Skin From Within

editor | Skin Care | Saturday, 14 July 2007

Tutti Frutti

You probably don’t need me to tell you that fruit and vegetables are the main ingredients to a healthy, youthful skin. The reason for this is that they contain lots of vitamins and minerals that perform an antioxidant function. Antioxidants mop up reactions caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules created by such things as stress, pollution and certain foods. Free radicals sound like a new political party that we should all be voting for, but instead they’re electrochemically unbalanced chemicals which ultimately can be the cause of degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease, not to mention premature ageing (which is where your skin comes in). The main antioxidant vitamins are vitamins A, C and E together with the minerals selenium, manganese and zinc. Some B vitamins also have antioxidant properties together with some amino acids (building blocks for protein). Most of these important minerals can be found in a wholefood, fresh food diet.

Berries and fruits and vegetables with red, purple and blue colouring are particularly good because they’re stuffed with antioxidants and contain a group of flavonoids called anthocyanidins, thought to be much more powerful than vitamin E. Antioxidants sometimes work together. For example, vitamins C and E work together – vitamin C allows vitamin E to be recycled in the body so that it can carry on working longer.

Water Your Face Daily

Drinking pure, fresh water flushes toxins through your system and hydrates cells carrying essential nutrients to every part of your body. I probably didn’t need to tell you that either. Aim to drink about 2litres (3.5 pints) daily. Don’t overdo it though or you could end up flushing minerals out of your system, especially if you’re gulping rather than sipping.

Fat Face!

The other essential ingredient to healthy skin is fat. Not any old fat, but essential fatty acids (EFAs). One group of EFAs is especially important: omega-3. EFAs work as a kind of waterproofer because they stop fluids escaping from your body’s cells. In this way, your skin is kept plumped up and moisturised. Do an experiment – take a good quality fish oil supplement for three months (or flax seed if you’re vegetarian) and note the quality of skin on the back of your hands. You’ll notice that they’re better moisturised!

You should also decrease the amount of saturated and processed fats in your diet, as these compete with the good fats and make their job more difficult. In general, the fresher the food and the more unprocessed it is, the wider the vitamin and mineral range and the more good it will do your skin!


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Makeup Brushes: A Guide to the Essential War Paint Tools

editor | Makeup Tips | Monday, 09 July 2007

“In high school I got really into makeup. I asked for a professional makeup kit one Christmas and obsessively collected all these brushes. I didn’t even know what half of them did, I just loved having them.”

___Katharine McPhee

Makeup brushes, the implements being utilized for an immaculate cosmetics application, have become one of the necessary accessories for today’s women desirous of looking the best. Being available in a diversified range, each one designed for a specific function, they are considered an essential part of a complete cosmetic kit.

Makeup brushes are further classified into various types including powder or blush brush, eyeshadow brush, eyebrow brush, concealer brush, highlight brush and lip brush. Powder brush with longer bristles and rounded tops is used for dabbing or blending the bronzers or powder being applied to the face, thus contouring the skin making it look vibrant. Smashbox Face and Body Brush is one of the powder brushes, which is worth giving a try. Eyeshadow brush is of three types: one meant for lining the rim of the eyes, another one for blending shades over the entire eyelid, and a third one serving as a highlighter playing up with the area beneath the brow. Sephora’s range of eyeshadow brushes is considered the best in the category. Moreover, compact highlight brushes are used for contouring eyeshadow around the brow bone. For defining the eyebrows’ shape and conflating the effects of brow pencil, an eyebrow brush, being made of nylon bristles, is employed. Concealer brushes such as Bare Escentuals and Smashbox are utilized for masking the blemishes and flaws, making one’s face photogenic. Last but not the least, a synthetic lip brush with fine bristles is designed to impart gloss and shine to the lips, making them look charismatic. It also renders longevity to the application and the lipstick stays on for hours. Sephora is considered the best brand of lip brush being available in the market.

Makeup brushes do require a great deal of maintenance and should be discarded after being used for a year. A few recommended products for cleaning a makeup brush includes a facial cleansing agent, a shampoo, any brand of brush cleaner or a solution of vinegar and water.

Makeup brushes are one of the essential tools of war paint. Its proper usage and application can transform the entire facial features, changing an individual’s appearance spectacularly, making it beguiling for the eyes around you.


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Punk Hairstyles: Getting Yourself Noticed

editor | Hair Care | Wednesday, 04 July 2007

The vivid and voguish punk hairstyles are one of the most popular hairdos of the present times. Being widely liked by the teenage populace, the punk hairstyle is meant for the people in quest of an appearance far from the ordinary. Vibrant neon shades, asymmetrical and shaven cuts, spikes and loops are a few recognizable pointers indicating a punk hairdo.Originated in the mid-seventies, the punk hairstyles became prevalent with the advent of MTV. However, several variations have been observed in the weird hairstyle over a span of time. The punk hairdos in the 70s had comprised of tinted spikes while the 80’s punk had been immensely influenced by the Mohawk haircut, also being known as the “scalp lock”, characterized by an entire shaved scalp with a tuft of hairs in the middle.

The Mohawk haircut is one of the trendiest forms of punk hairstyle including a number of variations such as Liberty spikes, Dread hawk, Fanned, Slant hawk, Chelsea-hawk, 270 degree hawk, Beaver, Bi-hawk, Tri-hawk, Reverse Mohawk Side hawk, Blow hawk, Cross hawk, Death hawks, Mollet, Mini-Mo, Glow hawk, etc. Other varieties of punk hairstyle include original punk hairstyle, skate punk hairstyle, death or horror punk hairstyle and pop punk hairstyle. Punk Hairstyles

The original punk hairstyle consists of purple or pink-dyed spikes created with the help of hair gel. Skate punk is characterized by asymmetrical cuts and bright coloration at the ends, rendering one’s hairs an impressive look. The death or horror punk reflects the gothic touch where spikes are being tinted with blue-black shades. Lastly, the pop punk hairstyle comprises of varied light colorations at different points in the long hair.

In spite of being easily manageable and simple to create, punk hairstyles require a great deal of proper care and maintenance. Because of the massive application of various synthetic and chemical hair products including hair sprays, gels and dyes, the hairs might be adversely affected. Therefore, regular hair conditioning is advisable. Moreover, individuals possessing the shaven look should go for regular cuts to maintain their weird and wonderful look.

The strikingly unconventional punk hairstyles are the ever-changing hairdos ordained to stay in the fashion scenario for a long time. One of the latest fads of current times, the punk hairstyles are the trendy icons representing one’s individuality and the rebellious versatility.


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