BellaSugar

Reader Review of the Day: Apivita Deep Cleansing Face Mask

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:00:21 -0700

Everyone wants something different out of a facial mask, whether it's for hydration, acne fighting, or increased radiance. But who wouldn't want a little deep cleaning now and then? Mask-lover Marleygyal02 tried out Apivita Deep Cleansing Face Mask ($5), and here's what she had to say about this heavy-duty mask:

Another mask I could use forever. It smells so good, and it makes my skin feel like a new day. I love how clean my skin feels after this mask, but it doesn't strip moisture . . . so my skin doesn't feel tight. It really helps to clarify my pores.

If you like reviewing products, our Product Reviews website is the place to be. Fill us in on what you do and don't like, whether it's a flat iron or waxing strips or a lip gloss. Perhaps you'll be featured on this daily post, too.

Beauty Products From Around The World Part I: Greece

BellaSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:58:42 -0700

Greek men and women are known for their thick, plentiful and shiny hair. Ingredients such as mint, rosewater, honey and yogurt are some of the most widely found and consumed ingredients in the country. We are lucky enough to now have access to these great Greek hair products in the US. Please let me know what you think and if you have any more Greek products to share with our growing beauty community.

Apivita Propoline Shampoo ($17) is a line of twelve moisturizing shampoos that have remained a cult favorite in Greece for 20+ years. What makes this brand and these shampoos so amazing is that instead of using ordinary water, they use rosemary water as a base.

Rosemary improves circulation, promotes hair growth, stimulates cell renewal to eliminate dandruff, normalize oil secretions. Wow, I had no idea about the powers of rosemary, did you?

For two more great beauty products from Greece, read more

How many times have we heard that healthy hair begins with a healthy scalp? This Korres Green Silt and Corallina Oligoelements Intensive Hair Scrub ($30) is terrific for regulating dandruff and sebum secretion. It's a cranial exfoliator that helps to balance damaged scalps, exfoliate dead skin cells, and regenerate the hair to give it a healthy, shiny lustre.

Since it's a treatment, it is recommended for use once a week. Simply
apply the scrub on wet hair from roots to hair ends, massage gently and leave on for ten minutes before rinsing.

Hydra Mastic Mask ($24.80) is a hair hydration mask containing a special ingredient called mastic found on the Greek island of Chios. Company founder Dia Scoufaras discovered mastic, a resin that comes from the mastic tree that has anti-bacterial and ant-fungal properties, while on a family vacation in Chios.

Now the company has over 175 products that contain lots of good-for-you ingredients such as red wine for its anti-oxidant properties and olive oil as an emollient. Hydra Mastic Mask helps to hydrate, protect and add shine to normal and dry hair. To check out the four Mastic US spa locations online here!

Who Needs Underwire When You've Got Breast-Firming Creams!

BellaSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:00:22 -0700

Sagging, drooping breasts are common complaints among the aging and those post-childbirth. I'm not sure why people don't expect it, since the laws of gravity tell us that what goes up must come down. Still, I guess losing the perky round shape of your breasts is a sign of saying sayonara to your youth. Hopefully now you can restore some of that depleting collagen in your boobies with these breast-firming treatments!

Apivita Express Bust Firming Mask with Centella ($24) is an invigorating and firming bust cream. (I'm not sure why they call it a mask since it doesn't dry and you don't wash it off.) It comes in individually packed sachets for easy travel use. It's formulated to help elasticity and firmness in your breasts, improve the overall texture of your breasts and leave your sexy skin feeling smooth and supple. After showering, apply a generous layer to your bust in circular motions until it's fully absorbed.

For two more breast-firming creams, read more

Clarins Bust Beauty Gel ($56) is an orange colored gel that gives quick results. It tightens the tissue on and around your breasts and provides contour and tone. This product is recommending to the aging, those who have just had a child or have encountered significant weight loss.

Godiva Breast Firming Cream ($15) is a highly concentrated cream that helps lift and firm your breasts. The main ingredient in the cream is Pueraria Mirifica, an phytoestrogen herb indigenous to Thailand. To use, apply a thick layer of cream to your breasts a massage it in for two to three minutes. Use in the morning and the evening for best results.

SPF For Your Skin Type: Dry Skin

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:00:56 -0700

Summertime is here and that means playing away in the surf and sand. You wouldn't want to spoil the fun with a bad sunburn, a rash or-heaven forbid-a reaction to an SPF now would you? Here are some amazing sunscreens suitable for dry skin. To read about SPFs for oily skin, click here!

Erno Laszlo R.E.M SPF 30 Intensive Day Therapy for Normal to Extremely Dry Skin ($78) serves as both a moisturizer and as a sunscreen. It has been created for those of you who have a loss of humectants in your skin and are looking for a boost of hydration.

