in Sugar Plum Ice and L’Oreal HiP Cream Crayon in Unmistakable.  The application was much smoother than I am imagined.

FOTD Products:

All MAC Products unless stated.

Face

• Makeup For Ever HD Primer
• Makeup For Ever Mat Velvet + (#75)

Eyes

• Matte Gel
• Maybelline Cool Effect Liner in Sugar Plum Ice
• L’Oreal HiP Cream Crayon in Unmistakable
• Sugar Cream Eye Shadow in Pink Fizz
• Blonde MSF (used the rosiest pink)
• Patina e/s
• Urban Decay Illegal e/s (matte)
• L’Oreal Hip Duo e/s in Foxy (Brown side)
• Retrospeck (Highlight)
• Soba (Highlight)
• L’Oreal Hip Cream Color Truth e/l in Brown
• Powerpoint eye pencil in Stubborn Brown
• —> Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara <— Must have

Cheek

• Stark Naked

Lip

• Sweet Tooth t/t
• Chestnut l/l
• Naked Space l/g

Since my return to the world of high-end foundation, I had been feeling let down by my the brand that I decided to use.  I felt like the time when I sat on the floor in my office mixing colors trying to get a new color for the color theory class. It was fun at first, but then I got frustrated.   I grew tired of the mixing, just wishing that one day my foundation could look more natural.

Makeup For Ever (MUFE) is a brand that I had not used much of in the past.  Prior to the Makeup Show in Los Angeles, I had one eye shadow, Iridescent Acid Green 171 . I had been hearing chatter about how good the foundations are.  Said chatter was coming from Women of Color (WOC), specifically from Felicia of This That Beauty,  Seymone of Reflections of Your Beauty and a few other WOC beauty mavens, who all praised Makeup For Ever for having a wide range of foundation colors for WOC as well having quality products.

Seymone matched me up perfectly to the Makeup For Ever HD foundation (which touts “no hard edges”) in 178 (Chestnut).  I finally tried it and I fell in love with instantly.  I am pleased to report there were indeed “no hard edges”.  Definitely no visible line of demarcation.

Even Mr. Maven told me that my skin looked like I was not wearing foundation. Woohoo finally, a natural look.  I also tried the Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation in 75 (Coffee). I fell in love hard. The foundation is not cakey.  And what I love the most, I forgot that I had on foundation. As of today my new favorite foundation brands are Makeup Forever and Face Atelier* (More about this brand in another post).

Kevin-James Bennett (L), Director, Pro Business Development & Artist Relations for Make Up For Ever

Mix Maven

I know today is the dreaded tax day and some will have to send a check to our favorite uncle, Sam, but Origins has a sweet deal for you. Origins is offering a free cleanser with any online order for today only.  You can choose from Checks & Balances, Mint Wash, Never A Dull Moment,  Mega-Mushroom Face Cleanser or Pure Cream.  Also offers over $50 through receive free shipping!

Do not spend your refund check in one place!

Enjoy,

Mix Maven