BellaSugar

Black Market Makeup: How To Spot Fake Cosmetics

BellaSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:00:20 -0700

You might think that counterfeits exist only in the realm of "Mark Jacobs" and "Guchi" purses, but there are fake and black-market beauty goods, too. I love a bargain, so I wind up buying a lot of housewares and accessories on eBay. But when it comes to shopping for cosmetics, you've got to be careful. I've found quite a few counterfeit eye shadows, lipsticks, glosses and fragrances-all offered at prices that are too good to be true. While there are honest sellers out there, a few folks are out to make a quick buck.

Why is buying counterfeit merchandise a bad idea? There are a few reasons, but first and foremost is your health. If you don't know where a product really comes from, or what ingredients are inside, why would you let it touch your skin? Counterfeits also funnel money into shady operations, and-oh yeah-they're illegal. And on a less sinister level, the colors just aren't accurate!

To find out how to avoid buying fakes, read more

Common sense will take you a long way. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is! For instance, the 12 "MAC" eye shadows shown here were being auctioned on eBay for $24.99. Hmm, that's a pretty low price, considering a single shadow is $14.50 in the stores. Now, I can't tell whether those eye shadows are genuine or fake, but the price seems a little odd.

For that particular auction, I also looked at the seller's feedback, which had complaints by bidders who claimed the MAC shadows were fakes. The seller also had dozens of similar auctions; why would one person have literally hundreds of "new-in-box" eye shadows? Is there a possibility that this particular seller is legitimate and just being accused of selling fakes? Of course. But it's not a chance I want to take.

For most people, common sense will help you spot obvious fakes, but the counterfeiters are getting better and better at making their junk look like the real thing. This detailed guide has great examples of counterfeits lined up to the real thing, and I recommend it as an excellent reference.

What do you think? Would you buy counterfeit makeup to save a few bucks, or would you rather save up for the real thing?

Gangbangers Go Gruesome in the Name of Beauty

BellaSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:02:14 -0800

You might not want to read this story while eating your lunch. (And even if you're not chowing down, this news could make you sick to your stomach.) In a horrifying move seemingly plucked from the plot of Fight Club - you know where this is going - a gang in Peru has been killing people, draining the fat from the corpses , and attempting to sell it on the black market for use in cosmetics.

Police suspect that the fat in question was sold to European cosmetic companies, but there's been no solid confirmation so far. No surprise there, say dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons. "I can't see why there would be a black market for fat," plastic surgeon Dr. Adam Katz told the Associated Press. Although fat can be used in certain antiwrinkle treatments, it always comes from the person undergoing the procedure. Such an awful story - made even worse because other members of the gang have yet to be caught.

Black-Market Silicone Injections: As Bad an Idea as They Sound

BellaSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:00:38 -0700

I always figured that if someone said, "Hey, I'm an unlicensed practitioner who wants to inject silicone into your ass," most people would know to run far away. Sadly, that's not the case. In an alternately depressing and stupefying story, the New York Times reports on a disturbing trend. Women, many of them Latina and transgender, are going to underground "pumping parties." There, they're injected with black-market silicone to create larger breasts, bottoms, and thighs.

While side effects are rare - or perhaps just underreported, as the procedure is illegal - the risks are great:

. . . Fiordaliza Pichardo just wanted to look beautiful, so a few years ago, she began getting silicone injections from a woman she met through a friend in order to plump up her thighs and derriere. She never expected to pay such a high price for her looks. In March, a day after receiving an injection, Ms. Pichardo, 43, died of what the medical examiner later determined was a silicone embolism in her lungs.

Because silicone can move through the bloodstream, it has the potential to cause this kind of fatal clot in the lungs. Unfortunately, because the plumping effect is relatively cheap and quick, experts think the procedure is unlikely to go away anytime soon. The FDA is planning to issue a warning about the dangers of silicone injection, but something tells me that won't be enough to keep some women from taking risks to feel more beautiful.

Source

Is This "Ho Wig" Offensive?

BellaSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:00:22 -0700

The long march to Halloween has begun, because dubious costume wigs are popping up on a ton of shopping sites. While looking in Drugstore.com's Halloween section, I was taken aback by this BuySeasons Ho Wig ($20). I don't like the term in general, I had no idea that fluffy black hair and red lipstick were such a crime, and I really never imagined that a marketer could look at a piece of fake hair and think "Hey, that's a wig for somebody who wants to broadcast to everyone that they're a marginalized, dehumanized figure for Halloween. She wants to be dismissed, essentialized, and treated horribly - Ho wig! Women will love it!"

What do you think? Am I overreacting, or was this thing in extremely poor taste?

Black Lips Have Another Moment, Thanks to Twilight

BellaSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:00:06 -0700

Last year, beauty brands hoped that black lips would be big. Unless I missed out on a convention of Bauhaus fans, the sooty-kiss look wasn't an enormous success - going dark just didn't work for most women. Will this season be different? From a sales standpoint, probably so, because Twilight Beauty has a black lip gloss. (The Cullen connection alone will mean they'll sell.) The Volturi Twilight Enrapture gloss ($12) in Arsenic is a licorice-scented sheer gloss with light gold shimmer - so your lips can sparkle like a vamp.

Of course, that's not the only place black is popping up. MAC is about to release an all-noir collection that includes three black lip glosses and two black lipsticks. Already on the market: Lipstick Queen in Black Tie Optional, Shu Uemura in Black 099, and NYX lipstick in Black Onyx. Want to take a baby step into this trend? Go for sheer washes over opaque colors, and consider using these sooty shades to darken your existing lip color.

