BellaSugar

Dupe-tastic: Less Expensive Alternatives to the Season's Hottest Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:00:00 PST

People everywhere are eager to get their hands on Chanel's new Particulière ($23) nail polish, a flattering putty shade that's been generating buzz since the models wore it on the runways in Paris last year. Unfortunately, it's over $20 a pop, so those of us with limited budgets are forced to find our own way to wear the trend. To make things a little easier, I tested out a bunch of shades and found three look-alike polishes that will keep you on the cutting edge without taking your lunch money. To find out what they are, just keep reading.

The best match by far is OPI You Don't Know Jacques! ($8), which really does look like Particulière from a distance. Upon closer inspection, Jacques is a bit grayer than its fancier counterpart, and I could see it being especially flattering for ladies with cool undertones.
Another very close shade is Essie Mink Muffs ($8), which is slightly more brown than the Chanel color. With a gray or white base coat and careful application, though, I think this one can be made into a pretty convincing match.
Borghese Biscotti Beige ($8) is also close, although side by side you can certainly see the difference. It's got all the brown of Particulière, but with a softening dose of mauve. It's a more subtle color than the Chanel, so if you'd like to stay on trend but don't want something harsh, I'd suggest finding a bottle of this. (Find a list of stores that carry Borghese polishes here.)

Have a dupe to share yourself? Be sure to check out and join the Beauty Dupes group in the BellaSugar Community!

Product Review: Borghese Nail Lacquer

BellaSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:00:25 PDT

Earlier this year, Borghese launched a nail care division, and they have created a collection of amazing products. Without going into each and every item, the main event is their nail lacquer ($7.59). The creamy and self-leveling polish (this means that it manages to somehow side-step streaking) comes in 48 shades that range from pale pink to deep melons and browns.

What's great is that they are free of DBP, toluene and formaldehyde, but what makes them stand apart in a crowd is the coolest brush I've ever encountered.

They call it duale curve tip, because it contains two brushes that are fitted side by side in the handle so that it covers your entire nail bed in one fell swoop. OK, so I'm exaggerating a little bit - it covers all of my nails besides my wide thumbnail all at once.

The polishes contain proteins (to hydrate and strengthen), olive leaf extract (to seal in moisture), ground up semi-precious jewels (for intense shine) and Vitamin E (for a silky texture). The lacquer is creamy, brilliant and dries fairly quickly. For the large bottles, I also think the price is fair. Think you'd be interested in trying out a new Borghese nail polish?

Back to Basics: The Best Base Coats

BellaSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:10 PDT

Finding the right base coat is a critical first step in creating the perfect at-home manicure. If you use one that doesn't have a decent adhesive quality, then the color you've just applied is likely to peel off quickly.

An instant peel or chip on your freshly manicured hands feels like a big waste of time. Here are three brilliant base coats that I've been using for years - and as always, if you have a favorite of your own, please tell me what it is in a comment below.

As far as base coats go, I've always considered Nailtiques Nail Protein Formula 2 ($9.50) a treat because it's fairly expensive. Also, I think it's nothing short of a miracle worker on weak, peeling nails, so if I can muster up the self-control to let some actual white tips grow in, I reward myself with a coat of this keratin enriched base coat. If you're a first-time user, it is recommended to apply one coat every other day for a week without color, and then apply it as a base coat and a top coat to your next manicure.

Borghese Brilliante Base & Top Coat ($6.74) dries quickly while providing a thin, yet adequate base for your manicure. It contains granules of gemstones for added shine, proteins to help your nails grow stronger and it seals in moisture for healthier nails. Also, it's toluene, DBP and formaldehyde free.

For one more drugstore base coat option,

read more. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails ($2.75) is a product that I've been using since high school. It's always worked well to help strengthen my weak, bitten nails and it's so shiny that I often wear it alone. After continued use, my nails feel harder and they have less ridges. You can't beat the price or the super-long brush. If you've never tried this base coat before, I highly recommend it.

