BellaSugar

Black Market Makeup: How To Spot Fake Cosmetics

BellaSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:00:20 PDT

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,

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?

5 Ways to Take the Sting Out of Monday

SavvySugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:15:14 PDT

Coming back to work after a fun, restful weekend is never easy, but it doesn't have to be quite so hard. Check out these five ways to turn your least favorite day of the week into one worth looking forward to.

Set manageable goals: Rather than staring at your massive to-do list and feeling overwhelmed, set lots of little goals for yourself throughout the day. It’ll make it easier to stay focused and on track, and you can give yourself kudos each time you reach a goal.
Reward yourself: Each time you do reach one of your set goals for the day, give yourself a reward! It can be as small as a walk to the kitchen to raid the candy dish, or as big as a 30-minute break to enjoy some fro yo in the sun. Providing your own incentives throughout the day can be a strong defense against a case of the Mondays.

Three more tips for a better Monday after the jump!

Danny Seo Celebrates Earth Day With a One Kings Lane Tastemaker Sale to Benefit Charity

Guest Writer — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:00:00 PDT

We're excited to present a post from guest writer, eco lifestyle expert, and all-around awesome guy Danny Seo.

Late last year, I had the privilege to sit down with one of the co-founders of One Kings Lane, Ali Pincus, and talk about our favorite places to shop, how I'm addicted to the home shopping site, and to talk about ways I could get involved with One Kings Lane. We came up with the idea for me to do a TasteMaker tag sale where I could collect some of my favorite vintage and antique items from my home and put them up for sale on the site. I agreed under one condition: if we could donate the proceeds to my favorite charity, Baby Buggy.

Baby Buggy, in case you aren't familiar, is the wonderful nonprofit founded by Jessica Seinfeld that has the motto "Love, Recycled." It's so appropriate because they accept lightly used baby gear, clothes, and new baby and children essentials to help families in the greatest need. They are a clearinghouse of sorts that works with a network of nonprofits who call Baby Buggy with a wish list of goods they desperately need. And like a fairy godmother, Baby Buggy always comes to the rescue. With the proceeds from this sale, Baby Buggy will be able to buy the most needed essentials to help families in need. In the spirit of Earth Day, selling vintage and antique items is green for Mother Earth since it's reusing what already exists; the sale proceeds will coincidentally help many mothers here on Earth.

In this special CasaSugar post, I'm excited to give you a sneak peek at three items for sale and the unique story behind them. I've traveled the world for work and always found time to visit out-of-the-way antique stores, flea markets, and galleries to search for beautiful things. I hope whoever buys these goodies will cherish them as much as I have over the years.

Indian ArrowHead Collection When I was filming my TV show "Simply Green with Danny Seo" (all episodes on Hulu now), I made a point to visit a small antique store in the sleepy town of Point Pleasent, PN. Down an alley and past a blacksmith shop (of all things!), I found a little antiques store that was going out of business. Rummaging through box after box, I came across a collection of mounted arrowheads, all hand mounted on colorful felt with a hand pounded metal backing in glossy black frames. What I loved about these pieces is that clearly someone had scavenged the woods of Pennsylvania for each arrowhead, cleaned them, and displayed them in a very beautiful and interesting pattern. I also love the pop of color in the background.

Keep reading to learn about two more special items from the sale

9 Easy Tricks to Maximize Your Wardrobe

LearnVest — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:15:31 PDT

Despite what you think, you actually don't need more clothes. The trick is to just maximize your wardrobe. LearnVest shares how.

Whether you live for shopping the latest trends or wish you could spend every day in your favorite pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, your clothes project a message about who you are.

The great thing is that you have the power to control that message entirely - as long as what you already own isn’t standing in your way.

From having a wardrobe that’s bursting with every item of clothing you’ve had since childhood to owning a ton of pieces that you never wear (the definition of wasted money), these are the ways your closet can stop you from being the most stylish version of yourself.

To cut through the clutter and help you get the most from the items you already have, we polled everyone we know - including all of the LearnVest editors, who are definitely invested in looking their best on a budget, and one fashion expert - to come up with nine easy, inventive ways for you to make over the closet you have without spending a ton on new trends.

At least one of these strategies will dramatically change the way you feel about getting dressed in the morning.

1. Follow the Rainbow

This strategy comes courtesy of LearnVest reader Erin Greenbaum, who has used this technique for years with great success. Every day for a week, make sure that your ensemble includes an item of a certain color: week one is red, two is orange, three is yellow, etc. This will encourage you to search through your closet and actually wear the pieces that have been languishing, unloved, underneath your go-to items.

2. First In, Last Out

In her new book, You Are What You Wear, Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner says that the majority of people wear 20 percent of their closet 80 percent of the time. There are variations on this “first in, last out” wardrobe strategy, which prevent you from wearing a few pieces nonstop.

Instead of wearing the same small percentage of your closet every week, do what Assistant Editor Alden Wicker does: after wearing an outfit, she hangs it in the most remote corner of her closet, which forces her to see only pieces she hasn’t worn frequently. If she’s totally uninspired by a piece staring her right in the face, she has to decide whether to consign it or not. Another approach (which might be better if you like to organize by item type - dresses near dresses, shirts near shirts) is to hang each item inside out after you wear it (assuming you don’t have to wash it immediately). This way, you can easily see which pieces you’ve recently worn and which items you may have forgotten about.

Read on for more.

Shopping For: Black and White Vases for Technicolor Blooms

Elka Karl — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:00:08 PDT

When it comes to the vibrant shades of Spring flowers, you don't want to distract from the bright colors of the flowers with an overly busy or colorful vase. Instead, let the flowers' beautiful hues shine through by pairing them with a vase that sticks to black and white tones.

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There are so many great vases on the market in black and white colors that it was hard to narrow down the choices for this roundup. Even now, I'm having a hard time deciding which one is my favorite.

Let's start by highlighting the Kate Spade New York Japanese Floral Vase ($90, middle row, middle).The lovely, fan-like pattern is from Australian artist Florence Broadhurst. I can imagine it beautifully offsetting a clustered arrangement of purple and yellow calla lilies.

For a more unusual arrangement, try the Barnacle Tube Vase ($160, bottom row, middle left). Add a single bloom to each of the cylindrical openings in this handmade, white-glazed ceramic vase. To showcase the sculptural look of the vase, use smaller, contained flowers, such as rosebuds. Or, to camouflage the shape a bit more, pack if full of more boisterous blooms, like hydrangeas.

Do you have you eye on another vase? Start shopping when you click on each image!

Ooh La La: Impossible Project's Polaroid SX-70 Black Label Edition Instant Camera

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:34:05 PDT

Need a new gadget obsession? Check out the Polaroid SX-70 Black Label Edition Instant Camera Kit ($419) from The Impossible Project. This kit comes with a beautifully restored all-black Polaroid SX-70 camera (that folds down into a compact brick for storage) circa 1972 and two packs of PX600 Silver Shade UV+ Black Frame film so you can start snapping away as soon as you rip open the box. The SX-70 was the first instant SLR to hit the market, so you're buying a piece of history here. The camera will be available soon, so start pinching your pennies!

Gear Review: Adidas Adizero Rush Shoe

Leta Shy — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:13:42 PDT

If you're in the market for a minimalist running shoe, you may want to check out the new Adizero Rush running shoe from Adidas ($100). Each shoe clocks in at only 6.2 ounces but doesn't skimp on support. I recently tested a pair during my three-to-four-mile runs; here's what I thought of the line.

I'm a sucker for a minimalist shoe, but even I was surprised at just how lightweight the Adizero Rush felt. The largely mesh construction makes these shoes extra breathable, while the thinner soles and insoles make for a running-on-air feel. I felt connected with the road or treadmill with every step but without feeling like I was running without any support. The "sprint frame" construction of the soles supposedly offers support without the bulk, and I have to agree - as an overpronator, I always felt like I was getting the stability I needed while I ran. The shape of the shoe front also felt comfortable during my runs - having enough room to move my toes when I run has been key.

Read on to find out more about what I thought of the Adizero Rush after the break.

Love Thy Asparagi: Springtime Potato Salad

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:09:20 PDT

We couldn't agree more with Food Orleans: the sight of grass-green asparagus is a sure sign of Spring.

Do you love asparagus like I do? 'Cause I really, really love it. I also love that it's a harbinger of spring eating, and even though we can technically buy it at the store year-round, I try not to. Waiting until the spring for asparagus is one of the first seasonal-buying lessons I learned when I started learning to cook. Plus, I like the fact that I can get excited about a vegetable.

It's like the beauty pageant version of broccoli. The diva of the vegetable world. I scan the market for its stalks as if I were checking for grass shoots. It's tall and lean and might be usable as a paintbrush, in a pinch. Plus it's awesome in salads of all kinds, especially this yummy potato salad full of herbs and lemony, light flavors. All it needs is a quick steam and a plunge in some ice water to set the color, and you've got spring in a bowl!

For her creole-inspired asparagus and potato salad recipe, keep reading.

Nokia Lumia 900 Coming on April 8 For Just $100

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:13:49 PDT

If you've been crushing on the flagship Nokia Windows Phone as much as we have since CES, we have good news: the LTE Nokia Lumia 900 will hit AT&T on April 8 for just $100.

Coming with a beautiful 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, 16GB of storage space, 8MP camera (complete with a Carl Zeiss F2.2 aperture lens), and a choice of either cyan or black for an exterior hue (glossy white coming later in April), the Lumia 900 is quite a stunner. Of course, that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how awesome the Windows Phone OS is to use. One hundred bucks is an incredible deal compared to other smartphones on the market today, and naturally, you will have to sign a two-year contract with AT&T to get that price.

Chef Sachin Chopra on Indian Food's Evolution in America

Susannah Chen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:32:31 PDT

Over the past few years, Indian food, much like Vietnamese and Korean cuisines, has made giant strides in the landscape of American cuisine. No one can speak to this more than chef Sachin Chopra, the creative force in the kitchen at Bay Area restaurants All Spice and Arka (where he's chef-owner and consulting chef, respectively). Chopra, who was recently named one of the four new chefs to watch by Esquire, had garnered accolades for his unique marriage of Indian and West Coast flavors. I spoke to the chef about his creative twists on classic Indian cuisine, the benchmark dish for a truly great Indian restaurant, and what spices you need in your pantry to create restaurant-worthy Indian food.

YumSugar: Where do your menu items (like chilli cheese uthappam and tomato basil biryani, both on the menu at Arka) come from?
Sachin Chopra: Working in various upscale restaurants over the years, both Indian and American, I developed a passion for combining the best elements of each. Arka's menu is a reflection of that passion; it is my interpretation of classic Indian food, presented with Californian sensibilities.

YS: I've noticed a trend toward the fusion of Indian and Latin ingredients. Does that influence you at all in your menu development? Do you think the Latin-Indian fusion concept has mainstream potential?
SC: We have an abundance of fresh produce here [in California], and it so happens that some of the same ingredients that make Latin cuisines delicious also work well with Indian food. Sure, there could be a market for Latin-Indian fusion, provided the chef respects each cuisine and is masterful in combining them.

YS: What are some other trends you're seeing in Indian cuisine today?

To find out his answer, keep reading.