Skin So Clear

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Recently, so many women have asked me how to eliminate their acne problems, that I thought I would write an article on the subject. If you have recurring acne that you cannot seem to get rid of then there is a high probability that you have a hormonal imbalance in your body. These imbalances can be caused by medication, the pill, and many other life changes such as, menopause, pregnancy, and adolescence. What your body needs is something to balance your hormones and bring your body back to it’s harmonious state. Evening Primrose Oil can work miracles with just this situation.

Eliminating Acne Evening Primrose oil is taken from the Evening Primrose Flower and is high in Omega-6 fatty acids. The oil causes your cells to produce prostaglandins which act like hormones to fill in what your body is missing when you have a breakout, thereby causing your hormones to balance and consequently a reduction in breakouts.

The highest quality of Evening Primrose Oil I have found is made by a company called Source Naturals. When taking Source Naturals Evening Primrose I saw a dramatic difference in the appearance of my skin as compared to Evening Primrose by other companies.

This oil, taken consistently, has the capability to produce dramatic results. Take four soft gels a day, two in the morning and two at night, with a full glass of water. You should start to see small results within two weeks and within a month, noticeable progress.

Care and Maintenance For skin to thrive and glow it needs the proper environment. Creating this environment requires exfoliation and proper care and maintenance. Exfoliation will remove the dead skin cells leaving your skin room to breath and regenerate. A great way to exfoliate daily is with a gentle buff puff. Use the buff puff together with your cleanser every morning; make sure to buy a buff puff that is both soap/cleanser free and gentle, using something stronger than gentle can irritate your skin and cause it to become oily.

Caring for and maintaining your complexion calls for great skin care products: cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and weekly masks. You may have a skin care line that your are very happy with or you may be looking for that special line that will have your skin glowing from the inside out. If you are looking for just that, then Boielements is a line you will want to check out. This company has an amazing line of all natural products with a regime for every skin type. Cleanser with pumpkin enzymes, exfoliating masks with kelp, wrinkle creams with cranberry oil, yummy products all of which can be custom blended specifically for you.

What Remains Once you have eliminated acne and you are maintaining your beautiful skin you may find that you have small brow or dark spots on the surface of your skin. These are actually scars remaining from your previous acne breakouts. There are two option that are effective for clearing away these spots: a pigment bleacher/balancer or Biotin. The pigment bleacher/balencer, available from Bioelements, will lighten the dark spot or scar. The thing to be aware of is that what you think is a scar may still be an active blemish in hibernation, in which case the bleaching stick will not give you the intended result. Biotin is a member of the B-vitamin family and when taken daily is very effective at clearing up remaining acne spots and acne scars. Take 5,000 mcg daily for amazing results in one to two weeks.

The Final TouchNow that you have glowing, breathtaking skin you’ll want that final touch that turns every head. Do you want skin that has that movie star perfect quality about it? Then I’ve got three words for you: Mac Studio Fix. This powder and foundation combination is not too heavy, not too light. It transforms all those little flaws you can’t seem to get rid of while leaving you with a radiant, natural looking foundation.

So what are you waiting for? Nourish your skin with Evening Primrose, treat yourself to a fabulous new skin care line, put on that final touch and get glowing!

Brows and Shoes: Everything You Need

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Breakfast at Tiffany's

Think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s or Gisele Bundchen on the Victoria’s Secret Runway. When it comes to great style the essentials come down to two things, great brows and chic shoes. The style rule I live by, shoes make the outfit and it doesn’t matter if I have on the chicest dress and the perfect makeup, if my brows are untamed the look doesn’t carry.

The first step to beautiful manicured brows is a great shape. You can go to a professional for this or you can do it yourself. Some style advisor’s will tell you to never try to shape you brows yourself; I have been doing my own brows for years and at this point I would not let anyone else touch them. The trick is to take it in small steps and don’t rush. If you over shape your brows you’ll have to wait until the hair grows back, and if you do this too many times it may not grow back, but if you take away too little you can always go back and reshape.

If you decide to shape your brows yourself first you need to choose which method to use, the two most common are plucking or waxing. If you decide to pluck make sure you buy a pair of professional grade tweezers at a beauty supply store, these may be a bit more expensive, but they grab the hair better and allow you a more precise pluck. If you are using wax there are a lot of options and it is best to pick the one that is easiest for you to work with. Three of the options are hot wax, cold wax and wax strips. Hot wax is put on hot, allowed to cool, and then pulled off. Cold wax is put on cold, you then put a strip of cloth over the wax and pull. Wax strips are a little different, they are two plastic strips with wax already on them in the middle. You rub a piece in between your hands to heat the wax, pull it apart, put it on the hair and pull it off. No matter which type you choose there is one very important rule to follow, always pull off against the growth of the hair, this ensures you pull the hair from its root. Of the three I prefer the wax strips, the can be cut to the size you need and you are less likely to get wax in a spot where you don’t want it. I do find with this method that I sometimes have to clean up the edges with tweezers, but it’s worth the extra trouble to me to get the look I want.

Before you start to use the wax or tweezers you need to determine the perfect shape for your face. To do this you’ll need a pencil, this is an old trick but it really works to get your brows plucked in the perfect spot. Hold the pencil in a straight line starting from the bottom of your nose to the inner corner of your eye. Where the line of the pencil hits at your brow is where your brow should stop, pluck or wax everything between this point and the same point on the brow above your other eye. To find out where to end the outer part of your brow hold the pencil at the same point on the bottom of your nose and make a diagonal line from your nose to the outer most corner of your eye. Where the line of the pencil hits your brow is where your brow should stop. Some people like their brows a little longer than this, choose for yourself which shape looks best on you. Start by plucking a little and see if you like it a little longer or if you want it to be at the exact point where the pencil hits.

As for the shape of your brow, go with your natural shape, this will flatter your face shape the best and draw attention to your eyes. If your brows are naturally rounded then just take away the stray hairs underneath and above your brows. If your brows have a natural arch then shape towards this. Whatever your natural shape is you will look mast beautiful and chic if you go with what your body has already given you.

Now we have the perfect brow, lets talk about shoes! As I said before, shoes make the outfit, you can have on the latest designer or your favorite pair of jeans and the shoes you pair with your outfit will make the difference between nice and head turning fabulous. What kind of shoes depend on the clothes, the season and your personal style. Chic shoes can be anything from heals to boots to sandals. The trick is simply knowing what’s in style and wearing what looks great on you. You might even want to pick a classic look that you can always pull from your closest, no matter what the current trend. Picture Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she could put on the same sleek heels now and walk down 5th avenue looking in style and confident.

There are some classics to always have in your closet. A pair of black heals between two and three inches tall, so you are both chic and comfortable. These are the heals you can wear with your skinny jeans, your favorite skirt, or your little black dress. A pair of black sleek black boots. The great thing about boots? They are both comfortable and stylish, you can throw them on with your favorite jeans and look great or pair them with your little black dress and have that classy with a nod to naughty look; yes, you have a secret, grin. Camel or chocolate brown boots, these are for the times when black doesn’t work and you want to look equally sleek. For all year round it is essential to have a pair of sexy black or silver high healed sandals. These go with everything including the floor length dress you knew you kept in your closest for a reason. For summer there are two musts, nude high healed sandals and sexy flat sandals. The nude sandals are for when you need that extra height without the extra distraction and the flats are perfect for those summer tips when walking and looking great are a must.

So the next time you don’t have time for makeup, make sure your brows are plucked, throw your hair up in a twist, slip into your favorite chic shoes and walk out with your held held high knowing you look great!

Eat Healthy and Eat What You Want

Filed Under Blog, Health | Leave a Comment

Are you always trying to eat healthy, but end up messing up and cheating and then feel guilty and bad about yourself? You know the routine, you’ve been great for days, only salads, Perrier and fish, and then you have lunch at the Cheesecake factory and your friend orders the strawberry cheesecake with chocolate drizzle. Strawberries are healthy, and besides, you only had a few bites. The problem is now you’re craving more. Living a healthy lifestyle and eating a vitamin packed diet can take self control. The trick is to remember that eating a healthy diet is part of loving yourself and when you eat foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and omega fats you are not only loving your figure you’re loving your skin and actually preventing things like wrinkles and cellulite. Part of treating yourself well is also giving yourself treats and gifts once in a while. When I’m on a really strict routine like no sugar, no wheat, no wine, etc. I make sure that I buy myself extra spa items. Like lotions, candles, bubble bath, maybe a new perfume. But when I’m just being healthy there are a few items I always have on hand. These are the staples of what I call “naughty health food”. When I feel like I’m about to blow it I indulge in one of these sumptuous treats and this way I stay healthy and happy.:

Alternative Baking Company’s Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookie - This cookie is vegan, organic and tastes delicious! It’s chewy and tasty and always satisfies my cravings.

Van’s Wheat Free Blueberry Waffles - Wheat and gluten free and so delicious. Mmmm……add some real maple syrup and get a healthy dose of manganese and zinc. Manganese fights free radicals and zinc is great for your heart and protects against colds.

Popcorn with Sea Salt and Olive Oil - This is my favorite naughty heath food. It’s so good that I feel like I’m eating something really bad. Pop plain popcorn, pick an olive oil that is golden (they have a slightly buttery taste) and drizzle it on top, then sprinkle on sea salt, shake it up and munch away. You’ll get the health benefits of olive oil and the minerals in the sea salt.

Uncle Eddie’s Trail Mix Cookies - Where do I even begin? These cookies are so good, not too sweet but just sweet enough. Organic ingredients and all natural sweeteners, packed with raisins, oats and seeds, these cookies are just plain good stuff.

Apricot Cliff Bar - So good because there are actual apricot chunks in this bar. Get your vitamins and your sweet tooth handled all at once.

Tofutti Cuties - Craving ice cream? Go for these tofu ice cream sandwiches. So many flavors, vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, strawberry, shall I go on? These little treats are something I make sure are always in my freezer.

Raw Chocolate - Ok, have you tried raw food yet? After a raw food meal I have more energy than I know what to do with. Raw chocolate is the best of the best, often prepared with an almost coconuty texture, this treat melts in your mouth. Did you know raw chocolate can decrease your blood pressure, is great for your heart and promote healthy kidneys?

Pure Jamaican Cola - Free from the horrible ingredients of normal sodas, tastes great and soothes an upset stomach. You can buy it in the can or buy it as a syrup and add your own seltzer water for a homemade cola treat.

Ame - When I’m trying to cut down on the wine this beverage feels like a refreshing treat. I love the herbal ingredients like jasmine. limeflower and gentian.

Organic Coffee - The best for last! Not just coffee, but organic coffee. Organic coffee has a sweeter aroma and you can actually pick up on the subtle flavors like orange flower and chocolate. Try coffees from different countries for a variety of tastes. I always feel so luxurious, as I only allow myself coffee on special occasions.

The next time you want to be healthy, but you’re feeling naughty, be good to yourself and try one of these treats.