Like: AnJelica Huston, Courteney Cox

Your best Eye Colours:

• cool grey
• black
• ivory
• silver
• rich plum

Your Best Blush:

sugary or rose pink

Your Best Lipsticks:

• fuchsia pinks
• crimson reds
• deep plums
• mauves

The strong contrast between your hair and skin means that dramatic make-up suits you best. If there’s one colouring that can really carry off both dark eyes and strong lips it’s yours. In fact, you break all the rules. While the shades in your skin tone (normally pinks, ivories and blues) will look good, contrast looks even better - particularly in the evening, when cool-toned, dark, smoky eyes (slate greys or bitter chocolate browns) and bright fuchsia or crimson lips will create the ultimate sophisticated look. Whatever you do, make sure you keep your blusher pale pink sugary or rose tones are the most fiattering. And don’t forget lashes and brows - they are vital to frame striking looks.

Tagged Under:anjelica huston, Beauty Tips, crimson lips, dark eyes, eye colours, hair and skin, lipsticks, skin tone smoky eyes

In a recent survey, 51 per cent of people said they felt better about their body when it was tanned. They felt thinner, they felt sexier and they felt fitter.Feeling confident about your body is one of the most beautiful states any woman can be in, However, as we know only too well, tanning comes at a price. Exposing yourself to the sun’s ultraviolet rays ages the skin, adding up to 20 years to how you’ll look by the time you reach your forties, on a more serious note, sunbathing can kill you by promoting a very serious form of skin cancer called malignant melanoma. Faking a tan is therefore one of the best things you can do for your body in terms of both beauty and health. Here’s how.

Choosing Your Tanner

There are a number of different types of fake tan, if you’re nervous, choose one you can wash off immediately.

• Facial tans: These are normally slightly lighter in consistency and shade than body tans. Also they are designed with fewer pore-blocking ingredients.
• Bronzing gel: Used to create a sheer facial tan, they wash off after use. Great if your nervous about uneven application.
• Temporary tanners: These apply a bronze colour to the skin’s surface but don’t actually stain it. You can wash them off immediately, but they’re no good to use while swimming.
• Cream tans: The most common form of fake tan, they contain an ingredient called DHA (dihydroxyacetone) which attaches to protein in skin, darkening it.
• Spray tans: These also contain DHA but are often in lighter formulations. They’re also much easier to apply.
• Tinted tans: These are great when you want to avoid streaking. They go on dark, so you can see where you’ve applied the colour, then fade into the skin. A few hours later, the tan appears,
• Tan enhancers: These can be aftersun moisturizers, shower gels or cellulite creams but they all work in the same way, delivering a very low level of fake tan 10 the skin.

Choosing Your Shade

Fake tans come in different shades and choosing one that’s too dark is a big mistake. You will find that tans come in two basic type.

• Golden: This is a yellow-based tan best for blonders, redheads, those with black hair, those with asian-type or very pale skin, and anyone whose brown hair gets golden lights in summer.
• Bronze: This is for everyone else. Remember that your face naver goes as dark as your body;keep it one to two shades lighter for a natural look.

Applying It Well

It is very easy to apply fake tan badly, leaving you with a blotchy look. For the best results stick to these golden rules.

Exfoliate the skin: Dry skin absorbs higher concentrations of fake tan,which means it ends up darker than the rest of you. The day (or at least two hours) before you decide to tan, go over your whole body scrub. Pay spical attention to elbows, knees and ankles. Now moisturize well to prevent any further dehydration. Don’t do this just before you tan-if the moisturizer isn’t applied properly or dried properly, it’s a sure-fire way to getting a streaky, uneven tan.

• Apply the tan: Work on one 11am at a time. For the best results weal- gloves (to prevent or ange palms) and the tan in Circular motions (this reduces streaking) until it’s totally absorbed into the skin. Don’t skimp. as patchy application leads to a patchy look, but use less than. If you wel’e applying body lotion. You shouldn’t be left with excess on the skin. Dry areas like elbows, ankles and knees should always be tl-eated last and with minimum product use what’s left on your palms.
• Do hands last: The best way is to rub tan on the back of one hand, then rub the two backs of your hands together. If you do decide to use your palms, rub hem away With a wipe soaked in toner - nothing says fake tan like orange
• Eliminate streaks: Use astnngent tonet’s to remove fake tan, or try using toothpaste. Exfoliation will even out patchy application.
• Repeat the process: If you feel you’re not dark enough once the product has been completely absorbed Into your skin, apply another coat of fake tan as described above.

