Beauty Food to prevent wrinkles

Eat Lots of Fresh Fruit Fruit, because of its antioxidants and vitamins and minerals, has a huge effect on the health of your skin. The antioxidants too help prevent wrinkles, so make sure you get enough. Some of the best fruits for good skin are blueberries (high in antioxidants), melon, apples, bananas, mango and papaya. Eat Lots of Fresh Vegetables Dark leafy vegetables are best as they're great for things like iron and vitamin B, but all veggies are great for good skin care. Eat Fresh Fish Tuna and salmon are some of the best fish you can eat to ensure you have healthy skin. They give you high doses of Omega 3, an essential fatty acid that has a big impact on skin elasticity and health. Fish is also healthy for your heart, so make sure you eat it at least 2-3 times a day. The Japanese eat a lot of fish, in fact it's in almost every meal, and some studies think it may be one of the reasons why the Japanese are the longest-living people in the world on average. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Extra virgin olive oil is awesome for skin health as well as for heart health. In some countries, a couple of teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil is mixed with garlic and used on food as a condiment - thus ensuring a healthy heart, and healthy skin. Olive oil is better for you as, unlike the cheaper olive oils, it's not heated to a high temperature so doesn't lose nutrients. Eat Brazil Nuts Brazil nuts are amazing for skin as they contain selenium, which can actually prevent sunburn and thus prevent wrinkles. Just don't eat too many brazil nuts as they are very high in calories and fat. Just 2-3 a day will give your skin the benefits it needs. Drink Green Tea It's packed with antioxidants, absolutely essential for healthy skin and preventing wrinkles, and it also is now known to be useful in preventing cancer (and in some cases, maybe even treating cancer). It also reduces the damage from ultra violet rays, thus preventing your skin from getting wrinkles. In a Monash study, less skin wrinkling in the elderly was associated with higher intakes of: - Total fat - Mono-unsaturated fat - Olive oil and olives - Fish (especially fatty fish, such as sardines) - Reduced fat milk and milk products, such as yogurt - Eggs - Nuts and legumes (especially lima and broad beans) - Vegetables (especially leafy greens, spinach, eggplant, asparagus, celery, onions, leeks and garlic) - Wholegrain cereals - Fruit and fruit products (especially prunes, cherries, apples and jams) - Tea - Water - Zinc (foods which contain zinc include seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts). Foods associated with more wrinkling In another Monash study, more skin wrinkling in the elderly was associated with higher intakes of: - Saturated fat - Meat (especially fatty processed meats) - Full fat dairy products (especially unfermented products and ice cream) - Soft drinks and cordials - Cakes, pastries and desserts - Potatoes - Butter - Margarine 

Beat the credit crunch with home-made cosmetics

Staying beautiful when you can't afford cosmetics is easy with the following tips.

Tip #1 – Make your own microderm abrasion product

Mix a few grains of sugar crystals in with your favorite skin cream and apply to freshly washed skin. Gently massage the cream in small circular motions around the face and neck area. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. Your skin will look almost as good as an expensive spa treatment.

Tip #2 - Extend existing foundation

Instead of using foundation straight out of the bottle, mix it with moisturizer. That way you take care of two birds with one stone. You continue to moisturize the skin - the most important treatment of all - and still add a touch of healthy-looking color. You may want to play with the mixture to get the ratio the way you want it; however, two parts moisturizer to one part foundation works well for most women.

Tip #3 – Ditch those under-eye bags and dark circles

Instead of throwing away tea bags after you brew your morning tea, put them in a zipper bag and place them in the refrigerator. When those nasty eye puffiness comes calling, lay down for about 10 minutes with the cool damp tea bags on your eyes. Tannin, one of tea’s main ingredients, works naturally to reduce puffiness and dark circles.

Tip #4 – Add natural highlights to your hair

If you can’t afford hair color, try highlighting instead, done the natural way. Mix one part lemon juice with three parts water. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and spray onto the hair, or paint on highlights using pure lemon juice and a small paintbrush. Then blow-dry or let your hair dry naturally in the sun. Be sure to condition it afterwards to keep hair from becoming too brittle.

Tip # 5 – Shine up that hair

Any number of items from coconut milk, to honey or even vinegar, will add vibrancy and shine when used during a hair rinse. A few drops of glycerine or olive oil applied directly to freshly washed and dried hair will also do the trick.

Tip # 6 – Make your own blush

Mix one cup of strawberries, raspberries, or cherries with a teaspoon of glycerin or liquid vitamin E. Blend thoroughly in blender. Mix a small amount of the berry mixture into your loose face powder to create a smooth creamy blush that will brighten any complexion. Add more berries if a deeper color is desired.

Tip # 7 – Rejuvenate skin with a natural toner

Cucumber does wonders for the skin whether you use it directly or just throw in your morning facial bath. Because the vegetable has amazing hydrating properties, it will give your skin the same youthful, beautiful glow as your favorite, more expensive, facial cream.

Importance of the Sun and how to stay protected

Know how to select and apply a good sunscreen to protect your skin from sunburn and other skin damage

Sunscreen absorbs, reflects or scatters UV light. It's divided into three wavelength bands — ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet C (UVC). Only UVA and UVB rays reach the earth.

Sunscreens provide either physical or chemical protection from UV light.

Physical sunscreens :
form an opaque film that reflects or scatters UV light before it can penetrate the skin. These sunscreens contain ingredients, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Original formulations of physical sunscreens remained white when applied to the skin. Newer formulations blend more with your skin tone and are less noticeable.

