Beauty Tips For Teens

Let's face it. Being a teenager means being self-conscious, pretty much all the time. and, if you're a teenage girl, especially one whose skin, complexion or overall appearance is not "picture perfect" that can make the whole experience even worse. (This of course, can apply to any girl, depending on her frame of mind). Fortunately, here are some beauty tips that can come to the rescue for your face and skin type, so you can meet the world refreshed and ready, as well as some make-up and safety tips for when you're going out and having fun. All this said, always remember that true self improvement comes from within, and that while looking good on the outside, in terms of being presentable and attractive, are always find a strive for, but never define who you are.

Facial Skin Care Tip

Some people can confuse the physical transformation that comes with putting makeup on, with a sort of personal transformation, but again this is not the truth. When you feel beautiful inside, you will be more attractive to others on the outside. Makeup will not do it.

From a practical physical standpoint, it is a good idea to remember that your skin needs to breathe. It is important to keep your skin as natural as possible- so try and keep makeup is minimal as is necessary and keep going, "all-out" for special occasions like parties.

Mirrors with good high quality lighting are great for examining your skin – although the first time you take a really good close look it can be a loud and shocking personal alarm to take some fast action, if you’ve neglected your skin. Beauty tip no 1 is to take a close look at it at home and ensure before you do that you’ve done a good job of makeup removal. This can especially be true in the summer, when the excess heat can cause problems faster, if you've left any makeup on your face for an extended period of time.

If your face is usually dry: Before you shower, apply a rich moisturizing mask or thick layer of moisturizer. The moist heat helps the mask plump up fine lines and creases temporarily. Apply a heavy layer of petroleum jelly to lips. At the end of the shower, use a warm damp washcloth to gently massage off both treatments, and then use a naturally made loofah to bring out a natural, healthy glow.

If your skin is naturally oily: Use toner before and after you get out of the shower, before, to clean off any oil that has risen to the surface during sleep, and again when you get out to take off any oil that has surfaced from the heat of the water.

If you have combination skin, only apply toner masks to the "T" area on your face, you could cause your cheeks to redden from applying toner there.
Dab yellow or skin-tone concealer on blue under eye circles. Stay away from lighter skin tone or white cover-ups. You can get free samples to try out in the privacy of your own home and samples are available for all skin tones.

Hair Care Tip

Dwayne, the African-American Culture contributing hair care expert, shares a secret beauty tip on how to prevent hair breakage while you sleep for all hair types, not just black women. Spilt ends have a tendency to get caught on the cotton and your tossing and turning will actually pull the caught pieces out of your head. So little by little, if you were wearing a cotton scarf to protect your hair while you sleep, you may actually be making it worse! It is highly recommended that you either wrap your hair up in silk or satin scarves at night or sleep on silk or satin pillows.

Indian Ethnics.com, has some good Indian (and non Indian as well) beauty tips on make up and skin care for teens. Here's the secret: If you are getting ready for a night on the town, choose a foundation closest to your natural skin tone, and foundation that is to be sure to blend it past your jaw line and across your neck (so it doesn't look as though you're wearing a mask). When it comes to eye shadow, choose a color slightly darker than your eyes.

Beauty Accessory Ideas

As far as accessories, a hot gift idea for a teen with a low-budget can be decorative jewelry, that doesn't necessarily have to come from Tiffany's. There are plenty of places online where you can shop for attractive and very reasonably priced items. Believe it or not, the way you move can actually be one of the most attractive or off-putting features you have. When you can move more gracefully and assuredly, that puts out an air of confidence which will make a difference to matter what it is you are or are wearing. Consider taking a dance lesson, enrolling in some sort of after school sport like gymnastics where you can learn more control over your balance and agility. You may think, what does this have to do with looking good when I'm going out to a party- but once you've got grace and agility in what is referred to as your "muscle memory", it will make a difference in all areas of your life.

And lastly, I always think, especially if going out at night, that taking the time to buy pepper spray, even if it's a teeny little canister that goes on a keychain can be one of the best "accessories" you can own for your own and your loved one's peace of mind. It's probably one of those things you'll never need to use that you'll always be happy you have.

Over Done Sunless Self Tanner: Home Remedies & Tips for Removing

Self tanners are one of the finest inventions because they let would-be sun bunnies go golden brown without ever having to expose yourself to the actual sun. With the ozone layer depleted, the risk of skin cancer from sun exposure has greatly increased, but we all like the glow that says, "Yes, while you've been slaving away in your cubicle, I've been lazily tanning at the beach". Sunless tanner is the way to be a golden girl without forsaking your job, your kids, your graduate education or your winter in the Chicago suburbs.

Fake ‘n’ Bake in a Bottle

Getting the right suntan in a bottle takes a little work, and it's better to pay for the more upscale self tanner if it's going to get you a smooth, even coat in a realistic color. This is no time to be cheap! But even the best sunless tanners can leave you a fake bake orange if you don't apply them correctly, with stealth, patience and continuity. Most self tanning lotions or foams say to reapply every two or three days, because the effect wears off fast.

Removing Splotches and Orange Color Caused By Self Tanners

And that fading effect is what's going to save you if you're wondering how to remove an overdose of self tanner. If you're lucky, it's just your hands or hands and feet that have turned orange, maybe because you forgot to wear gloves when applying the lotion or because your feet got a few more coats than your legs. You can easily fix the sunless tanning orange by waiting a few days—as the outer layer of skin sheds off, the color will come with it. We're all losing skin cells by the thousands each day, so if you can wait, you need do nothing else to get rid of your fake tan. But if the color is an issue because of an important event, tips on removing sunless tanner tend to recommend the use of baking soda. Put a nice blob of baking soda on a washcloth and gently rub it on damp skin. The baking soda exfoliates the skin, speeding up the loss of tanner, and it can be used on your body without the potential chemical complications that would come along with peroxide or bleach. Don't rub yourself raw, even if you're desperate to get the stuff off: give it a little rub, rinse off and wait a couple of hours before trying again.

Home Remedy to Fix Over Applying Sunless Tanner

Baking soda is a home remedy for so many ailments that it's surprising they don't sell it in five gallon containers. If you've used too much sunless tanner all over your body, you can dump several cups of baking soda into your bathtub and crawl in with it. Add water and soak. Basically, you're softening the skin, making it easier for the outer layer to slough and using the whitening properties of baking soda to help provide a little gentle bleaching action. Take your loofah and gently scrub feet, ankles, elbows and other places where the tanning liquid may have collected and created splotches.

For orange or too-brown fingernails and hands or toenails and feet, you can apply a facial cream bleach for around ten minutes, but don't try to use this stuff on other parts of your body: your skin will probably react to it in unpleasant ways.

To cover up sunless tanner on your face while it's wearing off, try layering mineral makeup over it, applying to your neck as well. Use a tinted moisturizer in green or blue to try to counteract seriously orange skin, and add your makeup on top of that. Exfoliate gently at night with an oatmeal scrub and remind yourself that in a few days it will be like nothing happened at all.

