Monday, August 10, 2009

Pluck them off!

Well groomed eyebrows – rather well plucked eyebrows, that’s what all fashion conscious ladies desire of. There are many a tips which can be followed to have eyebrows which are well groomed. Tweezing the eyebrows has been of late quite a hot trend and thus many professionals are coming out with eyebrow boutiques all across. If you are tweezing your eyebrows for the first time, get it done by a professional, such that you get a blueprint of what the shape should be like.
Some tips to follow for tweezing your eyebrows –
1. Do not commit a mistake by tweezing too much. It really takes long stretches to get back over plucked eye brows. Follow this simple trick – the space in between your brows should be similar or a little wider than your eyes. To find where your brow should go, take a long eye shadow brush or pencil and hold it parallel to the side of your nose. Where the brush meets your brow is where your brow should begin.
2. To determine the end of your eye brow, the brush should be extended diagonally from the side of your nostrils, whereby you are advised to follow the outside edge of your eye towards the brow. The place where the inside edge of your brush hits – that’s where you should mark an end to your brows.
3. There is a shape of a slight arch – in the best of the eyebrows. To make an arch, you should hold your brush parallel to the outside edge of the colored part of your eye (the iris). The place at which the brush meets the brow, that’s exactly where you should have the highest part of your eye brow.
4. You skin should be cleansed properly. If you can exfoliate with a gentle scrub, the area becomes quite soft and apt for tweezing the eyebrows. Are you doing it for the first time? Worried if it shall cause pain? Go to an expert and your tension shall be eased out.
5. Always take a good pair of tweezers having a slanted edge.
6. Make sure that you are standing or sitting in front of a mirror, to give you an elaborate view of how the eyebrows are being tweezed. There should be ample light falling on your face to give a clearer view.
7. Always keep in mind that you have to pluck the brow hairs in the direction in which they are growing. The tactic is – not to take out too many hairs at one go. Also, you can hold the skin taut as you pluck your eyebrows.
8. A myth exists that eyebrows should never be tweezed from an upper area. There is a inhibit wish that the bottom and the top should be smooth while plucking your eyebrows. Thus, make sure you tweeze both the – upper area as well as the lower portion.
9. If you are done with plucking your eyebrows, apply some aloe vera gel – that will readily calm the redness in that area.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Identify good and bad carbohydrate

As the name suggests South Beach Diet helps you sliming down and lowering the risk of your heart attack. There is a common notion that carbohydrates is the main culprit of fat accumulation of body. But in reality carbohydrates are good for health and intake of good carbohydrate only enhances in making the body healthy and sound. But the problem is we never knew about good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates. This is the point from where South Beach Diet starts working. The diet plan is not only a low carbohydrate diet, but helps the dieters in understanding the difference between good and bad carbohydrate.

The brain child behind South Beach Diet

This effective diet plan is designed by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston and Marie Almon, the dietitian. The diet is considered to be low fat approach. The most important part is the dieters can lose weight without hampering the nutritional requirement of body. South Beach Diet is based on Glycemic Index means that the foods are ranked as per the level of glycemic.

Know good carbohydrate and bad carbohydrate

Thus, from the above discussion it is clear that South Beach Diet insists on striking a healthy balance between fats and carbohydrates. Thus, foods with bad carbohydrates are strictly prohibited in this diet that includes baked goods, soft drinks and different types of sweets. With minimizing the intake of bad carbohydrates your body will experience better metabolize what you eat and resist the improvement of insulin resulting in weight loss.

How South Beach Diet work?

The diet is divided into three phase. Each phase concentrates on relaxing the dieter in terms of what one can eat and cannot eat. Thus, this will result in losing weight in faster rate at earlier phase compared to later phase. But the point is no person on this earth wants to be on strict diet, throughout his or her life. Thus, this becomes the main reason why most of the diet fails to work. In order to gain a healthy body the dieter thus moves to different phases. The phases are the basis of South Beach Diet.

The three phases of South Beach Diet

South Beach Diet Phase 1: The first phase is the most strict phase of diet. The phase strictly insists on having taking six meals throughout the day. But the food must have low fats and low Glycemic index to control the blood sugar level. The phase continues for 2 weeks.

South Beach Diet Phase 2: In this phase the intake of healthy carbohydrates are slowly introduced like fruit and whole grain bread. Glycemic index is used in picking low carbohydrate food and how it affects in blood sugar level. The phase depends on ability to monitor weight and body reaction after intake of carbohydrate enriched food.

South Beach Diet Phase 3: This phase continues with the rest of your life. The phase insist on providing a plan that the cravings for bad foods will go forever and help in attaining your ideal weight.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Sweating out in warm

The weather plays a pivotal role in making our life healthy. In many countries people eagerly wait for summer weathers, If you are one of them and intends to exercise on warm weather remember there are some risks involved in the same. You might suffer from heat exhaustion and if not acted on time heat stroke might affect your health. But if you follow some simple and easy tips your warm weather exercise will turn into healthy and nice experience.

  • Water, water and water: Staying hydrated in warm weather is the first weapon to combat heat. Thus, increase the intake of water before, during and after work outs. This will ensure that body will be getting the right amount water to continue with the activities. In order to fight dehydration, it is important to know some of the signs and symptoms like fatigue, flushed skin, heat tolerance and difficulty in swallowing. Keep yourself updated about humidity and temperature and adjust the intensity and time. In warm weather, the best time for exercise is either at morning and dusk.
  • Wear loose and light colored clothes: Wear natural fabric and loose fitted clothes so that air passes and skin breathes naturally. If the temperature gets worse, make sure go for indoor work out and enjoy weight training exercise. Go for stretch exercise and give a nice relief to your hamstringing.
  • Carry proper protection: Make sure that you carry sunscreen and large hats as a protection from heat. You can wear them during the exercise or while returning to home. But if you see that heat is too much it is advisable not to go for outside exercise.
  • Develop compatibility with warm weather: The most interesting part about human body, it can develop to the surrounding environment, if provided proper time. Thus, in oder to continue enjoying benefit of exercise in warm weather provide your body with time say two weeks will be enough. Begin with less number of exercise activities and then continue increasing it. Thus, the body gradually develops with time in adapting with the changing environment.
  • Maintain salt level of body: During warm weather, the body loses its natural salt that might result in different types of problems. In extreme cases, you might suffer from heat strokes. At present there are different types of electrolytes are available. Choose the best one or the one that suits you and continue exercising.
  • Exercise with heart rate monitor: Over exposure of heat to the body will only lead to disastrous results. Thus, it would be sensible if you make sure that you exercise with heart rate monitor to keep an eye on the changes on heart.

Way to long healthy life

Macrobiotic diet is a part of Eastern philosophy of Great Life or macrobiotics. The diet was designed by Japanese educator George Ohsawa. He believed that the key to healthy and optimal life is nothing but simplicity. This diet is very interesting in the sense that it includes ten progressive restrictive stages, where in the last stage the dieter is instructed only to take brown rice and water. Since, macrobiotic diet comes with extreme restriction, this version of diet is not recommended.

Evolution of macrobiotic diet

The concept of macrobiotic diet is good for health, thereby making an evolution and the concept got expanded. Michio Khushi was the man who expanded this theory and along with his wife Aveline popularized this macrobiotic diet across North America.

Why macrobiotic diet?

If you want to opt for healthy eating habit that would integrate spiritual, planetary and physical health, seek the help of macrobiotic diet. This diet consist of high fiber and low diet emphasizing on vegetarian diet like vegetables and wholegrain Soy products are also included thereby making it enriched with phytoestrogen. This kind of diet is also recommended for chronic and cancer disease and helps in reducing the risk of estrogen-linked cancer like breast cancer. Research are being conducted to find out that whether this diet is effective in preventing and treating cancer or not.

Few guidelines of macrobiotic diet

  • Include lots of whole grains and try to include at least 50 to 60 % of your entire meal. Thus,ensure intake whole wheat berries, brown rice, millet, corn, buckwheat, rye and other types of whole grain. You can consume occasionally different flour products like noodles, oats, pasta and baked goods.
  • Soups are very important and make sure that one or two bowls of soup are included. Shoyu and miso must be used in soups made from fermented soybeans.
  • In macrobiotic diet fresh green vegetables makes up to 25 to 30% of food intake. Of this proportion one-third of vegetables can be consumed raw. Whereas on the other hand vegetables can be consumed after steaming, baking, boiling or saute.
  • In the expanded form of macrobiotic diet animal products are also included but only limited to the consumption of white meat like fish and chicken. Other animals products includes poultry, eggs, meat, dairy are generally avoided. Seafood or fish are consumed with horseradish, ginger, wasbi, mustard in order to help the body in detoxifying from the effects of seafood or fish.
  • If you have sweet tooth, then you can rejoice as macrobiotic diet allows intake of sweets in moderate level. If you are in good healthy you can enjoy them three times in a week. But it is advisable to consume natural sweet foods like squash, apple, dried fruit. You must avoid honey, sugar, molasses, carob, chocolate and other sweeteners.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Salty bath to nourish and refresh you!

