BellaSugar

Get Glowing With This Easy Homemade Scrub

BellaSugar — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:05:17 PST

You don't need expensive creams, scrubs, or lotions to get skin that glows. The key is to exfoliate to help slough away dead skin cells. Luckily, it's easy to make a body scrub at home with ingredients you likely already have sitting in your kitchen. Check out our latest video to see how to make it, and get softened skin in an instant.

What We're Sweet On: A Divinely Decadent Chocolate Scrub

Jaime Richards — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:05:00 PST

It's quite rare to find a beauty product so deliciously rich and luxurious smelling that it actually makes you want to slather it all over a piece of toast and eat it. Such is the case with Shea Terra Organics' Dark Chocolate Sugar-Stone Exfoliating Cream ($22). It's almost like brownie batter in a jar, but alas, is not meant to be digested. Made with the antioxidant power of cacao mass (chocolate that's in its original form), skin is left protected, softened, and hydrated. Glycolic acid-containing natural sugar crystals help blast away dead skin, and volcanic stone assists in sloughing away roughness. But whereas many gourmand-type formulas reek of artificial notes or disgustingly sweet aromas, there's nothing fake smelling about this decadent treat. It would also make for a perfect Valentine's Day experience for yourself or that special someone.

Get in Mint Condition With DIY Candy Cane Scrub

Jaime Richards — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 PST

Peppermint-flavored candy canes go hand in hand with the holidays, and the folks at Las Vegas's Spa & Salon Vdara have found a way to make the seasonal confection into a relaxing treatment. All this month the spa is offering a candy cane manicure and pedicure ($110) that is finished off with polish from SpaRitual's Holiday Glow collection. But if you're not headed to Sin City over the next few weeks, no worries. Spa manager Shannon Mariani is sharing a "recipe" for how you can re-create the scrub portion of the festive service at home. See how easy it is to make when you read more.

Feel the Heat: Here's How Self-Heating Products Really Work

BellaSugar — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:00:00 PDT

Whether you think it's just a slick marketing ploy or you're truly on board with them, self-heating beauty products possess that certain Liz Lemon I-want-to-go-to-there kind of appeal. Most often found in the hair and skin care categories, self-heating products, aka thermal, typically come in hair or face masks or body scrub form.

Self-heaters work by creating an exothermic chemical reaction, meaning they're formulated to release energy when activated. In this case, it's water that causes the chemical (like zeolite or magnesium sulfate, for instance) to release heat.

But what's the benefit of these self-heating products, anyway? The answer lies in the fact that heat allows other ingredients to work more quickly and efficiently. Heat also encourages circulation in the skin. While some people love the immediate effects and soothing, pampering sensation, others can experience sensitivity. And if you're concerned about burning the skin, don't worry. These thermal reactions only cause a temporary, slight elevation in temperature.

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.

Olive You, Honey!

Bella Community — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:00:34 PST

This post comes to us from the Natural Beauties group, where member Baigneuse published an awesome DIY recipe.

While olive oil and honey have been used in natural beauty concoctions throughout history, it seems as though they've just recently received the spotlight that they deserve. Honey, a natural antioxidant known for reducing inflammation, is antibacterial and antifungal, making it great for acne-prone skin, and due to its ability to stimulate cytokine production it is also capable of speeding up the healing process. It's great for lightening scarring and, as a natural humectant, attracting water to the skin, leaving it hydrated and soft. Olive oil is rich in polyphenols and hydroxytrosol, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants, which strengthens the skin's immune system and protects it from oxidation. Hydroxytrosol also slows aging by stabilizing the cell plasma membrane. Olive oil is rich in oleic acid and is a natural emollient and excellent moisturizer.

While you may already know the amazing benefits that these ingredients have in masks, cleansers, and moisturizers, you should also be aware that they can make one banging body scrub. Get silky smooth skin this Valentine's Day by using the following recipe one day prior to the big event (and as always, perform a patch test first). To find out more, keep reading.

Reader Review of the Day: Ahava Gentle Body Exfoliator

BellaSugar — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:00:01 PST

Dry patches and flaky skin are common complaints during this season, but if you have sensitive skin, the last thing you want to do is use a harsh and heavy body scrub. Enter Ahava Source Gentle Body Exfoliator ($20), reviewed by reader stoopeed. Here's what she had to say:

Though this product didn't really exfoliate a lot (maybe it was too subtle for me), it is one of the best daily body washes I've found. The cleansing is really nice, [and] it leaves my skin soft, clean, and happy. And the fragrance is, for wont of a more suitable word, uplifting. It is very subtle, does not interfere with your fragrance, and does not linger. . . But in one of my most depressing winters when I was not used to the long, dark winters of the north, I would feel much much better after a shower with this.

Has a product ever given you a sense of well-being? It's time to tell us all about it, then. Just hit up our Product Reviews pages, and perhaps you'll be featured right here on this daily post.

Reader Review of the Day: Caress Evenly Gorgeous Scrub

BellaSugar — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:00:09 PST

Although I like some of Caress's other body washes, I'd never tried the brand's Evenly Gorgeous Body Wash Scrub ($7). From reader Dipstix311's description, though, it sounds great (and good enough to eat). She says:

"Great scrub for winter. It's got little bits of brown sugar in it, which makes it smell like cookies! It's not rough, and it keeps my skin feeling soft and moisturized. Gentle enough to use every day. Love the size of the bottle; it will last you throughout winter!"

Found something that smells good and works wonders on your skin? Let everyone know what it is on our Product Reviews pages. You'll be increasing the community's knowledge, and your review might appear here! And while you're on the reviews pages, be sure to check out other readers' findings - there's a wealth of info about more than 50,000 products.

Doing Drugstore: St. Ives Moisturizing In-Shower Exfoliating Body Polish

BellaSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:00:01 PDT

I love body polishes that don't require excess force to work, particularly ones that use sugar, which is gentler on the skin. Over the weekend, I tried out St. Ives Moisturizing In-Shower Exfoliating Body Polish, Oatmeal & Shea Butter ($8), which contains natural sugar crystals for exfoliation, oatmeal to soothe, and shea butter for softer skin. While this polish is a little difficult to scoop out of the jar due to its texture (think of a dense Crisco), once it hits the skin and some water, it almost melts, creating a rich, spreadable lather.

The polish has a sweet almond scent and a finer, more dissolvable grit than the famous invigorating St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($4). Before shaving, I spread a little of the polish on my legs for a smooth, non-irritating result.

I like it for a pedicure, too. After scrubbing my feet with the body polish, I used my beauty shortcut to fake a real pedicure. A little goes a long way with this product, making for an affordable - and effective - drugstore find.

DIY Spa Treatment Recap: Scrubs For the Rest of Your Body

BellaSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:00:22 PST

Rub-a-dub-dub, let's put a homemade scrub in your tub. Check out six sumptuous recipes to pamper different parts of your body (other than just hands and feet). All sugary sweet but not to eat, the crafty concoctions below will have your skin soft in no time.

Brown Sugar Body Scrub	Sesame Ginger Body Scrub	Honey Mint Body Scrub
Lavender Pecan Body Scrub	Lemon Sugar Lip Scrub	Coffee Clove Body Scrub