Bathing Suit Tips for Body Flattering Swimwear for Women and Teen Girls

Every year, it happens. Bathing suit weather arrives, and with it, sales on swimwear (or for some, suntan wear.) The good news is, the variety has never been greater. The bad news, the variety and decisions have never been greater.

Decisions, decisions. Now it seems there is a bathing suit for every type of woman or situation as there are mastectomy suits, maternity swimsuits, plus-size swimwear, suits for tall or petite women. And then the real decisions start.

Do I want a one piece, two piece bathing suit, bikini, or tankini. Should it be slimming, help camouflage (you know) with an underwire, or be one of those what they call miracle suits. Should I be bold and go with something hot, sheer, sexy, exotic as in something skimpy like a thong or brazilian g string. Do I splurge and look for a brand name designer like Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria Secret, Anne cole, or sporty with Nike or Lands End. Or do I do as I always do and look on the discount rack or wait for my bathing suit pick to go on sale. And lets not forget color, black, white, floral or florescent. Decisions decisions.

What womens swimsuit fashion is best and most flattering for your body type

Apple shaped body frames have broader shoulders and smaller hips. Two-piece bikinis or tankinis with a solid color top and a patterned bottom will give you a more balance appearance.

Pear shaped body types have larger hips and smaller shoulders with a waist that is larger than the shoulders. One-piece bathing suits with tummy control or other design feature that create the illusion of a waist line will be the most flattering.

Small Bust - To enhance a smaller bust try a halter bikini top that has a seam just under the bust line or a lightly padded or line top. Swim wear with texture can also help detract attention away from your bust line if you feel self-conscious.

Fuller Bottom - Skirted swim suits are back in style and can be found in many different patterns and styles. The skirt flatters a fuller bottomed body type and will give you a more balance look. You may also want to try on a few boy short styles as well. Both of these options offer a little more coverage on the bottom.

Slender, athletic bodies have shoulders, waist and hips that are the similar in width. One-piece or two-piece suits with detailing around the waist will help create a more hourglass shape. Try a wrap style top or a belted bathing suit bottom to create more waist definition.

Hourglass figures have balance shoulders and hips with a smaller waist. If this is you, you're lucky because just about any classic styled bathing suit should flatter your figure.

Buying a swimsuit is about perception

Buying a swimsuit has a lot to do with beauty because it’s more about perceptions than it is actual good looks. The fact is, with the right attitude, nearly any woman’s swim suit will look good to men, provided there’s a woman in it. Other women are much pickier about what suit looks good on what body, and the worst critic of all is that chick in the mirror. I have a few beauty tips about bathing suits and bikinis, which I will pass on to you in the hopes that they will inspire confidence. Some of them are just theoretical for me, and others I use whenever I shop for a suit. Use what works for you.

How much are you willing to spend for designer swimwear?

Like good shoes, good bathing suits cost money. You’re paying for design here, and for things like built-in controls or enhancements. Thanks to the fairly recent craze for selling binkini tops and bottoms separately, retailers have found they can charge a lot more for a whole suit than they could five or six years ago when bottoms and tops were inseparable. On average, a decent suit will cost you around $60. On the other hand, if you have a great body, it doesn’t matter if your suit is cheap because you don’t have anything to hide. Just make sure you buy something that won’t come apart when it hits the water.

When to buy a cheap swimsuit.

If you’re only going to wear a bathing suit the three days you go to the beach each year, or for sunning in the back yard, you can go cheaper too. In fact, there’s no reason not to wear a pair of shorts and a bathing suit top or even a camisole or tank top. It’s crazy to spend a lot of money for a suit you aren’t going to wear.

One piece or two piece bathing suit? Who will be looking or who do you want looking?

A shy friend of mine went to Mexico, and because she was very modest and didn’t feel very pretty, she wore a pair of men’s trunks and a bikini top in the pool at the hotel. A Mexican fellow who frequented the pool told her that if she wanted to blend in, she’d better drop the trunks and wear bikini bottoms. She did, and they went dancing several times after that. She came home with a golden tan and a happy expression.

Comfort is important, and depending on the beach or pool scene, either no-one will notice you at all, or everyone will be watching everyone else. If it matters to you, or if your boyfriend’s ex is going to be at the party, fork out the big money and look great, even if you only wear that suit that one day.

How much coverage do you want from your beach wear?

Crucial to the question of bathing suits is coverage. Again, the nicer your body, the less coverage you need, unless you’re shy or you’re smart and want to save your skin from sun damage. You can apply sunscreen and sunless tanner and have a beautiful glowing tan without the sun exposure. Just be sure to evenly distrubute and don't over apply the self tanner and end up looking a shade or orange. If you plan to be swimming or playing volleyball or surfing, you may want more coverage because a suit that covers more of you also tends to hang on, where flimsier, actually make that skimpier, things might fall off or out.

