BellaSugar

Bella Bargain: 75% Off at Rescue Beauty

BellaSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:00:42 -0700

New York City's Rescue Beauty Lounge is best known for its nail-polish expert, Ji Baek, and her collection of trendsetting polish shades. But the brand also has a collection of bath and body goods - think lotions, body washes, and hand creams - and it's now available at a deep discount. The items are a whopping 75 percent off when you use the code smell good at checkout, which shaves the prices of hand cream and body wash down to $5 apiece. That's a lot of luxury for drugstore-level prices, so consider treating yourself or picking up a fancy present on the cheap. (The holidays, after all, are mere months away . . . )

Three Tips For Going Glittery

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:02 -0700

I'm dazzled by these new sparkly shades from rescue beauty lounge . . . and smiling at the clever names. Locavore blends earth-friendly hues of green and blue with metallics, Frugalista blasts out with gunmetal specks in a rich purple, and Look Rich, Be Cheap is a gold polish with purple flecks.
As posh as the products are, applying glittery polish can be tough. Check out my tips for a smooth sparkle when you read more.

Polish prep. Start with a layer of clear (or complementary colored) polish on top of a base coat. This additional layer keeps nails smooth and helps hold glitter in place.
Seal the sparkle. If you find fault with the gritty feel, seal in the glitter with a powerful top coat like Seche Vite that allows the top coat to penetrate to the base and lock it all in.
Clean and clear off. Use swabs to take off polish, as glitter is typically harder to remove – it can scrape your nails if you're not careful. Cotton helps pick up the bits while the color rubs off smoothly.

Rescue Nails the Bold Color Trend

BellaSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:00:00 -0800

After seeing dark nails for the past few months, I'm excited to see the new color collection from Rescue Beauty Lounge. These four additions ($18 each) are so bright, so bold, that it's like the season's already here.

It looks like Rihanna's yellow nails are sticking around for awhile, so if you're a fan of out-of-the-ordinary color, you might like Yellow Fever. I'm not crazy about Recycle, the green shade, and I'm on the fence with the light violet shade of Purple Haze.

But how beautiful is Chinoise, the red shade? It's inspired by Diana Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor who loved red lacquer on everything. (No, seriously, check out her apartment.) I showed Fab this shade, and she loved it. Wonder if we'll have to share a bottle . . .

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Trend Alert: Gray Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:00:18 -0800

Usually the color gray is reserved for cashmere, not cosmetics. But as it turns out, gray is continuing the transition into beauty products, and it can be a chic and versatile color for nails. Leading the way is the always-innovative Rescue Beauty Lounge with its dove-gray shade Concrete Jungle ($18).

A great and inexpensive alternative is Revlon's Steel-Etto from its Dark Pleasures line. It's a little darker, incorporating a beautiful shimmery silver tone into the hue. If you're still unsure about gray nails, try out Wet N Wild in Sparked. At only $1.99 a bottle, it's a risk you can afford to take!

Red Hot Nail Polish

BellaSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 15:25:11 -0800

Red is the name of the game this holiday season and we are bringing you all of the best red fashion and beauty finds we can! Red nail polish is bold, sexy and sophisticated; it is also undeniably classic.

For those of you who are a little shy to wear this bright color, here's a little guide to help you find the right hue for you!

Dark or olive skin: Wear a true red
Fair skin: Wear a blue-ish red - it will warm your skin tone up nicely
Pink-ish skin: Wear a orange/red shade

Here are my favorite picks for these skin tones:

Essie A-List, $7, is the perfect shade for those of you with dark or olive skin. This is a gorgeous and glamorous true red which also happens to be one of their best sellers!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Long Wear Nail Polish in Chinoise, $18, is a lovely shade for those with fair skin. It's a deeper, darker red with blue undertones that will liven up your skin. This happens to be a favorite shade of mine for winter!

