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

Chapped Lips?

Lots of factors can cause chapped lips – the air, sun, humidity, decrease in water content, and more. If you constantly have a problem with chapped lips, check out some of the following tips to make sure your lips are always smooth and refreshed.

1. Apply lip balm. Of course, this is the number one method to avoid chapped lips. However, many people still forget to constantly apply lip balm. You can also use petroleum jelly.

2. Drink a lot of water. This increases moisture in the tissues and prevents lip drying. As much as possible drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

3. Avoid caffeine. Caffeine is one of the fastest ways to dehydrate, so better cut down if you’re a caffeine addict or switch to low-caffeine or decaf options.

4. Eat foods with lots of vitamins and nutrients. Chapped lips can signal nutritional deficiency. So make sure you aren’t lacking in all the important vitamins like calcium and magnesium.

How do you prevent chapped lips?

Yves Saint Laurent Lip Twins

If you’re like me who loves lipstick and likes to experiment with it, then you’ll surely enjoy lipstick twists like Yves Saint Laurent’s Lip Twins. Each tube of the Lip Twins offers two textures: the actual satiny lipstick and a shiny gloss. You can choose from 12 color combinations and mix colors or textures to get the shade and look you want.

Lip Twins is rich in color, glides easily, and contains anti-oxidants that both moisturize and nourish the lips. The formula also contains SPF 8 for sun protection. But what I really love about this product is that it comes in a gorgeous jewel-like tube, making it look almost like a perfume. Definitely a winning product from YSL.

Image from this site.

L’Oréal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour Compact

L’Oreal Paris has come up with a new lip product that is said to have a breakthrough formula and a revolutionary three-in-one packaging. By three-in-one that means there is a vibrant lip color, moisturizing balm, and built-in mirror in one package. It’s no other than L’Oreal’s Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour Compact.

The lip color alone would have been fabulous as it offers 16 hours of gorgeous color that won’t dry out. But the compact also features a moisturizing balm with Vitamin E and Marine Collagen that makes sure your lips are nourished all those 16 hours. Add the patented precision applicator and stylish mirror and you’ve got one great package!

You can choose among not 3 nor 10 but 24 beautiful shades of glorious lip color. What are you waiting for?

Smashbox Emulsion Lip Exfoliant

I am one of those people that constantly have chapped lips, no matter what season of the year. Thus, I am always in the look of new and great lip balms and moisturizers that truly moisturize and keep my lips looking fresh and young.

If you’ve got chapped lips as well, check out the Smashbox Emulsion Lip Exfoliant. It’s not exactly a leave-on, all-day lip balm but more of an exfoliant that you leave on for about five minutes and then wipe off with a tissue. Do this regularly and in no time at all you’ll have the freshest, smoothest lips you’ve wanted.

If you have used this one do share if it did work wonders for you!

Activate your days

The average weight gain for most Americans is 1-2 pounds per year.  WHile this does not sound alarming the problem really begins when those 1-2 pounds start adding up year after year.  Carrying those extra poubnds means being physically active gets more straining on your body.

Unfortunately eating healthy foods alone may not do the trick.  Regular activity is key in keeping yourself physically fit.  Being physically fit also means looking and feeling healthier and younger!  Researchers have found that exercise itself has a unique important health benefit.  It is highly unlikely that being physically active only on weekends will help if you have a sedentary lifestyle the other 5 days a week.  Activity even in small doses daily will help ward off those extra pounds.

After reviewing thousands of research studies to analyze how diet, activity and body weight are linked to cancer risk, the panel of 21 experts who prepared a report on this issue have found the physical activity is essential in lowering the risk of cancer.  Together with eating healthy and a healthy body weight, and a good level of physical activity the chance of getting any type of cancer decreases substantially.

These same scientists have convincing evidence that physical activity protects against colon cancer.  It probably also protects against breast cancer (in post menopausal women) and endometrial cancer as well.

The recommendation is at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day, everyday!

Being active makes the body respond better to insulin it produces.  Other perks that come with physical activity are a stronger immune system, a well functioning digestive system and less a chance for osteoporosis for women.  While 30 minutes of exercise per day lowers cancer risk, preventing weight gain requires 60 minutes per day.  Examples of moderate exercise are brisk walking (about 3.5 miles per hour) or swimming at a leisurely pace.  Thirty minutes of daily vigorous activity, like tennis or running (5 miles per hour) can replace the 60 minutes of daily moderate exercise.

Power up on Power Foods

By Michael Mosier

Is there such a thing as a perfect food? We’ve heard of super-foods, but what about a food that is simply all-around good for you? There are some that would argue eggs are just such a food – and there are several others that certainly come close and that should be integrated into your anti-aging process to help you turn back the clock from the inside out.

Back to eggs. They are a great way of getting protein into your diet, and as long as you eat in moderation and don’t already have cholesterol problems, they won’t mess up your cholesterol levels. For ease in slipping them into just about any meal, keep some hard boiled eggs on hand for sandwiches, salads and much more. 

 Tofu or tempeh

Many who aren’t used to tofu aren’t sure about incorporating it into their diet. It tends to get a bad rap in non-ethnic or non-vegetarian settings. And while you may not replace the meat in your meals with it, the good thing is that if you’re not sure about it, it’s relatively easy to disguise. It takes on the flavor of the rest of the food, but if you’re still not OK with the consistency, blend it up and put it in chilis, sauces and other liquid-based dishes. 

Tofu and tempeh are both are high in protein, but they also have flavanoids,  which helps to decrease the amount of bad cholesterol you have.

Blueberries

Small but powerful, blueberries are the berries chock full of  antioxidants. They’re tasty by themselves and in a number of breakfast-based foods like cakes and breads, but to keep it simple eat them alone, or use them to top cereal. 

By choosing to incorporate these foods into your diet you’ll be able to make changes that will taste great and hopefully have you looking and feeling better as you age!

Crack Down on Growth Hormone

Human Growth Hormone. It’s prescribed relatively regularly, yet when paired with other drugs can have alarmingly negative effects. Which is the reason why Dr. Thomas Perls – a Boston University Medical School professor and expert in aging – set out to begin a crusade against the inappropriate provision of growth hormone and other hormones. Together with S. Jay Olshansk, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Perls argues in the Journal of the American Medical Association that the medical community and legislators should join the battle and that laws regulating growth hormone should be toughened.

The public is being victimized at a rising rate by the rampant prescription of such drugs, Perls says. It may seem odd that a doctor would prescribe a drug intended for older female cancer victims to a young man, but, according to Perls, it’s happening in some of the nation’s anti-aging and weight-loss clinics.

A brochure from one weight-loss clinic states that human growth hormone is a valuable weight-loss tool because it “has been shown to enhance lean body mass and increase exercise endurance. … There were no significant effects on quality of life. Most adults are concerned about the effects of age, and this is state of the art.”

According to the article in the Journal, this idea dates from the 1990s when one experiment showed that when older men injected growth hormone, their lean muscle mass increased.

 

In fact, as Perls and Olshansky point out, “the documented adverse effects include soft-tissue edema, arthralgias [joint pain], carpal tunnel-like syndrome, gynecomastia and insulin resistance with an elevated risk of developing diabetes.”

In other words, do your research and know what your body needs. Get more helpful antio-aging dos and don’ts in my Report – which helps tackle aging from the inside out.

The Acid that Isn’t Really an Acid

By Michale Moshier

By now, we all know antioxidants are good for our health and for their anti-aging, regenerative properties. Now, there’s another type of antioxidant hitting shelves: Ferulic Acid, which is not really an acid at all but rather a “phytochemical” with potent antioxidant properties. It’s derived from wheat, rice, and oat bran and is also found in coffee, apples, oranges, sweet corn and peanuts. Like many of its antioxidizing cousins, Ferulic Acid protects cells from environmental damage and the aging effects produced on the skin and body by living and aging.

Concentrations of ferulic acid can be obtained over the counter within serums, face creams, lotions, eye creams, etc. It works best when used with other antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C – which is why it may be beneficial to tap into things like lotions and creams which already have these components combined within them.

According to reports,  consistent use of products containing ferulic acid should improve skin texture, tone and density, and give your complexion a healthy “glow!”

Of course as with any new product, the hype may outweigh the benefits, which is why I encourage people to also focus on anti-aging routines that build from the inside out! When you start getting the vitamins you need, exercising and learning about what you’re putting into your body, the results will show on the outside!

4 Beauty Benefits of Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum Jelly is one of those things that are amazingly cheap and readily available. But are you aware of all the beauty benefits it can give you which you can take advantage of? Read on to know just what you can get from having one small jar of this inexpensive yet wonderful beauty product in your bag.

1. It can soften your skin. I have mentioned in a previous post that applying petroleum jelly on your feet before you sleep and then wearing socks to seal it in is an effective way to have smooth and soft feet. You can also apply it on your hands regularly before or after doing manual work like cleaning or typing.

2. It’s a great moisturizer. Petroleum jelly is safe to use as a moisturizer on all skin types because it contains no chemicals or harmful substances whatsoever.

3. It’s great for chapped lips! No need to buy expensive lip moisturizers and lip gloss as long as you have your little trusty jar of petroleum jelly on your bag.

4. It’s a straight-up, no frills makeup remover. Just dab some of the jelly on areas with makeup then gently wipe with tissue or cotton.

I’m sure there are a lot more things petroleum jelly can do. Care to share your knowledge? 🙂

Image from this site.