Clean Your Jewelry: DIY at Home or Take to a Professional Jeweler for a Steam Cleaning?

Clean your jewelry at home every three months and take your treasured pieces to a professional jeweler's once a year for an in-store cleaning and visual inspection. Many jewelry stores will clean your jewelry for free while you wait on the premises, probably because it's a great way to let people browse for new jewels while their old ones are being bathed.

DIY Home Jewelry Cleaning Products

No everyone has enough jewelry to warrant buying an ionic or ultrasonic jewelry cleaning machine: in fact, some jewelers say that these at-home versions of professional cleaners can cause gemstones to crack or become discolored. Money saving tips for jewelry cleaning include the fact that you can clean your jewelry safely and effectively without buying machines or expensive cleaners, and that it's better to clean as gently as possible with common household products. Don't ever steam clean your jewelry: hard stones don't need it, and soft ones will be damaged by it.

Caring for different types of gemstones and precious metals

In general the harder the stone, the less likely that it will be injured by attempts at cleaning. Metals are also forgiving: for silver jewelry, use an ordinary silver polish you can buy at the grocery store and follow the instructions. Wipe polish onto the piece, rub it, wipe it off and buff the silver to a shine. If you have silver jewelry with stones, they are most likely semi-precious or soft gems like turquoise, opal, pearl, lapis or coral. These softer stones can be injured by abrasion, heat or chemicals. In fact, they can absorb perfumes, so it's better to apply your perfume first and then put on your jewelry to prevent it from being stained by perfume oils. To clean these soft stones, just wipe them with a soft piece of leather called a chamois or chamois cloth. You can find them in automotive sections of the hardware store: car lover like to buff their chrome with them. Make sure and get a chamois that hasn't been treated with anything else: sometimes they are impregnated with metal polish that can ruin your semi-precious gems.

Before cleaning jewelry set with gems or semi-precious stones, make sure the stones are still solidly set. Over time, prong and bezel settings can loosen, and stones can fall out. Shake or tap your jewelry near your ear and listen for a rattle, which would tell you it's loose. If it rattles in its setting, don't clean it: you risk losing the stone. Put the piece in a ziplock bag and take it directly to your jeweler to have it reset and cleaned.

Home remedy for bring back the sparkle

Harder stones like diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires can be cleaned with a weak solution of ammonia (1 part) and water (10 parts). In fact, many of the commercial jewelry cleaners you see in stores are just ammonia and water with a little scent and coloring added. Plain household ammonia, diluted with water works equally well and only costs a few cents. Dip a soft toothbrush in the solution and scrub the stone with the liquid, making sure to get underneath the stone wherever possible, since that's where the majority of dirt, soap residue and skin oils can accumulate. Rinse it off and dry it with the tip of a soft cloth.

Cleaning tarnished jewelry items

Gold, white gold and sterling or tarnished solid silver jewelry can be cleaned with old-fashioned toothpaste. Don't use gels, and avoid the tartar-control and anti-plaque pastes: look for something like the old versions of Crest, Pepsodent or Colgate; simple, white pastes with no added silica that could scratch your jewelry. Load up an old toothbrush with toothpaste, and rub it on the jewelry, making sure to get in all the crevices. Rinse it with tap water and dry with a soft cloth.

When cleaning rings, make sure to do the underside of the ring as well as the part that shows. Necklaces and earrings need gentle treatment, as they may be made of delicate wire or chains that could easily be broken by rough handling.

Pearls and opals require special storage. These stones need moisture, so they need to be placed in containers where air can freely move. If pearls or opals are deprived of a natural amount of humidity, they dry out, lose their iridescence and eventually crack.

Ask the Jeweler for Recommendation and Tips

If you're nervous about DIY home remedies or homemade recipes, you can buy jewelry cleaning kits containing supplies of chamois cloth, a cleaner, a brush and sets of instructions for the care of your jewelry. Make sure to buy your kit from a reputable company, and be wary if it contains harsh chemicals or rough abrasives. Remember, professional jewelers recommend highly diluted ammonia, basic toothpaste and soft cleaning cloths: you don't need anything more.

Dark Under Eye Circles Treatment & How to Hide or Lighten Them with Makeup

Most women over thirty will at some point wonder how to get rid of under eye circles. There are three ways to attack the problem of dark under-eye circles: prevention, topical application and cosmetic restoration. Holistic prevention, while being the easiest solution for some people is also the least effective for most.

What Causes Under-Eye Circles & Darkness

Dark circles under the eyes tends to be a genetic issue and practically unavoidable if dark under eye areas run in your family. But for people whose genetic background doesn't predispose them to dark circles, the easiest solution may be to get some sleep and drink a lot more water. One of the first signs of fatigue or dehydration is dark circles that appear under the eyes. The under-eye skin is thin, with a membrane that runs between a fatty layer and the outer layer of skin we see. When your body needs water, it shows up around the eyes first. Drinking liquor causes dehydration, as does over consumption of sugar and caffeine. Stress also causes under eye puffiness. Diet can impact your face too, especially if you have food allergies, and sulfites in wine can wreak havoc on the delicate skin around your eyes. So, once again, the answer nobody wants to hear: you might be able to banish undereye circles from within by taking care of your health.

Natural Home Remedies for Dark Under Eye Circles

But home remedies can only do so much. If your dark under eye circles don't budge even after a long nap and eight glasses of water a day, it's time to go the cosmetic or make up route. There are lots of options here, some more useful than others. Moisturizers are helpful mainly in that if you have lines around your eyes, the shine from the moisturizer will help lessen them and create a lighter look. Look for moisturizers with natural ingredients such as avocado oil, sesame, Vitamin K and Vitamin E. Moisturizer also works well as a base for under eye makeup like concealer because it smoothes the skin and makes it easier to apply a tinted cosmetic. There are no make-up secrets here: moisturizer will help other makeup keep from caking.

Best Beauty Product to Hide Dark Eye Circles

The best beauty product for under eye circles is concealer, and most makeup artists agree that it's important to use one with a slight golden color, as yellow tones counteract dark ones. Chamomile has long been known as a natural remedy for skin, and some concealers contain this ingredient which can help cure as it covers. Concealer is great for dealing with dark circles as long as you get the right shade and apply it correctly. Some women make the mistake of choosing a concealer that's too light: then you wind up with reverse-raccoon eyes, where the whiteness under your eyes looks strange and somewhat alien. The ideal concealer is usually a shade lighter than your foundation. To some extent, the area under the eyes is somewhat shadier than the rest of your face because the eye sockets naturally are somewhat receded into the face. If your concealer is too light, your eyes will disappear in the glare.

