PopSugar

Reader Review of the Day: Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer

BellaSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:00:01 -0800

Cetaphil cleanser is one of those gold standard drugstore products, but I hadn't heard very much about the rest of the brand's line until I saw this review of Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer For All Skin Types With SPF 15 ($11) by reader ajkenyon. Here's what she has to say:

"I love Cetaphil cleanser so much, and I figured the moisturizer must be just as good, right? Well, wrong, unfortunately. I love the SPF, and it does make my skin very soft. But it just doesn't absorb well, and it leaves my face looking shiny and blotchy. I'll definitely keep using the cleanser, but I'm going back to Lush for my moisturizer!"

Found something that's not up to snuff from a brand you otherwise adore? Write it up on our Product Reviews pages, then. While you're there, you can see the thousands of reviews others in the community have written - there's something new every day.

BellaTV: Bliss Out With One of Hollywood's Fave Facials

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:16 -0800

Our beauty correspondent Zelana goes to W's Bliss Spa in Hollywood to test out its The Youth As We Know It facial, aka the "Little Black Dress" facial. This treatment is known to give celebrities that fresh, dewy glow - perfect for your next big night on the town. The expert technician will reveal what is involved in this treatment, and Zelena lets us know if this facial truly makes a dermal difference. Watch now!

Scar Creams: You Helped a Girl Out!

BellaSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:15 -0800

Earlier, I asked if you could help a reader out. She hit up the Problem Solved group in our BellaSugar Community for tips on minimizing the appearance of a brand-new scar. Thanks to all of your amazing tips and advice, I was able to put together a widget of your favorite remedies. Check it out below to peruse all the suggestions, and if you're headed to the drugstore to make a purchase, be sure to follow the link after the widget to get the products in list format so that you can refer back to it while shopping.
To get the products in list format, keep reading.

Scar Creams: Help a Reader Out!

Bella Community — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

This post comes to us from the Problem Solved group, where member Jaime not Jamie asked for some beauty advice.

Last week, I had surgery on my neck. I'm grateful that it was nothing serious, but I'm left with a scar that's a little over an inch long. Kudos to my surgeon for making such a small incision, but since the mark is on such a visible part of my body, I want to make sure that I do everything I can to help it heal nicely. Do any of you have experience with scar creams, vitamins, or any home remedies? I'd really appreciate the advice!

There's lots to explore in the BellaSugar Community. Join now, and perhaps we'll feature what you have to say right here on BellaSugar!

Could Radiant Skin Be the Best Indicator of Beauty?

BellaSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:00:24 -0800

You know how we're always hearing that face symmetry indicates how attractive a person is perceived? There's even software available so that you can determine your own facial evenness. (As if we really need that.) Now, researchers are hinting that it could actually be facial radiance that determines beauty. Researchers instructed 430 people to look at digital photos of idealized women, ages 10 to 70, with only just the skin tone and evenness being altered. "The highest scores went to the models with the most even skin tone. It seems to be more important than almost any other factor," Procter & Gamble's Dr. Paul Matts told the Daily Mail. In fact, it was noted that participants often averted their eyes when the model's skin was not smooth or balanced. (The horror!) To find out more, just keep reading.

Doing Drugstore: Aveeno Positively Ageless Warming Scrub

BellaSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

I had one severe case of dry, peeling skin, and I had it bad. My chin and mouth area were flakier than both Heidi and Spencer Pratt combined. I needed one mighty fine exfoliator, and I needed it stat. I turned to Aveeno's Warming Scrub ($9) from the brand's Positively Ageless line. Thermal beauty products are nothing new, but I'm still fascinated by the sensation of warmed-up skin care, which to me - whether it really does anything or not - enhances the experience. To find out what I thought about this water-activated, self-heating scrub, just keep reading.

Cosmeceutical Beverages Want You to Drink Up

BellaSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:10:59 -0800

Ah, drinks that are supposed to improve your skin. You all may remember my not-so-amazing encounters with Glowelle and Borba, and at this point I don't think I ever want to put another vial of powdered "nutraceuticals" in my water bottle. But just when I thought the Splenda headaches and weirdly thick tinctures were behind me, I find out that there are a whole bunch of new drinks, including an antiaging version, an organic version, and one made, appealingly, with cow mammary gland proteins, slated for release over the next several months.

This segment of the beauty biz keeps growing, but I have yet to find a miracle drink. I can only conjecture that the manufacturing costs must be so low and the profit margin so high that even something that sells poorly still turns a profit. Maybe there is some wonder beverage out there just waiting for me to drink it, but I'm definitely in the doubting camp. Plus, maybe I'm a paranoid hypochondriac, but I worry about vitamin overload. Have you ever had a positive experience with a beauty drink, or are you sticking with water like me?

Why Won't This $85 Treatment Work For Me? Let's Find Out.

BellaSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:45 -0800

Julia Coney of All About the Pretty has the most beautiful complexion. If I didn't know better, I'd think she has a secret entourage of Photoshoppers touching up her skin as she walks around all day. It's just that flawless and glowing. Once, I asked her what her secret was, and - along with overall healthy livin' and good genes - she raves about Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate ($85).

Formerly known as Kate in a Jar, it uses lactic acid and fruit enzymes to exfoliate dead skin. But before I dropped a hefty $85 on it, I headed to Sephora to request a sample. At home, I applied it and waited for the magic to happen. Except it didn't. Don't get me wrong, it made my skin look a bit better, but not in that stupendous, I-have-found-the-holy-grail-of-skin way. I wanted Julia skin, not just-slightly-nicer Bella skin. So I asked Julia what her secret was. Yep, I messed something up. For her expertise, read more.

Is This Face Scrubber a Match For Clarisonic?

BellaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:35 -0800

Do you squeal with joy upon finding a much (much) cheaper alternative to an expensive beauty item? Of course. At any rate, you all know what I've had to say about my Clarisonic, but at almost $200, it's most certainly an investment. For about $150 less, there's the Pretika Sonic Dermabrasion Facial Brush ($41.50). While I haven't tried out this much (much!) cheaper version of the expensive original, I'm wondering if you have. If so, tell us all about it. Is it as good as the highly sought-after Clarisonic, or is it a cheap imitation?

Would You Vampirize Yourself?

BellaSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:33 -0800

Maybe Dracula had it at least a little bit right: apparently blood really can keep you young, but only if it's your own.

In the UK, the hottest new antiaging procedure is "S3" or Stimulated Self Serum skin therapy, which is a pretty alliterative euphemism for injecting your own blood into your face. Well, not your blood, exactly, but the clear serum that's left over once your red blood cells and platelets have been removed. The doctor draws blood from you, separates it, mixes your serum with amino acids and other vitamins, and then injects the slurry right back into your face. Apparently, a similar procedure has long been used to help regrow gum tissue in those with receding gum lines, so doctors figured it would work to regenerate skin cells, too.

This sounds like it could work, although it doesn't seem that different from mesotherapy or injectables to me. Maybe it's intended for people who want a slightly more "natural" outpatient procedure, though. What do you think? Would you try this as opposed to Botox or Restylane, or is it just another cosmetic procedure with a slightly vampiric twist?