BellaSugar

What the $9 Lipstick Has In Common With the $30 One

BellaSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:01:22 -0700

What does a drugstore have in common with Dolce & Gabbana? Usually, the answer would be a big "not much," but when it comes to beauty, things are different. The fabulous and famous makeup artist Pat McGrath worked with D&G on its newish Dolce & Gabbana makeup collection, creating a wide range of colors for the luxe launch.

What you might not know is that McGrath is also the cosmetics guru for Procter & Gamble, the company behind CoverGirl and Max Factor (which is soon to be discontinued in the U.S.). And just like she consulted on the high-end D&G beauty brand, she creates the color stories for these drugstore brands, too. It's almost the makeup equivalent of a designer doing a line for H&M: same talent, different product. And although I haven't tried the Dolce & Gabbana makeup yet, I've found Max Factor's Vivid Impact lipstick ($8.97) to be creamy and highly pigmented. So whether you splurge on D&G or opt for a more affordable choice, you'll have a bit of McGrath mastery either way.

Max Factor Is Set to Leave the States

BellaSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:59:49 -0700

Some surprising news tonight: Max Factor, the 90-year-old cosmetics juggernaut, will be phased out in the United States over the next year. According to news reports, the brand will continue to be sold in other parts of the world, but its small 1.2 percent US market share means that products will disappear from shelves in early 2010. Parent company Procter & Gamble has been successful in building CoverGirl's recent sales, but the Max Factor brand hasn't grown as strongly. So if you're a Factor fan, get your shopping in before you need a plane ticket to do so. (Oh, and in case you want to take a walk down memory lane, here's a Max Factor trivia quiz.)

11 Top-Rated Shadows For $20 or Less

BellaSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:00:22 -0700

Summer is a great time for a little shadow play. It's a great time of the year to do some experimenting with bolder color choices and shimmery finishes. I've got you covered on a simple tip for applying shadow, and I've provided the basics of choosing the right shades. So now that you're off to a good start, go forth and check out eleven of the most popularly reviewed shadows for $20 or less on the Product Reviews website. Good times. Source

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What Do You Know About Max Factor?

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:00:43 -0800

2009 marks the centennial of the founding of the Max Factor cosmetics brand. Most of us are familiar with the line as a drugstore favorite, but not everyone knows how groundbreaking Mr. Factor's work was. Think you can correctly guess a few facts about his life? Go ahead, have at it.

Source

Take the quiz

Battle of the Drugstore Foundations: Revlon's ColorStay Vs. Max Factor's Lasting Performance

BellaSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:01:49 -0800

I never thought I had overly dry or overly oily skin, but when my tinted moisturizer kept leaving grease pits (and often a dreaded patch of acne) on my face by end of day, I knew I needed to reconsider.

With all of the prepping and priming I do to get my face ready for foundation, all I really wanted was a non-complicated, stay-put, inexpensive, go-to foundation. That's all. So, after a lot of Internet research (seriously, it became an obsession) and some visits to the Product Reviews page, I narrowed down my choices to the following two.

Let's call it the "battle of the drugstore foundations" between Revlon Colorstay for Combo/Oily Skin Makeup with SoftFlex SPF 6 ($11.69) and Max Factor Lasting Performance Stay Put Makeup ($7.99). To see my comparison chart and the winning choice, read more.

Details	Revlon	Max Factor	Winner
Consistency	Lighter texture, more watery	Creamier, more blendable	Max Factor
Coverage and Finish	Medium to full with a non-heavy matte finish	Medium to full with a semi-matte to matte finish	It's close, but Max Factor's finish was more natural
Price	$11.69	$7.99	Prices will vary by location, but for the low cost and value, it's got to be Max Factor
SPF	SPF 6 in most shades. Some mysteriously don't include the protection	None	Revlon
Longevity	Claims a whopping 16 hours. Although I didn't count, there was little to no slippage.	Claims 8 hours. Long lasting, but some appearance of oil by end of day.	Revlon
Color Selection	20 shades	9 shades	It's a tie. Although the Max Factor shade looked a little richer on me and less ashy, Revlon has more choices.
Availability	Easy to find	Harder to find	Revlon
Overall	Will it be Revlon?	Or will it be Max Factor?	It's a super close call on this one. And although Revlon is a little more expensive, it's longer wearing, easier to find, and comes in more shades. Winner: Revlon

Bella Book: Max Factor, The Man Who Changed the Faces of the World

BellaSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:00:11 -0700

Max Factor (born Max Faktor) is credited for being the first to produce a number of beauty accouterments, from false eyelashes to brow pencil. In a new biography, Max Factor: The Man Who Changed the Faces of the World by Fred E. Basten (Arcade Publishing), it becomes clear that his legacy is a lot more than that. After escaping a life as a kept cosmetician by the uncle of Czar Nicholas II and religious persecution in Russia to arrive in America by boat with his young family, Factor became Hollywood's go-to cosmetician (he made wigs and styled hair as well).