Epsom Salt is very easy to use and comes at an affordable range. It is a very good home beauty treatment. The most natural product for beauty conscious people – Epsom Salt is a perfect solution for people who desire natural remedies.
From ancient times, Epsom Salt had its use as a laxative mostly. But, now it’s not the case. It is a mineral compound, (chemically Magnesium Sulfate), that gets absorbed in the skin easily and has a lot of advantages of giving a healthy and beautiful solution to the skin. Majorly, Epsom Salt comes naturally, but sometimes we do buy it from shops and that are manufactured ones. To be elaborate, Epsom Salt has a pure and healing characteristic.

There is a council of Epsom Salt – known as the Epsom Salt Council. They have various advantages attached –

1. It gives a softening touch to the skin and exfoliates your skin
2. The magnesium component solves varied purposes –

  • Ease stress
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Create happy, relaxed feeling
  • Raises energy levels


If Epsom Salt is mixed with a deep conditioner, it will add volume and bounce to your hair. The magnesium levels in your body get augmented if Epsom salt is dissolved in bath water.

Researches have proved that easing out the stress in the body is done in a number of ways which includes –

1. The level of serotonin (a mood-elevating chemical) within the brain is raised, which makes you feel more relaxed and you feel better off.
2. The excess levels of adrenaline which is caused by pressure and stress is offset; the magnesium ions make you relaxed (as already stated) and lessens the irritability.
3. The electrical functions that get directed by nerves are well regulated.
4. The blood pressure is lowered.

Epsom Salt has various usages –

1. Acts a relaxing soak – Water in a standard-sized bathtub - add two cups of Epsom Salt in it and let it soak for minimum 12 minutes. Practice this three times in a week. To get a refreshing scent, you have to add few drops of eucalyptus oil – that will be quite refreshing an aroma.

2. Acts as an exfoliater – 2 cups of Epsom Salt should be mixed with 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly and few drops of lavender essential oil. The mixture should be used to scrub away dry patches on the skin. Do that gently.

3. Can be used as a component in facial – Add 1/2 tsp of Epsom Salt in cleansing cream to do a deep-pore cleansing. Massage it on the skin and rinse off with cool water. Pat it dry afterwards.

4. Used in Spa treatment – After taking a shower, massage a handful of Epsom Salt on the wet skin for exfoliating your body. The same procedure is used in many spas. And they charge quite an upscale price for the same. Do this simple method at home all by yourself.

5. Can be used as bath crystals – Two cups of Epsom Salt should be mixed with few drops of fragrance for creating a bath crystal. On that, add few drops of food coloring or 1/2 tsp of glycerin, whichever you like. Always make sure that you store it in an air-tight container.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Yes... You can do it!

There are so many things you like to do in life. Very few of them are performed properly. One of the main thing which you usually wish to include in life is the weight loss program. This is actually a global issue and almost every men and women want to get rid of the excess kilos. Proper weight loss motivation can lead you to a long way and you'll be able to win over the fatty bulky look. So, get ready for enjoying a well- maintained figure. Follow the below guidelines and get more motivation to loose your weight.

Weight loss motivation tips

  • The first thing you should have is the desire to shed some weight. Ask yourself how much you're willing to loose the weight. Avoid eating high calorie food and give more priority to your weight loss program. Analyze your lifestyle and sought out the reason why you want to loose those kilos.
  • A simple way to stimulate your desire is to imagine the future with a perfect body type. Think how people would appreciate for losing your weight, how you would appear after wearing the stylish dresses. You can wear any trendy collection and thereby, improve your beauty in great extent.
  • If you really want to get some motivation, then choose a remarkable date of your life. Such as, target your birthday, valentine's day, wedding anniversary, birthday of your beloved, etc. Now set your mind and challenge yourself. Make a strong determination and stay confident about getting a slim-trim body within that special day.
  • Promise yourself for a treat. It will greatly boost your weight loss motivation. Say yourself that after reaching the target, you will give yourself a fantastic treat. Step by step, try to catch your goal. After each success, gift yourself any non-food item. In this way, you will easily become motivated for the task.
  • Are you scared of your picture in a swimming costume? The heavy, curvy body structure may disappoint you. Try to apply this negative factor in favor of you. Gradually it will start inspiring you for getting a well-shaped body. You will begin to realize that you also have the right to look fabulous in such kind of sexy swimming suit.
  • Use your subconscious mind and encourage loosing extra weight. Hypnosis is a scientific way to treat your mind. Incorporate some motivating tapes and send the right message to your brain. This will greatly motivate you.
  • You can inspire yourself by reading the weight loss stories of many people. Some health magazines may guide you in this regard. Know about those people who have got huge success in loosing their weight. Boost your confidence level and stay motivated.
  • Association helps in great way to stick to a certain goal. Interact with other people who are going through the same program. Together practice with lots of exercises can help you to cope with the situation.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Let your eyes speak!

Eyes, no, doubt, does a lot of speaking even if you do not speak verbally. Eyebrows, on the other hand, add strength and provide more definition to your face. Eyebrows which are groomed properly do enhance your beauty. Beautiful eyebrows make the facial structure more prominent. To have beautiful eyebrows, you should pluck your eyebrows just before you go to bed such that the redness tends to disappear during the sleeping hours of the night. Make sure that you know your facial features well to have beautiful eyebrows.

Tips for having beautiful eyebrows

  • A pair of slant edged tweezers should be used such that the hairs can be gripped easily. Comb your hair in a manner in one direction and then in the opposite direction to let go of the loose hairs.
  • The hairs should be plucked between the brow area as well. Never try to remove the hairs from the area just above your eyebrows.
  • Each hair should be plucked individually that appears close to the roots. Work in a manner which goes in the same direction as the hair growth.
  • Do not over pluck. To define the eyebrows, use a color which is same as that of your natural hair colour.
  • Apply the brow pencil with small, feathered strokes. Starting from inside, you should work outwards while defining the eyebrows.
  • Blend the colour with a brush. To tame stray hairs just use hair gel and comb through to neaten.

To get beautiful eyebrows is one important makeup trick that one should know from the onset. There are many women who tend to overlook the beauty of their eyebrows, or there are others who over-pluck them, making it worse.

Which is the best Eyebrow color?
Either an eyebrow pencil or an eyebrow powder can be used to have definitive beautiful eyebrows. The process of applying the eyebrow powder goes like this – apply it with an eyebrow brush, dust it through the eyebrows and make sure you do not let it spread on the surrounding skin area. In a way, this is bound to give you a natural matte finish but requires a little blending properly. As we discussed, the alternate tool to define the eyebrows is the well-sharpened eyebrow pencil. Try to put on an effect which is natural and avoid a fake look.

Quick tips for beautiful eyebrows –
One should remain careful about two things – the distance between the eyebrows and the length of the eyebrows.

  • Always pluck your eyebrows in between, avoiding plucking them from above.
  • Visit a professional, if you are plucking your eyebrows for the first time.
  • If the top area looks messy, wax it off.
  • Keep it simple and clean always!

Go to the kitchen for your hair!

What type of a hair you have? Is it dry, brittle or oily? How is the color? Does it look dull and has no shine? Usually the hair care products in the market inflict more damage to the hair than actually doing some good. Try to treat your hair naturally all by yourself. Use natural beauty care ingredients that you can easily find in your kitchen.

The Cholesterol treatment for problem hair –

Usually cholesterol hair conditioners have a good component named as alcohol. Alcohol is that component which makes your hair drier. Try out this method to treat your hair with a cholesterol conditioner at home itself.

1. Take an entire cup of mayonnaise, some plastic food wrap and put a couple of towels in the drier on high.
2. Apply the mayonnaise in your hair, massage it on the scalp and also the roots; bring it towards the ends as well and coat it well. Put up the hair on top of your head.
3. Take the pre-heated towel from the dryer and put it around your head over the saran wrap. The hair will get deeply conditioned. Keep it for 10 minutes and then change over again to another heated towel and again follow the same procedure.
4. After following this method, take off the towel and do the usual shampooing. This will surely make your hair more soft and shiny and that too naturally.
Note – Doing it once a month will help.

Natural solution for oily hair –
Daily shampoo your hair to keep it free from grease and oil if your scalp and hair is too oily. Take some corn starch in a dish and put a brush in it. With the help of a comb, part your hair in a manner that you can apply the corn starch on your scalp and also the roots. The corn starch soaks up the oil in only about 10 minutes.

Want a natural color for your hair?

If you desire for natural color, make sure you know the following natural tips –
Boil water and in a piece of doubled cheesecloth, add the following:
For a brunette look : fresh rosemary sprigs
For blonde look : A handful of dried chamomile
For the orange tone : A chopped-up carrot
For the berry tone : A chopped up beet
Now you shall have to tie the ingredients in the cheesecloth and put it in the boiling water, remove from heat and let it remain for 10 minutes.

Stay on Healthy Diet Zone

The Zone- Wondering what is it? It is a kind of diet that helps in maintaining your desired weight by consuming a well planned diet. The meal is prepared in such a way that the hormonal balance is maintained in a right way. The diet is designed in such a manner that body gets the entire nutrition but controlling the insulin production of the body. Say good bye to hard and strict diet as Zone's Diet allows you to have meal you like or snacks you prefer.

Know more about Zone's Diet

So what is the food plan of Zone's diet? Here comes: 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, 30% proteins. Thus lose weight while eating happily. The benefits of Zone's diet is not limited to losing weight only. If you suffer from diabetics, cardiovascular sickness, different types of chronic ailments, you can follow Zone's diet. For different types of problems Zone recommends different kind of recipes and if you stay on Zone's diet you will improve your health drastically.

The Zone Diet strictly prohibits the dieters to consume meal below 500 calories or a snack up to 100 calorie. Thus, the dieters enjoy load of benefit if they stick with Zone's diet like improved energy and health followed by mental clarity. If you are suffering from Type II diabetics, Zone's Diet proves to be quite beneficial. With low carbohydrate and high protein diet it reduces the dieter's hunger and eating compulsion. The amount of consumption varies from person to person depending on several factors like gender, the level of activity and the proportion of fat in body. But the basic calculation of meal remains all same 40-30-30 ratio. Thus, you might be wondering what are the food ingredient included in this Zone's Diet?

Fresh vegetables, nuts and fruits, green leafy vegetables, adequate consumption of protein followed by intake of eight glasses of water. And remember processed foods and meals with extra salt are strictly prohibited.

How you lose weight with Zone's Diet?

The body produces too much insulin if one consumes too much carbohydrates. The insulin in turn asks the body to accumulate the consumed nutrients. This insulin overload asks the body to turn those carbohydrates to fat and store in different parts of the body like thighs, gut and buttocks. But protein acts in contradictory with that as it instructs the body to allow the carbohydrates to go and stock in liver. Thus, Zone's diet asks in limiting the different types of carbohydrates and gradually balancing them with few ounces of low protein with each small meal. This results in balanced insulin and controlling hunger with limited number of calories. So, what is the end result? Lose weight and cutting out those extra flabs.

Fragrance for your Hair?

Is there anyone who doesn’t want to gather more attention? Turning few more heads towards you is becoming easier everyday with the quantum of cosmetic products available in the market. A sweet fragrance from your hair – how does that sound? A simple whiff of air can do it all. You have been probably taking good care of the hair falling over your shoulders. Give some extra attention and you shall surely gather extra attention. It hardly takes few minutes to prepare homemade hair perfume recipes. What are you waiting for then?

The usual way to make hair perfume is to make a thick paste of the few natural powders and essential oils. The process is like – you have to heat the mixture over a water bath. After which, they should be made into little cones and let it dry. Wondering how to apply it? You have to lit the dried cone and smoke it through your damp hair. The ingredients to make the cone are cited as follows –

1. 6 tablespoons powdered charcoal
2. 5 tablespoons powdered myrrh
3. 1 tablespoon powdered benzoin
4. 1 tablespoon potassium nitrate
5. 2-3 drops oil of bergamot
6. 2-3 drops of sandalwood
7. mucilage of tragacanth

The powders should all be mixed well together and then the oils should be added. To make a stiff paste, add potassium nitrate and sufficient mucilage of tragacanth after that. The smell out of this is truly aromatic and exotic. And it can be used best when the hair is half dry.

You can also prepare conditioners at home with the help of essential oils which give you exotic and aromatic fragrances. They easily soothe your mind and make you relaxed.

Saffron Conditioner
1. Saffron strands should be boiled in water
2. Let it cool and add lime with one tbsp of honey in it
3. Rub the paste and let it seep through your scalp
4. Let it remain for 15 minutes
5. Should be lastly rinsed with water


Avocado Conditioner
1. 4 tsp of avocado along with 2 tsp of coconut oil should be heated
2. Let it cool
3. Stir it thoroughly by adding 3 tsp of honey and 1tsp of cider vinegar
4. Massage the paste on your scalp after shampooing your hair
5. Let it remain on your scalp for about 15 minutes
6. Rinse off with water

Scented Gels
Scented gels also add freshness to the hair, which can again be prepared at home.

1. Boil 2 tablespoons of flax seed
2. Cool it for half an hour and add 2 drops of scented oil
3. Apply as a gel

Ways to add scent to your hair and keeping it healthy –

1. Go for regular washing of the hair, keep it clean
2. Massage the scalp with natural oils that are gentle
3. Do not scratch your scalp
4. Leave your hair open, it shall remain fresh
5. Use natural conditioners and that shall give a natural bounce and health to your hair

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Is this the right soap for you?

Soaps are the most important part of our health and hygiene. At present the market is flooded with wide variety of soaps thereby providing the buyers with endless choice. The point is different persons have different demands and the market caters to them accordingly. If any people is asked question which soap is the best, most of them would answer the brand they use. Thus, the answer varies from person to person. The best way to buy a soap is to know about your skin type and then choose accordingly.

Interesting history of soap

Today, soaps comes in different types but the most interesting fact is the use of soap can be dated back to ancient civilization early 2800 B.C. In the history of ancient civilization, there are different civilizations like the Romans, Greeks where the use of soaps are being found. Gradually with time commercial concepts of soap manufacturing came into existence. In the initial time period of commercial soap manufacturing Italy, France and Spain were the best. They used to make soaps from olive oil extracts. By early 1930's soap started to become regular beauty products in our life.

Different types of soaps

Bar Soap: This is one of the oldest form of soap. You can call it the good old fashioned bar soap. Though there are other types and forms of soaps are available, its popularity never n down. There are plenty of brands that produces bar soap and some of them are the best selling beauty products. Before the invention of face wash and other beauty products, face was the only cleanser agent used by both men, women and children. Though at present you can find soaps entirely dedicated for baby and thus known as baby soaps. Most of the soaps come with beautiful fragrance. At present herbal soaps are available based on skin types as bar soaps fail to take proper care of the skin.

Liquid soap or body wash: As bas soap suffered from various limitations like robing the moisturizer of the skin and making it dry, research was conducted to find out the better kind of soap variety. Thus, came body wash or liquid body soap that helps to retain almost 30% of skin moisturizer. This kind of soap provided the user with many benefits. Like, liquid soap is long lasting compared to bar soap as there is no question of melting as happens in case of bar soap. Another advantage is liquid soap can be applied all over the body that bar soaps never allows and gently exfoliates.

Body scrubs: To some extent body scrubs work like body wash, but they also works like exfoliators that helps the skin in getting rid of dead and dry skin. Body scrubs are highly recommended for oily skin as it keeps the pores open while providing right moisture and hydration. However, for sensitive skin types, bar soaps or body wash are recommended as body scrubs might be too harsh for this skin type.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

: Say bye bye to stretch marks

Stretch marks are known as the negative aspects of beauty. It is usually caused when your skin turns into another shape. If the process happens so quickly, then your body experiences such kind of unwanted marks. The factors which create impact on your body are weight loss, weight gain and even pregnancy. Actually during these stages, the skin gets stretched. The rapid change of the skin shape, affects the middle layer of the skin. It is better to treat the condition as soon as possible. These red marks can be healed following some tips. Read ahead to know more.

Steps to remove stretch marks

Quick action: Start the healing process at an early stage. You may observe red, pink, purple, brown lines on the skin. It basically depends on the color of your skin. Take care of it properly before it turns into white or silver.

Hydrate the skin: Moisturizer helps in great way to get rid of stretch marks. It pampers the skin and hydrates it too. Choose a moisturizer that contains shea butter or cocoa butter. With such ingredients, you can easily treat the stretch marks at its initial stage. Daily apply it on the skin at least three to four times.