Tagged Under:Beauty Tips, Body Care, cellulite creams, fake tans, malignant melanoma, moisturizers, shower gels, skin cancer, skin darkening, spray tans, tanners ultraviolet rays

Skin biopsy is often required to confirm a clinical diagnosis. It is a simple, easy, and relatively inexpensive procedure. The general rule regarding its use should be: “If any doubt exists, biopsy!” Biopsies can be used for obtaining a sample of a lesion (incisional biopsy) or can be carried out with the intent of completely removing the lesion (excision al biopsy). Surgically, there are three types of biopsy: shave excision, punch excision, or elliptical excision. All three techniques require the use of cutaneous anesthesia.Shave biopsy is carried out by making a horizontal slice through the skin such that the no. 15 scalpel blade just passes below the expected depth of the lesion. This technique is particularly useful for those elevated lesions in which the pathology is presumptively confined to the epidermis or papillary portion of the dermis. Because the skin is not deeply cut, problems with bleeding rarely occur. Likewise, there is little or no postoperative scarring. Unfortunately, if the depth of the pathology is misjudged the lesions may be transected at a level too superficial for satisfactory identification. Hemostasis is easily obtained with chemical cauterants.

A punch biopsy can be carried out almost as quickly and easily as a shave biopsy. This technique is used for lesions in which the histologic changes are expected to extend to the middle or lower portions of the dermis. The punch used for such biopsies can be envisioned as a very small cookie cutter. This instrument is placed perpendicular to the skin, and with downward pressure the punch is twisted with a back and forth rotary motion such that a cylinder of skin is cut. The fingers of the other hand should be used to stabilize of the skin in order to ensure a smooth cut. The skin should be cut completely through to the depth of the subcutaneous layer. The depth of the cut can be judged by removing the punch and observing the central piece of tissue, the skin has been cut entirely through when the central piece of tissue has shrunken away from the sides and appears loose in the hole. At that point the cylinder of skin is gently lifted with forceps (or on the tip of a needle), and the underlying connection to subcutaneous fat is cut with a sharply pointed small scissors. The defect left by the removal of the skin cylinder can either be left open or, preferably, be closed with a single 5-0 suture. If the defect is left open, a small block of dental Gelfoam can be inserted with a pair of forceps. In most instances, a 3- or 4-mm punch will both provide an adequate piece of tissue and leave a suitably small scar.

If it is necessary to remove a piece of tissue larger than 4 mm in diameter, an elliptical excision ought to be performed . Such excisions are also useful when the pathology to be evaluated is expected to extend to the deep dermis or subcutaneous fat. All too often, pathology present at this depth is inadequately sampled when even a large punch is used.

Prior to carrying out an elliptical excision, markings should be placed on the surface of the skin such that the long axis of the identified ellipse lies in a wrinkle line. The length of the ellipse should be 2.5 to 3 times the required width. Once the skin is suitably marked and anesthetized, the incision can be made with a no. 15 (or other similar) scalpel blade. The blade should be held perpendicular to the surface of the skin throughout the cut so that the edges of the cut are not beveled. The cut should extend completely through the dermis; some subcutaneous fat should be visible at the bottom of the piece of skin when it is removed. Hemostasis is rarely a problem. Pressure alone is usually sufficient, but bleeding vessels may be tied off or coagulated if necessary. If the ellipse is large, the edges of the cut should be undermined to reduce suture tension. Most elliptical excisions can be closed with a single layer of 5-0 nonabsorbent suture, but in some instances a subcutaneous layer of absorbable suture material such as Vicryl will be required. Skin surface sutures on the face should be removed within 5 days, but in other areas it may be necessary to leave the sutures in for 7 to 14 days in order to obtain adequate wound strength.

Tissue removed by anyone of the three biopsy techniques should be placed immediately in a 10% formalin solution for transport to the pathology laboratory. The specimen bottle need not be sterile; a urine collection cup will serve well if prepared containers are not easily available.

Tagged Under:clinical diagnosis, lesion excision, pathology, punch biopsy, skin biopsy skin care

How do you feel when you look in the mirror each morning? Do you like what you see?Would you prefer your eyes to be wider, your skin to be softer, your hair to be fuller? If you would you’re the average woman - there are very few women alive who are happy with their looks. It’s reported that Naomi Campbell hates her feet and that Catherine Zeta Jones thinks her eyes are too small. These are two of the most beautiful women in the world - if they’re not happy, what hope do the rest of us have? Well there is loads of hope. You see, the marvellous thing about beauty is that no matter how you look natulrally - how puffy-eyed, spotty-skinned or limp-haired - with the right equipment and the right techniques you can improve yourself. And with that improvement comes increased self-confidence and self-love ­two of the most beautiful (and of coulrse important) qualities any woman can possess.

Now, the problem with all this is that the beauty industry is rife with nonsense that plays on our need to feel good about ourselves. There are soaps that claim to melt fat, pills that say they’ll remove wrinkles and herbal products that promise to do everything from curing baldness to boosting your bust size. In 99.9 per cent of cases, the claims are complete rubbish. Which is where we come in. This book breaks through the hype and the puff. It’s going to go back to basics, giving you the products, techniques and tips you need to maximize your assets. By the end of it you’ll be armed with all the information you need to make the most of yourself inside and out: to emphasize the points you love and disguise the bits you loathe - and just to feel happy with yourself. Are you ready? Than let’s begin.

Which colour suits your skin?

Stand in front of any beauty counter and you’ll see there are hundreds of eye, lip and nail colours to choose from. Which you pick can make a massive difference - a shade that’s wrong for you can make you look pale and washed out; on mature skins it can highlight wrinkles and age you by 10 years. Knowing how to choose the right hues for you is vital to helping yourself look your best.

The good news is you can wear pretty much any colour you want, so long as pick the right shade. To do this you need to know two things. The first colour (the one you have now rather than the one you were born shows you the depth or brightness of shade that will flatter you best - the your hair, the lighter the shade that will suit you (and vice versa). The your skin tone. This helps reveal what shades of a colour will suit you best.

Tagged Under:beauty industry, Beauty Tips, curing baldness, herbal products, most beautiful women, remove wrinkles women in the world

So far we’ve mainly discussed things to put on the outside to make you look better but what you put inside your body is as important when it comes to creating perfect skin. Here’s what you need.

Vitamin A

Not only is it a powerful antioxidant, but vitamin a also helps your skin produce keratin (a substance that strengthens skin cells, maximizing their Protective role) and proteins that help with cell regeneration.if you’re lacking in it, your skin may be drier and flakier than normal.you can get your daily dose from fruits and vegetables that are high in an ingredient called beta carotene, which your body turns into vitamin a. Beta-carotene is found in the highest quantities in orange fruits and vegetables like carrots, peaches, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin C

Collagen is one of the most important substances in the structure of the skin it is what keeps it firm and well toned to feed collagen you need vitamin C. there are two reasons for this first the antioxidant action of vitamin c helps fight the free radicals that destroy collagen and second, vitamin c also contains substances called flavonoids that are essential for replenishing collagen. Vitamin c can be found in many fruits and vegetables one of the richest sources is kiwi fruit. One kiwi contains the minimum recommended daily amount of Vitamin c pop four or five down in a day and you’ll be dramatically boosting your skin health. Other great sources are oranges, red peppers, blueberries and melon.

Iron

Low iron levels in the body lead to reduced oxygen in the blood and this can be the cause of pale skin and pronounced dark circles under the eyes. In order to boost your iron levels you should include more lean red meat and plenty of dark green leafy vegetables in your diet.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral that is vital for healing the skin and it’s also been shown to reduce acne you’ll find high levels of zinc in foods such as shellfish, hard crumbly cheeses, nuts and seeds.

Essential Fatty Acids

Dry skin often occurs when women start on low-fat diets and the lack of essential. Atty acids is the reason, one of the most frequent symptoms of a deficiency of fatty acids is dry, scaly skin efas are commonly found in oily fish, nuts and seeds (which also contain high levels of another important skin nutrient,vitamin e).

Water

Water not only keeps skin cells plump, but every rejuvenating process in the skin needs water to fuel it without enough water in your skin you’ll never recapture that healthy glow. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day but don’t guzzle them all at once your body can only hold so much water in one go exceed that level and it will be flushed straight through your system, aim for one glass an hour.

What You Don’t Need

• Salty Foods: These dehydrate the skin and are high in iodine, dermatologists believe that this can trigger acne.

• Caffeine: Every cup of coffee needs three cups of water to process it through the system this is often drawn from the skin, caffeine increases the level of stress hormones, which can lead to poor skin health.

• Hydrogenated Fats: Found in nearly all processed foods and margarines, these are believed to generate free radicals in the skin.

Tagged Under:antioxidant action, beta carotene, dark green leafy vegetables, fruits and vegetables, keratin, kiwi fruit, low iron levels, perfect skin, skin care, structure of the skin vitamin c

If you don’t want to be forever reapplying your lipstick, it is essential to learn the right way to put it on. These techniques will create lips that stay put.

Basic Lipstick Application

1. Apply vaseline, then use a soft toothbrush to remove dead skin cells, brushing gently.
2. Apply your foundation as you normally would, making sure you lightly cover your lips too.
3. Apply lip liner that matches either your lips or your lipstick exactly. To apply it straight, rest your little finger on your chin and press the flattest side of the liner point on the middle of your Cupid’s bow. Draw to the corner, sticking just inside the natural line of your lips. Once completed, colour the rest of the lips with the pencil.
4. Apply your lipstick with a lipbrush, blending again from the middle down to the corners of the mouth. if you’re using a very bright colour make sure you go right into the corners.
5. Blot with tissue. Now reapply another coat of your lip colour. Blot again. Add lip sealant or lip gloss if required.

Make Lips Look Bigger

Draw your liner along the outside of your lip line ­but never lose contact with that line or things will look exceptionally artificial. Use a shimmery lip colour which makes lips look bigger or dab a little gold eyeshadow in the centre of your lips and blend outwards.

For Sheer Natural Lips

Skip the liner and apply your lipstick direct to the lips with a brush - or for a longer-lasting look. Choose a liner the same shade as your lips and apply this all over. Top with a little sheer lip gloss.

To Even Up Lips

Don’t try and create a totally fake lip line - it will probably go wonky. Instead use foundation over the lips as before, then draw along the outer edge of the lip line on the smaller lip and either just under or along the lip line of the bigger (depending on which will even up the difference more). Fill in the whole lip with liner so you’re not left with tell-tale lines if your lipstick wears away.

Tagged Under:eyeshadow, lip colour, lip gloss, lip line, lip liner, lipstick, little finger, Make up, natural lips, soft toothbrush vaseline

The average woman has around 11,00 hairs on her legs and 2,500 under her arms-here’s how to find the best method for you to get rid of them!

Bleaching

What you need: bleach cream.

What it does: uses lightening ingredients to disguise hair.

Where: face and lower arms.

Lasts: up to two months.

Pain factor: nil-unless you leave it on too long.

Insider tip: never bleach immediately after using skin products containing alpha-hydroxy acids, because this can cause scarring.

How: wash the area to ensure there are no cosmetics on your skin that could react With the chemicals in the bleach. Apply as directed and for as long as stated. Wash off

Tweezing

What you need: tweezers.

What they do: pull the hair out at the root.

Where: best for eyebrows.

Lasts: four to six weeks.

Pain factor: It hurts a little, but applying ice before you pluck will numb the pain.

Insider tip: for the best results choose tweezers with fiat slanted rather than pointy ones - they grasp the hair more easily and are less likely to scratch the skin.

How: quickly and in the direction of hair growth. To avoid overplucking brows, draw on the end shape you’d like to achieve and stick to this.

Shaving

What you need: razor.

What it does: cuts the hair at the surface of the skin.

Where: underarms and legs - bikini lines and facial hair aren’t really appropriate for shaving as the hair grows back blunt, making it noticeable on the face and itchy on the bikini line.

Lasts: one to two days.

Pain factor: nil unless you slip, but using a single-blade razor minimizes the risk of cuts.

Insider tip: use hair conditioner instead of soap - it doesn’t dehydrate your skin.

How: soak in the bath for two to three minutes before you shave. This expands the hair follicles, giving a closer, longer­lasting shave. Apply shaving foam or hair conditioner. Now shave upwards, then downwards. Rinse and moisturize.

Depilatory Cream

What you need: a cream formulated for the area you’re going to treat.

What it does: uses chemicals to dissolve the hair just under the skin’s surface.

Where: anywhere.

Lasts: two to three weeks.

Pain factor: nil - though they can smell pretty horrid.

Insider tip: apply a little soya milk after you’ve removed the cream - ingredients called serine protease inhibitors stop hair growth and keep you smooth longer.

How: so simple. Apply as directed, wait as long as the directions tell you and shower off. Avoid hot water and perfumed products on the area for at least three hours after application to reduce the risk of irritation.

Waxing/Sugaring

What you need: prepared wax strips; hot wax used with cloth or sugaring solution (normally made from sugar or honey and lemon).

What it does: pulls the hair out right at the root.

Where: anywhere.

Lasts: four to six weeks.

Pain factor: pretty high, especially around your bikini line. Taking a mild painkiller like aspirin helps.

Insider tip: start waxing in winter - hair needs to be at least three millimeters long in order to be waxed properly and you’re less likely to notice this in the winter months. Also, as each waxing thins hair the regrowth will be less noticeable when the summer months arrive.

How: apply talc to dry up skin oils, which may prevent the wax sticking. Apply wax strips or hot wax and cloth. Leave for two or three seconds, then pull quickly in the direction of hair growth. Remove excess wax with warm water and avoid perfumed products for 48 hours.

Tagged Under:bikini lines, bleach, Body Care, depilatory cream, facial hair, hair conditioner, hair follicles, legs, razor, shave, shaving foam skin products

For a special night out, liven up your nails with these glamorous party looks and you’re sure to stand out from the crowd.

Mix And Match

For this look use a french manicure technique with colours. You can use any colours you like, for instance coat the nail in pale pink and apply fuchsia or purple to the tip, or try red nails tipped in black. For the ultimate in drama, tip shiny purple nails with glittery silver polish.

Crazy Nails

Paint nails in a pale shade, then, using a fine liquid eyeliner brush, paint on five dots in a deeper colour in the shape of a flower. You can experiment with other shapes too.Try drawing on a star or multicoloured strips running diagonally across your nail.

Nail Jewels

Create a subtle party shimmer using delicate gems. Polish your little fingernail well and add diamantc or rhinestones. It can sometimes be a little tricky to place them exactly where you want them without smudging your polish. Using a toothpick gives you more control.

Glitter nails

For the ultimate shimmer, press still-wet in pale shimmery shades in glitter -or just line the tip with glitter as it dries. Once everything has dried, brush off any loose particles. Then seal with clear varnish.

Tagged Under:fingernail, french manicure, fuchsia, hand and feet care, liquid eyeliner, paint nails, pale shade rhinestones

What Are The Characteristics?

Colouring, perming and do enhance the look of hair.creating shade and depth,and also thickening the hair when they are applied. But they come at a cost the chemicals used in these processes permanently alter the interior of the hair shaft and this can weaken the hair making it prone to breaking splitting or frizzing also the disruption of the hair surface. Making processed hair far less likely to shine than natural hair. To check how damaged you hair is. Take five or six strands and drop them drop them in a glass of water, then tap them with your finger. If they sink. absorbing water and this is a sign of damage.if fioat than your hair is healthy, and you want to do all you can to keep it that way.

