BellaSugar

Doing Drugstore: St. Ives Moisturizing In-Shower Exfoliating Body Polish

BellaSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:00:01 -0700

I love body polishes that don't require excess force to work, particularly ones that use sugar, which is gentler on the skin. Over the weekend, I tried out St. Ives Moisturizing In-Shower Exfoliating Body Polish, Oatmeal & Shea Butter ($8), which contains natural sugar crystals for exfoliation, oatmeal to soothe, and shea butter for softer skin. While this polish is a little difficult to scoop out of the jar due to its texture (think of a dense Crisco), once it hits the skin and some water, it almost melts, creating a rich, spreadable lather.

The polish has a sweet almond scent and a finer, more dissolvable grit than the famous invigorating St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($4). Before shaving, I spread a little of the polish on my legs for a smooth, non-irritating result.

I like it for a pedicure, too. After scrubbing my feet with the body polish, I used my beauty shortcut to fake a real pedicure. A little goes a long way with this product, making for an affordable - and effective - drugstore find.

How-To: Prevent Milia Around the Eyes

BellaSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:00:12 -0700

Have you ever had little white bumps on your face that look like acne, but upon further inspection, you realize they're not? Those bumps could be milia, which form when skin cells get trapped under the skin's surface.

In short, milia are caused by lack of natural exfoliation, and they often pop up near the eyes. Since it's such a sensitive area of the face, my first bit of advice is to get thee to a dermatologist. But, for tips on preventing milia and treating it safely at home, check out my list below:

Avoid: Greasy/waxy products which can clog pores; aggressive scrubs, which can irritate the delicate tissue around your peepers, picking at the milia, sun exposure, and too-rough pillowcases.
Don't avoid: Oil-free makeup removers, washing your face (make sure the skin gets to breathe), and drinking water, which helps to flush out toxins and keep your skin hydrated.
Have an AHA moment: Look for lighter-textured eye creams with alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) to help gently exfoliate around the sensitive eye area. Try SkinCeuticals Eye Renewal Gel ($32) or Neutrogena Healthy Skin Eye Cream ($11).
DIY: Help the skin get a kick start on exfoliating by carefully steaming your face over a bowl of very hot water for several minutes. This helps open up the pores, hydrate the face, and feels invigorating.

What are your milia prevention tips?

Reader Review of the Day: Boscia Smoothing Facial Polish

BellaSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:00:54 -0700

If you have sensitive skin, exfoliating scrubs can be a nightmare, wreaking havoc on your already easily affected skin. Reader ChampagneKisses says that Boscia Smoothing Facial Polish ($25) makes her sensitive skin glow. Take it away, ChampagneKisses:

"I had actually stopped using all scrubs because they irritated my sensitive, oily skin. Years later I decided to give scrubs another chance, so I went to Sephora and was told that the Boscia line was known for helping those with sensitive skin. I decided to try a sample and could not believe how wonderful this product worked. I had no irritation whatsoever and it left my skin looking polished, bright, and very smooth. I have been using it for a year now and it's really done wonders for my skin. Love it!"

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A Philosophical Approach To Shine-Free Skin

BellaSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:00:20 -0700

Brand-new from Philosophy is a range of mattifying skincare products called Never Let Them See You Shine. Each of the three items aim to cut down sebum production and reduce the look of oily skin, while leaving your face feeling refreshed. The light blue formulas have a minty, sea-inspired scent and are best suited for those with oily and acne-prone sensitive skin.

After trying everything out, I really liked the way my face reacted to the scrub the best. It's thick, but it spreads easily and the beads are smooth as opposed to feeling grainy and rough - so they don't irritate your skin. Plus, the menthol is the strongest in the scrub; after you wash it off, your face feels soft, smooth and cool.

For an up-close look at each of the products, read more.
Oil And Shine Control Cleanser ($20) gently breaks down deep-seeded dirt and grime in your pores without drying out your skin. It leaves your face feeling moisturized, clean and thanks to some added menthol, also a little bit tingly (in a good way).

Oil And Shine Control Scrub ($20) helps remove dead skin cells with the help from small blue polishing beads. To use, simply massage a little bit into your skin in small circles for one minute and then rinse with lukewarm water.

Oil And Shine Control Velvet Touch Primer ($20) is a mattifying pre-foundation, pre-powder primer that helps keep your face looking dry and oil-free all day long. It also calms, soothes and eases any redness and inflammation. It has a super-soft texture that leaves skin ultra smooth and helps reduce the look of large pores.

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Succulent Strawberry Scrubs

BellaSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:01:12 -0800

Having these grainy and sweet body scrubs in the bath and shower is just asking for trouble. After just one whiff, I'll never want to get out. For those of you who want to take a break from the doldrums of January and indulge in a summertime treat, here are three succulent scrubs that'll do the trick. And hey, if you have any Winter strawberries in your fridge that you can't bear to waste, try making this strawberry scrub at home.

Fresh Sugar Face Polish ($55) is one of those oldies but goodies that you can never say too many great things about. It's made with ground-up wild strawberries and brown sugar, so it's deep cleaning and exfoliating. One of my friends swears by this stuff, and considering the fact that her skin is always soft and clear, it's enough for me.

This Fresh Ripe Wild Strawberry Scrub from Peter Thomas Roth ($35) is more for the body than for the face. It's a sweet-smelling scrub that uses strawberry seeds as exfoliating grains. Not only does it deep clean, it also sloughs away rough, dead skin.

100% Pure Strawberry Butter Body Scrub ($22) is an all-natural, rich, and thick body scrub infused with coconut oil and shea butter to help condition while exfoliating. It also contains antioxidants to help brighten and protect skin. I can't think of a yummier way to scrub-a-dub in the tub.

