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,

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

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Pippa Middleton Attends a Pal's Wedding in Red

Lauren Turner — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:17:52 PDT

Pippa Middleton dressed up to watch friends Camilla Hook and Sam Holland get married at Aberlady Parish Church in East Lothian, Scotland, today. She wore a red dress and netted fascinator and was joined by a female pal for the occasion. Pippa's been lying low since last month's controversial appearance in Paris where a guy friend pulled a fake gun on photographers during a drive. She's reportedly moved on from the incident with recent rumors that she's setting her sights on a move to NYC. Pippa also has her party-planning book, Celebrate, coming out in October. Meanwhile, sister Kate has been busy with royal engagements, including a reception with Princes William and Harry just yesterday.

Facebook IPO Makes Bono World's Richest Musician

Katie Henry — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:11:26 PDT

Bono's cashing in on Facebook's IPO - HuffPost Entertainment
Joe Jonas was robbed in NYC - Us Weekly
50 Cent hospitalized: stomach flu or publicity stunt? - People
Madagascar 3 is a hit at Cannes - Hollywood Reporter
Sacha Baron Cohen almost unrecognizable as himself - Lainey Gossip
Sophia Grace and Rosie team up with Magic Johnson - TooFab
Carrie Underwood says relationship with Chace Crawford was fake - Celebitchy
Is there a John Connor curse? - The Daily Beast
Conan O'Brien visits Late Show for the first time in 13 years - BuzzFeed
Matt Davis talks about his Vampire Diaries death - The Insider
Maggie Gyllenhaal creates hysteria in new trailer - Rotten Tomatoes
Jenny McCarthy is comfortable nude - Wonderwall
Hugh Laurie had an emotional reaction to House finale - Lifeline Live
What will Phillip and Jessica sing during the American Idol finale? - Zap2It
Channing Tatum's not the only actor with a stripper past - The Frisky

Smile! But Only If You Mean It

Colleen Barrett — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:05:07 PST

I've always been suspicious of indiscriminate happiness, so I feel vindicated today against the forces of oppressive cheer. A new study - a real one, not funded by Canna Cola, the medical marijuana soda, or published in an advertorial - has found that faking happiness only makes us feel worse.

The New York Times talked to the author of the study, Brent Scott, assistant professor of management at Michigan State University, and he said faking happiness not only worsens moods but also decreases productivity at work. His team followed around bus drivers for two weeks, because their jobs require courteousness while dealing with many, often uncourteous, people. When drivers forced smiles, their moods and productivity declined, but when they were asked to cultivate the smile from a more authentic place (i.e. pleasant thoughts and memories), their mood and productivity increased.

So while forced smiles may lead to a dead end, it sounds like happy thoughts are still in?

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "Dark Shadows"

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:44:57 PDT

It feels like just yesterday it was summertime in Mad Men world, but alas, we've already arrived at Thanksgiving. It's not exactly a celebratory episode: Betty's cranky about both her new diet and Don's new wife; Pete's still struggling to figure out his life; and Don and Ginsberg have a showdown at work.

Roger, on the other hand, is still using his money to get everything he wants, which includes using Jane for some help landing a new client and paying off Ginsberg. And Ginsberg's success is Peggy's lack thereof; with him cleaning up, she has less and less to show for her work. Ready to break down the big moments? Just

Carry that weight: Betty's already looking noticeably thinner than the fat suit episode, and it's because she's joined Weight Watchers. Her weekly meetings seem to be helping with her portion control, but despite measuring her sad little grapefruit dinners on the scale each night, she still can't resist sucking down a little whipped cream every now and then. As much as Betty irritates me, my heart went out to her at the end of the episode when she eats her tiny Thanksgiving dinner and seriously savors her one allotted bite of stuffing.
Green-eyed monster: While Betty's picking up the kids, she gets an eyeful of Don's swanky new apartment - and his new wife. Clearly shaken up by the incident, she retaliates by spilling the beans about Anna to Sally while Sally is in the midst of making a family tree. Betty easily manipulates Sally into thinking that Megan is a liar, but the joke's on Betty in the end. After a squabble, Don explains the Anna situation to sassy Sally and Sally reports back to her mother without even mentioning the argument. Betty proceeds to freak out. I've got to hand it to Megan for convincing Don not to call Betty in a rage; not only is Megan spot-on about giving Betty what she wants, but she also diffuses the argument pretty quickly.
Fantasy land: Pete is particularly smug because he's been chatting with a reporter from the New York Times Magazine who's doing a piece about ad agencies. Once he's done bragging about his connection with Roger and Don, he assures them that he'll be the only one contacted for the interview. Pete then proceeds to have gross sexual fantasies about how the article will help him win Beth back, but - surprise - he doesn't even make it into the article! He calls Don enraged, but it's clear that Pete's really just mad at the world since, once again, things are not going his way.
Wine time: Bert asks Roger to court a potential new client, and since it's Manischewitz wine, he suggests that Roger's Jewish wife could be of service. Though Bert is a bit behind on his interoffice gossip, Roger still takes the client and asks Jane for help. In return, she asks for a small favor, and by that I mean a brand-new apartment. Roger agrees, and then proceeds to um, christen the new apartment with Jane after dinner. She's angry that he's tainted her new place, but there's a much bigger concern at play here than Jane's whining: when is all the money that Roger's been throwing around going to catch up with him?
Still got it: While Don's putting in a little overtime at the office, he comes across Ginsberg's folder of sketches, and is inspired to get back to basics. His idea is a little dark (you know, because it's based in hell and all), and he puts it head to head against Ginsberg's childlike pitch for the same product, SnoBall. The rest of the team likes both ideas, and agrees that Ginsberg should be the front-runner. Too bad Don conveniently leaves Ginsberg's pitch in the taxi, and sells his snowball's chance in hell idea to the company. Ginsberg obviously isn't in a celebratory mood, but when he confronts Don about what happened, Don just shuts him down. Now that both Don and Peggy feel threatened by Ginsberg, might we see them teaming up against him?

There's also more death omens in this week's episode, including Megan teaching Sally how to fake cry by focusing on something sad, and of course, the mysterious toxic smog that invades Thanksgiving. How'd you feel about the episode overall?

Photo courtesy of AMC

5 Ways to Fake Sandal-Ready Feet

BellaSugar — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:46:01 PDT

The weather is heating up, so open-toed shoes are coming out. One day, probably very soon, many of us will be faced with a dilemma: wear cute sandals and risk exposing busted-looking toes, or hide our feet in oppressively hot sneakers. This doesn't have to be a conundrum, though. There are plenty of ways to fake pretty, pedicured feet when you don't have time for a pedicure. To find out five sneaky ways to get great-looking feet in a flash, just keep reading.