HEALTHY SKIN

1. Skip the long, steamy showers and opt for shorter, cooler sprays. Long, hot showers strip skin of its moisture and wash away protective oils. So limit showers to 10 minutes and keep the water cool.
2. Check the dryness of your skin by scratching a small area on your arm or leg with your fingernail. If it leaves a white mark, your skin is indeed dry and needs both moisture and exfoliation (i.e., removal of the outermost layer of dead skin cells).
3. Treat your neck and chest like an extension of your face. Your neck and upper chest area is covered by very sensitive skin, making it a prime spot for telltale signs of aging such as dryness, sun spots and wrinkles. To keep this area youthful, use facial cleansing creams that hydrate and cleanse gently rather than deodorant soaps, which can be drying. Top it all off with a good facial moisturizing cream. If this area is extra dry, use a facial moisturizing mask twice a month.
4. Run a humidifier every night to moisturize the air in your bedroom. Not only will it ease itchy, dry skin, you’ll be able to breathe the moist air more easily.
5. Keep your beauty products clean and simple, particularly if you have sensitive skin. Stay away from products with colour, fragrance, or those that produce bubbles or have “antibacterial” on the label. These can all irritate skin.
6. For soft, young-looking hands and feet, slather on moisturizing cream and then slip on thin fabric socks and gloves while you sleep.
7. Tone your skin with a sage, peppermint and witch hazel combination. Sage helps to control oil, peppermint creates a cool tingle and witch hazel helps restore the skin’s protective layer. Combine 4 ounces of witch hazel with 1 teaspoon each of sage and peppermint leaves and steep for one to three days before applying to your skin.
8. Use a loofah daily to keep ingrown hairs and scaly skin under control. While in the shower, gently scrub bumpy or scaly skin with a circular motion to remove dead cells. For extra-smooth skin, sprinkle a few drops of an alpha-hydroxy product on the loofah before scrubbing.
9. Use unscented baby powder to keep areas where skin meets skin—like the inner thighs, underarms, beneath large breasts—clean and dry. This is important to prevent a common skin condition called intertrigo, which occurs when such areas remain moist, fostering the growth of bacteria or fungi.
10. If you’re gearing up for a day in the sun, steer clear of scented lotions and perfumes. Scented products can lead to blotchy skin when exposed to the sun.
11. Smooth aloe vera gel over extra-dry skin. The acids in aloe eat away dead skin cells and speed up the healing process. Cut off an end of an aloe leaf, split open, and spread the gel on the dry area.
12. Plunk your rough, dry elbows into grapefruit halves. First exfoliate your elbows in your bath or shower, then cut a grapefruit in half and rest one elbow on each half, letting them soak for 15 minutes. The acid in the grapefruit provides extra smoothing power.
13. Go for a run, ride your bike, work out in the garden on a hot day—anything that gets you sweating. Sweating is nature’s way of eliminating toxic chemicals that can build up under skin. Plus, regular exercise maintains healthy circulation and blood flow throughout your body, including your skin. If you’re exercising outdoors, though, remember to wear a sunscreen on your face that protects against UVA and UVB rays, or a moisturizer with sunscreen protection.
14. Switch moisturizers every time the seasons change. Your skin needs more moisture in the winter than in the summer. So the same day you bring those sweaters down from the attic for the winter, buy a heavier moisturizer. When you trade in the sweaters for shorts, switch to a lighter one.
15. Avoid these three skin destroyers: Smoking, tanning salons and sunbathing. All three will age your skin prematurely.
16. For double skin protection, apply a cream containing vitamin C to your face over your sunblock. The cream helps prevent facial skin damage, dehydration and wrinkles. Also try skin creams containing vitamin E or beta-carotene.
17. Use a spritzer with rose, sandalwood or bergamot essential oils mixed with water. These oils are great for hydrating the skin. To create a herbal spritzer, mix a few drops of essential oil with water in a small spray bottle and spritz on your face whenever your skin needs a little boost. Your skin is more pliable when it’s hydrated, so a spray helps stave off frown lines and general movement wrinkles. The hydrator also keeps pollutants out and keeps your skin’s natural lubricants in. An added bonus: Your makeup will stay on longer and look more natural.
18. Clean your face and neck with a natural cold cream and follow with a rosewater and glycerin rinse twice a day to remove skin-damaging pollutants.
19. Keep your hands off your face! Because your hands touch so many surfaces, they are a magnet for dirt and germs. Rub your eyes, stroke your chin, cup your cheek and you’ve transferred everything on your hands to your face.
20. Stop with one glass of wine or one alcoholic drink. Overdoing it enlarges the blood vessels near the surface of your facial skin.
21. Never rub your eyes—apply compresses instead. The skin on your face is extremely delicate, especially under your eyes. So use a very light touch on your face at all times. If your eyes itch, apply a cold compress or washcloth to the area, or try a cotton pad moistened with toner or witch hazel.

