Most of us are all too familiar with that ?dreaded? internal clock that wakes us at 7:00 AM on the weekend, despite our desire to sleep in. We fail to appreciate that this internal clock is part of a natural body rhythm that can dramatically impact our skin.

Scientific studies have revealed that our skin?s biological functions follow ?circadian cycles? which vary over the course of a 24 hour period. In the skin?s biological clock, epidermal cell renewal and the permeability of the skin are both highest during the night.

The trick to good skincare is taking advantage of this knowledge and utilizing it to enhance our skin?s health. Because the permeability of the skin is higher at night, more water loss naturally occurs at night. Consequently, a moisturizer that offers greater skin permeability and prevents water loss, should be applied before bedtime, to ensure moist, hydrated skin.

To provide the greatest effectiveness, a moisturizer should meet two tests. First, it should contain certain natural ingredients that have been specially formulated to be easily accepted by the skin. Green tea compounds, for example, are a must for today?s moisture creams, as these compounds are seen by many scientists as skin cell rejuvenators.

Secondly, moisture cream should contain the latest silicone technology. Silicone molecules in a moisture cream provide a more even coverage than the molecules in hydrocarbon-based moisturizers by forming a sheet of hydration over the skin.

We sleep for approximately one-third of our lives, so let?s make our sleep useful by developing good sleep habits and utilizing products that rebuild skin while we sleep. With ingredients that are formulated to work on a sub-cellular level and provide extra hydration to your skin, you?ll be working with your skin?s natural rhythms.

Copyright 2005 Alpha Ward-Burns

Alpha Ward-Burns is a cancer survivor and co-founder of Skin Solved, a skincare company devoted to achieving healthy skin through the use of scientifically advanced skincare with natural ingredients. You may contact Alpha at http://www.skinsolved.com

A cosmetic case that won?t zip closed, that basketful of make-up on your bathroom counter, the vanity drawer crammed with products and colors you?re saving just in case. We all have a stockpile of make-up that is either impractical, a little too glitzy or just plain old. You don?t need to stockpile your cosmetics. In fact, you really shouldn?t for a few very good reasons.

WHY?

Your beauty supplies may not be marked with a specified shelf life, but they have one. Write purchase or throw away date on bottom new products with a permanent marker. Old products are not safe, do not wear correctly and subtle changes in color may occur.

Cleansers/Moisturizers - good for six months.

Foundation - six month shelf life if applied with fingertips, one year if applied with a sponge.

Lipstick - one year.

Eye and Lip Pencils - one year.

Powders and stick concealers - one year.

Eye shadow and blush - two years.

Mascara - good for three months

WHEN?

Shop when seasons change - new season, new colors ? when products have gotten old, and when things are on sale. Keep an eye on those pharmacy and department store circulars. You can find great deals if you're a smart shopper.

WHERE?

Local pharmacy/health and beauty chains are convenient and inexpensive. Shop sales, sometimes you can even buy two items for the price of one. Department stores with high end products and trained cosmetologists often have giveaways.

Look for in-store banners. Some product lines will even mail you invitations/reminders for sales. A purchase as small as lipstick may get you a goodie bag full of trial and even full size products. If you shop during bonus events, you'll get your money?s worth.

Independent Beauty Consultants are in everywhere. There are good products available, but be prepared. These sales people are often friends and it?s hard to say no when a friend must meet a sales quota. If you can stick to buying only what you need, this is a great way to get individualized service in the comfort of your own home.

On-line beauty catalogs may save you a lot of money. But you need to do your research first. Only purchase make-up that you have used in the past. Orange pancake foundation is still orange and thick, even if it was on sale. HOW?

Carefully and with an honest friend at your side. Take someone with you who has your best interests at heart. Trust your friend?s opinions, and don?t get upset if she tells you not to buy that gold shimmer lip gloss.

There are many, many ways to look great and not spend too much... develop your own unique personal style.

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Allison Saunders is a MAC qualified Make-up Artist and the author of an amazing new course, Hollywood Makeup Secrets a step-by-step simple video system for maximizing your inner and outer beauty potential. You can learn more about Allison, and subscribe to her free newsletter by visiting:

http://www.hollywoodmakeupsecrets.com/dt/s.php?id=9

(c)2005 HollywoodMakeupSecrets.com. All rights reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------

Look at your hands now and tell yourself what you see?

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Beautifull and gorgeous hands are so important.

Hands tells everything about yourself, how you live your life and love your body.

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They say that hands give a woman's age away, well so what!

But gorgeous hands are the carriers of your personality, no matter in what situation and age?you are.

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You?wear fancy designer clothes, imagine the negative effects if you combine these fancy clothes with abbandonded hands.

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Look around you and see how hands are the centre of communication.

At a party, or even a job interview, your hands are your business card.

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Your hands are the ultimate tool invented ever, but you don?t realize how importants these tools are. You just use them all day;

Shaking hands, cooking, doing your hair, feel, touch, work, write.

Endless, think about this for a second.

And decide now, no matter what your age is, to treat them as your treassure.

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• The skin of the hand is so thin, protect the skin.
• Pamper your hands with your personal handlotion, 4 times a day.
• Exfoliate once a week with a face exfoliater.
• Use once a week your face nightcream also on your hands before you go to sleep.
• Get accustomed to using rubber gloves whenever you do housework.
• Prevent your hands from aging or abusing.
• Protect your hands from dry weather as well as protecing them from the sun.
• Use daily a protective barrier.

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With other words:

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The best way to take care of your hands is to protect them.

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Ines van den Born is a registered nurse in Europe. She is also International Sales and Marketing manager Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices.

Ines van den Born

http://www.gloveseurope.com

Italian Leather Gloves, your second skin.

Looking for that perfect skin product? One that will keep your skin looking great, smells great, is appealing to apply, has actual 'therapeutic' effects, and doesn't break the bank? Look no further than aromatherapy. Creating a wonderful blend just for your skin type with the magic of potent natural botanicals is fun and rewarding in more ways than one. Essential oils are widely used in natural medicine, and some are well-known for their skin rejuvenating effects.

While some of the most highly regarded therapeutic grade oils may seem expensive at first, they are effective in such small concentrations as to really make them worthwhile. And their efficacy is well-known; that's why so many laboratory-made preparations use components of essential oils in their formulas. With a one or two ounce bottle to mix in, and an eye dropper, you can easily mix your own blend with the aroma and actions you desire most.

There are a few essential oils and carriers that are highly regarded in natural beauty and skin care. With these, and perhaps one or two extra ingredients, you can make effective (and very pleasant smelling) recipes for a wide variety of skin conditions.

The short list of essential oils for skin care ? Helichrysum (also known as Everlasting) is one of the strongest anti-inflammatory oils known in aromatherapy. It is also very high in regenerative ketones; compounds which stimulate the regeneration of skin cells. Rosemary Verbenone serves a similar function, being thought to enhance metabolic functioning in the dermis layer, increasing circulation and the elimination of waste products. Lavender has properties similar to Helichrysum, with a wonderful, relaxing aroma; it can bring synergy to a combination of oils and is thought to keep the skin in a balanced, healthy condition. Carrot Seed essential oil is also regenerating, bringing life to tired, pallid skin. Palmarosa essential oil can be included for it's pleasing aroma and anti-septic effects; Niaouli is also recommended for the same reasons, along with it's skin-firming properties.

This is only a few of the many essential oils included in skin formulas, though these are considered among the most important for their broad range of effects. Almost any essential oil can be added to a blend in balanced quantities. In many cases, oils are added as much for their lovely aroma as their direct therapeutic benefits to skin tissue. Many aromatherapists, and natural health professionals for that matter, consider the overall mental and emotional condition to be of primary importance in creating an appearance of fitness and beauty. Many citrus and floral oils are used for this reason ? Neroli, distilled from the flowers of the bitter orange tree, is an often used example. Others are Jasmine, Sandalwood (very popular in Men's skin care), Geranium and Ylang Ylang.

Essential oils, be they for direct effects on skin metabolism, or for the overall state of wellness of the user, will be diluted in a carrier oil, sometimes known as a base oil. It is important to note that diluting the oils will often actually enhance their effects; essential oils are often too strong to be used directly, and many studies have shown increased efficacy in dilutions down to 1% or less of the total formula. The carrier oils serve several other functions as well; they carry the essential oils into the skin, increasing their total absorption. They also nourish the middle and lower layers of the skin with essential fatty acids or EFA's ? compounds now considered critical to the health of all living tissues. Further, some carrier oils have vitamin analogs which assist in skin regeneration and repair.

A few of the most important carrier oils include the following: Rosehip Seed Oil is highly regarded for it's regenerating effects for skin which has been over-exposed to the sun or has other damage. It includes a variety of Vitamin A which acts to increase cellular turnover, similar to Retin-A without the over-drying side effects. Numerous scientific studies have validated this oil's positive effects on damaged or prematurely aged skin. Next is Evening Primrose Oil, which has a significant quantities of gamma-linolenic acid, an important essential fatty acid. Evening Primrose oil has been used to support skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, and may help premature skin aging. Finally, Hazelnut oil is possibly the most commonly used base oil for skin care; it is gentle, has little aroma, and is suitable for all skin types. Often, small amounts of Rosehip seed and/or Evening Primrose oil will be included in a blend, with Hazelnut oil comprising the majority of the carrier mixture.

Here are several blends categorized by skin type to get you started. For normal skin, used at any time: In each ounce of Hazelnut Oil, add 15 drops Thyme Linalool, 15 drops Rosemary Verbenone, 15 drops Neroli, and 15 drops Spike Lavender; this blend can work well for acne with it's antiseptic properties, but is an excellent tonic for all skin types.

If your skin has been chemically damaged, is overly-sensitive, or otherwise 'weakened' with broken capillaries, try this mixture, applying frequently: For each ounce of base oil, use three parts Hazelnut, one part Rosehip Seed, and one part Evening Primrose. Add the following essential oils: fifteen drops Moroccan Chamomile, fifteen drops Helichrysum, fifteen drops true Lavender, and fifteen drops Roman Chamomile. The Helichrysum, Lavender and Rosehip seed will enhance the skin's own natural metabolism, and the addition of the Chamomiles will greatly reduce inflammation that is found with almost all damage and/or aging.

If your skin is prone to acne, or has over-active sebaceous glands, the following blend can be of great assistance. It contains regenerative, antiseptic, and cleansing oils. Simply use Hazelnut as the base, and to each ounce include fifteen drops of Green Myrtle or Inula graveolens, fifteen drops Eucalyptus dives (because of the ketones in this oil, it should not be used if pregnant ? or under 10 years of age ? but is otherwise considered safe), fifteen drops Spike Lavender, and fifteen drops Rosemary verbenone.

If your skin has no particular 'condition', but appears tired, lifeless, pallid, or 'worn out', try mixing one-fifth ounce of Rosehip Seed and four-fifths ounce Hazelnut oil. Then add 15 drops each of Carrot Seed essential oil (also known as Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot), Lemon verbena (which helps the skin detoxify), Niaouli (gently tightening the skin), and Rosemary verbenone ? this creates an excellent restorative blend. For aging skin needing firming that can be used around the eyes ? try this more gentle variety: Mix in five ounces of Hazelnut oil and one ounce of Rosehip seed oil, add fifteen drops of each of Myrtle essential oil (green), Cistus or Rock Rose and Rosemary.

So there are a few tried-and-true aromatherapy skin care blends to use in your natural beauty regime. You can easily mix and match the oils described to create your own blend, and add any oils you really like the aroma of (be aware that a FEW essential oils are VERY strong, and should not be used on the skin ? the more common of these include Cinnamon, Clove, Oregano, and Red Thyme ? consult with a knowledgeable practitioner if you are unsure about the safety of any oil). A word about purchasing oils for your blends ? do NOT use anything labeled as a 'fragrance oil' ? these are synthetic reproductions of essential oils that will likely cause an allergic reaction.

DO seek out a reputable source. And oils, like wine, do vary greatly from maker to maker. A higher price can mean a significantly nicer oil (though not always) ? one that is sweeter, or more well-rounded ? only a few oils should smell 'medicinal' ? Spike Lavender is a little 'camphorus' in general ? but a good Rosemary verbenone should have a very appealing scent . Despite the initial outlay, you are more likely to continue to use a blend that you really like the aroma of, and that has therapeutic effects. Though once you find the oils you adore, you're more than likely to continue the practice of making your own blends for some time to come.

This article has been written by Misty Cech, ND, a degreed naturopath with a professional practice developing natural wellness for individuals around the country. She strongly supports the use of natural botanicals whenever possible when making health and beauty choices. She is the owner of the Ananada Apothecary - providing vibrational medicine infomation and supplies such as organic essential oils and Bach flower essences and remedies.

Excerpted from the book ?Your Right to Be Beautiful: How to Halt the Train of Aging and Meet the Most Beautiful You? by Tonya Zavasta. The book is available at: http://www.beautifulonraw.com/html/righttobe.html

The phrase natural beauty has been abused and misused beyond restoration. The modern use is almost never associated with its true meaning. Someone said there should be a portrait of a healthy person in a museum so people would know what they are talking about. If we don?t know what a healthy person looks like, how do we know what natural beauty is?

In our unnatural world, the word natural no longer means without effort, at least not in the realm of obtaining your best look. One thing is a must in defining natural beauty: its achievement must not involve any sacrifice of health. None, period. If health is compromised in any way beauty is not natural.

Our body was created in the image of God, the Supreme Beauty. When our actions are in opposition to nature, the results are different types of bodily ills, deformities, and ugliness. Since there can be no natural beauty without eating 100 percent natural food, most of you have never seen the natural you.

There is an urgent need for another word. The contemporary meaning of natural is too far from the divine. I suggest filling this void with rawsome, a new word circulating in the raw food community. It is a combination of two words: raw and awesome with the meaning being something between natural and divine. The diet of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds also needs to be renamed. I have often been told that the phrase ?the raw food diet?, sounds like eating raw meat, particularly sushi, which is misleading. The raw food diet is so awesome that it should be called the very name it inspired- the Rawsome Diet.

Most of us feel our appearance lacks something. In reality, ugliness is more about excess. Toxic accumulations in our bodies are responsible for stealing our health and attractiveness. Beauty lies latent under cushions of retained fluids, deposits of fat, and sick tissues. Your beauty is buried alive, but in most cases it can be revived in a version that will be satisfactory to you. You must take immediate action to revitalize it. When you do, your uncovered beauty will surprise and delight you.

Eating cooked food will leave residues the body cannot utilize, and they will be deposited in places our Creator never intended. Everything not fully digested and properly eliminated, the body will treat as an abnormal substance. It will pocket these toxins as far away from the vital organs as possible--on the peripheries of the body--where it will invariably be reflected in our outward appearance. If the body cannot use it inside, it will deposit it on the outside. Nutrients from the food you eat spiral upward to the epidermis, and their quality will determine whether you will have a glowing clear complexion or skin spotted with growths, such as moles and skin sores.

Some physical characteristics of our face and body we cannot change--they were determined prior to our birth. But the consumption of the raw plant diet as an adult will make a difference in the texture of skin and hair, the health of nails, weight and complexion. All of these traits and more are determined by daily choices, with food being one of the most important and, luckily, the one we can fully control.

The Rawsome diet is the most suitable one for human physiology. It is salubrious to the body?s health and salutary to its beauty. The ability to renew cells is built into your body, and the body itself is capable of making you look more attractive. After all, we were designed to bloom continuously as old cells get replaced by new ones. The Rawsome diet makes the most of this rejuvenating ability of our bodies.

Rawsome beauty is not manufactured from the outside but cultivated from the inside by nutritionally charged food. Whole raw food restores the integrity of every cell and facilitates the optimal operation of every organ inside and out. The body, having been awakened by the improved diet, in its wisdom, will reach out to the places where health was lacking, and you will gradually see your beauty surfacing. The Rawsome diet will eliminate all the toxins on a deeper level and bring amazing changes to your appearance.

Only the body sustained on raw food will host natural beauty, or should we say Rawsome beauty. The landscape of the body will change. The surface of the skin will become soft and smooth but still firm and supple. Visible pores will diminish. A sallow skin with a yellow pallor will turn into a porcelain-like complexion. The whites of eyes, once red, will become bright with a bluish tinge. As natural collagen production improves, it will fill in the places where it is needed as in hollow cheeks. Raw food eating will clarify and refine your features and bring delicacy to your face.

On the Rawsome Diet, you will marvel at how the Master Artist will make the most of your individual features and bring balance to the entire face. Texture, hues, and shape will be harmoniously arranged into a genteel whole. Perfection and imperfection will be tied together into a unique original version of beauty.

Each time I see a woman, I study her appearance, and I see not just the way she looks but the way she could look. What I see is how far her image falls short of her potential beauty. I perceive her beauty as it would stand out after the body has cleansed itself from toxins and excesses.

From age 15 until recently, I wore my hair permed, only to discover at 45 that straight hair in my natural color was the best possible frame for my face. Did my preference change? Not at all. My face did. So let me give you a hint, if you need a camouflaging hairdo, you are not looking your best. The changes in your face brought about by raw foods will bring the freedom to arrange your hair in any way you want. When your peer group is thinking: ?I am losing my looks?, you will be finding yours. At 45, I enjoy looking in the mirror while before I detested my reflection.

As the cleansing initiated by this diet is completed, you will be very pleased to see how you were meant to look. Your body will exhibit beauty and dignity. You will become satisfied, even fascinated, with your appearance. When you look your very best, you look perfect, in a sense that you are as close to the divine image for yourself as you could ever be. You accept yourself completely. Natural beauty is above conformity; it doesn?t demand to be accepted by the dictates of the beauty norm.

People who have been on the raw food lifestyle for several years begin to have a glow, the kind not often seen in middle-aged people. Optimal health is recognized by an emerging radiance. Glow is hard to fake because it is internal. It comes from an abundance of clear, pink, almost transparent cells that light up the face. Only superior blood circulation can bring this transfiguring glow. Several years on the raw food diet will make you look as though you just stepped out of a painting by Renoir--the impressionist best known for his preoccupation with light.

I have come to believe if you do not embrace the 100 percent raw food diet, you will never meet The Most Beautiful You. The best proof that the Rawsome diet is optimal for the body is it makes you beautiful. Slim face, slender waist, and clear skin with smooth coloration-these subtle changes will convince you the raw plant diet is the best for good health and graceful beauty. No woman knows her true beauty until she cleanses her body completely of all waste.

You can say there are people who are beautiful, and they are not on this diet. That is true. It is hard to believe, but even they haven't seen the best of themselves. Dissatisfaction with one?s appearance arises not from perceiving our bodies inaccurately but because subconsciously we are aware we haven?t achieved our optimal look. The Rawsome diet gives a feeling of authenticity, an assurance we have become what we were meant to be.

Raw food not only corrects beauty?s shortcomings but also lifts the limitations of one?s spirit and releases strains and tensions in both your mind and body. People on the raw food diet have an aura about them, a transcendent nobility and complacent dignity. Sickness is goodness lost, and our unhappiness is a longing for goodness. One takes in the goodness in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables and feels its purifying process on the inside. Goodness in one?s food summons up goodness in one?s appearance and character.

Do you think it is hard to follow this life style? Women have done so many outrageous and dangerous things to themselves in the pursuit of beauty, I believe they should at least try the Rawsome lifestyle, which promises to transform them into beautiful people. What a woman won?t do for health, she will do for beauty. This is the first time beauty asks no sacrifice from health.

?2003Tonya Zavasta

This article may be freely reprinted in its entirety as long as the entire article, byline and URL are included.

About The Author

Tonya Zavasta is the author of the book ?Your Right to Be Beautiful: How to Halt the Train of Aging and Meet the Most Beautiful You? and of the soon to be published its sequel ?Beautiful on Raw?. In these books Tonya comes across as an ambassador for plain looking women in their quest for physical beauty. Tonya knows firsthand what it is to be humiliated, face adversity and meet the complex obstacles of daily living with a congenital disability. Facing several reconstructive hip surgeries to enable her to walk, she sought a way to offset the devastating effects of anesthetics on her health and appearance. She became more and more convinced that the solution to her quest for health and beauty was to be found in the raw food lifestyle or the Rawsome Diet as she calls it. The Rawsome Diet not only helped her to sail courageously through troublesome times, brought her general health and appearance to an all time best, but also opened a new chapter of her life. Firmly believing that the roots of under-performing and under-achieving lie in feeling and looking less than your personal best, she is on a mission: she wants every woman to look and feel beautiful. Tonya is convinced that by eating as God intended everyone can look uniquely beautiful as God envisioned.

To learn more about how you can uncover your Rawsome beauty, visit: www.beautifulonraw.com

Tonyazavasta@hotmail.com

The last step in your makeup regime is lipstick application. Some women say if they could have only one beauty item it would be lipstick. Lip color brings the whole look together to create harmony. To keep your lips looking perfect, have lip color with you at all times and reapply when needed.

When you select a lip color take in consideration your clothing and blush colors. The color of your clothing and blush should complement your lipstick but doesn?t have to be perfectly matched. However, the colors should be in the same intensity and range. Wear cool colors together and warm colors together. Pink lipsticks go with blue and pink colors and corals and russets go with clothing that falls in a yellow/orange range.

Steps to apply lip color:

1.Prepare your lips by applying foundation over them (this will extend the wear).

2.Outline and define the shape using a lip pencil that has soft, pointed top. Start at the V in your upper lip drawing down to the corners. Then, starting at the middle of the bottom lip draw a line to the corners. To help lipstick stay on longer, use your pencil to cover the lips entirely.

3.Fill in upper lip with lipstick or you can use a lip brush.

4.Fill in the lower lip and then blot with a tissue and reapply.

5.Dab gloss in the centre of your lower lip to create a fuller more glamorous look.

When defining the lips with a lip pencil be sure the pencil and lipstick colors are very close. The lip liner should not be noticeable. Lip liners are meant to keep your lipstick in place, keep lipstick from bleeding, define the shape and help them look more natural. Do not try to change the shape of your lips by going outside the natural line.

* Dark lipsticks will make small lips appear smaller.

Sheila Dicks is an image and wardrobe consultant who teaches women how to dress to suit their body type and look slimmer. You can visit her at http://www.sheilasfashionsense.com to download her Image Makeover ebook and get How to Build a Wardrobe free.

A beautiful maturity awaits you. You only need to take to heart the following information to get your reward. Appetite is the only true guide to bodily need and will gauge this need exactly, and cut off short when enough for the moment has been taken.

The Flectcher eating style - see free ebook in link below - cannot provide a list of what to eat, when to eat, nor how much to eat; neither can anybody else. Be guided by your individual bodily signals and respond to these needs.

If fish is the preference, eat this. If it is needed late at night eat it then, but eat it right.

Understand the food filter at the back of the mouth as described in an earlier article, and adjust the eating to the needs of the pie.

If it is used properly, consumed at a thoroughly peaceful pace and all taste is extracted from the pie and it is swallowed only in response to the natural opening of the gate, restful sleep will follow.

Few of us will crave mince pie or Welsh rarebit late at night. The worker on a morning paper run may do so and often does.

He has earned his appetite, and sometimes it is so robust as to call for mince pie or Welsh rarebit; but if these are eaten properly they will then be utilized by the body, eagerly and easily.

This style of eating is to accentuate the fact that as we mature the need to get as far away as possible from irrelevant and tedious advice in the matter of food is essential. This can be both time consuming and irrelevant.

Ordinary people will more than likely discover an appetite leaning toward the simplest of foods, and away from frequency of indulgence.

Even this has the power to bring change to a body and life.

You can embrace this change with ease and have a beautiful maturity.

Copyright 2006 Patricia Little

Patricia Little is a writer and the editor of a re-released classic ebook- it will show you how to get the best of health and wealth out of all your future years. For more go to ==> http://www.Young-at-Sixty.com

Remarkable How I Became Young at Sixty brings renewed vigor to your body, and hope to your mind. You Can Get your Free ebook How I Became Young at Sixty by going to http://www.Young-at-Sixty.com/get-your-f-r-e-e-ebook.htm

1. Silky Aloe Vera Skin Care Body Lotion
1 cup Aloe Vera gel 1-teaspoon lanolin 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil 1/3-cup coconut oil 1/2 to 3/4 ounce beeswax 3/4 cup almond oil 1 ? teaspoons essential oil Use a blender (or food processor) to mix the Aloe Vera gel, lanolin, & vitamin E oil. Microwave coconut oil & beeswax in a glass container on high 30 seconds, and stir. Repeat heating in 10-second blocks until fully melted. Stir in almond oil, reheating if necessary. Run blender or processor at low to medium speed, and then pour in melted oils in thin stream. As the oil is blended in, the cream will turn white and blender's motor will start to grind. As soon as melted oils are added and you've achieved mayonnaise-like consistency, stop the blender; add essential oil and pulse-blend. Do not over blend. Transfer cream to glass jars while still warm - the lotion will thicken quickly. This lotion really absorbs well and leaves no residue on skin. This recipe makes two cups.

2. Oats & Aloe Vera Exfoliant for your skin
1 tablespoon finely ground oats 1 tablespoon finely ground almonds 1-teaspoon honey 1-tablespoon Aloe Vera gel Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Apply to face and neck skin after cleansing and before toner is applied, using gentle circular motions. Rinse well with warm water and gently pat excess moisture from face. Follow with facial mask.

3. Aloe Vera Face Mask for Healing and Soothing
(Great for sensitive and dry skin, especially after sun bathing) Ingredients: -3 TBS pure and certified organic aloe Vera juice -1 drop Helycrisum essential oil -1 drop Rose essential oil Combine all ingredients and apply mixture evenly on face and neck. Leave it on for at least 7 minutes and rinse with warm water. Pat dry, and apply the following healing and soothing aromatic blend, prepared in advance in a 10-ml bottle filled with vegetable oil: -1 drop Neroli essential oil -3 drops Lavender essential oil

4. Aloe Vera Skin Toner
Soak a cotton pad with pure aloe Vera gel and use it to freshen your skin and remove excess oil. Use daily, following with moisturizer. This is especially good for normal and oily skin and is a great overall toner. Dilute the gel 50/50 with spring water if you have sensitive skin. You can also use the juice of a leaf from your aloe plant. Cut off the amount you are going to use, and put the remainder of the leaf in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. The leaf will keep for about 3 days.

5. Floral Aloe Vera Gel
1/2 cup Aloe Vera gel (available in most natural food stores) 1 tbsp. dried lavender flowers or 3 tbsp. fresh. 1 tbsp. dried calendula flowers or 3 tbsp. fresh. 1. Mix together the aloe Vera gel with the lavender and Calendula flowers in an ovenproof glass container, then heat the container gently by sitting it in a hot water bath on the stovetop. 2. Let the mixture cool completely, and then pour it through a clean, fine strainer (to remove all of the solids) into a clean container.

6. Exfoliating Foot Mask
1/2-cup oatmeal 1/2-cup cornmeal 1/2-cup coarse salt 1/2 cup unscented body lotion 4 tablespoons Aloe Vera gel in a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Slide feet into mixture and rub, beginning at toes, working up to heel and ankle. Do one foot at a time, rinsing in a separate bowl of warm water.

7. Exfoliating Aloe Vera Face Mask
4 Tbsp. Pumpkin puree 1 Tbsp. Honey 4 tsp. Cornmeal 2 tsp. Aloe Vera gel 2 tsp. Pineapple, diced 1 tsp. Green tea 1/2 tsp. Sunflower oil 6 drops frankincense essential oil (optional) 4 drops cinnamon extract (optional) Directions Steep green tea in boiling water. Set aside to cool. In blender or food processor puree pineapple and place in medium-sized mixing bowl. Add pumpkin, honey and aloe. Mix well. Stir in sunflower oil, green tea and cornmeal. Discard the remaining green tea. Add frankincense and cinnamon. Stir. Apply small amount of pumpkin mask to cheeks, forehead, chin and neck. Massage in circular motions gently buffing skin. Repeat. Apply more product as needed. Leave a thin layer of pumpkin mask on face and neck for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with tepid or cool water and pat dry with soft towel. Follow with appropriate moisturizer. Store remaining mask covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Benefits: Pumpkin enzymes dissolve dead skin cells while the cornmeal sweeps them clean. Honey has antimicrobial properties as well as moisturizes and softens. The result is a beautiful glowing complexion. Use this mask as often as you like.

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies for some of the most common illnesses and health problems.

Did you know that AVON?s Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil is more than just a bath oil? Just look at the list of uses we?ve found, ?tried and true?!!

1. It?s a bath oil.

2. It?s an after shower moisturizer.

3. It can be used to remove makeup.

4. It?s a suntan oil (not a sunscreen, however).

5. Pour a little in the water of your foot saver to help moisturize your feet while you relax them.

6. It?s a hot oil treatment to soften nails.

7. It?s a good massage oil for those overworked, sore muscles.

8. It?s a good insect repellent for people and their pets (as recommended in Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines, plus ?Dear Abby?).

9. It helps relieve itching caused by insect bites and dry skin.

10. Sponge it on screen and around doors and windows to keep crawling bugs, as well as, flies and mosquitoes out.

11. It?s a good wood cleaner, conditioner and polish for natural wood. (Cuts grease and dirt from kitchen cabinets with ease).

12. It removes chewing gum from hair, skin, and most nonporous surfaces.

13. It removes glue and gum left from price tags and labels from glass, metal and most plastics.

14. It cleans tape marks left by bandages from skin.

15. It cleans ink from skin and most vinyl and painted surfaces.

16. It gently cleans heavy grease and oil from skin and nonporous surfaces.

17. It removes soap scum from shower doors, shower curtains, windows, and bathroom and kitchen fixtures.

18. It removes lime and hard water deposits from windows, fixtures, shower doors and tile.

19. It removes tar spots from car finishes without damaging paint finish.

20. It?s an oil lubricant for fitting pipe joints that won?t slip together as easily as they used to.

21. It removes paint and stain from skin ? much gentler than turpentine!

22. It cleans paint brushes easily, and leaves them as soft as new.

23. It removes gum from carpet.

24. It cuts grease and dirt from range hoods.

25. It removes candle wax from furniture, carpeting, and clothing.

26. It removes scuff marks from patent leather shoes.

27. It removes Liquid Nail (paneling glue).

28. Two glass bowls or glasses stuck together? Drizzle a little SSS down the sides and they?ll come apart easily ? no breakage!

29. It removes ?ring around the collar?.

30. Wipe down vinyl surfaces inside your car to preserve the vinyl.This article originally appeared in the June 2000 issue of Jet Aviation's Flight Attendant News.

Matt manages the Corporate Flight Attendant Community website at http://www.corporateflyer.net and http://www.cabinmanagers.com

This is a good topic to discuss especially now since the popularity of all the make-over shows. I have always been curious as to why people, mostly women, have this idea that they are expected to look a certain way in order to fit in with society.

We all would like to believe that quaint saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but how true and meaningful is that phrase when the beholder has been brainwashed, so to speak, into subscribing to the belief that beauty is the artificial look we see on glamour mags, in TV commercials, and even in some children's books? For some time now, that image has consisted mainly of white women and the white standard of beauty.

I decided to take this question of plastic surgery and the search for beauty and see how it can affect some women in the African-American community. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, African-Americans make up only 6% of plastic surgery patients. Why is this? Do African-American women have a more positive self/body image or is it that many cannot afford it? And for the 6% who do have surgery, to which standard of beauty were they trying to aspire?

I chose to start my search for the white standard of beauty in 1960. I chose that year because at the time, a TV show was airing that sought to teach moral and societal lessons through fantastical tales. Two episodes of this show were very telling and prophetic, and they both dealt with how society viewed beauty and the expectations placed on women to be beautiful. That show was, The Twilight Zone.

Beauty in 1960... Rod Serling offered us a tale of beauties and beasts in episode #42 entitled: Eye of the Beholder. Here's a brief synopsis of the show I found at The Twilight Zone Guide: Janet Tyler anxiously awaits the outcome of her latest surgery. Janet, who's abnormal face has made her an outcast, has had her eleventh hospital visit - the maximum allowed by the State. If it didn't succeed, she will be sent to live in a village where others of her kind are segregated. As her bandages are removed, she is revealed to be very beautiful. The doctor draws back in horror. As the lights come on we see the others, their faces are misshapen and deformed. As Janet runs from her room crying, she runs into another of her kind, a handsome man named Walter Smith. He is in charge of an outcast village, and he assures her that she will eventually feel she belongs. He tells her to remember the old saying: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Although the show was filmed in black and white, we can clearly see that Ms. Tyler is Caucasian. The doctors appear to have darker skin, nevertheless, the idea here was that the viewers empathized with Ms. Tyler because she was the classic blonde, slender beauty commonly seen in 1960's fashion magazines. As the show closes, the narrator speaks: Now the questions that come to mind. Where is this place and when is it, what kind of world where ugliness is the norm and beauty the deviation from that norm? The answer is, it doesn't make any difference. Because the old saying happens to be true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence, on this planet or wherever there is human life, perhaps out among the stars. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lesson to be learned...in the Twilight Zone.

1964: The Standard Continues Episode #137, in Season Five, is called, Number Twelve Looks Just Like You, and was adapted by a short story called The Beautiful People. In this episode, we meet Marilyn, a young woman who is about to go through a rite of passage in her community. This rite is called The Transformation and it requires citizens to choose among several models of bodies into which they will be transformed. The message here is that this society only sees one standard of beauty and that one will not be happy unless they look and act just like everyone else. Opening Narration: Given the chance, what young girl wouldn't happily exchange a plain face for a lovely one? What girl could refuse the opportunity to be beautiful? For want of a better estimate, let's call it the year 2000. At any rate, imagine a time in the future when science has developed a means of giving everyone the face and body he dreams of. It may not happen tomorrow--but it happens now, in the Twilight Zone.

Once again, the beautiful people are all white and we don't see any women or men of color. What was this episode trying to tell black women about beauty? The closing narration: Portrait of a young lady in love--with herself. Improbable? Perhaps. But in an age of plastic surgery, body building, and an infinity of cosmetics, let us hesitate to say impossible. These and other strange blessings may be waiting in the future--which after all, is the Twilight Zone.

Beauty 40 Years Later

Some aspects of beauty standards have changed, but not much. We do see more black models and beautiful black women, but when you look at the majority of the more famous ones, (Tyra, Halle, Janet, Vanessa Williams, Beyonce, a few of whom have had plastic surgery, on their noses and other body parts), you can see straight away that they have many Caucasian attributes: small, pinched noses, lighter complexion, lighter eyes, straight, lightly colored hair. It is rare that you will see a model with very dark skin, a tight afro, wide, round, larger nose, and full, large lips. Flip through any issue of Vogue or Glamour and look for that image I just described. Then look for the first image I described.

So, are black women trying to aspire to the white standard of beauty when they seek plastic surgery?

According to Cynthia Winston, assistant professor of psychology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., We really don't know much about how blacks are influenced. Most of the research focuses on perceptions related to skin color. Foe most African-Americans, perception can be shaped by their environment. For example, an African-American woman growing up in an all-white neighborhood in Nebraska may be more likely than an African-American woman raised in inner-city Detroit to compare herself with white images of beauty.

(Source: African-American Women & Plastic Surgery: Self-Improvement or Self-Hatred? By Angela D. Johnson, Sept. 2, 2003)

Now What?

I suppose, it all comes down to how one feels inside about themselves. But there is this viscous cycle of doubt that women constantly face so it's often hard to reconcile your inner voices with the outside images thrown at you everyday. Many women buy into the trends and fashions that dictate beauty. TV shows and print ads abound with images of sexy women. Fitness clubs persuade women to join not so they will lower their risk of heart disease, but so they will aspire to be beautiful on the outside. No one tries to sell things that will help them on the inside.

In the end, you can look at all of this and say that there will always be standards of beauty and those who aspire to live up those standards, and those wanting to make a profit off those standards (cosmetic companies, ad agencies, modeling agencies, fashion designers, plastic surgeons, psychotherapists). The media portrays what people want to see and apparently, it's sex and beauty.

Ms. Martin currently resides in sunny Southern California with her son. When she's not writing, she works part-time as a preschool teacher where she hopes to help all children develop positive self and body images.

Hair growth is one of the most amazing aspects of the human body. And, although you have thousands of hairs all over your body, you probably think nothing of it. Did you know that once a fetus is about 22 weeks old he has developed five million follicles all over his body? And, that is all he will ever have too. Now, what else can we learn about the biology of hair?

What?s It Made Of?

The anatomy of a strand of hair is amazing. First, there is the follicle which is actually embedded into the skin. The hairs grow from the follicle through a shaft. The papilla lies at the base of the follicle as one of the many layers of the follicle. Next, capillaries help to connect the papilla to the blood supply. These surround the bottom of the hair called the bulb.

There are two sheaths that are in place to protect the hair shaft from being damaged surrounding the follicle. In one of them, runs next to the hair shaft and stops at the sebaceous gland. The other, the outer sheath, runs from the glad and stops at the erector pili muscle.

Keratin is dead protein cells that are what make up the hair shaft. The inside layer of them is the medulla. The second is the cortex and it provides the most hair shaft. Hair color is determined in this layer. The cuticle is the outside most layer and it has a series of overlapping cells. The luster of the hair comes from this layer.

How Growth Happens

Hair growth happens in three main stages. Did you know that your hair will only grow .3 to .4 millimeters per day? That is only six inches per year! Although it seems like it grows much more it really does not.

The Stages:

Catagen Phase: This is the transition phase. It lasts about two to three weeks. There is no hair growth now, as the goal is for the outer portion of the hair root sheath to shrink and then attach itself to the root.

Telogen Phase: The resting period. About 15% of your hair is in this stage at any given time. It takes about 100 days for the scalp hair and much longer for the body hair to go through this stage.

Anagen Phase: Hair cells are dividing and new hair growth is happening. It can last for as long as two to six years! Do you have trouble growing your hair long? This happens because your hair in this stage does not last nearly this long.

What Can Go Wrong?

There are several hair abnormalities that can happen. These hair disorders can strike just about anyone, but are in most cases rare. One, hirsutism is when individuals, mostly women, have excessive hair growth that is in odd places. For most women, the hair is darker and coarser than it should be. It can occur on the face, chest or the areola.

Another condition known as hypertrichosis is very rare and happens when individuals suffer from hair that grows thickly in areas of the body that it normally would not.

These conditions can be treated fairly well if help is sought out. Hair growth, while a very common and seemingly ordinary thing, actually is much more complex than people imagine. But, understanding how it works can help you to understand how to rid your body of unwanted hair.

