Beauty Tips

Cleansing

Women who wear make-up should carry out a routine of cleansing, toning and moisturing each evening, as well as washing the face in the morning. Cleansing will remove old make-up and the grime and grease that have been accumulated during the day.

Manicure

1.shape the nails in oval or square
2.soak hands in soapy water for 10min.rinse off then
3.Gently dry hands with a clean towel. Rub the cuticle area of each finger with the edge of the towel.
4.Gently push back the cuticle of each nail with a cuticle pusher or orangewood stick
5.Apply a good amount of hand lotion to each hand and massage it into your skin 6.Wipe any extra lotion off of the hands with a clean, dry towel
7.Apply polish or clear coat. Let the polish dry, then apply the second coat.

Water

Want to lose weight but just can't seem to stop eating? Try drinking at least 2 glasses of water before your meal. Drinking subdues the appetite and tricks your stomach into feeling satisfied with less. You're definitely not starving yourself, and neither are you overeating. Perfect, isn't it?

Steaming

Steam your face once a week to open pores, so it can be cleansed more effectively. Add a few herbs like basil (tulsi) for extra advantage. Don't steam face directly over the burning stove - too hot! Instead, remove the boiling water from the stove and form a tent with your towel

Soft And Silky

For a deep, moisturising skin treatment apply olive oil to your skin once a week. Let it soak in while you take a steamy shower, and blot out the excess with a tissue.

You Better Not Pout!

Lipstick applied to dry lips does not last long. Moisturise lips with lip balm or Vaseline and let it get absorbed before applying lipstick. For a final touch, add a bit of glitter to lips. It's dynamite, but do keep it subtle!

Ice

Keep skin looking young and fresh by splashing your face with ice-cold water. This rejuvenates the skin and delays the onset of wrinkles. (Don't try this if you are prone to broken capillaries.)

Lime N' Lemony

For a great shine to hair, squeeze the juice of one lemon into a mug of water and give your hair a final rinse with this mixture, after shampooing. You could also use a tablespoon of vinegar instead of a lemon.

Going TO BED

Never, ever go to sleep without washing off your make-up. That's a surefire step to a disastrous complexion.

Fun In The Sun

The sun's warmth may make you feel good but it's ultraviolet rays over time cause at best, dry wrinkly skin and at worst, skin cancer. Don't step out without loading on that sunscreen. In the summers, avoid stepping out between 12:00 to 2:00 when the sun is at its peak.

Blackheads

To remove blackheads, steam for 5 mins and exfoliate immediately.

Shiny & Strong Hairs

To make your hair shiny and strong, after taking a shower apply olive oil into damp hair. It will make your hair shiny and much stronger.

Eye Makeup

Use foundation on your eyelids before applying eyeshadow. It helps the eyeshadow stay on longer.

Clay Mask

A Clay Mask works wonders on oily skin!

remove stubborn eye makeup

Use petroleum jelly or cold cream to remove stubborn eye makeup. its cheap and it works (even on waterproof mascara).

reduce redness

Spray your face with cold water or stand with your head in the air from the freezer for a few moments to reduce redness.

lighter shades of eyeliner

Line deep set eyes with lighter shades of eyeliner to emphasize them!

Drink 8 glasses of water a day and use a moisturiser

Nothing ages a person more than worry. Try to be positive and love every day as a new adventure and get joy from all the little things (so many cost nothing). Drink 8 glasses of water a day and use a moisturiser.

Keep lashes smooth

Keep lashes smooth and supple by brushing them with petroleum jelly before going to bed at night. It is also a good way to emphasize natural-looking lashes in the daytime.

Manicure & Pedicure at Home

1. Shape the nails in oval or square
2. Soak hands & feet in soapy water for 10min. Rinse off then
3. Gently dry hands & feet with a clean towel. Rub the cuticle area of each finger with the edge of the towel.
4. Gently push back the cuticle of each nail with a cuticle pusher or orangewood stick
5. Apply a good amount of hand lotion to each hand & foot and massage it into your skin one by one.
6. Wipe any extra lotion off of the hands & feet with a clean, dry towel
7. Apply polish or clear coat. Let the polish dry, then apply the second coat.

Vitamins for Skin

Chromium - For acne. Chromium reduces skin infections.

Zinc - Zinc aids in healing of the tissues and helps prevent scarring.

Vitamin E - Vitamin E has been shown to play an important role in protecting skin from environmental and oxidative damage. It's also an excellent remedy for dry skin.

D-Panthenol - substance that is readily converted into vitamin B5. It is known to help the skin repair damage.

Hyaluronic acid This is a natural moisturizer that already exists in our skin naturally and surrounds the collagen and elastin fibres. As we age, we produce less hyaluronic acid in our skin, making our skin less resilient and pliable. Hyaluronic acid is used in many moisturizers and can also be injected by doctors into the skin.

Niacinamide (vitamin B3) Helps exfoliate surface skin cells to reveal, newer, younger looking skin Ceramides These are lipids that help to prevent moisture loss through the skin. Consider skin moisturizer supplements as well.


Retinyl proprionate A special form of Vitamin A (retinol). It is part of a class of retinoids. It can improve the appearance of sun damaged skin by reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles, skin roughness and appearance of age spots. It is a larger molecule than retinol, which is often referred to as the pure form of Vitamin A.

Retinoic acid A derivative of vitamin A and has been used in the treatment of acne. It has been known to increase collagen production and reduce wrinkles, but it can have unpleasant side-effects such as extreme sensitivity to sunlight, with increased reddening of the skin and peeling. Dermatologists sometimes prescribe it for severe sun damage. Some cosmetics may contain small amounts of retinoic acid derivatives, which have some hydrating effects.

Lipisomes Lipisomes (lipids or fats) are filled with active ingredients and carry these ingredients to where the skin needs it the most.

QUICK HERBAL TIPS

Down the ages, Eastern women have used simple, effective home-made remedies to look after their skin.

