FitSugar

How to Make an At-Home Facial Mask With Kate Somerville

BellaTV — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:00:00 PDT

Kate Somerville has helped Hollywood celebrities like Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, and Demi Moore get glowing skin, and even if you can’t rush into her clinic, you can still get the same treatment at home. Watch our video as Kate shows you how to make a hydrating mask using yogurt, flax seeds and honey.

Relax Already: Make Your Own Citrus-Mint Sugar Scrub

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:00:00 PDT

Indulging in a hot shower or bath is one of my favorite ways to reduce stress. Couple it with a sugar scrub, and it's just as good as a full-body massage - well, almost). Why buy a sugar scrub, when it's so easy to make your own?

Here's a recipe that incorporates the summery scent of citrus. To see it

read more. You'll need: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup sweet almond oil 1 teaspoon fresh tangerine juice 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon fresh grapefruit juice 3 to 5 drops of peppermint oil Mix the sugar and almond oil first. Then add the juices. Lastly, mix in the peppermint oil. Store in a sealed container. If citrus isn't your favorite scent, try this recipe for Brown Sugar Body Scrub. Not only will a sugar scrub relieve tension, but it's also a gentle way to exfoliate dead skins cells from your body.

Anatomy of a Tattoo

FitSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 03:30:00 PDT

I am ever curious about how the human body works, and recently I pondered the permanence of tattoos. Skin is always shedding layers of dead cells (especially if you exfoliate), so how can a tattoo remain year after year?

Let's start at the beginning with how a tattoo is created. Tattoos are made by inserting pigment into the skin with an electrically powered solid needle that punctures the skin between 50 and 3,000 times per minute (makes me think of a sewing machine - yikes!!). The needle penetrates the skin by about a millimeter and deposits a drop of insoluble ink into the skin with each puncture.

When you look at a person's tattoo, you're seeing the ink through the epidermis - the outer layer of skin. The ink resides in the dermis - the second layer of skin, just below the epidermis. Dermis cells are far more stable than the cells of the epidermis, so the tattoo's ink will stay in place, with only minor fading and dispersion (spreading out), for a person's entire life!

Fit's Tips: FYI - tattoo parlors are NOT regulated by the FDA and not ALL states require tattoo parlors to be licensed. If I were you, I'd go to a place that is licensed and inspected by the state. The licensed places will definitely follow all the correct sterilization and sanitation procedures. Since tattoos involve needles and blood, you want to make sure there is little risk for the transmission of diseases such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, and STIs. These regulations may make tattoos safer, but it sure won't make those needles hurt any less!

Want to see some interesting tattoos? Then

View 6 Photos ›

Source, Source, Source, Source, Source, and Source

Ingrown Hairs - Not a Fan

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:00:00 PST

When you remove unwanted hair from your body by waxing or shaving, you run the risk of ingrown hairs. I've had women tell me to never wax my bikini line ever, because those hairs are thick and curly, so they tend to get trapped inside the hair follicle and grow in crooked more often than say your leg hair.

I'm not going to let a little ingrown hair keep me from waxing. Oh no. Here's a tip I picked up from a waitress when I was out to dinner one night (really). She said she was way into waxing (don't ask me how we got started talking about that), and she waxed everything, including her armpits (ouch).

Her advice: To prevent those irritating little red bumps you get from ingrown hairs, you must exfoliate the area daily.

Now I'm not saying use something harsh like a sugar scrub on your sensitive parts - I much prefer using loofah gloves. They are gentle enough to use every day.

And exfoliating consistently to remove dead skin cells really helps prevent those suckers. So you can wax and shave all you want and get silky smooth skin without those annoying red bumps.

Gloves in the Shower?

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 09:30:00 PST

Is your skin screaming out for some love? Why not answer its call with an invigorating exfoliating experience? Exfoliation is the skin's natural process of shedding dead cells. A new layer of cells is formed at the bottom of the epidermis (that's fancy speak for skin), and it pushes the old skin cells to the surface where they eventually dislodge and flake away. By adding exfoliation to your daily routine, you can assist this natural process at the surface to encourage newer, healthier looking skin.

