To keep your manicure in tip top shape avoid doing these activities and you will spend less time in the salon:

• Minimize using hand sanitizers which contain alcohol and will erode the topcoat of your polish.
• Texting chips away at your polish.
• Folding laundry.  When it comes out of the dryer, the heat softens and fades the color.
• Body scrubs slough off the top layer of your polish.
• Washing dishes without gloves makes nails peel.

Source:  Allure Magazine, April 2012

What makes a wrinkle?

Skin aging is associated with a variety of signs, such as wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, rough skin, and loss of elasticity. In the aging process, there are certain structural and cellular changes that lead to the tell-tale signs of aging. Dermal thinning,  all lead to wrinkles, fine lines and thin, lackluster skin.  The good news is that many of these changes are brought about by our own lifestyle and environment- and are treatable.

What is Retinol?

Retinol is a form of Vitamin A, also known as a retinoid. Vitamin A exerts its beneficial effects on the skin via its active derivative, retinoic acid.  However, this ingredient is only available by prescription and may produce unwanted side effects such as dehydration, irritation and itching. Retinol has been shown to have the same effects as prescription-strength retinoic acid, without the irritation. A recent study* showed all these effects at a low and tolerable concentration of 0.1%. Using retinol at this concentration allows you to get all the benefits of this great vitamin without the irritation- a key balance especially for the delicate eye area.

How should I use Retinol?

We suggest starting alternate nights to build up your skin’s tolerance to retinol. A healthy skin is smooth, with a dense collagen and elastin network.  If your skin can tolerate it, ramp up to nightly use.  Avoid layering with other products like alpha hydroxy acids and always consult a doctor if pregnant or breastfeeding. Retinol is relatively mild compared to prescription-strength retinoids but it’s always wise to be wary of your own skin.  For the majority, retinol provides a single ingredient that smoothes skin, boosts collagen, reduces fine lines and speeds cell turnover to even out discoloration.

For lack of better words, this is your skin’s best friend.

Source:  The Cure-All for Your Eyes by Dr. Claudia Aguirre

• Cleanse the skin and remove any makeup. A good cleanser will bind to your makeup and remove both eye and facial makeup.

• Steam your face. Grab some hand towels, put in water in your sink, wring them out and pop them in the microwave.  Start with 60 seconds and adjust as needed.  Towels should be tolerable warm to hot and then press against your face.  For an added bonus put a splash of essential oil in the water.  Lavender works great.  Another option is to boil some water on the stove in a wide mouth pot, put the pot of boiling water in the sink; place a towel over your head and steam away. (Don’t do this on the stove top; too much can go wrong, if it is in the sink and spills it’s okay and you also have better control over how much steam you want.)

• Exfoliate. Using your fingers use a gentle exfoliating scrub or enzyme exfoliant in a circular motion on your face.  Don’t use anything with coarse bits of shells etc. in it; the idea is not to irritate your skin.  Rinse.

• Masque.  For oily skin, use a clay based masque; for dry skin use a hydrating masque. Keep on for 10 minutes.  Rinse off.  If you have an extra warm towel from steaming use it to make sure all masque is removed.

• Smooth on a soothing, moisturizer and pat an eye cream under your eyes. If there are any pimples on your face, dab on some spot remover on it with a Q-Tip and go to bed.

And, for those of us who just want to be pampered, consider a mini-facial.

Brazilian waxing is removing all hair from the pubic mound in the front to the anal area in the back and everything in between. Some may leave an optional landing strip which is some hair on the pubic mound.  To this day brazilian waxing is a hot topic and is popular with all ages and socio economic groups.

Here’s What to Expect:

• The average brazilian wax takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes and is dependent on the type of hair you have and how much to it.

• Most waxings occur in a private room with a  door and the person doing the waxing is a licensed esthetician. You will be asked to remove your underwear and all clothes from the waist down.

• Ideally, hair for the 1st time is a 1/2 inch long and if it is longer the waxer may trim it.  You may get waxed if your hair is 1/4 inch long but that works better if your hair is fine.  If your hair is too short, it is hard for the wax to grab and you will be left with some short hairs.  If the waxer has to go over the area over and over again in order to grab those short hairs it is more uncomfortable for you.

