BellaSugar

Beauty Products From Around the World, Part III: Italy

BellaSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:00:00 -0700

I think almost everything from Italy is romantic: the fragrances, the language, the makeup, the men (!), and the skin care. Fresh Italian ingredients such as virgin olive oil, grapefruit, and neroli are often used in beauty products, especially in fragrances. Italians once believed that aside from a wonderful smell, colognes also helped protect you from disease and harm. So it's no wonder that so many of the famous Italian fashion houses (Bulgari, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana...) all have their own fragrances. Here are a few examples of sensational and sweet-smelling Italian beauty products.

Pupa Cosmetics is a Milanese makeup company with chic, compact, rounded packaging and a light and fresh aromatic essence to its products. They are known for their bright colors that work on the runway or red carpet. You can now buy Pupa in more 70 countries, and some products are on sale at Amazon.com.

For two more intriguing Italian beauty products read more

Incanto Charms by Ferragamo ($77 for a 3.4 oz bottle) is an exotic essence of Italian fruits and flowers-namely passion fruit, honeysuckle, ottoman rose and jasmine. The scent makes you feel just as sexy as if a gorgeous Italian man whispered the word "bella" in your ear!

Clèo Body Cream ($6.76) is a star product in this yogurt-based cult brand. Fortunately, it's just arrived in the US! The lactic acid in yogurt soothes, softens and tightens skin. Plus, the fast-absordbbing cream smells delicious, and it's ideal for dry skin.

New Bath and Body Alert: Clèo

BellaSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 10:14:44 -0700

Your bath and body experience will never be the same now that Clèo has made its way overseas all the way from Italy. Yay! Its maker is Pagileri Profumi, the leader in affordable Italian perfumes and body products since the late 1800s.

This fab new pink and white line of bath and body products are infused with natural goodies like yogurt, vanilla, berries and cereal to nourish your body, sweeten your scent and improve the texture and elasticity of your skin.

The line is comprised of: a bathfoam cream which is available in honey, vanilla or blue fruits, a shower cream which is available in vanilla, red fruits, chocolate or sugar, an antioxidant hand soap which is available in apricot, mint or cereal, a body cream (Mmmm) which is available in karite butter or cherry and a bar soap which comes in cereal or red fruits. Enjoy!

How-To: Ashley Greene's MTV Movie Awards Makeup

BellaSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:17:23 -0700

If you're a fan of vintage styles, you're going to love this how-to. On Sunday, makeup artist Jamie Greenberg helped to transform Twilight's Ashley Greene into a 1940s siren at the MTV Movie Awards. The majority of you were loving it, and now I've got tips straight from Greenberg on copying the glamorous look on your own, all using products from Mark. For the scoop, read more.

Eyes: Apply Custom Pick Eye Color in Whisper ($4.50) as a highlighter under the brow, and Custom Pick Eye Color in Latte ($4.50) on the lid, up towards the crease. Next, use On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Liner in Cleo ($5.50) for a cat-eye effect. "Just dash along the lash line, then go over it again. You can always go even thicker for more drama," Greenberg said. Next, curl lashes and apply two coats of Scanda-Lash Hook Up Mascara in Blacklash ($5.50). "You can even take some Eyemarker Color On Line in Java ($5.50) and blend into the lower lash line for definition," she added.
Face: Start by applying moisturizer. ("Fresh skin makes any makeup application look better," Greenberg says.) Face Xpert Flawless Touch Foundation in Ivory ($8) gave Ashley a porcelain-skinned look. To complement the red lips, Just Pinched Instant Blush Tint in Berry ($6) was then applied. "You also want to highlight right above the cheekbone with some Get Bright Hook-Up Highlighter ($6)," recommended Greenberg.
Lips: A sweep of KissInk Lip Tintmarker in Red Siren ($7) was used to give Ashley an old Hollywood matte-lip. But, if you prefer a glossier finish, Greenberg suggests Lip Exotics Lip Lacquer Hook Up in Fever ($6).

Source

Lauren Conrad Shares Her Beauty Secrets

BellaSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:00:33 -0700

Guess what? Lauren Conrad, the spokeswoman for Mark, has something to say to you, dear reader. In this video below, she's promoting the reasonably priced cosmetics brand, but she also gives a little shout-out to us, too! See a short clip of Lauren behind the scenes at a photo shoot, and find out the exact shades she's wearing after the jump.