Non Surgical and Surgical Treatments to Correct Puffy Under Eyes

If you're tired of trying to erase your circles with eye cream, you may be looking for a treatment or even a cure. Looking tired all the time can affect your morale as well as the way people treat you. There are non-surgical options to eliminate puffy or dark undereye areas: injections performed by cosmetic surgeons can fill the hollows, and need repeating every three or four months. A really good ocularfacial surgeon can tighten the skin of the eyelids, reducing the puffiness and eliminating the dark circles for years to come. Called blepharoplasty, eyelid surgery can get rid of dark circles, puffy upper or lower eyelids and hollow, tired looking eyes. If you go this route, make sure to find a specialist who has done thousands of eyelids, ask to see before and after pictures and check with the local medical board to check the surgeon's history with other patients.

French Manicure Instructions Guide to the Right Design and Polish for a Natural Look Without Going to the Nail Salon

The French manicure is often considered the most elegant thing you can do with your fingernails, since it combines perfect polish with a natural look that looks smooth and classy. If you're going for a job interview or just want perfect hands to show off a new ring, the French manicure is ideal. The French manicure can easily be done at home, with some patience and the right tools.

Tips for Beginning any Salon Quality Manicure at Home

Any manicure starts with scrubbing your hands, filing your nails and caring for your cuticles. Use a diamond file instead of the cheaper metal ones: it's about a dollar more expensive, but it files much quicker and smoother. For a classic French manicure, your nails shouldn't be dragon-lady long, but should have a smooth, oval shape that's slightly elongated to make the most of the white nail tips. You're going to need:

Instruction Guide to a French Manicure

A base coat in a subtle, neutral color like pale peach, nearly-not-there pink, or beige. The contrast comes with the white nail tips, which point up the hint of color in the base coat.

1. White polish for the tips.
2. Nail tip guide strips
3. A clear top coat.

After filing your nails and tending to your cuticles by softening them and pushing them back away from the half-moons, paint your entire nail with the base coat color and let it dry. If you have chronic problems with getting the nails on your second hand painted cleanly, you may want to start by putting a little petroleum jelly on the skin of your fingers around the nail. The petroleum jelly keeps the polish from sticking to your skin if you should slip up while painting, making for easy clean-up and a neater look overall.

Using French Manicure Stencil or Template Products

Once the base coat of polish is completely dry—never try to rush this step—put the nail tip guides on your fingernails. Apply the strip guide to the area where your actual finger ends. The white tip of your nail shouldn't comprise more than 20% of the overall fingernail when you're done. Make sure to place the guide strips on each finger so that the tips of your nails are the same length for each.

Once the guides are in place, you can brush white polish onto your fingernails. This is a time for especial care, so that you stay with the guides and get no white polish on the lower part of the nail. Don't remove the guides until the white polish is completely dry, or you'll ruin the tips.

Once the white tips are dry, remove the guides. If they leave any sticky residue behind, use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball to take it off. Don't forget and use nail polish remover or you'll ruin your whole manicure!

Professional Salon Finish to Any Mani or Pedi

Finish your French manicure by painting the entire nail with the clear top coat of polish. This does two things: it helps your manicure stay fresh longer by protecting it, and it gives a shiny and unified gloss to each nail.

You can buy a manicure in a kit, great for the new DIY nail maven, because they come with designs, color options, style ideas, instructions and all the products you need for a manicure or pedicure. You can try the new manicure polish pen, buy fun stencils and templates or go for a natural look with a brand like Sephora, Opi or Sally Hansen. For professional looking fingers and toes, you don't need a history of salon work: you can get everything you need online or from your local drugstore. And for a quick version of the French look, you can buy a nail whitening pencil. Slide it under the edge of your nail to white the tip, et viola—instant (not as elegant, but very nice) manicure!

Before You Try Lasik Eye Surgery - Explore Colored and Disposbale Contact Lenses.

There are four options for people with poor eyesight: glasses, contacts, surgery, or bumping into things. Glasses suit some people just fine: other people feel self-conscious in glasses and prefer contacts. My friend Wes detested his glasses, but was too lazy to take care of his contacts. He frequently slept in them; rarely cleaned them. So Wed went around with red-rimmed, swollen, crusty eyes for a couple of years. Since this was before they invented truly extended-wear lenses, he opted for having laser surgery for his nearsightedness. He had to have it redone in one eye (his eye changed shape again after the surgery), but that was more than ten years ago, and he loves his lens-free lifestyle.

Another friend of mine, Rebecca, hated her glasses so much that she just refused to wear them--all through school. It made life hard for her because she was very nearsighted and couldn't even see people's faces in the hallways. The second Rebecca heard about contacts, she started badgering her mom for them, and when she was fifteen, her mom finally decided that she was old enough. She's worn contacts for 24 years, and only wears glasses late at night, too watch TV.

With contact lenses, you have several options in terms of how long you'll wear them, how permeable and comfortable they are, and whether they're fit for regular nearsightedness or astigmatism, where the eye is shaped differently and needs a more highly customized lens. By far the most options you have when it comes to contact are the number and type of salines, cleaners, disinfectants and eyedrops available to you. Particularly if you have allergies or sensitive eyes, the right saline matters, and the most expensive isn't always what's right.

It's amazing really, that more people don't have problems wearing contacts: it's kind of a weird thing to stick a piece of plastic in your eye, which was pretty much designed to keep anything that's not an eyeball out of the eye. But with the miracle of science, someone who can't read a book unless it's perched on her nose can drive a car across the country with the aid of two small pieces of plastic and a bottle of salt water.

Some of the problems lens wearers experience are dry, itchy eyes, redness, burning, or infection.

Rebecca, the glasses-hater, had to switch to lenses that she changes once every few weeks, after her optometrist diagnosed her with an allergy to protein deposits on her regular lenses, which only needed replacing once a year. The new lenses cost more than double the price of the old ones, but she didn't really have a choice, because she couldn't wear her old ones at all. With contacts that you throw out every couple of weeks, the protein deposits don't have much time to become an issue before the lenses are replaced with new ones.

If your eyes are bothering you consistently, you might start by switching salines. Rebecca has a hard time, being allergic to soaps, perfumes, various chemicals and latex. She had been using the saline for sensitive eyes when she suddenly developed a new allergy and wound up using the generic, non-sensitive formula again. Changing salines solved the problem, which was nice, because she wasn't crazy about her red, puffy eyelids.

If you decide to wear contacts, keeping them clean is the best way of avoiding problems with irritation and infections. Keeping lenses clean is pretty simple. Always wash your hands before taking lenses out or putting them in again. Change the saline or disinfectant in your lens case daily, and make sure to use disinfecting methods either by buying the combination disinfectant and saline, or by using a heat unit.. Use enzymatic cleaners on a weekly basis to remove deposits on extended-wear lenses, and rinse them well after enzyming them.

If you're scrupulous about lens hygiene but still have troubles, you may have an allergy. Talk to your optometrist, and try changing salines, cleaners or lenses.

