A coworker walked in that morning and one of the women said, “Wow! I love that lip color. It looks perfect on you”. Then she looked at me, her eyes rolled across my lips, and well … she didn’t say anything at all.

The ole phrase, “If ya can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” crossed my mind and I realized that I had just been silently dist!

To avoid lip issues, learn a few rules of thumb like I did:

Ideal Colors for Pale Skin

If you have light pale or light pink skin, it’s best to stay with light colored pink, soft corals or warm beige colors.

Great Colors for Medium Skin

Oh how I envy slighter darker people because they look great wearing my favorite color, mauve. Medium skin tones can also get away with rich browns, sassy berry colors and all the members of red family.

Hot Tones for Dark Skin

Dark skin tones really have the advantage when it comes to color because they can wear any color the like, even orange. Dark skin tones tend to look better wearing reds, browns, and fewer lighter tones.

Lip Tips

I’m a fair skinned person and although my skin isn’t extremely light, it’s light enough but I love dark colors. One way that I kind of spoof people and look good wearing those darker colors is by changing to a darker foundation and powder color.

I can only get away with it at night though! Here are a few more handy tips.

• If you want longwearing lipstick but you’re favorite color isn’t the 18-hour stuff, don’t worry. Color in your lips using your favorite pencil color and apply your favorite color on top. It will last all day or all night.
• Is you lip color a bit brighter than expected, don’t smudge it off! Fill in your lips using a darker color pencil and lightly applied the same lip color. It changes it making it a bit lighter and will wear for hours.
• Avoid using color testers in the store; you never know who else has before you. Yuck!
• To get the most out of your lip color store your lipstick in the refrigerator. It will last much longer.
• To make lips look fuller, outline with lip liner and fill in the lips.
• If you want hot, sexy, lips just use a small amount of glitter mixed in with your favorite color. I like silvery pink glitter!

When you speak, the world listens and they watch your mouth first. After you’re gone … that’s when they talk about ya. Experiment with color, don’t be afraid and find what’s right for you. Once you get those compliments, you’ll be glad you did.

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3. Natural Treatments for Dry Skin

Hydrate Your Skin

Healthy, younger looking skin is hydrated skin, and what better way to moisturize your skin than from the inside out? Make sure to drink plenty of clear water on a daily basis to properly hydrate the cells of your skin. Drink at least eight glasses per day, and even more on hot days or when participating in strenuous activities. Your skin will glow from the inside out when properly hydrated.

Moisturize

After cleansing with your favorite facial cleanser, pat your face dry, and apply a high-quality moisturizer of your choice. There are a number of fantastic products to choose from, and they’re well worth the expense because they work. Try various brands until you find the right product for your skin type. High-quality facial moisturizers will diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while giving your face a natural looking younger glow.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating the skin to expose a soft new layer is a great way to give your skin a more youthful appearance. Invest in top-quality exfoliating facial cleanser, and regularly renew your skin by following product label instructions. You’ll erase years from your face, and your skin will remain exceptionally soft and silky smooth.

Avoiding Lines

Continual squinting will cause lines to form around the eyes, so instead of straining to see, it’s in your best interest to have regular eye exams. In addition, other unnecessary facial expressions continually repeated will also cause deep lines to form on the forehead and around the mouth. Don’t stop smiling, but avoid other exaggerated expressions that are nothing more than habits.

Sun Protection

The affects of the sun can age a person well beyond their years, so it’s essential to protect your skin from the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun, even during winter months. A sun-blocking product worn beneath your make-up will protect your skin while keeping your face sufficiently moisturized and remarkably soft. Avoiding the sun is by far the best method of retaining younger looking skin.

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Your skin is the barrier between your body and the environment, it protects you from the ravages of the weather. It bears the brunt of city fumes, of the stress and tensions at home and work and the junk food you snack on from time to time: oh yes, they all take their toll.

So you wonder what you can do for your skin, seeing that it does so much for you. And you can’t forget that your skin screams your lifestyle like nothing else: Manolo shoes and Gucci bags cant make up for  undernourished skin. But of course, you need something that wont take up too much of your time, not burn a hole in your purse, but make you feel like a million bucks at the same time!

Well, you could start off with a brush down over the weekend. All you will need is a natural-bristle brush, its stiffness will depend on how sensitive your skin is. Get it in a palm-sized version, or with a stick attached so you can get to those remote areas on your back. Stand in a bath-tub, and brush all over. Take care of sensitive areas like breast or neck, and do not rub too long or you would end up with red, irritated skin. Sensitivity will reduce every time you scrub. Once a day is terrific, but a weekly scrub is ok too! Feel all that blood rush beneath your skin, those pores unclog and the dead skin vanish. Turn on the shower and set it to a cool, pounding massage, the heat from the scrubbing and the cold water work wonders.

Pamper yourself afterward, with a yummy, fruity body-wash,(most look good enough to eat)  which would make you smell exotic for the whole day, tingle your senses and give your skin that touch-me-now look. Do it every day, each week and all the months of the year and watch your skin bloom. Dream skin is easy, just a brush-down and body-wash away!

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• Fine granulated sugar
• Extra virgin olive oil, almond oil or apricot kernel oil
• A gel-encapsulated Vitamin E pill
• Lavender essential oil (optional)

For enough sugar scrub to make one facial application use ¼ cup sugar. Add this to a small, clean glass or stainless steel bowl. To this, add enough oil to make a smooth paste. To add the Vitamin E, which will add healing qualities to the scrub, gently snip off the end of the gel capsule and squeeze the contents into the paste. Last, if preferred, one or two drops of pure lavender essential oil may be added to the paste and gently stirred in. The lavender essential oil will impart a relaxing aromatherapy-quality to the scrub and also offers antibacterial properties which may aid in improving skin condition.
Gently cleanse face with warm water and soap to remove outer impurities. Next, with skin still moist, apply the sugar scrub with your fingertips in small, circular motions, avoiding the eye areas and broken or irritated skin. After gently massaging facial and neck skin, wash well with soap and water, rinse and pat dry. The skin will now have a soft glow and feel smooth and silky to the touch.
As this homemade product is preservative-free and is all-natural, the sugar scrub may be kept for one or two days, but then must be discarded. If used in the shower as a body scrub, caution must be used to avoid slipping.

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The Proactive Solution is a 3-step process that consists of using a cleanser, a toner, and a repairing lotion. Let’s look at each in detail.

Step 1: Renewing Cleanser
The Proactive Renewing Cleanser is an oil-free cleanser that contains prescription strength benzoyl peroxide to treat existing acne. This product is applied to your damp face by using a circular motion to disperse the cleanser. This product feels slightly grainy in texture and it is designed to lightly exfoliate the dead skin cells from your face. People’s experiences with using the cleanser were predominantly positive as they reported that after using the product their face immediately felt smoother and softer.

Step 2: Revitalizing Toner
The second step in the program is the Revitalizing Toner, which is designed to deep clean and unclog pores. This product is applied to your clean face using a saturated cotton ball. People’s experiences in using the toner were also predominantly positive. They reported that unlike many toners that strip the face of essential oils and leave the face feeling uncomfortably tight, Proactive’s Revitalizing Toner is alcohol-free which leaves the face feeling soft and refreshed. They also report that the scent of this product is clean and pleasant smelling.

Step 3: Repairing Lotion
Proactive’s Repairing Lotion is also known as the “acne killer”. This product also contains benzoyl peroxide to treat existing acne and prevent future breakouts. To you use this product you just dab a bit on your fingers and rub it onto your face. People who used this product reported that it felt a little bit greasy to the touch so it’s best to only a use little bit. Some people also reported that their face started to dry out a bit with continued use of this product.

Final Thoughts
With continued and regular use, both in the morning and again at night, most people with mild to moderate acne had success with the program and would recommend it to others. For those with severe acne, however, the reviews were more mixed. Nearly half of these people reported some improvement to their skin, while the other half reported either no change at all or an actual worsening of their skin problems.

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While there are all manner of oils, lotions and creams on sale at the local pharmacy, in many cases dry skin can be treated naturally, without relying on harmful chemicals or artificial ingredients. In fact many dry skin conditions respond better to the natural approach, and it is a good idea for every dry skin sufferer to try these common natural treatments first.

When considering natural treatments for dry skin, it is important to keep in mind that many of these conditions are in fact the result of vitamin deficiencies. In fact deficiencies of vitamin A and the B vitamin complex are often found to be the culprit, and a simple change of diet or supplementation with the needed vitamin is often enough to provide relief. Dry skin conditions can also be caused by an under-active thyroid gland, and it is important for dry skin sufferers to discuss their condition with their doctor. The doctor will be able to run the tests necessary to confirm or rule out thyroid problems or vitamin deficiencies as a cause.

The way the skin is cared for can also have a profound impact on a dry skin problem. It is important, for instance, for dry skin sufferers to avoid hot water when taking showers and baths. It is also a good idea for those prone to dry skin to keep those showers and baths short. Lengthy baths and showers can reduce the amount of oil in the skin, exacerbating a dry skin problem. Adding bath oils and moisturizers to the bath can sometimes be effective as well.

Many people with dry skin problems also suffer from a problem with chapped lips, and it is a good idea to look for a natural treatment for that condition as well. Coconut oil can often be effective at treating chapped lips, and this oil is safe to use every day. When buying coconut oil to use on chapped lips, be sure to choose only natural oil, without excessive refining or processing.

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Start with the inside first…
A healthy body radiates healthy skin. Drink lots of water, eat healthier and balance your intake. Eat “good fats” like flaxseed, walnut oil and fish oil or eat salmon and other coldwater fish. Eat more fiber in the form of nuts, dried fruits, figs and prunes. Add whole grains and eat plenty of veggies. Whatever you do, avoid excess sugar, sugar burns up energy and makes us feel sluggish preventing us from doing everyday things.

For healthier skin, exercise is key.

Develop a routine exercise regimen, increase your heartbeat by doing some simple aerobic exercises, walk around the block, jog in place and do it everyday or at least three times a week. After a few weeks your energy level will increase, you will feel healthier and you’ll feel good about what you’re doing for your body—so will your body. You’ll notice that not only do you feel better but you’ll look better.

Once you’ve begun taking care of your body, you’ll notice a new natural radiance and once you’ve seen it, you’ll want to keep it.

Take care of your skin naturally.
If you’ve always wanted some tips that you can genuinely use to take care of your skin naturally, there are a number of things you can do and we’ll start with some simple herbs. Herbs are natural and your skin will absorb them, in turn rewarding you with healthier skin. Here are some natural oils to heal damaged skin.

• Avacado
• Wheat Germ
• Macadamia Nut
• Jojoba
• Carrot
• Castor
• Calendula
• Kukui Nut

These naturals when used in an oil application do wonders, literally. All of them heal dry, damaged skin and even help healthy skin radiate even more. Carrot oil prevents itching from irritated skin, Castor oil prevents scarring and Kukui and Macadamia Nuts can prevent sunburn. There are definite added benefits to some of these.

Aside from natural herbal applications, try a dry skin face exfoliation. All you need is a small, dry, natural bristle brush. Avoiding areas of broken skin or irritated areas simply brush lightly in circular motions all over your face. This is perfect to do in the morning if you experience any puffiness, it will reduce it and your face will feel smooth and rejuvenated.

If you want to make your face even happier…try a cabbage mask. Simply grind up a couple of leaves, (the blender is okay) and with the liquid, stir in one teaspoon of honey and yeast or flour. It should be thick, simply apply the mixture over your face and leave it on for fifteen minutes, remove with a warm, damp cloth.

