Bella Brand: Olivina

BellaSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:00:54 -0700

Parts of Northern California have this amazingly fresh, fragrant scent. I'm not sure if it's the eucalyptus trees, the ocean air, the smell of grass, or what - I just know that it is wonderful. So it's no surprise that Olivina, a body-care company in Napa Valley, captures its surroundings so well. Founder Susan Costner-Kenward incorporates hand-pressed California olive oil into her line's body butters, hand creams, body washes, and soaps ($6–$38 ).

Olivina's products are available in three scents: olive, fig, and lavender. All have a fresh, from-the-earth scent, but my favorite is olive. It's unusually beautiful; whenever I apply the body butter, I wind up smelling my skin all day long. And my guy friends liked it, too; Mr. Bella even put a dollop on his hands when he thought I wasn't looking. The scent alone is enticing, but the products are actually quite good, too. The body butter and hand cream provide moisture without getting greasy, and the body scrub uses crushed grape seeds to exfoliate skin naturally.

If, like me, you have a bit of a nature-girl side in you, I would definitely check out Olivina. It's luxurious but not frou-frou, and earthy but not too hippie-ish. Kind of like Napa Valley itself, no?

Bella Brand: 29 Cosmetics

BellaSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:16:04 -0700

Would you like a little wine with your makeup? 29 Cosmetics may not be able to serve you a Shiraz, but the color line has something even better: A full line of makeup formulated with grape seed extract. This ingredient is thought to be an anti-aging powerhouse because it's a strong antioxidant; since antioxidants fight free radicals, which contribute to the aging process, grape seed extract may keep you looking younger, longer.

You might say that 29's founder, Lydia Mondavi, has wine in her blood. She married into the Mondavi wine-making family, which produces varieties in California's Napa Valley. But her status as an oenophile doesn't end there. Named after Highway 29, which snakes through Napa, her color collection features vino-inspired names such as Sinfully Zin, Spicy On The Finish, Let It Breathe. To find out more about the line, read more

29 has a lot of what you'd expect from a new makeup line: lipsticks, foundation and the like. A few products sound pretty innovative, and I'm looking forward to trying them. For instance, Preserves First Crush Lip Scrub ($23) is a lip exfoliator with shea butter and crushed apricot seeds. There's also the Napa Mist Replenishing Atomizer, a light spray with rosewater. Neiman Marcus is the exclusive retailer for 29, and it's rolling the line out in stores nationwide. If your Neiman's doesn't have 29 yet, you can shop online. Que syrah, syrah. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)