BellaSugar

Try It: Dashing Diva Virtual Nails

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:11 -0700

Fashion Week is one of those times, like someone else's wedding, where you feel pressured to look amazing even though no one is paying attention to you. So when I realized my nails were a cracked, bitten mess, I decided to go for a complete overhaul. Enter Dashing Diva. DD is a nail salon that offers a service called Virtual Nails (click through for a list of locations all over the world), during which your nubs are lightly filed and falsies are glued on.

Diva differs from a typical nail salon because of its superior hygiene and sanitation regulations. My favorite being that they give you a set of tools to bring back on your next visit. That and they don't use acrylics that smell like chemicals, you know the ones which often require technicians to wear surgical masks.

At the NY salon, the service costs $35 but that's a small price to pay for nails that are neither toxic nor cause the same kind of damage I'm trying to hide. To find out more about my visit, read more.

My technician, Maria, started by rubbing sanitizer on both of our hands. She then trimmed my cuticles and filed my nail beds. Next, she had me wash my hands and then spent a lot of time meticulously choosing the perfect size nail for each of my fingers, writing down what she settled on for next time. Once the nails were glued on, we settled on a length and shape and she trimmed and filed them. As for the color, I chose a modest rosy shade, thinking that I may as well not call attention to my fake nails, but changed my mind and went for a bright yellow called Anna Banana. After all, when someone asks me if they're real, I can always respond, "real cool!"

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Kelly Clarkson May Not Hook Up, but She Does Kiss

BellaSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:00:36 -0700

Sometimes sweet, other times a bit edgier, Kelly Clarkson is showing off her look . . . in the form of some false nails. Most of you are loving her latest video, "I Do Not Hook Up", which alternates a country-club chic Kelly with more of a Coyote Ugly/rockstar style.

Turns out, she wore Kiss Active Square nails while shooting the "classier" scenes, while celebrity manicurist Kimmie Kyees applied metallic leopard Minx coatings to a waiting spare. This allowed an easy swap - you can see on the close-up shots - with nails that were off and on in minutes. Although the Minx nails are applied by professionals only, would you try to re-create these at home with some shiny polish and a metallic nail art pen?

2009 Grammy Awards: Katy Perry

BellaSugar — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:30:17 -0800

Katy Perry arrived at the Grammys with a soft look and a solid nomination for best female pop vocal performance. With chin-length hair gently waved and candy-colored pink lips (coincidentally matching her strapless dress), her stare is intensified by smoky eyes and false lashes.

Considering that this look is similar to her Critics' Choice Awards look, dare I say she looks less dramatic than we've seen in the past? Has she nailed a winning look here or is it too little, too late for such a retro style?

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You Are Way Too Picky

BellaSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:03:18 -0700

There is a somewhat disturbing article in the October issue of Elle about the author's recent battle with a bout of dematillomania, also known as acne excoriée. Call it what you will, but many people pick at their faces. Some of us gently extract in a magnifying mirror, while others perform minor surgery until we draw blood. Dermatologist Frederic Brandt discusses the degrees of the problem, cautioning:

Scarring depends on the severity of infection and how adamantly people go after them. And inflammation, if you break out or do enough extracting, can lead either to a lightening or darkening of skin color.

So there you have it. One false move, and your problem just went from bad to worse. There are multiple things that can be done to try and rehabilitate a picker. Like getting regular manicures to stop nail biting, a newfound devotion to skincare can help (think regular microdermabrasion, treatment with bacteria-killing lasers, Retin-A). Or if it's an OCD or Body Dysmorphic Disorder issue, therapy can help. Have you ever had picking problems, and what has helped you?

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Laura Mercier's Spring Collection Seduces

BellaSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:00:50 -0800

No, this isn't the Prescriptives Fall '07 Seducers Collection, but this new Spring 2008 Seduction Collection from Laura Mercier similarly includes edgy and dark-purple eyes and nails.

I've yet to see any product live, but I can already tell from looking at the Eye Colour Quads in Shy and Wild Violette, that this is really going to make my green eyes pop.

