With These Top Beauty Tips For Summer You Will Want To Head For the Beach ... Now!

Whether you are holidaying at home this year and reducing your carbon footstep, or whether you plan to get away to a glorious and glamorous foreign beach destination, it's time to plan your time away and make sure you have all the essential items you need to make your holiday beauty routine run like clockwork.

With these sweet little beauty tips, you will have all the knowledge you need to turn yourself into a summertime princess that turns heads on the beach. In this article we are talking about holiday preparation - don't worry - its all fun. Next time, we have some fantastic tips for you when you are away in the sunshine.

Beauty Tips For The Week Before Your Holidays

• Get yourself to the hairdresser. The least you can do is have your hair trimmed, getting rid of any dry ends which will only split in the sunshine. If you are feeling more adventurous and want to get into the summer spirit, ask your hairdresser if they can add a few high-lights to your hair, giving it a "been on the beach all day" look before you get away. If you are light brown or fair haired, go for a few blond high-lights, and if you are darker ask for some caramel tones to be worked through your hair - either of these give your head an instant sunshine boost.
• It might be a nasty experience at the time, but get waxed rather than shaving. This will last much longer and means you won't have to deal with any nasty stubble on holiday. You should have the waxing done approximately five days before you head away to give your skin time to calm down afterwards.
• Buff your skin all over in the shower everyday with either a skin polisher or body scrub - this will get rid of dead skin cells and promote an all-over smooth glow to your skin. For the week before your go away, apply a moisturiser with added self-tan every other day, to build up a nice glow for the start of your holidays.
• If you want to go a step further, take yourself off to the beauty salon for a spray-tan, especially if you feel this will give you confidence when you first get out your bikini on your hols.
• Try to treat your nails (toes and fingers) nicely for a few weeks before going away, rubbing in some jojoba oil as your nails love this, and let them grow out if your can. The day before you go away, treat yourself to a session at a nail bar and have either a bright polish applied to show off your tan, or have the classic french polish in nude or light pink.
• Lastly, as you might be getting up in the middle of the night catch an early flight or set off on a long drive, try and get an early night. Yes, we know its difficult when you are excited about your holidays, but sleep really is beauty sleep, and you can look forward to a great first day of your holidays feeling refreshed and lovely.

We'll see you next time for some great tips on how to be the glamorous one by the pool!

Shea Butter - A Natural Beauty Product Out of Africa

The sights and sounds of South Africa have been all over the world's TV screens for the last few days and will continue to be for the next month whilst the Football World Cup takes place. So, I decided to look at what else Africa has to offer us - particularly thinking about fashion and beauty and I hit upon the amazing natural product that is shea butter.

Shea butter is an ivory coloured natural fat which is extracted from the seed of the African Shea tree, which can be used as a moisturiser and salve for the skin. The name shea is derived from the name of the tree which is "Sí" in the Bamana language of Mali. Another name it is known by is "Women's Gold" not only because of its amazing properties and colour, but because it is one of the few commodities which is controlled by women in rural Africa, which is just another reason to look for this product and use it.

The Uses and Benefits of Shea Butter

• Shea butter is full of vitamin A and vitamin E as well as complex fatty acids. Now we all know that vitamins are good, but it is the complex fatty acids in shea butter that are what separates the butter from other moisturisers, such as cocoa butter. Fatty acids are not produced by the body but are essential for great skin as they help restore natural elasticity and promote regeneration of skin cells - so you see, keeping your skin younger looking.
• It can be used all over the face and body as a moisturiser both morning and night - it is rapidly absorbed by the skin and does not leave a greasy feel.
• If you have skin discolourations or freckles, shea butter can help fade these marks away by neutralising free radicals that damage your skin so helping you maintain a brighter and clearer skin tone.
• It can be used as a lip salve as it works hard to repair chapped and cracked skin.
• If you suffer from eczema or dermatitis, or cracked and sore skin on your feet or elbows, treat these areas with shea butter at bedtime and your skin will be softer and smoother in the morning.
• Skin which is acne scarred will also benefit from shea butter as again it will help to fade away any scars and marks.

Always look for unrefined shea butter rather than refined, which will have been treated at high temperatures destroying the butter's natural properties and will also, more than likely, have nasty added chemicals.

Have You Seen Scarlett And Her Gorgeous Dark Eyebrows?

Sigh ... what a relief, maybe it's time to relax a little on the waxing and plucking of our stressed brows and let them have a little more freedom like Scarlett's here. No, I'm not suggesting that wild, bushy eyebrows are the next big thing, but if you look back over the last few seasons on the catwalk, many of the models have been sporting darker, more natural looking eyebrows. Have a look at some of the other celebrities who have taken on the "Brooke Shields" look, such as Megan Fox, Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry.

