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.

Back To Basics: The Best Face Scrubs

BellaSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:00:22 -0700

Back in July, you beauty marked some of your favorite face scrubs, and here are three oldies but goodies that I've adored for ages. Face scrubs are imperative in maintaining a healthy appearance. They work to gently remove dead skin, oil and residue from the daily grind. This helps unclog your pores and smooth out your skin.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($3.99) is likely my absolute favorite exfoliator. Even though the packaging seems to change every couple of years, the product remains the same - a thick, coarse, mild smelling facial scrub that has some of the largest grains of its kind. The oil-free formula is great for acne-prone skin since it contains two percent salicylic acid.

Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream ($17.50) is a smooth exfoliator intended for skin that isn't currently experiencing any breakouts. This is more of a maintenance product for when your skin is dry or uneven looking - not so much for acne-prone skin. It works to slough away dead skin cells and unclog pores. Simply massage a nickel-sized amount into your wet skin for 15 seconds and rinse off with warm water.

For one last facial scrub, read more.

Clean and Clear Blackhead Clearing Scrub ($5.95) is another great acne-fighting scrub since it also contains salicylic acid and a gentle acne medication. This scrub definitely has the strongest scent, and you can feel it tingle as you work it onto your skin. It helps clear away blackheads, sebum and any leftover makeup. However, if you have super-sensitive skin, this may be a little bit harsh for you, especially since it is recommended for daily use.

New Product Alert: St. Ives Elements Protective Cleanser

BellaSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:00:15 -0700

When Freeze 24/7 released Ice Shield a couple of years ago, I was intrigued. The cleanser not only removes dirt and oil, it also protects skin with SPF 15. Innovative, no? My only complaint was the $48 price tag, which seemed a little high, even for a two-in-one product.

Ah, but now St. Ives has stepped in with its Elements Protective Cleanser ($7.99). The concept of this cleanser is the same: You simply wash your face as you would normally, which simultaneously "washes on" SPF 10 coverage. It's that simple, which should please those of you who prefer having as few steps as possible in your morning routine.

Although I like the lower-priced option, I'm not crazy about the relatively low SPF rating. SPF 10 is small potatoes; at the very least, you should wear SPF 15 every day, and SPF 30 is ideal. If you're serious about protecting your skin, you'll want a higher SPF. But if you're the type of person who doesn't wear sunblock every day already, this is a good way to get at least a little protection without adding another product to your skin-care regimen.

Doing Drugstore: St. Ives Collagen Elastin Body Moisturizer

BellaSugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:00:40 -0800

I've been using St. Ives Collagen Elastin Advanced Body Moisturizer ($5.39) on and off for about a year now. When my precious Creme de Corps seems a bit heavy or if I am just not in the mood to use something that expensive when I know I am going to shower again later in the day, I turn to this creamy, sweet-smelling body lotion to make my scaly skin smooth.

I'm pretty particular about my body lotion and hand cream, and I think this one is tops. It penetrates quickly and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth, not waxy or oily. And when I say that it smells good, I'm not exaggerating. Think of slowly brewed tea made from chamomile, primrose, elder flower and sunflowers - that's what this lotion smells like. It's not over-the-top powerful, sweet or girly, it's just right. Apparently I am not alone in my affections. According to a press release from St. Ives, Collagen Elastin has been the brand's best-selling lotion for over 25 years! I really encourage you to try this if you are on the market for a new body cream. It's available in three sizes, including a travel size for 99 cents.

Are You Too Lazy For SPF? Not Anymore . . .

BellaSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:00:21 -0700

If you're forgetful when it comes to applying sunscreen, here's a simple way to get a little bit of protection: wash up. These days, sunscreen comes in cleanser form, leaving an invisible shield on your skin after you wash the soap off. And while it doesn't offer maximum shield from the sun, it's better than nothing.

The latest of these products to catch my eye is the Betheseda sunscreen soap ($8). Like St. Ives Elements Protective Cleanser, it provides SPF 10 protection, but in bar-soap form. What's notable, though, is the company's "Melanie Policy," named in honor of the founder's sister, who is battling colon and liver cancer. Bethesda is giving away a free bar of the soap to anybody who is fighting cancer or knows someone who has the disease. Generous - and good karma, too.

How-To: Remove Self-Tanner Streaks

BellaSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:30:23 -0700

Over the weekend, I had an unfortunate encounter with a spray-on tanner. Even though I followed the many steps very carefully, I ended looking up less sex kitten, more striped kitty. I've been up to my blotchy knees in research for tips on how to make the patchwork look a little less obvious. We're going (un)streaking! For my findings, just read more.

