BellaSugar

Beauty Mark It! Your First Beauty Purchase

BellaSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:00:16 PDT

Next week will be celebrating Independence Day on July 4. Yes, 232 years ago we declared independence from Great Britain. This got me thinking about different types of freedom, mostly of the George Michael kind, but also the freedom of first being able to wear makeup.

I had definitely experimented with Bonne Belle's Smackers in the Dr. Pepper flavor, but my first true makeup purchase was Cover Girl's Lipslicks. I can't remember which color I tried, but the packaging is bringing back memories of junior high.

What was your first beauty purchase? Bookmark your choice and share your experience in the comments below.

Share your choices by bookmarking items from around the web and tagging them with the phrase First Beauty Purchase. I'll feature your favorites here next Tuesday.

To learn about Beauty Mark It challenges and how to add your picks, check out this how-to. To see some of my favorite online beauty stores,

Saks Beauty Place
Sephora
Saffron Rouge
Drugstore.com
Fred Segal Beauty
Folica
Amazon.com Beauty
Strawberrynet.com
Nordstrom
Bergdorf Goodman
Beauty.com

Go For The Gold, Part I: Gold Dust

BellaSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:55:08 PST

While metallics have had serious staying power over the last year, let's talk more about some of the golden treasures we've found. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that gold nail polish was the next big trend, and we already know that golden highlights are hot. We've seen numerous golden lip glosses as well as tons of glamorous gold packaging. And guess what? Here come more gilded treats! So get excited and stay tuned all week long for more golden beauty treasures. Today's topic is gold dust - a little something sparkly for the face, shoulders and decolletage.

Bonne Bell Glimmer Bronze Highlighting Dust, Gold'n Glitz ($3.95) is a loose powder with microscopic particles that create a sexy glow on your face and body. Be warned, a little shimmer goes a long way, so you'll want to tap your puff before you apply to ensure that the gold dust spreads evenly and isn't too heavy in one area. The result is a luminous glow that lasts all night long.

For more gold dust,

Nars Sparkling Pressed Powder in Gold Rush ($30) is a great, soft and subtle finely-milled highlighting powder. It contains silica so it glides on smoothly, and it has corn starch to absorb any excess oil. This is a great accessory for any evening out on the town.

Estee Lauder Platinum Illuminating Loose Shimmer Powder ($32.50) is so popular that it's sold out on the main website. Luckily, I've found some more here - so have fun and play away with this limited-edition jar of shiny powder.

My Cheapie Cream Blush Secret

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 31 May 2011 05:00:00 PDT

Long-lasting, highly pigmented cream blush tends to be expensive; a good stick can run you upwards of $30. So that's why I'm going to let you in on something I recently discovered while wandering around Walmart: Bonne Bell Blush 'N Go ($5). I purchased the Petal Pink shade on a whim, and I've been using it for two weeks now. Surprisingly, not only does it have excellent pigment payoff, but it spreads beautifully, lasting just as well as most cheek stains nearly six times its cost. To see how the shade looks on and find out what pricey products this one resembles, just keep reading.

Cologne: Not Just For Guys

BellaSugar — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:00:00 PDT

It's not too often that we see female celebrities creating male colognes, but Kylie Minogue is about to play a little role reversal with the launch of her latest fragrance, Inverse for Men ($42). The cologne, inspired by the "complex, colorful" men in Kylie's life, launches in September in Australia, the Netherlands, the UK, and Germany.

The amber-oriental scent will feature top notes of frozen lavender, blood mandarin, and warm spices; middle notes of benzoin, heliotrope, nutmeg, and tonka beans; and base notes of labdanum resin, skin musk, patchouli leaves, condensed milk, and atlas cedarwood. I must admit: while the scent skews a bit masculine, I wouldn't mind dabbing a bit of this hearty scent on my skin.

In fact, Sarah Jessica Parker once told The New York Times that her special blend of fragrances includes Bonne Bell Skin Musk ($14), an Egyptian oil, and "a fairly costly male scent." That scent? It's Comme des Garçons Incense Avignon ($78), an intense, heavy blend. What about you? Are you a fan of wearing men's cologne, or do you tend to stay away from male-inspired scents?