BellaSugar

Get a Chic, Easy Monochromatic Makeup Look With Just 4 Products

Jaime Richards — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:10:00 PDT

Whether you have to pack light for a trip, or you're looking for an easy, flattering makeup palette that will take you from day to night, monochromatic is the way to go. And, of course, the big benefit of wearing a one-dominant-color look is that you don't need a lot of products to make it work. To see how to do it, just keep reading.

Bare Escentuals Blindly Casts Its Fall Campaign

Jaime Richards — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:03:07 PDT

For Bare Escentuals' latest campaign, dubbed Be a Force of Beauty, executive chairman Leslie Blodgett and her team didn't look to celebrity spokesmodels to participate in the brand's ads. In fact, they didn't even look at the models to be featured in the campaign. In an approach pretty much unheard of in traditional advertising standards, the beauty company instead chose to run a blind casting call.

"We wanted to pick women based on what they stood for," Blodgett explained. "We thought, 'Are they people we want to spend time with? Do they have a voice, and do they have something to say?'" It all started with 271 women - a pool of models and actresses, (so how bad could the results really be?) - and an online questionnaire. To see more about how it all went down, just keep reading.

It's a Sunshine Day: 5 Sunny Essentials to Kick Off Your Summer

BellaSugar — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:00:00 PDT

It's the first day of Summer, and can't you dig the sunshine? In the immortal words of the Bradys, love and sun are the same, after all. In spirit of the warmer weather ahead, I've put together a few products that will make the season so bright you'll have to wear shades. Enough of the silly, let's get to it. Here are five fun ways you can enjoy the sun without the burn.

Tasha "Beaded Daisy" Headband ($32) - A festively fun and yellow hair accessory. Need I say more?
Avon Sunset Glow ($7) - There's something so cool and retro about the design of this multitoned bronzer. Just sweep anywhere the sun would hit to get a naturally sun-kissed look. (Also available in Sunset Bronze.) If one shade's all you want, try the similarly sunny Maybelline ExpertWear Singles Bronzers ($4.50), available in three shades, Sun Light, Forever Warm, and Salsa Sun.
Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil ($26) - A lightweight hair mist that works to condition and provide SPF for your hair. So long, faded color and frazzled strands.
Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries Golden Light Eau de Parfum Spray ($55) - If you could bottle up sunshine into a perfume, wouldn't you? That's exactly what Bare Escentuals' Leslie Blodgett did with her new scent, which contains notes like bergamot, honeysuckle, and orris.
Paul & Joe Nail Enamel in Soleil ($14) - A frosty tangerine hue. It doesn't get any more summery than this.

Bella Interview: Leslie Blodgett, Part Two

BellaSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:00:11 PDT

In Part One of my interview with Leslie Blodgett, the founder of Bare Escentuals, we talked about her clients, but in this part, I wanted to know what are her current loves. Read on for her desert island products and to hear about the forthcoming Bare Escentuals skincare products. (This is the first time she's mentioned that an eye cream is on the way. Scoop!).

What are your skin and hair care product staples?

Leslie Blodgett: I started using Pureology on my hair, for color treated hair. We're launching more skincare products, so I'm using an eye cream that's coming out next Fall, and the moisturizer is launching in January. We have a mist coming out next month, it has the Resurrection Plant from South Africa in it, which comes back to life when it's dead. It can reactivate makeup, hydrate you, refresh your makeup. Also you can spray it onto your face when you're cleansing.

To read more of the interview,

read more. How involved are you in developing tools and packaging, in addition to the formulations? Leslie Blodgett: The tools are extremely important. You get completely different effects by whatever brush you're using. You can use the same color foundation with a different brush to get more coverage. A fluffier brush gives you less coverage and a more firmly packed brush will give you the fullest coverage. When you swirl it, it's breaking down the minerals so that it tucks inside the bristles, so that's part of the art of buffing it onto the skin. Products cling more to animal hairbrushes; we offer both. For the new skin care products, I asked the audience [at an event] whether they wanted a pump or a jar for the moisturizer; they wanted a pump. And for the eye cream, I wanted a jar, and we did another test, and they wanted a tube, because it's anti bacterial. If you could take five products to a desert island, what would you take? Leslie Blodgett: Foundation. [Bare Escentuals] Warmth. Rare Minerals Night Time Treatment. Um, the new moisturizer. I guess I don't need eye shadow or mascara because I'm alone, right? I guess it depends, like are you on the island with The Professor and Gilligan, or are you Tom Hanks in Castaway, are you on a reality show...? Leslie Blodgett: I'll make sure my lips stay full in my old age. I'd bring Buxom Lips in Jessica. It's a nice nude color, like a sandy beach.

