FabSugar

Five Smart Ways to Fake It

BellaSugar — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:00:00 PDT

We here at Bella HQ are big fans of the fake out. Want crazy hot eyes? That's what false lashes are for. Hungover and bleary-eyed? Visine still loves you. There are a ton of tricks like these, so to find out how to pull the wool over everyone's eyes without spending a lot of money, just keep reading.

Are You More Tempted to Buy Fake Goods in a Weaker Economy?

FabSugar — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:00:22 PDT

While some of fashion's greatest have been hit hard from troubling economic times, one sector has profited during the demise: counterfeits.

"If you're a luxury brand and you don't think you're being counterfeited, you're living in a cave," said Harley Lewin, intellectual property lawyer. "It's a constant fight."

With consumers not being able to afford the "real thing," the counterfeit market has gained monetary momentum in the past couple of years selling fake shoes, bags, and other goods online and in stores. Such illegitimate business - which mostly comes from China - cost retailers about $250 billion a year and 750,000 lost jobs. That said, brands are suffering while impostors are reaping the benefits of hard times. Are you tempted to buy fake goods during tough times?

Black Market Makeup: How To Spot Fake Cosmetics

BellaSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:00:20 PDT

You might think that counterfeits exist only in the realm of "Mark Jacobs" and "Guchi" purses, but there are fake and black-market beauty goods, too. I love a bargain, so I wind up buying a lot of housewares and accessories on eBay. But when it comes to shopping for cosmetics, you've got to be careful. I've found quite a few counterfeit eye shadows, lipsticks, glosses and fragrances-all offered at prices that are too good to be true. While there are honest sellers out there, a few folks are out to make a quick buck.

Why is buying counterfeit merchandise a bad idea? There are a few reasons, but first and foremost is your health. If you don't know where a product really comes from, or what ingredients are inside, why would you let it touch your skin? Counterfeits also funnel money into shady operations, and-oh yeah-they're illegal. And on a less sinister level, the colors just aren't accurate!

To find out how to avoid buying fakes,

read more Common sense will take you a long way. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is! For instance, the 12 "MAC" eye shadows shown here were being auctioned on eBay for $24.99. Hmm, that's a pretty low price, considering a single shadow is $14.50 in the stores. Now, I can't tell whether those eye shadows are genuine or fake, but the price seems a little odd. For that particular auction, I also looked at the seller's feedback, which had complaints by bidders who claimed the MAC shadows were fakes. The seller also had dozens of similar auctions; why would one person have literally hundreds of "new-in-box" eye shadows? Is there a possibility that this particular seller is legitimate and just being accused of selling fakes? Of course. But it's not a chance I want to take. For most people, common sense will help you spot obvious fakes, but the counterfeiters are getting better and better at making their junk look like the real thing. This detailed guide has great examples of counterfeits lined up to the real thing, and I recommend it as an excellent reference. What do you think? Would you buy counterfeit makeup to save a few bucks, or would you rather save up for the real thing?

Would You Ever Buy a Counterfeit Handbag?

FabSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:34:33 PDT

Thanks to hvnly34 for the poll idea!

Source

How to Throw a Moneyball-Themed Oscar Party

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:30:21 PST

It may not be baseball season quite yet, but you can get that feeling if you throw an Oscar viewing party and let best picture nominee Moneyball be your inspiration. The film might even make for a better theme than Midnight in Paris or The Artist, depending on your crowd. Here's how to score a home run at your Oscar gathering (and don't forget to fill out a ballot for a chance to win an iPad.)

How to decorate: Bring out baseballs, bats, gloves, and any other sports memorabilia you may have. String up streamers in green and yellow (the Oakland A's colors), and nod to the movie's financial theme by decorating with fake dollar bills. If you really want to tie in the film, get a life-size Brad Pitt cutout (which wouldn't be a bad thing to have around, anyway).
How to dress: Wear the shirt of your baseball team of choice, but to really mirror the film, rock Oakland A's gear, or at least their colors.
What to serve: Traditional ballpark fare like hot dogs, beer, cotton candy, and peanuts in the shell, of course. Bake cookies or cake pops and frost them to look like baseballs.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Lacoste Fall 2012

Chi Diem Chau — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:18:02 PST

If the snow outside wasn't enough for NYFW attendees, Felipe Oliveira Baptista provided a few snowflakes of his own for Lacoste's Fall runway show this morning at Lincoln Center. As fake snow blew into the audience, Oliveira Baptista set the tone for his sporty chic ski-inspired line. Mixing in the old - Oliveira Baptista referenced uniforms the brand designed for France's 1966 national ski team - with the new, the designer conceived a smart mix of body-conscious pieces fitting for any après-ski occasion. One can easily head to the slopes, or to the cabin, in one of Oliveira Baptista's rugby-meets-ski minidresses and jumpsuits or sport-striped leggings paired with chic oversized parkas and coats. Leather quilted vests and jackets injected a luxurious touch to the overt sportif theme. With a play on fashionable function, Oliveira Baptista experimented with zippers, some of which opened up all the way up to the shoulders to replicate the look of a cardigan tossed over your shoulder, while others served as pockets for hoods disguised as a stylish oversized collar. More details from the collection below.