Think fast: I wish I had done this, but the faster you see the streaks developing, the easier they'll be to remove. Consider using a fast-developing self-tanner so you can see the "oops moments," or use a gradual tanner so that bad results are less obvious. I like the Jergens Glow Daily ($7.50 to $8.50) line of tanners for that reason.
Exfoliate: Since tanners dye your skin, try to get those pigments out by sloughing off skin cells through exfoliation. Whether you use a loofah, body scrub, or plain old baking soda on a washcloth, this method will help newer (untanned) skin cells to surface more rapidly.
Prepping power: To avoid streaking in the first place, exfoliate first and make sure your body is not damp when applying. Wear gloves as you work the tanner into your skin, and take a towel or paper towel to gently blend over all areas evenly, avoiding excess application to the ankles, in between the toes, the elbows, and knees.
Tan removers: Several companies offer tan remover pads or creams, like: Tanwise Exfoliating Self Tan Remover ($9); St. Tropez Self-Tan Remover Sachets ($13) for your palms (see the reader review here); or Flavours Freedom Self-Tan Remover ($10)
Go suck a lemon: Not literally, of course. Applying lemon juice to those splotches is a natural way to help exfoliate the skin. Use a cotton pad to apply, and scrub away.
Hit the bottle: Of rubbing alcohol. Dunk a cotton pad in rubbing alcohol and apply the spotty areas. It can be somewhat drying, so be sure to moisturize.

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Reader Review of the Day: St. Tropez Self Tan Remover Sachets

BellaSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:00:49 -0700

The benefits of self tanners are plentiful. Still, nobody likes to have orange or brown splotches left on the hands after applying them. Frequent reviewer Stef42678 really likes St. Tropez Self Tan Remover Sachets to avoid said problem, and here's why:

This is a great invention for all of those self tanners that leave your hands streaked or colored. These pads are so easy to use because you just rub them beetween your palms and they come clean. Be careful using near your tanned skin because it will rub off there too. I like that the pads don't feel greasy and leave your hands moisturized and color free.

If you would like to give us your opinion on beauty items from curling irons to night cream, I've got the perfect place for you to go. It's our Product Reviews website. Just submit your reviews and perhaps you'll be the next person featured on this daily post!

St. Patrick's Day Red Hair Roundup

BellaSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:00:10 -0700

When you think of St. Patrick's Day, you probably think of shamrocks, pots of gold, leprechauns, and even red hair. In anticipation of everyone's favorite (green) beer-guzzling holiday, I've gathered together some of my favorite red hair posts. Besides the fact that it's a festive color, it's also one of the hottest of-the-moment shades. Enjoy!

Redhead Beauty Tips
and Tricks

17 Ways to Wear
Red Hair

Keeping Reds
Looking Vibrant

How-To: Apply a Red Lipstick

BellaSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:00:45 -0800

Applying a red lipstick can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Now that I've provided tips from choosing your undertone, to picking a cool red, a warm red, and a true red, you're good to go. But wait - there's more:

Prep - Get the lips ready to hold the bold shade with a light sweep of foundation or a lip primer such as Smashbox Lid & Lip Primer ($24). Set with a dusting of translucent powder. Coty AirSpun Loose Face Powder in Translucent ($6.99) should do the trick.
Line up - Using a lip liner in a shade or two closest to your natural lip color, line and fill in your entire lips. You can also work with a red liner if you can find an exact match to your lipstick. Never use a darker color. It can look très tacky.
Apply - You can always do it the old fashioned straight-from-the-tube way, but I like using a lip brush for more control. Start at the center of your lips, and work outwards.
Blot and re-apply - For a surefire way to lock in the color, blot with a tissue and apply your chosen red once more.
Finishing touches - Make a little smudge? Clean it up with a Q-Tip and some concealer. Want some extra shine? Layer a red gloss like NP Set Lip Gloss in St. John Red ($15) or a sparkly clear one such as Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in Dominique ($18).

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Get the Fall 2008 Look: Yves St. Laurent

BellaSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:00:31 -0800

While looks from straight off the runways are not necessarily meant to be taken literally, I like to incorporate bit of high fashion here and there to enhance my style - particularly on my fingernails.

Each day this week we've been giving away awesome prizes from Yves St. Laurent's beauty line, and that's got me all excited about their fashion lineup. Drawn from YSL's Fall 2008 show, I've got some great nail polish color suggestions so that you can include elements of this minimal, futuristic look into your routine. Take a gander at my widget below for some ideas and check out more of my runway-inspired choices from Karen Walker and Givenchy.

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