Skin Cleanser:
Found in your own kitchen is a simple, chemical free cleanser ? good ol? unboiled milk. All you need to do is dip a piece of cotton wool in milk and wipe your face with it. It also cleans unseen dirt and goes down into your pores. Another fine cleanser is almond oil, especially effective in protecting the delicate skin under the eyes.

Skin Moisturizer:
For normal skin care, you can take 1 cup of yogurt, 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mix it into a paste. Apply it on your face as a mask and keep it on for 15 minutes. Then clean it off with a wet tissue watch your complexion glow. For dry skin, you could use a mixture of cooked oatmeal and honey; it will not only help moisturize the skin but also acts as a good cleansing agent.

Skin Nourishment and Bleach:
For nourishing your face try a protein mask. You can prepare this mask by first soaking 1 tablespoon urad dal and 4 almonds in water overnight and then grinding them into a paste. You can then apply this protein mask to your face and wash it off after half an hour. This exceptional protein mask will not only nourish the skin but also bleach it.

Wrinkle Prevention and Softer Skin:
To prevent wrinkles and soften your skin, you could try pure castor oil; it is known to slow down the aging process of the skin.

Skin Conditioner:
Another simple and excellent skin conditioner that can be made out of 1 tbsp. honey blended with 2 tbsp. cream (of milk). Leave it on for a few minutes and wash it off. It works like magic.

Skin Blemishes:
For skin blemishes, you can try rubbing a raw potato on your face.

Sun-Protection Lotion:
It?s summer time. Time to cool off. So let?s wind up with a good home-made sun-protection lotion. Take cucumber juice and equal amounts of glycerine and rose water and make a concoction. This should be refrigerated. Try it, it?s really cool.

The Eastern beauty has a hundred tips up her sleeve, so visit us again for some more beauty secrets next week.

Beautiful Skin Starts Here

Sensitive Skin
How to Tell If This Type Is You
Does your skin turn red and blotchy at the slightest provocation, particularly when you've used a fragranced skincare product? Is your skin easily irritated by extreme temperature fluctuations? If so, like 40 percent of the population, you have sensitive skin.

How to Treat It
Products created for sensitive skin have one thing in common: minimal ingredients (fewer than 10 are recommended) with no unnecessary bells and whistles such as dyes and fragrances. Since sensitive skin is often dry, a simple splash of water will effectively remove any surface oils in the morning. Wash with a very mild cleanser in the evening, when you have makeup and the day's debris to get rid of. While you might think that you should go nowhere near an exfoliating scrub, you still need to help your skin shed that dead upper layer quickly -- rest assured that a gentle scrub will get the job done effectively. Next, moisturize, which is important both to increase skin's resilience and to boost its ability to protect itself from environmental irritants. Always use a daytime moisturizer with sun protection. Finally, choose a night cream that's targeted for sensitive skin. Some experts even recommend baby moisturizers, which are particularly gentle.

Dry Skin
How to Tell If This Type Is You
Do you feel like you're on a never-ending mission to quench your skin's thirst? Does your skin always look dull, with visibly dry patches and flakiness? If so surprise, surprise you have dry skin.

How to Treat It
According to David Colbert, MD, a dermatologist and the founder of New York Dermatology Group, dry skin is very common, and is usually a result of aging and environmental factors. "Every year our skin's outer layer is less able to hold on to water," he says. Therefore, you have to look for gentle cleansers and rich moisturizers to make up for this deficit. Start the moisture-boosting process with a creamy, nonfoaming cleanser. Next, exfoliate once a week to rid yourself of those pesky dry patches. Finally, moisturize liberally both day and night with products containing proven hydrating ingredients such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which is found naturally in our skin but diminishes over time.

Oily Skin
How to Tell If This Type Is You
If you're always patting away shine, retouching your faded makeup, and hiding blemishes, you have oily skin. "Gauge your skin in the middle of the day. If your entire face feels slick, that's the sign," says Fran Cook Bolden, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist. (Many women with "combination skin" fit into this category, and can treat their oily T-zones accordingly.)

How to Treat It
Fight your natural inclination to cleanse your skin roughly in hopes that this will help clear its surface. Oily skin actually needs a routine that controls oil while preserving the skin's moisture levels. Pick a gel cleanser and follow with a fine-grained exfoliator. In the morning, use sunblock during the summer, or an oil-free lotion the rest of the year. At night, skip moisturizer in favor of a salicylic acid-based spot treatment if your skin is acne-prone. If your skin feels dry, top it off with an oil-free or glycolic acid-based moisturizer.

Mature Skin
How to Tell If This Type Is You
Are you suddenly seeing wrinkles, particularly around your eyes? What about your skin's texture: Does it seem less smooth than it used to? Finally, do you have beauty marks, which look like freckles on your nose but like spots on the rest of your face? If this sounds familiar, it's time to step up your skincare regimen to help keep signs of aging at bay.

How to Treat It
First, choose a cleanser with anti-aging ingredients, such as soy extracts, which feed your skin vital nutrients and can ward off future damage. Next up is an exfoliator, essential for boosting your skin's sluggish cell turnover rate (which in turn will increase smoothness). Finally, your daytime moisturizer must contain sun protection as well as antioxidants. Together, these ingredients help guard against lines and wrinkles. In the evening, you can use a moisturizer with a higher percentage of active ingredients; many are designed to work with the skin's natural ability to repair itself.

How To Have Great Skin

Skin & Hair
Great health is first noticed on the outside of your body with your skin and hair. Learn how to look after your outer nutrition for a healthy glow no matter your age.

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How To Have Great Skin
Great skin is something that nearly everyone can cultivate. Our skin is affected by our:

• Genes
• Inner nutrition - what we eat and drink
• Exercise
• General health and well-being
• Emotional health, and
• Outer nutrition - how we take care of our skin

While we can't alter our genes, we can improve our skin by making the necessary adjustments in the areas we can influence. Read on to discover the basic components of a healthy outer nutritional plan for your skin. If you seriously want great skin the very first thing to do and wear a hat and good quality sunscreen when out in the sunshine. Having said that, let's move on to understand the next three basic foundations to great skin.