For a drugstore brand, read more

Cover Girl Queen Collection 3-in-1 Step Nail Polish in Regal Red, $2.79 is an excellent choice for pink-ish skin since it has a tomatoey, orange hint to it. This inexpensive polish is great because it is a basecoat, color and topcoat all in one! Also, think about it this way: if you don't like the color, you won't feel like you've wasted a lot of money on it. I'm willing to bet you'll love it so much your next order will be in bulk though! Enjoy!

Chipped Nail Polish: The New Trend?

BellaSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:17 -0700

Today's New York Times reports on the dubious "trend" of having chipped nails. Apparently, having less-than-flawless nails is not a complete beauty disaster:

“Before, when nail polish was chipped you absolutely had to run and get it fixed,” said Ji Baek, the owner of Rescue Beauty Lounge and a manicure doyenne who has noticed the Olsens and Lindsay Lohan with less-than-impeccable polish. Now, clients like hers are “wearing perfectly-tailored clothes, they have $5,000 bags and equally fabulous shoes, but their nails are chipped and they’re saying, ‘I don’t care.’ They don’t want to be too perfect.”

Of course, Baek adds, there's a catch: “Chipping is cool, but chipping in a schleppy way when you don’t have a $5,000 handbag is not as cool." Oh, so that's all we need! Great.

Joking aside, the story explains that women, particularly the younger generation, don't flip out about having less-than-flawless manicures. While I agree that there are certain occasions (job interviews, your wedding) that require neater nails, I've always felt that life has bigger things to worry about than an imperfect manicure. Are you with me?

Best of Bella

BellaSugar — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:00:21 -0800

Sarah Michelle Gellar's hairstylist reveals how you can re-create her gorgeous look at home.

I've got the first peek at the Nars summer color collection.

Check out these products to get you a salon-worthy shiny blowout .
Thinking about trying an at-home hair straightening treatment? Be sure to consult these tips first!
Take a peek at my behind-the-scenes beauty secrets from fashion week.
Goth chic is all over the runways. Will you be trying this dark look?
A magazine editor goes in search of the perfect foundation for women of color.
Look what I found: A cheap acne cream that actually works!
Are you brave enough for yellow nails? Rescue Beauty Lounge's new polish collection is ready for you if so.
Check out how to get even the toughest makeup off your brushes.
Laura Mercier redesigns my favorite lip gloss... and I actually like it!
Take this quiz to see how closely you were paying attention to this week's premiere of America's Next Top Model.

Source

Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP-Free Nail Polishes

BellaSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:00:58 -0700

Ask and you shall receive. I read your comments on yesterday's post about nail polishes that contain formaldehyde, and I wanted to respond by giving you a few safer suggestions. Brands such as Butter London and Priti Polish are free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP - and here are some other options.

Some "three-free" polishes
Avon	Peacekeeper
China Glaze	Rescue Beauty Lounge
Elizabeth Arden	Revlon
L'Oreal	Rimmel
Lippmann Collection (newer formula)	Sally Hansen
Maybelline Salon Expert
Nars (newer formula)	Spa Ritual
OPI (newer polishes are safe, but some hardeners use formaldehyde)	Zoya

For a few of my favorite safe-polish picks, read more.

Nars Nail Polish ($16) has developed an improved formula. The varnishes are now enhanced with UV protection, have a glossier finish, and supposedly last longer without chipping (I haven't reached a verdict on this just yet). They are also free of formaldehyde, DBP and toluene - which I think makes the smell less severe.

The polishes in the Lippman Collection ($15) are now not only free of DBP, formaldehyde and toluene, but they also contain green tea and biotin (protein) to help your nails grow stronger. The formula dries quickly and has a really nice shine. I personally love the two new spring colors. Have you had the chance to check out Dream a Little Dream of Me yet?

Adorée Professional Nail Polish ($5) has more than 140 different nail colors in its range. While they are free of the "big three" polish no-no's, they do contain hardeners to help strengthen nails, and they claim to provide a high-shine finish.