BellaSugar

Pretty in Pink: When to Use a Pink Concealer

BellaSugar — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:00:00 PDT

Recently I received a concealer and corrector palette of six multitoned shades, including green, yellow, lilac, and orange. How springlike of it. With so many choices and so much confusion involved in picking the correct ones, I've decided to delve deeper into what each shade does. We've already covered green correctors, so let's move on to the pinks. Get the scoop when you read more.

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!

Source

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,

read more 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,

read more 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,

read more 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,

read more 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,

read more 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.

Savory Sight: White Bean and Fresh Basil Dip

Yum Community — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:01:08 PST

We're always on the lookout for simple bean dips to whip up because they're great for parties and also for our weekday lunches at work. CheesePlease gives us a bright, flavorful option.

Fresh basil brightens up this white bean dip. Supersimple, supergood.
P.S. The dip tastes amazing when you pair it with rosemary flatbread!

For both recipes, visit her blog and upload your simple, savory recipes in our Kitchen Goddess community group.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Valentine's Day Camera Phone Tips

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:02:10 PST

Amore is in the air, and if you plan on spending Feb. 14 with your current flame, you'll of course want to capture all the best moments as they happen. The good news is, with camera phones being as handy (and powerful) as they are, you probably don't need to tote around a full-featured digital in order to post an album's worth of mushy kissy-face pics on your various social networks.

Keep up your high photo standards no matter what the situation with these camera phone tips straight from professional photographer Perry Reichanadter. Have any of your own to add? Leave them in the comments or on our Facebook page!

Get close to your subject - Your camera phone probably won't have a macro setting, so be sure to get up close and personal with your beloved so he isn't drowned out by the surrounding action.
Clear the background - There's nothing worse than snapping a great pic of your BF, only to have something in the background distracting from his face. Make sure you steer clear of any street signs, bright lights, or "loud" objects, and keep your honey in focus.

See the rest of the tips after the jump.