If you want your skin to look and feel great, careful cleansing is very important. This should be done first thing in the morning and last thing at night to remove pore-clogging dirt. Don't cleanse enough and you could find yourself prone to spots. Cleanse to often and you could be stripping away essential oils and be susceptible to dry skin or even eczema. Understanding your skin type (normal, dry or oily) and using a cleanser to match is the best foundation for great looking skin. Remember to rinse your face with warm water after using a cleanser, as any residue will continue to work on the skin if not completely removed.

Our grandmothers used soap and water…isn't that good enough? Soap is not very good at removing makeup because it does not contain enough oils to dissolve the staying power that most cosmetics have today. Remember the 'tight' feeling after your have washed your fact with soap? Soap can be very drying on your skin and may wash away essential oils. Another reason not to use soap is that it is not matched to the natural balance of our skin. Soap is generally alkaline, whilst skin is naturally acidic.

The second step to great outer nutrition for your skin is to tone. Toners are designed to remove any last traces of cleanser, while also helping to tighten and refine pores and prevent the build-up of dead skin cells. After toning your skin should fee and look revitalised and refreshed, and ready to be moisturised. Again you will need to apply a toner that matches your skin type.

The third foundation step is to apply moisturiser to help restore the moisture loss caused by the drying effects of sunlight, central heating, wind, cold and pollution. A good daytime moisturiser would contain a sunscreen and will be easily absorbed into the skin. At night you should use a richer, more nourishing cream, as this is when your skin more readily absorbs moisture.

Despite the plethora of products on the market and the myriad of additives…. the most important ingredient of any moisturiser is water! If water is just splashed on the skin it will not say there. Moisturisers are basically oil and water emulsions which contain a humectant (a substance added to another to make it moist), which attracts water and helps 'fix' it in the upper layers of the skin.

Moisture that is lost firm the skin needs to be replaced quickly so that the surface of the skin is kept both soft and smooth. The living cells in the layers need water so that they will not shrivel up and die. A moisturiser can protect the skin by providing a barrier between the skin and the external environment. It also prevents the loss of moisture from the deeper layers of the skin.

Should people who have oily skin use a moisturiser? Moisturisers are particularly recommended for people with dry skin but everyone can benefit from using a moisturiser. You simply need to ensure that you choose the correct moisturiser for your skin type. People with oily skin should choose a moisturiser that hydrates their skin whilst helping absorb any excess oil.

Hand Care Tips

Give your hands enough attention
For many people especially housewives and manual workers, the hands are the most overworked and ill-used part of the body. They are exposed to all kinds of wear and tear: to the effects of temperature and climate: to frequent wetting: to the onslaughts of harsh chemicals: and to the risk of minor injury and subsequent infection. Yet the care of the hands is often completely overlooked until, say, the skin becomes rough and cracked or a nail is broken.
Here are a few simple tips that can make your hands look beautiful.

Washing your hands innumerable times with soap makes your skin lose its moisture. Keep a piece of lemon next to your hand-washing soap. Rub it over your hands at least once a day, before washing. This will help delay the onset of age-spots.

While doing household chores make it a point to wear rubber gloves. It is a good idea to wear cool cotton gloves whenever possible.
Cracking your knuckles can give you wobbly fingers. So stop breaking them unless you want fat fingers, which you think are a turn-on.

Long nails can look very elegant, but only if they are kept clean and in shape. File them regularly with a filer. Dirt in the fingernails can show how clean you are. So if you can’t keep nails clean, keep them short and simple.

Always remember to apply some moisturizer before going to bed.

Exercise and watch your hands turn beautiful
Try this yogic exercise, which is good for your hands - Stretch your fingers wide and clap hard, so that your fingers of both hands are aligned. Like thumb-to-thumb, forefinger-to-forefinger. This increases blood circulation.

Hold both hands in front of you with palms facing inwards, loosen their wrist grip and flap them backwards and forwards. Feel them tingle as the blood rushes to them.

Squeeze the tip of each finger as hard as possible for about five seconds. This also helps in activating blood circulation.

Close your fingers and circle your wrists ten times in each direction.

Take care of your hands before it starts showing that you are really becoming old.

Chapped hands
The repeated use of soap and water damages the top layer of the skin, and can cause excessive scaling, or chapping. When washing hands lukewarm water and the simplest soap should be used. Exposing unprotected hands to bleaches and other kitchen chemicals, and also to shampoos, can aggravate chapping. To For many people especially housewives and manual workers, the hands are the most overworked and ill-used part of the body. They are exposed to all kinds of wear and tear: to the effects of temperature and climate: to frequent wetting: to the onslaughts of harsh chemicals: and to the risk of minor injury and subsequent infection. Yet the care of the hands is often completely overlooked until, say, the skin becomes rough and cracked or a nail is broken.

Eczema
In some extreme instances, chapping can lead to eczema, or inflammation of the skin. Eczema can also affect people who are allergic to certain materials. As the hands are almost always in contact with some material, the condition can persist. One has to see the doctor in this condition.

Warts
Children in particular are affected by warts, which develop on the hands or fingers and are contagious. Most warts disappear spontaneously, as immunity develops, though they persist for a year or more. There is no way of preventing them. If they cause concern a doctor, who can destroy them with corrosive or freezing fluids, should see them.

Nails and their problems
The main function of the fingernails is to protect the sensitive tips of the fingers and concentrate the sense of touch. On average, a nail grows from its base to its top edge in about six months. If nails are not cut they will become split and broken.

Flaking nails
The top layers of nails can separate and start to flake off if they are exposed to too much soap and water or detergent. If flaking occurs, wear plastic gloves when washing dishes or clothes, and massage nail cream into the nail base each day.

Brittle nails
When nails easily crack or break they can be a permanent worry. Weak nails are caused by general ill health or a protein deficiency in the diet. You can increase your nutritional intake by eating more lean meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Brittle nails could also be suffering from extreme dryness and, if this is the case, rub in a nail cream every morning and night and keep the nails fairly short until the condition improves.

