BellaSugar

Try Bergamot on Your Pits

BellaSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:00:13 PST

One of my friends is a true follower of all things natural. Food? All organic and local. Clothing? Either recycled or handsewn. Beauty? When it comes to products, nothing of the paraben/synthetic nature remotely touches her body.

So, when I saw her splash a little bergamot oil on her pits one day, I was intrigued. "It's a natural deodorizer," she said. I gave it a whirl. With surprising results, I was practically stink-free. From what I could tell, my underarms smelled rather nice - well, like citrus. She also recommended I dab on a little baking soda if I ever felt a little drippy.

Like playing mad scientist? You can always mix up your own custom scent. Try Aura Cacia Bergamot Essential Oil ($13.59) paired with a complementary aroma such as sandalwood, nutmeg, vetiver, geranium, lavender, lemon, neroli, or ylang ylang.

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Definition: Bergamot

BellaSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:00:17 PST

I am not sure why, but I have been under the impression that bergamot - an ingredient I often come across in fragrances - is a spiny flower. Indeed it is, but did you know that the Italian and Ivory Coast-based plant also produces a pear-shaped yellow citrus fruit? (It is not, however, related to the bergamot herb.)

The skin of the fruit yields a delicate, yet spicy, essential oil that is found in one-third of all fragrances. It is also used to treat acne, eczema, and sebhorrhea. When it's not being used for its aroma, it can be found in Earl Grey tea (it aids digestion), insect repellent, and medications that treat urinary tract infections and depression.

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Essential Oils for Your Every Mood

DearSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Nature has provided an abundance of wonderful scents that come to us through the essences of flowers, fruits, barks, seeds, and woods. Aromatherapy is the art and science of combining these pure essences in order to create blends that help to bring the body, mind, and spirit into balance.

Essential oils are derived purely from plants and can be used alone, in a bath, in an Aromatherapy Ring, or in products like candles or massage oil, to enhance or change your mood. But beware -- lookout for synthetic scented oils and products since these can cause headaches and other negative side effects. Want to know which scents spark what mood? Then

read more Basil: Assertiveness Bergamot: Alertness, joy, creativity, cheerfulness Chamomile: Sleepiness, contentment, serenity Clary Sage:: Tranquility, warmth Eucalyptus: Clarity, focus Fennel: Confidence, support Frankincense: Creativity, helps relieve grief Grapefruit: Confidence Jasmine: An aphrodisiac Juniper Berry: Peace Lavender: Contentment, calmness, peace, harmony Lemon: Joy, concentration Orange: Happiness, joy Peppermint: Alertness, relieves tension, uplifting Rose Geranium: Uplifting, relieves nervousness or fear Sandalwood: Joy, relieves stress Ylang Ylang: Calming, helps relieve anxiety Source

Baby Poo Deodorizer Sprays: Ga Ga or Gag

Kate Stahl — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:36:47 PST

I was recently gifted with a bottle of Poo Pourri Little Stinker ($13), and besides being initially a little offended (are my daughter's diapers that bad?), I was also intrigued (um . . . yep, they are). After a trial run, I have to say the stuff works, replacing the eau de poo with the potent smell of essential oils like bergamot, lemongrass, and grapefruit.

Pou Pourri isn't the only diaper spray on the market. Diaper Fresh! ($6) and Nature's Baby Organics PU All-Purpose Deodorizer ($16) are also designed to mask diaper odors. So do you use baby poo spray all or some of the time? For cloth diapers or also for disposable? Tell us all about it below!

What's Your Sign, Beautiful? Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Jaime Richards — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:15:00 PST

If popularity contests existed in the literal sense, Aquarians would probably be the winners. Often thought of as cool and somewhat eccentric, Aquarians love to surround themselves with family and friends. Those born under Aquarius, the 11th sign of the zodiac, are typically inventive, original, and want to make the world a better place. This free-spirited bunch is also known for wearing effortless, boho styles. Famous Aquarians include Brandy, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Christina Ricci, Mischa Barton, and Denise Richards.

To bring out your inner Aquarian beauty: Accentuate your sparkling eyes with a pretty blue or violet shadow, toss your hair back into a carefree ponytail, and spritz yourself with fragrances that are citrus-based, crisp, and airy. Think: eucalyptus, bergamot, blue florals, and purple florals, like lavender. To find out more about the Aquarian-centric products featured above, just keep reading.

