Benefits of Eating Berries

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If someone offers you a pill for weight loss or to prevent vision loss such as that caused by macular degeneration, you would take it right? Well no need for pills, just hop on over to your local grocery store and load up on fresh or frozen berries. Berries contain antioxidants and phytochemicals, which are naturally occurring nutrients in our bodies that help protect cells from cell damage (oxidative stress) caused by free radicals. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants can help improve your health, protect your skin and hair, and prevent certain diseases. All fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, but nutrient-rich berries are some of the absolute best sources. Some of the best sources of these health benefits are Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Boysenberries, Cranberries and Blueberries.

There are several powerful antioxidants that appear in berries, including anthocyanins, quercetin, and vitamin C. Anthocyanins give berries their vibrant color, reduce inflammation, and may help prevent and manage arthritis. Anthocyanins work together with quercetin to help slow age-related memory-loss. Quercetin can also decrease the inflammatory effects of chemicals in the synovial fluid of the joints for people with inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

Studies have shown that woman who eat two servings of strawberries or one serving of blueberries a week experienced less mental decline over time than peers who did not consume berries. Berries are also able to be included in diets of those suffering with diabetes. While they are a “sweet” fruit, they contain a high level of fiber which can be useful in diabetic diets. They can count as a serving of fruit. Its always better to eat fresh berries than those that have been processed or used in a pie or muffin.

People who eat at least two servings of berries a week have a 25 percent less chance of developing Parkinson’s disease than their peers, according to research published in the journal Neurology. The same research showed that men with the highest intake of flavonoids — which are abundant in berries — reduced their risk by 40 percent. Flavonoids are being studied to help ward off certain types of cancer. Research published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis suggests that flavonoids and other compounds found in berries may help reduce colon cancer risk. Besides eating them plain, you can also get your berry servings by adding them fresh or frozen to other high-nutrition foods such as yogurt, oatmeal, and salads.

Vitamin C is another strong antioxidant found in berries. It is largely responsible for the health of collagen, which helps maintain cartilage stores and aids in joint flexibility. Eating vitamin C–rich berries will contribute to radiant skin and healthy hair, and may reduce the risk of arthritis, high blood pressure, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

In addition to antioxidants, berries are “juicy foods,” which means they contain mostly water. Juicy foods are great for losing weight because they fill you up quickly, since their high water content bumps up the volume while driving down the calories. Berries also contain fiber and folate. Fiber aids in weight loss and helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Folate may protect against cardiovascular disease and age-related memory loss, and since folate contributes to the production of serotonin, it may also help ward off depression and improve your mood. IBS sufferers take note: Some people with IBS experience discomfort after eating berries. People with a strong inherited risk for heart disease may find that a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, including berries, can reduce their chances of having a heart attack, according to a study published in PLoS Medicine.

Remember, if you can’t find fresh berries, frozen (unsweetened) berries are a good substitute during the off-season months — and just as nutritious!

 

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Brows and What They Say

Brows are the first thing people will notice about your face, even if it’s subconsciously. A thick heavy brow will bring attention to just the brows. While a pencil thin brow will take attention off of the top half

of the face and onto the lower part. The place that you want people to focus should always be the eyes themselves, becuse they are the windows to your soul. Having a well groomed brow will do just that, bringing the attention to your eyes and serving as a frame for the entire face.

Even if you’re not big on makeup, maintaining your brows are essential. Having an unkempt brow is just out of the question. A brow that has too many stray hairs out of the natural arch line can leave its owner looking as if they don’t care about how they look, or have just given up. A naturally thick bushy brow that’s left in its natural state can make even the most feminine face look masculine. And the dreaded uni-brow just leaves everyone looking frightful.

On the flip side, the thin overly arched brow of the past few years is just as awful a makeup crime. It can make a woman look outdated and washed out especially if her brows are blonde or light brown. It’s almost a requirement that she wears makeup with that kind of brow, because the look is quite severe and will age every wearer, since people’s brows naturally thin as they get older.

The brow that is in now, falls somewhere in between the pencil thin brow and the one nature gave you. It follows your natural arch instead of carving out a whole new one, and takes away those stray hairs that grow past it. It’s simple and not as high maintenance as the overly arched brow. It will also frame your face the best, because the arch you were born with is right will define your features best. Another perk to this brow is that you can run out of the house with no makeup on and still look presentable and fresh.

To achieve this brow, you might want to see a pro for a shaping first, especially if you’ve been plucking against your natural arch and aren’t sure where to start. Later when it grows in you can do the upkeep yourself.

Bleeding lips, color that is

If your lip color bleeds over the natural lip line, then you are in dire need of a lip liner.  Liner gives your lips a shape and helps provide a boundary for the lipstick so it does not smear over the lip line.  Apply the lip liner first and then use the lipstick and if you are really feeling daring even apply a small amount of gloss over the color.  Your lips will be very kissable looking.

For softer lips, apply a chapstick with a moisturizer before applying anything on the lips, then dab it off slightly leaving a very thin coating.  Sun damage is a popular culprit for chapped lips no matter what season it is outside.  Then apply your other lip products.

If your lips are excessively dry and flaky, you may want to consider brushing your lips gently with a baby toothbrush to keep them smooth, soft and healthy.  The apply your lip products as mentioned above.

Why do lips even get those fine lines, you ask?

Children always seem to have perfect puckers.  Well the aging process takes a toll not only on our bodies internally and externally but it especially affects the soft thin tissue of the eyes and the lips.  The lips become flatter and thinner with age.  The angles of the mouth begin to turn downwards with gravity casting an unhappy expression.  Years of smiling, puckering and eating build muscle mass, if you smoke that makes them even worse.  Bulky muscles make for deep grooves.  Not only can lipstick bleed into these lines that exaggerates their visibility, they add years to your face.

The question then becomes solving this dilemma?

There are many answers for that one….

We can under botox injections to add botulism to our lip line making them swell.  This is only a temporary effect by the way.

We can add human derived tissues…yuck but it works with less risk.  Just don’t ask the doctor where the human tissue is coming from.  If your lucky it will be from your own body, in an area that no one will notice.

We can begin taking better care of our skin and our lips before any tell tale aging sign appear by using a high numbered sun screen, always moisturizing our lips and keeping them protected…always.

The final point to this topic, is not only a women’s problem it also affects men. 😉  The products I use for lip issues come from a company that I love called Arbonne International.  They are part of the BEfore Sun Skin Care Line and Arbonnes cosmetic lines as well.

Check it out here:  gorgeousnaturally (dot) myarbonne (dot) com

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Make-up Removers

There’s nothing worse than getting done with your day and not having anything to remove your eye make up with. I can testify to the damage that can be done to the skin with trying to use soap and water. Not only does it leave a residue and not remove all the make-up, soap in the eyes from trying to get that eye make up off is certainly no fun.

A natural way to removing make-up is a mixture of olive oil, castor oil, and canola oil. Mix equal amounts of all of these and you will get a pretty good natural make-up remover. Put some on a cotton ball or q-tip to remove all your make-up. This can be stored about 4 months.

You can also buy some products. Here are a couple of I have found that should get the job done.

There are dozens of products that will work well, but these are the ones I found that I liked. Let me know what products works best for you!

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Lipstick Tips

resize_lipstick04 Here are a few lipstick tips I have picked up in the past that are quite good and interesting. Lipstick can be seen in just about every woman’s makeup bag, it’s good to know a few tricks to about it.

  • Dual purposes – lipstick can act as a blush or as an eyeshadow.
  • Get creamier as you age – as a woman ages so should her lipstick, stay away from glossy and matte lipsticks. Stick with creamy lipsticks.
  • Lip Liner first – apply lip liner as a base to the lips before putting on lipstick to make it last longer
  • Store lipstick in refrigerator – there’s a reason they make climate controlled make up storage areas. Lipstick lasts longer if it is kept refrigerated.
  • Avoid lipstick on teeth – once you have your lipstick completely finished, run a finger through the middle of your lips and pull it back out to remove excess lipstick.
  • Lipstick can be layered – if the color you bought isn’t the color you thought it would be once you put it on, you can layer it with other colors to get something new.
  • Mixing colors – colors can easily be mixed to create new colors. Don’t be stuck with a color and think you can’t change it. Experiment with your colors.

These are a few tips to give you some more options with your lipstick. After all, everyone woman loves lipstick, wear it well!!

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Mineral Moisture Complex by Pur Minerals

image Just the word “mineral” in the name sells these days. But this product looks as though it may be a winner. It is stated to improve skin tone and texture in less than 10 days and it reduces wrinkles up to 30% in 14 days. The anti-aging moisturizer works on your skin while you sleep; increasing collagen synthesis and leaving you with younger-looking beautiful skin. We all love the sound of that!

With ingredients such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Sea Kelp; it might just work. It comes in a 2oz. container which costs 34.50 from Pur Minerals. Haven’t tried it myself, yet, but the container sure is attractive. I love the clean look of packaging. This product should be used in the evenings after cleaning your face and before you go to bed. Mineral Moisture Complex works to hydrate and reverse the signs of aging in a short time.We would love to hear reviews of anyone who has actually tried this product. Let us know what you liked and didn’t like about it and would you buy more???

The company, Pur Minerals, has a whole line of beauty products that look and sound like great products to try. Let’s see if they are really worth it. Give us all your feedback on them!

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Applying Lip Gloss

lipglossLip gloss is very popular right now. You can find them in almost any store you go in. Glosses can be worn alone or paired with other products. You can never have enough lip gloss. Check out these ways to use your lip gloss.

  • Over lipstick – add a little gloss to your lipstick by applying your lip gloss over your lipstick. It can make your lips feel more moisturized and give them a great shine.
  • Application – when putting on lip gloss, a little goes a long way. A few dabs to the middle of the lips can then be smoothed over using your lips or finger. Don’t out on too much because you will just be wasting it.
  • Add some concealer to lips before gloss to give lips an added flawless smooth look.
  • Make lips light pink and soft line the lips with a pink lip pencil and use pink colored gloss.
  • Light and Medium skin toned – use pale and natural shades for lining lips with a clear lip gloss
  • Darker skin toned – use brown shades with lighter lip glosses

Glosses are a great item to keep on hand at all times. There are so many different types and features to the glosses out now, you should experiment with various colors and textures to find the glosses that work best for you.

–image credit here

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Baby Powder, A Beauty Must Have

image Baby Powder is not just used when you have a baby. It make a handy little item to keep on hand even when no baby is around. Baby Powder is a versatile product that can help your life out in many ways. These 7 beauty tips are sure to make your life a little bit easier.

  1. Grease Stains in Clothes – As soon as grease gets on your clothes, sprinkle it with baby powder. Then let it absorb for a few minutes and brush it off. The baby powder will keep the stain from setting into the fabric
  2. Degrease Unwashed Hair Fast – Using a tablespoon of baby powder, rub it into your hands or comb. Comb it through all your hair to freshen and remove grease.
  3. Make Lashes Fuller and Longer – dust baby powder on your lashes before applying mascara to make them look longer and fuller
  4. Fluff and Lift Hair – Sprinkle it on you palms and run your hands through your hair to absorb the oils and give your style a lift
  5. Deodorizer – Baby powder will cool and help wipe away sweat and leave body refreshed. 
  6. Sweaty Feet – use it to dry sweaty feet and leave them smelling fresh
  7. Shaving Friction – get rid of shaving friction when using an electric shaver by using baby powder prior to shaving.

As you can see, baby powder should be right in with all you beauty goodies. I keep mine right next to the Q-tipsWinking. Make sure you keep yours handy for any beauty emergency that baby powder can quickly fix. 

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Hair: Quick Tips when You’re in a Hurry

When you’re in a hurry and you’re having a bad hair day it can be a tough time to think clearly and get your hair under control. Anytime your hair looks bad you feel bad. What you need are some quick tips to help when you’re in a hurry.

  • Grab a head band or go for a loose ponytail or bun – if you don’t have long and it’s not working the way you planned, just pull it up or throw on a headband.
  • Skip Blow drying – Wash your hair and let it air dry
  • Wear a braid – one simple cornrow braid down the back can hide a multitude of sins, leave a few strands loose to give it a little more style
  • Flat iron hair and wear it straight
  • Fast Forward Curl – an easy and quick hairstyle
  • Dry hair fix – mix together honey, mayonnaise, and egg. Work this into hair, getting all over hair and to the ends. Let sit for about 30 mins then wash out.
  • Instant Luster – mix together a beaten egg yolk with half a lemon squeezed into it…apply this to your hair (not getting any on your scalp). Leave on for 30 mins then wash and rinse off. Make sure you wash and rinse very well, you don’t want to leave any egg in your hair.
  • Use a dry shampoo- if you don’t have time to wash or you can’t wash your hair. Just dry shampoo your hair
  • Oily hair tip – use vinegar twice a week

Quick fixes are great for when you need help in a hurry. For prolonged hair care and help contact a healthcare professional for styling help and hair maintenance guides.

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How to Apply Nail Polish that Lasts!

A great set of hands will make you look and feel more confident. But often the hassle of getting it done by a professional can make you put it off. Why not do them yourself? You can easily buy everything you need to get beautifully polished professional looking nails. Here’s an easy step by step you can follow:

  1. Soak nails first – you can buy manicure soaking solution in most beauty supply stores or simply soak in soapy water for about 5 minutes
  2. Moisturize then push back and trim cuticles
  3. Use an emery board to prep nail area. Use rough emery side first, then follow with fine emery board side
  4. Wash and dry hands
  5. Trim, File and Buff hands. Try a buffer cream on each nail and buff, with your buffer,  the top of each nail until it feels silky smooth.
  6. Apply base coat, allow to dry completely
  7. Apply 1st coat of color – this coat should be a thin coat, 3 thin swipes should do – let dry completely
  8. Apply 2nd coat of polish, this should feel in if 1st color coat left gaps or streaks, allow to dry completely
  9. Apply top coat, let dry

This should give you beautiful nails. Everything you need to do your own nails are available in most beauty supply stores. Enjoy your nails!

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