With board shorts, boyshorts and hipster bikinis, we can buy suits that fit even in the middle of a plus size day or PMS fat attack. A well-cut one-piece can hide and camoflauge an assortment of figure flaws. Contrary to what some experts will tell you, large floral designs do not minimize a heavy body, and you don’t have to wear black either. Depending on where the chubbiness lies, a smaller-coverage suit may turn out to be more flattering than the high-coverage suit you didn’t want to buy anyway. No one can possibly see all the lumps and bumps as the girl in the bathing suit in the mirror does, so pick the least worst suit you can find, and get out there and play!

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Home Remedies and Treatments to Repair Damaged Hair

Dry, damaged hair is one of life's little horrors: it won't ruin you, but it won't do you any good. Maybe your hair was caught in a freak, hot roller accident; perhaps chemical straighteners or perms have tortured it into a permanent, frizzy fright wig. You may seek treatment from a local salon, but the stylist might recommend a crew cut. So, what can you do to repair extremely damaged hair that doesn't require a period of enforced baldness? Or what if you're darned close to bald already from chlorine, hair color, blow drying and other hair related emergencies?


People most likely to have damaged hair include those with fine hair and African Americans who use straighteners or keep their hair in cornrows (this tightness can damage the hair follicles and cause hair loss) . African American's hair is very delicate –usually drier than Caucasian hair, and can be easily ruined by chemicals and heat.

How to Grow Out Your Damaged Hair

If your hair has been truly wrecked, sometimes the best thing to do is have professional advice and then cut off as much damaged hair and split ends as possible so you can start fresh. You know when to cut off your hair: it's when you'd rather be bald than look the way you do now! A super-short haircut can be appealing if you go to someone who will shape the cut to your face. Understanding face shape is the difference between a ten dollar, ten minute hair cut and an admittedly more expensive, hopefully much nicer one.

Remedies for Dry, Damaged Hair

Home remedies for "hair gone wrong" include restoration of moisture to hair not too severely damaged and making way for regrowth. In the case of hair ruined by hot rollers or straightening, you may have a few inches of relatively undamaged hair on the scalp. Get a medium-severe haircut to get rid of the frizzled hair tips, or leave the damage right where it is and concentrate on protecting the good hair. Leave off the chemicals, avoid the blow dryer and other heated hair appliances, and use gentle shampoo as infrequently as you dare. Shampoo strips oils from your hair, making it more brittle, so if you don't really need to shampoo, cut it down to once a week or so. And forget vitamins in shampoo: they don't work. You can try taking vitamins internally to keep your hair strong as a side effect of your increased health, but there aren't any vitamins that help when applied externally.

Home Deep Conditioning: Over the Counter & Natural Products

Buy deep conditioner hot oil products at the drugstore, or go the homemade route for less money. Hot oil treatments (actually, the oil is warm, not hot), work by starting with dampened hair, softening the cuticle and locking in the water by sealing the outside of the hair with a coating of oil. You can make your hair drier by using hot oil if you then go and wash it all out with a harsh shampoo. When you give yourself a moisturizing hair treatment, leave it on overnight and then wash it with a gentle shampoo the next day.

Deep conditioning home remedies and recipes for fried hair include mayonnaise, avocado and egg, but some of us prefer to eat our salads, not wear them. You can get the job done using any cooking oil (but peanut oil will make you smell peanutty!) Coconut suntan oil is a favorite, and it smells terrific, too. Rinse your hair with warm water, apply the oil from the palm of your hand, working it into your hair. Now comes the warm part: wrap your head in a towel or a plastic hair bag that comes with hair color kits, or in some cling wrap, and sit around in it as long as you can. Cover your pillow with a safety-pinned towel and sleep on it overnight. Next day, use a moisturizing or baby shampoo to wash out the greasiness.

If your hair has been ruined from color treatments, consider switching to a repairing henna, which has been used for centuries to keep hair shiny and bright. Unlike permanent colors, henna has no ammonia to strip your hair; the henna sits on the outside of the hair shaft, so it can't do any damage. But test it first; some people are allergic to this all-natural herb!

Moms Need to Take Time for Themselves to Feel and Look Beautiful

When you spend your life running after a toddler or shepherding bigger kids around town, you may be feeling less like a happy mother and more like a disenfranchised maid. When you’re thinking of running off the Mexico instead of picking Jimmy up from soccer, it may be time to take a break from being Super Mommy and just be yourself.

You don’t have to send the kids to boarding school to get a little me-time. In fact, you can put the little dickens to work. Children as small as four years old can be taught to brush your hair (although they probably can’t learn to brush their own just yet). You can share a face mask with your kids, letting them rub it on your face. You can rub a little on theirs too, and then everybody can wash it off together.

