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5 Rather Misguided Beauty Products

Miriam Lacey — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:00:09 PST

Sometimes I come across a beauty product and think, "I can see where they were going with that, but . . . no, definitely no." Whether it's because the science behind the product isn't really there or because the ingredients are just a little too gross to make them feasible, the following five products could all use a little bit of thoughtful redesign.

Scents of the Season: Hot Cocoa With Marshmallows

Miriam Lacey — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 06:00:00 PST

Hot cocoa with marshmallows is one of those things that can sound appealing even on a hot August night, but it's downright irresistible once the first flurries start falling. If you can't get enough of cocoa flavor, try Kiehl's Lip Gloss in Warm Milk Chocolate ($25) or Yes To Carrots Lip Gloss in Cocoa Loco ($6). If you'd rather smell like pure deliciousness, there's also Urban Decay Sparkling Edible Body Powder in Marshmallow ($29) and Victoria's Secret Cocoa Butter Sensuous Escape Body Lotion ($30), both guaranteed to make you good enough to eat. And if you love cocoa's great moisturizing and cleansing properties, this Cococare Cocoa Butter Complexion Bar ($2) is a sweet bargain.

Kiehl's and Koons Make Charity an Art

Miriam Lacey — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:05:50 PDT

Kiehl's always has great charity initiatives, and their latest endeavor lets you put a little modern art in your medicine cabinet while helping kids in distress. The company is collaborating with artist Jeff Koons to release an arty limited edition Creme de Corps moisturizer collection, from which 100 percent of sale profits up to $200,000 will go to the Koons Family Institute, an arm of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, which leads global initiatives to protect children from sexual exploitation and abduction. The cause is extremely worthwhile, and the packaging is lovely, so if you're a fan of Soy Milk and Honey Whipped Body Butter ($35) or Creme de Corps ($27), this is definitely the time to buy your next bottle.

The "Styling Product" Behind Matthew Morrison's Curly Hair

BellaSugar — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:00:44 PDT

Sue Sylvester may have all sorts of hilarious one-liners about Mr. Schuester's hair on Glee, but here's one tip that's so useful, it will surely stop the wisecracking Cheerios coach in her track suit. The handsome actor's hair has become quite the phenomenon, but Matthew Morrison, who plays the lovable Mr. Schue on the series, actually uses Lubriderm Body Lotion ($8) to tame his curly strands. He said:

They use a lot of jokes about my hair in the show - that's all natural juices and berries, people! Come on now! This ain't no ultraperm. Honestly, I use two squirts of Lubriderm every day. Like the skin lotion.

It all makes perfect sense to me, particularly for people with curly hair whose hair tends to frizz out of control. I've used a dab of lotion on my hair before to give it a little style when I've been in a pinch, too. What about you? Have you ever used lotion, or some other unconventional product, in your hair?

Doing Drugstore: Alba Kona Coffee Hawaiian After-Sun Lotion

BellaSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:00:23 PST

I really, really can't stand synthetic scents. That's why Alba's Kona Coffee Hawaiian After-Sun Lotion ($8) was a delight to use. I picked it up after accidentally getting a sunburn on my ankles (Bella can miss a spot, too), but quickly realized that it was much more versatile than its name would suggest.

It smells like a fresh cup of vanilla hazelnut roast - nice early in the morning when I'm still a little bleary-brained - and my skin soaked it up almost instantaneously. There was no standing around in my necessaries waiting endlessly for my lotion to dry, and the scent lingered pleasantly but unobtrusively on my skin until after lunch. If you're in the mood to luxuriate in lotion, this isn't the product for you. But on days when you need to get out the door, I highly recommend it. It's a light, caffeinated lift when you need one most.

H&M Goes Organic With Body Care

BellaSugar — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:15:27 PST

One more reason to like H&M: in just a couple of weeks, the Swedish fast-fashion chain is introducing a line of body care made with organic ingredients. Ecocert, the European certification organization, has given its green stamp of approval to the range of shower gels, body scrubs, lotions, hand creams, and lip balm. As you'd expect from H&M, it's also affordable. Body care products each cost less than $5, with only a toiletry bag reaching the $7.95 mark.

Delivered in recyclable packaging, the paraben- and phthalate-free products incorporate organic ingredients such as apple juice, sunflower seed oil, jojoba, and essential oils. And bunny lovers will be glad to know that whether during the development process or in the finished state, the products are not tested on animals. An organic-based body care line at a decent price? How Swede it is.

Seed Grows a Green Body Care Idea

BellaSugar — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:18:16 PST

One of the frustrating things about some eco-friendly products is the often-high price. Yes, we'd all love to go green, but it's difficult to pay $20 for body lotion when Curel can be had for a small fraction of that cost.

Enter Seed, a new line of natural body care that's free of parabens, preservatives, phthalates, artificial colors, and animal ingredients. (Whew.) The three-item lineup - body lotion, body soaps, and shampoo bar - uses grape seed oil and extract to deliver antioxidants to skin. The seed theme goes further with the body bar, which incorporates seeds from fruits such as pomegranate, strawberry, and apricot to gently exfoliate. The body lotion is moisturizing but not at all greasy, making it a good eco-friendly option for dry skin. Best of all, Seed comes at a reasonable price - about $20 for a pack of three lotions or six-pack of soaps.

Mousses vs. Soufflés: Do You Hunger to Know the Difference?

BellaSugar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:10:51 PST

The other day, after testing out a sample of Enessa Shea Body Soufflé ($35.50), I was reminded how emollient, yet not greasy, this type of "lotion" can be. The fact that these styles of creams still manage to be heavy-duty without taking it too far into the grease-pit range makes sense.

The word soufflé is past tense of the French verb souffler, which translates to "to blow up." Because these formulations are whipped, that's exactly how soufflés maintain their smoothing and softening qualities. Thinking about soufflés got me to thinking about mousses, and also got me to thinking about food. We'll save that part for Yum, but to find out more about soufflés and mousses when it comes to beauty, just keep reading.

Reader Review of the Day: Kai Body Lotion

BellaSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:00:00 PDT

The much-buzzed-about Kai products, like most other scents, are definitely a love-it-or-hate-it kind of deal. While I remain a bit on the fence with the popular scent, others love it, like reader GLB67. Here's what she had to say about the Kai Body Lotion ($33):

I bought this about a year ago and was a bit put off by the gardenia scent. [But then,] I ran out of lotion and thought I should just use this, and I am glad I did. It is very moisturizing, and the scent is so pretty especially after it has been on me for about 20 minutes. The scent lasts a long time. I will definitely repurchase.

Is there a perfume you've recently revisited with amazing results? It's time to tell us all about it on our Product Reviews section. We have well over 6,000 fragrances from which to choose. Who knows? Perhaps you'll be chosen as the next featured reviewer.

Reader Review of the Day: Jergens Skin Smoothing Cellular Renewal Moisturizer

BellaSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:00:11 PDT

Jergens's Skin Smoothing Cellular Renewal Moisturizer ($4.50) has exfoliating beads, along with natural fruit acids and hydrators. It sounds like a great Summer essential to me. But, does reader Nycbeauy9349 like the results this multitasking lotion gives? Find out below:

I'm so obsessed with this Jergen's lotion. I honestly would choose this over any other lotion were price not an option. But, hey, I won't complain that it is under 10 bucks. It goes on even and soaks right into your skin. My skin never feels dry throughout the day and I usually reapply at night before bed.The beads seem to do their thing because it really gives my skin a nice glow and even texture. Great find!

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