Cosmetic Solutions for Dark Under-Eye Circles

There are several causes of dark under-eye circles and bags but the result is the same: looking tired and worn. Using the correct cosmetics can banish bags, eradicate circles and keep you looking bright eyed and wide awake no matter how you slept the night before.

Illuminating Pen

Use an illuminating concealer pen, which is easy to apply and offers ample coverage. Make light strokes with the pen brush in the dark areas just underneath the bags. Avoid applying concealer directly on the bags. Pat lightly with your fingertip to blend. Highlighting this area helps banish hollows, making puffiness less prominent. Try applying the pen at the innermost corners of the eyes to lessen shadows in this area for a more wide-awake look.

Peach-Colored Concealer

Camouflage brown shadows under the eyes with a peach-colored concealer. Brown or yellowish shadows may be caused by excess pigmentation due to heredity, sun damage or both. If you press on the area and it doesn't appear any lighter, you likely have excess pigmentation. Using a concentrated, creamy concealer with slight peach tones works best to tone down brown or yellow shadows. Apply the concealer by tapping it lightly with your finger onto the dark areas underneath the eye.

Yellow-Based Concealer

Use a yellow-based concealer on under-eye discoloration caused by blood vessels. Dark under-eye marks that lighten when pressed may by caused by visible blood vessels showing through thin skin. Dark circles from blood vessels typically have blue or purple hues and are best covered with a yellow-based concealer. Choose a creamy concealer that is slightly lighter than your natural skin tone to help brighten the area. Tap the concealer lightly over the dark areas only.

Eye Creams and Sunscreen

Make it a habit to apply eye cream twice daily, especially at night. Products that contain vitamin C and caffeine can help with both puffiness and dark circles. Using a retinoid cream underneath your eyes can build collagen and plump skin. Look for eye creams with ingredients like hydroquinone, licorice and kojic acid that can aid in lightening superficial pigmentation. Avoid irritating sensitive eye tissue with scented products or those containing salicylic or glycolic acid. For darkness caused by pigment or sun damage, make sure to apply sunscreen up to the lower lash line daily.

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How to Get Full Lips Without a Plumper

Plump lips owe their pleasing appearance to collagen, but your kisser starts to lose its fullness as collagen depletion begins to occur in your 20s and 30s. In addition to curbing excessive sun exposure and smoking habits, you have a few safe options for revitalizing your lips without turning to a plumper. With the right combination of preventive care and simple makeup tricks, you can add fullness, dimension and volume to virtually any set of lips.

Items you will need

• Lip moisturizer with peptides, vitamin E or shea butter
• Soft-bristled toothbrush
• Petroleum jelly
• Lipstick with peptides
• Lip liner
• Clear lip gloss

Step 1

Moisturize regularly. When you feel your lips drying out, apply a lip balm or moisturizer that contains some combination of peptides, vitamin E or shea butter. Moisturizing not only enhances the appearance of your lips on the spot, it helps stimulate collagen production. Use a balm with SPF 15 or higher to add sun protection.

Step 2

Apply a bit of petroleum jelly to your lips and gently massage them using a circular motion with a soft-bristled toothbrush about once per week. This process sloughs off dead skin and encourages healthy blood flow, giving your lips a rosy, healthy appearance.

Step 3

Choose your lipstick wisely. Go with peptide-packing lipstick to fight collagen depletion and stick with lighter shades to add the appearance of fullness. Speaking to “Fitness” magazine, makeup artist Shannon Grey Williams says, “It's basic color theory: Light things appear to be magnified.”

Step 4

Prep your pout by applying lip liner before lipstick. With a lip liner pencil a shade or so lighter than your skin tone, lightly trace the “U”-shaped outline of your philtrum -- the little indentation between your nose and lip -- and then line the upper lip. Blend the lines with your finger and fill in your lips with the liner completely before adding lipstick. These highlighting lines give your lips a more voluminous look.

Step 5

Craft a pouty pair of lips with glossy highlights. After applying lipstick, dot the center of your top and bottom lips with clear, shimmery lip gloss. This trick draws light to the highest points of your lips, enhancing their dimension.

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How to Moisturize Your Lips in Winter

In winter, the frosty, dry air can do real damage to sensitive lips and skin. Treat unsightly chapped lips with lots of care so you're not suffering until springtime rolls around. Take steps to give your lips the moisture they crave to keep them feeling soft and supple all season long.

Step 1

Apply a hydrating lip balm daily, especially when you go outside. Search for lip balms -- or even colored lip glosses -- that contain ingredients such as beeswax, petroleum jelly, lanolin, shea butter and cocoa butter. Avoid camphor-based balms if you have sensitive lips and skin.

Step 2

Use hydrating lipsticks instead of matte or long-lasting products, which can dry out your lips. If you must wear a drying product, wear a moisturizing lip balm underneath it.

Step 3

Take warm, not hot, showers. The hot water dries out your skin and lips.

Step 4

Brush your teeth before washing your face. If you wash your face first, your lips may dry out, and brushing your teeth will make them even more irritated.

Step 5

Protect your lips from harmful UV rays by applying a lip balm or lipstick that contains sunscreen, such as SPF 15. Apply the product at least once per day.

Step 6

Apply a lip-exfoliating product to get rid of dead skin and smooth out rough lips. Use an exfoliating product no more than once weekly to avoid irritating your skin. If your lips turn red and you experience stinging or burning, discontinue use of the product immediately.

Step 7

Hydrate the air in your home by running a humidifier, which replaces the dry air indoors with moisturized air.

Step 8

Drink about nine cups of water every day to hydrate your lips and the rest of your body.

Warning

• Avoid licking your lips. Doing so dries them out, so they'll feel rough and chapped.

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Top 10 ways to fight bad breath

More than 80 million people suffer from chronic halitosis, or bad breath. In most cases it originates from the gums and tongue.

Bad breath can be very embarrassing, but it is a common condition and there are numerous ways to fight it. Following these tips can help you fight bad breath as well as keep your mouth healthy on a daily basis.

1. Brush teeth twice a day.1
   • Brush your teeth two to three minutes at least twice a day to remove plaque and food debris. It’s very important to brush your teeth before going to bed. You might try an additional round of brushing with baking soda to reduce the acidity in the mouth and make it difficult for the bacteria that cause bad breath to grow.
2. Floss daily.2
   • Flossing will remove food debris from in between the teeth that a toothbrush can't reach. If the food debris is not removed, the bacteria will begin to feed on it, causing bad breath.
3. Brush or scrape your tongue.3
   • To remove any residue that may be building up between the taste buds and folds in the tongue, invest in an inexpensive tool called a tongue scraper, which is available in drugstores. If you don’t have a tongue scraper, you can use your toothbrush to brush your tongue.
4. Use a mouth rinse.4
   • Keep in mind that if a dental problem is the cause of chronic bad breath, a mouth rinse will only mask the odor and not cure it. In some cases, mouth rinses may actually worsen a bad breath problem by irritating oral tissue. For an emergency freshen-up, try a quick rinse with a mix of water and a few drops of peppermint oil. Or rinse your mouth with black or green tea: according to a study by the University of Illinois at Chicago, rinsing your mouth with black or green tea suppresses the growth of bacteria that cause mouth odor.
5. Visit your dentist.5
   • The best way to make sure that you are maintaining good oral hygiene is to visit your dentist regularly. If you have chronic bad breath, you should visit your dentist first, to rule out any dental problems. Or, if your dentist believes that the problem is caused from a systemic (internal) source such as an infection, he or she may refer you to your family physician or a specialist to help remedy the cause of the problem.
6. Quit smoking and avoid tobacco products.6
   • If you ever needed another reason to quit, here’s an easy one: smoking contributes to bad breath. Tobacco tends to dry out your mouth and can leave an unpleasant smell that lingers even after brushing your teeth.
7. Wet your whistle.7
   • Be sure to drink a sufficient amount of water (six to eight 8-ounce glasses) daily to avoid dry mouth. Drinking water will help keep odor under control because it helps wash away food particles and bacteria, the primary cause of bad breath. If you have chronic dry mouth or take medications that cause you to have dry mouth, talk to your dentist about recommending an over-the-counter saliva substitute.
8. Eat a piece of sugarless candy or chew sugarless gum.8
   • If you have dry mouth, try sucking on a piece of sugarless candy or chew sugarless gum to stimulate saliva flow. The saliva will help to wash away food debris and bacteria that cause bad breath.
9. Munch on a carrot, a stick of celery or an apple.9
   • Snacks of crispy, fresh fruits and vegetables step up your saliva flow between meals to help wash away bacteria from teeth, tongue and gums that can cause bad breath. These snacks can also help alleviate bad breath caused by hunger or fasting. An empty stomach from skipping meals can cause foul breath as acids in the stomach build up.
10. Eat your parsley.10
    • Parsley adds more than a green garnish to your lunch plate; it's also a breath-saver because it contains chlorophyll, a known breath deodorizer. So pick up that sprig on your plate and chew it thoroughly. Or toss a few handfuls in a juicer and sip the juice when you need to refresh your breath.

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Homemade beauty tips with potato – How to use the potato for skin and beauty treatments

Potato is the most widely used vegetable in the Indian kitchen. Many of us know that potato is used to clear the under eye dark circles. Many of us did not know how the potato is beneficial for the skin care and beauty care. Potato can lighten the dark skin complexion, potato can cure the blemishes  and in many treat the beauty and skin problems. Let us find the homemade beauty tips with the potato.

Potato contains starchy as key component. In addition to the starch it contains the potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. The starch heals the damage of the skin cells. The vitamin C in the potato works as the antioxidant and clears the skin.

  Homemade beauty tips with potato

1. Take the fresh potato and peel the skin of the potato and make the potato into juice. Now extract the juice from the potato paste with the helps of sieve. Now take the 1 tbsp of potato juice, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 2 tbsp of multani mitti. Apply this mixture all over the face evenly. Wait for 10- 15 minutes then wash the face with the cool water. This face masks lighten the scars on the face and gives the flawless skin.
2. Take the potato and mesh the potato into fine paste with the help of blender. Mix the 1 tbsp of meshed potato and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Apply this paste on the face. It works as the natural facial bleach and lighten the dark skin complexion. Rinse it off after 10- 15 minutes.
3. For the blemishes apply the meshed potato on the blemishes. Rinse it off after 10 minutes. Continue this process for 1 month to get rid of the blemishes.
4. Potato also cures the sunburns. Take the potato slice and rub the potato slice on the sunburn are for 5 minutes. Then wash the face and skin with cool water.
5. Take the 1 tbsp of smooth fine potato paste and add the 1 tbsp of yogurt to the meshed potato. Mix the both ingredients well. Kept this mix aside for 3o minutes. After that apply the mixture on the face. This works as the anti aging mask for the face. Vitamin B6 in the potato contains the anti aging properties and prevents the anti aging skin.
6. Take the 1 tbsp of potato paste and add 1 tbsp of honey to it. Hold this mix on the eyes and dark circles area for 10 – 15 minutes. Then wash the eyes thoroughly. This mask reduces the eye dark circles and gives the cooling effect to the irritated and itching eyes.
7. Take the 1 tbsp of potato juice and 1 tbsp of cucumber juice. Dip the cotton ball on the solution and rub it on the face. The works as the natural skin toner for the face. This maintains the skin tone in proper manner.
8. Collect the peel of the potato and boil the peel in water for 10 minutes. Filter the boiled water in a bowl. Apply this waster on the hair gives the shiny smoothness to the hair. This water helps to prevent the premature graying of the hair.

We can use the highly available kitchen vegetable for the many ways. One use of these tips will not give the desired results. All these tips are natural and you can use them with out any doubts.

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seven Tips for Beautiful Lips

Think of your lips as a sponge. "When exposed to moisture, they absorb water and plump up. When dehydrated, they dry out and shrink," explains Bruce Bart, M.D., a dermatologist at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. And, because they're always exposed, they're prone to dehydration, particularly during the cold, windy winter months. The skin on the lips is also unlike skin anywhere else on the body: It's thinner (allowing the blood vessels to be visible, making the lips look red) and has no oil glands (oil acts as a barrier for skin, helping to protect it from the elements). The result can be red, rough (and sometimes painful), chapped lips that couldn't hold lipstick color if you spray-painted it on.

Get Better-Looking Lips -- Fast
With a little loving care, your lips can be perfect in no time. Just follow these seven steps -- and then pucker up!

Take a water bottle with you wherever you go. Drinking enough water (the equivalent of at least 9 cups of fluids daily) will keep the body, skin and lips hydrated.

Lick the smacking habit. Licking your lips damages the protective barrier, which can dry out the lips, says Robert Brodell, M.D., a dermatologist in Warren, Ohio. (Saliva contains digestive enzymes that can break down this barrier.) Instead, regularly apply lip balm like La Mer The Lip Balm ($40; at Saks Fifth Avenue Stores).

Know thy balms. Look for hydrating ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, vitamin E and almond, jojoba or coconut oils. Good old petroleum jelly (think: Vaseline) works well too. If you have sensitive skin, use camphor-based medicated lip balms sparingly. (They can be irritating.) Instead, opt for the camphor-free Aésop Rosehip Seed Lip Treatment with shea butter ($15; 888-223-2750). But if you have hearty skin, try ChapStick Medicated lip balm ($1.69; at drugstores) with camphor and menthol.

Plug in a humidifer. It can replace moisture in dry indoor air, keeping your lips (and your skin) hydrated. Editor's favorite: Bionaire Digital Cool Moisture Humidifier ($80; bionaire.com).

Exfoliate when necessary. Lip exfoliators (products that contain fruit-acid-based alpha or beta hydroxy acids) slough off dead skin -- much like the ones you'd use on your face, says New York dermatologist Dennis Gross, M.D. "But if you have sensitive skin or your lips are severely chapped or cracked, use these products cautiously [no more than once weekly] as they do contain acids that can irritate skin," says Gross. (Signs of irritation: intense stinging and/or persistent redness.) Try Blistex Lip Revitalizer with AHA and vitamin E ($1.89; at drugstores) and Lancôme Primordiale Lip Revitalizing Treatment with Gatuline, an AHA alternative ($29; lancome.com).

Protect, protect, protect. Lips are susceptible to sunburn since they lack melanin, the pigment that helps shield skin from the sun. Apply a layer of a sun-protective product daily like Neutrogena Lip Moisturizer SPF 15 ($3; at drugstores) or look for a lipstick with SPF like Estée Lauder Futurist SPF 15 ($17.50; esteelauder.com), which comes in 22 shades.

Don't make matte forever. Matte lipsticks can be extremely drying (which helps these lipsticks stay put for so long). That's why you should use them sparingly when your lips are extremely chapped. Instead, alternate use of them with hydrating lipsticks (as indicated by ingredients like vitamin E and/or glycerin) or add a layer of moisturizing lip balm underneath. Opt for the nonmatte, hydrating Ultima II Ultimate Edition Lipstick with primrose oil and vitamin E ($15; at drugstores) or layer Prescriptives Lip Specialist ($15; gloss.com) underneath a matte.

How to plump up your pout

* "Using lip liner in a shade slightly darker than your lipstick, overdraw the line (so the line is right outside your lips)," says Joanna Schlip, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist with Cloutier.

* "Apply the lipstick, and then in the center of your lips, blend in a drop of foundation and top it off with a gloss." (Try Tarte Double Ended Lip Gloss, $19; beauty.com.)

Treat your lips right Follow this guide to treating common lip problems.

Cut in the corner of the mouth Keep your lips hydrated with a balm and apply a small dab of an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.

Peeling lips This could be an allergic reaction to a lipstick, toothpaste, food, beverage or medication you're taking (Accutane is one drug that can severely dry out lips). Related symptoms include itching and a persistent rash. Your dermatologist can prescribe a mild topical hydrocortisone cream to help decrease the irritation.

Wrinkles around the lips Caused by sun exposure, age and smoking, these wrinkles should be treated like wrinkles on the rest of the face -- with chemical peels and creams that contain anti-aging ingredients like retinol. One to apply: Avon Anew Retinol Lip Treatment with vitamin C and retinol ($10; 800-FOR-AVON).

thin lips If you want fuller lips, the best temporary option right now is collagen (Zyderm) injections, which cost about $300 per treatment and last about six months. (Possible side effects include temporary redness and excessive swelling of the lips.)

Shape Tested: Best lipsticks and balms
We tested hundreds of colors and moisturizing balms to pick these favorites.

Best vitamin-enriched lipstick Almay One Coat Lip Cream with vitamins A, C and E ($8.75; at drugstores).

Longest-lasting lipsticks It's a three-way tie between Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor ($9.50), L'Oréal Endless Lipcolour ($9.75) and Max Factor Lipfinity ($12.75), all at drugstores. They all last up to eight hours.

Best flavor Origins Liquid Lip Color ($11; origins.com) has a tingly mint flavor as a well as hydrating aloe, vitamin E and rice-bran oil.

Most moisturizing Maybelline Moisture Whip lipstick ($6; at drugstores) is made up of 75 percent lip conditioners -- and comes in 60 shades.

Best glosses BeComing by Avon Hearts of You Lip Gloss ($7.50; 866-I-BECOME), Aveda HypnoticSwirl Lip Gloss Minus Lanolin ($11.50; aveda.com) and Madina Milano Lip Gloss($12; 866-MADINA-M). Different colors are used to create their designs, giving you the choice of blending the colors or using each one alone.

Best lip treatment Clinique All About Lips with green tea extract, vitamin E and salicylic acid ($20; clinique.com).

Best way to prevent lipstick feathering Elizabeth Arden Lip-Fix Cream ($18.50;elizabetharden.com) contains glycerin to prevent dryness and paraffin to keep lipstick in its place.

Best red Clarins Le Rouge Lipstick in Passion ($18.50; gloss.com) is the perfect red we've all been searching for.

Best all-around color Chanel Infrarouge WhisperLight Lipstick in Nude ($21.50; gloss.com).

Most vibrant Dior Addict ($19.50; 800-929-DIOR) with multireflective light particles that give the appearance of glowing lips.

Best lip liner Stila Lip Rouge ($26; sephora.com) is a felt-tip-markerlike pen that gives lasting color. (It works as both a liner and a lip tint.)

Most natural-looking lip tint Revlon Lip & Cheek Jam in China Doll ($8.25; at drugstores). The jamlike consistency smoothes on easily.

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Causes of skin peeling and its treatments

Are you observing any skin flakes falling down from the clothes when you are taking them away from the body, keep a deep eye, it is the peeling skin. You may observe the same situation around your nose, legs and other body parts. This condition may be associated with roughness and itchiness. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that you are losing the entire skin in the body. Peeling off the skin results due to several reasons like sun burn, lack of moisturizer, dry ness in the skin and irritation. Here are some of the causes for skin to peel and the treatment to follow.

Sunburn

Sun burn or extreme exposure to sun is one of the biggest reasons for the skin to peel. The UV hits the skin until it peels off. Go with a cool shower, take the help of cold compress to push the pain out. You can also make use of vinegar, apply vinegar over the affected area and some pain reliever. When you are out of the pain take the next step and treat the sunburned and sensitive skin with aloe vera gel or with a mild moisturizing lotion.

Eczema

Eczema is a common rash which makes you feel itchy followed with the peeling of skin. You can cure this problem by using the over-the-counter cortisone cream for two times a day. It reduces the itches and most often helps to your skin from peeling off.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a type of skin problem that leaves the skin in white color with flaky and peeling  appearance. Use a good moisturizer to make the skin smooth and stop from falling down.

If you are facing the condition of skin peel more often in your days, then it is mostly due to the dryness attack on the skin. By following some home remedies and special care you can dump the problem.

Stop picking

Most of the people don’t leave their hands workless, intentionally or not their fingers pass towards the peeling skin and they start picking it. But you shouldn’t have to make it, the more you pick the more peels you need to see.

Don’t scratch

You may get a supple feeling while you are scratching but there are underlying issues with it, this will increases peeling and itching sensation and may cause infection.

Moisturize

Take a moisturizer or cream or gel or a lotion which is not made with the chemicals and scents. Apply it more than times as per the instructions given.

Oat meal bath

If the itching is making you out of your control then its better to go with an oat meal bath. This will give you relief from itching and also makes the peeling skin smooth. You have to add the oatmeal to plain or cool water but not to hot water as hot it depletes the natural oils from the skin. Alternatively you can take a cool shower bath addition with the baby oil. Baby oil works tremendous and stop your skin from peeling off

Eat well

Catch the protein diet and make your skin rejuvenate. You can get the proteins from lean meat, eggs, fish and milk. If you can able to follow the vitamin rich diet (Vitamins A, B and C) in a continuous manner then you could see the significant skin improvement within a month.

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