Thursday, June 21, 2007

General Makeup Advice

As with any make-up, blending is the key. Check your make-up in daylight if possible and don't be afraid to swipe off any access with a tissue. For additional tips, check out our Makeup Tips page.

If you ever experience any skin irritation, quit using make-up immediately until you find out what the problem is. Consult your dermatologist for the best remedy.

Make-up Tips for Teens

Most teenage girls begin wearing light make-up around the ages of 12-13 as they become more aware of their appearance. As a teen, your make-up should look natural and enhance your facial features. Don't overdo it, this will only make you look silly. With a few simple, inexpensive products, you can play up your finest features -- and look great!

Keep your make-up light for school. You don't need to use make-up on every facial feature you have! Mix and match to find out what looks best on you.

For parties, you may want to add a little more make-up to enhance your features. Make sure you blend it in well with your fingers or a cosmetics brush and check it in bright light when you're finished.

  • Foundation

Foundation for teens is not necessary. While it can clog your pores, it will also look overdone. Skip the foundation and use a concealer on your blemishes only. Lightly dust on some loose powder over your entire face to even out your skin tone, control oil, and set the concealer.

  • Freckles

Don't try to hide your freckles. You may not appreciate them, but they are part of you. Exposure to sunlight makes freckles darker so avoiding the sun and using a sunscreen will keep them in check. As you get older, they can fade -- and then they won't be an issue.

  • Eye Make-up

You may not be interested in eye shadow until you're a little older. If so, that's great. When you do begin wearing it, keep it light and use any trendy metallics and sparkles sparingly. They can flake off into your eyes and cause irritation. Eye shadow does not have to match your eyes, however earth tones (tan, brown, gray) are very complimentary to blue, brown and hazel eyes.

When you begin using mascara, brown works best for both blondes and brunettes. Black is probably too harsh, especially in the daytime. If you think brown isn't dark enough, try brownish-black.

Waterproof mascara may be necessary for sports and outdoor activities in warm weather. It stays on longer and doesn't run -- but it's harder to take off. It's best to keep make-up to a minimum and you won't have to worry about undesired smearing.

If you're going to use an eyeliner, a pencil liner looks more natural than liquid liner. Learn to apply it with a steady hand for straight lines, and blot it with a tissue if you get it on too dark.

  • Blush

Liquid and stick blush are popular choices for teens because they glide on smoothly and blend in well. Pinks and peaches compliment almost any skin tone. Apply to the apple of your cheeks and blend outwards, towards your hairline.

  • Lips

For luscious lips, lip gloss does the trick. If you want to add some color to your lips for a nighttime look, try a lipstick in a sheer color. For extra shine, put the lip gloss on over your lipstick. Always have lip balm handy for chapped lips.

Teen Skin Care Tips

Teenagers have different skin care and make-up needs than mature women. At what age should a teen begin a skin care regimen? Skin care should actually start when they are preteens, as early as the age of 10 or 11. Hormones start to kick in and blemishes may begin to appear.

As you mature, your skin care needs will change, as your skin does. Pay special attention to what products you are using and if there are any undesirable affects taking place. What makes your skin look radiant one month may cause blemishes and break-outs the next.

  • Moisturizer

At an early age, a light moisturizer may be called for -- but do not use heavy creams made for dry skin. Choose a product that is formulated for light skin care maintenance and does not block your pores.

A heavy moisturizer will probably wreak havoc and cause pimples. Try using a light moisturizer only once a day, before bedtime. Any more often than that is probably be overdoing it.

  • Pimples and Blemishes

Acne is a #1 skin care concern for teens. Keep your face and hair clean, wash your hands frequently, and keep them away from your face. There are many products available on the market today for acne prevention and cures, and they are much more effective than years ago.

Once you begin experiencing problems, take action to avoid lifetime scarring. You can go to the Blemishes Page to find out how to get rid of pimples, preventative maintenance and how to reduce the appearance of blemishes once they appear.