Caring Facts

When it comes to processed hale adding moisture is the key - but there’s one small problem here, Processed hair is often also combination hair. With oily roots but dry shafts and ends, and, as with combination skin, tackling one leads to problems with the other.washing processed hair is therefore a delicate balancing act of cleansing roots and moisturizing ends.let’s deal with the cleansing first, if your’ hair is coloured, choose a shampoo that is specifically designed for coloured hair as this means it will automatically be more gentle on your hair and will contain ingredients to sahmpoo. But in both cases make sure you apply it only to your roots. And always rub it in well. Now apply a quick burst of water and, as the shampoo suds run down the hair shaft,massage the hair to remove any dirt and grime.rinse well.

Tagged Under:coloured hair, colouring, combination skin, Hair Care, hair shaft, Hair Style, moisturizing, natural hair, oily roots, processed hair shampoo

If details make. The difference then knowing how to look after your hands and feet is a vital part of the beauty experience. Neat, manicured nails and feet that look silky soft rather than dry and cracked are the finishing touch to all the rest of your grooming. Most of us, however, neglect these areas, thinking we don’t have time to paint our nails - and that our feet are just too much like hard work. This doesn’t have to be the case. With simple regimes designed to make the most of these areas, you really can be beautiful from head to toe. After all, onaverage your nails grow just ove 1/3 inch a month. Start and you can have inch-long talons in to time.

Treatment For Your Nails

Fed up with spending time on your nails only for them to snap minutes after your manicure) well. if the products you’re using aren’t right for your nail type, you could actually be killing your nails with kindness. Truth is, just like skin and hair, nails come in types- five, in fact. Nails can be dry, brittle, damaged. soft or normal, and they need to be treated accordingly. Here’s how to diagnose your particular nail type - and how to treat it properly.

Dry Nails

Dry nails lack lustre and look dull: plus, if you run your thumb over the nail, it will drag slightly instead of sliding cleanly across. The secret to treating dry nails is to rehydrate them vitamin E is fantastic for this (just like it is on dry skin) so open a vitamin capsule and rub it directly onto the nails morning and evening. It’ll also help if you always wear a moisturizing base coat to hydrate the nails twenty-four/seven and prevent further drying by switching from soap to hand washes. Finally, steer clear of pearlized polish. The ingredients used to make them sparkly can be dehydrating.

Brittle Nails

Gently press the sides of your nails together. If your nail doesn’t bend. chances are you have brittle nails. These have no moisture left in them at all, which also means they have no flexibility and shatter as soon as they bash on something. This causes most people to reach for the nail hardener, but this is the worst thing you can do as it makes the nail even more rigid. It’s better to boost flexibility by oiling the nails nightly with almond oil instead. The shape of your nails will also add strength. The best is a squoval shape (where the sides of the nail are left straight and only the top is rounded), as this helps the nail absorb shocks better.

Damaged Nails

If your nails are fiaking or splitting, you have damaged nails. These are most commonly caused by severe dehydration. Help them with a treatment base coat to heal the nail, but make sure that, as you apply it, you stipple it into any fiaky spots (just like you would cover peeling paint).This will prevent air bubbles forming under the polish and stop flaking - which is important, as fiaking polish takes nail cells with it, increasing damage. You also need to ensure that the cells that grow through next time are strong and healthy, so use cuticle oil twice dally; if the cuticle is supple, the new cells can push through more easily, so they arrive at the nail bed in the best of health.

Soft Nails

If your nails bend at the slightest touch and rarely grow past your fingertip you’ve got soft nails. To get them back into shape, you need to harden them up. The simple way to do this is to apply a nail hardener or try rubbing in a little essential oil of elemi (order this at health food stores), in fact, any oil will help strengthen soft nails as it keeps out their main enemy, water, which softens them even further. Always wear gloves when you’re washing up and apply hand cream after washing your hands.

Normal Nails

If you have none of the above problems - your nails bend slightly when pressed, look pink and shiny and will grow easily - you’re lucky, you naturally have normal nails, Try to keep them that way by moisturizing them regularly with hand creams, and avoiding harsh detergents and overly hot water.

Tagged Under:brittle nails, dry skin, hair nails, hand and feet care, hands and feet, manicured nails, moisturizing talons