MISSION Skincare Winners

Thanks to all who entered the MISSION Skincare contest. The 3 winners are:

Mark David
Holstrom
Kim said

I have all your emails, so will be in touch soon. Congratulations.

Don't forget- MISSION skincare giveaway

There's still time to enter my MISSION skincare giveaway. I've got 3 sets to gift you with.

Enter under this post:

http://thebeautyalchemist.blogspot.com/2009/11/mission-skincare-giveaway.html

Mission Skincare by Serena Williams Giveaway

To start off your holiday gifting, a gift from me to you.

Beginning today( Nov. 19) and running thru Monday Nov.30, I have 3 sets of MISSION Skincare by Serena Williams to give to you.

Tennis star Serena was named Glamour Magazine's Woman of the Year this year and to celebrate that , MISSION wants to share her creations with you.

Each winner will receive :

- One new MISSION Active Daily Facial Cleanser- the 90 second wonder cleanser created by Serena Williams for the fastest , on the go cleansing.

- Two MISSION Lip Balmers. One each of Pomengranate and Pink Lemonade. I have raved more than once about these. I have several and use them almost every day. They have great flavor and SPF , plus are very moisturizing.

All you have to do to enter is the usual- leave a comment. Any comment will do ( nice ones preferred). You can leave your email or wait until winners are announced and check back.

I will randomly pick 3 winners and notify you , as well as post the winners name here on the drawing day.

Good Luck.

The rules:
-Winner agrees by entering ,that if they win their name and address will be given to the shipping company.
Winners from US only and over 18.
- The Beauty Alchemist is not responsible for lost or incomplete entries, shipping of your prize, any damage to prize incurred during shipping.
- Winner will be picked randomly.
- I will announce winner on Nov. 28th. Winner has 5 days to come forward before I will need to pick a new winner
-Each person may enter only once.

Serena William's New Mission Skincare Line

She can do it in 90 seconds…can you? To coincide with the launch of her new skincare line , Mission Skincare and Serena Williams have announced a new contest.

She wants to see how ready you can get in 90 seconds. Ok,me, not at all. Seriously. Ok, maybe if I was a pro player headed to a match I wouldn't need makeup etc, but 90 seconds? Lip balm, sunscreen and grab my racket I guess.

She is also debuting on HSN with her new line ( It amazes me who and what brands are on shopping TV these days) .

Best part- a pink lemonade lip balmer. That sounds fab.

All the details:

Contest – Meet Serena:
Starting July 8th and ending July 21st, Serena is hosting a contest to see what you can do in 90 seconds. Enter at http://www.serenasmission.com/ for the chance to meet her and win two VIP tickets to one of her upcoming tournaments. Other prizes include an autographed tennis racquet and $1,000 gift basket of Serena’s personal favorites. Follow her on Twitter @serenajwilliams to get contest updates.

The 90 Second Beauty Challenge:
The signature beauty solution Serena formulated works in just 90 seconds: Oxygen-Active Daily Facial Cleanser. A triple threat, this unique product is a cleanser, makeup remover and hydrating toner in one. Just apply, let the foam do its work, and wipe off. No water required. The result? Skin that appears younger and healthier looking – all for $39.99 at http://www.hsn.com/ beginning July 23rd.

Watch Serena Live!
On July 23rd and July 24th, Serena will appear on HSN to launch her line.

The new products:

The signature product is the Oxygen-Active Daily Facial Cleanser, engineered with a unique, self-foaming oxygenating technology that cleans impurities, removes makeup, nourishes and renews skin in only 90 seconds. Antioxidant properties help fight free-radical damage and environmental aggressors. The result? Skin that appears younger and healthier looking – all for $39.99.