The Fragrance Files: A Perfect Nonfloral, Nonfruity Perfume

Miriam Lacey — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 03:24:16 PST

Regardless of what the juice inside smells like, Spadaro's Noche Del Fuego ($155, sample provided by PR) is already a winner for its irresistibly lovely packaging. The heavy glass bottle is fronted with a gilt design that looks straight out of a William Morris print, and the lollipop atomizer sheath recalls the French perfumery of the 19th century. Clearly, someone has been doing their design homework.

But what about the inside? Fuego Del Noche (night of fire) leads in with high expectations, and thankfully doesn't disappoint. The scent is a straightforward masculine, full of pepper, bergamot, and a little bit of a walnut-dirt accord. If you're looking for flowers or fruit, you won't find them here. It's the sort of fragrance that would wear best on a woman in a tuxedo, someone confident in her own femininity but ready for something with a little more edge than your average women's perfume.

Love Chanel No. 5? Here are 5 More Fragrances You Might Like

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:05:40 PST

Chanel No. 5 is the definitive "classic" perfume, but even No. 5 devotees need a little variety now and again. If you've fallen in love with this iconic scent but want to branch out a bit, the following five perfumes are worth your time. Each has some of No. 5's best qualities, plus a little twist of its own. See which might be a good fit for you and why after the jump.

Bond No. 9 Releases a New Andy Warhol Scent

Jaime Richards — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:31:19 PDT

From Marilyn Monroe to Jackie Kennedy, artist Andy Warhol was inspired by a variety of muses, but sometimes the motive came straight from within. That's just what New York-based perfumer Bond No. 9 wanted to capture when creating its latest Warhol series, Andy Warhol by Bond No. 9 ($180 to $240).

In this sixth scent of the series, the fragrance and packaging are meant to celebrate Warhol's boho-mod life and times. A clean-cut Warhol is depicted on the front and back of the bottle in an old-school photobooth-style photo, paying homage to a Janus-faced design (one looking to the future, and one looking to the past). The '60s-centric brew includes top notes of bergamot zest, peach juice, red rose, and cumin; a heart of honeyed centifolia rose, white patchouli, cistus ambre, jasmine, frankincense, and oud; and a drydown of amber, red sandalwood, mulled plum, vanilla bean, and musk. Get your groove on Dec. 1, when the eau de parfum launches at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bond No. 9 stores in New York, and the perfumer's website.

Dita Von Teese Unveils Details of Her Fragrance

BellaSugar — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:04:34 PDT

After working on her fragrance for a year, burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese is revealing details about it. Set to launch in Europe this October, the eponymous eau de parfum will arrive on US shelves in 2012. The scent will be a rich floral with peony, bergamot, and pepper top notes, a heart of rose and jasmine, and a musk and incense base; it's supposed to invoke the ideal "femme totale" Dita has envisioned.

The bottle, which has lots of vintage touches like a black silk tassel, vintage-style ball atomizer, and "nail polish red” pearl inset, was also a big part of the fragrance design for Dita. "I have always been a passionate collector of rare perfume bottles from the 1920s and 1930s," Dita said in a recent press statement. “My perfume’s flacons need to be the absolute embodiment of my dream of glamour, mystery, beauty, and the femme fatale."

This Halloween Perfume Doesn't Smell Like Mellowcreme Pumpkins or Mini Snickers

Miriam Lacey — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:46:58 PDT

There's a new perfume out called Halloween Fever, but don't start with the images of candy corn and wax lips dancing in your head. This stuff looks like it's more about disco balls and sexy face than dressing up as Zombie Marie Curie. Halloween Perfumes, which makes a whole line of holiday-inspired scents, says the juice is a fruity floriental with notes of vanilla bourbon, tonka bean, orange, rose, bergamot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, apricot, musk, and patchouli.

It does sound nice, but what about those notes is indicative of Halloween (besides the bourbon part, perhaps)? Some more seasonally appropriate scents might include spun sugar, chocolate, pumpkin pie spice, bay rum, Spanish moss, and cedar resin. If you were making an All Hallows' scent for yourself, what would you put in it?