Top 10 Skincare Tips

Here, my top 10 skin tips: (Oct 26, 2009).

Protect yourself from the sun -- use sunscreen and avoid direct sunlight between the hours of 10am and 3pm. That's when the sun rays are the strongest.

Don't smoke. Your skin is a large organ and it needs a lot of circulation. Smoking impairs that dramatically. That's why smokers' skin looks dull and gray. Instead of having oxy-generated blood delivered to the surface of the skin, they're getting poisons and oxidants.

Get adequate rest and nutrition.
Protect yourself from stress -- both emotional and environmental stress.

Wash your face twice a day and put on the proper treatment product. I'm amazed when women tell me they don't wash their face in the morning. A lot of icky stuff collects overnight -- dead skin cells, dirt, and dust!

Don't neglect certain areas of the skin. Elbows, heels, neck, and your décolletage area need moisturizing. Don't forget the sunscreen and your scalp and the tops of your feet need sun protection.

Touch your face less and wash your hands more! Don't get too surgical on yourself. It's very tempting to pick, poke, squeeze, and scratch in front of the mirror. But the more you traumatize the skin, the greater your risk of scarring. Apply treatment products and let them work.

Keep your makeup clean. Replace the sponges in your compact on a regular basis. Now and then, toss the whole works and start fresh -- the average shelf life for cosmetics is 6 to 12 months. In some cases, like Tyra Show, I've even heard of 3 months. Don't buy products so expensive that you'll be heartbroken if you have to throw them away.

Exercise moderation. More is not always better. Moisturizer, for example, is the most overused product in America. We've been bamboozled by cosmetic companies into thinking every square inch of our body has to be slathered. And it's simply not true. Exfoliators are another thing to be careful with. Used too often they over acidify and irritate your skin. I've know some users who scrub so often they have caused blackhead breakouts from over exfoliating the skin.

Keep your regimen simple. And when you do add a new product, do it gradually so your skin has time to adjust. Most skincare or makeup products has an average of 20 to 40 ingredients -- you're introducing 20 to 40 potential allergens to your face every time you try something new. Use: That Girl products designed so even problem skin can use. Less likely then the mass to cause skin allergies.
1st posted 9/15/ 2008 - last time 12/01/2008 @ 1:46pm.

by Deb (Dee)

Makeup Tips for Lips and Eyes

Makeup: Lips and Eyes

Puffy eyes? Bags under your eyes? Apply frozen chamomile bags on your eyelids, fresh cucumbers, Pepperation H, or Put some ice cubes in a bag, wrap in a washcloth, and put on eyes for 5 min. Prepperation H wouldn't help dark circles. dark circles are due to broken capillaries. Stop that picking! The more you touch your face, the more oil gets deposited on it. Makes your pores larger too. Oil=clogged pores, clogged pores= zits and blackheads.

Lips

To make lips look bigger, use a hint of color or clear gloss. Matte, lining inside your lips, and dark lips make them looks smaller. Want to make your lips look fuller? Line the inside of your lip by filling in your lip with color and outline it in a light color ;close to your natural color. Outline outside of your natural line, but just a little. Use an a medium to darker shade lip pencil and draw a faint line just under the middle of your bottom lip. Smudge with your finger, add lipstick or a satin gloss. Apply a light amount of gloss in the center of your lips. It gives the look of a shadow, a fuller lip and the light hits the center of the lip were the gloss is. Do this last.
Do not use a dark brown grey or black eye pencil. This is a common mistake, very unattractive and trassy. Yes they were talking about you, learn darling. :) I'm here for you.

Eyes

Want cream eyeshadow? Apply eyeshadow then a little Vaseline with your regular powder and spread the Vaseline over with a Q-tipnstead . As in Blog Entry March, 2008. Instead of using an eyeliner pencil, make your own liquid liner. Take a small makeup brush and dip it in water. Then, dip in in powder and line your lids. To make powder eyeliner that last much longer, take a small eye brush and dip it into the powder or dry/wet eyeshadow. Apply around eye area as you normally do. You may instead retrace you regular eyeliner with shadow for an easier application.
Eyeshadow creasing or not lasting for long? To make eye shadow stay on longer powder with loose powder, baking soda, cornstarch or baby powder. This is your eyelids for becoming greasy.
I hear a lot of people use hairspray for unruly eyebrows. I prefer to use clear mascara, its quick and easy and you don't need an applicator of any kind. If it doesn't work you may really need to give then a good trimming. Shape them up girl! :)

