BellaSugar

2007 Sugar Awards: Best Beauty Breakthrough

BellaSugar — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 11:00:17 -0800

It looks like affordable at-home microdermabrasion kits were the big winners of the beauty breakthrough category for 2007. I am surprised about this one since I thought for sure that Botox and zit-zapping gadgets like Zeno and ThermaClear were far more popular - but the stats don't lie.

I actually just received Nature's Gate Organics Microdermabrasion Skin Refining Kit $38.50 as a gift and you guys have just really pumped me up to try it out. Since at-home microdermabrasion kits have won 26% of you over, can you tell me what your favorite brands are?

Beauty Marked! A New Silky Soft Shaving Cream

BellaSugar — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:04:44 -0700

Last week I asked you all to come Beauty Marking with me to help find a new silky soft shaving cream or gel that I didn't have to share with my hubby. He really loves his Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream, $15.50, and I do too, however it's not very feminine smelling! Your mission was to help find me something that will make my legs and underarms feel silky without irritating my sensitive skin. Also, if it smelled great, that would be fab! To see all of the beauty marks for a shaving cream click here. Thank you so much for all of your ideas!

Beauty Mark #1 found my sigmaration, is called Nature's Gate Organics Lemongrass and Clary Sage Creamy Shave Gel, $6.99. This shaving cream is made with Vitamins A and E to nourish, calm and protect skin. It also has creamy shea butter in it so that your skin is left feeling moisturized and silky.

For two more beauty marks, read more

Beauty Mark #2 found by atoxicsparkle, is called Benefit Cosmetics Bathina Sweet Satin Shave, $26. This shaving cream is actually more the texture of a mousse. It is made with aloe, chamomile and flower extract to give you the closest and softest possible shave. Oh, and it smells great too!

Beauty Mark #3 found by foreverdizzy, is called Paula's Choice Close Comfort All Over Shave Gel, $10.95. It is a gel formula that contains aloe vera, chamomile, antioxidants, green tea and willowherb which is an effective anti-irritant.

Something else special about this shave gel is that it contains a little bit of glycerin which helps create a cushion between your skin and the razor. It's fragrance free, but I think this time, I can make an exception!

Beauty Byte: Legal Drama For Organic Beauty Companies

BellaSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:00:53 -0700

Beloved crunchy beauty brand Dr. Bronner's has gotten the green light to proceed with its lawsuit against other brands that claim to be organic, including Stella McCartney CARE, Jason Natural, Avalon Organics and Nature's Gate Organics. I have to admit, when the news first broke about this I wondered what E.H. Bronner, who would have been 100 this year, would have thought. Beauty nerd that I am, I'm well aware of the founder's complicated past (his parents were killed in the Holocaust, he escaped from a mental institution, and he read a lot of Kipling). But, Bronner was very concerned about morality and it will be interesting to see how his company's claim about "organic noise" in the natural product market will continue to unfold. This Summer the company settled with former defendant Juice Beauty who agreed to reformulate problem products and be petrochemical-free by February 2010.

To read the full press release from the Organic Consumers Association, click here.

Source

Organic: Not Always A Safe Bet

BellaSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:00:53 -0700

If you think that by selecting beauty products that are labeled "organic," you're avoiding all potentially toxic, even carcinogenic additives, you might want to check the labels a little more closely next time. A study commissioned by the Organic Consumers Association, found the surprising presence of the compound 1,4-Dioxane in some of the most well-known "organic" and "natural" beauty brands.

So why is this something to be concerned about? The petroleum byproduct is added to some beauty products to provide mildness to harsh ingredients. It has been declared a known carcinogen by the state of California, and it is suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, among others. Yikes!

Popular brands such as JASON Pure Natural & Organic, Kiss My Face, and Nature's Gate Organics did not fare so well in the OCA testing, whereas Dr. Bronner's, Sensibility Soaps, Terressentials, Aubrey Organics, and Dr. Hauschka came up clean. The full results of the study can be found here. To find out how you can avoid this toxic additive, read more.

Avoid products with ingredients containing "myreth," "oleth," "laureth," "ceteareth," any other "eth," "PEG," "polyethylene," "polyethylene glycol," "polyoxyethylene," or "oxynol."
Unless a product has been USDA Certified Organic, its ingredients and claims are completely unregulated.
When in doubt, if you can pronounce all the ingredients on the label, it's most likely free from any harmful additives or ingredients.

Source

Totally Natural Lip Balms

BellaSugar — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:39:00 -0800

I am something of a lip balm addict, but while I could sing its praises for days on end, there's one thing I don't like about lip balm. Almost all of the standard offerings on the market contain petroleum, which is not only eco-unfriendly but also not something you really want in your mouth. Fortunately, there are plenty of great petroleum-free lip balms on the market nowadays that work just as well using other more natural oils. Here are some of my favorites.

Miessence Jaffa Lip Balm, $8.95, available here. This yummy orange- and vanilla-flavored balm uses cocoa butter, safflower, and avocado oils in an easy-to-squeeze tube.

Hamadi Lip Balm, $10, available here. This classy balm soothes with shea butter, avocado oil, and jojoba oil, while tea tree oil acts as a toner.

Nature's Gate Organics Neroli Orange & Chocolate Mint Lip Balm , $3.50, available here. This cute little tin contains a formula that uses castor seed oil, beeswax, apricot kernel oil, and several other certified organic ingredients.

To see the rest, read more

Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm, $2.49, available here. A classic, reliable lip balm, Burt's version contains beeswax (of course) plus almond and coconut oils.

Mountain Ocean Lip Trip SPF 15, $3.95, available here. Hands down the best option for outdoors activities, this sunscreen-enforced lip balm has a 100 percent beeswax base and is long-lasting to protect you from wind, sun, and other elements.

The Merry Hempsters Peppermint Vegan Hemp Lip Balm, $1.99, available here. This 100 percent natural balm is incredibly eco-friendly, relying on rosemary extract and cannabis sativa seed oil to moisturize. (And no, it won't get you high.)