BellaSugar

Honeymoon Beauty, Part III: The Adventure Seekers

BellaSugar — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:03:16 -0700

Welcome back to BellaSugar's series on honeymoon beauty. Don't forget to read the last two parts about for beauty essentials for a tropical trip and the best beauty brands to check out to snatch up vacation. For those of you more natural or daring brides who are planning a thrill-seeking adventure like hiking in the rain forest, heli-skiing or sailing around the world, don't overlook your beauty essentials. Here are three must-haves for an adventurous honeymoon.

I can't stress enough the importance of packing sunscreen. If you are going to be doing activities outside, a bad sunburn can ruin your once-in-a-lifetime vacation!

Lancome has just come out with a new UV Expert SPF 20 Sunscreen ($35) with Mexoryl SX, one of the few ingredients to block harmful and age-accelerating UVA Rays. Pack it, wear it and face the sun with confidence!

For two more outdoorsy honeymoon beauty essentials read more

There is nothing worse than getting eaten alive by pests. While typically I would suggest a special perfume or scented body lotion for your honeymoon, on this type of journey, you might attract insects! Not sexy.

Instead, I suggest packing something like this Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent ($6.99) that smells of lemongrass, citrus and rosemary or this Kiss My Face Sun Swat Sunscreen Spray ($10) that also smells great and wards off annoying little buggers!

Keep lips protected and moist for nights full of long, lingering kisses. Shiseido Sun Protection Lip Treatment SPF 36 PA++ ($18) is a super charged lip balm that will prevent sunburn, drying and chafing. It shields lips from UVA and UVB rays and adds a hint of shine (so that you still look sexy without seeming that you are trying)! This lip protection was even recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation, so you know it's good stuff.

Beauty Marked! A Fab Foot Scrub

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:52:33 -0700

Last week I asked you to come beauty marking with me to help me find a new fab foot cream. I bought this Cake Beauty Cake Walk Triplemint Foot Cream, $16, and totally and utterly fell in love with it!

I thought if I could love something this much then you guys probably had your own favorite foot products to share too. Boy was I right! You all did an awesome job beauty marking and I've featured three of your choices below. To see all of the beauty marked foot creams, click here.

Beauty Mark #1 found by missixty02 is called Bliss Foot Patrol, $26. This fab foot cream is ultra creamy, ultra smooth and ultra minty! Made with peppermint, aloe vera and salicylic acid, it immediately exfoliates, softens and soothes your tired dogs!

To see a couple more fab foot creams, read more

Beauty Mark #2 found by foreverdizzy is called Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream, $9. Mmmm - this cream is coco-nutty and delish! It contains rosemary which helps heal tired feet, and peppermint to purify. Let's face it, your feet aren't the cleanest parts of your body. It also contains vegetable glycerin and coconut oil to moisturize.

Beauty Mark #3 found by la clique is called Totally Nutty Shea Butter Heel Cream, $4. This is an intensely moisturizing foot cream made with a high concentration of shea butter and nut oils to make your stubborn skin nice and smooth.

Totally Natural Lip Balms

BellaSugar — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:39:00 -0800

I am something of a lip balm addict, but while I could sing its praises for days on end, there's one thing I don't like about lip balm. Almost all of the standard offerings on the market contain petroleum, which is not only eco-unfriendly but also not something you really want in your mouth. Fortunately, there are plenty of great petroleum-free lip balms on the market nowadays that work just as well using other more natural oils. Here are some of my favorites.

Miessence Jaffa Lip Balm, $8.95, available here. This yummy orange- and vanilla-flavored balm uses cocoa butter, safflower, and avocado oils in an easy-to-squeeze tube.

Hamadi Lip Balm, $10, available here. This classy balm soothes with shea butter, avocado oil, and jojoba oil, while tea tree oil acts as a toner.

Nature's Gate Organics Neroli Orange & Chocolate Mint Lip Balm , $3.50, available here. This cute little tin contains a formula that uses castor seed oil, beeswax, apricot kernel oil, and several other certified organic ingredients.

