BellaSugar

InStyler Turns Hair Right Round, Baby, Right Round

BellaSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0800

Another Saturday, another wild and crazy night for Bella. That's right, instead of heading out after dinner, a friend and I headed back to her place to test out this hair product – the InStyler. (There may have been a small amount of wine involved.) You see, I happened to mention it while we were eating and, since she'd seen the infomercial, she was willing to be my guinea pig. Perfect.

The point of this brush/flatiron/curling iron hybrid is to use less heat than traditional tools, with three adjustable settings providing fewer stresses on your tresses (ha). When you plug it in and clamp down on a chunk of hair, the barrel section rotates while you pull the bristles through the locks. We started with hair that had air-dried to its natural, wavy state seen here. I set up my "salon" (read: her living room) and got to straightening.

See the after photo and get our reactions when you read more.
As you can see, the InStyler did a good job with straightening and I only spent about 20 minutes covering her entire head. She felt the brush attachment made her hair more flyaway than with the normal flatiron and the ends were a touch more fried. (You could help that by applying a hair serum.) But, overall, it was super quick and easy.

My thoughts: This product will work best on people with wavy, fine hair but when I later tried it on a pal with thick, relaxed tresses it didn't get hers very straight at all. It's difficult to get to the roots, so you may need to pull hair away from your head and press the barrel against it if you're trying to get at a section close to your scalp. But, the website clearly states you can style without the stick-straight "flatness" of a flatiron so I guess super sleekness isn't its goal.

How much will it cost to get these results? Well, currently there's a $15 trial offer for two InStyler irons for 30 days. If you like it, then pay three more monthly payments of $40 and keep both. That breaks down to $67.50 each, before shipping and handling, if you're splitting with a friend. My pal and I opted not to go in on this offer, but would you (or did you) choose this over a traditional flatiron?

Behind the Scenes of InStyle's Celebrity Makeup Match

BellaSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:00:28 -0700

Back when InStyle's Celebrity Makeup Match launched, I raved about how it serves up color matches directly from A-listers' makeup artists. It seemed like this must have involved a lot of work - but seriously, you have no idea.

In addition to interviewing the people who get stars like Angelina Jolie ready for the red carpet, the InStyle folks cleared out a room and filled it with makeup. After gathering their notes, they got to work sorting all of the eye shadow, lipstick, and other cosmetic goodies; when all was said and done, they had thousands of products to sort through. As you can see, it's pretty much makeup heaven. Have you tried the Celebrity Makeup Match? What did you think?

View 2 Photos ›

New Fab Mag: YOUR LOOK

BellaSugar — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 04:21:22 -0800

New from the editors of InStyle is YOUR LOOK Magazine. It was just released on March 2nd on newsstands and it costs $3.49. YOUR LOOK is a quarterly mag that is targeted towards 16-20 year old females. It will invite readers to upload their own fashion photos on the magazine’s Web site or MySpace profile for possible inclusion in the magazine.

The magazine will be comprised of tons of cool info about fashion, beauty and retail, which will be reflected in all 23 ad pages on these topics. I felt compelled to tell you gals about this if you are into the magazine thang for airplane rides, the beach, the loo, etc…

Edition #1 features Rachel Bilson on the cover looking casually chic sitting Indian style with her pooch in a flirty white and lime colored top and a pair of broken in jeans.

InStyle has been a favorite magazine of mine since puberty, so I am anxiously awaiting the release of YOUR LOOK. You can either log onto InStyle.com to request a free trial issue or call 1-800-233-7999 to order a copy now.

Link Time!

BellaSugar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:00:19 -0800

Which New Moon premiere hairstyle looks best on Kristen? - FabSugar UK
Stars wear wintry red lipstick - Stylist
The cat eye is making a comeback - Glamour
Cindy Crawford on self-image and eating disorders - The Guardian
Did Too Faced Lashlight Mascara light up Karen's life? - Makeup and Beauty Blog
When to get a wet cut, and when to get a dry cut - Allure
Re-create Nicole Kidman's piecy curls - InStyle
The cure for hair shedding is . . . garlic? - Naturally Curly

Try Sarah Palin's Hair! (Or Michelle's, Or Cindy's, Or Hillary's)

BellaSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:00:13 -0700

Just in time for debate season, you can try on a new hairstyle for size. Ever wonder what you'd look like with Cindy McCain's waves or Michelle Obama's hair? Or Hillary Clinton's cut, or Sarah Palin's updo? Now's your chance.

