Tips On How To Protect And Nourish Your Skin Against The Winter Cold

The last few months have seen some of the coldest weather across the country for decades, and many of us have been suffering from chapped lips and dry skin on our faces and hands. As it looks like the cold snap is due to continue for a good few weeks yet, we thought it would be a good time for some hints on how to protect yourself if you are out and about in the cold and wind and how you can treat your skin kindly to help it recover if you have been bitten by Jack Frost. Even celebrities like SJP need to keep themselves protected from the snow and cold in New York.

Here are a few facts about the cold weather's effect on your skin:

• Cold temperatures slow down the blood circulation to your face, so it can look pale and dull, and have a rough texture.
• Your skin has a protective layer of oils known as the "acid mantle", which is reduced in the cold weather as your oil glands become less active. In addition, cold winds and dry, heated or air-conditioned atmospheres drain even more moisture from your skin, which can be extremely damaging, particularly  for those over age 30 when moisture levels in your skin begin to decrease naturally anyway.
• The drying effects of cold weather can be multiplied by up to fourteen times when the air itself is dry and up to ten times in high winds.
• Skiiing is a fantastic holiday and great exercise, but it will give your face a tough time as at high altitudes the lack of oxygen increases the skin's sensitivity to cold and the sun's ultraviolet rays, which are magnified by the snow, will also dehydrate and age your skin.

So what can we do to help our skin out when it's vulnerable to these conditions? Here are some remedies and treatments to soothe and re-hydrate your skin if it has been suffering from the cold.

• It's tempting to exfoliate your skin if it feels dry and rough, however, go carefully, as scrubbing with an abrasive facial scrub will irritate and make your skin sore and even cracked. Avoid foaming cleansers that contain SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) as these can destroy the skin’s natural barrier function, leading to increased sensitivity, dryness and inflammation. Look for a very gentle exfoliator or facial wash and ideally one with natural ingredients such as natural oils which will cleanse your face gently.
• Moisturising adds lustre to your skin, and you should use the richest moisturiser your skin can stand. Again look for natural moisturising ingredients such as shea butter, borage oil and glycerin which are kinder to your skin than some "anti-wrinkle" creams which can contain strong ingredients which will irritate and sting your skin if it is feeling sensitive.
• Even if you usually don't bother, this is the time to invest in a night-cream for your face, as this will allow your skin to soak up lots of lovely moisturising ingredients whilst your skin is most receptive, giving your skin a luscious glow in the morning.
• Don't forget your hands at this time, even if you wear gloves, it's surprising how the cold can dry out the skin on your hands and fingers. Look for a rich hand cream, it doesn't need to be a premier brand - we look for reliable brands such as Neutrogena or Jergens. At night-time, before falling asleep, you can even apply a cream to your hands such as E45 cream which can be too greasy for daytime, but which is a lovely treat for your skin overnight.
• As for the rest of your body, remember to keep gently exfoliating with a body puff or exfoliating wash and then treat your skin from neck down with an application of baby oil whilst your skin is still wet, locking in lots of lovely moisture.
• If you are going on a winter skiing holiday, remember to apply lots of high factor suncream (preferably factor 30+) to your face and hands to keep your skin protected from the UV rays and to prevent premature aging.

Makeup Tips To Create The Kristen Stewart Look In New Moon

I first heard of Kristen Stewart when she played Tracy, a teenage, guitar playing daughter of travelling folk in the film "Into the Wild". Since then she has risen to fame playing Bella Swan, the heroine of the Twilight Saga, which follows the story of a teenage girl (Bella) moving to a new town, Forks, Washington, where she meets Edward Cullen, a boy who is a little bit different, and who sees Bella as the soul mate he has been waiting for. Anyway, lots more of this story can be found in Stephanie Meyer's books and, as fascinating as this story is, we are here to look at how to re-create the natural, beautiful looks of Bella in the story.

Bella is described in the novels as pale and beautiful, with large, chocolate brown eyes, and a natural beauty, which is the look we are going to achieve here.

• Step 1: Using a light coloured foundation (stay away from golden or tanned shades), apply a thin even base of a matte finish foundation.
• Step 2: Using a matching concealer, lightly apply to disguise dark circles under the eyes and any other noticeable imperfections.
• Step 3: Using a loose powder and large powder brush, sweep a translucent powder over the forehead and mainly over the t-zone to keep away any unwanted shine.
• Step 4: Using a peachy or earthy toned blusher, brush a powder blusher from the apples of your cheeks outwards along your cheekbones, keeping the look natural.
• Step 5: Unless you already have dark, defined eyebrows, use a dark brown eyebrow pencil to define the shape of your brows, starting at the inner corner and working outwards. Don't use solid lines, but draw in hairs over your natural brow shape, and then blend with an eyebrow brush.
• Step 6: Using matte eyeshadows, apply a natural coloured shadow all over your upper eyelid area and blend out towards the brow bone. Then using a slightly deeper colour, such as a light brown or matte grey, work this along the eyelid crease and out towards the outer corner of your eyelid blending it to the middle of your lid above your iris.
• Step 7: Using either a brown or grey eye pencil draw a line along your upper and lower lashes and blend this in so it gives a hint of definition rather than a harsh line.
• Step 8: Using a brown-black mascara apply a thin coat to your upper and lower lashes.
• Step 9: Then finally, using a chocolate or plum shade of lipstick (muted shades are best), apply a matte lip colour to your lips using a lip brush for better coverage and staying power.

How To Create The Makeup of Miss Holly Golightly For A Romantic Valentine Look

It's almost time for the most romantic evening of the year, and whether you will be spending it with a new love or having a romantic evening at home, it's one evening of the year where you can go whole-heartedly for the romantic, girlie look. The Spring Season 2010 will be full of floral and pastel outfits with frills and girlie accessories, and these styles are perfectly matched with the romantic and classical Hollywood makeup techniques used on starlets, such as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. The makeup artist on Breakfast at Tiffany's was actually a guy named Wally Westmore, who was born in England, and who was one of six brothers who all became makeup artists. In his memory, here are some of the great Hollywood makeup tips which he worked to perfection on Miss Hepburn in that movie.

• Always have a perfect canvas to work on - use either a good quality foundation or a primer which will ensure a smooth, flawless and dewy coverage. Audrey never sported a tanned look in BAT, so use a foundation which is the lightest shade which suits you and which looks natural. Apply a concealer if you need one under the eyes and on any slight imperfections using either a concealer in the same shade as your foundation or my preferred product which is Touche Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent, which brightens as well as conceals.
• Using a large powder brush, lightly apply a dusting of loose, translucent face powder, which looks much more natural than set powder.
• Next you need to work on your eyebrows. Depending on what your natural brows are like you may have to work harder to achieve a look like Audrey's. If you actually study her brows, they are pretty heavy by today's standards, but working with an eyebrow pencil in a shade close to your own natural colour you need to draw in an almost straight outline on the underneath of your brow and create an arch along the top of the brow. If you are naturally fair or have very slight eyebrows try to work in as much definition as your feel comfortable with.
• We are intending this look for a romantic evening, so next to the eyeshadow. This is a relatively simple application and we recommend a dark brown shadow which is applied relatively deeply all over the eyelid and which is then blended out beyond the crease line, gradually fading it out.
• Audrey had beautiful, rosy girlie cheeks. Using a large blusher brush, apply a rose pink blusher to the apples of your cheeks. Limit the application to a subtle application of colour. Next apply a highlighter along your cheekbones to give an almost ethereal glow.
• Audrey's lips sported very neatly applied matte lipstick. No brash or bright colours should be involved, look for colours such as a light cherry red, and apply this with a lip brush, carefully outlining your lips, then filling in the centre and finally blotting the colour.
• Audrey's eyelashes where black and beautifully curled. Use a good quality mascara for curling lashes, and make sure that you apply lots to the outer corner lashes of your eyes to get the full fluttering effect.