To see the rest, read more

Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm, $2.49, available here. A classic, reliable lip balm, Burt's version contains beeswax (of course) plus almond and coconut oils.

Mountain Ocean Lip Trip SPF 15, $3.95, available here. Hands down the best option for outdoors activities, this sunscreen-enforced lip balm has a 100 percent beeswax base and is long-lasting to protect you from wind, sun, and other elements.

The Merry Hempsters Peppermint Vegan Hemp Lip Balm, $1.99, available here. This 100 percent natural balm is incredibly eco-friendly, relying on rosemary extract and cannabis sativa seed oil to moisturize. (And no, it won't get you high.)

Reader Review of the Day: Burt's Bees Shea and Grapefruit Deep Conditioner

BellaSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:49 -0700

I like so many Burt's Bees products, but I'd never even heard of Burt's Bees Shea and Grapefruit Deep Conditioner ($8) until reader Yogaforlife reviewed it. It sounds great, though, and I'm really glad she mentioned it. She says:

"I normally use Pureology shampoo/conditioners to protect my color-treated hair in between salon visits, but I noticed that my hair felt really dry lately. I wanted to try a hair treatment and a friend recommended this. I shampooed like normal and then put this conditioner on. I left it on for about 20 minutes and then rinsed it using cold water. When my hair was wet and I tried combing it, I must admit I got a little scared that it didn't feel super slick like most conditioners leave my hair. Once my hair was dry, though, it felt incredibly soft and shiny and smelled so good. I now use this once or twice a week, and it's made such a difference."

Got a product you don't hear about much that's actually really great? Want to know what other readers' hair, makeup, and skincare saviors are? Just pop over to the Product Reviews pages, then. We have more than 50,000 products up for review, and we're adding new ones daily. It's a great way to inform others and learn a little yourself.

Reader Review of the Day: Burt's Bees Facial Cleanser

BellaSugar — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:00:35 -0700

I love Burt's Bees, but given how essential oils like orange can affect my skin, I was hesitant to try its Burt's Bees Facial Cleanser ($8). Reader a million suns, however, actually saw her skin irritation go down when she used the product. She says:

"My skin has been extremely sensitive and reactive lately-and always fairly dry, since I live in Nevada-and every time I'd use my Neutrogena cleanser, my face would look red and blotchy. Then I picked up this cleanser at the store and gave it a try. No redness, no blotchiness, nada. Plus, my skin felt totally refreshed. It is a little bit thick, but all I have to do is mix it with water (squeeze a nickel-sized amount onto your hand, run it under the faucet, rub your hands together) to get it to spread easily. Plus, I love the orange scent!"

New cleanser you're crazy about? Thinking about making a switch and want to know what other people think? Then our Product Reviews pages are the place to be! You can see reviews of more than 50,000 products, and write some of your own.

The Buzz on Burt's Bees

BellaSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:00:19 -0800

Late last year, Clorox bought Burt's Bees, the natural-cosmetics company known for beeswax-based lotions, soaps, shampoos and other body care products. The selling price was nearly $1 billion, a high figure for a brand known for its homey, back-to-basics packaging and philosophy. (And yes, that's Burt himself in this photo.) But many of Burt's green-minded customers weren't thrilled that profits will now pour into a corporation known for making bleach, a not-so-ecological product.

This might give them some hope. Burt's Bees is trying to regulate the use of words like "natural" and "eco-friendly." According to the New York Times:

Burt’s Bees has also led a group of companies that have teamed up with the Natural Products Association to create a standard for natural personal care products, complete with stickers to label items that make the cut. To qualify, brands must create products that are at least 95 percent natural and contain no ingredients known to be harmful. The stickers will make their debut in April.

Consumers "walk down the aisle in the grocery stores’ health and beauty area, and they’re confronted with ‘natural’ at every turn,' says Daniel Fabricant, vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the association. 'We just don’t want to see the term misused any longer."

Even though I'm still a bit disappointed by the sale of Burt's Bees to Clorox, it's nice to see the brand leading this endeavor. The more transparent labeling can be, the better.