Not only will it protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays, but it will also tighten skin and help fight fine lines and wrinkles. Fantastic!

For two more sunscreens for dry skin, read more

Botanics Face Defence Moisture Cream SPF15 ($10.39) is a great way to hydrate your skin while protecting it from the sun. It contains antioxidants, horse chestnut extract, cocoa butter and shea butter (the magic ingredient in helping soothe oil dry skin).

Apivita Propoline High Protection Face Cream SPF 30 ($21) is a really rich facial sunscreen made with grape seed to nourish, hydrate and shield dry skin in particular. Also, it smells great and it offers the skin protection from both UVA and UVB rays.

Lotion Up For Landing, Part II

BellaSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 14:45:00 -0700

Welcome back to the second installment of Lotion Up for Landing, my three-part series on hydrating face creams that will quench your skin after a long flight. (Be sure to check out part I, too.) Not only are these creams luxuriously rich, but they're also less than 3 ounces, so you can toss them in your carry-on luggage without worry.

Hydra-Chrono Hydration Extreme Balm from Lierac ($47) is the perfect rich face balm for flights. It contains a moisturizing complex so divine that skin instantly looks hydrated and more supple. It also contains a technology called Aqua-pump, which acts like a hydraulic pump for your skin to reach the surface and the deep-down layers to help prevent wrinkles. To purchase, you can call 1-877-5-LIERAC or check the where to buy section.

For two more super-rich moisturizing lotions, read more

Apivita Aromatherapy Dream Skin Face Cream ($35) is another amazing product from the great Greek skincare company. This is actually a night cream - great for red-eye flights - that helps your cells regenerate and build collagen more quickly. The lavender scent might also help you relax, and in the morning, your skin will feel revived and fresh.

L'Occitane 24 Hours Ultra Rich Face Cream ($36) is a thick moisturizing lotion made from plant extracts, shea butter, chestnut extract, and wheat protein. The idea behind this cream is that it nourishes your skin enough for one application to last a full day. When I tried it, my skin felt really smooth right away, but I didn't put it through a 24-hour test, so if you have, let me know what you thought.

Bellissima! APIVITA Propoline Lip Care Kit

BellaSugar — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:07:24 -0800

Whoever doubts great things come in small packages has obviously never experienced this APIVITA Propoline Lip Aid Kit. This little trio of chap sticks is actually an extensive lip treatment system created to nourish, soften and protect your smackers.

This is the latest beauty product this amazing Greece-based cosmetics company has brought to the US. The Lip Aids are made from natural ingredients, namely: cocoa butter, beeswax, olive oil, vitamins, herbal extracts and essential oils. Your lips will feel repaired and conditioned in no time. They also contain high protection sunscreen to prevent sun damage. Choose the right Lip Aid to treat the specific problem your lips are experiencing at the moment.

Lip-Aid Propolis (red tube) is for chapped lips.
Lip-Aid Chamomile (green tube) is for sensitive lips.
Lip-Aid Rose (pink tube) is for moisture, with a hint of color.

One Lip Aid usually costs $5.50, yet this package of three costs only $13.50. What a fabulous deal!

Dynamite Deep Conditioners

BellaSugar — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:29:14 -0800

Just as our skin feels the effects of our harsh environment, our hair does too. Not only does it face similar issues of dryness, dehydration and lifelessness, but because we tend to use heated tools for styling, our hair risks severe and irreparable damage from over-processing.

Once in a while, it's nice to give your hair a healthy glass of water to recharge and revitalize limp locks. These dynamite deep conditioners will help your dreary and dry hair undergo a dramatic change. Here are a few of my favorite products:

Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense Intense Enriching Treatment is often a professional's hair masque of choice. Jennifer Aniston's hairdresser Chris McMillan uses this on her fine hair frequently to add shine and luster. The rest of us are recommended to do this treatment twice a week.

I think that you'll love it. I've been hooked for months now. The smell is great and the jar lasts for a long time because all you really need is a few fingertips full. Leave it on for five-to-ten minutes and then rinse. Buy it here for $44.99 (This is the best price I've seen yet!)

Propoline Hair Mask For Dry, Colored Hair is a great product for travel since it comes in these nifty individually sealed packages. This conditioner is a pretty intense hair masque formulated to condition and moisturize. It contains natural and effective ingredients such as: olives, sunflowers and panthenol. It is also intended to prevent split ends and should help to restore elasticity and shine. Buy it here for $18.

To see the last one read more

Redken All Soft Heavy Cream is very rich, it smells delicious and you only have to use it once a week. However, there are two steps involved. First, apply it to your hair while it's still damp, then add heat to your hair anywhere from 5-15 minutes to activate the chemicals. Then rinse it off with cool water. It's made from avocado oil, amino acids and proteins to help with frizz and managability. Buy it here for $14.