Take care of your skin naturally, your skin will love it and you’ll reap all the benefits. Beauty is easy when you start with healthy skin.

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Sweating

You might think that you are only supposed to sweat when you are hot, but once you hit puberty, you also will sweat when you are nervous. Your sweat glands (which make sweat) become more active during the teen years, causing both more sweat and also some smell. You actually have 2 million to 4 million sweat glands all over the body. Most are on the soles of the feet, the palms, forehead, cheeks, and in the armpits. Don’t panic, though. Sweat and smell are normal parts of becoming an adult. Sweating also does an important job – it helps to cool your body down when you are hot.

How to help keep sweat from smelling badly:

• Shower or take a bath every day.

• Use a deodorant (covers smell) or an antiperspirant (decreases sweating), or a product that has both.

• Talk to your doctor if these things do not work or you are worried.

Worried About Bad Breath?

Bad breath, also called halitosis, is caused by bacteria that grow in your mouth. The bacteria gather on the small food pieces left in your mouth, especially between your teeth. The bacteria release sulfur compounds, which is what makes your breath smell. Strong-smelling foods such as garlic and onions can cause bad breath, and so can smoking.

Tips for preventing bad breath:

• Don’t smoke! It is good for your health in many ways to avoid smoking.

• Brush your teeth (and tongue!) for at least two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, especially after meals.

• Floss every day.

• Replace your toothbrush every three to four months.

• Visit your dentist twice a year for cleanings and an exam to check for cavities.

• Eat right. Avoid foods and drinks that can cause bad breath such as cabbage, garlic, raw onions and coffee. Don’t diet. Not eating enough or cutting out certain foods (such as carbohydrates) can cause bad breath.

Bad breath that won’t go away also can be a sign of a medical problem, such as a sinus infection or gum disease (gingivitis).

Be sure to talk to your dentist if your bad breath does not go away. It’s normal to be embarrassed, but it’s a very common problem and a dentist can help you try to fix it.

Your Skin

Your skin is just one more thing that changes when you go through puberty. Acne often starts in your early teen years because your body is making more oil glands, which is normal. A few different skin problems are a part of acne: whiteheads, blackheads and cystic acne.

• Whiteheads are made when a hair follicle (root) is plugged with oil and skin cells.

• If this plugged up stuff comes up to the surface of the skin and the air touches it, it turns black and becomes a blackhead. So, blackheads are not caused by dirt.

• If a plugged follicle breaks, the area swells and becomes a red bump. If this happens close to the surface of the skin, the bump most often becomes a pimple. If it breaks deep inside in the skin, nodules or cysts can form, which can look like larger pimples. This is cystic acne.

Acne is common among teens, but not everyone will have the same troubles. It may be worse in boys because they have more oils in their skin. Also, it can run in the family. If your mother or father had bad acne, the same may happen for you. Some people also just have more sensitive skin.

How Is Acne Treated?

First, wash your face regularly. If the acne does not go away, there are over-the-counter products (you can buy these without a doctor’s order) available in different forms, such as gels, lotions, creams and soaps. Common ingredients used in these products to fight acne are benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, salicylic acid and sulfur. If you have a bad skin reaction to any products you buy on your own, tell your doctor. Also, it can take time for these products to work. If they do not make your acne better after two months, ask your doctor for help. The doctor can give you stronger medicines, including antibiotics or other pills and creams that have either retinoids or adapalene in them. Retinoids can make you very sensitive to the sun, so avoid those rays or use a strong sunscreen to protect yourself. Another word of caution: the medicine isotretinoin (the product is called Accutane) can cause birth defects and miscarriages (losing a baby while pregnant) if taken when a woman is pregnant.

What Can Make Acne Worse?

• Oil-based make-up, suntan oil, hair gels and sprays
• Stress
• Your period
• Picking at your pimples
• Scrubbing your skin too hard
• Getting too much sun

What Doesn’t Cause Acne?

Dirt, fried foods or chocolate, and sexual activity do not cause acne. These are myths!