For average women in America, however, Factor is responsible for a lot more. Before his wildly successful greasepaints hit the mass market, the word "make-up" (his spelling) barely existed and had a negative connotation when used by women who weren't professional performers. According to the book, a bill brought before the Kansas legislature threatened to make it a misdemeanor for any woman under 44 to wear cosmetics "for the purpose of creating a false impression." Aside from the freedom to use beauty products, Factor can be credited for decisions that still inspire its use: he painted lipstick beyond the outline of Joan Crawford's lips (a trick he called "the smear") and lightened Jean Harlow's hair to platinum.

The tone of the book, written by a former assistant to the head of public relations at Max Factor, is extremely reverent (he uses lots of exclamation points), but that doesn't prevent the subject matter from being accurate and interesting to those with a fascination with all things beauty.

Love It or Hate It? Gisele Goes With Max Factor

BellaSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:00:04 -0700

Don't you love it when rumors turn out to be true? As previously hinted, supermodel Gisele Bundchen has indeed signed a sweet deal with Max Factor. The cosmetics company turns 100 (!) next year. Here's Gisele in her first print ad for the brand. What do you think of this look?

Reader Review: ImmaDiva Raves About Max Factor Volume Couture Mascara

BellaSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:00:42 -0700

It's always great to hear from readers, and when ImmaDiva sent me a message touting the benefits of Max Factor Volume Couture Mascara ($6.99), I had to share it:

Recently I tried Max Factor Volume Couture Mascara and I can't believe the results I got! It's hands down the best mascara I've ever used. I've tried a few from MAC and dozens of others, even Lash Blast. It volumizes at the base and lifts and curls. It doesn't clump either, I get perfect lashes each time and I was so amazed, I had to share. Can I email you the before-and-after pics?

Before-and-after pictures? I live for this sort of thing! To see the mascara in action, read more.

Obviously, ImmaDiva is blessed with beautiful eyes as it is, but I love the drama of the mascaraed lashes. For a night out on the town, it's a lot easier than applying false lashes and you still get the wow factor. Many thanks to ImmaDiva for sharing her find!

Also, don't forget to check out the beta version of my product reviews section. You can share your own reviews then read and rate other ones - plus, did I mention there are prizes? Oh yes.

Beauty Byte: Gisele's Got a New Gig

BellaSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:00:27 -0800

Gisele Bundchen is one busy Brazilian these days. Not only is she the face of Dolce & Gabbana's latest scent, but she's also just signed on to model for Max Factor. E! Online reports that Gisele has signed a two-year, $2.5 million deal to endorse its products.

Of course, the beauty brand is mum, and we haven't heard anything from Gisele herself, but an insider told E! that it's a sweet deal. Apparently, Gisele's contract with Victoria's Secret had prohibited her endorsement of any beauty products, but now that she's a free agent, she's able to line up the lucrative deals that models dream of. If this is true, expect to see a lot more of Gisele over the next two years. Are you looking forward to it, or not so much?

Source

Doing Drugstore: Max Factor Vivid Impact Mascara

BellaSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:17:33 -0800

I've been on a bit of a mascara kick lately, and the latest one to enthrall me is Max Factor Vivid Impact Mascara ($10.12, but cheaper at drugstores). It's a double-ended mascara with two formulas. The first, a base coat, separates and defines eyelashes. After letting that dry, you follow up with a highlighting top coat, which adds a little color. I tried it in Blushing Blue, which uses a deep blue top coat and a shimmery pink top coat.

Like Cover Girl Lash Blast, Vivid Impact has a nontraditional wand. This one is rubbery, with tiny little spikes to deliver the mascara to lashes. To see how Vivid Impact looks on lashes, read more

So, behold the fluorescent lighting of the bathroom at Sugar HQ. Flattering, no? Here, you can see how vivid the impact was. (See what I did there?)

For comparison purposes, you can see my naked lashes. Then, I applied the base coat. It's a deep cobalt blue-not exactly navy, but not as violet-tinged as Benefit Badgal Blue. I liked it, actually, because it didn't scream "blue mascara!" in a gaudy way at all.

Next up was the top coat. The pink shade is really subtle, giving off off modest color and a bit of glimmer. If you use the wand horizontally to coat the lashes, the color shows up mostly on the tips (as shown in the photo). But if you tilt it and use just the tip to paint lashes, the color shows up throughout. The pink was a little much for my workday look that way, but it could definitely work for a party look.

Overall, I liked this mascara's ability to define lashes, and the highlighting aspect of it is festive and fun. Next time around, though, I'm going to try a different color combination.