Hello Glossies,

Happy 15 year anniversary to NARS Cosmetics!! Thank you, Mr. Francois Nars for creating such a luxe beauty brand.

There are two NARS books that I want…must have!! *Looking around at Santa* lol

I want the NARS 15 x 15 Project. This book is a collection of 15 celebrities commemorating 15 years of NARS Cosmetics.  The colors are vibrant, makeup edgy, yet flawless, and the best thing is that profits from the sale of the books equally goes to the charities selected by the 15 celebs.  Definitely worth the price. My fave picture is the one with Marc Jacobs. I love  that he is  wearing the Dovima nail polish, which I have and love!!  He is also looks fab in the rouge lipstick and his eyelashes melts my heart. LOL

I must confess that I do not own a lot of beauty books.  (I love collecting interior design books!!) So when I saw, Makeup Your Mind on QVC, I knew that this book had to be apart of my collection.  The book “is a comprehensive compilation of Before and After photographs, each containing instructional acetate overlays, covering almost every face type, complexion, eye color, and facial feature.” I just love the overlay idea!!

Need more NARS reading material, run to the closest newsstand or bookstore on November 24, 2009 and check out the fantastic article in the upcoming December 2009 issue of Allure Magazine celebrating the man, the myth, the legend, Francois Nars and his 15 years of rocking the world of cosmetics.

Mix Maven

This is the year of the Baby in my family. Four babies will be born in 2008. The current score is 2 out and 2 to go.

I notice that the moms-to-be are all different and yet the same.

I have noticed that pregnant women like (not in any order):

1. Consuming food they would not normally eat. One of my cousins loves sweet desserts (sidebar: does not include any sweet vegetable, which she already found utterly disgusting), especially an occasional cookie or yellow cake with lemon frosting. Currently, she is totally disgusted by any sweet food or drink. She told me she is buying juice that with 17g-25g of sugar (no high fructose corn syrup.) Very cool to me! My favorite cousin was chowing down on soul food in her first trimester, which is funny because she does not normally eat soul food.
2. Banana Republic – Two of my cousins have been going to Banana Republic to purchase maternity clothes. (No, BR does not sell maternity clothes) The blouson tops and dresses allow them to hit up the clearance rack for cute clothes without having to spend the high price of maternity branded clothes.
3. Pregnancy websites and blogs. Books are great, but pregnant women love to read these websites and blogs because they get updated information and cool 3-D womb shots and fetal development e-mails. Check out Nymbler (a baby naming tool, quite innovative. Select your names that you like and the wizard will help you find other names that you might like) and BabyCenter.com
4. Guilt – This can be a valuable tool when asking husband to trek in the middle of the night to get food or get a glass of water downstairs in the kitchen. This should be used sparingly because you do not want to cause any feelings of resentment.
5. Looking at paint store websites. My favorite cousin’s latest obsession (again) is BenjaminMoore.com. She loves to decorate anyway and pregnancy has brought on a new project for her. She has been creating different color combos for me to check out. Oh fun times!!
6. Watching or recording the Baby Story on TLC. My cousin told me about how some of these women, the first-timers, want to have natural, drug-free delivery. I asked her would she do that and her answer is “HELL NOOOOO!!”
7. Shopping for nursery furniture. (see #5)
8. Shopping for baby clothes and accessories
9. Expensive diaper bags. On my cousin’s wish list: A Louis Vuitton Diaper bag (that is a no-go area) or a Coach (more acceptable)
10. Talking about their pregnancies. My fave cousin finds this conversation tends to be initiated by friends who already have kids and want to tell her about what they went through. She finds most of the information irrelevant to her situation.

I will update from time to time. Fun learning new things about motherhood.

Keep Believing,

Sexual Carob

Hey Pumps and Gloss-ers,

Mr. Maven and I were watching a program on C-SPAN, which featured US House Representative Danny K. Davis giving a speech at The City Club of Chicago. He stated that more male teachers are needed in early childhood development and elementary education. He said that boys often think learning is for girls because most, if not all, of the teachers are women.

So I suggested to Mr. Maven that he could do some in-kind contributions, i.e. reading, to local Headstart programs and elementary schools. I ran the idea by Mama Maven, a HeadStart teacher. She thought the guest story time reader was a great idea, so we set up a date for Mr. Maven to go to the school.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 was the date that was set for Mr. Maven to read to the students, ages 3-5 years old. He selected, Do Not Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!

The children were very excited about the book and Mr. Maven made the book quite fun and interactive for the children. He asked the children several times, “should you let the pigeon drive the bus?” The children screamed, “NO!!” The reading was too much fun for teachers, students and guests.

Mr. Maven will make more visits to the HeadStart to read to the children, our future!

I recommend that you nudge all your male loved ones (especially those who are making positive contributions to the society at-large) to participate in this type of in-kind giving. Bear in mind that interested parties will need to have background checks, BUT the process is well worth it.

Find Your Strength In Love,

Mix Maven

Hey Pumps and Glossy Ones,

Mix Maven is feeling refreshed from the Thanksgiving break. Thankfully, the dinner went well and I was nice and full.

I enjoy Christmas. Even though, I do not always decorate my home for Christmas, the season is held very closely in my heart.

My favorite Christmas song ever is “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway. No one, and I mean NO ONE, sings this song as good he did. (Ok, honorable mention to Gloria Estefan, who comes the closest.)

Here is my Christmas Wish List:

MAC fans can never have enough MAC products, especially the brushes. This face brush set is a great for traveling. (Sidebar: Readers, please let me know if your thoughts on MAC loose beauty powders.)

Whoa lurdie, I love this Pink Satin Peep Toe Sandal by Christian Louboutin. These shoes are wonderful addition to any closet. I would pair them with an understated wrap dress, so the high-heeled marvel can be the focal point of the outfit.

Or maybe I will wear the peep toe sandal with a sassy apron while I bake some goodies for Mr. Maven. Before I bake, I need to get the KitchenAid 5-Quart stand mixer in a soft Pink. Now, if I could get one in fuschia, that would be super great!

I have always wanted another Louis Vuitton. When I was younger, my grandmother gave me one of her older Vuittons and I was so pleased to have it. I wore it out, until a strap fell off! LOL!! I am in love with the Trouville bag. Hmm maybe I need 2.

I love Neiman Marcus!! My aunt M likes to call “Neiman Marcus Last Call Sale”, “The First to Last Call Sale” because she does not think the prices are discounted enough. That being said, I want a Neiman Marcus gift card. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up Christmas morning and get a $1,000 NM gift card. Yes, adults can dream too!!

Since I enjoy reading, I want gift cards from Barnes and Noble and/or Borders. I love to collect home decor books and I also love a nice fiction read. I am backlogged…need to continue Zadie Smith’s On Beauty and Sophia Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic.

I wish you a safe and happy holidays. May all your dreams and wishes come true!!

Live Triumphantly,

Mix Maven

Happy Monday Glossy Ones!

MONDAY MELODY

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=UijzEZ-qZwk]

While this song did not get much radio play in my area, I always loved it.  Beyonce’s “A Woman Like Me” is from the “Pink Panther” soundtrack.  Can any of you relate to the message?

SEVEN TIPS FOR MAKING YOURSELF HAPPIER IN THE NEXT HOUR

1. Boost Your Energy
2. Reach out to Friends
3. Rid Yourself of a Nagging Task
4. Create a Calmer Environment
5. Lay the Groundwork for some Future Fun
6. Do a Good Deed
7. Act Happy

~ By Gretchen Rubin – See each step with full details at The Happiness Project.

LIP GLOSS

Maybelline “shiny*licious” in Grape-Full

Ounces/Price/Location = 0.38 ounces for $3.48 at Target (Clearance Price; Regular Price is $4.99 at Target);  Image is from Walgreens.com, where the regular price is $5.79, current sale price is $4.99.

Applicator = Fuzzy Angled “Doe Foot” applicator with hole in the middle – gloss is squeezed through this opening.

Sticky? = Yes (Hubby agrees)

Shimmer? = Yes

Coverage = Very Sheer – Grape-Full provides very little color (Hubby agrees! LOL!)

Purchase A Second Tube? = No

Try Different Colors? = Maybe

Thoughts = shiny*licious is just that – SHINE!  Lots and lots of shine!  But Grape-Full does not provide any color.  I would recommend this gloss to wear over a lipstick to boost the shine.  I used it over my M.A.C. “Lure” lipstick and it pops!

UNACCEPTABLE!

I was so disheartened to hear about Juanita Bynum being abused by her husband, Bishop Thomas Weeks, III.  On Friday, he turned himself in to police.  There is no excuse for this type of behavior!

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=bntkmI9n02g]

Pictures have also surfaced of Amy Winehouse appearing to be abused.  Reports say she was fighting with her husband, but Amy has publicly denied that her husband abused her.  The pictures of them are hard to view!

Ladies, and Men too – there is no plausible reason for abuse of any kind to be tolerated.  If you find yourself in any of the above situations, PLEASE get help.  It is never too late!

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT

I love when our urban designers work it out for us curvy ones.  :-)  Rocawear has some really sharp outfits that go up to 3X/24 in size.  I can see myself in each and every outfit! LOL!

BOOKS

I am an avid reader!  I love a good book, but even more so, I love a good sale on books. 

While in Dollar Tree – you can find some real gems in their book section every now and then – I see “Lies and the Lying Liars who tell Them“by Al Franken.  Looked like an interesting read, why not, it’s just $1.00.  My, my, my – I implore all of you to get this book.  Eye opening and hilarious, the end result is pure gold.  If I was a conservative, I would not like Al very much! LOL!

Mix Maven and I went to Border’s last week and I picked up “Yeah, I Said It“by Wanda Skyes for a whopping $1.00.  Wanda started off her book talking about politics – I thought I had picked up Al Franken by mistake!  I could hear Wanda talking as I read, which made it all the more funnier.  I laughed out loud through most of the book, but there are times when Wanda goes over the top.  In those instances, remember the title of the book!

I also picked up a book that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.  “Bullsh*t or Fertilizer“by Pierre Bennu was on sale for $1.99 and I am all for a “Portable Pep Talk” (that’s the subtitle).  It is a small book – 83 pages – but it is a great read!  Very encouraging, but not all preachy, this book should be on everyone’s shelf…or in their bag or desk for a quick pick-me-up!

QUOTE TO PONDER

Don’t assume that people know how to love and choose to be evil instead.

Some of us haven’t seen the alternative.

Be that alternative.

~  From “Bullsh*it or Fertilizer” by Pierre Bennu, 2003

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

~ Isaiah 7:9 NIV

Have a Wonderful Week!

~ J.R.