Exercise-Induced Acne. Here's How You Prevent It...

There is such a thing as exercise-induced acne. It's called "acne mechanica" and it's caused by friction and pressure on the skin caused by equipment and workout clothes—not just the sweat and general gym gook. And, luckily, there are a couple of ways you can help prevent it.

Rule one: Wash your self as soon as you have finished exercising to remove sweat and bacteria.

If you're playing a sport or doing an activity like biking that requires a helmet or you tend to use equipment on your body like a heart-rate-monitor strap, give it a once-over with a disinfectant spray before you get your sweat on. This will at least help to kill any bacteria though could get into your pores while the friction is taking place.

2014 Trend Prediction: Gunmetal Grey Makeup

In 2014 we will see make up tones take a cooler turn with far less peachy tones and more gunmetal colors on the eyes. These shades are great for anyone who has green or hazel eyes. If you have brown eyes these tones will add more warmth giving an appearance of slightly lighter eye color.

How to make your own rose water

YOU'LL NEED

• Large pot with lid
• Heat resistant glass or stainless steel bowl (small enough to fit inside the pot)
• Ice
• Water
• 1 drop of beet juice
• 2-3 quarts of rose petals.

Petals should only be from fully expressed fragrant blooms but before the petals have browned. It's best to pick them just after the morning dew has evaporated, a few hours after sunrise. Use organic if possible, if not then thoroughly rinse to remove any chemicals.

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the petals inside the pot and pour enough water to cover them. Set the bowl in the centre of the pot, with the rim higher than the water by a few inches. If you need to elevate it, use a canning rack or fireplace brick or something that will not move around in the water.
2. Cover the pot with the lid flipped upside down, and bring the rose petals to a boil. Once the water is boiling, fill the top of the lid (still flipped) with ice cubes. Reduce the heat to barely a simmer for 2 hours.
3. Add more ice as needed, checking occasionally to make sure there is still enough water over the petals. If you need to add more, make sure not to get any water in the centre bowl.
4. The condensation from the heat/ice will drip into the bowl leaving a pure rose water. It should make between one pint and one quart of sumptuously fragrant rose water.
5. Add one drop of beet juice to give the water a pink hue.
6. Store rose water in a glass bottle with a spray top or tight fitting lid.
Use as a refreshing spritzer or to pretty-up your bubble bath!
How-to courtesy of roostblog.com

How to: Apply False Eyelashes (Easy + Beginner-Friendly).

How to apply blush for your face shape

A lot of ladies out there think of blush only as an afterthought or even – shock horror! – as an unnecessary step in their makeup routine. While at times poor application can result in a terrifying clown face, this is mainly due to using the wrong products (too pigmented or oozy for a barely there finish) or a heavy hand at application. Good news though, you can actually remedy the situation simply by learning how to apply the products depending on your face shape for a more flattering finish.

How to make lipstick last longer

Girl Problem #101: Having to reapply your lipstick every hour because the damn colour won't stay put. Worst. Feeling. Ever.
We all know that lippie is notoriously tricky to keep in place because our kissers are always in motion, whether we're nibbling on something, sipping at a latte or gossiping with our BFF about the latest episode of Big Brother. But good news! We've got a few handy tricks up our sleeves that will help your pout remain beautiful all day and night. Read on to get a fool-proof set of kissers, just in time for the weekend!
STEP 1 - Exfoliate: To get your lips soft and kissable and allow your lipstick to smooth on better, gently buff your lips with a sugary exfoliant and clean away the residue with lukewarm water or a damp cloth. You can also pat on a clear, nourishing balm afterwards and give it a few minutes to sink in before blotting with a tissue. This will help hydrate your lips so the lipstick holds better.
STEP 2 - Lip liner: Lightly trace a lip pencil in the same colour or slightly lighter than your lipstick along the inside edge of your lips. This will add a layer of pigment and help your colour last longer while also preventing feathering and bleeding.
STEP 3 - Lipstick: For stellar colour payoff, apply your lipstick straight from the tube (long-wearing formulas are best for colour longevity, obvs). You can also use a lip brush for a more subtle effect and better distribution.
STEP 4 - Tissue: Blot your lipstick with a tissue by folding it in half, opening your mouth, placing it in between your upper and lower lips and pressing down. This is great at removing excess oil and preventing lippie from getting on your teeth, which is never a good look on anyone, right?
STEP 5 - Powder: To seal the colour, load up an eyeshadow blending brush with loose or pressed powder, then swirl the brush across your lips until they're totally mattified. You might notice that your lipstick goes a touch lighter, but the long-wearing benefits will be so worth it.
STEP 6 - More lipstick: Add a last layer of lipstick and pucker up! You can clean up any product that's escaped your natural lip line with a teensy bit of concealer on a lip brush.

DDGD

From Fork to Face: The Anti-Ageing Power On Your Plate.

Good Fats: Salmon and avo are super high in the good omega 3 fats that really give a glow from the inside out. Full of essential fatty acids, you can pick up the ingredients for this salad combo for cheaper than a pizza. You will find that any flakiness is a thing of the past and skin is simply plumper, meaning lines and dehydration can’t take as strong a hold.

Fruits and Vegetables: Brimming with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, fruits and veggies are quite simply the skin beautifier that is languishing under our noses. Although skincare containing vitamins and antioxidants can make the surface of the skin feel more comfortable, it really is what’s inside that counts. Up your intake of greens and grape coloured fruits (kale, cucumber, avocado, berries, purple carrots) to boost collagen production, whiten the whites of the eyes and visibly reduce heaviness and darkness under them.

Source: primped.com

Puffy Face: Relax, it’s not fat. It’s fluid-retention

• Fluid retention is puffiness or swelling in parts of the body. A great remedy is drinking lots of water to flush out wastes – which Demi Moore and J-Lo swear by.
• Circulatory issues, especially damage to the valves in the veins of the legs, may allow blood to move against the normal direction of the bloodstream (i.e. away from the heart rather than towards it), and accumulate in the legs. This is known as chronic venous insufficiency, and may ultimately cause varicose veins.
• Hormone fluctuations that occur prior to the menstrual period, during pregnancy, or when taking oral contraceptives can cause fluid retention.
• Kidneys are the primary organs responsible for the body’s water balance, so any fluid retention or bloating could mean there is something sinister going on within the bodies’ purifier.
• Collagen is responsible for the elasticity of the skin. Excessive fluid in layers of the skin can disrupt collagen integrity so therefore loosen firmness and decrease tone of skin so fluid retention can age you physically too.
• Healthy blood is characterized by a radiant complexion so it’s important to nourish and invigorate the blood with specific blood tonic herbs such as peony and dong quai. Other herbs such as burdock have a detoxifying diuretic action – promoting urination and fluid elimination of waste via the kidneys in the form of urine.
• Black and puffy under eyes are a visible sign of kidney deficiency (adrenal) and if it’s puffiness above the eyebrows you’re concerned about, then this is also caused by low kidney energy.

If you are suffering from bloating or fluid retention in any area of the body, see your doctor. It may be your kidneys – rather than extra calories – that are to blame.

From Primped.com

What Causes Acne?

There are four major factors responsible for causing acne. They act together to cause the characteristic pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads associated with acne. They are:

• Overactive oil glands
• Blockage of the skin pores
• Activity of normal skin bacteria
• Inflammation

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Overactive Oil Glands

Oil glands are located deep in the skin. They are also known as sebaceous glands.

• Each oil gland is connected to a tiny canal that contains a hair. The canal with its contained hair is called a follicle.
• The glands produce oil (also known as sebum) that flows to the surface of the skin through these canals to lubricate the hair follicles and the surrounding skin.
• The opening of the canal with the attached hair (follicle) onto the skin is the skin pore.

The oil glands vary in size, and the larger ones are associated with visible skin pores.
The oil glands are stimulated to produce oil by hormones, specifically the male hormones called androgens (women also have these hormones, but much less of them). These hormones are produced by the testes in men and by the ovaries in women. In both sexes, androgens are also produced by the adrenal glands.
During times of stress, the adrenal glands produce increased levels of these hormones, causing even greater enlargement of the oil glands.
During puberty, the oil glands become overactive in response to hormonal changes.

Blockage Of The Skin Pores

Oily skin occurs when an overactive oil gland enlarges and overproduces oil. Acne develops when some of the pores (through which oil normally flows from the oil gland to reach the skin surface) become blocked, resulting in trapping of oil within the skin pores.
The pores are blocked by skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the skin pore and have bunched together. The cause for this clogging is not known, but it is not due to poor hygiene. A blackhead or whitehead will develop from this skin pore blockage

Activity Of Normal Skin Bacteria

Although acne is not caused by a bacterial infection, bacteria do play a role in making the situation worse. The bacterium Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), is a normal part of the skin surface. It keeps the skin from being invaded by harmful bacteria.
When oil is trapped in the hair follicles, the normal skin bacteria P. acnes will grow in the blocked pore. The bacteria produce chemicals that alter the composition of the oil, which makes it more irritating to the skin and causes inflammation.

Inflammation

Inflamed skin is characterized by redness, swelling, warmth and discomfort. Inflammation of the skin occurs because the body's immune system is acting to rid itself of a foreign substance. In the case of acne, this substance is either bacteria or the irritating compounds they have produced.
These four factors contribute to blocked skin pores, which bulge outward to form:

• Blackheads. These form when the pores are clogged close to the surface of the skin. Because they are exposed to the skin surface, blackheads don't usually become inflamed. Blackheads are dark due to the presence of a dark pigment. This color is not the result of dirt in the pores.
• Whiteheads. These develop from a blockage deeper in a pore. Lacking a drainage path, the oil accumulates in the skin, causing small flesh-colored or white-colored bumps. Unlike blackheads, whiteheads are more likely to lead to the red inflammations known as pimples or zits.
• Pustules (also known as pimples or zits) occur when the walls of the blocked follicle ruptures. Oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria normally found on the skin surface get into the skin and irritate it, forming small areas of inflammation.
• Cysts are larger, red, inflamed areas deep in the skin that indicate a more extensive infection.

Contributing Author: Guy Slowik FRCS

Read more: http://ehealthmd.com/content/what-causes-acne#ixzz2c5iFxEbL

Make up tutorial for gals with glasses.

The Metallic Eye

The latest deals from Bronzalicous.

St. Tropez Professional Australia's new self tan sensitive range

We are super excited about St. Tropez Professional Australia's new self tan sensitive range, the hypoallergenic formula provides the same glowing results but is kinder to sensitive skins.

Inspired by Stella McCartney's resort '14 collection

These detailed heart nails from Miss Ladyfinger inspired by Stella McCartney's resort '14 collection.

Source: Heart Beauty Magazine.

Red or Dead!

Every Beauty needs a killer red lippie in their make-up arsenal! Find your perfect shade with these tips from the lovely Lauren Conrad.

How do I apply my luminiser correctly?

We all want glowing skin, and there certainly is an abundance of products to help us achieve it (liquids, creams, powders, gels). But should you apply it all over, or only in targeted sections?

Answer: The trick to using your luminiser to its full potential is mastering how it's applied. You should only use luminiser on the areas of your face where you want the light to bounce off; cheekbones, brow bones, the top of the cupids bow and the tip of the nose (as illustrated below).
Tip: Cream products work best on dry skin, while those prone to oily skin should opt for a shimmering powder. Avoid applying luminiser on blemishes or fine lines as this can make them more obvious

Source: Vogue