Source

Reader Review of the Day: Honey Lip Balm by Burt's Bees

BellaSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:00:07 -0800

Are your lips chapped or dry right now? Mine are just coming down after a little cayenne pepper experiment gone awry. So, I did a little search for lip balms to take out some of the sting, and what did I find? A product by some bees, of course. For today's reader review, see what Indie B had to say about Honey Lip Balm by Burt's Bees ($3.99). The floor's all yours, Indie:

I love this lip balm. It is my absolute favorite hands down. There isn't a time when it's not on my lips. Smoother than the original Peppermint Burt's Bees, it has a subtle scent and gives a nice matte sheen to lips. Did I mention that it feels great? Excellent for parched, dry lips - excellent for any lips! This lip balm is a must-have. It also works wonderfully under lipstick or gloss.

Agree? Disagree? Write your own review (or just read others' thoughts) and it could appear on BellaSugar.

Doing Drugstore: Burt's Bees Thoroughly Therapeutic Foot Creme

BellaSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 16:20:00 -0700

I am usually a big fan of Burt's Bees products - the lip balm is one of my all-time favorites. So after hearing good things about Burt's Coconut Foot Creme, I went to the drugstore in search of some. But instead, I bought the Burt's Bees Thoroughly Therapeutic Foot Creme by mistake.

At first, this foot cream showed promise. Made from Bilberry extract and honey, it smells heavenly, and the ultra-thick lotion looked like it would be ultra-moisturizing. But so far - much to my dismay - I have been underwhelmed by it, so read more

As someone who walks a lot, I like a heavy-duty foot cream, and this one just doesn't quite do it for me. It has a somewhat greasy texture, so my hands feel icky after applying it. Also, the moisture never feels like it gets down very deep; the heavy lotion just sort of sits on top my skin. Also, though the product promises to exfoliate feet as well, it just seems like lotion to me.

I've been using it for a number of weeks, hoping to make my soles and heels less rough, but I haven't seen a noticeable difference. I've had better luck with some of the foot lotions offered by Sally Hansen. But maybe I should try the Coconut Foot Creme instead? If you've used either, let me know what you think.

Beauty Byte: Burt's Bees Wants to Regulate "Natural" Beauty Products

BellaSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 11:31:48 -0700

I have always liked Burt's Bees products, but now I have an even better reason to admire the brand. According to Women's Wear Daily, Burt's CMO Michael Indursky wants to lead an effort to regulate the so-called natural-beauty industry.

While shoppers are increasingly drawn to natural and organic beauty products, there is very little regulation of the category. In fact, Indursky's first step will be coming up with an official definition of what "natural" means. According to WWD:

"A natural product should not have parabens, any synthetic preservatives, sulfates, animal products or anything with suspected potential human health risk," Indursky said.

He said he was looking to apply the definition to items that contain 95 percent natural ingredients.

Ideally, if products didn't meet that qualification, says Indursky, they would not be allowed to use the word "natural" in their names. Products that did meet the requirements would get a special insignia.

I, for one, think this is a great idea. It's unbelievable to me how many products marketed as "natural" or "organic" are packed with chemicals. After all, just because a lotion contains herbal extracts does not make it natural. It sounds like a massive undertaking, but I'm glad that Burt's Indursky is taking it on.

Source

Doing Drugstore: Burt's Bees Lifeguard's Choice

BellaSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:00:05 -0800

An oldie but goodie, this Burt's Bees lip balm blasts me back to Winter trips with friends and family where there was always a chill in the air. Now that I'm planning to head up to Tahoe this season, I picked up a tube at my local drugstore and put it right in my parka pocket so I'd be certain to remember it.

If you're wondering about the connection between water rescue and wintertime, I find the weatherproof Lifeguard's Choice to stand up to wind and water whether your own holiday travels take you to sun or snow. It uses nearly the same formula as their popular beeswax balm but with titanium dioxide for a bit of UV protection. After all, I can't be fumbling to reapply before every run.