BellaSugar

Definition: Extraction

BellaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:00:00 -0800

If you have ever had a facial, you've likely heard the term extraction. It might sound painful, but if done correctly, this simple and painless procedure removes pore-clogging sebum. It is done manually by a trained facialist, dermatologist, or esthetician using a metal tool or by applying gentle pressure, after they have cleansed your skin and opened your pores with heat or steam.

Keep in mind that pores are sensitive, and if your skin isn't prepared or the extraction is done incorrectly, it can cause broken capillaries and irritate the skin which may result in more breakouts. When in doubt, it is best to avoid the at-home extraction tools, and leave the squeezing to a professional.

Source

Horsetail Extract

BellaSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:00:34 -0700

Contrary to what you might think, horsetail does not, in fact, come from a horse's ass. Horsetail, a plant that is fernlike in quality, has been used since ancient Greek and Roman times for medicinal purposes, such as healing cuts and treating tuberculosis.

As far as beauty is concerned, the extracts from the horsetail plant help stimulate the skin and the production of elastin and collagen and protect the skin from oxidation. Hence, you'll often find this ingredient in antiaging products. This restorative ingredient not only helps to tone the skin but is also used to help repair brittle fingernails. Try Honeybee Gardens Odorless Nail Polish Remover ($7) or The Glacial Facial Masque ($34) by Alaska Glacial Mud Company.

Source: Flickr User Richardmasoner

Win Bare Escentuals Happiness Collection, Radiance Rocks, Buxom Babes About Town, and Extreme Glimmers From Sephora!

BellaSugar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:30:00 -0700

San Francisco-based brand Bare Escentuals is known for makeup "so pure you could sleep in it," and this week, thanks to our friends at Sephora, somebody is going to be sleeping really well, with lots of goodies from the brand's bareMinerals and Buxom lines. This week's lucky winner will receive the following:

Buxom Babes About Town - A heaping helping of Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Sticks and Lip Polishes in eight gorgeous shades that promise to keep lips healthy, soft, and tingly fresh.
Extreme Glimmers - Three prismatic eyecolors that sparkle like nobody's business, along with a primer and beautiful shadow brush.
Radiance Rocks - Three sheer washes of color that make skin glimmer, all while giving you a cool, tingling sensation. Also included? The heavenly kabuki brush.
bareMinerals Happiness Collection - A nine piece set, including eyecolor, face color, mascara, and eye shadow, infused with Bare Escentuals Happybelle complex, a plant extract designed to mimic the effects of endorphins to get you glowing.

To enter, just take the quiz by 5 p.m. Sunday and one winner will be selected at random. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just on taking the quiz after you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a PopSugar Community member to enter. So if you're not already one, register now. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Prizes can be shipped to US destinations only. Remember: You must be logged in to the PopSugar Community for your entry to count. For the complete rules, click here. Good luck!

Take the quiz

Wednesday Giveaway! Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiwrinkle Night Cream

BellaSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:30:00 -0700

For this week's giveaway, we'll be bringing you products geared for both your daytime and nighttime needs alike - and it's all thanks to our friends at Sephora. From now until Sunday, we're giving away products from the Korres skincare line. We'll feature different items throughout the week, so be sure to come back tomorrow to check out what's in store. (Psst. . . it'll be something else.) For today, here's something to help make your beauty sleep hours all the more effective. Korres's intensely hydrating Quercetin & Oak Antiwrinkle Night Cream helps the skin look firmer, younger, and more elastic after only one application. The secret is oak extract, which helps to plump and boost collagen production in the skin.

To enter, just take the quiz by 5 p.m. today and one winner will be selected at random. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just on taking the quiz after you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a PopSugar Community member to enter. So if you're not already one, register now. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Prizes can be shipped to US destinations only. Remember: You must be logged in to the PopSugar Community for your entry to count. For the complete rules, click here. Good luck!

Take the quiz

Tuesday Giveaway! Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiwrinkle Night Cream

BellaSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:30:00 -0700

For this week's giveaway, we'll be bringing you products geared for both your daytime and nighttime needs - and it is all thanks to our friends at Sephora. From now until Sunday, we're giving away products from the Korres skincare line. We'll feature different items throughout the week, so be sure to come back tomorrow to check out what's in store. For today, here's something to help make your beauty sleep hours all the more effective. Korres's intensely hydrating Quercetin & Oak Antiwrinkle Night Cream helps the skin to look firmer, younger, and more elastic after only one application. The secret is oak extract, which helps to plump and boost collagen production in the skin.