Sensitive SPF 30 For Your Face, Part I

BellaSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:24:33 -0700

Indulgences usually come with a price. Envision your body getting toasty warm and turning a gorgeous golden color. While that used to be fun as a child, if you haven't already learned by now - exposure to the sun without sunscreen can result in premature aging as well as skin damage and skin cancer.

The summer months are soon approaching and now is the time to respect and protect yourself. As I am sure you already know (but reminders never hurt), sunscreen should be applied evenly to your skin 30 minutes before exposure. Re-apply throughout the day and especially after swimming. Here are three of my favorite sensitive sunscreens for your face:

Apivita's Propoline High Protection Face Cream SPF 30 , $21, is suitable for those with sensitive/dry skin. It uses organic filters and is water resistant.

Its special ingredient is grape seed which is a natural botanical that helps fight aging by neutralizing free radicals. This sunscreen will help block out harmful UVA and UVB rays, hydrate your skin as well as strengthen your skin's natural defense system. Oh, and it smells amazing!

To see more facial sunscreens with SPF 30, read more

Lancaster Ultra Soothing Lotion for Delicate Skin, $24, is a very gentle, luxurious light cream formulated to offer high sun protection (blocks both UVA and UVB rays) without clogging your pores.

It combines moisturizing and sunscreen which is ideal for those times where you are going to be exposed to the sun for long periods of time and is also water resistant. This product will be available online for purchase on May 1st but is currently already in specialty stores.

Clinique UV-Response Face SPF 30, $14.50, is a water resistant, broad spectrum sun protection lotion that helps fight early signs of aging. It is also formulated to provide antioxidant protection that increases with the intensity of the sun. It's oil free and is great for those with sensitive skin.

Fantastic Firming Creams, Part I: Bust

BellaSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:00:25 -0800

For those of you who worry about sagging skin on or around your breasts, these firming creams are designed to lift, tighten, and rejuvenate your bust contours by improving tone, texture, and firmness. These are great for new mothers, or for anyone looking for a topical preventative treatment.

Keep in mind that firming creams claim to hydrate, improve your skin's resilience and boost antioxidant and collagen production - but they aren't cure-alls, and their effects aren’t permanent. I've found a few bust-firming products below. These are items I haven't tested yet, but I can recommend these Apivita Express Bust Firming Mask Packets firsthand, which make your skin smell and feel baby soft.

Mama Mio Boob Tube ($38) is a product meant for new moms. Not only does it claim to soothe sore, itchy breasts and nipples, but it also prevents stretch marks and improves tone and firmness. If you have any friends who just had a little one, this is a great way to show some, uh, support.

Guinot Liftenseur Firming Bust Cream ($40) promises to tighten, plump, and mend the suspensory tissues in your skin. The box says to avoid your nipples, so consider yourself warned.

For one last drugstore option, read more.

Palmers Bust Firming Cream ($5.49) contains cocoa butter, shea butter, and vitamin E. I wouldn't expect a miracle from using it, but at the very least, it'll keep your girls soft and smooth.

Rose Lip Balms Rule!

BellaSugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:42:33 -0800

Our lips have some of the thinnest cover on our entire body. They are super sensitive to the environment since they don't produce any moisture on their own. Therefore, as soon as we feel a crack, or a patch of dryness, our lips become extra sensitive.

Not only does rose smell feminine, sweet and light, but it contains essential oils necessary in healing dry, chapped and cracked lips. Here are three of my favorite rose lip balms to help heal your special smackers.

by Terry Rose Balm Gloss, $50, has just created a new crystal case for their best selling rose lip balm! This lip balm contains a high concentration of lipid (fat) building rose wax which hydrates and nourishes the lips. It helps to repair, rejuvenate, strengthen, and fight early signs of aging in your lips. Plus, it smells great too. This gloss/balm plumps up your puckers ever so slightly and leaves them glowing and kissable.

For two more classic Rose lip balms, read more

This uber yummy smelling and adorably pink packaged Propoline Lip Aid With Rose & Olive Oil by Apivita is a sheer and very light rose colored lip balm that helps to combat dry, cracked lips.

It is super moisturizing, nourishing and softening and contains natural ingredients such as: rose, olive oil and Vitamin E. You can buy one for $7 or this package of three lip balms for $13.50.

Smith's Rosebud Salve, $6, is a cult-favorite among women of all shapes, sizes and creeds. It is a multi-purpose lip balm that soothes dry lips, calms and heals irritation, and helps take out the sting of a minor burn.

It also conditions dry cuticles, elbows, knees, diaper rash and my personal favorite: crow's feet. I know, it seems like a salve would be too heavy, but it's not. It absorbs overnight and I swear it helps fight lines and wrinkles. It now also comes in a new cool minted rose flavor too!