BellaSugar

Beer: Three Ways It Does a Beauty Good

BellaSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:00:55 -0700

You may not love the Taste of the Rockies now, but you might after you find out just how useful a couple cheap cans can be. Whatever ale's rolling around in your fridge can make for several great beauty treatments-and there really is no better guy pickup line than "Hey there, I just bathed in beer." So keep reading, because this Bud's for you.

Booze It Up With a Beer Facial

BellaSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:00:42 -0800

Talk about living the high life. Chicago is a beer-drinker's paradise, so it's no wonder that one spa is introducing brewskis to skin care. Exsalonce spa's $75 Beer Enzyme Facial begins with a cold one, moves on to standards such as extractions, and moves on to incorporate an enzyme cream made from Miller High Life. (The local doctor who creates the cream insists that the champagne of beers has the highest number of enzymes. In your face, Old Style!)

My friend Kevin Aeh gave the facial a try and reports thusly: "Throughout the treatment, extra time is spent massaging the feet, hands and shoulders - which, combined with our subtle beer buzz, put us in a completely relaxed, trancelike state. After the hour-long service, our glowing, refreshed face was ready to hit the pub." I'll drink to that.

Source

Bobbing For Apples: 15 Apple-Inspired Nail Polishes

BellaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:53 -0700

With the H1N1 scare still fresh in our minds, I'm not sure many of us will be partaking in any activities involving saliva-swapping, like round after round of beer pong or a playful game of bobbing for apples. But since we're in the heart of apple harvesting season and Halloween is upon us, I figured there had to be another way to do the whole apple bobbing thing without transferring communicable disease. That's why I've gathered together different apple-colored polishes to pay tribute to this classic autumnal symbol. From red to trendy green to every finish in between, here are 15 polishes you might like.

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Best of Bella

BellaSugar — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:00:35 -0700

Scoop! I've got the first look at the new Twilight Beauty palettes.
Celebrities: to bang or not to bang?
Miss the TCAs? Read our Teen Choice Awards Roundup.
Want a bigger, ahem, bust line? These products won't give you one, but they will make you laugh.
Psst! I've got a sneak peek at the new ANTM contestants-take a look.
Megan Fox's stylist tells you how to get her sexy hair.
Ever wish you'd been tanner in a picture or wearing different lipstick? We've got an app for that.
Which trend do you wish would just go away already?
Oooooh yeah, baby . . . how 'bout a little more Beauty Product or Adult Movie?
Beer: it makes you pretty, and no, not because of beer goggles.

Monopoly, Sephora Style!

BellaSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:00:52 -0700

I remember when a very special edition of Monopoly came to my hometown. I'm talking about the uniquely customized version created by the local Chamber of Commerce, much to my small midwestern town's delight. The root beer stand, the docks, Lake Erie, the homestyle restaurant with the cinnamon butter biscuits? It was all there.

And if you delight in all things makeup, Sephora has a real treat for you. The beauty retailer has teamed up with the makers of the classic board game to create Monopoly: Sephora Edition ($23.25). Where else can you "Go to Jail" for bad hair days, "Advance to Go" for winning a shopping spree, or hop along the board with a lipstick token? Better yet? Move your way through the ranks of the beauty biz by using Beauty Bucks to create your own beauty empire, until it's yours, all yours. Muh hah hah hah hah. Foundation Freeway, here you come.

Hydrate Botanica Is Full of Spice

BellaSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:00:22 -0800

If your daily styling routine includes a dollop of leave-in conditioner, consider Hydrate Botanica ($20) this season. Since it's even more important to keep hair hydrated in cold and dry weather, using a moisture rich product can de-stress your hair . . . and your mood in dealing with that hair. When checking the label on the bottle, it read something like a spicy grocery list – nettle, fennel, sage – and I was intrigued as to what these yummy ingredients could do for my strands.

As part of a seven ingredient Naturina Complex, nettle nourishes, fennel softens, and sage refreshes, along with vitamin-rich arnica, emollient chamomile, yarrow for conditioning . . . and hops. Ummm, beer?! Just like that beer facial led us to believe, it's a natural hair and skin softener. Bottoms up on this bottle and let it go straight to your head!

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

Bella's March Must Haves

BellaSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:00:22 -0800

It's the third month of the year, and you know what that means? Lots of green, green, green - not only because of a certain festive beer-drinking holiday, but because Spring is well, marching around the corner. Put a little pep in your step (and makeup bag) with this month's beauty must haves.

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What's the Weirdest Place You've Bought Beauty Supplies?

BellaSugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Last week, I was enduring a spectacularly unpleasant bus ride when I spotted what I thought was a typical corner liquor store. Oh ho, but it was so much more. Take a look at the sign: This joint has a grocery, pharmacy, beer, liquor, wine, and "beauty supply products." I didn't stop in to check it out, but suffice it to say, it didn't look very promising. Where's the oddest place you've gone snooping for beauty supplies?

Fragrance Review: Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo di Sicilia

BellaSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:00:17 -0700

Acqua di Parma's Blu Mediterraneo line ($36–$92) looks so fresh and springlike with its blue packaging. That drew me in, but the concept - a quartet of fragrances inspired by Italy's Mediterranean coast - is intriguing. Plus, it's the closest thing I have to an Italian vacation right now. (Ahem, if you're reading, George, I am free for a Lake Como trip whenevah.)

Of the four scents, one stood out: Mandorlo di Sicilia. It's a gourmand fragrance, which means it'll appeal to foodies and fragrance fiends alike. While it features essential oils of orange, lavender, bergamot, and almond, it was difficult for me to discern those notes. Instead, the scent pleasantly reminded me of climbing sassafras trees as a child. It wasn't precisely the same, but it still had an outdoorsy, vaguely root beer fragrance that's fresher than the soda itself. Later, I learned that mandorlo means "almond tree," so my nature-girl association wasn't so far off.

I didn't buy it, simply because there's only so often I'll want to smell like trees and root beer. But if you love fresh, outdoorsy, and slightly food-like scents, you'll like this warm and comforting perfume.