The line also includes the following products:

-Sugar Body Scrub: Honey Sugar – Refined sugar granules suspended in a moisturizing gel that gently exfoliates the body, leaving the skin smooth, hydrated and healthy. $29.99

-Restorative Body Butter: Honey Sugar – A rich blend of natural extracts and moisturizing agents formulated to deliver superior nourishment and emollients to the skin to protect and hydrate. $24.99

-Lip Balmer SPF 15: Pomegranate – Introducing a long-lasting lip balm in Serena’s favorite flavor – pomegranate. Featuring broad-spectrum SPF 15 sun protection and moisturizing cocoa butter and soybean oil to hydrate and nourish lips. Added bonus – the formula is preservative and paraben-free. $3.99

-Lip Balmer SPF 15: Pink Lemonade – $3.99

The products also highlight MISSION Skincare’s unique M-10 formula, loaded with a variety of ten vitamins and antioxidants that meet the needs of active women world wide.

The MISSION Skincare Active-Beauty Line: Featuring Serena Williams has been developed with Dr. Bryan Adams, Chairman for the American Academy of Dermatology, Serena Williams and consumer groups representing the active woman of today.

The Sunscreen Roundup

I have no idea why, but I find trying and looking for the best sunscreens , fun. Maybe it's because there's so many great ones out there incl. more high end ones that appeal to the luxist in me. For whatever reason, it means I use sunscreen more, so thats a good thing.

Now I have only touched the surface here. There's a lot of sunscreens out there, I am finding new ones I want to try every day. Hopefully this primer will help you either find one you love, or get you started on a search of your own.

Things to remember:
-According to a news report last week all sunscreens need re-appying after 40-60 mins., no matter what the bottle says. The government has been planning to regulate sunblock claims for years, but as they will, haven't gotten around to it. None are so waterproof as to last hours.

-Any SPF higher than 30 is not really needed. Ones with higher numbers only provide little more protection. However, it can't hurt either. Just know that if your favorite is 15 or 30, you're good.

-Lastly Mexoryl is the best protectant out there. Only one type is approved for use here sadly, but companies are making various antioxidant cocktails and mineral blocks to up the ante in protection and make up for lack of Mexoryl. Think Helioplex from Neutrogena among others.

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- Ambre Solaire by Garnier- The best with BOTH Mexoryls. But only available outside the US. I grabbed this in Paris 2 yrs. ago and wish I had bought more. If you or anyone you know is going to Europe, get 1 or 10. ( In US there are several with one Mexoryl -SX. Lancome, La Roche Posay and Skinceuticals (highlighted further down).

-Cosmedicine Medi Matte Tint SPF- One of my favorite products now comes in a tinted version with SPF 20. Fabulous. This mattifier really works, and it's rare to see a mattifier( or tinted cream) for us oily gals with SPF. $ 42.50 ( Murad has a great looking non- tinted version as well, but haven't tried it yet)

Skinceuticals Active UV Defense SPF 15- One of the Mexoryl SX sunblocks. This is light but strong. Has a very light scent, but it's a nice enough one. One of my new favs. $ 29.00

being TRUE Essential SPF 30 gel- a gel/cream thats great for oily skins. Light , sinks right in . Ingredients incl. phytomelanin ,white and green tea . Can be used on face/body and under makeup. Oil free and oil absorbing. $ 35.00

Shiseido Sun Protection Lip Treatment SPF 36- yes it's expensive for a lip product, but you're worth it. It comes from a great suncare line and looks very chic. Some complain of a white tint. If that happens, just blend. $ 20.00

Clinique SPF 25 Body Spray- I am loving the new Clinique suncare. Reviewed in detail Here this spray is easy , has their new Solar Smart technology and a high SPF. $ 20.00

Peter Thomas Roth Mineral Powder Suncare- There is a new oily/problem skin version with 4% Salicyclic Acid & Willow Bark ( This sounds awesome. Must Try) and an Unwrinkle version with their Syn-Ake wrinkle relaxing ingredient, a neuropeptide and Matrixl 3000.
The Unwrinkle one I have tried and it's a smooth powder that evens skin . Feels very light. Their Unwrinkle powder compact is great , now you can have a lighter sunblock version. These are perfect for mid- day touch ups or those who want no SPF cream on their face. $ 30-35.00

Hawaiian Tropic Aloha Kiss SPF 20 Lip Gloss- an older Hawaiian Tropic lip balm was all I used a few summers back poolside. Smelled so good. Now we have this yummy berry lipgloss version. I have Cat Marnell at Lucky mag and her column to thank for finding this. $ 5.99 approx.

