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BellaSugar's Guide To Brightening Beauty Products

BellaSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:00:40 PST

If you missed my series skin brightening beauty products, here's your chance to find everything in one place. Going shopping for these types of items can be totally overwhelming since virtually every cosmetics company now makes a brightening product.

Hopefully between my suggestions and some of the comments written by other readers, you've now got a better idea of what to look for. Si now you can fake looking wide awake!

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Beautiful Brightening Foundations

BellaSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:00:26 PST

Now that we've taken a closer look at brightening eye creams, under-eye makeup pens, primers and skin creams, the last genre to cover is brightening foundations. These three products below are the perfect pick-me-ups for your skin, especially during the dreary winter months. Not only do they create an illuminating effect, they also provide excellent coverage and will make you look picture-perfect for all of your holiday parties!

Physician's Formula Brightening Foundation ($9.99) contains pearlescent pigments to provide you with a subtle brightening effect, a soft skin tone and an overall healthier look. It is formulated with vitamins A, C, and E to help protect the skin from environmental damage, and the formula is non-comedogenic.

For two more beautiful brightening foundations,

Lancome Photogenic Skin-Illuminating Makeup SPF 15 ($35) is an oil-free foundation that adjusts the effects of the light on your skin. It also evens out your skin tone, contains SPF 15 and is made with a complexion-brightening blue pigment base for a natural effect.

Anna Sui Brightening Fluid Foundation ($39.50) creates a radiant, bright and youthful-looking complexion. It contains vitamins A and B to help eliminate dead skin cells, it protects your skin against free radicals and there are traces of melanin inside to shield your skin from UV damage.

Superb Skin-Brightening Creams

BellaSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:00:03 PST

Brightening creams are great for getting rid of small sun spots and for evening out blotchiness and skin tone. They shouldn't be mistaken for bleaching creams, which are harsher to your skin and can be harmful to your body. (Did you know that you shouldn't use bleaching creams that contain hydroquinone, or you can do damage to your liver?) Here are three safe brightening creams that will give your skin an even, radiant glow.

Made with Chinese herbs, Nefeli Skin-Brightening Cream ($70) comes in two variations: night and day cream. The day cream contains ingredients to counter irritations caused from environmental damages. If used daily, the cream prevents any redness and keeps your skin calm and even-toned.

For two more brightening creams,

Suki Complexion Brightening Cream ($45) is a rich, penetrating formula that lightens and brightens up the face, targeting dark circles, liver spots, and discolorations.

It contains high doses of vitamin C, rose wax, organic roses, organic oils, and shea butter to help stimulate collagen production and suppress sun damage. Massage one or two pumps onto your neck and face, and just wait for all the goodness to absorb.

Clarins Bright Plus HP Repairing Brightening Night Cream ($56) is a repairative brightening cream that deeply nourishes dry and stressed skin. It lightens sun spots, prevents the formation of new ones and it leaves skin looking radiant, rested, and beautiful!

Eye-Brightening Makeup Pens

BellaSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:58:15 PST

Eye brighteners are sort of in a makeup genre of their own. While they may provide minimal coverage, they are not heavy and dense as a concealer yet they are lighter than a highlighter. These brighteners are for the makeup-advanced, as many makeup artists and professionals swear by them to give eyes an instantaneous "awake" and youthful look. However, it appears that all levels of makeup lovers are catching on, since YSL's Touche Eclat Eye Brightener Pen has reached cult status.

Here are three eye brightening makeup pens (and if these aren't enough for you, LilSugar's got a few more!) Here's a helpful tip: choose the shade closest to your skin tone, as going too light will create a halo effect around your eyes. Be sure to blend well, so that the product doesn't get caught in the tiny lines around your eyes.

Laura Mercier Secret Brightener ($30) is a sheer color-correcting highlighter pen that brightens dark circles and minimizes discolorations. It works to open up the eye area and smooth out the skin. Use either alone or under your concealer.

For two more eye brightening makeup pens,

Trish McEvoy Correct and Brighten Pen ($32) is a simple way to fake signs of fatigue. This pen is available in two sheer shades to brighten the areas around your eyes are well as even out any redness or dark circles.

Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen ($33) is a lightweight eye brightening pen that helps to decrease the look of shadows, dark circles and eye discoloration. It has a slight glow and shimmer and can be worn alone or under your concealer or foundation.

Excellent Eye Brightening Creams

BellaSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:00:38 PST

Welcome back to my second installment of brightening beauty products. Today's range of products concentrates on eye brightening creams. These light infused creams help diffuse dark circles, soften fine lines and brighten the skin around your eyes to create a more youthful appearance. They are also extremely gentle so they won't irritate your skin. With the overwhelming amount of products on the market targeted to help lighten up your tired looking eye area, I thought it might help you out if I featured a few products that I've tried and have really liked -happy shopping!

Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair ($22.50) provides a heavy dose of hydration to the delicate skin around your eyes. It is formulated with SPF 10, it reflects light and it contains vitamin E and echinacea to help treat dryness and dark under-eye circles.

And although it appears to be colorless, Eye Repair is actually quite a complementary sheer concealer for Asian skin.

For two more excellent eye brightening creams,

Kiehl's Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate ($40) is a savior for those who suffer from sallow skin under the eye area, crows feet and suborbital wrinkles. It contains a high concentration (10.5%) of pure Vitamin C (fights aging) and haloxyl (combats dark circles). With continued use, your skin will look younger, tighter, brighter and more awake!

Clean & Clear Morning Glow Eye Brightening Cream ($5.99) is an eye cream that will add instant brightness to tired, dark and puffy eyes. It won't clog your pores, it won't make your skin look greasy and it also provides a hint of coverage to even out your skin tone.

To use simply apply a small amount around your eye area and pat it into your skin until it's all absorbed.

Badass Face-Brightening Primers

BellaSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:00:04 PST

Welcome to the first installment of my five-part series on brightening products for the face. Brightening creams, primers and foundations are easy and effective solutions for perking up tired-looking eyes and skin. They are safe, bleach-free formulas that are usually created with light-reflecting pigments to give your skin a well-rested, healthy and alive look. Makeup artists have been using these products for years, so it's time that you knew about the many different options in this category too!

Shiseido Makeup Brightening Veil SPF 24 ($32) is a colorless face primer that helps minimize the appearance of dullness, uneven skin and freckles for an all around radiant complexion. It contains Advanced Luminous Technology, which uses shimmer bits to create a soft, dewy and lustrous glow. It glides on like velvet and is extremely moisturizing. It is most effective when worn alone or under your favorite foundation. Available in one universal sheer shade.

For two more brightening face primers,

Smashbox Photo Finish Light Foundation Primer ($36) is a lightweight foundation primer with a water base so it won't clog pores or irritate sensitive skin. It provides a smooth, matte finish while absorbing excess grease and diffusing light particles to create a brilliant glow on your skin.

That Gal Brightening Primer by Benefit ($27) is a "Pepto" colored face primer that moisturizes the skin and prepares it for your foundation, powder or blush. It's really not as pink on your skin as it looks in the bottle and the result is light, smooth and glowy finish. For more details, read my in-depth product review.

What A Pair: Mally Light Wand Eye Brightener

BellaSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:56:10 PST

Here's another smart product from Mally Roncal, the makeup artist behind Mally Beauty Products. This Light Wand Eye Brightener ($25) is the perfect tool for awakening tired eyes and diverting attention away from dark circles.

The metal wand is much sturdier than the typical plastic encasings of beauty tools. One end houses a soft and creamy pencil that illuminates a light metallic shade (it's not too silvery, not too gold) in the little "sideways V" on the inner corners of your eyes.

The other side of the wand houses a soft smudging sponge covered in metallic shimmer dust. The powder is packed right into the cap, which makes this a terrific on-the-go product. All you have to do is soften up the "sideways V" area and your eyes instantly look, wider, lighter and brighter. But you don't have to limit yourself to eyes. Try dusting the powder onto the edge of your nose, under your brow bone and to that little nook above your upper lip to make your mouth look fuller.

Team Zoe's Joey Maalouf Explains How to Fill in Your Brows

BellaSugar — Sun, 27 May 2012 03:30:00 PDT

Strong brows are back - and because they instantly brighten and define your face, we know they're here to stay. So we invited Rachel Zoe's makeup artist Joey Maalouf to show us how to fill them in less time than it takes to brew your morning coffee. The result is pretty, natural brows that immediately elevate your look.

4 Steps to Achieving Better Brows in a Flash

Jessica Cruel — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

The eyebrows are the frames for beautiful eyes (that means they are important). And now that full, bold brows are in style, having the right moves for filling them in is essential. Makeup artist Floriane David of Make Up For Ever Academy reveals her expert secrets to achieving your best brows.

Form an outline: Start by using an angled brow brush to draw one long stroke underneath and above the eyebrow, advises David. This will help highlight your arch and create boundaries to color within.
Make high arches: Because the arch is the most important part of your brow look, it's where you should begin applying filler. This way, the arch will get the bulk of the product from your angled brush, making it a point of intensity.
Fill it in: Next, sweep your brush from the arch to the outer corner, keeping in mind that the last two-thirds of your brow should be the darkest. Then, move from the inner corner to the arch to blend, keeping in mind that this area of the brow should be filled in the lightest for the most natural look. When your brush is devoid of product, blend the end of your brow so that it tapers off at the tail.
Brighten up: As a final step, use a shimmering highlighter underneath the arch, on the cheekbone right below the eyes, and at the bridge of the nose. Hello, bright eyes.

Savvy Links: How Being a Woman Affects Your Credit

Emily Co — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:18:30 PDT

How being a woman affects your credit - LearnVest
Packing tricks to carry you past new carry-on baggage charges - Tecca
Marketing stuff as "manly" is silly. Here’s why it should stop. - The Jane Dough
20 frugal ways to brighten your spouse's day - Wise Bread
How to deal with catty compliments at the office - Corporette
The most important part of the budgeting process - Free Money Finance
What may be holding women back in the workplace - HuffPo Women
Saving every email isn’t organized, it’s hoarding - The Grindstone
What is tax? - Bankrate