Chemical sunscreens :
absorb UV rays before they can cause any damage. They contain one or more ingredients, such as avobenzone or oxybenzone, which absorb UVA or UVB rays. For broad protection, chemical sunscreens often contain more than one ingredient to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. A newer over-the-counter sunscreen contains mexoryl (Anthelios SX) and offers protection against both UVA and UVB radiation.

Be safe in the sun

Vitamin D
Vitamin D from the sun helps us absorb calcium and prevent osteoporosis (porous bones) - simply eating calcium-rich foods without the vitamin is not enough, as the calcium may end up depositing itself in areas other than the bones, which is not good news.

More evidence from researchers is showing an increased link between vitamin D from sunlight and the reduction in cancer risk. People who live in areas where there is more sun have reduced risk of breast and prostate cancer (IIAA Issue Autumn 2005). For more information on the correlation between vitamin D and cancer, read here

In addition, researchers at Aberdeen University have revealed that lack of vitamin D from sunlight contributes to obesity. Vitamin D controls the hormone leptin which signals to the brain when you are full. They found that those who were obese had lower levels of vitamin D; in fact they produced a tenth less vitamin D than those of average weight.

Sunlight (or its ultraviolet component to be exact) is needed for the body to produce vitamin D, whose deficiency leads to bone loss, poor immunity and, possibly, increased cancer risk. Experts believe that adequate vitamin D status requires ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen. Some people, especially those with darker skin or unusually low rate of skin synthesis of vitamin D, may require more. Furthermore, recent research indicates that vitamin D levels above what's minimally adequate may have various health and longevity benefits.

Avoid sunbeds
Topping up on a sunbed is not a good way to supplement your exposure. Sunbeds mostly block out the UVB rays but not the UVA rays, and it is the UVB that makes the vitamin D in your skin. All you’ll get from a sunbed is a tan and wrinkles as a result of the accelerated ageing from UVA.

Supplements
Protect yourself well on the inside as well as the outside. Build up your store of vitamins A and C by eating foods that are rich in these vitamins and other anti-oxidants, and apply skin products that have potent quantities of vitamins A, C and E, as these get destroyed by the sun so need replacing.

Source :
Mayo Clinic
SmartSkin

Ditch Dark Circles and Puffiness for Good

Dark circles
In order to treat your circles properly, you first need to know what's causing them. Dark circles may be due to pigmentation, blood vessels or an effect of the shadow of the tear through [the muscles and ligaments near the eyes on either side of the nose]. If you pull the skin under your eyes taught and the circles seem to go away, your issue is likely the effect of a shadow.
If not, your circles are likely blood vessels. As you age, your skin gets thinner, making red and blue vessels show through. If your circles don't look red and bluish though, pigmentation could be the cause of your circles.

Treat dark circles caused by pigmentation
If your dark circles are caused by pigmentation, you can treat the area with topical retinoids, hydroquinone or laser treatments

Treat dark circles caused by visible blood vessels
If your dark circles are caused by visible blood vessels, look for "anything that vasoconstricts," to help reduce the darkness, Waldorf says. Caffeine is the most common ingredient found in skin care products that fits that bill

Treat dark circles caused by shadows
If shadows are causing your dark circles, you can fill the area between the bridge of your nose and the inner corners of your eyes (the tear through) with fillers. Beyond that, there isn't much you can do with skin care products to lessen the shadowy effect. However, all dark circles look worse when your skin is dry, so improving the texture of your skin with proper moisturization is important

Camouflage dark circles
Step 1: Massage on an eye cream in a circular motion with a cool fingertip to improve circulation. Step 2: Use a firm tapered brush to apply creamy concealer that's half a shade lighter than your skin and slightly peachy in tone over the dark areas. Avoid shades that are too light or cool in tone or the area will look ashy. Also, don't forget to cover the darkness on the inner corners of your eyes.
Step 3: Tap a fingertip over the concealer to further blend it into your skin.
Step 4: If your eyes appear very sunken in and shadowy, apply a luminizing cream or powder over the concealer to make the area pop and appear brighter.

Puffy eyes
Puff is usually caused from one of two things -- "swelling from fluid shifts," causes puffiness that comes and goes and "the protrusion of the fat pad," causes persistent puffiness

Reduce temporary puff
Apply a cool compress for 10 or so minutes to temporarily puffy eyes to deflate them. Follow the compress with an eye cream that contains caffeine to further deflate the area.

Reduce constant puff
If your eyes are constantly puffy due to a significant protrusion of the fad pads under your eyes, you will only get major improvement with surgery or injections -- creams and home remedies just won't cut it.

Camouflage puffiness
Step 1: Run your fingertips under cool water, dry them off then apply a cold eye gel or cream (keep your eye cream in the fridge for extra depuffing benefits). Press the puffy area with your cool fingertips in a circular, clockwise direction.
Step 2: Apply illuminating concealer in the half moon shape that surrounds the puffy area -- you want to "pop out that indention,"
Step 3: Draw attention away from your eyes by dusting pink blush on the apples of your cheeks.
Step 4: Curl your lashes and groom your brows to open up your eye area. Also, avoid wearing dark shadow or liner on your eyes, it will make them appear smaller and more tired

Courtesy from Total Beauty

Christy Chung's Beauty Stash

From September issue of Woman's Weekly, here's what the spokesperson for Marie France Bodyline shares :

For great health and skin
- she takes Omega 3, DHA, Q10 and antioxidant pycnogenol

To maintain figure
- she eats before 7pm and drink only green tea and water

Beauty advice
- drink a glass of warm water first thing in the morning