Wheat germ oil: Topical treatments are effective in curing such marks. Know about various topical treatment options and enhance the texture of your skin. One of the effective way to deal with the problem is to apply wheat germ oil. Use this on the affected skin for various times a day.

Other topical treatments:Choosing Glycolic acid you can improve collagen production. Your dermatologist may offer this in higher doses. Vitamin C, relastin, peptide containing products, retinoids are also helpful in solving out the condition.

Laser treatments: This is one of the effective treatments to treat stretch marks. Both for the initial stage and for the crucial stage, this therapy is apt. Red, purple, white any kind of stretch mark can be removed using this therapy. Find below some of the division of such therapy.

l.)Vascular laser
2.)Fractionated laser
3.)Pulsed dye laser therapy
4.)Fractional photothermolysis
5.)The excimer laser

Microdermabrasion: At your dermatologist's office you can experience the microdermabrasion process. It is done by blowing crystals onto your skin. Thus it polishes the skin surface and removes stretch marks.

Home remedies to treat stretch marks
l.) Apply cocoa butter on the skin. Applying for long days, you will definitely be able to remove the skin problem.
2.)Take your daily hand lotion and add grind coffee to it. Apply this mixture on the skin. After rubbing for 1 to 2 minutes, clear it with a warm towel. At least twice a day, practice this regime.
3.)Olive oil, castor oil are rich in vitamin E. You can treat the stretch marks using these oil. Even some aromatic herbs, such as, lemon grass, mint are also useful in this purpose.

Japanese Art of Food

Japan is a place that is widely known for its unique culture and interesting traditional aspects. Equally, the food of Japan, specially the traditional food is enriched with healthy aspects perfect for building your health and losing weight. In most of the cases, it is seen that while dieting the body fails to get proper nutrition that only contributes in making the conditions worse. But Japanese food is just amazing and works like medicine. Easy to adopt and tasty to eat the art of food is one of the best secrets that we provide you from Japan. Follow the secret of Japan and see how you can shed your extra pound with a very short span of time.


Benefits of Japanese food revealed


l In traditional diet of Japan some of the staple food includes green tea, seaweed, ume and miso. These are power packed food that provides the body with right nutrition and that too without adding an extra pound to your body.

l The diet includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and we all know how freshness provides benefit to your skin, body and mind. Japanese people always look for fresh ingredient at grocery store and cook meals based on that fresh ingredients only. Fresh ingredients ensures fresh body and mind.

l The seasons of Japan are wonderful and the seasonal fruits and vegetables provide with own benefit. The culture of Japan celebrate the seasons wonderfully. With the change of seasons the color of maple leaves or cherry blossoms change and so do the color of the food also. The ripeness of food are celebrated with delicious dishes. Thus, if you are following traditional Japanese food make sure that you include lots of seasonal vegetables, especially fruits.

l Let's share an interesting part about traditional Japanese food. The Japanese culture only relies on producing vegetables and fruits with uncompromising quality. In many parts of world agriculture is based on genetic modifications and mass production and not quality. Many Japanese people grow their own fruits and vegetables to maintain the highest quality possible.

l Imagine the dish you prepared looks beautiful and adorable. Yes, that's what the culture of Japan believes while eating. Different colorful edible berries and leaves provide the food with splash of colors. Thus, the dish receives an enhancement in terms of smell, texture and taste.

l Suffer from dairy and wheat allergies? Opt for Japanese food as rice is replaced by wheat and dairy products are not included in Japanese diet. Thus, say good bye to your habit of munching on mid night snack and stay healthy.

l Doctors say that the best way to cut your extra fat is to east small meals throughout the day, instead of having four full fledged meal. In Japanese culture the food is served in small dishes and thus less is consumed thereby preventing the accumulation of fat.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Rosy cheeks help you stay merry!

A glowing, blushing skin is what every woman desire for. Glow like a rose – that’s what we have been hearing from the day we became beauty conscious. But what it takes to glow like a rose, and how feasible is it – are questions that often come to our mind. Possessing a good glowing skin is something that gives a good impression on the onset, whereas a bad skin will create a bad impression. Try to avoid fast food and packed food items as they will only make the scenario worse. Skin is the mirror of your appearance – it reflects what you eat. Eat healthy and your skin will glow naturally.

Tips to follow for a glowing skin –
1. Take up exercise regimen on a daily basis. Everyday you should walk for at least half an hour. If you are a person who sits in front of the computer for a major part of the day, walking shall you regain the fitness of the limbs.
2. Water has no substitute. Drinking minimum 8-10 glasses of water will definitely make your skin glow.
3. Your diet should have fresh fruits (especially apple, orange and fresh colored fruits) everyday. Fresh salad would also help after the two meals in a day.
4. Dairy products like milk and curd is a must.

Things to avoid for a glowing skin –
1. Have homemade food. A simple diet with roti, dal, rice and sabji will help you avoiding the junk food.
2. A strict no to the oily food. Have restricted portions of sweets and nuts.

Home made treatments to make you glow like a rose –
1. Fresh rose petals should be boiled and use this water to wash your face instead of plain water.
2. Make a rose facemask. Procedure: grind few rose petals and make a paste. Leave this paste on your face for about 15 to 25 minutes. Then rinse off with plain water. Do not use soap at all. This is sure to make your skin glow.

Rosy recipes for glowing like a rose –
1. Mix 1/4 cup of amaranth juice and a pinch of turmeric powder. They will create a bleaching formula, apt for preventing wrinkles and also not having dry skin patches. Use this on your face with a cotton ball. Spontaneously, within 2-3 days, your face will look more fresh and glowing. Add 1/2 cup of lime juice and milk to this solution and let it remain for about 20 to 30 minutes on your face and neck. Wash off with lukewarm water thereafter.

2. Almonds are always used as good moisturizers. They easily bring out the glow on your face. You can also blend a handful of almonds, in it add fresh rosebud paste, 5 teaspoons of fresh mint juice and honey. This paste should be refrigerated for a week and apply when you go to bed at night. By this, you will avoid wrinkles, patch marks and blemishes.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Fashion and Faux Pas

A simple faux pas in style can spoil the entire get up no mater how hard you have tried to get ready. So just when you think you are looking perfect and intend to hit the streets, look back at the mirror. Some fashion blunders that most women commit have been given below.

Misfit clothes
Lose clothes keep adding weight to your body. A proper fit accentuates the shape of your body whereas a baggy one makes you look untidy and fat. However, buying an attire with the promise that you would be able to wear it after losing a few pounds, will be a disaster. Avoid doing that. Buy what fits you right now. Alter if necessary but never buy a different size.

Too trendy might be silly
All trends are not meant for you. It is a big thing about fashion that wear what you are comfortable in. Wearing a short skirt where you keep squirming about the show of your skin does not feel trendy at all. An attire that you can carry off is the right choice for you.

Wrinkles- not for skin, not for clothes either
Iron your clothes properly to look smart, Wrinkle make you look shabby and very filthy. It is always great to look presentable, no matter where you are. If you lack time for ironing and lead a very busy life, purchase wrinkle-free clothes. Formals, especially, tend to get the creases if not ironed regularly. Make sure you get wrinkle-free clothes to be free of tension.

Seasonal trend matters
If you wear a mixture of summer and winter wear it shows your lack of sense in fashion. Be very careful what you pick to wear. Make sure you stick to one seasonal clothing line. It is comfortable, it is easy and it is fashionable too.

Lingerie lines?
Hey women beware. Showing of lingerie is not cool. Its cheap. Wear proper fit underneath. Most women tend to wear wrong sizes so check your size. Try out the inner wears and then purchase. The worst case of fashion blunders are wardrobe malfunction and lingerie peeping out of your clothes without your knowledge.

White may not be beautiful
White makes you look fat. That does not mean you stop wearing it. Limit the use. If you are wearing a white shirt wear a contrast color for your trouser. Make use of your sense of colors to look pretty in combinations.

Jokers wear too colorful clothes
Wear colorful clothes but not more than three colors would do the rick. If you wish to wear an array of colors at one time you must be heading for the circus.

Shoes to match
Black attire with white shoes. Are you joking? Contrasts are great but no when it comes to shoes. Match your pair of boots with the attire you wear.

Twinkle twinkle beautiful eyes

The secret of the childish twinkle is no more a secret. Kiss your heavy makeup boxes and adios to Heavy makeup as it basically weighs you down with age. To get the tricks and earn the twinkle starry eyes, you have to get into the shoes of children. The innocence is the basic ingredient to get back the gleaming young eyes.

You cannot compromise sparkling young eyes for advancing age. Do it yourself and race backwards in time. Compete Ms Niharika Nag, who has been awarded the title of Miss Beautiful Eyes in Miss India 2009 contest.