Lips

Make your own lipgloss: mix some Vaseline in a pot with kool-aid. Mmmmmm tastes great! Never skip the chapstick or vaseline as a base before putting on lipstick when in the mood for glossy lips. Don't lick your lips, It drys them even more.
Lip stain staying power this is very old fashion now with long wearing lipstick but if necessary you can still use this simple old yet effective trick. Always dust your lips with powder first, use a lip pencil to line and fill in lips, apply lipstick matte, next apply lip pencil all over lips again as before. Finally apply gloss to keep them from chapping or drying. Some people like to apply chap stick first but it may make lip color wear away faster. So apply on afterward.

Got a little patch of flaky skin but not enough time to go exfoliate and moisturize? Take a strip of scotch tape, stick it on, tear it off. It may hurt a little and may take a couple "rips" to get the skin off, but it works. When you're done, cleans the area and put on aloe vera or vaseline on to soothe it. Moisturize- very important for your skin to keep it healthy and soft.

- by Kelley

Benefits of Borage Oil

Borage Oil and why we use it in our night cream
By Dr. Dennis T. SeppSource: Les Nouvelles Esthtiques Date Published: May 1998


Borage oil is a little known secret for keeping your skin healthy. It is natural oil that not only restored moisture and smoothness to dry and damaged skin, but can also provide relief to people who suffer from chronic skin disorders such as eczema and atopic dermatitis.
Borage, (borago officianalis) is a wildflower commonly called the starflower. It is a relatively large plant (1.5 ft tall) with star shaped, bright blue flowers and it is found wild in almost all parts of the world. It is a well-known herb that has been recognized and sued for over 1500 years. The Roman historian Pliny writes of the virtues of borage and it is suspected that borage leaves, steeped in wine, was the mysterious nepenthe elixir that Homer writes of, which causes absolute forgetfulness when drunk. In the middle ages borage leaves were commonly brewed into a medicinal tea.1


Today, however, the borage plant is grown and harvested not for its leaves and stems but rather for the very valuable oil found in its seeds - borage oil. The great value of this oil is that it is the richest known source (24%) of an essential fatty acid called gamma linolenic acid (GLA).
Biochemistry


Our body is capable of naturally producing gamma linolenic acid. In order to do so, it must have as its starting material linoleic acid (LA). This is an essential fatty acid that our body is unable to produce and we must ingest it as part of our everyday diets. Fortunately, we get plenty of linoleic acid in our daily diets since it is commonly found in almost all edible vegetable oils.
Once linoleic acid is ingested it is acted upon by an enzyme called Delta-6-Desaturase (D6D) which biochemically converts LA into GLA. This is how we normally get our daily fix of GLA.



Note the importance of the enzyme D6D, without it we would be deficient in GLA no matter how much linoleic acid we got in our diets. GLA is further converted via a sequence of biochemical steps into a very important compound called prostaglandin 1 (PG1) which is a key molecule for maintaining healthy skin. PG1 exhibits a potent anti-inflammatory effect on the skin and also is very effective in regulating water loss and protecting the skin from injury and damage.2


The D6D enzyme is often referred to as a "lazy" enzyme. That is to say, it can be slow in doing its job, and under some conditions may actually be impaired. People with skin disorders such as eczema, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis show increased levels of linoleic acid with a simultaneous decrease in gamma linolenic acid.3 This evidence strongly suggests a reduction in the activity of the D6D enzyme. And as a consequence the resulting decrease in the synthesis of PGI may be responsible for the characteristic dry skin and trans-epidermal water loss observed in these people. It is here that the importance of borage oil with its rich source of gamma linolenic acid becomes evident. Used as a dietary supplement or even applied topically borage oil can circumvent a "lazy" or impaired D6D enzyme by supplying the body directly with GLA, thus allowing the production of normal levels of PG1.
Borage oil in your diet and for your skin


Several recent studies have indicated that borage oil taken orally increases PG1 levels in the skin and suppresses chronic inflammation.4,5,6,7 Evidence from animal studies indicates that skin disorders associated with fatty acid imbalances can be corrected through dietary inclusion of borage oil. Similar research with humans has confirmed these findings.8,9 In fact, a recent study,10 has shown that dietary supplementation of borage oil for patients with skin disorders can result in a direct improvement in the condition of their skin.