My favorite exfoliation tool is these bath gloves from The Body Shop. They're rough textured loofah gloves with little loops on the ends so you can hang them out to dry. If you don't dry them, they could get moldy which is totally disgusting and stinky.

Just get them wet in the shower, lather them up with your favorite soap or body wash and rub them all over your skin. They're gentle enough to use everyday and you can even use them on your face.

Fit's Tip: If you have sensitive skin, you might want to use the bath lily instead. The material is a little smoother and more gentle.

How Carrie Underwood Gets Grammy-Ready

Sponsor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:00:00 PST

Carrie Underwood, everyone's favorite Grammy-winning country singer and performer, has been using the suite of Olay deep cleansers to give her face a clean beyond what the eye (and cameras) can see.

To prep for last night's Grammy Awards, Carrie first used Olay Shine Control Lathering Cleanser to get a deep, down-to-the-pore cleansing to minimize shine. With all those flash bulbs on the red carpet, the last thing you want is a shiny forehead! Then she topped it off with Olay Complete Moisturizer, a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer for glowing, healthy-looking skin (and protection from UV light!).

To end the night, Carrie used Olay 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths to exfoliate and cleanse her skin of oil, dirt, and all that red-carpet makeup.

Like Carrie, you can get red-carpet-ready starting and ending with Olay!

"The Daily Facials are awesome at taking off makeup - especially eye makeup. You often get products that are super oily, or just don't do the job, or that sting your eyes. I honestly couldn't live on my tour bus without them." - Carrie Underwood.

What We're Sweet On: Cream That Makes You Soft Like Buttah

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:30:49 PST

A lot of moisturizers will hydrate your skin adequately enough, but it's far less common to find one that also makes it feel utterly amazing. That's why you'll love Algenist Firming & Lifting cream ($94), which makes skin unbelievably, baby's-bottom soft from the first time you use it. The alguronic acid inside is designed to increase cell turnover by a rather impressive 55 percent, and although you probably won't feel your cells shedding faster per se, skin is left more luminous, with a reduction in fine lines. It's quite a substantial cream, however, so it's not optimal for very young or oily skin types. But if you need lots of hydration and some gentle exfoliation, it's a really exceptional product.

4 Softening Scrubs That Will Save Your Skin

BellaSugar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:05:00 PST

While facial exfoliating is quite common, body scrubbing is often overlooked. During the cold weather months, however, scrubs can be a girl's best friend, working to remove flakes and salvaging dry, parched skin. They also moisturize and condition the body for a glistening, beach-ready body when it's a lot hotter outside. Here are four we love to slather on - one is even safe to apply pre-airbrush tan.

5 Tips From a Pro: How to Create a Beautiful Bronzed Glow

Real Beauty — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:07:27 PST

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Real Beauty.

When trying to create a natural, sunless tan on your body, mistakes are expected and accepted. If things go too awry, you can just opt to wear pants until the color wears off.

Bronzer or self tanner: which is right for you?

But a botched fake tan on your face? Completely out of the question. Here, five foolproof tips on how to get gorgeous bronzed skin.

What We're Sweet On: A Divinely Decadent Chocolate Scrub

Jaime Richards — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:05:00 PST

It's quite rare to find a beauty product so deliciously rich and luxurious smelling that it actually makes you want to slather it all over a piece of toast and eat it. Such is the case with Shea Terra Organics' Dark Chocolate Sugar-Stone Exfoliating Cream ($22). It's almost like brownie batter in a jar, but alas, is not meant to be digested. Made with the antioxidant power of cacao mass (chocolate that's in its original form), skin is left protected, softened, and hydrated. Glycolic acid-containing natural sugar crystals help blast away dead skin, and volcanic stone assists in sloughing away roughness. But whereas many gourmand-type formulas reek of artificial notes or disgustingly sweet aromas, there's nothing fake smelling about this decadent treat. It would also make for a perfect Valentine's Day experience for yourself or that special someone.