BellaSugar

Berry Tempting: American Beauty

partysugar — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:00:00 PDT

A delicious and balanced cocktail doesn't need a lot of fancy ingredients. Take this recipe, for example, from San Francisco's Erick Castro. It involves gin, lemon juice, mint, and muddled berries. It's simple but absolutely sublime. In each sip you can taste the distinct ingredients. Even if you aren't normally a gin drinker, you'll enjoy this beverage. My guests loved it. Be sure to cheers to the Fourth! To make this for your friends and family, you'll need the recipe.

Two Easy Options For American-Flag Beauty

BellaSugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:00:54 PDT

You don't need to wear green liberty spikes to celebrate Independence Day. Last year I gathered a few festive beauty-related Fourth of July products, including an idea about how to make your own American flag manicure. Even if you don't want to go all out, here are a couple more ways to feel festive.

Red gloss: This American Beauty Fabulous Feel Liquid Lip Color in Red Velvet ($12.50) is a great way to attain an understated July 4th beauty look. Throw on some blue jeans and a white tee, and you'll be doing the red-white-and-blue thing without getting too corny.

For one other option,

This Fourth of July Art Striper Nail Kit ($19.95) from Nubar is a little similar to last year's manicure set, but it's less expensive and it comes with five products. The polishes have super-thin brushes so that you can create stars and stripes if you want - or, more likely, an unconventional French manicure.

Coming Soon: American Beauty 2008 Summer Bouquet Collection

BellaSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:00:27 PDT

This June, American Beauty Cosmetics will launch its Summer Bouquet color story. Much like Flirt! Cosmetics (both are owned by the same company), the brand typically launches a new product or two every few months and then creates a seasonal look by blending the new products in with the old.

The inspiration for Summer Bouquet is all about florals, specifically perky pink roses. The new product for Summer is a peachy pink powder blush called Nectar Blossom. The face of the campaign is Ashley Judd, as usual, and this particular photo also doubles as an ad for its new Beloved fragrance.

For a description of each of the items in the Summer Bouquet color story,

New, Beloved Rose Powder Blush in Nectar Blossom ($18) is a peachy, pink powder blush that blends easily and gives cheeks a warm, natural-looking flush.
Luxury for Lids Eyeshadow Duo in Afternoon Tea ($14.50) are two soft, matte taupe shades that can be applied all over the lids, to the crease and eyebrows.
Ultra-Easy Automatic Eyeliner in Mocha ($11) is a warm, creamy chocolate brown pencil eye liner.
Softy Shaping Mascara in Black Velvet ($11) is a rich, long-lasting jet black mascara that separates, elongates, and leaves lashes with a bit of a glossy finish.
Enduring Beauty Longwear Lipcolor in Candy Rose ($12.50) is a bright, medium-colored coral-pink, long-wearing creamy lipstick.
Pretty Glossy Luscious Lipshine in Strawberry Pop and Sugar Fizz ($12.50 each) is a high-shine, sheer lip gloss. Strawberry Fizz is a bold red shade and Sugar Fizz is a pale, cotton-candy pink color.
Fabulous Feel Liquid Lipcolor in Party Pink ($12.50) is a true, shiny, baby pink lip color that has the coverage of a lipstick and the texture of a lip gloss minus the stickiness.

Wedding Planning: What Not to Watch While Preparing For the Big Day

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:30:18 PDT

If you're planning a wedding, it can be discouraging to settle in for a movie or TV show in which marriage is, well, not cast in the nicest light. Here I've rounded up some movies and one TV show that may be great entertainment but won't exactly give you the warm fuzzies about getting married.

American Beauty - Sure, there's a lot more going on in American Beauty than just a failing marriage, but the union between Lester (Kevin Spacey) and Carolyn (Annette Benning) still isn't exactly inspirational. In addition to general suburban dystopia, there's a lot of infidelity, ogling of teen girls, and overall contempt within the marriage. Oh, and that ending is a pretty big downer.

More titles to avoid if you

Little Children - I'd say you'll want to avoid both watching this movie and reading the original work by Tom Perrotta. Like American Beauty, it's riddled with infidelity and overall malaise surrounding married life. The main female character, Sarah (Kate Winslet) is enormously bored with her quiet life and her role as wife and mother. Handsome stay-at-home dad Brad - also dissatisfied - manages to temporarily fill the void in her but at the end of the day nobody can truly do that. General feeling after watching this movie: bleak.