Healthy Pregnancy Information on Proper Beauty Care, Exercise & Nutrition

Women are having babies later in life, and many women are into their forties before the biological time bomb goes off, leaving them thinking, "Omigad: I've just got to have a baby RIGHT NOW". The sudden baby urge is a phenomenon that has never been explained satisfactorily, and now, with women starting high-powered careers in their twenties, and realizing fifteen years down the road that, in the struggle of getting that MBA they forgot to do things about getting pregnant, it isn't so much explored as it is attacked with calendars, hormones, thermometers and implantations.

It's safer than ever before to have a late-life child, but Down syndrome and other birth defects do become more likely, and complications that result in injury to the mother are more likely too. The fact is, our bodies are vastly different at forty-something than they are at twenty-something; less resilient, longer to heal. Modern medical care makes it possible for preemies of under one pound to grow into healthy adults, and with today's understanding of the importance of planning, nutrition, and supplements such as folic acid, older moms experience much less risk than they did even ten years ago.

If you're pregnant and in your late thirties to early forties, you probably have inner and outer resources than younger women. You've probably planned your pregnancy, painted the nursery and are emotionally ready for motherhood. You may even have money saved for your child's education. So, with all your ducks in a tidy row, it may seem even more unfair that morning sickness, fatigue, bloating and blotchy skin are dancing attendance on your upcoming blessed event.

It may not be a surprise to you that many of the things you should be doing to stay healthy during pregnancy are also the things that will keep you looking your best, even in those early, wretched and retching, weeks. Read on for before, during and after beauty tips for pregnant ladies and brand-new moms.

1. I know you think you should be and could be Superwoman. You could try, but you'll probably just wear yourself out, and frankly, they don't give awards for Superwomen. If you can afford it, cut back on the work hours, take every sick day, holiday and personal day off, and don't even think about taking a shorter-than-usual maternity leave.

2. Rest. Step away from the computer, put your feet up, close your eyes, read a book, listen to music. Sleep doesn't count as rest, by the way: your normal nighttime sleep is also still required. Rest in between meetings at work, take naps on weekends, and avoid social events you don't really want to attend anyway by saying quietly (and with just a hint of gravity), "Oh, I'd love to, but I can't. I have to rest."

3. To assist you in resting, consider having groceries or dry cleaning delivered, go out for a meal once in awhile instead of cooking at home, and enlist the aid of those who live with you in things like doing the dishes, putting stuff away, or cleaning the tub. You might feel guilty before the baby comes, but once that wee creature arrives, you'll kick yourself for not having pre-trained your family to help.

4. When you aren't resting, exercise. Take walks, go swimming or take water aerobics, do whatever activities your ob-gyn says is okay for your particular stage of gestated bliss. Exercise is great for the skin, perks up the mental attitude, keeps the kilos down, and promotes your baby's health too.

5. Obviously, you won't smoke, take dope, use over-the-counter medications, or drink alcohol. Pay attention to your caffeine intake, too (remember, what Mommy does, Baby does too). Also, watch the sugar. Diabetes occurs more frequently in older pregnant women, and watching your diet can help keep your blood sugar under control.

6. Undereye circles sometimes come along with morning sickness because you get dehydrated, and it shows up in the thinning skin under the eyes. Drink plenty of water throughout your pregnancy.

7. Buy the prettiest maternity clothes you can find. Subsiding into sweats for months on end will compound any feelings of unattractiveness you may experience. Your body will certainly grow rounder--even around the ankles--but that's no reason to give up on fashion. Fashion loves you, and will always take you back.

8. Your skin color may change during pregnancy, and you may need to buy different shades of makeup. Some lucky women look fabulous between months four and eight: their skin glows, their eyes sparkle. If you are one of these women, count your blessings. If you're one of the other 90%, treat yourself to an occasional facial.

9. Some women get acne from the drastic hormonal surges of pregnancy. Check with your doctor before using anything remotely medicinal: your skin may absorb chemicals that aren't good for the baby. The acne is temporary, and will disappear once your body's hormone levels have evened out.

10. During your pregnancy and after the baby comes, accept help when it's offered. Lots of new moms feel that they should be able to do everything themselves, but in fact, it takes a village to keep Baby's laundry done. Line up a reliable sitter before the birth, so that as soon as you can, you can go out for dinner or a movie without worrying. Let friends cook you dinner, and coerce family members into chores. Fatherly creatures should also be pressed into service when it comes to hourly chores such as feeding, changing or holding Baby.Training your partner in baby-tending does more than get you some extra sleep: it helps Dad and Baby bond.

Girly Girl's Beauty Guide to Camping & Outdoor Vacations

If you want to maintain your beautiful image, never go camping. You may be able to survive a hike of beauty with some waterproof makeup products that can stay put for up to 18 hours. But if you'd like to experience Yosemite or Yellowstone and would rather sleep under the stars than at the Best Western, you don't have to give in entirely to Mother Nature's plan to cover you in dirt, sweat and mosquito bites. Read on for tips to being as gorgeous as possible at the campground of your choice.Ideally, you can start each day with a warm shower. Look for campgrounds that provide running water and "comfort stations", bathrooms with showers and sinks. Hot water (or warm water, in a pinch), is a great cleanser for a gal who's spent the days wandering through the underbrush. If you must, even a cold shower may be preferable to none at all. Most national parks have campgrounds with restrooms, but they get booked up early, so make sure when planning your trip to make your reservations in plenty of time to get a prime location.

Now, here's what to bring with you when you meet Mother Nature face to face.

1. Bug repellent
If there's a lake or a river, if temperatures are in the seventies or higher, if humidity is over 50%, you'll be wanting mosquito repellent. If you're planning to have children ever, read the label before buying repellents: some can cause reproductive harm. (Let's not take this particular moment to discuss why the FDA allows the sale of products that are known to cause birth defects. Then, we'd have to talk about the tobacco industry, and the petroleum industry, and we don't have time for that just now.)

After three days in a national park and a couple of five-mile-hikes through mosquito-infested meadows, I found a product called Herbal Armor, (available from www.allterrainco.com) a combination of citronella, peppermint, cedar, lemon grass and geranium oils in a base of beeswax and natural vegetable oils that kept me bite-free for the rest of the trip. I didn't test it at peak bug times, but I liked its natural, petrochemical-and-cruelty-free makeup. With the West Nile virus still growing and spreading west, bug repellents are becoming more than comfort products--they're important protection from a nasty illness.

2. Wet Wipes
A way to wash without running water. Nice smell, antibacterial. Portable. Perfect.

3. Water, and Lots of It
Drinking water is always important, and if you're hiking, you'll need even more of it. Best-case scenario, you'll have drinking water at your campsite and will just need to pack in enough for the hike. If you happen to have water for washing too, that's even better.