Product Review: Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains

BellaSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:00:00 -0800

I'll admit that I'm starting to get a little bit obsessed with exfoliators as of late and I'm especially interested in the really gritty ones. So when I found out about Bobbi Brown's Buffing Grains ($40), I just had to check it out. What makes this product unique is that it's a pure powder exfoliator, meaning it doesn't come mixed with any liquid, so you customize it and make it as smooth or as intense as you wish.

So before you start to think I'm a masochist who derives pleasure from scraping apart my face, let me explain. What I love most about this exfoliator is that no matter how much you apply to your face, the grains soften up and become less coarse in water. This way, you still feel them working but you'll never really scratch up your face unless you're scrubbing away like a madwoman.

The main ingredient is a ground bean called Japanese Adzuki, which helps to remove dead skin and encourage cell turnover. I found the grains to be slightly moisturizing and fragrance free - two especially positive qualities.

All you have to do is mix the buffing grains with water or your favorite cleanser and then gently massage it into your skin two to three times a week to create a soft, smooth, and glowing complexion. Another plus is the pour-top glass bottle that makes for easy and mess-free dispensing.

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Product Review: Elemis Energizing Skin Scrub

BellaSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:00:16 -0800

I got a little sample of this amazing Energizing Skin Scrub ($46) from Elemis about two weeks ago and I've been squeezing the life out of the poor tube trying to get out every last bit. It's not so much the smell of this scrub that's so enticing, it's the results that are so addictive.

The texture is pretty much all grain. It comes out of the tube as a liquid but it feels like wet, slippery, coarse sand. This is actually a product for men, and while I realize that it's not the most gentle face scrub, the resulting smooth skin speaks for itself.

This exfoliator is made with Vitamin E, marine phytoplankton, hops, meadow-sweet, shea butter and beeswax and was created to help prevent ingrown hairs and blemishes. It is recommended for use twice weekly, but I'm willing to bet that once you get your hands on it, you'll want to use just a little bit every day.

DIY Spa Treatment: Chinese Sesame Ginger Scrub

BellaSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:00:18 -0800

Origins Incredible Spreadable Ginger Body Scrub may be one of the best-smelling, calming products on the planet. I've had a love affair with this sugary, lemony, and gingery item for about five years now. It does the trick every time to bring me to my happy place during bath time.

Although it's not ridiculously expensive at $25 a pop, my indulgence adds up quickly throughout the year. That's why then I saw an amazing DIY recipe for another ginger body scrub I got really excited. To find out what you'll need to create this little slice of Chinese heaven right in your own bathroom, read more.

STEP 1: Take about an inch of ginger root and cut it into pieces. Next, grind it in your coffee grinder so that it's finely chopped up.
STEP 2: In a bowl, add in 1 tbsp. of ginseng powder, one-and-a-half tbsp. of sugar, four tbsp. of sesame oil, 1 tbsp. of rose-hip oil, five drops of myrrh, and five drops of mandarin essential oil. Mix it together with the ground ginger.
STEP 3: While you're in your tub or shower, apply the scrub liberally to your body in circular movements and then rinse off. Don't forget to take deep breaths to fully enjoy the sweet escape!

Note: If you live near a Chinatown, I suggest doing your shopping there since the ingredients will be much easier to find, and possibly fresher to boot!

Source, Source, Source and Source

Get The Most From Your Makeup: Exfoliator

BellaSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:00:57 -0800

Planning on taking a tropical vacation this winter? The next time you are at the beach, collect a heaping handful of sand and seal it in a Ziploc bag. When you get home, put the sand in a bowl next to your bathroom sink, and as you are washing your face, add a pinch of sand into your cleanser to create an at-home exfoliator on the cheap.

You shouldn't scrub too hard, and I recommend only using this sand concoction once every other day since you wouldn't want to over-exfoliate and strip your skin of its natural oils. I love this simple recipe; it reminds me of the Bobbi Brown Sandbar Soap, which I still think is such a simple yet smart invention. If you try it at home, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Source and Source

Product Review: Kinerase Pro+Therapy Advanced Radiance Facial Peel

BellaSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:00:55 -0800

Although I've been hearing about the Kinerase line for a few years, I've only recently tried one of its products. Available only in dermatologists' offices, Pro+Therapy Advanced Radiance Facial Peel ($85) is an at-home treatment meant to exfoliate dead skin and reveal more radiant skin. (I know that sounds like marketing speak, but after using the peel, I can't think of a better word than "radiant" to describe the results.)

The kit includes 15 lollipop-shaped applicators with sponges, each one pre-moistened with a blend of pharmaceutical-grade lactic acid, citric acid, and soothing ingredients such as algae extracts. You're supposed to use one a day for five days in a row, which was my original intention. It didn't work out that way, though. To find out why, read more

The first day I swabbed the sponge on my face, I didn't feel any of the tingling you'd expect from a lactic acid exfoliator. After using it, my face did have a slight layer of stickiness on it, but that was it. But the second day was different. When I applied the peel, I could feel a slight stinging, and when I later put on my night cream (which has glycolic acid in it), I felt a little more.

After the third day, my skin was noticeably smoother and brighter. It was soft and glowy, with all of the blah dullness completely gone. I could have gone on to do the third and fourth days, but honestly, I was happy enough with the results-so why not save the remaining applications for another time? $85 is steep for a product, but considering the fact that I'll be able to get five treatments out of it, it winds up being about $17 per peel. That's downright cheap compared to an in-office peel, and it's still a small fraction of the cost of the average facial.

If shopping with a dermatologist isn't your thing, there's also Instant Radiance Facial Peel ($75). The difference is that the Pro+Therapy version contains the plant hormones Kinetin and Zeatin that work together, while this has only Kinetin. It's a little less potent, but you don't need to buy it at a doctor's office.

See reader reviews of this product and add your own here!