BellaSugar

BellaSugar's Top Five Mascara Picks

BellaSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:00:18 -0700

Over the past year, I've talked in great detail about many different types of volumizing, lengthening, curling, separating, and glossing mascaras. There's even a new one from Besame that smells just like gingerbread. I've tried them all, and while most of them are great at the beginning, I find that they generally don't live up to the hype about remaining clump and flake-free for more than a month.

That's why I'm partial to these five mascaras. I know that I can always turn to them to separate, define, and darken my lashes and make them look flirty and fluttery in the most natural-yet-enhanced possible way. What's your tried and true mascara?

Lancome Courbe Virtuose ($23) helps gives lashes that extra curl they need to look longer and sexier. The brush is amazing, it never clumps, and the color isn't too light nor too dark.
Lash Blast by Cover Girl ($6.99) is awesome. It's inexpensive and it effectively gives you a sexy, false-lash look.
The Balm Two-Timer ($19) is great because you can use the fine brush for a natural daytime look and the thick brush for a dramatic, curled, and elongated evening look.
Mirenesse Secret Weapon ($27, but deals abound) separates and lengthens lashes like crazy. It doesn't look too over-the-top, and although it stays all day, it comes off with just a bit of warm water.
Beauty Addicts Lash Galore ($22) is silky, rich, conditioning, and volumizing. It creates full, separated, long lashes with a touch of glamorous shine.

Valentine's Day Beauty Part II: Bedroom Eyes

BellaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:00:14 -0800

My, what beautiful eyes you have. Welcome back to my series on Valentine's Day beauty. This post should help you create sexy, sultry bedroom eyes for the big night. Keep in mind that if you plan to wear a bold lip, then you'll want to play down your eyes with neutral colors. But if you want your eyes to fully captivate your beau during dinner conversation, here are three great products to lock in eye contact all night long.

Beauty Addicts SolutionEYES in Seduce ($35) is four-pan shadow palette of blendable black, white and grayish-silver matte and shimmery shades to help create a sensual, smoky eye. The black shade can also double as a liner, and the white shade can be used to create a glamorous glow in the inner V area of your eyes.

For more eye makeup products perfect for Valentine's Day read more.

Bare Escentuals PussyCat Eyes ($39) is a playful way to awaken your inner sex kitten. Without having to say too much, the name of this mineral eye shadow trio and shadow brush makes me blush. The set includes three deep shades of loose-powder eye shadows in black, yellow amber, and khaki - all of which can be blended together or worn separately.

Senna Cosmetics Foxy Five Eyes ($42) is an eye shadow palette that contains four fabulous shades of velvety-soft powder shadows, a light and creamy shadow base to ensure staying power and an applicator. Senna shadows blend really well and this palette is perfect for a lady on the prowl, since it's so versatile.

Must-Have of the Moment: HydraSUNRays Bronzer by Beauty Addicts

BellaSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:00:00 -0700

I am a huge fan of Beauty Addicts cosmetics. After meeting the owner, Maria Ashe, at the Jackie Rogers fashion show last season, I knew I'd found someone who was just as passionate about makeup as I am. I was delighted to receive a package from her a couple of days later, and I've been addicted to Addicts products ever since.

The latest launch from Beauty Addicts is the HydraSUNRays Bronzer ($32). It has a lightweight formula and sheer color that delivers an extremely neutral glow to the skin. What sets this bronzer apart is that it contains no shimmer and has build-able coverage, meaning that the color gets darker the more you apply. And since it's matte, it will never streak, no matter how much you pile on!

HydraSUNRays contain pure freshwater pearl powder. Since we know that pearls are great for healthy skin cell growth, this just makes the product even more attractive. It also contains green tea and vitamins A, C, D and B5. HydraSUNRays, which can also be used as an eyeshadow or blush, is available in one neutral color intended for all skin tones.

