BellaSugar

Nina Ricci Presents Nina Perfume

BellaSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:00:48 -0700

The French fashion house Nina Ricci has introduced a new perfume, Nina. This romantic fragrance was inspired by the City of Light and by childhood fairy tales.

Everything about it is sweet: The fragrance features notes of lemon, lime, peony petals, moonflower, vanilla-infused red toffee apple, applewood and white cedar. The bottle was created out of bright raspberry-colored glass to resemble an apple, and its silver leaves sport an engraved Nina Ricci signature.

The Nina product range includes a 2.7 ounce eau de toilette spray ($67), a body lotion ($26) and a shower gel ($24). I'm not usually one for shower gels, but I bet the mix of apples and flowers would smell feel really fresh and clean. Do you think you'll check out Nina?

Bella Donna: Nina Simone

BellaSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:39 -0800

Nina Simone's first-remembered act of moral resistance occurred at one of her concerts when she was 12. Her proud parents, who were seated in the front row, were told to move to the back so that white attendees could have their seats. Nina, incensed, refused to continue playing until they were given back their rightful place. From then on, her career was marked by vocal, tenacious challenges to inequality.

Despite harm to her viability as a popular artist, she created some of the most memorable songs of the civil rights era, including "Mississippi Goddamn" and "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black." In addition, she took part in the Selma to Montgomery marches. She was also one of the first celebrities to embrace her natural hair texture, wearing everything from an afro to a modified hi-top fade. Although commercial success frequently eluded her, many of her songs are now standards of the jazz and soul canons, and she lived to see a resurgence in her popularity during the 1990's.

Her personal life was as tumultuous as her career, and she lived in Barbados, Liberia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland before settling in France, where she passed away after a protracted battle with breast cancer in 2003. We have Nina to thank not only for her music and her style, but for her unwavering sense of fairness and her compelling calls to action. She's an excellent example of someone who refused to be a bystander to injustice and persecution - something we could use a little more of these days.

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Twilight Takes a Bite From Nina Ricci's Apple

BellaSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:01:56 -0800

Poor Robert Pattinson. Not only does he have thousands of Twilight-obsessed teenagers chasing him, he's now going to smell them coming. That's because Hot Topic is stocking Twilight perfume ($48), a lavender-and-freesia scent. I'd tell you what it smells like, but I cannot bring myself to enter Hot Topic without feeling grizzled and going off on a tirade about mall emo.

I'll wager that it's not a sophisticated scent, and I'll also bet that Nina Ricci's lawyers are busy bees. Twilight has blatantly knocked off the fashion house's signature bottle (at right). Then again, I'd argue that the idea of a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire who doesn't feed on people was knocked off from Buffy, so what do I know?

Double Your Fun: Two New "Same Name Twice" Fragrances

BellaSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0700

These days, apparently twice is very nice indeed, because WWD is reporting that in August, both Nina Ricci and Juicy Couture will launch fragrances with charmingly repetitive names. The scents, Ricci Ricci ($58) and Couture Couture ($85), are both a little higher end than other offerings from the houses but geared toward young women. While they're both florals with hints of woodiness, their topnotes are very different. Ricci Ricci starts with lively rhubarb and bergamot, followed by four o'clock flowers and a whole bouquet of roses, then finishes with sandalwood and patchouli, while Couture Couture is all citrusy topnotes with a jasmine honeysuckle body and an amber drydown. I'll be excited to try both, but I love Jessica Stam's little devil horns in the Ricci Ricci ads. Hopefully the scent will be just as naughty and charming as the campaign suggests.

Beauty Mark It! A Spring Scent

BellaSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:05:24 -0800

There's something about spring that practically begs for a fresh, flirty fragrance, and one of my favorite parts of the season is choosing just the right one. Right now I am dying to get a sniff of Nina Ricci Nina, and not just because I am dying to take a bite out of the bottle!

That's what I'm excited about, but I'd love to know the spring-y scents you're ready for. They can be classic favorites, something new you're excited to try, or one that you recently purchased. Share your choices by bookmarking items from around the web and tagging them with the phrase spring scent. I'll feature your favorites here next Tuesday.

To learn about Beauty Mark It challenges and how to add your picks, check out this how-to. To see some of my favorite online beauty stores, read more.

Saks Beauty Place
Sephora
Drugstore.com
Fred Segal Beauty
Folica
Amazon.com Beauty
Strawberrynet.com
Nordstrom
Bergdorf Goodman
Beauty.com

Bella Donna: Sade

BellaSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0700

My friend Frank, who's behind the excellent Rappers I Know, has impeccable taste. So when I asked him if he had a celebrity crush, without hesitation, he namechecked Sade. No wonder: at the age of 50, she continues to have one of the silkiest voices and most beautiful faces in music. Born in Nigeria, Helen Folasade Adu moved to England at the age of four. Later, after studying fashion at St. Martin's College, she translated her love of soul artists such as Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye into a singing career.

Her eponymous group enjoyed immense popularity throughout the '80s and early '90s, enjoying hits like "Smooth Operator" and "No Ordinary Love." Her sensual beauty stood out in a sea of highly stylized singers, providing a different version of beauty from the neon-and-teased-bangs trends of the day. Although she's been out of the spotlight for a few years, she's working on a new album, giving Frank (among others) a chance to be inspired by her silken voice and stunning looks once more.

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If you've never seen a Sade video, you can change that. Just sashay, Sade, this way.

Lovely Links

BellaSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:01:01 -0800

Winter beauty splurges and steals - Style.com
Meet the super-cool Janelle Monae - Afrobella
Sampling a $1,000 moisturizer - Beauty Snob
Will the credit crunch kill boob-job loans? - The Cut
Can you use orange juice as a skin toner? - babyassface
Go inside one of New York's most luxe spas - The Cut
As predicted, Nina Ricci is suing over that Twilight perfume bottle - Now Smell This
Paris Hilton has cut her hair again - People Style Watch

Beauty Byte: The Fragrance Foundation Talks FiFis, and You Can Vote

BellaSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Get excited for the 36th annual 2008 FiFi Awards, which will take place on May 20th in New York City. This event, sponsored by The Fragrance Foundation, honors creativity within the fragrance industry - it's a huge deal in the biz.

To give you an idea of who's up for Fragrance of the Year for Women's Nouveau Niche, the nominees are:

Andy Warhol Silver Factory and New York Bryant Park by Bond No. 9, Gucci by Gucci, Prada Infusion d'Iris and Versace.

For Fragrance of the Year luxe women's category the nominees are:

Chanel Chance Eau Fraîche, Coach, Daisy Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana The One, Emporio Armani Diamonds, Hermès' Kelly Calèche and Nina by Nina Ricci.

This year, you can actually vote for a FiFi online. Just register and fill out your ballot. Any predictions as to who will win? I know some of you disagreed with the winners of the CEW awards, so I'm curious about your picks for the FiFis.

Be Paparazzi Ready With Liparazzi Light-Up Lipstick!

BellaSugar — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 19:45:30 -0700

Liparazzi Lip Gloss and Lip Stick are the newest thing to hit the nightclubs. Their lipstick (so far, only available in five shades) has a mirror in the barrel and dual lights hidden in the cap. You can switch the lights on and off with a twist to re-apply your pout, check your teeth and make sure you look just as FABulous as you feel.

Liparazzi Lip Stick in Groupie

Nina Leykind (Eyeko Cosmetics) came up with this great idea when she was out one night in a dark bar with her good buddy Baby Spice from the former gal group The Spice Girls. Baby asked how she looked when she caught a glimpse of the paparazzi outside. Nina thought to herself:

Liparazzi is the answer. Every girls asks, "Is my lipgloss ok? Are my teeth clean? Can I borrow your mirror" on a night out when the're facing a barrage of paparrazi or not.

Worry no more. Tons of celebs have already been seen wearing Liparazzi because they feel great too. This non-tacky texture made from jojoba, Vitamin E and lanolin to nourish your lips and keep them moist and hydrated. How perfect for approaching the cute guy who has caught your eye on the dance floor.

Liparazzi Lip Gloss in Velvet Rope

You can buy them here and both the gloss and the lipstick sell for $25. Genuius, I tell ya. Finding your lipgloss in your purse has never been easier. And I love their tagline - TESTED ON CELEBRITIES, NOT ANIMALS.