Step 1: Drink fair amount of water to keep your entire body hydrated. The more fresh you keep yourself least are the chances of wrinkle. In case you have already got some, work on them and lighten the effect as much as possible. Use night cream and keep the area under your eyes hydrated too.

Step 2: Your eyes are well defined with the help of your eyebrows. Maintain a groomed eyebrow for defining your eyes. Unkempt eyebrows might be a rage but even that requires grooming. Get rid of any out of the line or stray hair and keep the brows trimmed for a neat and natural look. Arch shaped brows can grow on your beauty and better with time. Very thin brows makes you look plastic. To get a natural look, just clean the required areas of the brow without distorting the original shape.
Step 3: Washing the dirt off and cleansing your face adds an extra twinkle to your healthy looking eyes. As a part of makeup, use foundation over the eyelids to conceal the shadow of tiredness. The dark circles need internal and external treatment too. In case you need to hide he dark patches till it is completely cured, wear the concealers or natural foundation to lighten the skin tone in those areas.
Step 4: Simple and natural wins the game. When you are growing in age, heavy makeup comes naturally to you. That, to some extent, makes you look plastic. Make your look more natural by keeping the eye makeup low yet beautiful Use matte eyeshadow to brighten your eyes. A highlighted eyebrow would add the oomph factor to your youth.
Step 5: The inner rims of both the upper and lower eyelids can be lined with white eye pencil. It makes your eyes look bigger with a brilliant sign of youth. Only the top lashes can be embellished in brown or black mascara.
Step 6: Pat some translucent powder or conceal any creases visible after the eye makeup. As you begin your day check yourself in the mirror once.
It is said that a beautiful face in the morning can turn your entire day lucky. What other face can look as beautiful as yours with such makeup and starry eyes?

Monday, July 6, 2009

Fad cannot be bad

The trend of the decade depends on various factors. Movies, music, celebrities, politics and much more. With time, these factors change and changes the fashion fads as well. As far as style is concerned, change in the trend breaks any monotony. If a fad is hit, then it has been successful in breaking the monotony of the age. Here we present of the fads of the previous decades.

The fantastic 50's
Women with small waistline was the trend of the decade. Cinch belts or corset to match with a knee-length skirt or a dress made a style statement. Saddle shoes and high heels were a great fashion symbol of the time. What ruled the 50's? Pony tails, poodle skirts, designer Bill Blass jeans, cat-eye glasses and you could wear it with a chain too. The trend was casual yet practical. Simple yet stylish.

Men would go for clean cut, crew cut styles, flannel suits and slacks as an informal wear. Pretty funky! Hey guys, they were fashionable too, not what you would call “Grandpa” fashion.

The sexy 60's
What a groove, what a young crowd and what fashion. Hats what the 60's offered. Sexy and stylish men and women. Women wore hot pants, mini skirts, go-go boots and all those path-breaking fashion fads. This is not the age of the daddy's darling shy girls. This was the age of aggression. Bouffant was introduced and hair accessories became a trend.
Men, however, made themselves comfortable in the crew cuts but got it colored. Funky and stylish. Bell-bottoms became the new style statement along with beaded jewelery and funky accessories.
Yes, they did all that in the 60's. Do you guys still think you can match up to that?

The suave 70's
Blonds
were in craze. Even brunettes would highlight heir hair to get a blonde look. Some bleached the hair completely. They were considerably demure than their elder counterparts. Style meant tube tops, mini-skirts and hot pants meant more legs. Long flowing dresses or floral skirts made a mark in the 70's. Crochet ponchos and jackets of satin covered the women to make them feel warm and look hot at he same time.
Men were no where behind. Denims were the all time favorites (they still are). Suits and blazers were part of formal wear. Saturday nights witnesses leisure suits and high-waited suit pants. An era of discotheque.

The ever-young 80's
A bold age for bold people. Women opted for long t-shirts over tights or leggings. Off-shoulders became a rage as an inspiration from the movie “Flashdance”. Mini-skirts stayed put but the new mini denims came into trend. High-heels looked gorgeous with jelly shoes giving a casual touch.
Men wore parachute pants, stonewashed denims and mixed fabrics, a craze among the young crowd. Hip-hop demanded cool wear and they gave in to the demand.

The nifty 90's
A new yet classic mingling of style. It became the time for hipsters. Young people enjoyed classic, Gothic or the vintage styles. The college kids wore preppy styles and kept a clean shaved face.
Leather was the talk of the town everywhere. Pants, jackets, belts and purses, all were made of leather. This is was also the decade of colors. A time of casuals and formals, a time to look fun-filled with elan.

Slim down with right diet

Want to cut those extra flabs out? Were you thinking about the liposuction? Then wait, here is a great diet that can curb the accumulation of calories. The Atkins Diet. Yes you can jump in joy as it is true that a simple diet can curb calories so well that you get back into shape very soon.

Who is Atkins?
Dr. Robert Atkins created the low-carb diet with inspiration from a diet that he had read from “Journal of the American Medical Association”. He had set forth to work on a diet that would reduce his overweight condition. Once he got a taste of the successful diet, he made it popular by launching a series of books named “Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution” in the year 1972. He altered the diet and incorporated some of his own recipes which worked really well on him.

To start off with Atkins diet
Before you start off with the diet there are steps to follow.

Step 1: Learn about the diet. There are various information available on the net but the best way is to check out the various books written by Atkins himself. They are the storehouses of information about the special diet.

Step 2: Count your carbs. This diet completely depends on the intake of calories. Hence exactly how much calories you are consuming becomes an important factor. There are plenty resources over the internet that offer information on the calorie content of various food items. Get your carb count straight before you opt for the Atkins Diet.

Step 3: There are four stages to the diet. You start with an optional induction that lasts about two weeks. Be sure of your intentions before jumping onto any conclusion.

Step 4: Planning is as much a necessity as the diet. Jumping onto a diet might cause health issues. Be careful and plan ahead of time. Seasoning your digestive system is a requirement.

The phases of Atkins Diet

Phase 1: Induction,
Phase 2: Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL
Phase 3: Pre-maintenance and
Phase 4: Maintenance

Two main leads to the Atkins Diet

What is the essence of this diet program?
Cutting down on the carbohydrate intake, the main cause of calorie accumulation and culmination into fat.
Innovative customized diet for the person

The carbohydrate ladder of Atkins

During the weight loss phase, Atkins recommends adding some calories to the diet to maintain a balance. However, that does not call for an unhealthy burger. Checkout what is in store for you at this stage.
Salad and various other vegetables
Berries and melons
Seeds and nuts
Aged and fresh cheese
Dry wine
Starchy vegetables
Fruits
Legumes and
Whole grains

What is off the Atkins Diet?
The products like added sugar, and refined grains that do not agree with the low-card diet norms are off the diet chart.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Get gorgeous with the sun

Summers can brings certain problems with your hair. Deal easily by following the methods given here.

· Hair conditioning keeps the sheen intact while moisturizing your hair. It also prevents the dryness-generated static electricity. For thin hair, a leave in conditioner is a better option.

· Once you wash you hair, dry it off with a towel. Now apply leave in conditioner to your hair. This would give your hair great shine and softness.

· Buy products that promise “replenishment”. This actually provides proper moisturization to the hair strands. It enhances the volume of your hair and brings back the lost sheen.

Fantastic tips to make your hair look sexy in the summer
· Let your hair dry naturally. Stop using hot curls or irons for the season. In fact, if you need curls, a secret is to let wet braided hair dry in the air. It brings natural waves to the hair.

· Intensive hair conditioning and sunscreen conditioning helps your hair to breathe easy during the summers. You can use products like Rene Furterer After Sun Repair Mask to prevent the sun from affecting your hair.

· Jojoba oil works wonders on your hair during summers. It keeps the frizz off, it is a great pre-shampoo application and keeps your hair protected all day long.

· Deep moisturizing happens at night. Keep your hair soaked in deep moisturizer throughout the night. It repairs the damaged portion and brings back the sheen.

· Cover you hair with a hat or umbrella while you are out in the sun.

· SPF is required for both skin and hair. Make sure you do that to keep your hair protected from the sun.

· Before blow-drying your hair, apply conditioner to prevent any heat-related damage.

· Wear your hair up in buns or knots or braids during summer. Open hair attracts more damage as it remains open and vulnerable to the heat.

· Trim your hair every six weeks to avoid split ends and further damage.

· Use more moisturized products during the summer. Gentle and soft treatment are a part of summer hair care.

· Use natural products. Chemicals affect your hair strands in the long run. If a product suits your hair, never go for a different brand. Stick to it until your hair grows gorgeous.