Bella Interview: Leslie Blodgett, Part One

BellaSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:00:11 PDT

As promised last week, here's more of my interview with Leslie Blodgett, the founder of Bare Escentuals. In this installment, she imparts her wisdom about what she sees way too much of, how to update your makeup for Fall, and shares her best beauty advice.

What do people ask the most about on your tours?
Leslie Blodgett: The master class is mostly about eye looks. The smokey eye is the number one thing people are so intimidated by, how to make it smoke out without looking like too much. We just launched The Rocker Eye, it's a fun look, too. Even for day, you can do a soft-rock look. Go over the whole lid with a very dark shade. We like a little metallic in there. Then take the pointy part of the brush and go under the eye, as close to the lash line as possible. You could also do the light shade and the contour, but it's easier to just do the lid and blend it out under the eye.

What's the best beauty advice you've ever heard or given?

To see her response,

read more. Leslie Blodgett: Always take off your mascara. I know so much about lashes now - when they fall out, they take so long to grow back in. You really have to treat them with care. If you sleep and you roll around, they're going to crunch up and fall out. Don't wear waterproof mascara unless you're extremely greasy or you swim. Waterproof is not recommended. What's the biggest mistake you see people make? Leslie Blodgett: Too much blush. And I'm a huge fan of blush. I recommend you wear it, but put a little bit, sweep it once. Don't go back a couple times. Especially in bad lighting, it looks hideous. But another mistake is to not wear it at all. What's the best way to update your makeup for the Fall? Leslie Blodgett: Lavenders and plums and grey tones on the lids. We have a shade called Soft Black. Lipstick instead of lipgloss. We want more of an opaque mouth. Lots more mascara. Check back later this week for more of my interview with Leslie!

In NYC? Meet Leslie Blodgett, Founder of Bare Escentuals

BellaSugar — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:00:11 PDT

Tour buses aren't just for rock royalty: Bare Escentuals is running one of their own right now. I caught up with founder Leslie Blodgett recently, who told me she loves meeting with fans of the brand. "I use it for my market research," later adding that she polled a room full of Bare Escentuals enthusiasts about the packaging of the brand's forthcoming moisturizer (they wanted a pump, not a tube). Stay tuned next week for more of my interview with her, including her desert island beauty products, and her new favorite fragrance.

If you're in the New York area, today's appearance will be at the Times Square Sephora from 2-4 p.m.!

Source

What Do You Know About Bare Escentuals' 35 Years?

Jaime Richards — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:50:00 PDT

Wheel out the birthday cake and do your best swirl, tap, and buff, because Bare Escentuals turns 35 this year. And to celebrate, the company is selling a limited-edition, silver-topped version of its famous SPF 15 foundation (pictured right), as well as launching a six-piece makeup kit dubbed Love and Happiness.

The brand, which opened its first store in Los Gatos, CA, and consists of a staff of about 90 percent female employees, has a great history. Want to learn more? Take the quiz to discover how CEO Leslie Blodgett and company got where they are today.

Take the Quiz

5 Fun Ways to Get Into the Mardi Gras Spirit

Jaime Richards — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 PST

Mardi Gras is one of the few times of the year where excess reigns supreme. Besides Halloween, there's never a more perfect time than now to show off your adventurous spirit. From some beautifully tame options to some wilder, glimmery finds, here are five ways you can get your Mardi Gras on right now:

With a royal purple eye shadow: The best part about Paula Dorf's Eye Color in Mardi Gras ($20) is that its flattering plum color will also look gorgeous the other 364 days of the year.
With some flashy lashes: They're a bit kitschy, but once these metallic Mardi Gras false lashes ($13) hit your eyes, it'll feel so good.
With sequined masks: Nothing screams Mardi Gras quite like a mask of green, gold, and purple, and these cat-eye masks ($3) fit the bill nicely.
With a pleasing perfume holder: Dale Tiffany's swirly Mardi Gras perfume bottle ($63) is not just pretty to look at, but it would make an excellent gift/temporary booze container, too.
With the a trifecta of New Orleans-inspired makeup: Bare Escentuals' Leslie Blodgett was inspired to create BareMinerals Where It's at: The Royal Treatment ($28) after visiting the Big Easy. The three-piece makeup kit comes with: King Eye Color, a peachy sheen; Crown Eye Color, a deep sea teal; and Lip Gloss in Beignet, and opal peach.

Leslie Blodgett Opens Her Perfume Diaries

BellaSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:01:40 PDT

Leslie Blodgett, the CEO of Bare Escentuals, is coming out with her own line of fragrances based on different trips she's taken. The first scent in the Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries series, Bare Skin, aims to capture a vacation in Mexico. Esta bueno? Find out when you read more.