Fight Wrinkles

How To Fight Against Wrinkles

How you choose to treat wrinkles and other signs of aging depends on what stage of your life you're at. In your 20s, when wrinkles are just beginning to appear, sunblock is the best course of action. At that stage, skin can still repair itself, and wearing sunscreen regularly will prevent further damage and help the skin regenerate itself. An alpha-hydroxy acid product is also a good idea, because it will lightly exfoliate the dulling layer of dead skin and give it a smoother, clearer look.

When your 30s start to creep up (with a few more lines and wrinkles in tow), retinol products and prescription retinoids, such as Retin-A or Renova (the more moisturizing form), are the next line of defense. Both are designed to plump up fine lines and stimulate skin to produce collagen, although Renova is the only product approved by the FDA clinically proven to reduce wrinkles. If your skin is starting to show signs of dryness, moisturizer will hydrate it and make wrinkles look less apparent but won't make them disappear.

When wrinkles become stubborn, usually around your late 30s and early 40s, it's time to see your dermatologist, who can prescribe a skincare regimen to help keep wrinkles at bay. In addition, she has various chemical peels in her anti-aging arsenal. Peels come in varying strengths, depending on the severity of your wrinkles and age spots. Light, glycolic acid-based peels, done once a month over the course of a few months, will help smooth some of the fine lines (although they won't have much effect on deep wrinkles), fade brown spots, and even out overall skin tone.

TCA (trichloracetic acid) peels are a bit stronger and reserved for deeper wrinkles. They are used at varying concentrations and leave skin red and sensitive for a few days. Phenol peels are used for very severe discoloration as a last resort. The downsides of phenol peels are that they can leave the skin permanently lighter and involve more risks than more gentle peels.

Laser peels are a newer weapon that only require a single treatment but are reserved for very severe wrinkling. Depending on the type of damage you wish to get rid of, this could be an alternative to a facelift and should be performed only by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon who has substantial experience using lasers. The additional drawback is the healing process; count on severe redness and peeling for at least a week.

Beautiful Blush

Beautiful Blush

Many women shy away from blush, afraid that they will look harsh and over-done. The correct technique will help you avoid that problem!

The right way to blush:

Smile or suck in your cheeks to locate the apples of your cheeks. Begin at the center of the apple and apply blush up to the corner of the eye and the temple. Blush should never go below the bottom of your nose, or any closer in than the iris of your eye. Applying blush high on the face makes your eyes sparkle.

After applying blush, blend with a dry makeup sponge. Use the edge of the sponge like an eraser on the outer edges of the applied blush to buff away any lines of demarcation.

Never apply blush below the cheekbones. This tripe of color only creates an illusion that brings the face down and makes you look older.

When the seasons change, change your blush! Deeper, rich colors for fall and winter, paler tines for spring and summer.

Note for oily skin: Excess oil causes the skin to grab color causing your blush to darken as the day goes on. Avoid this by powdering often, not with blush but with pressed translucent powder.

Look Younger!

Look Younger!

Easy Things You Can Do To Look Younger, Instantly!

Oh, we all would love eternal youth! Although that is not possible (yet), there are things that help rejuvenate us :-)

* Downplay wrinkles by applying highlighter to creases. This will reflect the light and counter the shadow. Concealers only make lines look more prominent.

* Use a mask to tone and tighten your skin. The tightening effect is cosmetic and temporary, but using a mask has other benefits as well, such as cleaning out your pores, and conditioning your skin.

* Brighten droopy eyes: Grooming eyebrows gives the illusion of lifted lids, and having more skin showing at the brow bone opens up the entire eye.

* Instant Eye Lift - use a lash curler to make eyes look more open and alive.

* Skip the face powder, they tend to collect in creases and make wrinkles more prominent; and the dry powder look is out, anyway.

* If you�ve got longish hair, pull it back into a ponytail. It�s a youthful hairstyle, for one, but the point is it pulls the skin around your temples up and back. Bangs do a great job of hiding forehead wrinkles, too.

* Use a good moisturizer to hydrate and plump up your skin cells. Make sure it is mineral oil free so it doesn�t clog your pores and cause breakouts.

The best thing you can do to look younger is to take care of your skin on a daily basis. Always moisturize, use a gentle exfoliant two to four times a month and use a sunscreen, even under your makeup.

Get Rid Of Pimples

How To get Rid Of Blemishes (Pimples)

CLEAN! Get Glowing!
Wash your face with a gentle, oil- and fragrance-free cleanser; preferably a nondetergent one labeled pH balanced.
If you have oily skin all over your face, use a cleanser that contains benzoil peroxide or salicylic acid.
Don't scrub - irritated skin (Evangeline Lilly) swells around the pores, which can cause breakouts.
Skip toner unless your face is very oily, otherwise it might dry out the skin.

TREAT!
Apply a topical acne treatment containing benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid, or salicylic acid over your entire face, not just where blemishes have already erupted.
At night, use a drying spot-treatment product and dab oil-free moisturizer on dry areas.
In the morning, apply an oil-free sunscreen gel over the entire face.

CONCEAL!
Use a small makeup brush to dab concealer or cream foundation Evangeline Lilly (in the exact same shade as your skin) directly onto the blemish. Use a fingertip to wipe away excess concealer around the blemish and, if necessary, apply another coat of concealer.
If the makeup becomes cakey, carefully wipe it off and start over. gently brush powder (in the exact same shade as your skin) on top of the concealer.

Tricks Of The Trade:

* If you have oily skin and feel that you need toner, apply it only on the T-zone, and rinse it off afterward (leaving it on can dry the skin turn back the clock). Use a clay mask as often as every three days to absorb excess oil.

* To stop redness and swelling in an emergency situation (job interview, wedding), ask your doctor for a cortisone injection. It calms down a pimple almost instantly.

* If you can't get to your dermatologist (or needles make you squemish), temporarily reduce redness and swelling by dabbing on a drop of drugstore cortisone cream, Preparation H, or Vasocon-A eyedrops.

Gorgeous Skin

How To Get Gorgeous Skin

* Don't go to bed with makeup on. Makeup left on overnight seeps into your pores, clogs them, and congests your skin. Make sure that you wash your face twice at the end of the day. Once to get the makeup off. A second time to wash the skin itself.

* Exfoliate daily. After washing your face at night, be sure to exfoliate. Use a delicate scrub. If you don't have one on hand, a tablespoon of sugar or oatmeal will work just fine.

* Use facial masks regularly. If possible, everyday is ideal. Again, if you don't have one on hand, make your own. Mashed banana or avocado is good. Plain yogurt also works well.

* Keep a treatment and moisturizer on your face, day or night. Put your skin first. After you wash it at night, put on some kind of skin treatment, whether it's alpha hydroxy acids, vitamin A or C, or any kind of special cocktail treatment. Let that sink in, then put a moisturizer over that. In the morning, do the same.

* Don't use the cheapest or most expensive cosmetics. Mom tells me that moderately priced cosmetics are the best. They get the job done, and the ingredients are usually pretty good. You have to keep trying various brands until you find something that works well for you.

* Hydrate your face throughout the day. Whether it's a commercial product, or one you make yourself (fill a spray bottle with distilled water, add a few drops of chamomile or rose essential oil, shake it gently before each use, and spray it on) hydrate your face, even over makeup, frequently throughout the day.

* Treat your face gently. Never pull, tug, or scrub your facial skin. Be very gentle when you clean it, moisturize it or makeup on it. This will lessen the chance that you'll damage your skin and get wrinkles.

* Keep your face covered when you're in the sun. As beautiful as she is, my mom never lets anyone see her face when she's in the sun. She'll slather on a high factor sunscreen, put on sunglasses, and a wide brimmed hat.

* Eat fresh foods and drink lots of water. My mom tells me to stay away from "dead food" food that's basically not fresh. She always eat lots of veggies, fruits, nuts, and drinks tons of water.

* Let go of stress. Stress can show up on your face, no matter how well you take care of your skin. Do something your enjoy everyday, whether it's watching TV or going shopping. Your face reflects what's going on inside of your mind.

Remove Blackheads

Blackeads Removal

A nasty beauty enemy, but here's a remedy:

Combine 1/4 cup boiling water with one teaspoon of Epsom salt and three drops of iodine.
Let mixture cool until it's comfortable to the touch.

Saturate a cotton ball with this mixture and dab on blackheads.
This will allow them to loosen so they can be easily squeezed with a gauze pad.

The Right Foundation

The Right Foundation

With so many varieties of foundation on the market today, as well as over fifty shade selections, finding the right foundation can be daunting. If your skin is oily, you will want to use an oil free or water-based foundation.
Dry skin works best with a liquid foundation or rich cream.
Test foundation just under the jaw line. This will immediately let you know if it will be invisible on the face, The mistake many women take is to test color on cheek, which is often darker than the other parts of the face, or worse, on the back of the hand.
Women of color have yellow pigments, so they should look for foundation with yellow undertones in oil-free formulations. Darker skin reflects more light and is generally more oily.

Application

* Moisturize face and let it absorb. This keeps foundation on top of the skin.

* Stroke it on and blend quickly.

* Set it by dipping a brush into powder and going over the face in circular strokes. Don't worry about getting every bit of shine off your face. A matter face looks dated.