Hey Glossies,

I can never underestimate the power of good skincare.  There can be no real beauty without proper, effective skincare.  After getting a facial during Spaweek, I realized that I need to up the ante on my skincare regimen.  A great regimen allows for better application of beauty products and YES, healthy looking skin! Always remember that skincare as an investment.

So I decided to try LancerX Extremely Pure Cleanser and AM/PM Nourishing Treatment for a week.

The LancerX products have a light citrus scent, which, thankfully, is not oppressive on the nose.  The cleanser has a light foam, which is great because I love to see suds when I am washing my face.  The cleanser felt refreshing against my skin and did not cause any tingle (that is a huge deal for my uber-sensitive skin). The AM/PM Nourishing Treatment is a light cream, non-greasy!

After my week long use of these products, I will say that my face was super soft and supple. I also had a wonderful glow to my skin (I could see my halo)  …not greasy…not shiny.  I also used the Murad Sensitive Serum between the cleanser and the nourishing treatment on a few days and there was no decrease in softness and suppleness of my skin.

I definitely would definitely want to invest in these products.

Stylish Move FOTD

Face

• Iman Second to None Foundation – Clay 5
• MAC Select Cover-up – NC50
• MAC MSF Natural – Dark

Eyes

• Cosmedicine Medi-Matte™ Oil Control Lotion SPF 20 (Base)
• MAC Brown Now Greasepaint Stick (LOVE IT!!)
• Dior Stylish Move Quint
• Shu Uemura Painting Liner – Black
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil- Zero
• Clinique High Definition Lashes Brush Then Comb Mascara

Lips

• Random Sephora lip gloss

Mix Maven

LancerX products were provided for review from the manufacturer. Please see Pumps and Gloss disclosure policy for more information.

Perricone MD has partnered with Pumps and Gloss for another wonderful holiday giveaway, Perricone MD Advanced Eye Area Therapy.  The Advanced Eye Area Therapy “reduces fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles with Alpha Lipoic Acid and DMAE. This product is formulated with DMAE and Alpha Lipoic Acid to help prevent and correct the early signs of aging that appear around the delicate eye area, making us look older than we really are. It minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness, while diminishing dark circles and discoloration with Vitamin C Ester. Paraben-free.” The eye therapy is valued at $95.

So enter your name, e-mail and a brief comment about other eye treatments you have used in the past in the festive green widget below. You have until December 10, 2009 3:00 AM PST to enter. Open to residents in the United States.

Please note: 1 entry per e-mail.

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

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers in the world.

Mr. Maven and I chilled out today.  We hung out with friends and met some cool folks.  We have decided to take out the Parents for Valentine’s Day because we love them very much and they have been quite helpful to us.

I love the Threesome mineralized trio eye shadows.  The medium pink is gorgeous and pigmented.  It is nothing like its recent ancestors.. so smooth.

So I decided to try the Studio Sculpted Foundation.  I really like this foundation.  The coverage is medium and build-able, similar to Studio Tech, but WOW oh WOW does it feel very light. At times during the day, I forgot I was wearing foundation. *Love it*

I am so in love with Blonde MSF.  Initially, I decided to bypass the Blonde Brunette Redhead collection. The collection looked quite dupable and I did not want to waste money on MAC colors that I already have.  So when I strolled into Macy’s, I had no intention of purchasing anything from the collection.  I swatched on my hand and it was smooth.  (I guess you can say that SMOOTH is the word of the day).  The color was brilliant and definitely would work as an eye shadow. I am glad I bought the Blonde MSF.  *Thanks Mama Maven for the Macy’s Gift Card*

All MAC Products unless stated.

Face

• NC 50 Studio Sculpt Foundation
• NW 43 Studio Sculpt Foundation
• Natural MSF in Dark

Eyes

• Matte Gel
• Benefit Lemon aid (More about this one later)
• Hip L’Oreal Crayon Unmistakable
• Purely Cosmetics Cream To Powder Bronzed Brown
• Outspoken Trio m/es
• Plum Dressing e/s
• Satellite Dreams e/s
• HiP Flare Duo (Tan Gold side)
• Phone Me side of Duo Pencil
• Urban Decay Zero 24/7 Eye Pencil
• Urban Decay Lust 24/7 Eye Pencil
• Napoleon Perdis mascara

Cheek

• Hello Kitty Tippy Blush
• Blonde MSF

Lips

• Hello Kitty Popster lip conditioner
• NYX  Salsa l/g
• Hello Kitty Big Bow l/s
• Neo-Sci Fi Naked Space l/g

The Makeup Show is a must-attend for all industry professionals and students.  The Los Angeles show will be held from March 15-16, 2009, 9:30am-5:30pm, Daily. (Sunday and Monday)

THE MAKEUP SHOW L.A.
CALIFORNIA MARKET CENTER
110 EAST NINTH STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA

Advance Tickets
1-Day: $35
2-Day: $50

At The Door Tickets
1-Day: $50
2-Day: $80

Some brands that will be featured at the event are Lancôme, P&G Beauty, Smashbox, Mario Badescu Skin Care and Kissable Couture, Shu Uemura, Billy B Beauty, Embryolisse, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Pencil Me In, Make Up For Ever, Senna Cosmetics, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Three Custom Color, Linda Mason Elements, and Alison Raffaele Cosmetics.

The keynote speaker will be Billy B, Makeup Artist Extraordinaire.  He will be speaking on A Career in Makeup.

The show will also include workshops, seminars, individual hands-on workshops, business forums (touching upon beauty techniques and applications, skin tones and makeup products, tools of the trade and the business of the beauty industry), and product demonstrations.

The Makeup Show LA is proud to announce it’s palette of beauty authorities from today’s top celebrity makeup artists:

Billy B, Ve Neill, Scott Barnes, Napoleon Perdis, Maurice Stein, Ronnie Specter, Marvin Westmore, Crystal Wright, Joe Blasco, Robin Siegel, Elke Von Freudenberg, Sharon Gault, Eve Pearl, James Vincent, Orlando Santiago, Michael DeVellis, Jon Hennessey, AJ Crimson, Kevin James Bennett, Johnny Lavoy, Patty and Farah Bunch.

For more information about the Makeup Show LA 2009, check out the General FAQs and Travel Info.

I will be attending this event, so I do hope to see you there.

Mix Maven

I have been totally excited about the Sephora’s Friends and Family 20% off event starting November 6th to November 10th.  The online discount code is FF2008.

Well, I was checking my updated Blackberry Curve, (thanks Brit) and I was too happy to see an e-mail about Beauty.com’s Friends and Family 20% off Sale.   My only beef with this sale is that it excludes NARS. You need the link <— to get the 20% off.  The sale starts @ 12:01 AM, November 5th to 11:59 PM, November 7th. (No time zone was specified)  Remember that every purchase earns a 5% cash back.

Happy haulin’,

Mix Maven

When it comes to beauty finds, Canada is quite egalatarian.  You can find Clinique at Sears; Smashbox, Elizabeth Arden, and Cover FX at Shoppper’s Drug Mart (SDM), which is comparable to CVS or Walgreen’s.  These brands are found in major department stores here in the United States.

Last year, I was looking to purchase a kabuki brush.  Since we were in Canada, I decided to check out Shopper’s Drug Mart.  I was hoping to get a Quo brush, a SDM brand.

I read mostly positive reviews of their brushes on Specktra.net.  I walked over to the Quo brushes and I was not pleased with the selection.  There must have been a sale or something because many of the brushes were sold out.  I found a suitable brush called Cover FX after further search, which I never heard of before.  The bristles were soft and it came with a neat little pleather travel bag.   When we got back to the hotel, I checked the brand. In the U.S., Cover FX is sold at Sephora and Nordstrom.

If I saw this brush at either store, I would not have purchased it… would have purchased a MAC kabuki instead, which I was trying not to do at the time (and still not done.)  Regardless of that, I love my Cover FX kabuki. One of the few brushes that I use on a regular basis because I have other brushes that I can rotate.

Whenever you are in Canada, check out Shopper’s Drug Mart.  They tend to be pretty easy to find like drugstores here (you can always check SDM’s website.)  You may be surprised with SDM’s beauty finds.

Mix Maven

My home girl, Yummy411 , aka President of “The Pretty Committee”, called me out for being a Cherry Culture fanatic. I want to blame her because she exposed me to Specktra, where I learned about Cherry Culture. LOL!

One of my new favorite nail polish brands is LA Colors.  The bottles are shaped like OPI polishes at fraction of the cost ($2!!!) and less toxins. I found this product on my foray at the Cherry Culture website.  The LA Colors lacquer, Vibrant Violet,  was apart of my first purchase on Cherry Culture.  I was totally pleased with the brilliance of the color and purchased other colors from Cherry Culture. One of the Specktrettes (a Specktra.net member) discussed buying LA Colors products at her local dollar store.  I decided to head a Dollar Tree and I noticed that this store carried a few LA Colors products that I have seen on Cherry Culture’s website. (Unfortunately, no LA Colors nail polish…

Here is what I got:

LA Colors Shimmering Loose Eye Shadow – This product is similar to MAC pigments, which I love, but I find them to be somewhat chunkier than most pigments.  I am glad I only paid $1 and not the $3 listed on Cherry Culture.  The brush applicator is not favorable and I will find away to open the container (without too much fallout) to put in another container.  If you are starting out on the makeup scene, definitely check these loose shadows out, which is why I gave them to my cousin J to play with.  (Always remember to use a base when applying any type of eye shadow!)

LA Colors AutoLiner, Mascara and Liquid EyeLiner

I have not used these products yet, but I have heard rave reviews about the mascara and autoliner. These products range between $2.50 and $3.00 on Cherry Culture.  The liquid eyeliners are, somewhat, issued, because some may be opened and have a bit of dried liner liquid on the product (see photo) Hey, only $1!

My Cherry Culture Haul from the recent 20% off sale:

NYX Brushes

I like NYX brushes.  You know I still love my MAC brushes, (especially the black-bristled brushes).  As one of my friends says, “What’s better than money? More money!” I have the same feeling about brushes.  One cannot have enough makeup brushes. I have other NYX brushes and I use them alongside my MAC brushes.

I ordered: NYX Professional Blush Brush (I will use for foundation blending), NYX  Professional Eye Primer brush (similar to MAC 252) and a NYX Professional shading brush.

I also picked up one of my favorite low-cost eye shadow brands, Wild & Crazy.  This time I got “Favorite Pink” which is a dupe of MAC’s Da Bling eye shadow.  The texture is great and is blendable.  For the most part, I have enjoyed the Wild & Crazy eye shadows that I have, except for a matte.

I decided to try NYX’s nail polish in Barbie Pink. The pink is vivid and pretty. I cannot wait for my next manicure appointment. (which is very soon)

I also wanted to try the LA Colors metallic palettes. The palette is called “Serenade” a series of pink shades.  The shadows are pigmented, but the palette is smaller than I thought it was going to be.  I swatched a few of the shadows on my hand, so I think they will be fine.  For the $4 price, I am pleased, though, chances are I will not stock up on the other LA Colors metallic palettes.

Overall, I am pleased with my haulage. MAC has some good stuff coming out almost every month of 2008, so I am definitely bracing for that.  Happy Haulin’ to you!!

Mix Maven

FYI, I am not a photograher…. ok

One of my favorite online cosmetics retailers is having a sale from June 10 – June 20, 2008, Cherry Culture. Customers purchasing $50 or more will receive 20% off by using Coupon Code: SUM20. Remember that shipping is always free for orders $40 or more. Have fun hauling!!

~Mix Maven~