To find out how to get her look from this short clip, read more.

Foundation: Face Xpert Flawless Touch in Natural ($8)
Concealer: Speedway Do Everything Makeup in Natural ($8)
Powder: Matte-nificent Oil-Absorbing Powder in Natural/Buff ($8)
Bronzer: Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder ($8)
Blush: Good Glowing Mosaic Blush in Hush Baby ($7)
Brows: I-Mark Custom Pick Color Eye Shadow in Gioia ($4.50)
Browbone: Winkstick Hook Up Eye Shadow Stick in Demure ($5.50)
Lid: Mini Mark-It Stick For Eyes in Shell ($6)
Crease: Flip For It Spring Color Kit in Los Angeles ($20)
Eyeliner: On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Liner in Cleo ($5.50)
Bottom Lash Line: I-Mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow in Corset ($4.50)
Mascara: Make It Big Lash Plumping Mascara in Raven ($6.50)
Lip Contour: Dew Drenched Moisturlicious Lip Color in Skinny Dip ($6)

Love It or Hate It? Anna Wintour's Costume Institute Gala Look

BellaSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:20:25 -0700

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour took fashion risks with her outfit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala - bet Fab is going to have something to say about that! I was surprised to see that she changed her signature beauty look a bit, too. You don't need to be Miss Cleo to know that Anna would wear her hair in a bob, but she usually favors a neutral lip. Not this time; instead, raspberry-hued lips give her a feisty look. What do you think?

Source

Bella Donna: Cleopatra

BellaSugar — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 16:24:39 -0700

I thought you might enjoy a trip back in time for this week's Bella Donna. So we're going waaaay back to look at Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. It's hard to think of another woman whose beauty has left such a lasting impression. Her intense, kohl-lined eyes continue to inspire modern-day designers such as Alexander McQueen, who used a strong Egyptian eye on models for his fall 2007 collection. The jury's out on whether Cleopatra was physically attractive, but an officially commissioned portrait of her (it's the coin in the gallery here) suggests that she wasn't necessarily the Angelina Jolie of her day.

Cleopatra had a short life, but it was a tumultuous one. Trust me, even if you yawn when you think about history, you'll love this stuff-it is filled with all sorts of sordid drama and is too juicy to pass up. As a child, Cleopatra's older sister tried to poison her (but wound up being killed herself). Miss Cleo's reign didn't begin so well: At 18, she was queen... and was also married to her 12-year-old brother, Ptolemy III. Bossy Cleopatra wanted to rule alone, so she started to leave her brother out of official documents and events. Surprise! This didn't go over so well, and Cleopatra was forced into exile. But then her brother made the kind of mistake that only 15-year-old boys can make. To get the whole story, read more

So, some background: The Roman Empire was embroiled in a civil war at the time. Ptolemy, Cleopatra's pimply teenage brother, had taken over as the king of Egypt. Now, he owed some money to Rome, so to please Julius Caesar, he thought, "Hey, I know! I'll have Caesar's opponent Pompey beheaded, and then I'll hand him the head as a gift, and he'll totally think I'm an ally!" (Like I said, only a teenage boy would think of this.) So Ptolemy was all, "Look what I have for you, Caesar! Ta-da! A severed head!"

Bad idea. Caesar flipped out because Pompey was the widower of his late daughter. Personalities before politics, that sort of thing. So Caesar took over Egypt, and when Cleopatra heard about this, she decided that it was time to return. She's said to have returned to the palace rolled up inside a Persian carpet, only to tumble out of it in front of Caesar. He loved it, they became lovers, and Cleopatra gave birth to a son, Caesarion, nine months later. Apparently this warmed Caesar's heart, because he decided that instead of taking Egypt for Rome, he'd acknowledge Cleopatra as the rightful ruler.

Ah, but another love affair was on its way. After Caesar died, Mark Antony summoned Cleopatra to talk about where her loyalty lay. So she shows up in a grand, over-the-top way-think Pimp My Ride, but for ancient times-and impresses him. Cue the love affair. Cue the heirs. Cue yet another war, during which Antony mistakenly heard that Cleopatra had committed suicide. So then he committed suicide. A few days later, Cleopatra heard the news of his death, and then she really did commit suicide. See? Lots of drama.

View 7 Photos ›

Source, Source and Source