GLITTER MAKEUP

Glitter  adds a touch of glamour to any make-up. Glitter cosmetics are any type of makeup products that contain glitter; this can be everything from lipstick to eyeliner to body glitter. Some have large, noticeable pieces of glitter in them, while others just provide a light shimmer. The type of glitter cosmetics that an individual chooses to wear largely depends on the look desired, as well as a person's age. Kids and teens, for example, are big fans of over-the-top glittery cosmetics that provide a lot of sparkle, while older women might only want a little extra shimmer in a bronzer or eyeshadow to make the face look brighter.

Lipsticks and eyeshadows are some of the most popular types of glitter cosmetics. Eyeshadow for teens, or to be worn at special events, might have large pieces of glitter in it, but there are many different types of eyeshadow that just have tiny reflective particles that add a bit of shimmer. These can really make the eyes pop, and look bigger and brighter. Glitter eyeliner can have a similar effect as well. Glittery lip gloss, worn on its own, or over the top of a darker lipstick, can also make the lips look shimmery and bright. Adults typically do not wear glittery lip gloss, but again, there are some more subtle options that add a bit of brightness and shimmer.

Bronzer and blush are other types of glitter cosmetics that often include light reflecting particles to make the face look brighter and more awake. Foundation or concealer are two types of cosmetics that typically do not include glitter. For those looking for a more dramatic look, such as for stage makeup or another type of special event, there is dedicated glitter makeup that can be smoothed over the skin in a similar way to foundation, but this is not a product that would be worn on an everyday basis. This is often referred to as body glitter, and is typically sold in a small jar or tub.

 

It is important to always remove glitter cosmetics at the end of the day; the makeup can clog the pores if it is left on the skin, or it can cause extreme eye irritation if eyeshadow or eyeliner is not removed and glitter gets in the eyes.

LASER TREATMENT: AGE SPOTS and SKIN REJUVENATION



Laser Treatment



As we age, the damage to our skin often becomes increasingly more prominent. Some of this damage is simply a natural effect of aging, while some is caused by too much exposure to the sun’s harmful rays.Sunspots are commonly caused due to over exposure of skin to the harmful sun-rays. Also known as age spots, these are tiny spots, usually whitish or brownish in color. These might appear in cluster or alone on the over exposed areas of your skin. While lesser exposure can just lead to suntan, over exposure or repeated exposure to sun-rays can lead to formation of brown or white spots on skin. Though these are very common in people over 35, depending upon the type of skin and the amount of exposure to sun-rays, these also appear in younger people. Unprotected skin is most susceptible to this and many other skin disorders caused due to sun-rays. Opting for the best treatment is essential to refinish your skin and protect it from further damage. For those individuals who want to turn back the hands of time and achieve an even, more youthful complexion, skin laser treatment may be the answer.

Skin laser treatment is offered by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and other skincare professionals. When done by an experienced professional, the success rate of the treatment is very high – and the risk of complications, very low. Patients can also expect very minimal pain during the outpatient procedure and little to no recovery time.

How it Works

Your skincare specialist will use a handheld tool that emits lasers over the treatment area. The lasers penetrate the skin to increase collagen production and eliminate skin discoloration, fine lines and wrinkles. The length of the skin laser treatment depends on the size of the area being treated, but often takes less than one hour. In most cases, however, more than one treatment is necessary to remove the sun and age spots entirely. These treatments are usually scheduled within three to five weeks of each other. But because the treatments produce permanent results, you won’t need to repeat the treatments on a regular basis unless future spots develop.

 

 

Treatment Areas

Typically, laser treatments are performed on those parts of the body that are exposed to sunlight, and are, therefore, susceptible to damage. Areas of the body where laser treatment is typically performed includes the face, neck, hands, upper back and chest.

BEDROOM IDEAS: COLOR, STYLE AND DESIGN

Looking to decorate your bedroom? Here you will find some gorgeous, stylish bedroom design ideas which are in different styles and colors.

I hope these pictures inspire you before you make a decision.

 

Which one would you choose? ;)

EXTREME EYELINER: Amy Winehouse' Winged Eyeliner



Winged Eyeliner of Amy Winehouse



Amy Winehouse (R.I.P.) had a pin-up make-up style: Lots of black and red... and a winged eyeliner.

A bold red pout competes with the eye. The result is done up and dramatic.

The Amy Winehouse "winged" eyeliner has inspired a thousand magazine covers. Karl Lagerfeld once described Amy Winehouse as a style icon. Indeed her vintage-inspired dress sense, beehived hair and winged eyeliner were certainly replicated worldwide by adoring fans, designers, stylists, makeup artists and fashionistas alike.

    

A Style Icon

Amy made her bold beehive hairdo and exaggerated winged eyeliner her trademark style and a whole generation of young girls followed suit. All the Amy Winehouse essentials - amazingly big hair, winged eyeliner & a bit of retro.

And here is how to wing your eyeliner:

What you will need:

- A liquid eyeliner

 

- Or a gel eyeliner and an eyeliner brush

 

-Or a liquid pen

 

So, now a bit of a demonstration. I'm sure there are many other ways to achieve this but this is just my technique. Don't try to do the whole thing all in one sweep without lifting your brush as you'll lose all precision. I break it down into three steps which I've shown below:

Step 1. Draw a thin line close to your eyelashes. Don't worry about any wing just yet. This line also doesn't need to be overly neat as we'll be going over it again later anyway. It's really important to tilt your head backwards when doing liner because you need your eyelid to be as flat and smooth as possible so that you get a nice fluid line.

Step 2. Draw in the outer line of your wing. This should generally angle upwards in the same direction as your lower lash line. Just imagine that your lower lash line is continuing on upwards. If you have a hooded eye, however, you may need to angle your liner slightly more outwards in order to avoid the hooded area. The length of your wing is down to personal preference. If you want a dramatic liner make the wing longer and make it shorter for a more subtle one.

Step 3. Now you need to connect the wing back to the line along your eyelashes. I've mapped it out here in red. Don't start at the very tip of  your wing. Leave the very top of it alone as that part should be left extremely fine. Now connect the wing back down along your eye, gradually making it thinner as you reach the inner corner of your eye. So it should be thicker on the outer part of your eye and thinner towards the inner corner.


 







That's it! If you need to go over it again to fix any lumps or bumps or to thicken it then you can. Now you just need to line your waterline if you want to and apply your mascara and you're done!

GOLDEN TIPS

-Always start from the inside and stroke outward in one fell swoop. Don’t try to do it in portions, just go for it–it’s silly, but it’s all about believing in yourself.

-When you get to the end of the lashes, go slightly upward. Remember, the more drama you want, the more distinct the angle should be.

- If you mess up at the end, don’t fret, just use a cue tip or tissue with a bit of gentle lotion or makeup remover to remove the wing. Then just try again. If the whole line is a mess, wipe it all off and start all over.

Amy's eyeliner is a a bit more exaggerated... When you look at the pictures, you will see that amy's eyeliner covers almost all of her eyelids then angles up as it's going outward. 

In this picture she is using RIMMEL Exaggerate eyeliner:

Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner