Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts

Friday, December 21, 2012

These Tips Will Help You Improve Your Beauty Easily

Beauty is a simple thing to make improvements on regardless of the knowledge and skill with which you start. Do not depend on online or television gurus to teach you what you should know about beauty. There is a lot more to it than technique. Read through these tips to see the fun that can be had with it.

It does not matter what type of hair you have; it is not recommended to wash your hair each day. This will just make your hair even more oily. Washing too infrequently can also cause oil accumulation, however, so it's a good idea to wash hair at least every two days.

The concept of beauty is made up of several different factors that must all join together. Skin care plays a large role in any effective beauty or grooming routine. Many people, especially men, overlook this without realizing what a drastic difference a minimal amount of care can make in the overall appearance of the person.


Milk of magnesia can be used to make a face mask if you have oily skin. It's affordable, readily available and effective. Saturate a cotton ball in the liquid, then wipe it gently over the skin at its oiliest areas. Allow the liquid to stay on for approximately ten minutes before wiping it off. Repeat this process daily.

Eat a steady diet that consists of: cheese, meat, spinach, eggs, apricots, cabbage, fish, carrots, broccoli and peaches to make sure that you are getting enough vitamin A. Vitamin A helps with the production of healthy sebum which moisturizes your hair and skin. If you get the right amount of Vitamin A every day, the appearance of your hair will improve.


If you suffer from dry skin on your face, you may want to consider going to see a beautician and getting an intensive moisturizing treatment. This will help revitalize your skin and is recommended for people with dry skin. You can restore the moisture and elasticity of your skin through the use of herbal extracts, minerals and vitamins.

Rather than purchasing expensive skin cleansers, moisturizers and exfoliants, consider using products such as pure castile soap, mild toners like witch hazel, and a soft washcloth. You’ll see wonderful results with these natural products. If aloe doesn't provide enough moisture, simply use some vitamin E oil. If you require a toner that is medicated, try adding a little tea tree oil.

As you can now see, beauty can be rewarding. You need to know certain things in order to apply cosmetics well, though there is no need to get to a professional level. Just apply what you have learned here and have fun.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Apple Mask Is Very Good For Normal Skin

I am a person who wants to maintain the beauty of my face not by cosmetics but by natural way.I normally order many products from Online Pharmacy which are herbal for my facial skin care. but other than these products i make have gather some of the best combination for maintaining my beauty naturally when i am low on cash and can't by my herbal ones. Here are some of the combination which i normally use i want to share with you so that you can use at your house also.
One of my favorites is the peach facial, which works very well as a tightening mask. Just take a ripe peach and remove the skin and the center hole. Place the peach and the whites of one egg in a blender, and blend until smooth. Pat the mixture onto your face and allow it to sit there for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water.
I found that the apple mask is very good for normal skin. Peel, core and quarter of an apple. Cut the apple in a blender and add two tablespoons of honey. Blend until smooth. Then remove the mixture from the blender, and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Apply the mixture on the face with a wave of clapping, and be sure to pat until the honey becomes tacky. Leave on for about 30 minutes and rinse with warm water.
I have also had great success with a Strawberry mask that my grandmother told me. The trick here is to use very ripe strawberries. Add approximately ½ cup of strawberries and a cup of cornstarch to the blender and blend until smooth. Apply the mixture on the face, and be careful to avoid the area around your eyes. Leave on for 30 minutes and rinse with cold water.
The following facial mask is excellent for blemished skin. Cut a ripe tomato into small pieces and place in blender. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and some instant oatmeal or rolled oats. Mix until well combined. No mix for too long as it does not stick to the face. If it gets too thin, simply add more oatmeal. Apply the mixture and leave for 10 minutes. Rub with a damp cloth and warm.
There are many ways to care for your skin, and how many different products on the market. In my experience, the most natural treatments provide the best results. Try to avoid products with strong odors or scented seem to use poor quality ingredients. These treatments all natural fruit facials have worked wonders for me.

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Effects Of Make Up

As many women can testify, there's a fine line between pretty and scary when it comes to make-up.
Now, scientists have shown that not only does the right amount of cosmetics make all the difference when it comes to beauty, but it also affects judgements of competence and trustworthiness.
For all of their positive effects on looking and feeling good, large amounts of make-up soon start to negatively impact on the way people perceive an individual's honesty.
In the study, funded by Procter & Gamble, scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute asked participants to rate various looks in terms of competence, likeability, attractiveness and trustworthiness.
Pictures of women wearing no make-up, and looking 'natural', 'professional,' and 'glamorous,' were shown to volunteers for different lengths of time.
When shown the images for just 250milliseconds, all ratings went up with the amount of make-up, says the report, published by Plosone.org.
However, when study participants were allowed to take in the pictures at length, the results changed significantly.
Nancy Etcoff, the study's lead author and associate researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital told ABC news that 'we found that when faces were shown very quickly, all ratings went up with cosmetics in all different looks.'
'The women were judged as more competent, likeable, attractive and trustworthy.'
Given more than just a glimpse of the images, participants showed that beauty and competence went up, but trustworthiness - or honesty - soon suffered as cosmetic looks became heavier.
'When they got to the more dramatic make-up looks, people saw them as equally likeable and much more attractive and competent, but less trustworthy,' comments Etcoff to the news site.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Homemade Beauty Tips

When you are talking about beauty tips it not only covers your skin, but also your hair, your hands, and your whole body. You can go to your local department store and buy a variety of over the counter products for your face, hands, hair, and other areas of your body, but when you read the long list of ingredients in these products you are not sure just exactly what you are putting on your body. To alleviate all those questions and help to save money, use homemade beauty products that are natural with no added chemicals.
Here are some homemade beauty recipes for your skin.
Oatmeal is an excellent natural scrub to help remove the dead cells from your face. Use a paste of one half cup of water and one half of oatmeal.
Cucumbers are a natural astringent that will help slow down the aging process and tighten your skin. Grate cucumber and extract juices and apply juices to your face with a cotton ball, let dry for twenty minutes, then rinse with cold water.
Make a face mask of egg yolk with one egg yolk, one half tablespoon lemon juice and one half tablespoon of olive oil. Put it on your face, let dry for fifteen minutes, and then rinse off with water. Good for dry to normal skin.
Here are some homemade beauty recipes for your hair.
For dandruff you can use a brown sugar scalp scrub. You need to mix one part conditioner and two parts brown sugar and then lightly rub this mixture on your scalp. But be careful when you do this to not tangle your hair and then rinse it thoroughly with warm water.
You can also moisturize your hair with a mix of olive oil and honey to your conditioner if you have dry hair. If your hair is oily you should avoid moisturizing your hair. You could you also use mayonnaise on your hair if it is dry. With either one apply it to wet hair and then wash your hair thoroughly with the mixture. Rinse your hair and then shampoo it if necessary.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Give Beauty Touch to Your Persona With Pearl Pendants

Pearl earrings are the most essential parts of a pearl necklace. It gives an elegant look to any decor.
Pearls are the most valuable asset a woman can never have or wear. And is available in a variety of styles, designs and colors. Pendant is one of them and used to be the most important part of the collar. The appearance of the light and sparkle pearls has fascinated women and allowing them to look exceptionally beautiful and magnificent.
There is no doubt that women’s clothes and is always admired by all, but the beauty of women is incomplete unless and until it is wrapped in a beautiful jewelry. And what else can be beautiful as a bright pearl. It’s kind of gem that will surely make your heart beat for her. When used by a woman, she became the party and do nothing to prevent anyone notice the woman who wore a beautiful pearl jewelry.
Adorn a necklace of pearls is as if you live a life style and luxury. However, the selection of a perfect pearl and very little can be really difficult for you. It becomes essential for the person to learn more about the specific topic for which you are going. It would be desirable to go online and get information about pearls and their types.
A pearl pendant can be used in any other necklace and simple. For example, if you have a gold chain and pendant all, then you can easily hear this combination that will enhance your beauty and more. Therefore, you do not need to look out for a pearl necklace to wear a pendant.
Can also be used with caution for gifts. And while choosing a gift for your near and dear ones, choose the matching pendant taste, preferences and style of the receiver. These are the most popular gifts that may have closed meetings.
Pendants made of beads are a small piece of jewelry that is an absolute necessity to enhance the beauty of a woman. He does not need any medium for any other jewelry, as it is sufficient to define the beauty and grace of a woman. Nothing can express your love and care for your near and dear one elegant pearl pendant and shiny.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Beauty And Fitness For You

It is completely a higher mean to try in addition to cleanse your beauty and fitness approach gently a minimum of time in addition to lets your skin and body to obliterate the chemicals steadily to realize keep the slightest damaging publicized way upshots to a least. the how used for yourself to begin to implement a naturally occurring acne remedy is to adopt a raw food product diet used for a minimum extent of several weeks to get going the naturally occurring internal cleansing way earlier yourself exchange a minimum of to a certain topic a bit some strong. Eating a plethora of raw vegetables, above all the dark green leafy your, together with occasional fruits (giving up habits such as the ones which are a variety of also sweet in addition to sugary, although!) in addition to staying away from the slightest natural beauty products which are a variety of processed, pre-created, mass-promoted or even home-cooked would be willing to realize masses to can accomplish obliterate about numerous acne which there is.
As beauty and fitness piece of information, yourself might came across (as much people hold by now completed) which such easy dietary affect is masses to repair acne troubles altogether in addition to no extra cleansing plans begin to be requisite. To be impartial ' natural beauty products ' is not constantly easy; in addition to it can want discipline. You must not only 'beat alone up' provided you 'fall off the wagon' each and every of the nowadays in addition to using this, however realize your opportune to improve your raw food product intake until it gives more than 80 percent (four-fifths) in addition to on up to 00 percent about your daily food product. The great encouraging outcomes in terms of the improvement to your skin and body are it a must that be masses to keep you motivated! Immediately you are eating raw food product used for an even though, you might like to take a some strong step in addition to undertake a fitting internal cleanse. However ' natural beauty products ' is a certain topic which have to remember to be traced by using in addition to achieved accurately, no less than half-measures, or even you will not agree to the gains about your effort.
Thereby most desirable embark on the jam packed-cleanse the moment yourself realize there is the time, patience, fortitude in addition to possibility to respect-by using. Though if you do decide to realize an internal beauty and fitness cleanse in getting obliterate about acne, you will maybe be astonished affordable at the dissimilarity which you will check within your skin and body each and every one of straight away. It is completely very the planning used for the cleanse that is major in addition to could keep yourself from getting rid of all of the chemicals straight away in addition to producing your acne worse. However if you are affected to cure acne effortlessly, in addition to yourself take these quantities of constituents you step affordable at a time yourself is it a must that be astonished because yourself watch your skin and body begin to clear up opportune earlier your eyes.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

African Beauty

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means that different people possess different standards of beauty and that not everyone agrees on who is beautiful and who is not. This is the first stereotype or aphorism that evolutionary psychology has overturned. It turns out that the standards of beauty are not only the same across individuals and cultures, they are also innate. We are born with the notion of who’s beautiful and who’s not.
On the surface, the aphorism “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” appears quite reasonable. Many introductory college textbooks in sociology and anthropology include pictures of people who are considered to be beautiful in different cultures, and some of them look quite bizarre to the contemporary western eye. However, evolutionary psychological research has overturned this common assumption and widespread belief.
Within the United States, both East Asians and whites, and whites and blacks agree on which faces are more or less beautiful. Cross-culturally, there is considerable agreement in the judgment of beauty among East Asians, Hispanics, and Americans; Brazilians, Americans, Russians, the Aché of Paraguay, and the Hiwi of Venezuela; Cruzans and Americans in Saint Croix; white South Africans and Americans; and the Chinese, Indians, and the English. In none of these studies does the degree of exposure to the western media have any influence on people’s perception of beauty. How is it possible for people from such diverse cultures to agree broadly on who is beautiful and who is not?
It appears that people from different cultures share the same standards of beauty because they are innate; we are born with the knowledge of who’s beautiful and who’s not. Two studies conducted in the mid-1980s independently demonstrate that infants as young as two and three months old gaze longer at a face that adults judge to be more attractive than at a face that adults judge to be less attractive. Babies are wonderfully hedonistic and have no manners, so they stare at objects that they consider to be pleasing. When babies stare at some faces longer than others, it indicates that they prefer to look at them and find them attractive.
In the most recent version of this experiment, newborn babies less than one week old show significantly greater preference for faces that adults judge to be attractive. Another study shows that 12-month-old infants exhibit more observable pleasure, more play involvement, less distress, and less withdrawal when interacting with strangers wearing attractive masks than when interacting with strangers wearing unattractive masks. They also play significantly longer with facially attractive dolls than with facially unattractive dolls. The findings of these studies are consistent with the personal experiences and observations of many parents of small children, who find that their children are much better behaved when their babysitters are physically attractive than when they are not.
Even the most ardent proponents of the traditional view that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” must admit that one week (or even a few months) is not nearly enough time for infants to have learned and internalized the (supposedly arbitrary) cultural standards of beauty through socialization and media exposure. These studies instead strongly suggest that the broad standards of beauty might be innate, not learned or acquired through socialization. The balance of evidence indicates that beauty is decidedly not in the eye of the beholder, but might instead be part of universal human nature.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Make Up A Sweet New Look

Ignore the jellybeans and chocolate eggs. You can have something sweet this season that is not sugary: trend-right, candy-colored makeup.
The cosmetic industry is turning to candy for inspiration this season. Cheerful hues give off a youthful happy vibe and brightens up any dreary day.
Everyone wants a new look or a pick-me-up, these pastel colors work really well for that. It's a pop of something fun, but it's not too much, not too scary. It's a safe experiment.
We saw a lot of peach and pinks on the fashion runways, and they already have made it to the street. It's a very girlie, feminine look.
And the best part? No sugar high.
Some tips on how to wear these shades:
Pick one area to play up, either the eyes, lips or cheeks, says Dominic Driguglio, Stila celebrity makeup artist, but do not do it all at once. You will get the brightest pop on your eyes, he says.
Use a bright blue or green shadow on the lid, no eyeliner and lots of black mascara, he says, or, alternatively, you can do a mix of pink, purple and blue shadows; the pink goes in the center of the lid, purple to contour the corners, the blue at the inner corner, with purple eyeliner applied in a subtle cat-eye shape.
Light purple and light green are "universally" flattering and wearable, and men like a mint green for women with brown eyes, which brings out their natural yellow or golden specks.
Think watercolors. You'll get that softness.
Colors will appear even brighter if you prep the eye area beforehand with a neutral primer. A concealer, applied both around and on top of the lid, would do.
A creamy product is easier to blend than a powder, it also will look more natural.
We recommend applying blush with the fingers. (You can do the same with cream blush on the eyelids, nothing that a little stain of pastel pink or peach at the center of the lid makes for a very flattering look.)
But no neon blush. Swirl together with your brush flattering shades of peach, soft plum, shimmering pink and rose, then make sure to tap off any excess and sweep the brush upward from your cheekbone to temple to hairline.
But just as with the eyes, you need to even out the skin tone first. If your complexion has traces of green or yellow, you risk looking sick if the cheeks are very pink, and pink makeup on very pink skin can make you look tired.
We recommend sticking to the same color family for lips and cheeks.
It's not so much about a 'trend' with these colors. Nude lips, for example, was a 'trend' but was not flattering on everyone. But a natural pink glow? You just look prettier.
Any lip with a lot of color, be it pink, red, purple or fuchsia, is best complemented with an otherwise neutral face. (Think Sandra Bullock at the Oscars.)
The candy-colored lip would go well with another seasonal must-have, the little white dress.
For newbies to the world of brighter lipstick, we suggest starting with a pink that has a noticeable purple undertone. It probably is going to be lighter, sheerer and more wearable than you are expecting.
Another way to tone down a deeply pigmented lipstick is to apply a layer of clear gloss on top, which acts as a filter.
Favorite shades right now are a youthful watermelon lip gloss or a flirty bubble-gum pink called Giggle that is offered in a lip enamel (which promises is not as sticky as a gloss, so blowing hair in the wind is not a problem).
They both will announce a new playful, fun-loving attitude.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Take Good Care Of Your Skin Make You Look Younger

Many of us think that the only way to look younger is put lots of makeup and wear trendy clothes but the reality is that until your skin is well kept you can’t look younger. Skin care is very essential and gives you skin something that makeup will never do. There are many ways for skin care and many of them are extremely easy. Everyone wants to look young for as long as they can. A lot of it has to do with the kind of diet you take as well. Women to take a lot of water their skin are intact and they look fresh. Vegetables and fruits also do a great amount of deal to the skin.
For younger looking skin keep your skin cell hydrated. Make sure that you invest in a good moisturizer but also make sure that it doesn’t have oil content as it can clog your skin and give more pimples. Moisturizing your skin is very important it should be used every day even under makeup. Also put sunscreen on while going out because sunlight also damages your skin to a great amount of deal.
Younger looking skin can be achieved from many ways that you usually do not think off but they can be very helpful. Try pulling your hair back in a ponytail because it is hair style for younger people and will automatically give you a young look. Also it pulls the skin near your forehead and helps you get rid of the wrinkles on your forehead.
Skin care is the key for younger looking skin and it is definitely not that difficult. Calcium and vitamin supplements are also important. If you take care of your skin and drink fresh juices your skin will glow and look younger for a longer duration of time.

Monday, November 7, 2011

How to Find Beauty in Life

Life is mostly made up of routines and patterns. Every day we act them out and they are what make up the bulk of our lives. Many of us live according to a socially acceptable template, within the realm of safety, while living repetitively and dreaming of ways to escape.

I used to revolt against these routines. I saw them as the enemy of adventure and of living a spontaneous life. However, I’ve found that routines can be quite blissful. I’ve realized that every day events and what we would commonly classify as “normal”, is often extraordinary if you just take a closer look.
I’ve discovered that even if you’re not exactly where you’d like to be, that doesn’t mean that life right now can’t be beautiful or enjoyable. And the best part is, you don’t have to do anything to make it beautiful. It already is beautiful.
All you have to do is open your eyes.
Seeing Things Differently
We are constantly surrounded by miracles, but we do not recognize them because they come to us so gracefully and seamlessly.
For example, have you ever thought about how many different processes have to be organized simply to create the experience you’re having right now? Imagine if all of that was a conscious effort. Imagine if you had to think about breathing, or think about listening to music. You don’t, it just happens. Isn’t that amazing?
Now multiply that by a trillion. Every breath, every movement, and every condition that’s creating the possibility for you to be alive right now is a miracle.
We often get inundated with our To-Do lists, or get caught up in the drama of things that aren’t really important. Realizing that beauty exists in every moment is possible; it simply takes a way of seeing things a bit differently.
Boredom due to routine is a creation of the mind. In reality, there are no ordinary or extraordinary moments. There is beauty everywhere. If you truly understand this, you can look at any ordinary object and find beauty in its existence. You can see a pile of rotting compost and realize that within that organic waste is the possibility of a garden of flowers.
I’ve found that there are a few easy shifts that need to take place, in order to create a state of constant awareness of how amazing life is. Most of the time we only catch a glimpse of how amazing things really are before we get sucked back into the monotony of our routines. We lose mindfulness.
In order to make awareness of beauty a permanent fixture in your life, you need to practice being mindful and aware. I don’t claim that practicing these principles is easy, but the benefits are worthwhile when we bring consciousness into our daily existence.
1. Practice Listening
One of the biggest blocks to recognizing all of life’s extraordinary moments is that we often don’t stop to listen. We’re too busy talking to ourselves. If we’re thinking all the time, we’re living entirely in a world of symbols. We’re living in a world of abstractions about reality; words that describe, label, and categorize things. This can be a wonderful tool for communication, but it can also be a curse when it gets out of control.
If we’re always thinking, we’re never in a relationship with reality. In order to become intimate with life, we need to listen. Imagine that every time you interacted with someone, you were the only one talking. There would be no communication, because you never gave the other person a chance to speak. It works the same way when you’re communicating with life.
Instead of thinking all the time and getting lost in your own thoughts, slow down and just listen. Put your focus on listening. When you find that you are drifting away in your own thoughts, gently bring your focus back to listening.
2. Practice Non-Judgment
Have you ever noticed that when you judge other people, it immediately puts you in a negative mood?
Usually, the judgments we make are because other people aren’t conforming to our version of the way we would live. Everyone’s values are different, and that’s what makes life interesting. While there are some justifiable judgments you can make, they’re still, ultimately, not worth it.
Compassion is a better vehicle for change than judgment.
The next time you’re about to make a judgment, try to practice compassion instead.
Let your feeling of needing to judge be a reminder for you to practice compassion. That way, your negativity will be transformed into peace.
Beauty is experienced through a state of peace, never through a state of condemnation. And yes, non-judgment also means to stop complaining.
3. Open Your Heart
If you’re like me and you’re pretty left-brained, you might be thinking, “Okay that’s nice, but how exactly do I open my heart?”
Opening your heart is a matter of accepting yourself and life as it is. It’s a matter of forgiving yourself and others. It’s letting go of all your resistance to the flow of life and the flow of circumstances.
If you want to take action to change something, that’s fine. But it doesn’t make any sense to resist what is already a reality. Surrender to this moment, accept things and people as they are, and your heart will begin to open.
Tips for Daily Living
What all of these things have in common is presence. The more you’re living in the present moment, the more bliss you allow to come into your life. If you’re always living in the future, always seeking something, you’re rejecting what Is – you’re never actually here to experience the miracle of life, right now.
If you can just practice these three things, your life will start to transform dramatically. You’ll begin to tap into your inner integrity and live authentically. You can’t live in acceptance and not be authentic. And if you’re living authentically, you naturally move into a state of bliss. See where this is leading?
The three practices I’ve mentioned above are the primary catalysts for opening yourself up to how wonderful life can be. There are, however, many other practical things you can do that will help you become more aligned with these principles.
Here are a few suggestions:
Find beauty in the little things. It’s amazing to me how when I stop the incessant mental chatter, and actually just see things, I am blown away by how beautiful they are. The trees swaying, the leaves blowing around on the ground, the waves crashing on the shore. The simplest of things have the most profound beauty. But you can only see them if you’re really there. If your mind is brooding, if you’re off somewhere else, you’ll completely miss them.
Embrace your artistry. If you think you’re not a creative person, I’m here to respectably tell you – you’re wrong. You couldn’t not create, even if you wanted to. Every time you open your mouth, every story you tell yourself about the drama in your life, is an act of creation. You’re constantly shaping, reinventing, and writing the story of your life. Once you recognize this, it’s much more powerful for you to see yourself as an artist, rather than a non-creative person. So the question is: What story will you create today?
Live without limits. Some limits are positive and necessary (like speed limits), but a lot of the limits we place on our lives block us from experiencing our full potential. Arbitrary limits, like fearing to reach out to a homeless person or talk to strangers, restrict the flow of love in our lives.
Realize that beauty can be found in the most mundane. Beauty is not always realized through a life-changing moment or a great epiphany. It’s not always hidden in a rainbow, in an earth-shattering orgasm, or found skydiving at 5,000 feet above the ground. Beauty is often found through looking into a newborn’s eyes, in the blooming of a flower, or in paint peeling off an old fence. It’s often where you least expect it.
See for the first time. Sometimes we get bogged down in schedules and obligations, and we lose our sense of wonder about the simple joys of life. Just quieting yourself internally and opening yourself up to an experience can allow you to view it again for the very first time. When you’re listening to music, imagine that you might have not been born with the ability to hear. When you reach out to touch someone, think about how many people don’t have use of their limbs. When you observe your surroundings, imagine you’re seeing color for the first time.
Live intimately with life. The next time you have a drink of coffee or tea, completely take in the smell and the flavor of the beverage. When you breathe, feel the air enter your lungs. When you walk, really feel the ground beneath your feet. The amount of beauty you experience in life is largely related to your level of intimacy with life. If you’re walking around disconnected, you overlook the wealth of artistry that is available to you right now.
Make your passion a priority. It’s easy to get wrapped up in doing all of the things that we think must get done. Wanting everything to be perfect gets in the way of having time for the things you really care about. While the errands and things on your to-do list might be necessary, it’s important to make the things you love a priority. If you have a hard time with distractions getting in your way, make a specific time during your day that is sacred, where you only do what you really want to do. Maybe it’s an hour of Kung Fu or Yoga in the morning before the rest of the world wakes up. Maybe it’s 30 minutes of Mahjong before you turn in for the night. Whatever it is, you have to make it a priority or it will get lost in the vacuum of the minutiae abyss.
Focus on the good. The reason still puzzles me, but we humans have a tendency to focus on the negative in events, circumstances, and people. We have a tendency to count our misfortunes and all the things that are lacking before we count our blessings. Make a habit of focusing on all the things you’re grateful for and you will open yourself up to experiencing the beauty of life.
Give something away. I’ve found that the best way to reconnect with how beautiful life can be is to give something away. It doesn’t have to be anything material. It can be a compliment, a smile, or a positive intention for someone else. Sometimes the greatest gift you can give is sincerely giving your presence.
This list is, by no means, exhaustive. These are just the things that have worked for me. Experiment on your own and take chances. Sometimes a deep breath or a smile at a stranger is all it takes to bring you back into a state of presence.
Closing Thoughts
It’s easy to get motivated to follow or chase a new provocative idea. Seeing the beauty in the “ordinary” sounds quite alluring. But like most things that catch our fleeting interest, our well intended desires get lost in our rush to get things done and keep up with the day to day business of living.
To make our perception of life being amazing a constant perception rather than a transient one, we have to slow down. It’s only through seeing the wisdom of slowing down, breathing and being present that we can realize how ridiculous it is to always be in a hurry. We may think we’re moving quicker, and getting more things done. But in doing so, we miss the point: to enjoy life now.
Only by slowing down and being here now can we make what we’re doing worthwhile. It’s in slowing down that we allow ourselves space to experience life more fully. We often go through life trying to eliminate and fill up space as much as possible in an attempt to “maximize” our time. But in the end, the exact opposite happens.
It’s through space that air fills your lungs. It’s through space that your body moves. It’s through space in the vibration of the air that sound is heard. It’s in the gaps between veins that blood flows. Without the space between these letters, there would be no words for you to read -it would all be incoherent.
In this way, you realize something…
Emptiness truly roars. Silence speaks. Space gives birth to form.
It’s in the gaps that beauty is found.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Beauty At Every Age

Eternal youth is yet to be chartered territory for eons to come. In the meantime, your mug is at the mercy of time and the elements.
At what age you started caring for your skin could spell the difference in how you look in the future. The steps you took vis-à-vis your skin in your teens, 20s and 30s would have corresponding ramifications decades later. For one, if you avoided sun exposure early in life, you are likely to take years off your real age.
Still, even if you shun that ball of fire completely, you absolutely cannot warp the days. You are bound to see telltale changes as the decades roll by.
Therefore, take charge of your skin as early as possible, partly by seeking help from dermatologists, surgeons, and other medical professionals. Know what to anticipate in your:

Twenties

Upon exiting your teens, prepare to part ways with your so-called “baby fats,” those bodily deposits that made you look less womanly than girly.
At the same time, anticipate the first landing of “crow’s feet,” expression lines around the eyes made by years of squinting and sun exposure. Similarly, look for the appearance of wrinkles caused by movement. “Motor wrinkles,” as they are called, tend to appear first on the brow.
Anticipate, too, the pronouncement of facial hair, particularly on the upper lip and the eyebrows.
Sun exposure (plus hormonal changes and exposure to minocycline, tetracycline, and similar antibiotics) puts you at risk for melasma during this decade. This condition involves brown pigmentations around the cheeks.
What the pros can do for you:
Deal with acne using a combo of laser and light-based devices. Otherwise, fall back on good old Accutane.
Rectify your melasma problem with a chemical peel or Fraxel laser treatment. Bleaching substances for melasma, in contrast, will not work.
What you can do for your self:
Shy away from the sun at all costs. If you could not avoid it, wear sunscreen, which lessens your risk of getting melasma and mitigates existing ones.
For this decade, begin to use retinol-based skin care products. Apply them twice a week. Also, invest in a gel-based and oil-free moisturizer, particularly if you are still prone to acne breakouts. For the health conscious and organic lovers, try the certified organic skincare range from Pai Skincare.

Thirties

You are still in your prime but be prepared to see a more tired-looking skin in the mirror. Crow’s feet around your eyes would continue expanding, while brown spots may spread further. Around your nose, dilated blood vessels may become more visible.
Then there’s the onset of the “11s,” lines that seemingly form the number between the brows. Nasal labial lines, or smile lines, would also deepen, giving you that telling triangle between the corners of the lips and the nose.
What the pros can do for you:
For dilated blood vessels, go for a laser treatment.
Hold the lines and wrinkles back with a chemical peel or microdermabrasion. Around this time, it would be quite hasty—but not drastic—to try Botox, Restylane, Juvederm and other facial rejuvenation treatments.
Some would argue that undergoing these procedures as early as your late 20s would make you thankful in the following decades. But few researches have been conducted regarding the effectiveness, much less the safety, of using them precociously. FDA, in 2008, even investigated complaints stemming from the use of Botox and Myobloc.
In any case, prepare to shell out an average of $2,000 for such a treatment.
What you can do for yourself:
Don’t stop slathering on sunblocks and sunscreens. Better yet, increase the use of retinol-based products to thrice a week of usage. Then shift from oil-free moisturizers to ones that include some oil. Use Pai Skincare certified organic skincare for you organic lovers!

Forties

Lines start forming around your upper lip, especially if you have a smoking habit. If you passed on sun protection in your 20s and 30s, expect sun damage to manifest here before anywhere else.
More wrinkles would appear on your forehead. Crow’s feet would also increase, while smile lines would grow deeper.
What the pros can do for you:
Wrinkle fillers, chemical peels, muscle relaxers, and Fraxel laser treatments could diminish your upper lip concerns.
What you can do for yourself:
Start using a night cream when you hit this decade. Night products work well and seep into the skin better because the body undergoes a nocturnal rejuvenation process. At night, you are also unexposed to dirt and pollution.
Learn to invest in antioxidant-based skin products too. Likewise, get thicker moisturizers, like shea butter, and increase your usage of retinol products some more. For a natural and organic alternatives, Pai Skincare range of certified organic skin products are recommended.

Fifties and above

In this decade, the skin would sag from years of pent-up sun damage and the deterioration of collagen and elastin, fibrous structures that tighten the skin. Some vital fat deposits would also break down, making the skin thinner. As a result, the blood vessels beneath the skin would easily show through this translucence.
Your estrogen levels would also descend steeply. In effect, the skin would appear devoid of moisture, exaggerating your creases and wrinkles.
By this time, untreated melasma would become even more noticeable.
What the pros can do for you:
By the time you’re 60, you will have undergone non-invasive skin-lifting procedures. You will have tried nonsurgical skin-tightening treatments like Thermage, which uses radiofrequency, and Titan, which exploits infrared light.
Otherwise, it would be too late and the procedures would not produce the intended effect as in your earlier years. Your remaining alternative would be a facelift, a major surgical treatment with a long downtime. It can be very expensive too.
What you can do for yourself:
Ditch the soap and get a mild moisturizing cleanser for your mug and neck. Hike up your usage of rich moisturizers. Use retinol products as frequently as six times a week.
Then again, this would be the time to enjoy the fruits of a fastidious skin care regimen. If you have avoided too much sun in your youth, then enter another half-century looking half your age. Natural and organic skincare will be your best bet and certified organic skincare from Pai Skincare is recommended.