I've posted about InStyle's Hollywood Hair Makeover tool before, but now it could be called the Washington Hair Makeover, too. It's pretty easy to do: You just upload a photo of yourself, then select a Washingtonian hairstyle for a whirl.

Because I am so into politics that I break out goofy impressions (it's true; ask the Citizen girls), this tool is endlessly entertaining to me. Is it the same for you, my friends?

Fake Fragrance Showdown: Designer Imposters vs Instyle Fragrances

BellaSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:00:28 -0700

Fragrance knockoffs have been around since the '80s, when Designer Imposters released Primo, a knockoff of Giorgio Beverly Hills. Now there's competition in the form of Instyle fragrances - no relation to In Style. Both promise to deliver more eau for your dough, but which one comes out on top?

	Designer Imposters	Instyle	Advantage
Packaging	A brash melee of clashing colors adorns each box of perfume.	Minimalist; a typographer's nightmare of competing font weights and serifs.	Designer Imposters. At least they put a little effort into it.
Sales pitch	If you like [Actual Perfume], you'll love our knockoff!	An impression of [Actual Perfume]	Instyle. The writing makes it sound more artistic.
Best perfume name	With Exposé, Babe, and Yeah Baby, DI allows you to recall a '90s girl band, a movie about a pig, and Austin Powers.	Nothing! No names for these "impressions." Lame.	Designer Imposters, obviously.
Price	$9.49/ounce	$11.99/3.4 ounces	Instyle
But how do they smell?	Close, but no cigar. The scent is unmistakably cheaper than the original.	Pretty much the same, although the knockoff of SJP's Lovely was somewhat convincing.	Instyle

Link Time!

BellaSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:02 -0700

Give yourself a Twilight makeover . . . if you dare. - InStyle
A trip to Las Vegas's Basin store - Makeup and Beauty Blog
MAC releases its Halloween video - Temptalia
Vanessa Paradis has a new makeup-endorsement gig - Stylelist
The many blondes of Lindsay Lohan - FabSugar
Spot the nose job - Jezebel
Now magazines are targeting women for "thigh spillage." Grr. - The Cut
These chocolates promise to fight acne - Beauty Snob

Keep Curls Bouncy With This Simple Idea

BellaSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Long, soft curls and waves look classic and fresh at the same time - just check out Audrina Patridge's hair here. But raise your hand if you've ever spent time meticulously styling your hair, only to watch the curls go limp within an hour. Annoying. But stylist Dean Banowetz, whom you may know from the InStyler, has an easy fix.

"After you’re done curling the hair, roll the hair back up and pin it with a clip," he says. "That's really essential, because then the hair can cool properly in that formation. While it's cooling, finish your makeup or finish doing whatever else it is you need to do. If you want the curl to loosen out, you can just let it hang."

Be sure to use hair spray to set the curls. (Banowetz recommends Tre Milano Shine Spray.) Then, watch your waves stay all day long. Easy!

Drew Ditches the Black Tips

BellaSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:04:18 -0700

Most of you weren't loving Drew Barrymore's black tips when she debuted them earlier this month, but you have to hand it to the girl. She's definitely someone who can pull off the most extreme of styles. "This is the craziest look I've ever given her!" colorist Tracey Cunningham told InStyle. "I used clear foils and a stencil that I made out of paper to get everything to line up," she added. But, those distinctive black tips didn't last that long. At a press event yesterday for her new film, Whip It, the actress flaunted a shorter, all-blond cropped bob instead. This got me to thinking about my own fickle hair-color choices. I've had blond-streaked bangs one day, only to tint them intense red-violet the next. What about you? Do you tend to stick to one color, or are you more apt to switch it up?

Link Time!

BellaSugar — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 07:03:06 -0700

Fame lip gloss, inspired by the movie - Stylelist
You pick: Angelina Jolie's best hair - Makeup and Beauty Blog
Bobbi Brown on flawless, dewy skin and day-to-night makeup - Beauty Snob
Which hairstyle is sexiest on Shakira? - FabSugar UK
You, too, can do black and gold - eyes, that is - InStyle
MAC's Black Collection proves that black gloss still wants its moment - Beauty Blogging Junkie
Four spa secrets to keep in mind - Allure