· No alcohol-based product is safe for your hair.

· Wash your hair thrice a week. The natural oil generated by the scalp clears the pores and keeps your hair hydrated.

A skin to be jealous of

Acne and pimples can leave marks on your face. Keeping your skin safe from such unnecessary intrusions is an easy job only if you want to. Check out how easily you can get rid of the acne, a regular issue with most people.

Get rid of acne
Leave your acne alone. Stop the nail and finger tinkering on your acne. Pressing, rubbing or picking increases the chance of infection. Bacteria never leaves you alone. You might have dealt with dirt or touched something dirty it might spread easily. Even if you are just resting your chin on your hands, they would creep onto your skin from nowhere. Touching or stretching increases the chance of growing marks and blemishes.

Benzoyl Peroxide breaks the acne over regular use. It breaks the formation of acne which happens as a result of dead skin, bacteria and oil that clogs the pore of your skin.

The acne that shows is easily treatable but you need to treat the acne-prone areas too. This has to be done to prevent further damage to your skin. Don't forget chest or the back which are prone to acne.

Use a mild face wash to wash your face. Keeping your face and hands clean are the most important aspects of staying healthy. Never scrub your skin voraciously.

To exfoliate your skin use acne scrub pads which contains soap along with benzoyl peroxide. Too much scrubbing can lead to breaking of acne rather than improvement.

Things that you must avoid are oil-based moisturizers, oily cosmetic products. Any cream-based substance would react with your skin and increase your woes.

Use a sun block to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Carry umbrellas or hats for extra caution.

Water-based makeup helps your pores to breath easy. Oil-based stuff would easily clog the pores and increase the chances of pimples and acne.

Have food that you feel is the safest for you. Try and avoid oily food (though breaking the rules sometimes is absolutely fine). Other than that, avoid anything that adds to the pimple and acne issues.

Get rid of blemishes
Pimples and acne have a tendency to leave marks behind. To ensure that the zits clear off completely from your skin use calamine lotion regularly. Apply with a cotton to avoid messing up.

Honey is also a great reliever. Apply on the spots and keep it covered. It gives amazing results.

It is said that lemon is the best natural bleach. Use it to get rid of the scars.

Size of pimples can be reduced by applying ice and keeping it there or sometime. It helps reduce the scars too and is a relief from inflammation.

Aloe Vera complete reduces acne and pimples and scars simply disappear.

Freeze the frizz

Rise and shine with beautiful hair and get the worst frizzy look by afternoon. A condition that most people suffer from. To be frank, there is no cure for a frizzy hair but yes, it can be controlled. Coarse, thick, curly and unhealthy hair have a tendency to get frizzy.

Tips to freeze the frizz and look gorgeous

Conditioner is the first product that can control frizz. A leave in conditioner is the right choice for you. Leave the conditioner on your hair for a few minutes and then wash it off. If you have time in hand wrap your hair in a towel with the conditioner on. Let it soak for about fifteen minutes. Let your hair dry naturally rather than squeezing and rubbing at them.

Mousse is a great way to keep the hair in control. Comb your hair once mousse is applied. Let it dry without comb or finger interference. A blow drier is not an option during the summers as that would make the condition worse for your hair.

Brands do not mean they have to be good. You hair cannot sustain all brands. Shampoos have to cater to the needs of your hair. Only then it can sustain. The use of multiple brands helps to avoid the dull and heavy look just one shampoo can give. However, wash your hair thrice a week and shampoo when you do that. The natural oil soothes the frizz.

Frizz-ease is a remedy for you frizzy hair too. Available at most departmental stores, it is a serum designed to control dull and frizzy hair. Applying this product over a thin mousse coat will make your hair look shiny and soft. A great way to go gorgeous with simple things.

In case you wash you hair in the morning, it will be difficult for you to deal with so many treatments at the same time. Hurrying to office can be a probable reason. The best option for you would be to do it in the afternoon of evening so you have enough time to yourself. So make sure your hair is dry before you hit the bed.

A great cut is the best way to show you love your hair. A regular haircut also helps in managing and controlling the frizz and dryness. The split ends are kept at bay and you can see your hair grow stronger that way. Learn to use the thinning scissor. They are used in hair spas and parlors. Learn how they use it because a spa treatment or a visit to the parlor may not be a regular affair in terms of finance.

Perform a hot oil treatment. A great way to keep your hair in shape and away from frizz.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Smashing dress and thinner you

Thinner you? Are you surprised at it? Well, no need to be. Dresses do make you look thinner. All you have to do is know what exactly makes you look thin and beautiful. Do you have the tendency of growing fat at certain times and keep coming back to normal with exercise? Well, all the tendencies that make you look fat at times can be easily concealed with the help of smart dressing. Select your wardrobe accordingly to make yourself look gorgeous and slimmer.

Our tips for smashing clothing and thinner you

· Wear body fitting clothes. Loose ones make you look more fat.
· Go for longitudinal designs. Horizontal stripes make you look more fat.
· Best is to choose single colors. Solid colors score much higher in making you look slim.
· Black, navy blue, purple, deep orange, blood red are among the deep shades that makes you look thinner than what you are.
· Avoid patterns on your clothes. Plain is pretty for you.
· Wear heavy junk jewelry to grab attention to those. Most people will overlook the fat and praise the heavy accessories that you wear.
· Heavy sweaters or sweatshirts are a big no no.
· Before buying, hit the trial room. Different brands have different sizes. The medium of a particular brand may be tighter for you and a great fit for another brand.
· Your torso would look flat with low-rise pants. Wear a low-waist jeans to feel better and look good.
· Skirts and formal pants, flat in the front, are the best options. Pleats may be desirable but a blunder for the ugly fat.
· The frills and elaborations makes an attire look heavier. Keep your wardrobe simple and plain.
· A short skirt is a great official wear but keep it just above the knees. Below knees look really out of fashion and too much above the knees reveal the fat underneath.
· Satin and velor can only add to your extra calories. Wear a matte and avoid the shiny.
· High heels are great for the short and plump ones. If you are tall, wear low heels or flats. However, high heels can make your legs look great too. So you have the choice.
· A good bra can support a huge bust. Make sure you have proper lingerie to support the bust line.
· Leggings can be solid colors. The black suits you the most. The dark colored panty hose is definitely the best option for you. It makes your legs look slimmer.
· While wearing a sleeveless, the upper arm can be covered with a beautiful shawl. This is to cover any unnecessary show of fat.
· Wear collared clothes. You sure look great.
· The tummy looks flat with thick waistbands.
· Tight pants show your bulges at the wrong places. Wear comfortable clothes with wider cuffs.

Beauty begins at teens

Teenage is the age of style. It is the age to learn how to look good. Being prudent with fashion is very important. An adult get up and a teen age style is quite dissimilar. You must maintain the subtle difference to look younger and a teenager.

To gear up well you need to know the right ways of makeup. There are mistakes that you might have made in the past. It is time to rectify. Here we are to give you he right guidance for a great makeup and beauty tips.

Acne and pimples are issues that every common teenager faces. If this is the case with you too, avoid foundation, a blunder that most teenagers make. The tendency to cover the blemishes and new pimples with foundation is an extremely bad idea. It is a makeup item for the older crowd. May be above thirty. The best product for you is a translucent powder or a powder based concealer. The tinted moisturizers are great too. Make use of these to get the same effect the foundation might give you.

Lips and eyes highlighted at the same time makes you look groggy rather than sober. The best bet is to wear nude lip gloss with highlighted eyes. Do not use deep rouge on your cheeks. At your age, rouge looks funny than cool. You have a natural blush so avoid wearing such things.

Do not rub a concealer on your face. Just pat it gently and keep going steadily. Do not rush yourself while using the concealer. This part of makeup requires attention and careful work. Slow and steady work would also prevent unnecessary poking in the eyes or smudging.

Your hair accentuates your beauty. For a normal, shining and bouncy hair, letting your hair loose or just tying it up would be a great idea. However, if you insist on a hairstyle go for long layers. The curly and wavy look good too. Allow simple layers than too many of them. Use mild shampoo to wash hair and condition the hair ends.

With limited pocket money, go for Vaseline which serves as a great lip gloss and also a very safe eye makeup remover. Your lips remain protected while chapped lips are healed easily.

A sunscreen with SPF 15 is also great for your skin. In fact a slight tan would not do any harm. The sun-kissed look makes you look more youthful and fresh.

Fingernails should be cut short. Clean your nails and polish them with natural shades if any. Look as young as possible. Dark shades are for older women.