Spring Lip Glosses, Part II: Beautiful Berries

BellaSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:31:33 -0700

Welcome to part two of a five part series of Spring lip glosses! To see Part I, for violet lip glosses, click here. Berries, bright pinks and flirty fuchsias are a hot beauty trend that have been seen on the runways and at the cosmetics counters for Spring! Here are three of my favorite beautiful berry lip glosses:

Aveda Lip Glaze in RubiSparks, $15, is a succulent rich translucent color. It has intense shine and is made from ripe berry anti-oxidants and plant derived moisturizing ingredients. It is also flavored with yummy and organic peppermint and ginger.

I love the brush on this gloss. It has an angled-tip to ensure smooth application. The tube is made of 50% post-consumer recycled materials and the packaging comes from 100% recycled newsprint shell so it's good for the environment too!

For two more berry lip glosses, read more

Nars Lip Gloss in Boogie Nights, $23, has crazy shine! This is a bold berry color that goes on smooth, creamy and semi-sheer. You can wear Boogie Nights alone or layered on top of your favorite lipstick.

This gloss has an instant warming effect on your face due to its hint of iridescence and its deep berry color. Try it out and see what I mean.

Bobbi Brown Lip Tint SPF 15 in Black Cherry , $17, is a sheer plum red color that enhances lips and also protects them from sun damage. Just a little of this stuff goes a long way. The best part about this gloss is the peppermint scent. Available in nine colors.

Eye Palettes To Enhance Your Eye Color: Hazel Eyes

BellaSugar — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 12:30:22 -0800

Welcome to my first installment of Eye Shadow Palettes To Enhance Your Eye Color. If you have light green or hazel eyes, then you know that purple shadows make them pop. I've tried at least a dozen shades recently, and what I've discovered is you really need more than just one color to make your hazel cat eyes glow. The perfect palette is hard to come by, but I've found a few that get the job done well.

Each of these include three to four shades of just the right pinks, purples and sables to perfectly enhance your eyes. The lightest shade is the accent color that should go just beneath your brow-bone, the medium color purple goes across your lid and the darkest shade should be applied to the crease. Stay tuned for more palettes later this week to suit your eye color!

Beauty Addicts Eyeshadow Palette in Motivate, $34, is a collection of four beautiful and rich colors from the purple family; they are: heather, berry, plum and pale pink. The beauty of this palette is that you can skip the darker crease color for day (just use as a liner) and then add plum for a more dramatic effect at night.

To see a couple more purple palettes, read more

gloEye Shadow Trio in Amethyst by GloMinerals, $29.50, is a three color collection of eye shadows for hazel eyes. I've been using this palette for a long time and I still can't find a sable color quite like this one (the reddish color).

This high quality brand makes shadows that last. It won't crease, the colors blend easily and the palette is small enough to carry with you anywhere.

Wet n Wild Mega Eyes in Mojave Mauves, $2.99, is an easy to use palette because the colors go in order of use. Start from the bottom and apply that shade from your lid to the crease. Next apply the darkest shadow in your crease and blend well. Lastly, apply the light pink from your crease to your brow and dab just a little bit with the applicator in the inner corners of your eye.

If you want, wet the crease color and use it as a liner, or else line your eyes (top and bottom) in black. These pretty shades are long lasting, silky smooth and they won't break the bank.

Brand-New Brand: beauty ADDICTS

BellaSugar — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:13:44 -0800

ToOfficially become a beauty ADDICT! The philosophy behind this brand is based around four different moods. They have created colors that come in fun and lightweight silver and pink compact palettes called beauty ADDICTS Gems in: Seduce, Motivate, Express and Glow. Each of these moods then has its own correlating collection of lip, eye, sun, cheek and highlighter palettes.

As of now, the line also includes a mineral sheer tint with SPF 20 as well as three other super cute gifts: a holiday faux croc clutch with three lip glosses inside, brush sets, and an adorable beauty ADDICTS tank that comes in white and grey. Ideas for a cream foundation, dual-pad concealer and mascara are also in the works.