Loose nails
The excessive use of nail hardeners containing formaldehyde can cause the nail plate to separate from the nail bed. The space beneath the nail may then become infected, causing discoloration. Loose nails can also accompany diseases such as eczema and psoriasis.

Hang nails
If the nails are frequently immersed in water the outer skin layer may split away from the cuticle. The splits, or hangnails, are painful and can become infected. They can be snipped off with sharp nail scissors. To prevent them occurring the skin should be kept flexible by nightly applications of cold creams

Black nails
A heavy blow on the nail---or jamming it in a door---can cause bleeding under the nail, which eventually fall off. New growth will cure the condition. If the injury is very painful the nail may have to be removed surgically.

Nail Biting
In both adults and children, nail biting is a common habit, sometimes stemming from insecurity, boredom, anxiety or excitement. Excessive nail biting results in very weak nails and in extreme cases, damaged fingers caused by chewing the nail down to the quick---the sensitive skin beneath the nail. The best remedy is often to appeal to the individual’s vanity. Failing this, the person concerned must use willpower to conquer the habit.

Home Manicure
Remove old nail polish with a single stroke by soaking a cotton wool pad with nail polish remover. Wipe away traces of polish around the cuticles stick dipped in remover.
Using an emery board, shape nails lightly, working from both edges towards the center. Avoid moving the board back and forth quickly, which produces heat that dries out the nail and leads to splitting. Try holding the emery board at a single angle under the nail. Don’t file down the sides- the nail tip needs the sides as support, otherwise it will weaken and nicks form.
Apply a cuticle remover around the nail contours. Using the tip of a cuticle stick wrapped in cotton wool, gently push back the skin. Work away dead tissue before carefully passing the stick under cuticles.
Wash your hands in warm soapy water, and brush nails with a soft manicure brush so that polish will adhere to them properly. Pat hands dry with a towel.
If nails are weak, apply a strengthening or hardening product, paying special attention to the tips. Allow to dry.
Apply a protective base coat, covering the entire nail but stopping short of the cuticle.
Apply two coats of polish, starting with a single stroke down the center of the nail, then across the cuticle base and down the two sides without touching the cuticle. Allow each coat to dry.
Finish with a topcoat for extra gloss and the shield against chipping.
For optimum skin and nail health, check that your diet includes plenty of vitamin A, E and B complex, and the minerals calcium, Zinc, magnesium and iodine. If need be, take nail-fortifying vitamin and minerals supplements.

Thirty-minute pedicure
Clean toenails and remove all traces of polish with a conditioning remover, as described for the manicure.
Cut toenails using a nail clipper and file into the desired shape using the rough side of an emerge board. Hold the board slightly angled down over the edge of the nail. Smooth the edges towards the center with a light motion; don’t cut or file them always as this weakens the nail and can lead to in growing toenails.
Lightly massage the nail contours with a cuticle oil or cream.
Place both feet in a bowl of warm water into which you have added a handful of bath salts or a few drops of pure essential oil such as peppermint. Soak feet for five to ten minutes.
Dry feet thoroughly with a towel and apply a drop of cuticle remover to the nail contours. Leave it on for a few minutes while you smooth away any hard skin or cal louses on the soles of your feet using an exfoliating cream. Then gently ’roll’ the cuticles back with a manicure stick covered with cotton wool. Massage hard skin again with the scrub, then rinse off in the warm water.
Rinse your feet in cold water to boost circulation. Dry them again with a towel, paying special attention to the skin between your toes.
Clean your toenails again with a cotton pad soaked in remover to take off any oily film.
If required, apply a hardening formula to the toenails, taking care not to let it touch the cuticle or the surrounding skin.
Apply a base coat, followed by two coats of polish, and finally a topcoat, as described for the manicure. Placing cotton wool between your toes separates them to make applying polish easier.

The cuticles on toenails are so tough, it’s important to work on them with a cuticle remover at least once a month, paying particular attention to the little toe, which usually suffers the most. If you have a dry skin on your feet, the best way to remove it is with a scrub cream, which will leave your feet smoother and well conditioned or best of all, use pumice stone for smoothing those rough patches.

Perfect Lipstick

A slick of color that will make you love your lips. Lipstick has been around for about 5000 years! It's the easiest and quickest way to give your face a focus and create an instant splash of color. A woman can convey her mood status and personality with her choice of lipstick. Yet there is no perfect shade, brand or formula that each woman must follow! The problem is that one woman's treasure is another woman's trash. Your friend's favorite and most flattering lipstick color often won't look the same on you (and voice versa!). With that in mind here we offer you some guidelines, a map as it were in your search for your perfect color!

Kinds of Lipsticks
Sheer lipsticks allow your own lip color to shine through and are there fore more universal (i.e. flattering) than more opaque lipsticks and less likely to overwhelm your features. Sheer formulas have the added bonus of being very moisturizing and lightweight. The downside is that they are not as long wearing as other formulas. Cream lipsticks are the happy medium when it comes to lipstick - they're moist, but they wear longer than sheer lipsticks. The downside is that the cream formulations are more opaque, so you need to be more selective about choosing a color.

Shimmer lipsticks are very long wearing, but are not everyone's cup of tea. Unlike shimmery eye shadow or blush, a shimmer lipstick can be flattering at any age. Their light reflecting quality has the added bonus of making the lips look fuller. The downside is that shimmer formulas look terrible on dry, chapped lips.
Matte lipsticks are the longest wearing formulas. They are a good choice if you are trying to make a bold statement with your lip color. The downside of matte formulas is that they are extremely drying, so should not be worn by anyone with dry, chapped lips.

Selecting A Color
Your lips are the one area of your face where you can really play with color. Traditionally, use deep, rich colors in the winter (burgundy, chocolate, plum, reds), lighter, more pastel tones in the spring (pinks, lavenders), any color in a sheer or glossy formula for summer and warm earth tones for autumn (brown-based mauves, nudes, warm golden reds).

A Few Color Guidelines

• If you are super fair, a little color goes a long way. Stick to nudes, beige tones, light corals, light pinks.The most flattering formula for a super fair complexion is sheer
• If your complexion is medium colored, try a brown-based mauve, sheer berry or spicy brown lipstick. The best formula for medium complexion is cream.
• If your complexion is whitish, you will look great in red, especially) reds with golden undertones (rather than blue). Pink shimmer also looks great. Both color schemes work well in any formula.
• If your complexion is darker colors look best in rich, deep shades Dark burgundy, chocolate, plum in any formula.

Remember that these are just guidelines. You should select lipstick in any formula or color that makes you happy. Lipstick is, after all, a temporary fix. You can always wipe it off and try that new, hopefully perfect shade.

A Slick of Color
Lipsticks in a bullet form are the most popular way to use lip color. Some lipsticks even come with in-built sun protection sunscreens. Another way of applying color is with a lip-gloss. These can be used alone to give your lips an attractive sheen, or over the top of the lipstick to catch the light. Lip liners are used to provide an outline to your lips before applying lipstick; you can also use them over your entire lip for a dark matte effect. However, you may need to add a touch of lip salve (balm) over the top to prevent drying out this delicate area of skin. A slick of color will make you love your lips. The best way to apply lipstick is with a lip brush. A selection of lipstick colors is the key to creating different looks.

For Applying Lipstick
Ensure your lips are soft and supple by smoothing over moisturizer before you start. Prime your lips by smoothing them with foundation, using a make-up sponge so you reach every tiny crevice on the surface.

Dust over the top of the foundation with a light dusting of your usual face powder, to help your lipstick stay for longer. Rest your elbow on a firm surface and carefully draw an outline using a lip pencil, that it does-drag your .Make sure that you warm it slightly in your palm. Start by defining the Cupid's bow on the upper lip, and then draw a neat outline on your lower lip. Finish by completing the edges of the outline to your upper lip.

Use a lip brush to fill in the outline with lipstick, ensuring you reach into every tiny crevice on the surface. Open your mouth to brush the color into the corners of your lips. You'll help your lipstick last longer if you blot over the surface with a tissue. It'll also give an attractive, semi- matte finish to your lips. Reapply to help a longer-Lasting finish.

Golden Rule
Whenever your mouth shows a difference in volume and proportions, the upper lip generally appears thinner than the bottom one. As the bottom lip is your point of reference to balance out the contour of both lips, outlining the upper lip is must. The golden rule when penciling out the upper lip is that the width of the bottom lip should equal in proportion the width of the upper lip, from the pointed side of the cupid bow to the centre slit of the mouth.

Lipstick fixer: First apply a thin layer of lipstick. Then, scoop out a blusher (or eye shadow in a matching shade) with a cotton bud or a lipstick brush before applying it on the lips. Apply a second layer of your lippy and you are ready.

Lipstick Sealer
For the lipstick to stay you can apply lipstick sealer as it seal and holds lipstick. After putting on lipstick simply brush it lightly all over the lipstick and keep lips apart until dry. The lipstick will last longer.

More Lip Tips
Optical lip effect: always remember that what ever the shape and volume of your lips it's always the shape you give your cupid bow that characterizes your point. A rounded cupid gives a fuller more sensual smile while a pointed angular one signs a more assertive outgoing personality.

Avoiding allergens

There are plenty of steps you can take to cut down on allergens in your home. Time to open the windows and get cleaning...

Some basic rules
Take the following immediate actions to cut down on allergens in your home:

• Keep your home dry and well ventilated.
• Open windows regularly and keep vents open, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. A useful guide is to open windows for at least one hour, twice a day.
• However, if you suffer from hay fever, you should keep the windows closed as much as possible during the peak of the pollen season.
• Don't dry clothes indoors, especially in your bedroom or living room.
• If you have central heating, turn it down by a few degrees.
• Increase the ventilation if your home is very humid - a dehumidifier might help.

House dust mites
Household dust is a great breeding ground for house dust mites and may also contain animal dander and mould or mildew spores. There are various ways to keep a lid on house dust mites:

Choose wooden or other hard vinyl floorings instead of carpets, and fit roller blinds, which can be wiped clean, rather than curtains.
Remove cushions, soft toys and other fabric accessories.
Avoid indoor houseplants, as they are also dust traps.
Don't use woollen blankets or feather bedding in your home. Try synthetic pillows and acrylic duvets instead.
If you can, buy a high-filtration vacuum cleaner. Most standard cleaners stir up dust as you clean and release most of the dust back into the air in your home.
Always wipe surfaces with a clean, damp cloth, as dusting will just spread the allergens further.
The most beneficial action you can take is to buy barrier covers for your bedding

The most beneficial action you can take is to buy barrier covers for your bedding. These are designed to prevent house dust mites and their tiny droppings escaping from your pillows, mattresses and duvets. They are made from a soft micro-porous material, which is comfortable to sleep on. And wash your sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases once a week in a hot wash (60°C), then iron your sheets and bedclothes with a hot iron, which will help to kill mites.

If your child is unhappy about giving up soft toys, machine wash them instead in a hot wash once a fortnight. Then place the toys in the freezer for 24 hours after which they should be thoroughly dried.

On a final note, acarosides are chemicals that kill house dust mites. They are expensive and only offer temporary benefit, and the dead mites still have to be removed from carpets and furnishings by intensive vacuuming.

Pets in the home
Another priority is to remove pets from the home. If this is too traumatic, then try the following:

Keep pets outside as much as possible or limit them to one room only, preferably one without carpeting.
Don't allow pets into bedrooms, as dander can remain airborne for long periods. The cat dander allergen can also be carried on clothing to school or work.
Wash your pets regularly - fortnightly if possible.

Female animals produce less allergen and castration will reduce the production of allergen by male cats and dogs.

If you are allergic to cats and are visiting the home of a cat owner, ask them not to dust, sweep or vacuum on the day you arrive. Disturbing the dust could make your allergy worse as stirred-up cat allergen can remain in the air for over 24 hours. You might want to take anti-histamine medication if entering a cat-inhabited home.

Help for Tired Eyes

Wake up your face with our tips for sleepy eyes.
Getting enough sleep? Sure, you may be if you're on vacation, but in everyday life, chances are a busy schedule packed with obligations is taking a chunk out of your rest time. And while you can probably jump-start your mind and body when you're too tired, your eyes don't lie. Red, droopy, dark-circled eyes are a telltale sign of exhaustion, bringing your whole look down a notch. But reviving those tired eyes is as easy as following these simple steps.

Step 1: Ditch the contacts. If you're a regular lens-wearer, you know that contacts can cause eyes to become red and dry on their own. When coupled with too little sleep, the effect can be jarring. So on those tired days, skip the contacts to avoid redness and irritation. Bonus: Glasses help camouflage tired eyes.

Step 2: Give eyes a shot of moisture. A few drops of natural tears (available at drugstores) can lubricate sleepy eyes, giving them the appearance of brightness. Some natural tears even contain an ingredient that constricts blood vessels, "taking the red out."

Step 3: Shadow strategically. Once you've prepped your eyes, play up the awake look with makeup. Think light and bright: That is, use shadows that are light in color and bright with a hint of shimmer. Both qualities help eyes to look awake. Sweep a bone or banana shadow from lashline to browbone, and lightly contour the crease with a medium-toned shade.

Step 4: Line right. Makeup artists use two tricks to make eyes look brighter: navy liner on top lashes, and a nude or white pencil on the lower rim of the eye. Navy liner makes the whites of your eyes look even whiter than they are, and a subtle swipe of white or nude pencil on the lower rim furthers that effect. Tip: Tote along your nude or white pencil for during-the-day touchups.

Step 5: Curl lashes. To really make eyes pop, use an eyelash curler and a curling mascara in tandem. This combo will help lashes sweep up and out, instantly making you look more awake.

Step 6: Pencil in the finishing touch. Take a close look at any photo of a female celebrity who's out for a big event. Her eyes look big and bright, right? Look even closer and you'll see that this is due to a bit of shimmer in the inner corner of the eye-shimmer that reflects against the skin, causing peepers to light up. Get this effect by dotting a white shimmer pencil lightly under the inner corners of your eyes. Use your ring finger to blend lightly.

Tension Headaches Prevention

Although tension headaches cannot be cured, it is possible to prevent future episodes. There are a number of prevention options available.

Medications to prevent tension headaches
Many prescription and over-the-counter medications may be used to prevent tension headaches and stop their progression. Some medications that help reduce the frequency and severity of future tension headaches include:

Antidepressants. Normally prescribed to relieve mental depression, these drugs prevent tension headaches by stabilizing the levels serotonin and other brain chemicals. Commonly prescribed antidepressants include:

Tricyclic antidepressants. These include amitriptyline and nortriptyline. They are commonly used to prevent chronic and episodic tension headaches.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Paroxetine, venlafaxine and fluoxetine are among these. This type of antidepressant is favorable because it often causes fewer side effects than tricyclic antidepressants, but they are usually less effective in preventing tension headaches.

While helpful, antidepressants are not without their risks. Antidepressants can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in some people. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an advisory that people being treated with these drugs should be closely monitored for unusual changes in behavior.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). While they are often used as acute therapy to stop the pain of an existing headache, daily use of NSAIDs may also manage chronic tension headache in many individuals.

Anticonvulsants. These include divalproex and gabapentin. Usually used to control seizures, these medications may also be prescribed to prevent tension headaches.

Muscle relaxants. Tizanidine is an example of a muscle relaxant. In some cases, muscle relaxants are recommended for the prevention of tension headaches.

If you have tension headaches with the features of a migraine, you may benefit from taking beta blockers or calcium channel blockers. These medications are typically used to lower blood pressure and reduce the workload of the heart. Calcium channel blockers also increase the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. These drugs are commonly used to treat migraines, but they can be used alone or in combination with antidepressants to reduce the frequency of tension headaches.

In order for the medications to be effective, you need to take drugs used to reduce the frequency and severity of tension headaches at regular intervals. These medications are not for everyone. They may be right for you if you:

• Experience three or more headaches per week
• Do not find relief from acute or nondrug therapy
• Have headaches lasting longer than three or four hours
• Have severe pain that becomes disabling
• Have severe pain that causes overuse of acute medication

Cannot take acute medication because of unrelated medical conditions
Because preventive medication can take several weeks to build up in the nervous system and take effect, you might not notice improvement for a couple of months or more. Some women may require a combination of medications to achieve the greatest effectiveness.

Other methods to prevent tension headaches
In addition to taking medications, you might be able to reduce the frequency of tension headaches by avoiding factors that trigger them. Identify these triggers by keeping a headache diary for at least two months. To compile this diary, record certain information after each headache occurs, including:

• When the headache occurred
• How severe the headache was
• Where the headache was located
• How long the headache lasted
• What medications you took
• What events occurred prior to the headache
• What you ate 24 hours before the headache occurred
• How your sleep patterns may have changed and how much sleep you have been getting
• How much stress you are experiencing

Lifestyle changes to prevent and relieve tension headaches may help you more than any other preventative measure. Lifestyle-related treatment methods include:

Exercise regularly. You can reduce the frequency and severity of tension headaches with regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming and bicycling. These activities help to relax the muscles and increase the levels of the body's natural stress relievers. Exercise can also relieve the pain of an existing headache. Discuss physical activity with you doctor before starting an exercise routine.

Manage your stress. Stress is a common trigger of tension headaches. You can use a number of relaxation techniques, including deep breathing, yoga and meditation to relieve stress. Organizing daily activities ahead of time can also help. Biofeedback might also be recommended. During this procedure, electronic monitoring devices are used to teach you how to consciously regulate your bodily functions through relaxation or imagery. Behavior therapy may also be used to reduce stress in women with depression or anxiety.

Relax your muscles. Some of those with tension headaches may benefit from relaxing their muscles. Methods used to relieve muscle tension include thermotherapy and cryotherapy. Thermotherapy, or heat therapy, includes the use of heating pads, hot-water bottles, warm compresses, hot towels, and hot baths or showers. Cryotherapy, or cold therapy, includes the use of ice packs and cold showers or baths. Massage therapy for your head, neck and shoulders can also reduce stress and relieve tension.

Improve your posture. Good posture can prevent muscle tension. There are a number of techniques you can use to perfect your posture:

• Hold your shoulders back and head high when standing. Also, pull in your stomach and buttocks and tuck in your chin.
• When sitting, keep your thighs parallel to the ground and do not slump your head forward.
• Avoid sitting, standing or working in one position for an extended period of time.
• Avoid wearing high heels or shoes that do not fit properly.
• Regularly perform stretching and strengthening exercises for your neck and shoulders.
• Place weight on both feet when standing. When standing in place for an extended period of time, elevate one foot on a stool. Change to the other foot periodically.
• When sitting for an extended period of time, use a footstool to elevate your feet. Get up and move around every 30 minutes.
• Sit in straight-back chairs and keep the head supported.
• Avoid carrying shoulder bags or purses weighing more than two pounds (one kilogram).

Other ways to prevent tension headaches include:

• Don't smoke
• Don't drink too much caffeine
• Don't drink alcohol
• Eat a regular, balanced diet
• Maintain a regular sleep pattern and get plenty of sleep and rest
• Keep warm if your headache is triggered by the cold
• Try using a different pillow
• Try sleeping if a different position

When compared to people who do not experience headaches, those with tension headaches are more likely to experience anxiety and depression. These complications, which often result from living with chronic pain, can in turn trigger more headaches. If you are anxious or depressed, you might benefit from counseling or a headache support group.

Tension headaches do tend to come back after they have been treated, but you don't have to dread their return. There are many ways you can prevent the recurrence and reduce the severity of tension headaches. Many useful lifestyle changes, such as exercising and eating regularly, are good for your general health as well..

Sleep Disorders

Insomnia is the inability to sleep for a reasonable amount of time to maintain adequate restfulness. It is the most common type of sleep disorder.

Insomnia is not defined by the total number of hours slept. Most adults require seven to eight hours of sleep a night, but some only need four or five.

According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, about one in three American adults experience insomnia in a given year. About one in 10 American adults experience insomnia that is chronic or severe. Insomnia is more common among women (especially after menopause) and the elderly. About half of people over age 65 have frequent sleep problems.

Many conditions can cause insomnia. Some possible causes of insomnia include:

• Lifestyle factors (e.g., drinking caffeine or alcohol before bedtime)
• Medical conditions (e.g., peptic ulcers)
• Psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression)
• Medications (e.g., antidepressants)
• Other sleep disorders (e.g., sleep apnea)

Symptoms of insomnia may include difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, daytime drowsiness or irritability.
Many people visit their physician with complaints of insomnia. A review of their medical history, a physical examination and details of medications and lifestyle may help pinpoint the cause. Patients should also be evaluated for psychiatric conditions. They may be asked to keep a sleep diary to document sleep patterns and behaviors. In some cases, patients may be referred to a sleep center where sleep is analyzed by sleep disorder professionals. This is usually done to rule out other sleep disorders.

Several approaches may be used to treat insomnia, depending on its cause. Lifestyle changes, such as increased exercise or elimination of alcohol or caffeine, may help the condition. Sedative medications may also be prescribed, although they are not a long-term solution. Some forms of therapy, such as relaxation therapy, may help some patients.

About insomnia
Insomnia is difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, resulting in inadequate length of sleep and/or poor quality of sleep. The disturbances caused by insomnia affect people during their waking hours.

People with insomnia may wake frequently during the night and have difficulty falling back asleep or may wake up too early in the morning. Insomnia is the most common type of sleep disorder.

Sleep requirements differ among individuals. Therefore, insomnia is not defined by how long it takes to fall asleep or the total number of hours spent sleeping. Most adults require seven to eight hours of sleep, but some people need only four to five hours.

Primary insomnia is difficulty with sleep that is diagnosed after other underlying causes (such as medications or diseases) have been either ruled out or treated. Factors such as chronic stress, hyperarousal, poor sleep habits (such as drinking caffeine before sleeping) and behavioral conditioning may contribute to primary insomnia. If insomnia can clearly be attributed to an underlying cause, it is called secondary insomnia. However, when another medical or mental health disorder is also present, it can be difficult to determine whether the insomnia is due to the disorder or if the other disorder is secondary to insomnia. In addition, some people may indicate they have insomnia, although a sleep study shows no sleep disturbances.

Insomnia may be:
Transient. Lasting for a single night to a few weeks. Most people experience transient insomnia at some point in their lives. It is a common response to jet lag or stressful situations, such as job loss or death of a loved one.

Intermittent. Episodes of transient insomnia that occur from time to time.
Chronic. Insomnia occurs on most nights or lasts a month or longer. This is often the result of a medical, neurological or psychiatric disorder or other factors.

Studies have not conclusively proven whether insomnia causes long-term health problems, but some research has shown that insomnia can be linked to problems with immune system functioning and muscle endurance.

According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, about one in three American adults experience insomnia in a given year. About one in 10 American adults experience insomnia that is chronic or severe. Insomnia is more common among women (especially after menopause) and the elderly. About half of people over age 65 have frequent sleep problems.

Children also experience insomnia, for many of the same reasons as adults, such as stress or poor sleep habits. They can also experience insomnia as a result of nightmares and night terrors.

Changes that occur with age and may impact sleep include:
Sleep pattern changes. Sleep becomes less restful after age 50. More time is spent in the earlier, transitional stages of sleep than the later stages (deep sleep). The later stages are the most restful kind of sleep.