Having time to yourself is an important part of life, and mom’s need time too. If your children are still at the napping age, invite a girlfriend over at nap-time and do each other’s nails or hair, just like you did when you were a teenager. Trade babysitting with another mom and take yourself out for a movie, or hire a sitter to take your kids to a movie while you shop or stay home to read.

--Editors Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a Home Spa with Common Grocery Store Items

You don't have to spend lots of money to feel like a princess, even if you spent the morning chasing kids to the school bus and then getting yourself ready for work. Shopping's hard work for people on the go, and you may forget the necessary luxuries in the rush of trying to get home to make dinner. What happened to your favorite bubble bath, a tin of caviar and a bottle of champagne? Who says you can't lounge on pillows and eat grapes? (Out of grapes? Put them on the list).

Things in the grocery store can turn your house into a veritable spa. Natural cosmetics and beauty treatments abound in the dairy and grain aisles. If you want to start living a more splendid life but don't want to spend your quality time and cold, hard cash in expensive salons, get the advice you need on finding fabulous things right where you buy your butter and eggs.

Learn to shop for beauty groceries and treat yourself to a home spa.

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An understanding dad takes his kids out once in awhile without Mom. If you know an understanding dad, help him plan a weekly or semi-weekly play date where he can spend time with the kids and you can do your own thing. Can’t remember what your “own thing” is? Don’t worry; you’ll fret for a couple of weeks, and then find something that catches your imagination. I have a friend who finally got some time to herself and didn’t know what to do with it, after spending three years with her boy. She felt so guilty, she almost considered taking a full-time job instead of the part-time one where she currently spend 30 hours a week, plus a long commute. But she gave it some thought, and returned to a long-time interest: art.

Having your own interests makes you more fun to be with. It reduces wrinkles, gives you something to talk about with people who aren’t necessarily moms, and shows your kids that being a mom isn’t all work and no play. A well-rounded, satisfied mom (or dad) tends to be in a better position to raise well-rounded, satisfied children. Spending every moment with your child does more than cheat you of time spent on your own; it deprives your child of the same opportunity. Kids need time to draw quietly, to daydream and tell themselves little stories. Just like moms do.

But you’re still a busy person, and quick beauty means you’re saving time for more important things. So use the following time-saving tips to make the most of your time.

Use a moisturizer-sunscreen combination. That way, if you decide on the spur of the moment to take the kids to the park, your face is ready to go. Slick the kids down with sunscreen, and off you go.

Use lipstick with a sunscreen to protect lips too. Professional makeup people prefer brushes for perfect lips, but lipstick is faster and can be smudged with your finger.

If you can find a shampoo-conditioner that works, go ahead and use it. I haven’t found one that works as a detangler, so it saves me time to use separate products. My hair brushes a lot easier and faster when I use conditioner.

Keep Kleenex and towelettes in the car and in your purse for quick ice-cream clean-ups.

Keep meal bars in your purse to snack on between trips to the store, the school, the tennis court, the ballet lessons etc. etc. A hungry mom is a cranky mom!

Buy salad mix instead of spending your time washing and drying lettuce or spinach. In packages or bulk mixes, it’s already washed, and baby greens are cleaner than mature ones.

Teach your kids that unpeeled veggies are the way they should be eaten. Peels have nutrients and fiber that should be eaten. Even mashed potatoes are better if you leave the peelings on. Just give your veggies a scrub in the sink and they’re all set.

One-pot meals save time on preparation and washing-up too.

Do little chores during TV commercials. Dust a table, put dishes away and get back on the couch. Use commercials for getting kids into their pajamas, brushing teeth or making tomorrow’s lunches.

Start teaching your kids chores as soon as they start walk. Even little kids can smooth their beds, put toys back in the chest or help set the table. If your children learn early that everyone has chores to do, there will be fewer struggles later on.

Take turns with your partner to be the one who does more work around the house. Bring each other coffee, and alternate making dinner. If there are chores you each prefer to do, make them part of a daily routine and trade off on the rest. Help each other out with chores to increase household harmony, to teach the kids how pleasant it can be to help each other.

Real Beauty.

If you spend much time watching TV or movies and reading magazines, your perspective starts to suffer when it comes to real life. The way the media influences expectations isn’t just applicable to children and teenagers: we all get a little warped when we’re exposed to the fake worlds of fashion and entertainment.

During the Depression (the one that started in ’29,
not ’92), the big movie studios made splashy, high-fashion, lets-all-have-fun films to help take people’s minds off the misery and hunger that they were living in. You could see a movie for a nickel then, and crowds thronged to the theaters to watch the world where people danced and drank champagne and wore marvelous clothes. Pretending that someone somewhere was having fun was the next best thing to being there.

Movies have changed a bit since then, with many popular films being based on audiences watching scenes of horror that would disgust less “civilized” cultures, where people aren’t inured to violence as a form of entertainment. But what hasn’t changed is the importance of feminine beauty to carry even the lousiest films out of the red and into the black. And if you can get them to take off their clothes (or find a body double to fill in), the film will be even more successful.

I love movies, especially good movies with strong plots and good dialogue and excellent acting, which is why these days I watch a lot of foreign films. But if I really, truly believed that the actresses I see on-screen look the way I’m supposed to, I’d get depressed and stay that way.

Fortunately, I have a strong reality orientation and a pretty healthy ego. I’m not going to look like Winona Ryder anytime soon, I guess, but I get by. And if I feel my reality slipping, I tune into a fashion show on the Entertainment channel and watch a half-dressed model slink down the runway like some sick animal seeking its lair. It’s hard to take media representations of female “beauty” seriously when you’ve just finished counting the ridges on a model’s ribcage.

(I’m thinking of starting a non-profit called Save the Models. Its primary purpose would be to provide models with nourishing soups, delivered on-site, 24 hours a day.)

So this morning I was watching an unending series of Jimmy Cagney movies and trying to concentrate on my work, but I kept getting distracted by Bette Davis, who played a nice girl, a nurse, in this 1933 movie. It was before Bette got her Bette Davis Eyes and the crazy, dark role she was later type-cast in so well.

It wasn’t so much Bette who distracted me as it was Bette’s makeup. Her eyebrows were pencil-thin and penciled in, and her face looked pasty—stage makeup has changed a lot since 1933. If I hadn’t read the credits, I wouldn’t have known who she was: she was that ordinary (in an actressy kind of way).

So I was watching Bette fall in love with Cagney, and thinking about, how before she was freaky and noire and so very Bette, she was just another pretty girl in a film. And I wondered, what would have happened to Bette if she had happened on that crazy eye shadow and that hard-edged look she later acquired? Would she have ever become a Famous Star? Maybe not, but we’ll never know, because she was a great actress, and might have made it even with looking like just another pretty face.

This kind of brings me back to what I wanted to say when I started out. There’s the glamour and sophistication we’re “supposed” to have, that we struggle for and despair of ever having, and then there’s the real, day-to-day beauty that so many women exhibit when they’re doing the laundry or hauling the kids around, or buying groceries in their sweats with the hair scooped up in a ponytail and not a scrap of makeup.

What women don’t know (and I’m including myself here, because “knowing” intellectually and knowing on a real and regular basis are two totally different things), is that men often fall in love with women who, for once, aren’t thinking about their looks. I had a friend once, a shy guy, who fell madly in love from afar with a woman he’d never noticed before. He saw her with the Brownie troop she was leading. She was wearing a goofy uniform and her long, chestnut (his word) hair was down, and she was playing tag with a bunch of little girls and laughing her head off. He fell so much in love that he couldn’t stop talking about how she looked laughing and running, with the sun in her hair.

Years ago, I was sitting on one of the side-facing seats on a cross-campus bus. I was wearing a rayon summertime skirt, one of those Indian prints, not exactly a fashion statement. When the bus took a sharp turn, I nearly slid right off the bench. Not one of my more elegant moments. This sexy professor took one look at me, embarrassed and clutching the steel pole that had saved me from sitting in the aisle, and we were an item for a year.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, there’s very little rhyme or reason behind why people find us appealing. I’m not sure it has much to do with looks as much as it is about being yourself and eventually tumbling over the people who happen to appreciate you that way.

I might be wrong, but I don’t think I am.

Beauty Comes From Within

Sexy is definitely a state of mind, and with the fast pace of today's lifestyle, women and men too are finding themselves too distracted, too anxious or too tired to feel sexy. Some companies are cashing in on the big slump in Western libidos by creating pills containing herbs or chemicals designed to stimulate exhausted, stressed-out people to ever more frenzied sexual activity. I think it's sad that we're using pills when what people really need is more time to relax.

If your sex life has taken a dive, there are usually entirely natural and reasonable causes. Rather than doping yourself to feel something, try the following tips first. They are time-honored strategies.

Get real. If you're working 60 hours a week, commuting, competing, keeping up with kids and still expecting to get it on three times a week, you're expecting too much of yourself. If your health isn't what it should be, if you're having problems at work, or if you're in financial difficulties, your sex drive is also going to be running on empty. A natural response to hard times, a reduced sex drive could be your body's way of protecting you from pregnancy during times of stress. (Of course, that's no reason to forget your birth control: bodies aren't that smart!) If your sex drive is nil in response to an overly stressful lifestyle, don't just target your sex life; take some serious time to think about how to change your overall quality of life.