Not only is borage oil excellent for your skin when taken internally, but there is also more than enough evidence showing that when applied topically to your skin, borage oil as the same positive effects on clearing up various skin disorders.11,12
A very interesting experiment measured the effects of skin creams containing borage oil on dry or damaged skins. Twenty healthy subjects who had either dry (but otherwise normal skin) or had surfactant induced dry, scaly skin were tested over 14 days. Results indicated that the cream containing the borage oil was superior in restoring moisture and smoothness to both the dry skin as well as the surfactant damaged skin.13 This experiment was interpreted as strong evidence for the role that borage oil plays in restoring the intracellular moisture barrier of adult skin that is either chronically dry or has been environmentally damaged.




Babies and borage oil


One of the more powerful demonstrations of the benefits to the skin of topically applied borage oil is a clinical study14 done on 48 infants suffering from severe infantile seborrheic dermatitis, a common condition in infants known as "cradle cap." This condition is characterized by dry scales and crusts on the scalp, eyelids, face, armpits, breast and groin. The infants were treated twice daily with topically applied borage oil and the condition cleared within two weeks. Not only was there improvement in the areas where the borage oil was directly applied but also in the areas where it was not. This result indicated that the borage oil was effectively absorbed through the skin and became available throughout the body as a source of gamma linolenic acid for the biosynthesis of prostaglandin 1. If the treatment was discontinued, the symptoms came back within a week. However, if the treatment was maintained until the infants became seven months old and was then stopped, there was no relapse.


The authors hypothesized that these infants were born with an immature D6D enzyme system and were unable to produce sufficient gamma linolenic acid on their own, thus giving rise to the symptoms of "cradle cap." The borage oil treatment corrected the symptoms by supplying GLA until the infant's own enzyme system caught up.
Conclusions


There is ample evidence from research on both humans and animals showing that borage oil has a significant effect on improving the health and appearance of skin tissue. Clinically, borage oil has been shown to be a very effective agent for treating skin disorders and for alleviating the inflammatory symptoms associated with these disorders. For everyday use, borage oil has been shown to be very effective in treating the redness, inflammation and moisture loss associated with dry skin.


Whether you take borage oil orally or apply it to your skin it appears to positively affect the texture, suppleness and moisture content of the skin. Dennis T. Sepp is a Ph.D. chemist with a degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has taught chemistry at the university level and has conducted research in medicinal chemistry. He is the owner and chief formulator for ShiKai Products, a cosmetic company specializing in natural cosmetics.

You can find this oil in our Body Cream, Heel Balm / Eczema Balm, and Night Cream.

http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnRoYXRnaXJsc2JhdGhhbmRib2R5LmNvbQ==

Lipstick Tips

These tips are keep your makeup lasting longer.
Store lipstick -- and perfume -- in the refrigerator. It'll last longer.
Never use a tester on your lips -- it's unhygienic. Test lipstick on your fingertips instead of the back of your hand: the color and texture are closer to that of your lips.
If you want your lipstick to last, use pencil first as a base. Outline and color in your lips with pencil (nude, if your lipstick shade is light) and slick your lipstick on top.

Your lips will also look softer, "smudgier," and less defined if you don't use pencils or lip liners.

To avoid lipstick on your teeth, after application, run your index finger through the middle of your lips and pull it back out. The excess will come off on your finger, not your teeth.

In a pinch, your lipstick can double as blush. (But never use blush on your lips.)

Outline your lips in pencil before you apply lipstick or gloss if you don't want your lipstick to feather.

Women over 50 usually look better with a cream lipstick rather than a matte or gloss. Every bit of moisture helps.

If your lipstick shade turns out to be brighter than you thought it would be, color in your lips with a pencil a few shades darker than your lipstick (for instance, brown pencil under dark red lipstick) and layer the lipstick on top. Or coat the lipstick with a darker lip gloss, which will turn down the heat.

NEW! In these modern times women and makeup artist are using lip liners less often.
Instead applying lipstick with a lip brush. With non-feathering and long lasting lipsticks now out in the market you don't have to have a liner.

To give the illusion of fuller lips apply a light liner by filling in lips. Apply a darker liner around the outside. Next, Apply in the center of lower lip only and don't use a black or super dark color. Finally apply a clear gloss to the center of your lips.

To make lipstick last longer:
Apply a lip moisturizer like that girls lip balm. Then, outline and fill in the entire lips. Next, Apply lipstick all over lips. Finish it off with lip liner by filling in lips over top of lipstick. *Note lipstick should dry a little first.

Eye Makeup Application

According to Eye Shapes

Each eye shape can be enhanced if needed, with placement of eyeshadow. Small eyes can look larger and bulging eyes can be recessed a little. Wide apart eyes can have the illusion of being closer together. I trust these simple explanations can help with your eye shadow application.

SMALL EYES. to recognise this as your shape, there seems to be very little space between lashes and eyebrows, so we need to give the appearance of a much larger eye. Apply a light colour on the eye lid.
Use a darker shade in the socket (or crease) of eye and bring this colour to the outer corner to lengthen eye area. With a dark toned eyeliner, outline eye, intensifying colour slightly at outer edges of eye, then slightly smudge. Use a light highlighter along the brow bone to add width to eye.

DEEP SET EYES. This type appears like a hooded eye. Place a light coloured shadow over entire lid, and apply a highligher along the brow bone line. Use a darker toned shadow, and begin at the socket line and blend color out above the crease to recess the area.

Use a small amount of eyeliner, in a thin line for definition only along top lid and 2/3'rds along lower lid blending towards the outer edge.

NORMAL EYES. If you are fortunate enough to have this shape you can be as adventurous as you like. What you should be aiming for with eye makeup is to make your eyes look even more attractive by giving them strength with the help of eyeliner pencil. A pale color can be blended on lid while a darker shade is smoothed into the outer corners and socket line to give more depth and character. Finish off with a coat of mascara.

AGEING EYES. can look years younger with the help of soft contouring. Use eyeliner pencil around the outer corner of the eyes, making sure that the line is kep thin. Avoid frosted shadows completely. Apply a soft toned shadow, like a mossy green, light brown or grey with a hint of blue in it, to the outer eye area, keeping the color close to the lashes. Use a soft peach color on your inner top lid. Mascara often looks too thick and unnatural on older eyes, so try to have lashed tinted instead OR apply mascara lightly.

PROTRUDING EYE Bulging - the goal here is to recess the eye lid, from seemingly to protrude. Use a dark toned eye shadow and blend this over the eye lid, fading colour away near eye socket. Apply eyeliner along top lid, and lightly smudge. On lower lid, draw eyeliner at outer corner only and smudge softly. Apply highligher on brow line. Please dont use light or frosted colours on eye lid, as this will make eyes pop out futher. With this eye shape, finish off with some navy or deep grey pencil on inner rims to help make the eyeballs appear smaller.

CLOSE SET eye shape. These need a dark shadow blended into out half of the eyes to give illusion that they are further apart. Start by drawing your pencil out a little just above natural eye crease. now blend a strong colour into the outer area. The inner top lid area can

be left natural or a pale colour can be used if you like. When applying mascaras, brush your top lashes outwards, concentrating on the colour with an extra coat on outer lashes.

ASIAN EYE SHAPE - usually has a minimal eye lid and eyes are wide space. Gently brush a light or neutral colour over eye area and blend towards nose area. Using a darker shadow, apply to lid, starting along lash line, and fading the colour upwards and out to a half-way pint between lash and eyebrow.

Apply eyeliner close to lashes to give appearance of thickened lash line. Line the lower lid and smudge to soften the line.


WIDE SET EYES can appear closer set and more attractive if you emphasise the inner eye area with colour to draw eyes together. Apply eyeliner pencil all way across the bottom lid with only a tiny extension on the outer corners. Apply any strong coloured shadow to
your outer socket line, but instead of extending it up and out, angle it towards your inner brows. Further enhance this with a lighter shade on your inner lid and complete the look with mascara concentrating on inner lashes.

DROOPY EYES. These need to be lifted at the sides with the help of clever shading on the outer areas of the top lid. A little extra eyeliner slanted upwards on the corners and further blended and subtly extended with shadow plus extra mascara on the top lashes.