Health and Beauty tips

As we get older, our lips begin to change dramatically. Luckily, there are a few little tricks we can use to make them look soft and pouty:

For quick fix of feathering lips use a lip liner. Liner creates a barrier that keeps color where you want it. Try the clear, wax based version or a natural hued stick that matches your lipstick exactly. Another way of solving the problem is by getting filler injections for lip enhancement. The treatment usually lasts 6 months.

Thinning – Loss of collagen and fat will cost you plumpness. For quick fix use the following trick. Define the lip area by lining the outer edges of your mouth with a concealer of the same shade as your foundation. Blend it out into the fine lines in your lips to fill them and to prevent lipstick from feathering. Then apply your lipstick and add a dab of shimmer gloss one shade lighter in the center of your top and bottom lips. The reflection of light will make your lips seem fuller. And if you have very thin lips, apply the gloss over your entire lip.
Lip fullness can also be restored by a cosmetic dermatologist or plastic surgeon who will inject a hyaluronic acid filler and a collagen filler. Injections are costly and can be painful but the results usually last six months and are more permanent than over-the-counter options.

Thick lips - Line your lips with lip pencil one shade darker than your lip color, just inside your natural lipline. Fill in with matching matte lipstick Use medium toned lip colors and avoid dark browns, plums, electric bright or pale shimmer shades.

Shapeless lips - Draw a V in the bow area of your upper lip extending the peaks just above your natural lipline by using a lip-toned pencil. Then connect the line from each peak of the V to the corners of your mouth with slight curves. Use a lip brush to soften lines and fill in with same-colored lipstick.

Uneven lips - Use a lip-toned pencil to trace just above your upper lip extending the line slightly higher at the peaks of your bow, if your top lip is thinner than your bottom lip. Trace just inside your lower lip line. Fill in with lipstick that’s one shade lighter than the pencil. If your bottom lip is thinner then do the opposite.

Colorless Lips - For some reason as we age, our lips seem to lose the color that they once had. Colorless lips makes you look washed out and tired. That is why it is so important to carry a little compact of lip colors.

Ever wondered why celebs always look perfect? They just take advantage of teams of makeup artists following them around! Unfortunately, most of us don’t have that luxury, but we can learn how to do our own makeup like the pros. Read ahead for the following great tips used by makeup artists and professionals.

1. Moisturize! If your skin is dry, makeup will look flaky. If you have oily skin or are prone to breakouts, look for an oil-free moisturizer. It will make your skin look fresh without adding oil.

2. Use the right tools. You don’t need a ton of expensive brushes, but it is worth it to invest in one fluffy, round tip blush brush which will make your blush application look natural. You’ll need another good brush if you use loose powder. Use sponge tip applicators for an opaque eyeshadow application and soft bristle brushes for a smokier eye look. Finally, cosmetic wedge sponges really are the best thing for smoothly blending your foundation.

3. To cover any skin imperfections, acnes, skin blemishes, scars or dark circles, first run a small makeup brush back and forth over a concealer stick, and then dip in loose powder. Use the brush to dab the concealer and powder onto the blemish, and it will stay covered!

4. Use different shades of foundation to contour your face. Your primary foundation should exactly match your skin tone, but then use slightly lighter and darker foundations to emphasize your natural contours. This should look natural, so don’t go more than one shade lighter or darker, and be sure to blend. Use the lighter foundation to highlight the bridge of your nose and your cheekbones; use the darker foundation to shade the sides of your nose and the hollows of your cheeks.

5. For longer-looking, luscious lashes use an eyelash curler. Remember to curl before applying mascara; otherwise, you’ll lose curly lashes and end up with clumpy mascara.

6. The key to the best looking makeup is making it look natural. This is especially true of eye liner. Picking the right color is essential to making eye liner look good. If you have light blonde hair, a black eye liner will not look natural. Choose a tan or light brown shade instead, as it will match your hair color better and not stand out on your face. Red haired people should choose light to medium brown or coppery shades. If your hair is dark, use dark brown or black eye liner.

7. If your eye shadow tends to disappear by lunchtime, apply a little foundation and powder to your lids before putting on eye makeup.

8. If you can’t decide which colors to buy, go with neutrals: browns, peaches, and plums look good on everyone.

9. White eyeliner on your lower lid will help to open up your eyes. This is especially great for mornings when you don’t look very awake!

10. The shades of the blush that you can choose are dependent on several factors. Whether your skin tone is light, medium or dark, you should relate to the intensity of color that you use and make sure it would adhere to your lipstick. Blush color should not necessarily be of the same shade, but it should be in the same family color. For example, pink blush takes pink lipstick or tan brown blush looks well with dark lipstick. When applying blush, be sure to tap off the excess blush from your brush. Apply in soft strokes or circles to the apple of your cheek.

11. Lip liner will help your lipstick last longer and will keep it from spreading outside of your lips. Adding a little gloss to just your lower lip will help your lips look pouty.

12. Pale lipsticks (like frosty pinks) make most people’s lips disappear! Wear a lipstick that is at least as dark as your lips’ natural color.

13. The way to look tanned and glowy is not to use a foundation that is darker than your natural color, nor should you apply a heavy bronzer all over your face. Instead, use eye shadow, blush, and lipstick in bronze and golden brown tones. You can also use a little bronzer (gently brush over cheekbones), but use it subtly and blend. You don’t want a makeup line at your jaw.

15. Rather than applying more powder during the day, which can end up getting cakey, use oil-absorbing blotter sheets.

16. For evening occasion use stand out shades for makeup. Use light shades of eye shadow to the whole eye area from the lid to the brow, and then blend contrast with dark shades to the crease of the eye as visible as possible. Unless you wanted to look a little gothic, never overload these applications. Complement the make up with mascara and lipstick, a shimmering shade would look good for the lips. Another perfect evening makeup is using glitter for the face and body.
Follow these tips, and you’ll be a pro yourself in no time. Oh, and don’t forget: practice makes perfect!

With the sunny days of summer ahead, you may be thinking about the perfect tan. Getting that look includes many options from going into the sun or visiting sun tanning salons to self-tanning, the latter believed to be much safer. Today we have a vast choice of sophisticated products, containing fine ingredients, carefully dosed, tested and supervised in the labs. Today’s self tanning products nourish and exfoliate the skin, making the tanning process safer and friendlier. They also include fruit acids that not only refresh the skin, but also rejuvenate the skin cells. Self tanning products react with aminoacids and result in soft and natural looking skin. Some self tanning products contain sunscreen with a high sun protection factor. Their only inconvenience seems to be the risk of uneven tan and streaks. The following tips on applying self tanning products will help you obtain a perfect and natural looking tan:

• First, take a bath or shower and exfoliate your skin. If you skip this step, you’re almost guaranteed uneven results. To avoid it, you want your skin to be as clean and smooth as possible before you start. An old fashioned soapy washcloth usually works better than scrubs, loofahs or mitts. Pay special attention to rough areas like knees, elbows, ankles, and the tops of your feet. These areas will tend to soak up the self tanning lotion and turn darker than the rest of your body so it’s very important to get rid of any dead skin.
• Dry yourself off by patting (not rubbing) and pin up your hair. Apply regular body lotion to the dry spots you just exfoliated, and then allow several minutes for your body to dry completely.
• It is highly recommended to wear thin gloves to avoid getting self tanning lotion on your hands, but putting it on with your bare hands will likely produce more even application.
• Start with legs. Do one whole leg at a time. Remember that knees and feet tend to be dry areas that can grab too much color. If you don’t want spotted toes, don’t apply tanner directly to the tops of your feet. Carefully blend some down from your legs for a more subtle effect.
• Do your torso, neck and face next. If you’re using a spray and you’re fairly flexible you can reach the middle of your back without help. If you’re using lotion, find an assistant to help you with your back. You may also be able to pull it off using a sponge on a stick. This probably goes without saying, but don’t spray yourself in the face. Put some tanner in the palms of your hands, rub your hands together and then apply it to your face.
• Don’t forget about the areas that would tan naturally under the sun: knees, arms, neck, and the back of your legs. When applying the lotion to your face, remember to smooth it onto your eyelids and into your hairline. If you’ll be wearing your hair up, don’t forget to apply the self tanning lotion on the back of your neck and behind your ears.
• When you’re finished, wash your hands thoroughly if you didn’t wear gloves, otherwise your palms will turn an unnatural color.
• Once you’ve applied your tan, you need to allow it to completely dry. Some spray tans dry in just a few minutes, while lotions may take 30 minutes or more. Either way, you need to wait at least an hour before swimming, sweating, or wearing tight clothing. Any of the above can streak and ruin a new tan. If you want to go darker, you can repeat the process the day after you tan. Go easy on the exfoliation the second time around so that you don’t remove your first layer. Once your tan is set, keep yourself well moisturized. The longer it takes the skin to flake off, the longer your tan will last. Most bottled tans begin to fade after a few days. You’ll need to reapply once or twice a week to keep your color.
• To achieve a deep, dark tan before a special occasion, apply the self tanning lotion before going to bed, and then again in the morning. Before you leave, check yourself in the mirror for streaks and correct them with a damp paper towel. Apply a finishing touch by applying bronzing powder to your face and shoulders, and then hit the town!
• If you don’t want to dye your skin, use a bronzer. Many of today’s bronzers contain a mix of light and dark tones, which create a more natural looking color than the single-toned products. So sweep the color with a powder brush where your face would tan naturally, which is usually across the nose, high on the cheekbones, across the forehead, and the tip of the chin.