Cyber Monday Beauty Deals From A to Z

Miriam Lacey — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:49:41 PST

Cyber Monday is the savvy, 120 word-per-minute typer's day to shine in the same way that Black Friday is the former roller derby champion's. Both require speed and cunning, but one is far, far more civilized than the other. There are plenty of amazing beauty deals to be had without leaving your armchair, so to see our big list of guaranteed deals and top-secret promotional codes, just keep reading.

Lela Rose's Beauty.com Clutch Is Bright and Beauty-Full

Brittney Stephens — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:35:00 PDT

We all need a pretty cosmetic tote that's perfect for packing, and this one happens to come stuffed with beauty samples. As part of Lela Rose’s annual partnership with Beauty.com, the designer has just launched her latest offering: a vibrant clutch in the Peruvian-inspired Cajamarca print from her Spring 2011 collection. Starting now, customers who shop the site and spend over $100 will receive the chic, airy bag, along with 14 deluxe samples from brands like Tarte, Bare Minerals, Urban Decay, and Borghese. The samples are limited, so take advantage of this sweet deal by heading over to Beauty.com now.

Bachelor Pad 2: The Princess Is Back

Tara Sharp — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:20:37 PDT

Last night was the epic three-hour premiere of Bachelor Pad's second season, and one of the contestants managed to out-crazy the show's triple threat Vienna, Jake, and Kasey. We first met Erica Rose when she was a contestant on Prince Lorenzo Borghese's season of The Bachelor in 2006. But "princess" Erica has come a long way since her days of demanding maids and spoiled brat antics; at the tender age of 28 she's ready to gain financial independence from her parents by ~~getting a job and working her way up from the bottom~~ winning Bachelor Pad. Watch a tiara-clad Erica introduce herself and explain how her sex appeal, astrology, and loose morals will help her win. And watch the contestants tackle their first challenge - the "hook up" game - below!

Beauty Byte: Gwen Stefani Creates A Perfume

BellaSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 16:44:33 PDT

On Monday afternoon, Gwen Stefani detached herself from Kingston for a short time to unveil her very first fragrance called L (the L stands for love). She and Coty Prestige collaborated to create this scent, and together, they had a launch party at the Soho House in NYC where two Olympian swimmers performed water ballet.

The perfume is made from water hyacinth, white freesia, pear leaves, violet leaves, jasmine petals, rose, lily of the valley, sweet pea, orange blossom, frangipani blossom, peach skin, heliotrope flower and musk.

It will be available at Nordstrom in July and in other retail doors in September in two sizes: 1.7 oz for $55 and 3.4 oz for $70. There will also be a body lotion for $32, a shower gel for $30, and a solid perfume for $42.

The focal point of the bottle is a large gold cap of interlocking Ls, which pulls off to reveal an aqua interior. The underbelly of the cap has Rastafarian colors, red, yellow and green and the perfume has an aqua actuator.

The packaging of the box is a cheetah print cartoon with a black stripe and a stylized L. The inside of the box contains the tag line from the fragrance: "I want you all over me." This is a lyric from her song, "Crash."

It is said that she is working on five fragrances, but L will be the classic scent.

To read about L and what Gwen has to say about her fragrance,

read more Both print and TV ads are in the works and they will both star Gwen. Apparently the TV shoot was quite chilly, which took place in a cold swimming pool from 9:00am to 7:00pm and made the taping a bit difficult. The print ads were shot in Ibiza and will begin running in magazines in September. According to Gwen,

"It's sort of amazing to go from selling fragrances (that's what she did before she became a musician) to having one of my own. I certainly never expected it when I was selling Borghese and Ultima II at the Broadway! I wanted this fragrance to be light, fresh and clean. I want people to say, 'I want to smell like that.' I'm kind of embarrassed by how much I enjoyed creating this fragrance. It's another way to say who I am. I love this one so much I'm not sure what I'm going to come up with for the next one."

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