Your Winter Facial

Defend your skin against the elements with this simple beauty regimen. Even if you love the crisp, brisk days of winter, you probably don't love what they do to your complexion. "Skin gets dry because the wind and cold weather irritate it, and the lack of humidity in the air causes it to lose moisture rapidly," says Elizabeth McBurney, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University. "This causes flakes and scaly patches, which in turn give you a sallow, dull appearance." 

With months of winter weather left (especially here in Minnesota!), you need to take action now to breathe life into your looks. Here's what the experts suggest.

Fight back with steam. Soften dry patches by steaming your face over a bowl of boiling water (cover your head with a towel) for several minutes.

Take tougher measures. For stubborn, flaky areas on your face a good exfoliator and moisturizer will help.  

Warm up your face with color. Peachy or rosy blushes can give you that "I just ran 3 miles" look. For a richer lip color, use a tinted lip stain. 

Pay close attention to your eyes. Give eyes a wake-up call by placing a tiny bit of satin white or ivory eye shadow under your brow bone and another very small dab just above your lash line in the middle of your lid.

Taken from an article on Health.com 

 

Our Wish For You

Wordless Wednesday

                                         Can't leave home without my snack!

Me, Myself and Eye

                                

                Follow these easy tips for the prettiest eyes ever.

* Mascara frames your eyes and can make your face come alive. To apply mascara look straight into your mirror with your chin slightly lifted so you can see your lashes. Insert the wand only once and twist, don't pump. Pumping can break the brush bristles and distribute the mascara unevenly and will dry out the mascara faster. Start by rolling the wand from root to tip in an upward motion.

*Use an eyelash curler to give lift to lashes. Apply a coat of mascara to set it that way

*Eyeliners are meant to define the eyes so they should do just that; not be the focal point of your makeup. For a smudged effect use a sponge tip shadow applicator or an eye shadow brush. When your pencils are too soft refrigerate them. When they are too hard soften them by holding them between your fingers. Never line the inside rim of your lower lashes; this will make eyes look even smaller.

*If your neck can tolerate it, use an extra pillow when you lay your head down to sleep. The extra elevation prevents fluid accumulating under your eyes. Fluid retention makes the eyes look puffy.

*Tired Looking Eyes? Another late night out? Rise and shine by applying white eye shadow to your inner eye and eyelids. The color will brighten your look, make eyes really pop, and erase and effects from the night before.

* Use a base before applying your eye shadow of choice. The eye shadow base is not only helpful in keeping your eye makeup longer, but also in preventing your eye makeup from creasing and smudging. Light shadow colors cause the eyes to open, dark colors will cause the eyes to recede.

*If you want to emphasize your eyes, make sure to use lighter shades of lip gloss or lipstick. However, if you want to put emphasis on your lips, make sure you use a neutral or light-colored eye shadow.

*Tame your arcs with a brow brush. If you don't have any, a clean toothbrush will do the trick.

 

Glass of Water Theory of Stress Management Story

The Holiday Season can be very stressful for many people including me sometimes. This short and amusing illustration of how to manage stress really hit home. There's nothing like a good story to help us get the point, so check out the Glass of Water Theory of Stress Management here:

 SIMPLE SOLUTION

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" 

Answers called out ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance."

 "In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." 

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"

(Sent to us online, source unknown.)

Try to remember...Don't worry, be happy! 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Where should we travel to next?

Macro Monday

                    Can you guess what these are? The first one is easy... 

The first one is of course an apple, the second a wine cork and the third one a frame. Did you figure them out?