Activity changes. Older adults are less active than younger adults and activity helps facilitate a good night’s sleep. Older adults may also have more free time than younger adults and may have habits that interfere with sleep, such as daytime napping and caffeine consumption.

Health changes. Chronic pain conditions that may interfere with sleep, such as arthritis or back problems, occur more frequently with age. Also, sleep disorders that result in insomnia, such as sleep apnea (when breathing stops periodically throughout the night) and restless legs syndrome (unpleasant sensations in the legs during the night), increase with age.

Migraine Overview

It's not pain you're likely to forget if you've ever experienced it. The excruciating throb of a migraine, often accompanied by nausea or sensitivity to light and sound can be brutally painful. As anyone who's suffered a migraine can tell you, these headaches, when left untreated or treated ineffectively, can disrupt every aspect of a person's life, from the ability to work to day-to-day activities and relationships. They can eventually lead to a loss of self-confidence, sense of control and self-esteem.

In the U.S. alone, as many as 28 million women and men-roughly 13 percent of the population-suffer from migraine headaches, according to the American Migraine Study II.

Women experience migraines three times more frequently than men. Researchers have found that migraines have a greater overall impact on the lives of female sufferers, affecting their self-esteem, professional development and family and social life.

What are Migraines?
Migraine is a biologically based disorder. Its symptoms are the result of changes in the brain, not a weakness in character or an inappropriate reaction to stress. For many years, scientists believed migraines were linked to the dilation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. They now believe migraine is caused by inherited abnormalities in certain cells in the brain. People with migraine have an enduring predisposition to attacks triggered by a range of factors. Specific, abnormal genes have been identified for some forms of migraine.

People who get migraine headaches, then, appear to have special sensitivities to various triggers, such as bright lights, odors, stress, weather changes or certain foods and beverages.

If you get a migraine, you may experience an aura 10 to 30 minutes before the attack. An aura may cause the sensation of seeing flashing lights or zigzag lines, or you may temporarily lose vision. Other classic symptoms include speech difficulty, weakness of an arm or leg, tingling of the face or hands and confusion. About 20 percent of migraine victims experience an aura prior to an attack. Even if you don't have an aura, you may experience a variety of vague symptoms beforehand, including mental fuzziness, mood changes, fatigue and unusual retention of fluids.

The pain of a migraine is described as intense, throbbing or pounding and is felt in the forehead, temple, ear, and jaw, around the eye or over the entire head. It may include nausea and vomiting, and can last a few hours, a day, or even up to three or four days.

Migraines can strike as often as several times a week, or as rarely as once every few years. Some women experience migraines at predictable times--near the time that menstruation begins or every Saturday morning after a stressful workweek.

In addition to the classic migraine described above, migraine headaches can take several other forms:

Hemiplegic migraine: Patients with hemiplegic migraine have temporary paralysis on one side of the body, a condition known as hemiplegia. Some people may experience vision problems and vertigo--a feeling that the world is spinning. These symptoms begin 10 to 90 minutes before the onset of headache pain.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine: In ophthalmoplegic migraine, the pain is around the eye and is associated with a droopy eyelid, double vision and other sight problems.

Basilar artery migraine: Basilar artery migraine involves a disturbance of a major brain artery. Preheadache symptoms include vertigo, double vision and poor muscular coordination. This type of migraine occurs primarily in adolescent and young adult women and is often associated with the menstrual cycle.

Status migrainosus: This is a rare and severe type of migraine that can last 72 hours or longer. The pain and nausea are so intense sufferers often must be hospitalized. The use of certain drugs can trigger status migrainosus. Neurologists report that many of their status migrainosus patients were depressed and anxious before they experienced headache attacks.

Headache-free migraine: This type is characterized by such migraine symptoms as visual problems, nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea. Patients, however, do not experience head pain. Headache specialists have suggested that unexplained pain in a particular part of the body, fever and dizziness could also be possible types of headache-free migraine.

Your Nail Problems Solved

We all know that beautiful, strong, well-groomed nails are the finishing touch for a chic look. And they're no problem if you were born with perfect tips.

But for most of us, pesky nail problems make the perfect manicure just out of reach. To help you fix your biggest nail woes and be on your way to gorgeous hands, check out our solutions.

The problem: Your nails break, peel, or just won't grow. The culprit: While the length to which your nails will grow is largely genetic, skipping growth-enhancing nail products can make the problem worse.

The solution: According to Skyy Hadley, manicurist and owner of As U Wish Nail Spa in Hoboken, New Jersey, nails need combination treatment to grow their longest and strongest.

"Use a nail protein for one week, then a nail strengthener the next. Alternating the two will build nail strength," she explains. And, of course, be gentle with your tips: Avoid using them as tools or soaking them in water for too long.

The problem: You have white spots dotting several nails. The culprit: Some attribute these common white spots to calcium deposits or vitamin deficiencies.

But they're more likely caused by "stress, trauma to the nail, too-strong polish, or pregnancy," says Hadley. The solution: The only way to treat the spots: Allow them to grow out. In the meantime, keeping your nails polished will help camouflage the spots.

The problem: Your polish chips as soon as you apply it. The culprit: Oil or other debris left on the nail plate before applying polish. Even the tiniest swipe of moisturizer can cause nail polish to chip and peel.

The solution: Clean the nail plate before applying polish. "Use pure alcohol," suggests Hadley. Or try a nail cleaning product like Seche Prep ($5 for one ounce); both methods cleanse and dehydrate the nail, making polish stick better.

The problem: Your cuticles split and hurt. The culprit: Cutting them! "When you cut your cuticles, you expose them to bacteria and make them likely to split," says Hadley.

What's more, bacteria can cause painful infection. The solution: Lay off the cuticle nippers. To help nurse cut or split cuticles back to health, Hadley suggests applying a conditioning cuticle oil that contains Vitamin E and tea tree oil to soften and heal. Use the oil once or twice a day until cuticles are soft and healthy again.