The Ice Storm - Speaking of bleak, The Ice Storm serves up cold desolation and hopelessness in spades. A wintry storm symbolically covers everything in New Canaan, CT, in a stark, numbing chill as two families celebrate Thanksgiving. For marrieds Ben and Elena Hood (Kevin Kline and Joan Allen) this mostly means drinking way too much and despising each other. Don't let the promise of young, adorable versions of Christina Ricci, Katie Holmes, and Elijah Wood lure you in. It's too cold in this movie.

Kramer vs. Kramer - Anger, fighting, divorce, custody battles . . . you're just going to want to avoid this one for a while. As you probably know, the story is based on the real-life court battle in which a divorced couple fought over custody of their son. It is poignant and stars some phenomenal actors (Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep), but it's definitely not "oh baby, marriage is awesome" material.

Tell Me You Love Me - Well, at least these couples are getting therapy, but still, as excellent as this HBO show is, it can also be incredibly depressing. While one couple is busy not communicating, another is fighting over their inability to get pregnant, and a third is still haunted by a long-ago extramarital affair. Good times. And by "good times" I mean "avoid this like the plague before getting married - especially if you have a tendency to get cold feet."

For more wedding and wedding planning advice check out IDoSugar.

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Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski: Best Rom-Com Duo . . . Ever?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:30:47 PST

When reading this casting news today, I got the eerie feeling that someone out there overheard my silent prayers for there to be a) more lead roles for talented female comedians, b) more funny film opportunities for John Krasinski, and c) more promising light-hearted movies in 2008. Now, the hilarious SNL star Maya Rudolph has been paired with Krasinski and given the lead role in a relationship-themed comedy. Amen!

Variety reports that the untitled film will be directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) and "follows an expectant couple (Krasinski, Rudolph) as they travel the country in search of a place to put down roots and raise a family." Other fun facts about this project: Cheryl Hines will co-star, and the screenplay was written by Dave Eggers and his his wife, novelist Vendela Vida.

With Baby Mama starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on the way to theaters this Spring and now this news about Rudolph, I'm overjoyed that some of my favorite female comedians are no longer relegated to goofy best-friend sidekick roles. These are the actresses that I find more interesting and relatable as leading ladies, especially compared to some of what we've seen this year. Are you guys as excited for this as I am?

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Coming Soon: American Beauty Champagne Pinks Collection

BellaSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:00:27 PST

The lovely Ashley Judd is once again the face of the new American Beauty Champagne Pinks Collection due in stores at the end of this month. Much like the Flirt! Totally Bronze Collection, this range includes includes eight products. Three are new, and four are existing products to create a bronzed pink look.

My personal favorite of the bunch is the new Pretty Glossy Luscious Lipshine Lip Gloss in Pink Parfait. (Whew! What a mouthful.) This pale, shimmery, pinky-coral packs a lot of punch. It moisturizes like a creamy lipstick and shines like a gloss without feeling overly tacky. I've been wearing so much that it's already made it into my handbag makeup stash - now, that's love! To find out all of the prices and details about the rest of the products,

New Ultra-Easy Automatic Eyeliner in Gold ($11) is a dark golden shade with a creamy texture. I suggest warming it up on your hands before applying for an even smoother and more precise application.
New Pretty Glossy Luscious Lipshine in Pink Parfait ($12.50) is a creamy pale pink lip gloss with a hint of coral and a lot of shimmer.
Two Pretty Bronze Bronzing Powders in Sun Chic and High Summer ($17.50 each) are slightly shimmery, velvet powder bronzers that can be layered to create anything from a subtle glow to a deep, golden tan.
New Luxury For Lids Eyeshadow Duo in Golden Pink ($14.50) contains a pale golden champagne shade on one side and a shimmery medium rosey pink on the other.
Enduring Beauty Longwear Lipcolor in Summer Kiss ($12.50) is a creamy, shimmery pale coral-pink shade with an opaque finish.
Luminous Liquid All Over Face Glow in Pink Glow ($15) is a pale pink liquid luminizer than can be applied to your temples, cheekbones, brow-bones or decolletage as a highlighter, or mixed in with your foundation for a natural looking radiance.
Softly Shaping Mascara in Black Velvet ($11) is a soft, glossy black mascara that separates and curls lashes.