Avoid junk food and concentrate on having adequate water to keep your skin hydrated. That can keep your pimples and acne at bay. Clean your face every night to remain germ free and healthy.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Bewildering beauty tips

We have been victims of various beauty myths for ages. These myths are the misconceptions that have been carried through centuries. Your great grand mother might have passed on to your grand mother and likewise it might have come down to you as well. Such misconceptions are completely baseless and can be considered as fiction rather than fact. The next few minutes of reading will break some of your beauty myths.

Myth 1: Shaving makes the hair growth thicker.
Myth busted: The hair growth depends completely on genetic equations. Never think thin hair can me made thicker with shaving. However, with shaving, hair does look stubbier. It is the look rather than the real existence.

Myth 2: Lots of water can make your skin beautiful.
Myth bused: Water surely is great for beauty. Hydrotherapy unleashes a great complexion from the tanned and blemished skin. However, too much water leads to just bloating and frequent washroom trips. Drink appropriate amount of water, just as much required by your body.

Myth 3: Soap makes your skin rough.
Myth busted: The age old formulas used vegetable oil and animal fats. The new age soaps are mild and moisturize your skin quite well. You better use liquid soaps if your skin is too dry.

Myth 4: Wrinkles result from dry skin.
Myth busted: Wrinkles are due to sun burns and effects of the heat. Dry skin has nothing to do with wrinkles. Even oily and normal skins face wrinkle issues.

Myth 5: Split ends are not irreparable
Myth busted: Split ends cannot be repaired. Cut the hair ends to get rid of splits ends issues. It definitely stops proper hair growth.

Myth 6: A sun tan can conceal all blemishes.
Myth busted: Sun may dry your pimples but it affects you skin severely. With the depleting ozone layer, the sun causes more harm to your skin that good. In fact, tropical countries have unbearable heat and sun allergies. You will get more blemishes and burns than a nice tan.

Myth 7:
Pimples and acne can be washed off.
Myth busted: Are you crazy? Washing off pimples involve scrubbing. If you do that, the pimples will break excessively all over your skin. You will get severe and permanent blemishes in your trial to wash them off.

Myth 8: One brand is best for your skin.
Myth busted: This is all about brand promotion and keeping brand loyalty intact. You can use any product that suits your skin. Not necessary that the brand that has the best lip colors for your lips will also give you the best sun protection for your skin.

Myth 9: No sun protection on a rainy (cloudy) day.
Myth busted: The ultra violet rays can penetrate clouds and reach your dermis easily. So even if it is cloudy, your skin can be easily affected.

Myth 10: Cosmetics are harmful and natural is good.
Myth busted: If you are allergic to any ingredient, even natural products might seem to affect you if it has such a chemical content.

Myth 11: Junk, oily food and chocolate are the main causes of acne.
Myth busted: It depends on your stomach. Avoid food that gives you stomach issues and your skin will remain clear too.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Your kitchen is the clinic for sunburn

Its time you take care of your sunburn. Do it on your own. Work through your kitchen shelf as the following spectacular recipes can actually minimize and heal the damage done. There are home remedies for such burns, however, we would recommend a doctors opinion in case of severe sunburn which might lead to clinical issues. The following remedies are quite simple and can be easily used.

Your friend cucumber
Acknowledged as having a very cooling effect on your body, cucumber works really well on your skin as well. The cucumber gel cools your skin and prevents further damage through sunburn. As soon as you get a sunburn the best way to treat is a cucumber lotion. How to make it? Quite easy. Chop one whole cucumber. Keep one-fourth cup of glycerin and one-fourth cup of rose water ready. After you chop the cucumber, squeeze out the juice with the help of a lemon squeezer and mix with the glycerin and rosewater. This proves to be an amazing lotion for a suntan.

Aloe Vera a fantastic healer
Another relief from a sunburn is a lotion made from Aloe Vera gel. The other ingredients required are eight ounces of non-medicated lotion, five drops of peppermint oil, five drops of clove oil and two to four teaspoons of powdered Comfrey Root. Mix all the ingredients together with two to four tablespoons of Aloe Vera gel. Keep in the freezer for a few minutes to chill. Along with the healing qualities of Aloe, the lotion is a fantastic relief from the damages caused by sunburn too. One very important point is that, you can use more Aloe Vera gel or Comfrey Root but more of clove or peppermint may cause skin inflammation and irritation.

A bath to get relief
A bath definitely provides relief but this bath is a bit different from your regular bath. This time it would not be just water. Mix two to four cups of Colloidal oatmeal, half to one cup of baking soda, one or two cups of powder Chamomile flowers and one cup of buttermilk. Do not use the regular Colloidal and you can easily miss out on the buttermilk as it is optional. Add these ingredients to the bath water. You can also simply tie it to the faucet with the help of cheesecloth for an aromatic bath.

Lavender and mint for sunburn
More precisely, a sun burn mist, this is a combination of lavender, peppermint and spearmint with distilled water. Take nine drops of lavender, two drops of peppermint and one drop of spearmint and mix with two fluid ounces of water (distilled). Now apply over your skin. The combination promises great relief from the sunburn.

Dare with your glare

Glares are an asset in the months of summer. The best way to protect your vision is by using the right pair of sunglasses for yourself. They look stylish, they are great accessories and on top of all they protect your eyes. For the best functionality, choose the best pair of goggles that compliment the shape of your face, one which protect your eyes properly and that blocks ultraviolet rays. Are you wondering how to buy sunglasses and be sure you made the right choice? Use the following tips to make the best deal for yourself.

Determine the shape of your face
You are the best judge. Check out the shape of your face in the mirror. Your face can be heart-shaped, oval, square or round. The best way to figure out is, take a snap of yourself. Trace out the outline of your face. Now analyze the shape. It must be close to any of the above-mentioned shapes. Once you have determined that, your task becomes pretty easy.

Shapes of glares that suit your face
As you know the shape of your face now, you would also need to know which frames would agree it. Take a look at the following:

Heart-shaped faces: With your wide forehead and narrower chin you should be looking for tortoiseshells. The glasses must be colorful to compliment your face and focus on your eyes. A heart-shaped face is a beautiful and rare facial contour. Value it as your asset and enhance the looks by wearing the best-suited eye accessories.

Round-shaped faces: A round with a round makes you look more round. Jokes apart, avoid round frames. A round frame would make your face look even rounder. Choose from various angles. Angular shapes compliment a round face. After all, glasses do make a style statement.

Oval-shaped faces: You have a great shape and almost all shapes of frames would go with your profile. Try the square or rectangular. They look really gorgeous on your face. In fact, big sizes of shades would look great on you.

Square-shaped faces: As you already have an angular face, go for angles that compliment your profile. Use sports versions for an aggressive look. Round and oval shapes would also look great on you. Try to get single color shades unless you want a different design.


Shades must be UV protected

Make sure you get your pair of shades from a renowned retailer or a from a branded store. Purchasing glasses from any store might not be good for your eyes. Check with your eye care specialist. He can give you a list of issues that might be the end result of wearing a wrong or cheap pair of sun glasses. To avoid any eye disorder, go for a brand that offers written documentation of UV protection. Check labels, papers or ask your dealer. Sun shades with stickers reading “Z80.3” indicates standard UV protection measures.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Why only cheeks, even hands can be cuddly

Our hands wriggle when we see a soft and chubby face. It becomes difficult to resist the temptation to cuddle the soft and supple cheeks of young children or babies. However, when we do that, do we also check the condition of your hands? The cheeks at the receiving end might feel the roughness of your undernourished hands.

How would you take care of it? Simple! Here we present seven easy steps towards a soft hand.

Things to keep handy:

Small bowl of lukewarm water
Two tablespoons of sugar
A soft washcloth
Moisturizing soap
Clean towel
Lotion, preferably containing macadamia oil and
Rose water

Step 1: Use running tap water or simply cold water to wash your hands. Use a moisturizing soap while you wash. Once you are done with washing, use the bowl with warm water to soak your hands. Keep it soaked for about five minutes or more in case of very rough hands.

Step 2: Once soaking is completed, take the entire amount of sugar you had kept aside and few drops of lukewarm water.

Step 3: Rub the hands just as you are applying a moisturizer. Keep scrubbing for sometime.

Step 4: Use the washcloth while putting some moisturizing soap over it. Now rub your hands with this in a circular motion. Do it both on the front and back of your hands. Wash it off with warm water.

Step 5: Now use the towel to dab dry your hands without completely removing the moisture.

Step 6: Apply the lotion on your hands now. The macadamia oil is absorbed fast by the skin. It helps you to keep your hands moisturized and fresh without a greasy feeling.