Hair Care

The same kind of oil that causes breakouts on your face also comes out of the pores on your scalp. In the right amount, this oil keeps your hair shiny and healthy looking. When there is too much oil, your hair can look greasy. If your hair is oily, wash it every day. You also may want to try shampoos that are made for oily hair. It also can help to stop using hair products that have oil in them.

On the other hand, if your hair is dry, you may want to shampoo less often and use a moisturizing shampoo. If you see white flakes in your hair or on your shoulders, you most likely have dandruff. There are special shampoos to treat dandruff that are sold near other hair products.

Do You Need to Douche?

No. The vagina actually cleans itself on the inside with natural fluids. The best way to clean the outside of your vagina is to wash with warm water and gentle, scent-free soap during a bath or shower. Products you might see on T.V. or at the drug store, such as feminine hygiene soaps, powders and sprays, are not needed. And they may even be harmful to you.

Douching is rinsing or cleaning out the vagina by squirting water or other fluids (solutions made with vinegar or baking soda that you can buy at the drug store) into the vagina. Women douche to rinse away blood after their periods and to generally feel cleaner. Many women douche, but doctors do not recommend it. Douching changes the balance of natural chemicals in your vagina and can make it easier for you to get dangerous infections.

If you have any of the following problems, tell your doctor right away:

• Itching in and near your vagina
• Burning or pain in your vagina
• Pain when you go to the bathroom
• Discharge, or fluid, from your vagina that is not normal, such as thick and white (like cottage cheese) or yellowish-green discharge that is foul smelling. Normal discharge changes throughout your menstrual cycle, but may normally look clear, cloudy white and/or yellowish.

If you are not sure if the discharge or fluid is normal, have your doctor check you out.

Tanning

You might think you look better with a tan, but the truth is, there is no such thing as a safe tan. When your skin becomes tan, it is really a sign that your skin cells have been hurt. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays are what damage your skin and these rays play a big role in the growth of skin cancer, the most common kind of cancer in the United States. Today, more young people than ever are getting skin cancer.

To protect yourself:

• When possible, avoid outdoor activities during midday, when the sun’s rays are strongest. This usually means the hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

• Wear protective clothing, such as a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt and long pants.

• Wear wraparound sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV ray protection to protect your eyes.

• Always wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen and lip screen with at least SPF 15. Follow the directions on the bottle to reapply and check the expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date will last no more than three years. Sunscreen will not last as long if it is stored in very hot or very cold temperatures.

Tanning Indoors

Trying to get that tan is dangerous both outside and inside. Indoor tanning salons use light bulbs in the “beds” that give off dangerous UV rays, the same rays found outside.

There are other indoor methods that do not use UV rays, including “spray tans” you can get at a salon and tanning lotions or gels that you can buy at a drugstore or department store. While there is no known risk for skin cancer with these products, you do have to be careful. Spray tans, lotions or gels use a color additive (what makes your skin look tan) called DHA that is approved – considered safe – for use on the outside of your body by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If you use a sun-less tanning product on your own or go to a salon for a spray tan, make sure that your eyes and mouth are covered.

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With the increasing downward spiral of food quality, vitamins and minerals that should be in your food are absent. Add to that processing and poor eating habits and this lack of sufficient nutrients show up in abnormalities of the body. The skin, our biggest organ, is the first line of defense against the microbes that lurk in the air and when changes for the worst occur in the skin it is time to re-assess our diet and to start thinking about supplementing with vitamins and minerals.

The body carries out it’s daily routines of which we are oblivious. However we become aware that all is not well when we start to see disease or deterioration. The body, to keep vital functions going – lungs repaired, heart beating rhythmically, correct pH levels of the blood – will strip less important parts of their nutrients in order to keep you alive. If a nutrient is required to keep your lungs in good repair and the nutrient is not being supplied through your diet then your body will start breaking down healthy cells just to retrieve the correct vitamin or mineral. This puts an added burden on your body. Cells once constructed usually have a certain length of life before they are broken down and new cells made. By depriving your body of its required vitamins you force it to work harder recycling itself. The more deficient your food, the harder the body works which has a knock-on effect as extra nutrients are used up in the break down, re-construct cycle.