You can wash in streams (use biodegradable soap) and lakes, but don't drink water unless you know it's potable (there are signs at campgrounds saying whether the water is potable and can be drunk, or not). Water fresh from a bubbling spring is certainly attractive, but if a deer or raccoon (or gopher or bear) has also been attracted to water upstream from you, it may very well be contaminated with bacteria and parasites. If you're in parkland or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas, or even federally managed "wilderness", the water may also be contaminated with pesticides, herbicides, runoff from logging and mine tailings, and god-knows-what. I guess the lesson here is, find out as much as you can about where you're going before you leave, and make your bathing plans accordingly.

4. The Right Clothes
You can buy clothes with UV protective qualities combined with breathability. Try REI or other outdoor clothing retailers. You should have a hat, not only to keep the sun off, but to protect your head from hanging brambles, and, in cold weather or rough country, a knit cap to sleep in is also a good idea. (I have a friend who once woke screaming because a field mouse, also screaming, had gotten tangled in her long hair.)

Clothes should fit closely enough that they won't catch on things when you're running from a bear, but loosely enough so that nothing chafes. People with sensitive skin may not be able to tolerate long hikes in heavy denim, the seams of which can rub delicate skin. Cargo pants in cotton blends may provide smooth fabric with extra storage space in the form of pockets. (But if you're more concerned about looking svelte than in extra pockets, skip the cargo pants: they tend to make most of us look hippy.)

Layering is crucial, because you're going to heat up when hiking, cool down after camp's setup, and maybe get really cold in the mountain evening. My favorite outdoor piece is an ultra-thin, silk long-john shirt I found at a thrift store five years ago. It weighs about an ounce, but slipped on under a shirt, provides the equivalent of a whole sweater's worth of warmth.

5. Animal Repellents
Animal repellents such as pepper spray, bear spray and dog spray can all be essential safety and self defense items that are perfect for the outdoors. You never know what type of dangerous situation your could find yourself in out in the wilderness either with a human attacker, wild bear or vicious mountain lions. A defense spray on hand will give you time to escape to safety.

Beauty Tips For Teens

Let's face it. Being a teenager means being self-conscious, pretty much all the time. and, if you're a teenage girl, especially one whose skin, complexion or overall appearance is not "picture perfect" that can make the whole experience even worse. (This of course, can apply to any girl, depending on her frame of mind). Fortunately, here are some beauty tips that can come to the rescue for your face and skin type, so you can meet the world refreshed and ready, as well as some make-up and safety tips for when you're going out and having fun. All this said, always remember that true self improvement comes from within, and that while looking good on the outside, in terms of being presentable and attractive, are always find a strive for, but never define who you are.

Facial Skin Care Tip

Some people can confuse the physical transformation that comes with putting makeup on, with a sort of personal transformation, but again this is not the truth. When you feel beautiful inside, you will be more attractive to others on the outside. Makeup will not do it.

From a practical physical standpoint, it is a good idea to remember that your skin needs to breathe. It is important to keep your skin as natural as possible- so try and keep makeup is minimal as is necessary and keep going, "all-out" for special occasions like parties.

Mirrors with good high quality lighting are great for examining your skin – although the first time you take a really good close look it can be a loud and shocking personal alarm to take some fast action, if you’ve neglected your skin. Beauty tip no 1 is to take a close look at it at home and ensure before you do that you’ve done a good job of makeup removal. This can especially be true in the summer, when the excess heat can cause problems faster, if you've left any makeup on your face for an extended period of time.

If your face is usually dry: Before you shower, apply a rich moisturizing mask or thick layer of moisturizer. The moist heat helps the mask plump up fine lines and creases temporarily. Apply a heavy layer of petroleum jelly to lips. At the end of the shower, use a warm damp washcloth to gently massage off both treatments, and then use a naturally made loofah to bring out a natural, healthy glow.

If your skin is naturally oily: Use toner before and after you get out of the shower, before, to clean off any oil that has risen to the surface during sleep, and again when you get out to take off any oil that has surfaced from the heat of the water.

If you have combination skin, only apply toner masks to the "T" area on your face, you could cause your cheeks to redden from applying toner there.
Dab yellow or skin-tone concealer on blue under eye circles. Stay away from lighter skin tone or white cover-ups. You can get free samples to try out in the privacy of your own home and samples are available for all skin tones.

Hair Care Tip

Dwayne, the African-American Culture contributing hair care expert, shares a secret beauty tip on how to prevent hair breakage while you sleep for all hair types, not just black women. Spilt ends have a tendency to get caught on the cotton and your tossing and turning will actually pull the caught pieces out of your head. So little by little, if you were wearing a cotton scarf to protect your hair while you sleep, you may actually be making it worse! It is highly recommended that you either wrap your hair up in silk or satin scarves at night or sleep on silk or satin pillows.

Indian Ethnics.com, has some good Indian (and non Indian as well) beauty tips on make up and skin care for teens. Here's the secret: If you are getting ready for a night on the town, choose a foundation closest to your natural skin tone, and foundation that is to be sure to blend it past your jaw line and across your neck (so it doesn't look as though you're wearing a mask). When it comes to eye shadow, choose a color slightly darker than your eyes.

Beauty Accessory Ideas

As far as accessories, a hot gift idea for a teen with a low-budget can be decorative jewelry, that doesn't necessarily have to come from Tiffany's. There are plenty of places online where you can shop for attractive and very reasonably priced items. Believe it or not, the way you move can actually be one of the most attractive or off-putting features you have. When you can move more gracefully and assuredly, that puts out an air of confidence which will make a difference to matter what it is you are or are wearing. Consider taking a dance lesson, enrolling in some sort of after school sport like gymnastics where you can learn more control over your balance and agility. You may think, what does this have to do with looking good when I'm going out to a party- but once you've got grace and agility in what is referred to as your "muscle memory", it will make a difference in all areas of your life.

And lastly, I always think, especially if going out at night, that taking the time to buy pepper spray, even if it's a teeny little canister that goes on a keychain can be one of the best "accessories" you can own for your own and your loved one's peace of mind. It's probably one of those things you'll never need to use that you'll always be happy you have.

Get A Healthy Whiter Smile With Toothbrush, Toothpaste & Whitener Products Professionals Use

Taking care of your teeth means more than brushing with a good toothbrush twice a day with a flouridated toothpaste, and visiting the dentist twice a year, but those are the basics for caring for your smile. As we get older, problems with bad teeth and gums start to show in terms of yellowing, chipping or sensitivity. With age, teeth lose their whiteness and begin to yellow: one sure-fire way to take years off your appearance is by whitening your teeth with a home or professional whitener.