Trends: Oversized parkas, colorblock, sporty zipper accents.
Colors: Blue, red, off-white, gray, navy blue, black.
Key Piece: We loved the oversized parka jackets and luxurious quilted leather jackets and vests.
Accessories: Leather platform boots, wool and leather bucket bags, snow goggles/sunglasses, leather gloves.
Who Would Wear It: Anyone looking for a sporty play on Winterwear or otherwise, heading to a ski retreat or chic après-ski event.

Sex and the City Perfume Fakes Flood the Market

Miriam Lacey — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:06:59 PST

Sex and the City isn't just popular with video bootleggers: according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's list of top seizures, it's also the most popular counterfeit perfume, WWD reports. Out of 138 commercial perfume shipments Customs intercepted for counterfeit scents, 52 contained fake SATC fragrances. And in total, the agency seized more than a million bogus bottles of the stuff last year.

Fake perfumes aren't just a problem for the company that makes them legally, either. "In addition to the economic harm," Customs said in its statement, "counterfeit perfumes are also often contaminated with unknown chemicals that can cause serious injury." There's no regulation on this stuff, and tests have found some truly heinous ingredients, from urine to known carcinogens. So when it comes to perfume, you're almost always better off biting the bullet and paying full price at the department store. Carrie wouldn't tolerate a knockoff, and neither should you.

What to Expect When You're Expecting Set Visit: Elizabeth Banks on Her Fake Bump and Personal Baby Joy

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:11 PST

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood will share the big screen in the upcoming comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, which follows different mothers-to-be as they prepare for the arrivals of their bundles of joy. Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Banks are among the famous ladies who strapped on fake baby bumps to portray different kinds of pregnant women, and Banks's character, Wendy, doesn't exactly have an easy time of it.

I visited the Atlanta set of the film last year, where Banks was shooting a climactic scene in which her character addresses all the woes of pregnancy - in an auditorium with a rather large audience. The hilarious meltdown, which you can see in the opening of the trailer for What to Expect When You're Expecting, includes harsh truths like "I'm calling it: pregnancy sucks." It was great fun to see Banks film the passionate speech again and again, especially since the funny lady mixed up her one-liners from one take to another. What was even more interesting was seeing all of the extras who played the audience members, since the group of women was a mix of actual pregnant women and women rocking fake baby bumps.

I chatted with Banks about her own experience filming the movie, and she revealed that she actually felt like she was in her own little movie, since she doesn't have much screen time with her costars. Banks was refreshingly honest about not having any parenting tips and also admitted that though welcoming her son, Felix, has brought her a great deal of joy, it hasn't changed her stance on how she feels about kids in general. Here's more of what Banks had to say about pregnancy and motherhood:

What inspired you to take this role?
Elizabeth Banks: I cried when I read the script. It has a really great ending: at the end of the movie, everybody has a baby! It really is just a very relatable story for everyone: anybody who is a parent, has considered being a parent, has a baby, whatever. It's just very universal, what happens in the film. We really explore so many great storylines and different paths to getting a child. I had a unique path to getting my son, so I understand how everybody's path to their child is different.

How does it feel to wear the bump?
EB: It's sweaty! [Laughs] I think it's probably a decent approximation; it weighs a good 10 lbs. The boobs weigh about 6 lbs. They are really unbelievable. It's fun. It definitely makes you sit and walk in a totally different way. As an actor, it's a great prop.

How did you change when you became a mom?
EB: I get drunk much faster and easier, and it's a big problem, so I can't go out very much. I find that I underestimated the amount of joy. I'm really learning about my capacity for joy through my son.

To see what Banks had to say about baby fever and her parenting tips, just keep reading.

Tips For Building an Effective Online Dating Profile

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:02:33 PST

In this digital age, men and women aren't just hitting bars and coffee shops to snag a date. More and more, they're heading to the Internet. In fact, 50 percent of men have met a woman online according to a recent survey. It's obvious that online dating has become the norm, and for good reason - the Internet gives you more options because you can cover a wider area of partner possibilities (as in, the entire globe). And while your chances are better of finding a compatible mate on the worldwide web than, say, your small town of 13,000 people, the Internet can't help you if you don't give off the right signals. First impressions are everything - even virtual ones. Beef up your online dating profile with these tips, and snag yourself one of those "many fish" your mother is always talking about.

Make sure you're fishing in the right pool -You wouldn't go to Craigslist's Casual Encounters to look for a serious relationship, so don't go to Match.com if you're just looking for a little fun on a Friday night. Sites like eHarmony and Chemistry have had a lot of success by getting scientific about the dating process (taking your likes and dislikes and matching you up with someone who's compatible), so make sure you're ready to commit before diving in!
Lose the negativity - No one wants to meet up with a Debbie Downer, so if your online dating profile is riddled with sarcasm, negativity, and pessimism, you can be sure that you won't be getting many date requests any time soon. This doesn't mean you have to be fake, just keep the "I'm too cool for school" attitude to a minimum.

See a few more tips, including some important dos and don'ts for your profile photos, when you read more

V-Day Date Gone Bad? Get Outta There With These Apps

GeekSugar — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:14:40 PST

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, and if you're headed out on a date you aren't 100 percent sure of, then download one of these apps for your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android phones to fake an emergency call, and get the heck outta there - STAT!