Step 7: Apply some rosewater that you had kept for the treatment. Apply the ingredients on your hands as a finishing touch. It also provides your hands with a fresh fragrance.

So along with a soft hand, you make it enchanting too.

Hand softening products and brands
Various products are also launched in the market that can be used as had softening agents.

Avon: The two hand softening products that Avon has introduced to the market are NATURALS Cucumber Melon Hand & Body Lotion and NATURALS Peach Hand and Body Lotion.
The Body Shop: The Body Shop Almond Oil Softening Hand Exfoliator has received adulation from the users of the product.

Various other fruitful products like Softsoap Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap with Light Moisturizers, L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream, MD Formulations Hand and Body Crème, Softsoap Foaming Liquid Hand Wash, Dermalogica Multivitamin Hand & Nail Cream and Softsoap Hand Soap, Lavender & Chamomile are also available in the market.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Love your nails

Your nails are the sign of your pedigree. It indicates grooming, hygiene and health in general. At workplace, at any party or among friends, people do take a note of the kind of nails you have. It might be so that you do not apply polish all the time but to keep it prim and proper, without stains and dirt, does make a lot of difference.

Tricks to make your manicure last longer
Short nails are the best. More long your nails, more chances of getting brittle. Just a quarter inch long from the finger tip is fine.
Groom your cuticles. The polishes can be easily removed when smudged on the cuticles. To keep your cuticles soft and safe apply oil on it and gently push it in with orange wood sick. That helps to keep your hands look great all the time without any fear of infection.
Clean your nails and apply nail polish. The varnish is said to protect your nails from damage. In case your nail has any stain of lotion or cream before you applied polish, the nail color would not stay for longer. Make sure your nails are wiped with nail polish remover before any application.

To look and feel good follow the nail care routine.

Pamper your nails
Use a remover to clean your nails. Most of the times we use dry cotton pads with polish remover sprayed on it. Instead of that moisten a cotton ball, put some nail polish remover and then press the polish out of your nails. Before you go ahead, make sure your nails are clean and completely without any varnish.
Use a nail file to shape your nails. Work on it in a right to left motion for a right hander and opposite for a left-hander. Shape it as your desire. Vertical see-sawing of the file will lead to broken and brittle nails.
Use soapy, lukewarm water to soak your hands. Remove the dirt inside nails. Use an orange wood stick to clean the free edges.
Push the cuticles and do not overdo it. The nail growing issue is saved from any infection caused due to extreme cuticle conditions.
Apply a nail color. Use a single color without spending too much on the unnecessary.
Reapply top coat in case you feel the first coat is too thin to bring out the actual color of the polish.
Once the polish is dry moisturize your hands, nails and cuticles. This ensures no split nails.

Highlight your own hair

Save some money now and do your highlights yourself. It takes very little time to know how to go about it but once you do, your game is on. It is a rewarding experience and a fun exercise too.
What is the length of your hair? Medium or short? You will need a kit for hair highlighting that comprises a hook, brush and a cap, then you are all set. If you have a long hair get a kit that has specialized brushes that can slide through your long hair.
Color of the hair highlight, however, depends on the original color of your hair or the color of hair you have. Do not go for a drastically dramatic highlight. Subtle is the key to your highlighting amateur career. Brunettes and dark blondes should choose few shades lighter for highlighting their hair. For black and dark brown hair, go for caramel brown or dark blonde shades to get a natural feel.
Check out the various methods that you can employ to become an amateur hair stylist.
· The cap method: Put the cap tightly and comfortably on your head. Use the hook to pull out thin strands of hair. Start at the front of your head and move backwards. Use every second hole in the cap when you pull out strands of hair. This has to be done because short hair might look blotchy if you pull out strands from each hole. In this method paint on the mixture using the brush. The hair must be completely coated. Use pressure while applying for better impact. The mixture should be evenly applied to hair and not just the surface hair.
· Long hair method: Decide where you want highlights before you start working on your long mane. Start from around your face. Part your hair and style it the way you usually do. Visualize how you want your hair to look. Start once you are done.

While painting, use the mixture as given in the “directions” section of the color container. Load the brush with the mixture and paint evenly on the strands you want to highlight. Use enough color for better effect. Inappropriate color usage would result in shabby highlights.
Sit for sometime patiently, read a book, listen to music or just watch television. Allow the color to settle. Follow the time limit as per the directions. In case you are not happy with the highlight because the strands seem lighter than you want, apply further coating and wait once again.
Wash off your hair. The mixture must be off the hair. Use a highlight-friendly conditioner to help restore moisture without spoiling your highlights.
Once you get the highlights done, check the glow in your mirror. You would be surprised at your own skill. Do not get too excited as you still have to learn to maintain your new hair color. Use shampoos that are suitable for highlighted hair followed by a conditioner. Stay away from the sun or rather cover your hair with a hat or scarf to save your highlights.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Do It Yourself French Manicure

Style gurus differ in their versions and thoughts about a French manicure. Some say it is outdated and boring, whereas others say it is the best way to highlight your nails and can never fall behind trend. Whatever the style gurus say, women prefer to go for a French manicure because of its elegance and unfailing style statement.

French manicure
The style of painting your nails with natural color and getting the tip painted in white is what a French manicure is all about. The sheer colors, faded pink or a light beige performs the intended trick of giving your nails the natural color and clean and proper look. If you have short nail, French manicure is a great option for you.

Origin of French manicure
Jeff Pink is the name. Founder and CEO of ORLY, he took this style of manicure from the fashion streets of Paris to the US and made history. This manicure was known as “The Natural Nail Look”. As Hollywood wanted appropriate nail fashion for the trendy attires their heroines wore, Jeff Pink could not think of anything better than this. In 1975, when he started ORLY, he introduced this style of manicure to the US and named it “French Manicure”. Starting from the uptown girls to professionals, dancers to actors, from the first date till wedding, French manicure has become an accessory for all occasions.

How to do a French manicure
Remove your old nail color with an acetone remover. Clean your nails and trim it to the desired shape. Once your nails are ready to be painted apply the base coat, a thin and even crust on your nails. This cover will paint the entire nail, even the tip of your nail. Now paint the tips with natural white polish and let them dry. A soft white paint will look great but a deep and wide polish will make your nails look chunky. If white is not happening, use an off white. Over this entire shading, apply a coating of transparent natural polish. Make sure the nails dry completely.
French Manicure Tip: To keep the French manicure stay longer on your nails, apply a top coat every alternate day for a groomed and polished look.

French manicure kits are available in the market. They contain ready to use ingredients for a proper manicure. In case you are not confident about doing it yourself, look around for some salon that offers the best of this service.

Bootylicious lips

Do you know how important lips are? How instrumental they can be in the game of attraction? Then play on. Check out some awesome facts about lips.

Facts about lips
Just like fingerprints, lip impressions differ with each individual.
It took Leonardo Da Vinci 12 years to finish painting the lips of Mona Lisa.
A fervent kiss can help you loose 50 kJ weight by working on 30 muscles.
The Guinness Book of Records, holds that Alfred Wolfram has a world kissing record of kissing as many as 8001 people in eight hours.

There has been so much hubbub about lips and its consequences. That makes lips an essential part of your face. To get delicious and attractive lips you need to follow the tips given below:

Use subdued purples, bronze shades and browns if you have big lips. Such colors do not make your lips look voluptuous, thus considerably reducing the apparent size.
Thin lips require lighter shades and glosses to make it look plump. Avoid the use of dark shades on thin lips.
Apply foundation on your lips, put a lip liner and then apply lipstick. This prevents bleeding of lip color.
Rather than using the stick directly on your lips, use a lip brush to paint your lips. You can considerably reduce the amount of lipstick used.
Blonds can use colors like peach, apricot and corals on their lips. These colors look great on golden hair blondes.
If you sport light blonde hair, wear the shades of wine, mauve and berry. Cappuccino is also a great color for you.
If you have an olive skin tone with blonde hair, use colors like terracotta, peaches and brown.
Peachy brown, terracotta and cinnamon colors go best with red hair people.
Brunettes look best in cinnamon's, tinted reds and terracotta.

For sexy lips
Use shimmer and gloss to make your lips look full and sexy. Light colors, neural shades, pale colors and variations make your lips look kissable and extremely attractive. To provide your pout with the “Angelina Jolie” look, apply silver or shimmering lip gloss on the centre of the lower bud.

Make your lipstick last longer
It is a trademark of Hollywood makeup artists

· Base the lip base with a foundation
· Use lip liner for defining the contour of your lips and then apply lipstick with a brush.
· Blot your lips into a tissue or blotting paper
· Use translucent power over the lip paint
· Now you can wear your lipstick. A final coat.