Today cosmetics are a much in demand product for both male and female no matter what their age and status in life is. Nevertheless, many of us seem to be very careless when choosing the products for applying on our skin – the biggest organ of our body. These basic shopping rules might give you help in picking the best out of the best:

• Be careful when buying cosmetics that are to be used directly on the skin, particularly on the face. Test for allergens and make sure that it is particularly suitable for your skin type. Otherwise you may worsen an already existing skin problem.
• When buying cosmetics, it is better to stick to products that you have already tested and used for a long time.
• It is also advisable to veer away from make ups that are on sale. When tempted to look at cosmetic products that are on sale ask for their expiration date because most make ups that are put on sale may already be nearing their expiration date.
• Follow the instructions indicated on the package as to the proper use of the cosmetics. This will maximize the effects and benefits of the acquired cosmetic products.
• Many products have the term “hypoallergenic” on their packages. They market these products to you as if just because it is “hypoallergenic”, then it is 100% safe. The truth is that there is no standardized test or method that can back up a claim like this.
• Also be wary of products labeled as “Dermatologist Approved” or “Allergy Tested”. These labels do not offer any guarantee that your skin will not have adverse reactions from the cosmetics. And of course, the word “natural” is another trick to pull in the consumer into a mindset of false safety.
• Get samples and try them out. Have them tested on your skin at least 24 hours before application to know if it fits well with your skin type.

Spring is always a triumphal return of fresh looks and cool dresses. In this blooming season we’re all looking to bust out of winter gloom. If you are after new exciting changes, check out these hot tips – just in time for spring!

• Spring eyes are all about color, so pick some stunning reflective pigment to drench your lids with gorgeous reflective shades: soft, pearly pinks, violets, blues, greens, even metallic gold and silver. Don’t skimp on the color. Neutral tones are fine, but spring is the most appropriate season to brighten up the eye. There are some hottest colors for spring make up:
  • Shades of green have really stolen the limelight this spring. Using a shade that works for you, draw attention to your eyes by playing them up a bit. Don’t be afraid to go dark, but if you do, remember - intense eyes should be paired with soft, subtle lips. Use a softer shade or a slick gloss to achieve this result.
  • In an effort to accentuate your eyes, sparkly metallic colors will truly make a great expression. Metallic green, steel and other shades will look stunning with your complementing makeup and sexy clothes.
  • If smokey eyes or cat eyes are your favorites, you can still wear them, just replace blacks and greys with beautiful, fresh colors.
  • When lining the eyes, use blue, green and violet pencil to match it with the eye shadow you are using – just to make the lashes look a bit thicker.
• Mascara makes your eyes attractive and adds lustrous shine to the eyelashes, making you look damn sexy. Apply mascara - wiggle the wand at the base of the lashes and then pull up. Apply a glossy or sparkly topcoat to your lashes after your mascara dries for ultimate sheen and a fabulous “wet” look.
• Foundation helps a lot to conceal blemishes and marks. Choose a light foundation and apply it over your face prior to the application of other cosmetics.
• Blush truly imparts a chic look. In this too, prefer light shades, usually pink and peach. Even a mixture of pink and peach looks good. You can also try other shades that go well with your complexion. To get a really fresh and healthy glowing look just use the following trick - instead of sweeping color on the cheeks, use a popping technique while applying it. Just put some color on the tip of the brush and pop. This will create a flushing and healthy look.
• In spring, you want your lips to really grab focus by drenching it with lip gloss. After you applied your lips gloss, trace little vertical strokes on the lower lip to make the gloss go over the full of the lip, so that light will bounce off easily and to make lips pop out more.
• Don’t forget to apply nail paint. You can choose from the variety of pinks and paler shades.