Get a sitter. Parents (especially new parents) are so focused on their children that sex goes right out the window. Getting a sitter is more than just planning an evening alone: it's something you should do on a regular basis to give you some of your pre-parenting life back. New parents should have a sitter lined up before the baby's born, and should start going out alone and together right away. Getting out in the world again helps combat post-partum blues, and contributes to re-starting a healthy sex life. If you're not sleeping because of a baby, hire a sitter to come in while you're home so you can nap while someone else watches the baby.

Get some rest. To feel sexy, you have to be relaxed, but not exhausted. You need to have had enough sleep in the past twenty-four hours to put in an hour or two of sack time with someone else. If your lover wants to fool around and all you can think about is how tired you are, it isn't going to be much fun. Schedule time for resting as well as sleep. Doze on the couch, hang around in a hammock. Reconsider your priorities. Let the lawn go another day and skip the PTA meeting in favor of lying in a chaise in the backyard.

Get organized. Couples who have a good sex life often say that while spontaneity is a nice idea, planning gets things done. Make a date with your sweetheart in advance, then plan your day around it so that nothing else interferes.

Get together. Most women can't just turn sexy feelings on at a moment's notice. Make sure your partner understands that you need more togetherness than just sex. Make time to cuddle on the couch, to do fun, non-sexual things together, and to talk. Feeling closer in other areas of your life can help you get closer in the sexual aspects too.

Get playful. Read erotica. Visit a hot-tub place together. Experiment with massage oils and sexy games. Light candles and drink champagne in bed. Dress up in lingerie (get a cute satin corset from www.lovefifi.com) and have some fun. You don't have to play games all the time, but occasional side trips to the Land of Kinky can keep things spicy and fresh.

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.

--Editor's Note --------------------------------------------------------------

Proper Beauty Tools Make Eyebrow Shaping a Breeze

Plucking the perfect eyebrow shape can be a stressful task because no one wants painful, over tweezed brows. Follow the lead of to make up artists and get the right tweezers and eyebrow care beauty tools. For very little money you can get the same eyebrow tweezers most professional salons use.

Learn from the professionals and see some eyebrow care kits that come with everything you need for perfect brows.

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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.

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.

Treating Oily Skin with the Proper Face Care, Makeup and Therapy

Most people experience oily skin when they hit puberty and hormones begin to rampage across the bodily systems. Causes of oily skin have also been attributed to diet, stress and environmental issues, but the main reason for oily skin is the increased production of skin oils, or sebum, usually associated with hormonal changes. Remedies for oily skin range from washing practices to herbal skincare products made for the oily complexion.

Oily Skin and Acne Breakouts

Oily skin doesn't necessarily cause acne, but it can be a contributor to breakouts if the skin isn't kept clean enough. Acne occurs when pores are invaded by dirt and oil, get clogged and breed bacteria. The bacteria in the pore causes swelling and the typical pimple is filled with pus, which is the body's attempt to fight infection using white blood cells. Keeping your skin clean and pores unclogged is one important way to prevent acne breakouts. And it all starts with the way you wash your face.

Skin Care and Makeup for Oily Complexions

Some people think that removing oil from the face is like washing it from dishes: they use the harshest soap and the hottest water to get their skin "squeaky clean". They never moisturize, and may even wipe their skin with alcohol to dry it out. The bad news is that if you treat your oily skin with harshness, it will redouble its efforts to protect itself—it will actually start to produce more oil to cope with what it feels are harsh environmental conditions! Wash your face, but use a gentle soap and lukewarm water, and don't rub or scrub. Treat your skin with love and compassion, and it will respond positively. Use an oil-free moisturizer to keep your skin protected, and protect it further by using a moisturizer that contains sunscreen. Keep the shine blotted down by using powdered mineral makeup, which is guaranteed to give you a matte finish without clogging pores. At the end of the day, remove your makeup with a gentle, alcohol-free toner, wash your face gently, and reapply moisturizer before bed.

Natural Beauty Product Suggestions for Oilier Skin

Oil free moisturizers usually contain glycerin and water, and some of the best products also contain tea extracts and oatmeal. Oatmeal has long been recognized as a soothing skin care product, and when used as a mask can brighten your skin without drying it out too much. Companies like Aveeno are making oatmeal based moisturizers and makeup that work wonderfully to care for the skin. Beauty tips columns always contain the oatmeal facial mask as a remedy for oily skin. Just puree oatmeal with a little water, wipe on the skin, allow to dry most but not all they way, and rinse off.

Luckily, caring for your oily skin has never been easier, since a tremendous range of products ensures that there's something for everyone. Treating oily skin is done at two levels; prevention and blemish control. Gentle treatment, the right oil-control makeup and proper nutrition can help prevent oily skin. Blemishes can be treated with tea tree oil or one of the natural remedies including green or white tea extract (powerful antioxidants) and skin calming oils such as lavender or chamomile.

Does diet and nutrition contribute to skin oils?

Some people think that chocolate or fatty foods can cause oily skin, and if you are allergic to a particular food, it may show up in the way your skin behaves. Chocolate has not been shown to increase skin oil or breakouts; in fact, dark chocolate contains antioxidants that are good for your brain and your body. But junk food like chips, high fat, high salt burgers and other fried foods may impact your skin as they do your entire body. If you're a junk food junkie and have oily skin or breakouts, take a month off from your favorite foods to see if your skin condition improves.

Antiaging therapy in the form of creams or lotions containing plant or milk acids often dry users' skins as the acids remove the top layer of skin cells from the complexion. Check out moisturizers containing alpha lipoic acid, which may decrease the oil in your skin after a short time of use.

Self Defense & Safety for Women: Protecting Yourself from Crime is Important

Paying attention to your personal safety keeps you beautiful—face and body intact and serene—and there can be more in your purse than lipstick to help you fight back if you're attacked by a mugger. Protecting the purse itself is more a matter of prevention than anything else. If your purse is clutched to you rather than dangling from a strap, you'll be less likely to have someone try to take it from you.


If someone does either grab or demand your purse, give it to him; it's not worth risking yourself for whatever's in there! If your purse is large or heavy, you may be able to belt someone with it if you need to, but if you hit someone with your purse, don't be a sissy about it: pack a wallop that will hopefully knock the guy down and preferably out.

Women are often at risk for street crime and sexual assault on a date, partly because muggers don't know how strong and fast women can be, and largely because too many women don't know it either. If you've ever taken a self defense class, you've probably been surprised at just how competently you can defend yourself once you have some encouragement and little bit of training. If you haven't ever taken self defense, try it: even if you never need to use what you learn, you will gain confidence and strength; two things would-be bad guys want to avoid in their victims whenever possible!

Most self defense classes start by teaching students that screaming loudly and running away is often the best device in stopping an attack. Attackers count on the fact that, in the face of an attack, many people are overcome by a weird sense of shame, which makes them quiet and acquiescent. Battered women (and even abused wives) are the ultimate example of people who are attacked and respond with shame and self-blame, so that they don't want anyone to know what's happening to them. Keeping quiet about being abused means that the abuse continues until the woman gains the strength to leave or until her abuser kills her. On the other hand, women who report abuse to the police often stop being victims. On the street among strangers too, people who run and scream get attention, and very often get help.

Self-defense trainers often say that teaching women techniques to kick, grab, punch the testicles or to claw the eyes of an attacker is all very well, but when it push comes to shove, some crime victims freeze and can't use the aggressive fighting techniques covered in their programs. Something in the way women are trained from childhood sometimes prevents us from fighting back as affectively as we can, even when our bodies and our lives are at stake. Overcoming the urge to remain still is a large part of becoming effective at self defense, and part of the information female students receive in personal safety training involves confronting the conflicting emotions we feel when under attack.

Even if you've had self defense training tips in courses or seminars, it helps to have added advantages in the form of self defense products such as a stun gun or pepper spray key chain or defense spray pen. Sometimes just knowing you have a useful weapon in your purse can give you an air of confidence that warns bad guys away. When you're walking alone in the dark or going to your car in an unfamiliar or unsafe place, keeping your hand on your pepper spray is one good tip for crime prevention. Even a hardened attacker can't fight the vicious stinging of a pepper spray, and every woman, young or old, fragile or strong, can gain the benefit of time to run away and scream for help.

Hair Styles, Cuts and Lengths that Work With Your Face Shape

You want to change your hair style, but aren't sure what would look best. Should you keep it long or cut it short? Will cutting your shoulder length hair make it wavy, curly or frizzy? Are extensions an option? Was your mom right when she said you had a square face and should never wear bangs?

Face shape is crucial in getting the most flattering hair cut. Celebrity clients spend thousands of dollars on the best stylists at the best salons, but you don't have to. The easiest way to find your face shape is to pull any bangs off your forehead into a clip, take a lipstick or a magic marker and outline your face in the mirror. Draw what you see, not what you think, and you may be surprised. Step back and consider the shape on the mirror as only a geometric design. Is it…

Face Shapes

Square
Rectangular
Oval (most common face shape)
Round
Heart Shaped
Triangular

If you Have an Oval Face Shape

If you look at most models and actresses, you'll notice that their faces tend to be oval. Oval faces look good in pretty much any hairstyle, especially styles that show off that perfect shape. Don't get bangs, and don't wear your hair in your face. For everyone else, hairstyles may be used to create the impression of having a "perfect" oval face. But you can also use your hairstyle to play up your best features regardless of your face shape.

Hair Cuts for Round Faces

There are two ways to address hairstyles for a round face. One way is to accentuate the roundness even further, with a bowl-shaped haircut, which can be very beautiful on the right woman. There's something widely appealing about transforming an unusual characteristic into a real feature, and playing up a round face is one way to be very much your own person, stylistically speaking. But if you don't want your face to look as round, choose a hair style that lengthens the look of your face. Have the top layered for fullness and height, and thinned out below the cheekbones to give the illusion of a narrower chin line. Go with medium to long hair. If you don't mind the extra time, running your hair through a straightening iron can be an extra sleek & sophisticated look.

Rectangular Face Hair Styles

A long, narrow face can be rounded a bit by hair that's kept short to medium in length, with wispy bangs. Fuller sides from the forehead to the middle of the cheekbones widen the face, and layers add fullness and volume to the hair. Long hair and center parts accentuate rectangular face shapes, making them appear longer.

Flattering Hairstyles for Heart Shaped Faces

You can have a lot of fun with new hair styles. The key here is to get a style with more fullness lower on the face, around the chin, and less fullness at the forehead. Sweep your hair back to show off your fabulous cheekbones. Short hair doesn't work as well on a heart shaped face, because it puts the emphasis at the top of your head. Keep your hair at least chin length, and light and wispy around the forehead.

Hair Lengths for Triangular Faces

If your chin or jaw is wider and your forehead narrower, add weight to the top of your head with layers that create fullness, thinning as it approaches the jaw. The shag was made for the triangular face! Short hair looks nice on a triangular face. Long hair doesn't work as well, but if you're attached to your hair and can't bear cutting it, try styles that pull your hair back as it falls below your cheekbones.

Elongate a Square with the right Hair

The square face can be elongated somewhat by added height on the top of the head. Layers on the crown and parting your hair off center help to reduce a square look. Wispy bangs and temples soften the squareness too, and may add roundness. Wavy hair adds to the softening effect; straight lines, straight bangs and straight or flat hair are to be avoided. Short or medium hair looks nice. Don't let any haircut end at your jawline.

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FOR SALE!!! BEAD Bracelets

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10 skin care tips

Protect yourself from the sun -- use sunscreen and avoid direct sunlight between the hours of 10 and 2. Don't -- I repeat -- don't smoke. Your skin is a large organ and it needs a lot of circulation. Smoking impairs that dramatically. That's why smokers' skin looks dull and gray. Instead of having oxy-generated blood delivered to the surface of the skin, they're getting poisons and oxidants. Get adequate rest and nutrition. Protect yourself from stress -- both emotional and environmental stress. Wash your face twice a day and put on the proper treatment product. I'm amazed when women tell me they don't wash their face in the morning. A lot of icky stuff collects overnight -- dead skin cells, dirt, and dust! Don't neglect certain areas of the skin. Elbows, heels, neck, and decolletage need moisturizing, and your scalp and the tops of your feet need sun protection. Touch your face less and wash your hands more! Don't get too surgical on yourself. It's very tempting to pick, poke, squeeze, and scratch in front of the mirror. But the more you traumatize the skin, the greater your risk of scarring. Apply treatment products and let them work. Keep your makeup clean. Replace the sponges in your compact on a regular basis. Now and then, toss the whole works and start fresh -- the average shelf life for cosmetics is 6 to 12 months. Don't buy products so expensive that you'll be heartbroken if you have to throw them away. Exercise moderation. More is not always better. Moisturizer, for example, is the most overused product in America. We've been bamboozled by cosmetic companies into thinking every square inch of our body has to be slathered. And it's simply not true. Exfoliators are another thing to be careful with. Used too often, they overacidify and irritate your skin. Beware of counter girls. If it were up to them, you'd be in the bathroom for two and a half hours each morning -- putting 80 layers on your face. Keep your regimen simple. And when you do add a new product, do it gradually so your skin has time to adjust. Each skincare or makeup product has an average of 20 to 40 ingredients -- you're introducing 20 to 40 potential allergens to your face every time you try something new.

Massage

massage

Reap the benefits of a massage. They can reduce stress and help relieve ailments. Find out the techniques for a full body massage and the oils to use if you plan on taking the matters into your own hands, otherwise, take a break and choose the spa right for you.

Massage Tips Studies show body massages can increase circulation, help heal tiny muscle tears, boost the body's immune system, and reduce stress. The Magic of Massage Once considered a luxury, body massages are now seen by many as an important tool in the battle against tension and stress. How to Give a Back Rub These 4 back rub tips are sure to make someone special feel great. Slow and deep is the secret, says Tim Smith, a certified massage therapist. Massage Tips To get the feel-good benefits of massage, take matters into your own hands. Learn how to make the most of the healing powers of massage. Beyond Hot Stone Massages: 6 Hot Spa Trends New spa treatments range include deeper tissue massages, anti-aging techniques, meditative strategies and healthy foods. At-Home Pampering Light some candles, put on a soothing CD, and indulge in a spa-inspired treatment in the comfort of your own home. Spa Getaways Need a break from the everyday grind? A trip to a spa -- for a few hours or a few days -- will leave you refreshed and recharged. The Healing Art of Massage For thousands of years and across many cultures, massage has been used to reduce stress, encourage relaxation, and relieve a range of ailments, from arthritis and asthma to insomnia and sports injuries.