The truth about over the counter whitening toothpastes

Many toothpastes claim to be "whitening", but when you read the label, you'll see the only active ingredient is fluoride. Fluoride is necessary for preventing cavities, but it doesn't do a thing for whiter teeth. Other over-the-counter "whitening" products include baking soda and peroxide. Baking soda wisdom works by friction: it polishes stains from teeth. But, if your enamel is thin in places, baking soda can wear it further, exposing the dentin layer beneath the enamel. When that happens, you wind up with a brown spot or pit in the tooth. These spots often appear along the gemlike, where enamel tends to wear away naturally and is weak. Whitening toothpastes can't fix worn enamel: it takes a trip to the dentist to replace the missing layer with bonding.

Strengthing and repairing worn tooth enamel

Worn enamel comes with age: it also appears in younger people who grind their teeth, people who eat a lot of acidic foods, and people with bulimia whose enamel has been worn away by stomach acids. People with chronic heartburn or acid reflux disease may also have enamel worn off by acid, but for bruxers (or people who grind their teeth), the enamel comes off because of the pressure exerted by the jaws. The enamel flakes or cracks off under the pressure. If you grind your teeth, your dentist will recommend that you wear a plastic night guard over your teeth at night.

Natural tooth whitening remedy and products

Peroxide is the classic at-home tooth whitening ingredient. Toothpastes like Rembrandt contain peroxide in a dosage that, over a period of weeks or months, has a bleaching affect on teeth by six shades or more. Depending on your teeth's sensitivity, you may prefer slower-working toothpastes to quick-acting whitening kits. Bleach can make teeth sensitive, so if you try a tooth-whitener, go slow at first, and maybe pair it with a sensitivity-reducing paste such as Sensodyne.

Professional dentist tooth whitening - $$$$

If you're in a hurry, you can have your teeth professionally whitened in about an hour at the dentist's for around $300. Your dentist may use a combination of topical bleaching gel and a light activator to get your teeth super-white in no time at all.

Whiten your teeth without a trip to the dentist

If you don't want to spend several hundred dollars, you have other options. Rembrandt has a new two-hour whitening system (Rembrandt 2-Hour White from www.drugstore.com) that uses trays and a gel to whiten teeth in a much shorter time than the usual two-week period needed for other whiteners. You leave the trays on for 20 minutes, then take them out for ten minutes, alternating until the two hours are up. Or you can try other popular at home whiteners, like Crest White Strips, which take about a week to complete the whitening process.

Shape Eye Brows with Threading, Waxing and Plucking with Tweezers

Eyebrows are tricky creatures. You know how they’re supposed to look, but sometimes they don’t want to cooperate, and because they’re growing out of your head, they have a semi permanent character that defies wishes and good intentions.

One of the many problems of eyebrows is the fact that if they aren’t the right color, they can either dominate your face or disappear entirely. Their unfortunate (but necessary) proximity to your eyeballs makes it a pretty major no-no to just sweep the haircolor across each brow and hope it doesn’t drip into your eyes. That’s why the goddess of practical beauty created the eyebrow pencil, an unsatisfactory solution, but sometimes better than nothing if your eyebrows happen to be very pale.

Shaping Your Eyebrows: How to get the perfect arch shape

Shape is also crucial, and if your eyebrows are coarse, creating and maintaining the ideal shape is difficult because pulling out individual hairs can leave large gaps, or severely shorten the length of a brow if you happen to pull out the half-inch hair on the very end.

The perfect eyebrow starts above the inside corner of your eye (over the tear duct), and ends at the outside corner, above your eyelashes. Eyebrows should have an arch: in nature, it’s rarely where it should be, which is a frustrating commentary on standards of beauty. Ideally, the arch happens over the iris, the colored part of your eye. It should be gentle, so if you’re planning to reshape your arch, take it very, very slowly. Do a hair or two a day, and err on the side of caution. Hasty plucking can give you a surprised look that lasts for weeks.

How to Pluck Eyebrows with Tweezers: The Do's and Don'ts

Many women pluck their eyebrows with tweezers. Some wax them, but wax is tricky because it’s hard to get an accurate shape. And some go to a hair removal salon to try "threading." Although threading is newly popular in the United States, it is a centuries-old technique of hair removal practiced in India. The eyebrow experts say never, never to pluck your eyebrows from above, but always to pluck from the bottom of the brow. I say, if you have some wild or stray or bushy hairs growing above your brows, feel free to pluck them. I did it once, and nothing bad happened to me.

I read somewhere that it’s okay to trim your eyebrows. I think this is good if the single hairs are long and thick. You can pluck some hairs and trim the others, brushing them up, evening the ends (be careful not to trim too much!), then brushing them down checking again and again as you go along.

Use Eyebrow Gel to Keep Your Brow Shape Neat after Tweezing

Finally, keeping your brows neat can be done with special eyebrow gel, or you can use a little hair gel to smooth them and keep them shapely.

You can buy an entire professional-style brow kit that includes tweezers, pencils, grooming gels and brush from Anastasia at www.drugstore.com.

Cure a Common Ingrown Toenail With a Foot Bath Home Remedy

Although most foot care experts say that clipping toe nails straight across helps prevent in grown toenails, you may still fall victim to one anyway: it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, it can happen to anyone. Shoes that don’t fit right can cause an ingrown nail, as can just being on your feet or walking a lot. If a nail is becoming ingrown, you’ll first notice that it’s feeling tender where the nail is pushing into the side of your skin. You may find yourself favoring that foot, or pressing your toe against the inside of your shoes.

If you don’t catch it soon enough, the toe will become inflamed where the nail is digging into the soft skin of your toe. People who ignore their ingrown toenails end up having surgery, because things can get infected pretty fast. I saw a picture of a neglected toenail once, and I’ll never get the image out of my head.

If you think you’re getting an ingrown toenail, soak your foot in hot water, and even add some lavender or tea tree oil to help soften the skin further. After you’ve given it a good soak, say twenty or thirty minutes, see if you can pull the embedded nail up on the corner, lifting it away from the skin. You can use a nail file for this delicate operation, just barely, slowly sliding it under the edge of the nail. Be careful that your hand doesn’t slip –the pain will be enormous. (I probably don’t have to tell you to be gentle –the agony in your toe will make you ever so careful!)

Sometimes it takes more than one soaking to get the nail soft enough to lift from the skin. Especially if you have thin, sharp nails, they are more likely to bite into the sides of the toe. If you don’t succeed the first time, dry off your poor foot, dab on lavender or tea tree oil (they both have antiseptic and antibiotic properties) or some Neosporin, and try again tomorrow. In the mean time, stay off your foot as much as possible, and when you put your shoes on in the morning, first wrap your toe with a thick, soft bandage to cushion it.

A newly ingrown toenail will usually concede de-feet (har-har) after three or four days of gently soaking and cautious prying. Once the nail lifts past the skin, trim the nail with a small pair of scissors, and if your toe’s not too sore, file it smooth. Now you will have a tender, pink channel in your toe where the nail once pressed. Keep it bandaged and clean. To prevent infection, apply antibiotics after bathing until your toe doesn’t hurt anymore.