And as if that's not enough, if you've been searching for the perfect set of flirty false eyelashes, you can now find three new sets for all occasions. Also included is a new eau de toilette called Violette - how fitting!

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Seduced yet? To find out more about each of the products, read more

Eye Colour Quad in Wild Violette and Shy Violet ($38) is a shadow palette that contains four shades of pretty purples. Wear each color alone or blend them together.
Brilliant Eye Liner ($22) is a modern, fluid, pearlescent, and long-lasting liquid eye liner that is available in four shades: Cobalt, Golden, Onyx, and Violette.
Fine Point Eye Liner Brush ($24) is a narrow, exact, pointed brush made of synthetic fiber. It has been created especially to be used with the Brilliant Eye liner.
Lip Colour - Creme ($22) is an creamy lipstick that contains antioxidants and plumping ingredients to create the appearance of younger and fuller lips. The two new colors that have been unveiled in Seduction are Mistress and Passion.
Lip Colour - Shimmer ($22) has introduced new shades of the classic moisturizing lipstick in Pixie, Plum Wine, and Seduction. These medium-coverage lipsticks contain Vitamins A and E to soothe lips, along with a hint of shimmer.
Center Faux Eyelashes ($18) are a set of lashes that can be used anywhere from three to five times. This style is delicate and feminine and just creates the illusion of an open, wide eye.
Corner Faux Eyelashes ($18) are fun and easy ways to add drama to any look. You can create a cat eye (a very sexy look) just by applying the band on the outer corners of each eye - fun!
Full Faux Eyelashes ($18) are the most dramatic set of lashes available in the collection. Place them over your entire lash line for more volume and length all over.
Nail Lacquer in Daring and Avant Garde ($18) are two new bold colors for Spring. These high-shine formulas claim to be fast drying.
Laura Mercier Violette Eau de Toilette is a soft fragrance inspired by the delicate violet flower. Made from violets, black currant, mimosa, peony, vetiver, musk, and raspberry, this sounds like a fabulous burst of Spring in a bottle!

12 Days of Beauty Giveaway: The Big One

BellaSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:15:38 -0800

It's the last day of the 12 Days of Beauty giveaway, and one lucky winner is going to walk away with, well, 12 days of beauty! Our generous friends at Sephora have come up with one fantastic surprise. One winner will receive all of the previous 11 days' prizes, and they'll be wrapped up in a Sephora Brand Train Case.

So to recap, that means our big winner will receive: Nars Saratoga nail polish; L'Occitane Hand's Best Friend hand cream trio; Sephora Brand Croc Pop-Up Brush Set; Sephora Brand metallic clutch; Philosophy Candy Cane Lip Shine; Sephora Brand Lip Gloss Ring; Bliss Snow Wonder Hand Cream; Vincent Longo Lipstick; Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara; Cargo Eyelighter; GoSMILE Peppermint Candy Smile; Make Up For Ever false eyelashes; TheBalm Stainiac; and Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Quite a haul, huh? To enter, just take today's quiz by 5pm PST, and we'll select one winner at random. This time, though, the winner will be drawn from all readers who answered the questions correctly-so you need to be a TeamSugar member to enter, and you need to pay attention! If you're not already a member, register for an account! One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Remember: YOU MUST BE LOGGED IN TO TEAMSUGAR FOR YOUR VOTE TO COUNT. For the complete rules, click here. Good luck!

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Fall 2007 Edo Komon Collection From Shu Uemura

BellaSugar — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:59:00 -0700

Just out from Shu Uemura is the Autumn/Winter 2007 collection called Edo Komon. The name is derived from the Edo period of Japanese history when kimonos were decorated in a simple, abstract style that made them look like small works of art.

The line consists of three powder eye shadows that contain beautiful Japanese graphics, two Glow On blushers, three limited-edition cream eye shadows, two liquid eye liners inspired by colors in nature, a pale and a dark mauve rouge lipstick, two nail enamels and colored false lashes.

The collection looks much softer than in the recent past, yet it's full of high-pigment colors. Sounds perfect to me, but are you interested in checking it out?