Expert Make-Up Tips

1. Correcting Minor Mishaps. Did you smear your mascara? Is your blusher or eyeshadow too dark or the wrong color? For a quick and easy spot removal, use a Q-tip dipped in makeup remover. It´s easy to get into a small area without having to start all over and it works great!

2. Lipstick ChoicesThe type of lipstick you use depends on your individual taste. There are matte lipsticks that are drier and thus longer lasting. There are cream lipsticks that give good coverage and contain moisturizers. There are hydrating lipsticks that are good for dry lips. There are sheer lipsticks that are moist and give your lips a stain. There are also lipglosses that are fluid and have the most moisture.

3. Eyeliner Application There are pencil eyeliners, liquid eyeliner, and cake eyeliners. Pencil liners can be used above top lashes and under lower lashes. Liquid liners should only be used on the top lid. Cake eyeliners are used with water and can be used both top and bottom.

4. Fuller LipsTo make your lips appear fuller, use a deep shade of lipcolor at the outside corners of lips. Then apply a lighter lipcolor (in similar shade) to the center of the lips. Remember that light brings forward, dark recedes.

5. Concealer ApplicationAfter applying eye cream, apply a concealer with a synthetic makeup brush just under the eyes and along inner bone of eye. This area is often dark. By using the brush, you will achieve a smooth finish. You can then apply some foundation over this to achieve a blended makeup look. Concealer can also be applied to blemishes or dark spots.

6. Eyeshadow for brown eyesBrown eyes look great in blue and pink tones as well as golds and burnt oranges. The intensity of color you wear depends on your skin tone. For fair skin, use a soft blue on the eylid, plum on the outer edge of the eye, and pink under the eyebrow. For medium to deeper skin tone, the plum could be used on the lid and into the crease area. Line eyes with a navy or plum color and black mascara.

7. Dark, Dramatic EyesTo achieve the look of dark, dramatic eyes, use a kohl pencil to outline top and bottom lashes and follow with a black liquid liner to the top lashes only.

8. Eyeshadow for blue eyes and blonde hair.For blue eyes and blond hair the best looking eyeshadow colors are violets and lavenders or neutral tones. Use the violet on the lid and in the crease of the eyelid. Use the lighter color lavender above the crease to the eyebrow bone for a dramatic night look. Use natural colors for daytime.

Eyeshadow recommendation for blue eyes and blond hair: Natural tones for day and purple hue's for night!

9. Makeup BrushesThe quality of brushes does make a difference. Natural bristled brushes are best as they are soft to the touch and apply powder blush,face powder,eyeshadow or lipstick most effectively. Synthetic brushes are best to use for eyeshadow base,cream eyeshadows,and concealers. They should all be washed with a gentle foaming cleanser,hair shampoo or just plain soap and water. Squeeze out excess water with a towel,lay flat and air dry.

10. Eye Makeup for Asian womenFor Asian women, using a liquid black eyeliner in a thick line, applied to the top lid, gives the look of an eyelid. You can also try to create a contour with eyeshadow in the area of the crease. This gives more dimension to the eye.

FOR SALE!!! MAGIC CREME from SAUDI ARABIA

Beware of FAKES!!!

Difference between Original and FAKE Magic Creme

Actually guys, most of the products ng magic creme na makikita sa iba't ibang parte ng pilipinas parepreho ng packaging. Di mo malalaman kung alin ba ang original sa hindi lalo pa at first time mo maka gamit nito.. stated below yung ibang characteristic ng original na magic creme

- ivory color, hindi sya sobrang white hindi din sobrang brown

- yung amoy nya hindi parang ponds na sobrang mabango

- hindi din sya nagtutubig or nagmo-moist unlike nung fake

- yung texture ng orig sobrang malapot na malapot sya

-we would like to inform everyone who questioned our products.. we have direct contact from saudi arabia na nag susupply samin ng product. also the reason bakit mejo mura yung product namin coz we want everyone to experience the effectivity of this product without spending a lot.

==We offer our product for only P500.00

==If you buy 5pcs and up i'll give it to you for P475.00

SERIOUS buyers only!! if you're interested just leave me a message at jl_mydestiny@yahoo.com then i'll give you my contact number..

****for those who wants to challenge the originality of our product,you can bring the fake ones the once you purchased somewhere else and we will be very willing to have a comparison between our products and yours.