If the toenail is stubborn and you can’t get it out after several tries, hobble off to the doctor, who will put it to rights for you.

Ingrown toenails are like ear infections: some people go their whole lives without having a single toenail upset, and others are plagued by then. Once you get one, it’s more likely to recur, so make sure you treat your feet nicely, buy good shoes that fit right, and pay attention to any toe pain that arises.

I like to read the old books on how to be beautiful, and one important adage is to buy the most expensive shoes you can afford, even if your feet are strange sizes and your shoes have to be custom-made. It makes sense, considering the importance of foot health to daily life. Bad shoes can add corns and bunions even to young feet, and they affect your posture and back health. Not sexy topics, but prevention is everything when it comes to caring for your ten dancing toes!

How to Prevent Chronic Halitosis By Learning What Causes Your Bad Breath

I once took a class in Argentine Tango, which was set up so that men and women constantly exchanged partners while learning the stylized steps. That was okay, but there was one guy who had zero rhythm, and three minutes of trying to tango with him (counting to himself and still failing his steps miserably) was like a stumbling, cursing lifetime. But dancing with that poor klutz (I'm no Pavlova, by the way) was nothing compared to the man whose breath was so bad, I had to fight to hold my own breath or simply go mad. In the few steps where we turned away from each other, I had to gasp for a fresh breath of air, then turn for the next hellish step into the miasma. I felt bad for the man at first: clearly, taking a tango class wasn't going to make him popular with women as long as he could not get rid of his bad breath. But soon, I started to hate him: how could he not know the effect his breath had on others? Why wouldn't he chew a mint, for crying out loud?

It was so bad that I actually considered telling him, a total stranger, that he should chew gum so I could bear to dance with him. I didn't have to go that far, though, because in the end, I met a lovely, sexy, middle-aged psychologist who was not only a fine and graceful dancer, but who smelled nice and liked to dance with me. He managed to show up in front of me more and more often in the partner exchanges, and soon, I hardly danced with anyone else.

Preventing bad breath from occurring or at least affecting others

I brush my teeth about five times a day, and chew gum too. I good swish of mouthwash can be quite refreshing after a garlic filled dinner as well. But there have been times when forays into Vietnamese cooking or beer-and-pizza-with-the-guys has left my mouth less than fresh, which is why I carry gum in my purse for emergencies. This is a quick, temporary solution to curing lunchtime bad breath. While some people swear by breath mints, I've found that they don't do much for eliminating your breath once they're gone.

Natural Solution to Stop Bad Breath

If you don't want to get into any serious breath medications, there simpler more natural products available. For super-halitosis emergencies, you can use Breath Assure, which is nothing more than capsules of parsley oil. You don't chew them (I tried it once and was rewarded with a strong, sweet, oily taste that made me look like my friends' cat the day we tried to give him Benadryl to reduce the swelling from a spider bite. The vet didn't specify the type, just the dosage, and the liquid baby-dose Benadryl made him foam at the mouth for two hours. It was extremely unnerving.) The parsley oil works wonders, eliminating garlic breath and sweetening the breath for hours. Maybe that's why Greek, Turkish and Arabic cuisines combine parsley with lemon and garlic for relishes, salads and sauces.

If you are on a date and in a pinch with absolutely no breath prevention methods on hand, try eating the parley sprig most restaurants place of their plates as decoration. It's free, easily available, and it works! Just be discreet so your date doesn't catch on to your halitosis worries.

Causes of Bad Breath

Bad breath that comes from food is easily finished off by brushing your teeth, scraping your tongue, flossing, gum chewing or the aforementioned Breath Assure, but chronic bad breath can be a symptom of other problems health problems such as tooth decay, sinus infection, gum disease, or stomach problems. Eating disorders can also create halitosis from the stomach acids churned up by hunger or by vomiting. If you (or the guy in your tango class) experience chronic bad breath, the first thing to do is get to your dentist for a checkup. After ruling out possible dental care issues, your dentist may recommend a visit to the doctor to rule out other illnesses.

Home Treatment Remedy for Halitosis

Old mouthwashes contained alcohol and mint flavorings. New mouthwashes include zinc and chlorine dioxide. Zinc stops the process that creates the sulfur compounds in the mouth, which are largely responsible for causing bad breath. Chlorine dioxide kills the sulfur that's already present. You may decide to add mouthwash to your regular hygiene program whether or not you have other health issues that need to be resolved in order to stop chronic halitosis for good.

Pedicures and Foot Care Tips for Year Round Pretty Bare Feet

The foot: an interesting part of the human anatomy. When we’re born, they take our footprints, people count our toes and tickle our soles to hear that wonderful baby gurgle. At that amazing age babies can actually take hold of their feet to chew reflectively on their own toes. Long before we’re walking, our parents are cramming them into tiny little leather Oxfords, hiking boots or even tiny running shoes, I guess because they’re just so darned cute. Once we do start walking, we take our feet for granted. They get us where we want to go, and that’s just fine.

But once we’re grown and trying to fulfill our sexual destiny, we become aware of feet as aesthetic accessories. Turns out, they are more than just balancing tools, locomoting appendages. Feet have the surprising capacity to be extremely cute, or they can be downright hideous. Women's feet are usually nicer than men's, and the foot fetish is a common obsession among men. In fact, China once made the foot the primary object of female sexual beauty, subjecting women to footbinding because tiny feet were considered the most attractive. We still hold to the ideal of tiny feet, which explains why it's so hard to find women's shoes in wider that "B" width. It also describes pointy-toed shoes, stilettos and other fashionable footwear that makes your legs look wonderful, but can turn toes into what one author described as "scrambled monstrosities".

Sexy feet, repulsive feet, are not usually a matter of luck. A lot depends on the care and maintenance regime established by the foot-owner. At an absolute, bare minimum, feet should be clean. I mean, you walk on them, don’t you! What if you were stuffed into a leather show all day, strolling through parking lots, jogging in parks, shopping, doing laundry, tapping impatiently in line at the bank. Feet suffer from lack of air, from shoes that don’t breathe, from sweaty conditions on hot summer asphalt. Daily scrubbing with soap and a nail brush is a good start, but it’s only a start, if you want good-looking feet.

When it comes to toenails, there is no in-between. Clean, healthy, well-groomed toenails are sexy. Grubby, long, unhealthy toenails are nasty, and not to be tolerated. Toenails should be well-brushed with soapy water, clipped short and neat with clippers, and treated with anti-fungal medicine if nails are discolored, thick or peeling. Even girls can get athlete’s foot (always wear flip-flops at the gym, at the pool, at the park, in any shower that is not your very own), and there topical medicines that can cure it. (If you don’t know what athlete's foot is, it’s a fungus that causes feet to burn, itch and peel).