If you have been waxing or plucking your eyebrows for some time, then you may have to go through a period of regrowth if you want to attempt this look. Eyebrows can take up to six to eight weeks to regrow after they have been plucked out from the root, however, there are some treatments which can help speed up this process.  

Massage Your Brows

• Massaging boosts the circulation of your face, which in turn carries nutrients to your hair follicles. Using a clean eyebrow brush massage your brows gently in the direction of the growth, in the morning when you cleanse, and in the evening when you remove your makeup.

Ensure You Have The Right Vitamins And Minerals

• Both zinc and silica are good for hair growth, as are vitamins A, C and E.  You could take a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, but natural is always the best so boost your intake of:

• Cheese, eggs, oily fish and liver for Vitamin A
• Blackcurrants, peppers, strawberries and broccoli for Vitamin C
• Avocados, tomatoes and sweet potatoes for Vitamin E
• Wheat germ, pecans and pine nuts for zinc
• Rice, oats, lettuce and asparagus for silica

Apply Olive Oil To Your Eyebrows To Encourage Them To Grow

• Use cold pressed, good quality olive oil and apply this with a cotton bud to your brows when you go to bed at night. You must use cold pressed oil, as cold-pressing does not destroy the natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes from the olives and these are the same natural nutrients that your hair needs to grow back into a lush brow. The oil will soak into the follicle, encouraging the hair to become stronger. Castor oil can also be used, but it's much easier to get hold of good olive oil from the supermarket.

What To Do With Your Eyebrows In The Regrowth Period

Your eyebrows may feel a little untidy in the regrowth period when you have lots of baby hairs growing back in.  During this time you can fill in your brows into your desired, fuller shape using an eyebrow pencil, following the tips below

• Use an eyebrow pencil that is a shade lighter than your natural brow colour.
• Using light and feathery strokes and a sharp pencil, apply colour to the thinner areas, filling out your eyebrow shape.
• Add fullness, by applying a mat eye shadow in the same shade as the eyebrow pencil, using a small eye shadow brush, colouring in the natural shape of the brow.
• Using a clean eyebrow or mascara brush, gently groom the finished brow, giving it a natural look. The finished effect may not be perfect, but it will definitely help get through the rather spiky, untidy regrowth period and give your face a neater and more defined look.

Your hard work will all be worth it when you have lush, defined brows which add definition and structure to your face. Once you have full regrowth you might want to have your brows professionally shaped by a beautician to get the total groomed appearance.

Part II - Ten Of The Worst Things You Can Do To Damage Your Skin

We were loving this topic so much that it has come to you in two parts, so we can give you all the information you need to make sure you care for your skin as well as you should. Part I of this article featured a picture of Cate Blanchett who is notorious for her glorious skin, and here is another celebrity who, although she is slightly younger, looks like she will be glowing with faultless skin for years to come. When her face was studied by an expert dermatologist, he also confirmed that Liv had taken great care in the sun which has left her with a faultless complexion.

Here are the remaining five major causes of premature aging which you need to know about: 

6. Emotional Stress

Stress can stimulate sebaceous glands and cause them to produce excess oil, which can clog up pores and produce bacteria and inflammation, with blackheads and spots forming as a result. If you are going through a period of emotional stress, you may need to seek help, but try and give yourself time to relax, try aromatherapy, yoga, or just chilling out with a book - your skin as well as you will benefit

7.Environmental Stress

If you live in any kind of built up area then you are likely to be subject to a certain level of environmental stress caused by pollution, which causes our bodies to be susceptible to the attack of free radicals. Free radicals are the "bad" atoms and molecules which cause premature aging and damage to skin and collagen, and death to our skin cells. As we have mentioned, antioxidants which are found in fruit and vegetables (particularly the colourful ones) provide your skin with added protection against these modern day dangers to your skin.

8. Yo-yo Dieting

Allowing your weight to go up and down dramatically will cause it to stretch and then become loose as you lose weight. Your skin may be able to cope with this when you are very young, but as you get older it won't and you will develop sagging skin aroundyour neck and cheeks - known as jowls - even the word sounds horrible doesn't it? The answer is not to remain overweight as this allows fat to build up in rolls around your neck and face, not attractive (or healthy), but to keep your weight stable at your ideal weight.

9. Living A Sedentary Life

Exercise is the key to a youthful look for lots of reasons. When you exercise, your skin begins to produce more of its natural oils that help skin look supple and healthy. Exercise also gets the blood flowing which carries more oxygen to the skin. The boost in blood flow and oxygen to the skin cells also carries nutrients that improve skin health. Exercise can, particularly with a short, intense burst of exercise, encourage the body to produce more Human Growth Hormone, which keeps our skinner thicker (as it thins over time) and younger looking, amongst other benefits.

10. Eating Processed Foods

Processed food has been robbed of all its vital nutrients and enzymes. If your digestive system is healthy, this shows in your skin. If your diet consists of a high percentage of processed foods, such as white bread, sugary drinks and cereals, chocolate bars, crisps and pizzas then you are unlikely to have a healthy digestive system or skin. Eating unprocessed food encourages your digestive system to speed up, making you feel and look more lively and less tired and your skin brighter.

Companies which process food are not concerned about keeping you healthy, and as long as their ingredients are within the law, they are just concerned about selling their product and making it appealing to our taste buds, i.e. filling the product up with saturated fat, sugar and salt along with other chemicals which will keep the food fresh for longer, and change its colour and texture. Everyone enjoys some "junk food" occasionally, but eating it regularly means these added chemicals build up within the body and skin and slowly poison the body's cells, again causing dull skin and premature aging, along with other skin allergies. So eat fresh when you can.

We hope you have enjoyed these tips, but we would love to learn more, so if you have any tips and hints for our readers let us know. 

Ten Of The Worst Things You Can Do To Damage Your Skin

Admittedly, some of us are luckier than others when it comes to our genes and the skin we inherit, but even those who are not so lucky can keep their skin in tip-top condition and looking beautiful if they avoid some of the behaviour and activities which are the most damaging and aging to their skin.

Cate Blanchett, pictured here, is notorious for her flawless and amazingly smooth skin, to which she partially credits her use of the exclusive brand of skin care products SK-II. On reading an interview with her though, she also mentions that although she grew up in Australia, she has always been careful to avoid the sun because she burns very easily and we think that may have a little more to do with her flawless complexion.

Read on for more tips on what to avoid if you want to keep your skin looking its best, not just for now, but for the years to come when it will be more difficult to undo any skin damage - prevention is always better than cure. We have split this article into two parts - Part II to be published soon - as it is such an interesting topic, we just wanted to give you all the information we could!

1. Staying Too Long In The Sun

Yes, you've heard it a million times. But sunlight is the main cause of skin aging. It's slightly depressing I agree, that sunlight causes us to age, but it is a fact. Even in the UK, if you are out and about, especially anytime from April to October you should think about wearing sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15. The UV rays in sunlight lead to sunburn, skin cancer, wrinkles, freckles and discolouration, premature aging and other skin problems. It's not all bad, if you wear appropriate sun protection for your skin, you can still get a golden tan, just take it easy and don't burn.

2. Eating A Poor Diet

You are what you eat, and your skin will always reflect what you are putting into your body. I'm not being nasty, but Google "Amy Winehouse skin" and you will see some images which will put you off a party diet of alcohol and cigarettes. It's easy to improve your skin - eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and you will see a change, plus fruit and veg contain lots of antioxidants to fight off free radicals which will also look after the future of your skin.

3. Not Drinking Enough

Unfortunately, this does not mean anything alcoholic! If you don't have enough fluid in your body, then your skin will show it, and you will get fine lines leading to wrinkles. Hydrating yourself means that your skin's tissues are plumped up and the collagen in your skin will work better holding your skin cells together.

4. Smoking

Note this does not say "smoking too much" - just smoking. Smoking is your skin's worst enemy - it's like Superman and Kryptonite - in the end it will kill him. Smoking deprives the skin of oxygen giving the smoker a grey complexion, and lines around the eyes and mouth, both from cell damage and the fact that a smoker puckers up their face around their cigarette and squints their eyes against the smoke. Apart from the damage to your skin, your health as a whole will suffer.

5. Too Much Alcohol

We can be a little kinder here, some alcohol is good for us (red wine has a fair few antioxidants) - and it's fun to have a few drinks with our friends which is also good for us as it helps us relax and de-stress. But too much alcohol gives us dehydrated skin (see above), burst blood vessels around the face, and also wipes out some of the vitamins in our bodies. Be honest, have you ever woken up after a few too many the night before and looked in the mirror and admired your glowing complexion?

This has been Part I of the "Ten Things To Avoid If You Want Beautiful Skin", we hope you have heeded the "warnings", and the remaining five will be delivered to you soon!

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