BellaSugar

Could Truth in Advertising Be the Next Big Thing?

BellaSugar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:00:29 -0800

While watching Top Model last night, I was surprised to see this text flash on the bottom third of a Cover Girl mascara commercial:

Lash inserts used prior to application to add fullness but not length.

You could have knocked me over with a feather! That's the kind of full disclosure that some people are calling for, especially in the UK. But it hasn't been required of cosmetics companies yet - which is why it's pleasing to see this kind of straightforward initiative. What do you think?

How Much Do You Think You'll Spend on Makeup in Your Lifetime?

BellaSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:00:46 -0800

Are you ready for this? A recent poll by UK retailer Superdrug showed that the average woman spends approximately $13,000 on makeup in her lifetime. Does that seem possible? Check out the breakdown below:

The stats:

The results concluded that a woman spends about 20 minutes doing her makeup each day, or approximately 330 days over her lifetime.
According to the study, from the ages of 16 to 65, a woman shops for cosmetics about five times a year. Each time, she spends approximately $39 each time, equaling about $196 a year.
To break it down further, that's about $2,500 on eye shadow, $1,600 on lipstick, and $3,400 on mascara in total.

Does it sound less crazy now, or not so much? How much do you think you spend on cosmetics over the course of a year - let alone your lifetime?

What's Your Take on Julia Roberts's Lancôme Campaign?

BellaSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:11 -0800

It's been three months since Lancôme tapped Julia Roberts as its newest spokeswoman. Now, Julia's famous smile is making its debut for the beauty brand. This just-launched French television ad features Julia wearing Lancôme's forthcoming European-market mascara, Hypnôse Precious Cells. (You might want to dust off your français to understand every word.) What's your take on Julia's first Lancôme campaign?

Want Dramatic Lashes That Aren't Over the Top? Here's a Tip

BellaSugar — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:00:21 -0800

If you want a lash look like Emilie De Ravin's at the Remember Me premiere, Kara Yoshimoto Bua, the makeup artist who created Emilie's look, has some advice.

Instead of coating Emilie's top and bottom lashes with the same mascara shade, Kara applied a black mascara, Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir ($30), on the top lashes and then applied the same mascara in brown on Emilie's bottom lashes. By using two mascaras, Emilie's eyes were still accentuated, but the brown made the look a little softer and kept her lower lashes from looking too stark or doll-like. Easy!

The Latisse Diaries: A Long-Overdue Update

BellaSugar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:50 -0800

A few months back, I started using Latisse, the drug approved to make your eyelashes longer and thicker. I reported on it for a few weeks, but then dropped off - for which I apologize - and later quit using it. Why did I go through all the trouble of going to my dermatologist, spending hundreds of dollars on the product, and reporting on it to then just quit? I've got a bunch of reasons it didn't work for me, so if you'd like the lowdown from someone who went through the entire Latisse process, just keep on reading.

Do You Like Makeup With Good Vibes?

BellaSugar — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:00:40 -0800

No, not that kind of vibrator. The vibes I'm talking about are the ones in a slew of beauty products. Vibrating mascara is all over the place, vibrating face brushes and scrubbers are in drugstores and at Sephora, and now Lancome has come out with "micro-vibrating" Oscillation Powerfoundation ($48, review here). The whole thing sort of smacks of gimmick, even though some of these products do work well. What do you think about all these moving makeup apparatuses? Is it a selling point, or just another set of batteries you'd have to replace?

The Votes Are In: Best Mascara Is . . .

BellaSugar — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:00:54 -0800

Mascara is always a hotly contested category, and this year, although there were a lot of popular choices, Cover Girl cleaned up nicely. The brand's LashBlast has become a drugstore favorite, thanks in part to its recently launched lengthening formula. We wholeheartedly agree with your choice, by the way. Lash Blast lengthens, volumizes, and makes us see lashes we didn't know existed. This stuff is good, and few other mascaras can compete when you take into account its price. Hopefully we'll see even more Lash Blast-y releases in 2010.

Best of 2009: Mascaras

BellaSugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:00:55 -0800

I don't know what I would do without mascara - it's the product that makes the biggest difference in my look, and a couple of quick coats are guaranteed to make anyone feel more bright-eyed. After a lot of trial and error, I've gotten my list down to a favorite few products, but which brand do you think makes the best lash enhancer?

Reader Review of the Day: Revlon DoubleTwist Volumizing Mascara

BellaSugar — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:03:40 -0800

Sometimes the hot new thing isn't so hot, as is apparently the case with Revlon DoubleTwist Volumizing Mascara ($9). Reader mariacall had a bad experience with the stuff, and says:

"I saw the commercials and magazine ads for this and rushed out to get it, because I thought it would work really well. I bought it in the Blackened Brown shade. The only word I can use to describe it is disgusting; the brush itself comes out a clumped mess that you can't even touch to your eyes, and when you do, you'll definitely want to take it off. I've never used a worse mascara and could have had better results with a dollar store brand. Save your money."

Tried a product that just didn't work? Do everyone the favor of visiting our Product Reviews pages and writing it up. While you're there, be sure to read other community members' reviews - we've got the good, the bad, and the ugly on all the new releases.

Jemma Kidd Has Easy Eye Makeup Basics

BellaSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:18 -0700

When it comes to applying your makeup, what area do you find to be the trickiest? If you're like me, it's all about the eye area. While I love trying trendy shades and techniques, sometimes I just want a quick and easy routine. And since I can never get enough eye makeup tips, when I came across five suggestions from makeup artist Jemma Kidd on going back to the basics with your eye makeup application, I took notice. To find out her easy-to-follow tips, read more.