Assuming your feet are clean and healthy, the step to beauty is a short one. Keep your feet smooth by using a pumice stone a couple of times a week, rub them with lotion like Upper Canada Peppermint Foot Cream to keep them soft, and use a clear polish if you don’t like brightly colored toes. No one talks about it (except in women's studies class), but women grow hair on their toes. If your toes are fuzzy, you can wax them to add to overall foot smoothness. Get a pedicure for that professional polish, but don’t let them cut your cuticles, whose sole purpose in life is to keep your feet safe from infections.

Showcase your sexy feet in strappy date-night sandals, sexy career pumps or silly, weekend, jelly thongs with a silver toe ring for an accent. (Never wear a toe ring and an anklet at the same time –it’s a huge Fashion Don’t). Hiking boots are ideal for long walks, and they also look cute with ragg socks in wool or cotton and tweed skirts. Boots always look wonderful, and the longer they are, the better they look. (There is a limit—boots that go past the knee scream "Dominatrix!" and may not be the look you’re trying to project.

Home Manicure Tips: How to Polish, File, and Buff Nails Like a Professional Nail Salon

Are you tired of spending thousands of dollars each year at the nail salon? If you’re like most of the country budgets are tighter than ever. To compensate for high gas prices and the rising cost of food, tanning and massages salons are seeing a decline in customers due to the economy. In addition, many women are forgoing their weekly trip to their professional nail technician and are doing their nails at home. However, knowing how to properly buff and prepare their nails can be a challenge. If not done correctly, you can actually damage your nails. So, take a look at these easy steps and learn the correct way to buff nails.

Use Salon Products and Tools

There are thousands of nail products on the market today and knowing which tools you need to properly buff your nails can be tricky. However, if you visit your local beauty store you will need to pick up only a few products. First, a handheld nail buffer is essential on your list of supplies. These look similar to emery boards; however they have several different colored panels and appear more like a foam block. You may also want to grab a few bottles of colored polish or OPI polish in French white if you’d like to give yourself a French manicure.

Before Filing or Buffing…..

Before you start filing away at your nails, there are a few things you should do first. Be sure to remove all old polish with a gentle finger nail polish remover. Look for those without acetone for the gentlest results. After getting rid of the polish, soak your hands in warm soapy water for ten minutes. This will soften your nails and skin to allow you to not only buff your nails better but also remove the unwanted cuticle areas. You can make your own homemade hand spa by filling a large bowl with warm water and adding a small amount of scented bath oil to the water. After soaking your hands, be sure to dry them completely.

Buff Nails the Right Way

To begin, grab your nail buffer and file your nails as you normally would (rounded, square or oval). With the roughest side of the buffer, start to buff your nails. Use a gently side-to-side motion when doing this. The main purpose of this phase is to smooth out any major ridges your nails may have. Next, use the next roughest side of your buffer and repeat the process. This will further work any ridges out of your nail area. To finish the buffing phase, utilize the smoothest part of the buffer to polish your nails until they shine.

Be sure not to be too rough when you are using the first few sides of the buffer. These are meant to only be used gently on the nails. Being too aggressive can lead to a split or chip in the nail, which is almost always difficult to repair properly.

Tips for Professional Salon Results

After you’ve successfully buffed your nails, consider taking your homemade manicure to the next level. Grab your favorite lotion (with or without sun block) and a pair of clean cotton gloves (socks will work if you don’t have gloves). Lather your hands in the lotion, put them into the gloves and wait for ten minutes. When you pull your hands out, wash and dry them well. You will find they are incredibly natural and soft! Be sure to wipe your nails well, apply a top coat of polish and begin painting them in your desired color. Allow the first coat of polish to set and apply another thin coat. Finish with a top coat and allow it to dry.As you can see, getting beautiful nails doesn’t necessarily require an expensive trip to the salon. So, instead of spending money on artificial acrylic nails this season, consider taking the natural route and doing your nails and toe nails yourself at home!

Stop a Nail Biting Habit with Proper Natural Nail Care

The first thing we can all do in having good-looking hands is to keep them
clean by washing regularly. It’s amazing how many people (guys especially, but some women and girls too) walk around with grubby non manicured finger nails. Get a nail brush and put it by the sink, so it’s convenient whenever you wash your hands. An added plus of a nail brushing your fingers is the way it feels: those soft bristles and the luxurious soapy lather take your hands on a daily very mini spa vacation. Always follow up with a nice hand cream or lotion to keep your hands moisturized

Stop nail biting. Break your toddler or child's habit early.

Beautiful hands and nail care start with basics, and not having raggy, bleeding cuticles is a primary step in having presentable hands. Granted, one of the hardest habits to break is to stop fingernail biting, but it’s also one of the more disfiguring things that can happen to a hand. We all know someone who bites their nails to the quick, then starts on those ragged cuticles. Nail-biting usually starts in early childhood as a toddler with some people never outgrowing it, while others only revert to nail-biting in times of stress.

A finger nail biting cure that helped remedy 18 year old girl's problem from when she was a child.

I know a New York woman who stopped biting her nails when she was eighteen, because she wanted to be a flight attendant, and she had read in one of those “How to Be a Flight Attendant” guides, that bitten nails would keep her from being accepted into “Smile School”. (It was a long time ago, when airlines also had age limitations for stewardesses.) I admired her greatly as she stopped through sheer willpower.

At first, she went retro and wore gloves a lot. She also started carrying a nail file in her purse so that when a nail got split or roughened, she could take care of it on the spot. She wore gloves because taking off a glove to bite a nail is a great way to make yourself pause and consider, and then stop the behavior before it starts. She never did become a flight attendant, but she did have her hands photographed for a newspaper ad for the Chicago manicure and nail salon that she frequented and once more a few years later for a Los Angeles nail care and manicure salon.

Nail care and nail biting products

There are some products on the market to stop nail-biting, super-hot or bitter things to paint on your nails. I've heard some nail-biters say that the nasty taste didn't stop them, but they must work for some people.

Finally, for nail-biters and non-nail-biters alike, hand cream right before bed is a great way to keep your skin smooth. When things are looking rough (or if you’re a biter who’s trying to quit), you can get some wonderfully thin cotton gloves, slather on a hand cream like Sephora’s Bliss Glamour Glove Gel and glove up until morning. The cotton will keep the hand cream off the pillows and on your hands where it belongs. And for a real spa-treatment, get some little cotton socks and give your feet the same experience.

Nail polish shows off those fingers.

And for a little something extra try a nice bright nail polish for your next manicure. OPI nail products give a great professional finish that looks like you went to a manicure salon or spa. But buyer beware of the "fake" acrylic manicure. Your own natural nails are better than using fake "glue on" nails. If your manicurist doesn't properly clean tier tools, acrylic nail application can cause the dreaded nail fungus that has to be specially treated for months at a time. My advice save the acrylic french manicure for a special event or occasion like attending the Boston symphony in a black sleek gown.