Mission Skincare Fast Drying Spray- Yesterday I mentioned how Mission is now at CVS. One new item is the Quick Drying Mist in a pump spray. Especially good for the athelete, outdoorsy or men. $ 6.99

Neutogena Pure & Free Baby SPF 60- New formula made extra gentle for babies and acc. to Neutogena , made with PureScreen technology, a more natural mineral physical block. Has " a separate layer that sits on top of the skin. This layer reflects and refracts the dangerous UVA/UVB rays of the sun before they have a chance to touch your baby"
Plus if it's gentle enough for babies, then it's great for those with sensitive skin .

Sephora's Sun Safety Kit- remember I said discovering new sunscreens can be fun ? Well this kit gives you a chance to try a gazillion of them . There's some great stuff in here like Clarins, DDF, andSmashbox plus a bag. $ 22.50

Mission Skincare now at CVS

I reviewed the initial Mission Skincare lip balms, called
Lip Balmers back in winter. My favorite was and still is Ryan Sheckler's Orange. I used it all winter and with SPF 15 , it's perfect for summer too.

Now Mission is widely available at CVS, and has introduced Suncare and two new Lip Balmers .

What I like about this line , and expect most do, is that it's been inspired by/ developed with atheletes, and therefore is totally unisex, and gets the job done. For instance the lip balms have no shine at all, but are really smooth.

This makes it great not just for you, but for boyfriends, kids and more. All the products come in basic silver packaging that's not too manly or too girly. Even my Dad uses the new Sunscreen stick ( well when he remembers ). He works out in the sun all day and complains about sunscreen running into his eyes. So far this has passed muster.

The new products include several sunscreen variations, and the 2 new Lip Balmers in organic strawberry and pomegranate. Both sound good.

Sunscreen Stick is 8.99

Lip Balmers are 3.99

Read more at http://www.missionskincare.com/

Mission Skincare Lip Balms

Mission skincare is a new line of athlete inspired products , called "high-performance, athlete-engineered skincare™ "

To quote the site:

" Engineered in MISSION Labs, the entire MISSION Product line is designed, and has been proven, to meet the specific needs of athletes across all sports. With vital nutrients and antioxidants, MISSION Product™ is the best equipment for your skin, allowing athletes to focus on their sport and maximize their performance."

Now what does all that mean to me? It means great lip balms, and I can totally get behind that.

Misson has 4 balms . 3 Lip Balmer SPF 15 and Lip Protector SPF20 which I am wearing as I type this.

The Lip Balmers come in 3 flavors:

-Snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler's Sweet Vanilla

-Skateboarder Ryan Sheckler's Orange

-Mission Mint

They all smell great and work well, but I am partial to the Orange of course. It kind of tastes like Tang if I recall that taste correctly.

The Sweet Vanilla is super sweet and cookie like. If you like the Philosophy 3in1s , then you need this lip balm.

They all last really long and moisturize well., They have no color or shine and come in very neutral tubes. These are unisex for all.

The Lip Protector SPF 20 is the more endurance version. It is in a squeeze tube and more emollient. It has stronger SPF, and a hint of gloss shine that make it even more of a barrier to wind etc.

All of these are paraben and preservative free, have Vitamin E, and moisturizing oils which vary depending on flavor.

Mission also has an SPF 30 stick called Daily Offense that is on my to buy list. Easy to swipe on any time, it is sweat resistant and anti sting.

Rounding out the line are Foot Synergy Gel and After Sun Gel.

You can find these at stores like Foot Locker, Champs, The Vitamin Shoppe and online at http://www.missionproduct.com/

Lip balms are all $3.99

Daily Offense Stick $8.99