Their idea is also to de-clutter and de-stress your makeup process. Having multiple colors in one compact allows you to do that since you can create many looks within each of these versatile palettes.

They are also good for your skin since they are packed with: minerals, natural extracts, shea butter, aloe vera, vitamins and antioxidants. Prices range from $26 for lip palettes to $30 for eye palettes. Play away and have fun! Read more about new makeup alerts here.

Will You Watch Addicted to Beauty?

BellaSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:00:42 -0700

Tonight, yet another reality beauty program premieres, as Oxygen's Addicted to Beauty makes its official debut. The new show, billed as a "reality workplace dramedy," centers around the eccentric employees Changes Plastic Surgery and Spa, a med-spa in La Jolla, CA. According to the show's website the characters include a flamboyant receptionist, an eccentric concierge, and an acclaimed plastic surgeon. It looks a little over the top to me, but I do realize that outrageous situations do make for good TV. Do you think it will be just another reality program, or do you think Addicted to Beauty might have something a little different to offer?

Might as Well Face It, TV's Addicted to Beauty

BellaSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:00:36 -0700

Reality TV fans, take note: There's a new series in town tackling the tantalizing world of medspas. This secret - well, there are cameras, so it's more like "secret" - look into Changes Plastic Surgery and Spa follows the day-to-day escapades at a beauty enhancement facility in San Diego.

Titled Addicted to Beauty, the show will follow the genre's formula of a quirky cast of characters in a situation with ample dramedy. In this case, the facility of Dr. Gilbert Lee and staff gets shaken up when socialite and marketing expert Dianne York-Goldman enters with her own crew. From Ronnie (the "eccentric concierge") to Shannyn (the "whip-cracking spa manager"), I'm seeing a bumpy road already. I guess they're all there to smooth things out (groan).

The show debuts Aug. 4 on Oxygen - will you tune in?

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Beauty Mark It! Your Favorite Scent for Summer

BellaSugar — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:00:00 -0700

On Monday, I declared Dior Addict 2 Summer Peonies one of my must-haves for June. Let's face it: No one wants to spend the Summer wearing a fragrance fit for Fall. But really, any Summer scent will do. The important thing is finding a special light-smelling perfume that's perfectly suited to the hotter months.

So for this week's Beauty Mark It challenge, I want to hear what Summer scent you switch to when the weather gets warm. Tell me by Beauty Marking your favorites and tagging your choices with the phrase "Summer Scent." I'll feature the readers' favorites on BellaSugar next Tuesday, June 12.

To learn what a Beauty Mark is and how to make one, click here. To see some of my favorite online beauty stores, read more

Saks Beauty Place
Victoria's Secret Beauty
Sephora
Drugstore.com
Fred Segal Beauty
Folica
Strawberrynet.com
Nordstrom
Bergdorf Goodman
Beauty.com

Beauty Mark It! Sparkly, Clear Lipglosses

BellaSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:00:39 -0700

This week's Beauty Mark It challenge is a special request. You see, FitSugar has run out of her favorite Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in 098-a sheer gloss with tiny little iridescent sparkles-and it's been discontinued. The closest match I can think of is Urban Decay Sparkler Pen in Dynamite, but I bet all of you have some suggestions.

So, want to help out our girl FitSugar? Share your suggestions for clear and sparkly lip glosses by Beauty Marking your favorites and tagging your choices with the phrase "sparkle gloss." I'll feature the readers' favorites on BellaSugar next Tuesday, August 8. And Fit will be eternally grateful. I bet she'd even join some of the other Sugar girls and do cartwheels all around the office to celebrate.

To learn what a Beauty Mark is and how to make one, click here. To see some of my favorite online beauty stores, read more

Saks Beauty Place
Victoria's Secret Beauty
Sephora
Drugstore.com
Fred Segal Beauty
Folica
Strawberrynet.com
Nordstrom
Bergdorf Goodman
Beauty.com