Coming Soon: American Beauty Holiday 2007 Winter Wonderland Collection

BellaSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:00:19 PST

Each year, American Beauty Cosmetics puts together a Holiday 2007 look. When you go into Kohl's (where it is sold exclusively), you can pick up one of these 'look cards' and all of the products used in the photo are listed. Usually there is one new product in the group and the rest are already existing shades, but this year there are two new products: a Luxury for Lids Eyeshadow Duo in Champagne Toast and Pretty Glossy Luscious Lipshine in Gala Pink.

This card is intended to facilitate your getting-ready process. For example, when it's time to do your makeup for a big night out, you don't have to think about what colors will complement each other since the colors are already chosen for you! This season, the look is called Winter Wonderland, featuring Ashley Judd.

View 2 Photos ›

For a full list of prices and products in the American Beauty Holiday 2007 Winter Wonderland collection, including the two new shades due on counters in just a few weeks,

Luxury for Lids Eyeshadow Duo ($14.50) in Champagne Toast
Pretty Glossy Luscious Lipshine ($12.50) in Gala Pink
Ultra-Easy Automatic Eyeliner ($11) in Mocha
Double Lush Mascara Plus Primer ($12.50) in Lush Brown
Blush Perfect Cheek Color ($15) in Bit O’Pink and Decadent Pink
Ultra-Easy Automatic Lipliner ($11) in Peony
Luxury for Lips Moisture Rich Lipcolor ($12.50) in Pink Punch
Enduring Beauty Longwear Lipcolor ($12.50) in Candy Rose
Moisture-Wise Continuous Hydrating Cream ($22.50)

Coming Soon: American Beauty Fall 2007 Cashmere Cocoa Collection

BellaSugar — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:01:43 PDT

This just got me really excited about Fall! I know that most of the country is suffering through a heat wave right now, so here's some sweet relief meditation that you can practice. Picture this: It's a cool, crisp Autumn day and you've got a cup of frothy cocoa in hand with a cashmere blanket draped over your lap.

This is the theme for the new American Beauty Luxurious Fall Look Cashmere Cocoa Collection. Starting in August, you can purchase these rich amber, warm brown and gold-toned cosmetics. They're a sure-fire way to heat things up through the change of seasons.

The collection consists of an eye shadow duo in chocolate truffle ($14.50), an automatic eyeliner in coco ($11), a dual ended mascara and lash primer in lush brown ($12.50), a lipstick in cashmere cocoa ($16.50), two powder blushes in ginger cookie and summerwind ($16.50 each), a moisture rich lip color in honey delight and hot cocoa ($12.50), an automatic brow pencil in perfect brown ($11) and an overnight radiance cream ($28). I've seen it all and it's absolutely beautiful. To check out more about the American Beauty brand, click here.

Bella Brand: American Beauty

BellaSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:44:13 PDT

I've just discovered a new line of cosmetics called American Beauty. I know that it has been in magazines, but I guess that I just glanced over the ads. I'm not sure why I did, since Ashley Judd is the spokesperson and looks outrageously gorgeous in each and every one of the campaign shots. The line launched in 2004 as a collection of products targeted at the spirited, classic, busy and luxury-seeking American woman.

As I surfed the website, I've come to realize that it is actually even more than just cosmetics. The brand also includes skincare, fragrances and bath and body items at affordable prices. There are over 35 different items and over 150 shades to choose from, all of which you can order online. Also, everything is packaged in light blue which mimics the color of the sky on a sunny, bright day. America the beautiful, indeed! Has anyone tried this line?

Winona Keeps it Interesting

PopSugar — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:07:25 PST

Winona may not be out at the clubs every night like the younger girls, but she still looks great when she decides to have a night on the town. Even if she's in the monochromatic black, we just love when we get to see her. Career-wise she has worn so many different hats (literally and figuratively) -- Romantic Comedy Lead, Indie Chick, Troubled Angsty Teen, the list could go on-- but it looks like for her next few films she's sticking to her slightly darker, quirky roots.

Next up is The Ten, which premiered at Sundance this year. In the film, she plays a woman who falls in love with a ventriloquist dummy. Weird, I know. But after all, she did help make loving a man with scissors for hands a household name.

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