Although skin is a protection organ, if the body had to decide which is more important (based on the nutrients available) between the repair and maintenance of heart tissue versus that of skin cells, you can instantly see that any organ or part that is not immediately vital to life would have its nutrients removed. Therefore the outward condition of the skin is a good indicator of the inward deficiencies of the body. Whiteheads are the result of a mild deficiency in vitamin B2 (riboflavin). Whiteheads usually occur with oily hair and skin. Oiliness is prevalent especially in the “T” panel of the face. A whitehead is a small fatty deposit that forms under the skin. It is not similar to a blackhead which is made in an entirely different way.

The solution may seem simple – rush out and buy a bottle of riboflavin. However riboflavin, like the body, is part of an intertwined structure that needs all the components handy to produce a satisfactory result. Vitamin B2 is a member of the Vitamin B group and as such riboflavin cannot be taken on its own. Vitamins work synergistically and the B group especially must be balanced out. If a single B vitamin is taken on its own that vitamin starts to create deficiencies in the B group. It is important to take a good quality B complex and then add a few more milligram’s of riboflavin to your complex.

The B group of vitamins is water soluble so need to be replaced on a daily basis. Choosing the best brand of B complex need not be a difficult task. Beware of buying very cheap brands that have minute quantities of B complex. It is preferable if you go into a health shop, whose personnel are trained in their specific products, and seek advice on a suitable brand.

Also take into account that consuming vitamins from a bottle are part of a supplementation programme. Improving the quality of the food you eat is also of paramount importance. Today, with pesticides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers and long, long storage times in ripening warehouses even fresh fruit and vegetables have deteriorated in health building properties. To counter act that you have to become aware of alternative ways to get the nutrients your body requires.

Buy organic whenever you can afford it. Organic food is grown on whole soils that have been built up with decaying matter and earthworm activity. The castings of the earthworms make nutrients and trace elements available to the plants which are not possible when chemical fertilizers are used. The same applies to meat and dairy. Buy antibiotic and hormone free meat and milk. Beware of meat from animals that are fed chicken litter or other animals. There is a growing sector in the food industry that sees herbivores being fed animal by-products. If you are not sure contact the Public Relations department of the supermarket chain that you buy from and check with them.

Start sprouting in your kitchen. Sprouts are completely poison free and have appreciable quantities of nutrients in them. Your kitchen garden can produce fresh food even if it’s snowing outside. Ensure you buy human grade legumes and seeds from a health shop and not from a seed wholesaler. Many seed companies impregnate their products with poison.

Food is medicine. If you supply your body with fruit, vegetables and meat that has been raised under severely deficient conditions then logically that food will not bring bouncing health to your body. The reverse is true and your quest must be to improve your diet at every turn. With planning you can triple your vitamin B intake. Finding natural sources of B2 is easy if the quality of food is good.

Vitamin B2 can be found in the following foods:

Cheese, egg yolks, fish, legumes, meat, milk, poultry, whole grains, spinach and yoghurt.

The other members of the B group also occur in most of the above foods – as nature intended – so eat widely from the list above.

The body is an extraordinary machine. It repairs and maintains itself and only goes wrong when the ingredients it needs are under or not supplied. To keep your skin glowing and healthy means eating the correct food and supplementing your diet with the vitamins that skin needs. The body requires a myriad of nutrients to keep functioning and producing healthy tissue. The more you understand about them the better your food choices of tomorrow will be.

Don’t be discouraged if your whiteheads don’t disappear quickly. It took you a few years to deplete your nutrient reserves and these need to be re-stocked. Once your body starts to receive the correct nutrients it will begin to repair all the tissues that are vital to life. It may be two or three months before that is done and then the repair will begin in the skin.

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