Someone's Been Naughty: When Good Fragrances Go Cannabis

BellaSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Why is it that every time I turn around lately, it seems there's a new perfume with a cannabis note being launched? I realize that to some extent it's just good marketing; people will buy anything that sounds illicit. But on the other hand, how many women sit around wishing they could smell like something typically associated with directionless twentysomethings who look like Seth Rogen? I have to admit that I was intrigued, so I did a little research. Big surprise: they don't actually smell like cannabis. Many of these fragrances are, however, gorgeously smoky and great for a night out.

If you want to smell the phenomenon for yourself, Malin + Goetz makes one sexy Cannabis Perfume Oil ($50), and on the less expensive side, there's Demeter Fragrance Library Cannabis Flower ($20), which is a lighter, more relaxing scent. If you just want a cannabis note in a more complex fragrance, there's Memoire Liquide's sophisticated Cuir Millesime ($65), which blends its cannabis with leather and Lapsang Souchong tea, as well as Nasomatto's new Black Afgano scent, which is named for a certain strain of high-grade "product." These are fragrances that are great in spite of their names, so don't be afraid to try one. Just don't walk past a police station (or a 7-11) too soon after applying.

Beauty Byte: Beware of Black-Market Products

BellaSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:00:28 -0800

The demand for beauty products at a discounted price has already led to the dangerous counterfeiting of some of our favorite brands. But according to a report by the National Health Federation, even legitimate products sold through these sites can pose a risk to our health.

USA Today explains that dozens of types of beauty products for sale on discount or auction sites have been stolen straight from drugstore shelves. This opens the door to possible contamination and spoiling of these temperature-sensitive items, which when used, can cause skin irritation and possible infection.

The bottom line? The pennies you save on these discounted products are not worth the risk to the health of your skin. Stick to the clearance sections at online drugstores, which are required by law to regulate their quality of their products.

Source

Bella Quiz: New Fragrance or Soap Opera Character?

BellaSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:01 -0700

Confession. I've been an on-again/off-again fan of Days of our Lives - that's DOOL for all you diehards - since the fourth grade. With somewhat exotic, undeniably dramatic character names such as Belle Black, Celeste Perrault, Chloe Lane, Ava Vitali, and even Stefano DiMera, you might even say that these monikers could double as sexy names on the bottles of upscale perfumes.

So, let's test your knowledge. Is it a new perfume on the market or a soap character? Cue the emotional music.

Take the quiz

Bella Donna: Elizabeth Taylor

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:06:48 -0700

Although Liz Taylor first first appeared on screen at the age of nine, she shot to superstar status at the age of 12 in 1944's National Velvet. Since then, this beauty with violet eyes has been in the spotlight - through good times and bad.

A longtime AIDS activist, Taylor filmed the bulk of her most successful movies in the 1950s and 1960s. A winner of two Oscars, the oft-married Taylor was the first actress to be paid one million dollars for a film (1963's Cleopatra).

While Taylor has suffered bouts of poor health throughout her life, she always seems to defy the odds. "Success is a great deodorant." she said. "It takes away all your past smells." Speaking of smells - Taylor's famous line of perfumes are marketed under the Elizabeth Arden brand and include Passion, White Diamonds, and Gardenia, among others.

A classic beauty, Taylor's 1950's makeup gave her that va-va-voom appeal. To recreate her sultry style, check out my tips, along with pictures of the lovely dame, when you read more.

Velvety skin - For a smooth, matte finish try Max Factor Pan-Stik ($6.69).
Alluring eyes - Opt for a natural shadow, black liner, and several layers of mascara. Try the dark end of Almay Bright Eyes Liner/Highlighter Duo Pencil in Soft Black & Champagne ($8.49) to line your eyes, and the light end to brighten your lids.
Defined brows - With feather-like strokes, use a brow pencil to create sharp, angular arches. Try Maybelline Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil in Soft Black ($6.49).
Heart-shaped lips - Create a full, crimson lip using Clinique's High Impact Lip Colour in Red-y to Wear ($14), a beautiful shade of classic red.

View 20 Photos ›

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Women Are Stabbing and Jabbing For a Tan

BellaSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:00:06 -0800

You know the saying, "The only safe tan is a fake tan"? Time to add a caveat to the otherwise truthful phrase. Some women have been injecting themselves with Melanotan, an illegal drug that stimulates melanin production, therefore creating a darker skin tone.

Doctors worry that the ingredients activate potentially cancerous skin cells, which could increase the likelihood of skin cancer. In the short term, side effects aren't so cool. After accidentally using 20 units in one go, 36-year-old beautician Caroline Scott became bedridden, but that didn't stop her from trying again:

"I did feel a bit nauseous again, but that soon passed and a week later I developed an even, golden tan. But although I was pleased with the results, I noticed that my moles looked a bit darker and more pronounced. . . I realized that I had no idea what the long-term effects were, and the changes in my moles worried me because that can be a sign of skin cancer. I’ve since decided to place my health above vanity."

While scientists investigate the safety of the drug, women are still buying it on the black market. (In the UK, it's illegal to sell Melanotan, but buying it is legal.) I think it should go without saying, but ladies: Do not inject yourselves with unknown substances to get a tan! If you absolutely have to have a golden glow, fake it with self-tanner. With so many options available, there's simply no reason to jab yourself with a potentially shady medicine.

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