As a beauty consultant Nicola is always evaluating new products. Visit her site at http://www.epilator.info for resources, views and information about how to remove body hair.

Copyright Epilator.info. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

It is simple to look and feel more beautiful starting today. You can even put away your pocketbook because these tips are free.

1. Smile... it will brighten your day and others around you will feel your energy.

2. Stretch... cats know that total body stretch does wonders. Follow their example and roll up slowly out of bed and stretch gently. (For more tips on stretching here is a great book: AM/ PM Stretch for Health.)

3. Exercise... at least 20 mins of any continuous activity will boost your energy level and reduce bad stressors. You don't even to pay a membership fee. The key is continuous like a 20min walk or even mopping your floors. You will look and feel better.

4. Drink water. No other liquid is quite like it. Clear your system. 8 glasses are recommended daily. Your skin will radiate.

5. Rest... you need to take breaks during the day and sleep at night. Takes breaks away from work space to keep fresh and focused. Make sure you are getting sufficient sleep at night since your body regenerates while you are sleeping. If you are constantly letting your mind wonder make a conscious decision to put away thoughts till morning. It is amazing how good your subconscious mind listens to your conscious mind (so be careful what you tell yourself)

6. Do good. When you do something for someone else without expecting anything in return you benefit in ways unimaginable. (the key is don't expect anything in return)

7. Exchange... the money you spend on junk food for food that will enrich your body and soul. Start with a simple plan of exchange. Because some think healthy foods cost more, find out your spending pattern by making 2 lists:

. foods you like that are healthy that you normally don't buy

. foods you like that are junk food that you normally buy

calculate the cost of the 2nd list then use this amount to fund your healthy purchase. (of course you have to say bye-bye to the junk food)

8. Stop and smell the roses. Look for good in everything. This is a toughie because most of us are trained to look for faults, errors, shortcomings, defects, etc. Begin with yourself. List all your assets (not just physical). Then realize all the good in being you. Move on to other things around you. Work on this consciously every day till it becomes a habit. There is something good about everything and everyone. Once you realize this you will be finding good everywhere without even trying.

9. Learn... something new every day. Pick up a book. or search online. Learn to do something you have always wanted to do. You can even start for free by researching online. Search the subject and start stimulating and enriching your mind today.

10. Reward yourself. Set financial and personal goals and tag them with rewards for accomplishing them. (this one may be something special you have always wanted to do. and not necessarily a purchase.. But if you have done all the above maybe go ahead and splurge a little. You deserve it!

Marie Gervacio is founder and editor of SimpleBeautyTips.com , ShineYourStar.com and WhoisMarieGervacio.com/index.html Get free info and downloads on beauty at http://simplebeautytips.com

Most of us have heard the old saying, ?Beauty is only skin deep.?

Well, it?s not really true. Beauty is the outer manifestation of good health, good genetics and good will. The state of our health is reflected in the quality of our skin and luster of our hair. Beautiful strong hair and clear smooth skin is the result of good nutrition. The state of our mind and intentions are reflected in our smile, in our eyes, and in the regard our loved ones have for us. A beautiful smile and sparkling eyes are the result of a good attitude. Good genetics? Well, that?s just the result of good luck.

Although it?s not skin deep, it is open to interpretation. After all, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Those we love deeply are always beautiful to us, no matter what they actually look like.

Whatever our genetics and luck, whatever our mindset, most women would like to look as healthy and beautiful as they possibly can. Whether want to look magazine-cover perfect; or whether as just as healthy and vibrant and as youthful as possible, the first step in constructing a new beauty regimen is finding out if you are providing the tools your body needs to repair and maintain itself and the health of your skin, hair and nails. The basic factors affecting the appearance of these are 1) nutrition, 2) hydration, 3) toxification, 4) hormonal profile, and 5) sleep.

Nutrition

Your body rebuilds and repairs cellular tissue on a daily basis, and needs adequate protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micronutrients to perform this function. Your skin regenerates constantly, building new cells underneath and sloughing off old cells. Without adequate protein, your skin will not be able to construct strong healthy collagen structures. Without an adequate amount of the right kinds of fats, your hair and nail cells will be weak and easily broken, and your skin will become dry and lifeless.

Hydration

Adequate hydration is vital to the process. Your body requires enough water to move nutrients into, and wastes out of, cells. Water is the basis of the interstitial tissues that flow between your muscle and fat cells, carrying oxygen and hormones from one to the other. Dehydration can lead to slack skin and lifeless hair.

Toxification

Detoxification is also another fundamental. Your skin is responsible for eliminating approximately 10% of your body?s toxins and metabolic wastes. By ensuring that the other organs of elimination are clean and functioning well, you lighten the load on the skin, allowing it to use its precious energy on repair and re-growth. Certain toxins can have definite adverse effects on the hair. Heavy metal poisoning from mercury can cause hair to fall out and to break and can aggravate gums. Lead causes neural damage that can lead to faulty signaling between your brain and outlying extremities.

Hormonal Profile

Your body produces many different hormones that are used by the body to communicate with outlying organs and tissues and tell it how to react to changing conditions. Some of the hormones that directly affect your hair, skin and nails are estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and growth hormone. For example, estrogen is important for keeping your skin youthful and resilient, but too much can cause aggravation of the gums and lead to gingivitis. Testosterone is needed to for the important task of producing your body?s own moisturizer, sebum; too much can lead to hair loss from your head and the unsightly growth of excess dark hairs on your face and belly. A lack of progesterone can lead to the skin condition cellulite. The hormones leptin, insulin, and glucagon are important for the maintenance of a healthy weight. As you can see, hormonal balance has a definite and important influence on how you look.

Sleep

Your body requires a certain amount of rest to rebuild, repair and replace cellular tissue. Interestingly enough, the skin is usually regenerated between the hours of 11PM and 2AM, so for best results, you should be sleeping during those hours. Your body also uses the time during sleep to balance brain chemistry. Adequate sleep and rest is one of the most important things you can do to improve the appearance of your skin and the health of your hair and nails, as well as giving you the energy to live actively and the mood enhancement to enjoy life.

Summary

One of the first things you need to do when devising a new beauty routine is to find out whether or not you are getting the right kind of food and enough water to meet your beauty goals. Also, you might want to consider a detoxification routine. Are you are getting enough sleep to put all these other factors to work for you? These are the first things to consider when devising a beauty regimen.

Fawn Bales has studied and practiced alternative and herbal medine for 25 years. She has also studied aesthetic technology and cosmetology. She is the co-author of two natural beauty books and is a managing partner of Botanical Beauty Lab, a women's free resource for natural health and beauty information at http://www.botanicalbeautylab.com

Natural Cosmetics refer to the cosmetics produced from things obtained from nature. They may either involve using the products directly or derivatives of these products. Nature offers innumerable products which can be wisely utilized in preparing different types of cosmetics. Plant products are the most widely used ingredients in natural cosmetics. Thus, they are also often referred to as herbal cosmetics.

Natural cosmetics have been used since times immemorial. Historical records testify that all the ancient civilizations had discovered and harnessed the utilities of natural or herbal products for cosmetic use. Medicines, cosmetics and toiletries had all been prepared from natural products- herbal products being most commonly used.

Benefits of natural cosmetics

Natural cosmetics have a host of benefits. Being natural, they are considered to be quite harmless on the skin. They contain time tested ingredients with proven efficacy. A judicious combination of potent herbs can not only produce cosmetic effect but also help cure skin ailments and hair problems. The natural products- leaves, roots, fruits etc. supply several essential nutrients to the skin too. The essential oils of certain plants can bring forth miraculous results.

All kinds of cosmetics from nature

There can be natural alternatives suggested to almost all kinds of cosmetics. Cleansers, toners, moisturizers, face masks, creams, lotions, face packs- all are available in herbal varieties. Various natural lip gels and balms, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, hair packs, hair gels, sun protective bases and makeup ranges are also on offer.

Beauty recipes from China and India using traditional herbs have earned a special significance the world over. Ayurvedic recipes from India for skin and hair treatment also serve as cosmetics. They are often widely acclaimed as the ultimate in skin and hair care simply because of the effective results produced upon their usage.

Natural cosmetics use various parts of plants- the leaves, the bark, the roots, the oil extracted from seeds, the fruits and also at times the whole plant. Alongside, mud and mineral products, honey etc. may be used. Milk, milk cream, yoghurt and eggs are also largely used in various natural cosmetics as an ingredient to add body.

Some simple household products may also double up as natural cosmetics. These constitute home remedies for skin and hair problems. Spices and condiments like turmeric and saffron quite often figure in the list of ingredients for natural cosmetics. Natural cleansers like milk and lemon are effective natural cosmetics in themselves. Fruits can make up excellent face packs. The names of cucumbers, peaches and apricots can be especially mentioned in this regard. The oils obtained from almond and coconut act as very good massage oils for skin and hair. The application of these oils brings a healthy glow to the skin and hair and makes them beautiful. They also help restore or maintain youth by controlling wrinkle and crease formation on the surface of the skin.

Extensive range of natural cosmetics to pamper you

There is an extensive range of natural cosmetics on offer. We can conveniently choose from these as per our requirement. Associated with natural cosmetics are natural perfumes obtained from essential oils of rare herbs. These may also come within the ambit of natural cosmetics. The natural cosmetics certainly promise to pamper your beauty and aesthetic senses and bring about a transformation in the way you look about yourself and nature.

For more infomative health and beauty articles or to browse our wide variety of quality herbal supplements visit http://www.natural-health-4-life.com

Countless people are now using an anti-aging complex that works to help reduce the appearance of existing signs of aging and to help prevent the appearance of new lines and wrinkles in the future. The product they use has an extraordinary, marine-source formulation that is free of alpha-hydroxy acids, yet effectively evens skin tone and retextures, refines, brightens, and firms the skin's surface.

New pharmaceutical nutrients supply enzymes that amplify the body's natural process of rejuvenating the skin after sun exposure. Photosomes are fast-acting, light-activated enzymes, while ultrasomes are the slower acting enzymes that work without light. Pharmaceutical nutrients help speed cell renewal in sun-damaged skin to revitalize it from within.

A powerful oxidative-defense complex that is rich with vital nutrients provides optimal nutrition for hair and skin cells. Concentrated whole-grape extract, rice-derived gamma oryzanol, and green tea are powerful antioxidants that keep skin and hair strong, while vitamin E and tocopherols soothe and nourish to maintain the integrity of the skin's lipids. This breakthrough, topical-flavonoid complex is your first line of defense for beautiful, healthy hair and skin.

The crucial role that vitamin C plays in cell health and collagen synthesis has been known for decades. A revolutionary formulation of water-soluble and lipid-soluble forms of vitamin C that counteract the harsh effects of the environment on the hair and skin's appearance and provide essential antioxidants. Proline and glycine, highly effective amino acids that draw in moisture, diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Smoother, brighter hair and skin can be yours with this powerful beauty therapy.

Essential fatty acids are a basic building block for healthy skin and hair. Use pharmaceutical products that provide important polyunsaturated fatty acids to support smooth, hydrated skin and soft, manageable hair. Fiber is an important element in maintaining healthy skin because it helps maintain overall body health. Use a great-tasting, low-glycemic drink mix that provides more than twice the amount of fiber.

Parabens preservatives seem to be in everything we touch, taste, or use. They are commonly found in salad dressings, sunscreens, topical dermatological medications, toothpastes, and other products. And they cause more damage than good. Are you using parabens and don?t know it? Do you have allergic reaction to these parabens preservatives? Contact me for a free health assessment.

--

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. Mail to: eagibbs@ureach.com

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts seminars, lectures, and writes articles on his theme: ... helping you maximize your potential. He offers a free health survey at http://eagibbs.usana.com; free state tourism guides at http://www.ExecutiveAndGroupTravel.com; travel updates at http://www.executiveandgrouptravel.blogspot.com. Reach him at eagibbs@ureach.com or at 502-386-1175.

Are you suffering from Body acne? or Zits below the neckline? Don?t worry. You are not alone! Lot?s of teen get body acne. It is common in the winter months, when you are wearing piles of heavy clothing.

Sweat can clog skin pores and lead to breakouts all over. Other things that can cause body acne are tight fitting clothing ( It traps sweat against the skin, leading to clogged pores and blemishes) stress and hormones. Body acne commonly pops up on the chest and back.

? To zap body acne and prevent it from coming back, you can wash your body daily with a salicylic acid based cleanser. Look for this ingredient on product labels.

? Shower daily and be sure to shower as soon as possible anytime you have been sweating ? such as after playing sports, working outside or just being in the sun. After your shower, you can follow up by a body moisturizer that contains Alfa Hydroxy acid. This will exfoliate skin and help prevent breakouts, without drying skin out.

? At Nighttime you can treat body acne just like facial acne, by applying an acne zapping gel or cream at the effected parts.

? If your body acne is particularly bad and wont respond to this treatment after about a month, you will probably need to see a dermatologist.

Venkata Ramana is a Health Enthusiast. Visit his Acne and Depression websites and gain maximum Information to stay fit and healthy.

Here is a list of different essential oils that are used in bath and body recipes.

Choose an essential oil that suits your skin requirements you can always substitute you essential oil ingredients for ones that are more suitable, more affordable or simply to one that you may already have

Lavender Essential Oil - Headaches, stress, insomnia, minor burns, skin rashes, lowers blood pressure. Calmative. Basil Essential Oil- Anti bacterial, headaches, mental alertness, fatigue, stress, Period pains (Blends well with lemon and fennel).

Lemon Essential Oil- Cellulite, oily skin, anti bacterial, asthma and other respiratory complaints.

Patchouli Essential Oil - Tightens pores, combats wrinkles, Mobilizes cellulite, stress reliever, insomnia, relaxant, acne, eczema, psoriasis, sores and minor burns (Blends well with lavender and sandalwood).

Sandalwood Essential Oil- Calms the mind and spirit, oily skin, soothes irritated skin, and is an aphrodisiac for men. (Blends well with lavender and sandalwood).

Spearmint Essential Oil- Soothes the skin, calmative, and settles upset tummies.

Lemon Grass Essential Oil- Skin toner, oily skin, fatigue, muscle aches and gastric infections-(Blends well with tea tree and lavender).

Tea Tree Essential Oil- Anti- fungal, acne, skin toner. (Blends well with spearmint, sandalwood, lavender, and eucalyptus).

Juniper Berry Essential Oil - Cellulite, uplifting (Blends well with lavender, patchouli and sandalwood).

Fennel Essential Oil - Diuretic, circulation. Cleansing oil, indigestion and gas. (Blends well with lavender, lemon, basil and sandalwood).

Cypress Essential Oil- Diuretic, varicose veins, circulation, coughs and colds. (Blends well with lavender, sandalwood and patchouli)

This Article was written by Shellie Wilson co/founder of Craftbits.com

Visit http://www.CraftBits.com for 1000's of Free Step by Step Craft Lessons

Enter to win free craft prizes or browse around our 1000's of Free Craft Projects.

Participate in a worldwide craft swap or just get some free craft advice or read an article.

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Lettuce is one of the most delicate salad plants - there is usually nothing but disappointment to be gained from trying to bring a wilting specimen back to life. It has been cultivated since the earliest times, and varieties such as Cos or Romaine had become popular by the middle ages. Culpeper, the old English herbalist said, `The juice of lettuce mixed with oil of roses, applied to the forehead and temples procureth sleep and ease the head-ache?. He goes on to say that when taken 'it abateth bodily lust? this, it seems, is an accurate observation.

Lettuce juice has been likened in effect to the sedative action of opium without the accompanying excitement. H.M. Evans of the University of California demonstrated in a series of experiments that whilst the lettuce had a calming effect on sexual ardour, there was a surprisingly strong compensatory effect in that the rate of fertility was greatly increased. So although the normal person might well find these two results to be incompatible (or at any rate inconceivable) lettuce is frequently suggested to help men who suffer from premature ejaculation.

Pythagoras, the ancient Greek mathematician, therefore knew only half of this information when he called lettuce 'The plant of the eunuchs: This compensation results from a mixture of tonic and sedative components in which the calming effect on the nervous system and digestive organs as well as the sexual is combined with a tonic action upon the glands. There is a slight laxative action with the unusual feature that the odor of ill-smelling stools is often much improved.

Lettuce contains a good spectrum of minerals, although these are present in average rather than exceptional quantities. The vitamin content includes a fair amount of carotene, but it is essential to bear in mind that the outer leaves may contain fifty times more than the white inside leaves, so juice everything. The strong therapeutic effect results from the many alkaloids present. These include asparagine (see asparagus), lactucine, lactucic acid and hyoscyamine.

A mixture of lettuce and spinach juice is said to help the growth of hair if drunk to the extent of a pint or so a day. So much hair loss is caused by your genetic inheritance and not through deficiencies that this information is given for the sake of the desperate. There is much more evidence for its effectiveness in dealing with a nervous cough and as supportive therapy which might help but not cure the diabetic and the asthmatic and help ease those who have continuous pain.

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies for some of the most common illnesses and could also churn out benefits from lettuce.

To know what to look for in an antiaging skin care product, it?s important to understand what causes deterioration in the skin over time. All aspects of aging, including slack skin, wrinkles and uneven skin tone are the result of free radical damage at the molecular level.

Oxygen molecules are the bad boys of the antiaging world. When involved in a chemical reaction, they frequently lose one of their electrons and then dash madly about trying to steal an electron from another molecule. This can start a destructive chain reaction of unstable molecules, called free radicals, dashing around creating more unstable molecules.

Think of it like a radical mob building to riot force. Free radical damage is also known as oxidation. On metal, it appears in the form of rust. So when we say we are getting rusty, it?s not really far from the truth!

Fortunately skin has amazing regenerative abilities that help it repair damage up to a point. As well, nature has provided an anti-riot squad called The Antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in the human body and elsewhere in nature. They effectively block free radicals from getting to other healthy stable molecules.

But there are factors that can accelerate free radical damage to the point that the balance of power shifts in favor of the free radical mob. Current thinking categorizes the factors into: lifestyle (meaning where and how you live); the natural aging process; and genetics.

Some of these skin risk factors can be changed and some can?t. As time and science march on, the list of factors which can be mitigated grows longer and longer. Lifestyle changes are frequently possible if you know what to do and are motivated to make the changes.

Thanks to fairly recent scientific findings, the natural aging process of skin can be slowed and even reversed to some extent. That leaves only the genetic factors of skin aging that we are stuck with. At least for now.

UV protection, in the form of SPF creams, is the first topical step to take for your skin?s health. The second is moisturizing. The third step is assisting the fight against free radical damage with antioxidants. Steps four and five are skin care products that help remove old/dead/abnormal skin cells and those that promote normal skin regeneration. Many ingredients shown to accomplish this demolition and renovation are found in the latest generation of face creams.

In addition to antiaging treatments that support physical health and beauty, there are also antiaging skin care creams that address cosmetic concerns like adult acne, uneven skin pigmentation and lines of expression.

While no one dies from these conditions, it is widely accepted that if we look better, we feel better. So though treatments for these skin conditions are termed cosmetic , they frequently have a mental health benefit in that they support a healthy self-image and increased self confidence.

This article is for informational purposes only. It does not purport to offer medical advice. Consult a qualified physician before using any of these products.

For a list of the most effective skin care ingredients and what they do, visit http://www.ageless-beauty.com/skin-care.html

Jean Bowler was a teacher, ballet dancer and instructor, personal trainer, cosmetics consultant and more. She is the editor of Ageless Beauty ? http://www.ageless-beauty.com

We can always count on celebrities to serve as guinea pigs for the latest cosmetic and beauty treatments. During the Botox ? craze, even director Martin Scorsese commented that he couldn?t find actresses who could frown anymore! Perhaps actors, politicians, musicians and the like all grew tired of looking like Stepford wives because the latest cosmetic craze involves Hyaluronic acid, a key component of human tissue, providing the body with essential moisture and a viable way to erase wrinkles without the loss of facial expression. Hyaluronic acid is available in facial injections reportedly favored by celebrities like Charlie Sheen, Tommy Lee Jones and Oprah Winfrey who have chosen Restylane, a Hyaluronic acid wrinkle-filler that works to lift the lip, wrinkle or fold and create volume. Hyaluronic acid injections do not relax muscles but instead ?fill in? areas most affected by wrinkles and fine lines.

There are also several new, non-invasive beauty products that contain Hylauronic acid or work to stimulate the body?s own Hyaluronic acid production. Apparently full lips a la Angelina Jolie are a must-have because celebrities of all ages are going gaga for City Lips, a cutting edge product developed by City Lips Cosmetics. The City Lips product stimulates lips to produce their own collagen and Hyaluronic acid, painlessly increasing the size of lips. According to Karen Rauen, Good Housekeeping Institute?s chemistry director, The City Lips lip plumper, we found, plumps people's lips an average of three millimeters.? Celebrities like Desperate Housewives stars, Teri Hatcher and Nicolette Sheridan, Jamie Lynn Discala, Virginia Madsen, Melissa Rivers, Angela Bassett, Lacy Chabert, Lake Bell, Eliza Dushku, Bijou Phillips, Haylie Duff, Kathy Griffin, Tracy Ross, Marlee Matlin, Shannon Elizabeth, Michelle Rodriguez, Faith Evans, Giuliana Depandi, Debbie Matenopoulos and Princess Ann Claire, are reportedly huge fans of City Lip Cosmetics.

There are other Hyaluronic acid boosting ?lip plumpers? on the cosmetic market including Lucky Lips which allegedly increases Hyaluronic acid levels by 148% just 48 hours after use. Other celeb Hyaluronic acid beauty favorites include Hydrating Gel Cream from Prada Beauty, a lightweight, sheer cream featuring Hyaluronic acid and Rest-A-Line Face Treatment by Joey New York, an anti-aging cream rich with Hyaluronic acid which helps the skin hold 1000 times its weight in water, causing a natural plumping effect. All in all, between facial injections and non-evasive beauty creams, it seems like there is much hope on the frontier for finding that elusive fountain of youth; for celebrities and for common folk, alike!

Hyaluronic Acid Resource is dedicated to promoting an understanding of Hyaluronic acid, a major ingredient in many medical and anti-aging therapies and to highlighting places where you can safely purchase Hyaluronic acid products. For more information go to E-Hyaluronicacid.com

Face it ladies; the reason you want to look nice is to attract the opposite sex. And let's also face the fact that most men do not even notice half the things you spend your hard-earned cash on in the name of looking good for them. Whether you're a swinging single, have a boyfriend, or even a couple of boyfriends, you can still turn heads without blowing your entire paycheck on self-maintenance. Here are ten tips.

1. Grow your hair long. Forget the stacked and sprayed look, girls. Men want long, luxuriant locks that they can run their fingers through and maybe even give a gentle tug on once in a while to pay homage to their inner caveman. Save your money on expensive haircuts. Instead, have a friend trim those tresses at home (or do it yourself). Split ends are never in style no matter what look you're sporting.

2. Cut your hair short. I know; I just told you to grow it and now I'm saying cut it. If you're one of those pixie-face girls with milky skin and great shoulders who can leave the house wearing no makeup and still look hot... chop it all off! You're naturally feminine and can get away with it. Keep the hair goop to a minimum. Again: the idea here is soft and natural.

3. Put on a skirt. If you're married or have been dating the same guy for a while, you know the Skirt Reaction. It usually involves appreciative murmurs, spontaneous affection, and umm... well, I don't need to explain further, do I? Your skirt doesn't have to be Neiman Marcus. A denim mini that you paid 14 bucks for can look just as nice as whatever the models are sporting in your copy of Vogue, if you dress it up in just the right way.

4. Exfoliate. Ditch the foundation, ladies. Your boyfriend doesn't apply beige paint to his face every time he leaves the house and neither should you. Face makeup looks unnatural, and I'll bet your man would say it tastes kinda funny, too. Instead, pick up a tube of exfoliant for less than four bucks (it will last you at least five months). Scrub with it every four days or so, and you'll be bright, rosy and cheeky as a schoolgirl. If you're concerned about oil, buy a translucent powder compact at the Rite Aid and apply as necessary.

5. Paint your toenails and fingernails yourself. Do you actually pay other people to do your nails? Shame, shame. Manicures and pedicures rank high on the list of things Men Couldn't Care Less About. Professional French Manicure, Pink Piggies Done at Home or even Naked Nails... it makes no difference to him. Save your money and have a finger-and-toe-painting party with a girlfriend or two. Also, forget the Lee Press-On look. Teradactyl talons are terribly tacky. Go with short-to-medium length, natural and non-scary nails.

6. Neaten up those eyebrows. No miracle lipstick in the world is going to make a difference if your eyebrows look like two caterpillars curled up and died on your forehead! Eyebrow artillery: sharp trimming scissors, a good pair of tweezers. Step 1: brush eyebrow hair upward. Step 2: Trim straight across. Step 3: pluck stray hairs and define arches - and please don't overdo it! Think Jennifer Aniston, not Bette Davis.

7. Avoid the Lumpy Look. The lumpy look occurs when your clothes are too tight. If the jeans are too small, find a top with tummy coverage. If you're spilling over the bra cups, camoflauge with a thicker fabric shirt or sweater. The Lumpy Look is a semi-emergency situation that demands action. Either hit the stores for a bigger size, or get on Weight Watchers ASAP because girl, you're in trouble.

8. Eyes or Lips - not both. The key to being tastefully attractive is downplaying one feature while up-playing another. If you decide to go with smoky baby blues, then opt for bare or clear lips that day. To show off your perfect pucker, select a nice flattering shade of lipcolor. Paint inside the lines (this is important - no man likes the Rodeo Clown look) and leave the eye makeup to a bare minimum. This same theory applies to your clothing. Legs on display? Cover up the belly. Cleavage peeking out? Hide that junk in the trunk.

9. Forget the tanning bed. Yes, fake tanners, we are all talking about how silly you look behind your back. Keep up the year-round tanning, and in five years you'll resemble a Ball Park hot dog that's been on the grill for far too long. Tan in a bottle is no better, especially with those telltale brown creases behind your knees. Do your skin a favor and keep tanning to the summer months.

10. Feel good about yourself, and smile! By far the best way to be attractive is to actually FEEL attractive. If you're smiling and in a great mood, you'll be naturally sexy no matter what you're wearing. Put on your favorite tunes, go hang out with your best pals, get some fresh air and do the things you enjoy most in life. Real beauty comes from within, and has a lot more to do with the gleam in your eye and the spring in your step than an expensive haircut or anti-aging cream. So, let it all hang out, be yourself and be happy about it. After all, you're one of a kind... and that's pretty attractive!

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There are so many questions about buying a professional skin care product: Will it work better? What makes it work better? Is it worth the money? Well, I'm here to help you sort through it all - you just need some guidelines to make the right choices. There some fundamentals that are the foundation to all I have to say on this topic:

There are professional skin care products that work very well and are very inexpensive...there are also some very expensive professional products that are terrible! With this in mind, let's break it down so that you are armed with the knowledge you need to make smart purchasing decisions. What exactly is a professional skin care product? Well, there are a couple different ways to consider this. Skincare products fall into four general categories:

1.Products that an esthetician uses in the salon and does not provide for resale

2.Products that an esthetician may use on you in the salon and does offer them for re-sale

3.Products available at department stores, usually at a premium price

4.Products available at your local drugstore or grocery store

Let's go through each category and explain. You'll soon realize that it is ALL ABOUT INGREDIENTS.

Type I - Products used in salons but not available for re-sale. These are not typically sought after by most women, but they do require a short discussion. When you get a facial, depending on your skin your esthetician may use a product that is much stronger than anything you would (or should) ever use on your own. This is usually a highly concentrated glycolic or salicylic acid peel. These are Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA's) or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA's) respectively. While you may very well use a product containing an AHA or BHA, you should not be using anything stronger than an 8% solution for AHA or a 5% solution for BHA. Stronger than those concentrations, you may be susceptible to irritation and swelling. The decision to go to a higher concentration should only be left to a qualified skin care professional. Your esthetician may apply a 20-30% peel in some cases, if you have skin that is very thick or is in desperate need of major exfoliation. Some common reasons would be for severe acne, severely neglected skin, or maybe for a smoker (did I tell you smoking is BAD for your skin, among other things?). Bottom line is that peels of this strength should NEVER be self-administered. Using this type of professional skin care product is best left to only qualified estheticians.

Type II - Products used by salons and only available for sale at a salon. These products are of many different varieties and require some knowledge to sort through. Here, you MUST know a little bit about reading a label. You may find the same ingredients in VERY EXPENSIVE products, but you may also find them in VERY INEXPENSIVE products. You need to read the label. Some other things to look for on the labels are sensitizing agents, natural ingredients, and various emollients. Sensitizing agents are anything that may produce irritation. When you see various fragrances and colors added, these may very well cause irritation. They may also make the price go up considerably. Watch out for this - you may be able to get the same cleanser (by ingredient) without the fancy smell and container. Look out for natural ingredients. Natural ingredients tend to show up in salons and also tend to have a high price tag. If you see an ingredient list that includes things like honey extract, almond oil, coconut oil, or grape seed oil, you may well see some nice results. But you may NOT! What you can be sure of, is that exotic ingredients will make the cost go up considerably.

Type III - the department store products. These products are the most insidious largely because they are usually the closest thing to drugstore brands. There are THOUSANDS of products out there and MILLIONS of combinations and formulas. Professional skincare products sold under prestige names in the department stores are very often no better than those available at your local CVS, although they are MUCH more expensive.

Type IV - Drugstore brands. I have nothing against drugstore brands. Nothing at all. But you do need a word of caution. In my experience, drugstore brands are much more likely to have harsh detergents and other sensitizing agents without the appropriate buffer or desensitizing agent. Just make sure to look out for products like toners that are alcohol based, cleansers that are the classic lauryl/lareth sulfate (a good cleanser, but just too harsh!). There are many drugstore brands that I would match well against many a professional skin care product.

There are also various emollients in professional skin care products that may garner a hefty price tag and others that are a little lower on the food chain. For example, mineral oil is often regarded in negative terms and typically appears in less expensive drugstore brands. But newer research suggests that mineral oil is an excellent emollient (though it may not absorb so well in some products).

Shea butter is another great example. Shea butter is a GREAT emollient and is found in some VERY high-priced Professional skin care moisturizers. Funny thing is...you can find Shea butter in many drugstore brands - just read the label.

Remember, manufacturers are required to print ingredient lists on every cosmetic, in order of concentration. To settle the drugstore brand vs. professional skincare product debate, all you have to to do is - read the label!

Melissa Brooks is the owner of SpartaWorks, Inc. SpartaWorks has been providing massage and skin care services for nine years in the Washington, D.C. area. Melissa is a licensed esthetician and massage therapist. She owns and operates the Facial Skincare Product Guide, where this article first appeared.

If you are just starting out with yoga, you already know that there are a number of different pieces of equipment that you may need and the yoga mat is one of them. But, how can you choose one that is right for you? There are several things to help you make that decision and knowing a little about each yoga mat will help you to make the right choice.

The most common type of yoga mat is the sticky mat. These mats are very thin and offer a little padding. This is the traditional type of mat. There are now those that have more padding and allow for a better feel being produced. What is important is to realize the point behind having a yoga mat at all. They do several things for you. First, they can help to brace you so that you do not slip and fall when you are in one stance or the next. They can also help to provide even a small bit of padding to the knees, the hips, and the back.

Here are some of the various types of yoga mats and what they can do for you.

The Meditation Mat: This mat is usually purchased with a pillow that goes with it. The combination offers for a better sitting meditation posture. It conforms to your body?s shape while allowing you to sit properly.

Universal Style Yoga Mat: This yoga mat is one of the most basic. It has a light texture to it and a high tack surface that will allow the hands to melts into it during poses.

Deluxe Yoga Mats: These are highly textured. They often are made of high tack foam surfaces and offer a better grip all around.

For those that are a beginner, a beginner yoga mat can be quite important. These are vinyl and have a sponge foam texture to them.

Others: There are also those yoga mats that can do excellent things for you. For example, some are thicker and denser than others. Some will absorb perspiration. Some are just tougher.

In order to know which yoga mat you should purchase, you will want to consider what you plan to do with it, your level and need for comfort while doing that and what budget you have. You can always ask your yoga instructor about which mats are appropriate for the type of yoga you will be doing.

Mike Singh is a successful webmaster and publisher of http://www.yoga-made-ez.com He provides more yoga health benefits and yoga sequences for your convenience.

When you are searching the Internet for natural skin care products, you will notice that there are tons of sites that offer a variety of options to choose from. Below you find an assortment of websites, as well as natural skin care product descriptions that are offered through the individual companies.

Devita Natural Skin Care Systems

Upon visiting www.devita.net, you will encounter the website of the Devita Natural Skin Care Systems, which offers a line of all-natural products containing aloe vera, as well as a mixture of rare essential oils. The products are geared towards all skin types and claim to decrease the signs of aging that are caused by the natural process of aging, as well as environmental factors.

The company taps into the rich resource of oils that are thought to possess a healing power that soothes the spirit, mind and body. Some of the ingredients that the company uses in their natural skin care products include rose, sage, chamomile, avocado, as well as frankincense.

Natural skin care products from Devita deliver pure essential oils, amino acids and whole herb extracts which have been scientifically deemed beneficial for achieving healthy skin.

A few natural skin care products to consider include the Devita Cool Cucumber Toner, which aids in the decrease in pore size, as well as possesses skin-lifting capabilities, providing a certain renewal of the skin.

Devita?s Aloe Vera Moisture Cleanser is available for $18.95 and is a gentle foaming cleanser with conditioning agents for the face. This product can be used to tighten pores and rejuvenate the skin.

Some natural skin care products have used copper for its collagen and elastin properties. The company offers a sun damage repair serum that contains a copper peptide, which claims to reverse the damage caused by the sun. This item is available for the price of $34.95.

Emu Oil

Who would have thought that a large bird could produce oil that is both anti-bacterial, as well as anti-inflammatory?

The emu, which is close in relation to the ostrich, is native to Australia and produces oil that has been used in natural skin care products to treat many skin conditions. An example of these products can be found by visiting the website: www.nfbotanicals.com/emu.

The emu oil has been shown to help heal burns; heal wounds; relieve eczema and acne, as well as fade stretch marks.

Products that can be found on the website include an Evening Primrose Cream, as well as Skin Therapy Cream; both containing emu oil as an ingredient.

All-Natural Cosmetics

Natural skin care products can also be found by visiting www.alphaskincare.com, which offers a variety of all-natural cosmetics consisting of minerals and other all-natural ingredients.

Not only can you purchase facial toners, cleansers, masques, serums, body powders and body balm, you can consider some of the natural aromatherapy skin care products that they offer.

When considering an all-natural handmade soap from this shop, you can choose from an array of products including Oatmeal and Honey, Lavender Oatmeal, Lemongrass and Orange Clove.

Blue Dragon Beauty

Blue Dragon Beauty provides customers with a long list of handmade soaps, body balms, as well as other natural skin care products. The ingredients of some of these products include essential oils, beeswax, spices, as well as fruit and nut butters.

The company produces an unscented soap containing castor oil, coconut, palm kernel and olive. It is called ?Bare.?

The company?s ?DesertBreeze? soap includes such ingredients like cinnamon, cloves, mint, wintergreen and eucalyptus, creating an inviting, spicy scent.

More skin care products information and FREE exclusive diet and health magazines, are available on our web site: http://www.net-planet.org

The first thing you need to do before picking out colors is to decide if you have a Warm, Neutral or Cool skin tone. One way to do this is to take a good look at yourself in a mirror in natural sunlight. Decide if your skin color has more Blue or Yellow to it, or if they are pretty well even.

More Blue = Cool
More Yellow = Warm
Equal = Neutral

Another way to find out what skin tone you have is to compare your skin to the colors Silver and Gold. Generally if your skin looks good with Gold, you have a warm skin tone, Silver means cool, and if it looks good with both, then you have Neutral.

Sometimes it can be hard to tell on yourself, so you may want to ask a friend to help you decide.

Once you have decided your skin tone, it is time to choose a Concealer, Foundation and Powder. Depending on where you buy your cosmetics from, you may have a hard time figuring out which one looks best on your skin tone. Avon products are labeled with a W, C or N to decipher which skin tone they are best for. After this, the best way to choose a Concealer, foundation and powder is to try it out! Generally for concealer, you should pick one that is a shade lighter than your natural skin tone, so that when you use it to cover dark areas and imperfections it will blend and look natural. If you have a lot of red spots (acne, scars, etc.) then you should also look into getting a Green spot neutralizer, you use this under concealer to neutralize the red spot and make it look natural. After you have chosen the right concealer for yourself, you should choose a liquid foundation that matches your skin tone as closely as possible. If you have freckles it is recommended to match the color with your lightest freckles to help even out your skin color. Your powder should match your liquid foundation as closely as possible and be used last out of the 3.

After this you should choose an eye shadow. Again, depending on where you purchase your cosmetics you may have trouble finding shades that look good on you as they arent always labeled for skin tones. From my experience I have found that for Cool skin tones, Pinks, Berries and Blue/greys seem to look best, for Warm skin tones Earth tones tend to look best (greens & browns and some reds ESPECIALLY for redheads), and for Neutral Skin tones, I try to combine the 2.

After you have chosen and applied the appropriate eyeshadow, you should apply an eyeliner and Mascara. For people with light colored hair, brown or brown/black is an excellent choice of eyeliner and mascara. For people with Darker hair, Black is best, Although black looks very dramatic on anyone, it is a great choice for evening time.

After eyeliner and mascara it is time to choose and apply a lipstick. Generally you should match your lipstick to your eyeshadow, keep it in the same general color family, so if you are wearing pink eyeshadow, try a similar color lipstick, maybe a shade darker or lighter. Grey eyeshadow looks great with different shades of red lipstick! As a rule of thumb, if your eyeshadow is shimmery, you should avoid shimmery lipsticks, and vice-versa. I recommend to all of my clients to DAB lipstick on, not to swipe it across their lips. By dabbing you have more control over the intensity of the color and you can make a more natural or bold look.

As with everything, this is just a guideline, play around with your makeup, take whatever seems helpful and leave the rest, this is just meant to give some suggestions, the best way to find out what looks best on you, is to try different things out! Good luck!

Jessica Tracy is a work at home mom of 2 little boys, and currently runs 2 home based businesses. One as an Avon Beauty Advisor and Leadership Representative, and another as a distributor for Enchanted Potions. You can contact Jessica through her website http://enchantedscents.cjb.cc

This article may be reprinted so long as the Author Bio is attached.