• The waxer will gently sanitize the area or apply some powder or oil (everyone has their own technique).  The waxer will dip a wooden stick into a warm pot of wax and spread it on the hair.  A paper strip will then be applied, pressing firmly so that the strip, hair and wax adhere to one another.  The strip will then be pulled off in the opposite direction of the hair growth pulling hairs out by the root.  This can also be done with hard wax but the paper strip is eliminated and the wax which has hardened is pulled.

• The waxing should last for about 3 weeks, it may be shorter or longer.  Most people who want the benefits of waxing, wax every 4 to 6 weeks. The first wax is the hardest because you have all of your hair; the 2nd time you wax 4 weeks later only some of your hair has grown back so it’s much easier.  Choose an esthetician who has experience in brazilian waxing.

Strawberries have 50 milligrams of Vitamin C in every 100 grams which makes them equal to oranges in Vitamin C content.  Vitamin C aids in collagen production and helps repair tissue.  It also speeds up wound healing and prevents the signs of aging.

Strawberries also contain a high amount of ellagic acid which protects the skin against the aging effects of the sun by blocking ultraviolet rays.  They also are 90 percent water content and have high amounts of soluble fiber.  The water hydrates your skin and the fiber cleanses your body.

Start including strawberries in your skin health regime and on days when your eyes are puffy, slice up a strawberry and place it under your eyes for approximately 10 minutes to decrease puffiness. Enjoy facials that contain antioxidants.

• Exfoliate.  If your skin is clogged with dead skin cells, product will not penetrate.  Use a mild chemical exfoliant 2 to 3 times per week so that your skin drinks every bit of that moisturizer.

• Rub into Damp Skin. After cleansing your face or exfoliating it, don’t over dry your skin, apply your moisturizer right away. Another trick is to spritz on a hydrating toner with no alcohol and then put on your moisturizer.  It saves on product too when your skin is wet.

• Plug in a humidifier.   Moisturizer works from drawing in water from the environment, so the more moisture in the air, the better the moisturizer works.

• Not Enough Sunscreen. To get the level of SPF that is on the package, sunscreen has to be applied thickly kinda like frosting a cake.
• Didn’t Reapply. Number one mistake that most people make; you have to reapply sunscreen usually very 2 hours.
• Face Only. The face is great but what about the chest, neck and backs of hands.  How many people have you seen with freckled, leathery looking chests?
• Tan Obsession.  People still tan because they want the “look”.  When UV light traumatizes the skin, brown pigment covers cells like a shield trying to protect the fragile DNA from burning.  Do you still want the tan look?
• Just This Once Sun Binge. No, no, no!  Intense amounts of sun all at once are more likely to cause skin cancer.

• Cut the carbs and dairy. Complex carbohydrates cause the body to hold water and dairy is slow to digest.
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  They have high water content and fill you up and flush water out.
• Soak in epsom salts.  Add one cup to the bath and lie there for 15 minutes.  It draws water out of your cells.
• Avoid sugar free gum.  You swallow air when you chew, creating gas and the body can’t digest the artificial sweeteners in the gum so you attract and retain water.
• Book an airbrush tan. Tans make you look thinner but also try strategic shading.  Try extra misting on the triceps and inner and outer legs to visually narrow them.

• Start to believe you are lucky and you will be.  Enter raffles and visualize the prize you want and you will see how often you win.
• See a pattern of good things.  Try to cast bad events in a sunny light and you will feel optimistic and lucky.
• Talk to people.  Instead of staying in your comfort zone, talk to strangers around you.  (I once started talking to the guy next to me on a plane and by the end of the conversation he was offering my daughter a job with his company!)
• Think back to the last time something went well.  Have  a ritual , a lucky pair of shoes, a sweater, so that when you wear it you feel special.

Make it a game, have fun with it.  Buy lottery tickets, enter the church raffle and when you win, give back and you will see that it will continue to come around.

Underarms are a great area to start waxing.  The initial wax is a little tough but as time goes on with regular waxing the hair becomes softer and does not appear as thick so it grows in soft as opposed to bristles. You will eliminate the 5 o’clock shadow that you get as a result of shaving.  The darkness will disappear because the hair comes out at the root.  It will also last longer.

Men are also waxing their underarms especially if they engage in activities that cause them to sweat.  Odor is decreased and the overall feeling of a clean, hair free underarm is great.