Beauty Tips for Teens

Being a teen in today's world brings many pressures from society to look good. The media is full of beautiful faces that add to the stress of growing up. Don't let that undermine your self-confidence!

What's a girl to do? There are many ways to enhance your natural beauty and keep a practical skin care and make-up routine. These tips will help bring out the best in you, but remember, good posture and a smile give a great first impression.

Friday, May 04, 2007

The Trick to Making Your Eyes Look Bigger


Ever look at those pictures of celebrities before makeup & after? My favorite celebrity is Gwyneth Paltrow and I was thrilled one day to see her without makeup. Her eyes just disappeared. Yet in photos, she has luminous eyes. So what's the secret?

There are actually several. To get huge eyes try these tricks:

1. Always curl lashes before applying mascara.

2. Don't forget your bottom lashes. For years I avoided mascara on them until a makeup expert showed me how much mascara on my lower lashes really make my eyes pop. I rarely go without now.

3. Individual false lashes are exotic, gorgeous and can look natural if applied correctly.


Large cities offer 'lash bars' in the hottest department stores. (Henri Bendel, Bergdorfs and more, for example) but I expect the counters at most department stores will have experts in false lashes. Ask at yours.

4. For a doe-eyed, seductive look, makeup artist *Paul Starr suggests you try lining your lower lids with a creamy white eye pencil. He likes Estee Lauder Artists's Eye Pencil in White Writer($18.50).

5. White liner may sound odd, but it really opens up the eye. You can also try putting it on the inside corner of both your upper and your lower lids.

6. Make sure your brows are manicured. Until you get your brows professionally waxed, tweezed or threaded, you won't realize how much they affect the rest of your face. Cleaning up your brow line of stray hairs, adding a slight arch and filling in sparse spots are key to making eyes look much larger.

I find once you get a professional brow job, you can do it yourself for a few months using the pro job as a 'map' of where to tweeze. To keep brows in place, try a clear eyebrow gel like Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara or just spritz a bit of hairspray onto an old toothbrush and brush brows in perfect place.

*Tip from the December, 2005, issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine.









Sunday, November 19, 2006

BEAUTY IS WELLNESS FROM WITHIN



Beauty comes from within, we as women can wear all the make-up we want and yes it can make a difference as far as self esteem, enhance our features, improve the look of our skin. But if the body is not healthy due to being obese, certain organ dis-stress, the body can be out of balance in Mind-Body and Spirit. There are certain Holistic modalities that are used in my practice to bring about balance and our Wingspan Wellness Weekends, enhance the healing due to rest, relaxation,and concentration on self.

Renate Bodden is a Doctor of Naturopathy, Reiki Master and certified Yoga Instructor. Renate resides in Houston, Texas, and is very passionate about Wellness, her Holistic Health modalities include Kinesiology,Nutrition, Bachflower Therapy, Reiki Therapeutic body Treatment and Yoga.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Beauty Foods That Will Keep You Young and Healthy


You’ve heard that old saying: True beauty comes from within. Well, now nutritional experts have confirmed that you really are what you eat.

Forget French fries and fatty hamburgers. If you want to look beautiful and feel young and healthy, you’ll eat a generous variety of super foods that have been proven to work wonders on the human body.

For a list of vitamin rich foods see: http://www.1-minute-beauty-diva.com/ArticlesVitaminsandBeauty.html

Whether you’re on a low fat diet, low carb diet, or no diet, adding these super foods to your plate should become as second nature to you as putting your lipstick on in the morning.

Healthy Skin – Eat: blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, currants, purple grapes, pumpkin, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes

Healthy Eyes – Eat: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, turnip greens

Strong Bones – Eat: yogurt, kefir, soy, tofu, Drink: skim milk

Reduce Stress – Eat: beans (navy, pinto, red, black, etc.), green beans, sugar snap peas, green peas, chick peas

Boost Immune System – Eat: turkey, skinless chicken breast, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, spinach, Drink: black or green tea

Sun Protection for Skin – tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit