BellaSugar

Product Review: The Sanctuary Salt Scrub Bar

BellaSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:00:14 -0700

There are so many bath and body products to choose from - sometimes it can just come down to the most pleasing aroma. Before I even opened The Sanctuary Salt Scrub Bar ($7), I could already smell amazing scents wafting out from under its plastic packaging. At that moment, I just knew I was going to like it.

This substantial (and long-lasting) scrub bar produces a creamy lather, never feeling too tight or drying. It also has built-in sea salt and loofah fibers, which feel gentle. There's no harsh "ouch factor" here. As for that scent? It's sexy spicy - in a word, alluring. Powdery, but not sweet, it carries notes of patchouli without being too musky. The aroma does linger, but in a refreshing kind of way; it won't annoy your seatmate on the bus ride.

The Sanctuary, which is an actual spa in London's Covent Garden, has been making women feel and smell amazing for over 30 years. Originally many of their clientele consisted of dancers who performed close by. I can see why - I'm feeling a little extra zip in my step these past few days myself.

See reader reviews of this product and add your own!

Tour of Beauty: Vaishaly Clinic in London

BellaSugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:00:47 -0700

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Vaishaly Clinic in London and having a Signature Vashaily Facial with the lovely and petite "superfacialist" Vaishaly Patel. For 60 blissfull minutes, I lay in her all-white sanctuary covered in three layers of towels and blankets while she poked, prodded and polished my skin. What made this facial different than any other I've experienced is that there was no steam involved, and instead of a using a gritty exfoliator or sticky gommage, she opted for microdermabrasion.

It was the kind where little crystals floated atop a small tube and simultaneously worked to slough off and suck away not only the top layer of dead skin on my face, but the layer below that which had been hanging out on my face all summer (giving me dull-looking skin no matter how many times I exfoliated). That little hoover sure was powerful-I opened my eyes and peeked so I could check out what was going down that tube, and it was more dead skin that I could have possibly imagined. Sorry, is that TMI?

Next she washed off the lingering crystals and applied a night cream before treating me to a deep finger facial massage. This petite little lady sure has a lot of power in her hands! I've learned that this is her secret and crucial component to great skin. Massage stimulates circulation and lymphatic drainage, and it helps products penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin.

Lastly, she applied a mask followed by a wonderful smelling day cream containing SPF 15. I took home a couple of products, so after I try them out for a little while, I'll report back to with what worked and possibly even what didn't -stay tuned! For a complete list of Vaishaly products and where to buy them, read more

The Vaishaly Skin Care line is quite simple yet effective. It includes a Cleansing Balm (£59), Facial Wash (£35), Night Cream (£55) and a Day Moisturiser SPF15 (£45) as well as a Night Nourisher (£65) in two variations - Dry/Sensitive and Normal/Combination to best suit your skin type.

All products are available online and can be shipped to the US for a nominal fee. Please keep in mind that prices are listed in GBP and can be converted into dollars using the current foreign exchange rate (about 2.02).

Trend Alert: Butterfly-Embossed Makeup

BellaSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 10:13:29 -0700

Butterflies are naturally synonymous with Spring. After sitting cocooned in sweaters and blankets all winter long, we get out the colorful cosmetics and flutter out at the first signs of sunshine. So it's fitting that the creatures are showing up in Spring makeup with butterfly imagery stamped right onto eye shadows. Here are two ways to get your butterfly fix.

A few days ago, I introduced you to Luscious Cosmetics, which makes a line of finely milled eye shadows called Social Butterfly Eye Velvets ($19). These delicate, shimmery shades work more like cream shadows, so they won't crease or feather throughout the day. The eye velvets come in three gorgeous colors: Venice, Malibu, and Hermosa.

For one more butterfly-embossed product, read more

Les Trios Palette "Garden in Kyoto" by Chantecaille ($79) will make you look good and feel good, too: A portion of the proceeds go to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation to help preserve butterfly habitats. The palette includes shine eye shade in Willow, lip gloss in Dragon Fruit, and powder blush in Cherry Blossom. The three full-size products come in a thin metallic silver case with a mirror and double-sided eye shadow brush.