To enter, just take the quiz by 5 p.m. today, and one winner will be selected at random. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just on taking the quiz after you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a PopSugar Community member to enter. So if you're not already one, register now. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Prizes can be shipped to US destinations only. Remember: you must be logged in to the PopSugar Community for your entry to count. For the complete rules, click here. Good luck!

Take the quiz

Monday Giveaway! Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiwrinkle Night Cream

BellaSugar — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:30:00 -0700

For this week's giveaway, we'll be bringing you products geared for both your daytime and nighttime needs alike - and it's all thanks to our friends at Sephora. From now until Sunday, we're giving away products from the Korres skincare line. We will feature a different item daily, so be sure to come back and tomorrow to check out what's in store. To kick off the week, here's something to help make your beauty sleep hours all the more effective. Korres's intensely hydrating Quercetin & Oak Antiwrinkle Night Cream helps the skin to look firmer, younger, and more elastic after only one application. The secret is oak extract, which helps to plump and boost collagen production in the skin.

Take the quiz

Can This Laundry Detergent Make Your Skin Softer?

BellaSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:00:09 -0700

Just when I thought beauty products couldn't get any more unusual, out comes Borba Fabric Fusion 2-in-1 Eco-Laundry Wash. The green-leaning detergent is free of petrochemicals, which should satisfy the ecologically minded; as a regular user of Nancy Boy eco laundry soap, I can say that gentler laundry detergents work well. What's unusual about Borba's version, however, is that it claims to "help skin feel softer and healthier" through its incorporation of pansy extracts, sea moss, and glycerin. Additionally, it promises to rehydrate dry skin and provide free radical protection. I haven't tried it - and because it costs $25 plus $8 shipping, I am unlikely to - but I have a hard time believing that a laundry soap can do all of that. Your thoughts?

DIY: Make Your Own Bubble Bath

BellaSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Over the weekend, I was really looking forward to a nice, fluffy, over-the-top kind of bubble bath. But, alas, the bubble part was missing. Realizing I had run out of my stash of sudsy products, I got to thinking that I should just make my own. So, I searched the Internet to find an environmentally friendly recipe. Check out this option below. It's easy on the budget, as well as the senses.

Gather together: one quart of warmed water; two ounces of liquid glycerin, like Nature's Answer Glycerine Extract ($9.50) or Heritage Store Vegetable Glycerin ($5); one four-ounce bar of castile soap, like Kirk's Natural Products Castile Bar Soap ($5); and several drops of your favorite essential oils to scent. Grate or chop up the soap and add to the warm water. Stir to melt. Add the essential oils and glycerin, store in an airtight container, and enjoy.

How-To: Bring a Pimple to a Head

BellaSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:36 -0700

Pimples under the surface of the skin can be painful, annoying, and just plain stubborn. Recently, a reader contacted me about an unfortunate case of an under-the-surface pimple on the chin. "I've tried a deep-cleansing pore mask, alcohol wipes, and soaking it with hot water and no luck," she said. Making a hot compress to apply to the problem area is one of my favorite ways to bring a pimple to a head, but since it doesn't seem to be working in this instance, I've done a little research on the topic. Find out how to get that pimple out fast when you read more.

Sabon Goes Organic

BellaSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:00:37 -0700

Sabon started out in 1974 with one natural soap handcrafted in a backyard in Israel, and the brand now has shops around the world. Today, it expands into the organic market with its Sabon Organic line.

Even though the "organic" labeling of beauty products (vs. food) often comes under fire for lack of consistency and regulation, this line comes ECOCERT-approved from an international organization that examines organic cosmetics. To be certified, the products must have 10 percent minimum approved organic ingredients, and at least 95 percent of ingredients must be from natural plant sources. In addition, certification requires the absence of synthetic fragrances and dyes, silicones and glycol, petro-chemical and mineral oils, and parabens, and no animal ingredients/testing.

I got a sneak peek and sniff of one of the products from this line. Read my thoughts on the item I tested when you read more.

The Organic Butter Cream, $39 (bottom right), is a rich emollient moisturizer. I can hold the open jar upside and shake it, but the cream stays in! It feels just as thick going onto the skin, but not sticky or greasy. Along with the familiar shea butter, jojoba oil, and aloe leaf juice were other plant extracts like maris sal (dead sea salt), dill extract, and macadamia seed oil. Plus each label lists exactly how much is natural - this item has 98.86 percent total ingredients of natural origin and 82.41 percent from organic farming - and comes in recycled packaging. I'm popping this in my fridge as soon as I get home for a cool Summer treat.