Give yourself the rewards fit for royal ladies, princesses and queens- PAMPER yourself!

This page is dedicated to the busy woman who juggles professional and personal life so efficiently but seems to frequently forget to include herself in her timetable. Women superheroes look gorgeous on TV, magazines and comics. So can YOU -you're the daily superhero who comes unnoticed and most of the time, disregarded! It's time to come out.

Give yourself the rewards fit for royal ladies, princesses and queens- PAMPER yourself!

No, keep your wallets and step out of those walking shoes. You are not going anywhere. Stay glued right in front of your screens for a few minutes and you'll soon be on your way to that awaited luxury.

Tidying up is one of the most vital chores every woman accomplishes. Most of the time, she is the one who sees to the cleanliness of the home. Cleanliness protects the family from germs and eventually, sickness. She knows it and so, cleanliness has to start on herself.

It is typical for a woman to stay so long inside the bathroom. Many say it is her domain. Yes! And the other place where you see her reign is The Kitchen. These parts of the house are the certified zones for women. The kitchen and the bathroom are the areas you could get on with the treats and transformation processes.

When night finally comes, clear everybody out of your domains and start on with the program. Just make sure that the dishes are all done, the house is clean and the kids are all tucked up. You wouldn't want someone banging on the bathroom door after a few minutes.

It would be marvelous to wake up the next day already looking gorgeous without going to the hairdresser. Starting from the crowning glory - the hair, give it a boost, a life! A homemade shampoo of egg, hot water and an ounce of fresh rosemary would do the first trick. Rinse. Then follow up with deep conditioner of mayonnaise and avocado. Rinse. Then, finally, give your hair the energy it needs with olive oil and vitamin E liquid combined in boiling water. Cover with a hot towel and leave on for 30 minutes.

A hot bath would be one of the best ways to soothe the knots from the shoulders to the feet. Create a relaxing atmosphere by lighting little candles or lamps with your favorite aromatherapy oils. For more calming and relaxing bath, you could add milk and lemon juice to the water to achieve silky smooth skin right after. Or, you could give your skin the vitamins it needs without actually taking tablets or syrups orally. Instead of swallowing the vitamin E capsules, just poke them with a pin and squeeze out the oil to the tub along with regular sea salt and drops of your favorite essence oils for an invigorating soak. Once inside the tub, you might imagine that you are in an expensive spa instead of just in your own bathroom.

However, if you don't have that much time for a dip, you could always have an alternative. Have some invigorating body scrub in the shower. Exfoliate your skin with a combination of finely ground oatmeal and almond oil. Let the pour of water massage your body at the same time cleanse it.

Free your face of worry wrinkles. You wouldn't want to look older than your age, do you? Combine vodka, fennel seeds and honey (let sit for 3 days) and apply as toner with a cotton ball to do the trick. A mask made of mashed ripe banana and honey will give your face a new, vibrant feel. When going somewhere, you might want to highlight your eyes and cheeks for more stunning effect without really going through extensive alterations. You can bring out the natural beauty of your eyes and cheeks by putting the perfect shade of foundation, eye shadow, blush on and lipstick properly. The trick here is to know your skin type and skin color and to determine the colors that would compliment the shape and type of the face. And at the end of each day (or night) do not forget to remove make-up. One secret is to mix castor oil, light olive oil and canola oil. Then with a cotton ball, apply tenderly over the eyes to remove make up. Keep the shine off your face too, by using lemon juice mixed with cold-water toner. When a trace of pimple is showing on your face, prevent it by placing an ice cube wrapped in saran over the threatening pimple. Retain the freshness in your face.

Your feet deserve the total rest they badly need after carrying you anywhere you want to go. Give them a rest for a few moments by propping them on a chair. Then prepare a great footbath something you'd find in a posh spa. Treat them to a deodorizing bath with Epsom salts, white vinegar and warm water. Then exfoliate them with a mixture of strawberries, olive oil, kosher salt and finely chopped almonds. For smooth and soft feet overnight, smear on a mixture of banana, honey, lemon juice and natural margarine. Wear thick socks to bed and rinse the next day. Follow with a foot deodorizing powder made from baking powder and drops of your favorite essential oils. Your feet will love you.

And after doing everything, your hands need the last attention. Make sure that you have done the last of your chores so that your hands could get the treat they deserve. A hot oil hand treatment could leave your hands feeling soft and gentle. Heat olive oil in a dish and soak fingers to soften cuticles and strengthen nails. Combine cold cream, honey and slivered almonds to make a scrub then leave on for 10 minutes. Wrap hands in hot hand towels tightly for 10 minutes. Remove the rinse and apply leftover olive oil. Wrap hand again in towel or inexpensive cotton hand gloves. Then put plastic over gloves and seal with rubber bands and let stay for 10 minutes. You'll feel the moisture as it creates a terrarium effect.

After the program, you'd feel relaxed and almost lulled to sleep. Indulge! And tomorrow, do not be surprised to feel new and energized. Then check yourself out, feel your skin, your hands and your feet - still amazingly smooth and soft, right? It's not so difficult going through all your daily routines when you're especially in good mood - inspired! Did your family notice?

The flattery is quite addictive, right? You could say it's magic. You didn't have to go out of the house to feel great! You didn't even spend anything because, the oatmeal was just on the top cabinet, and the herbs just at the corner table. The hubby wouldn't probably notice that you took a little of his vodka from the bar.

And the best thing there is, you wake up feeling so good, you'd still be delighted enough to make a mouth-watering but un-sinfully delicious dessert! Again, indulge!

And while driving the kids to school or sitting on your desk at your office, have some easy and simple exercises that could trim and shape you up! No need to call on that gorgeous health instructor with enviously sexy body. Have it yourself - at home.

Start now!

So many beauty products, which to buy?

So many beauty products, which to buy? Each of us is different so our suggestions may not work for all but they are a good place to start. We’ve had 20 staff members test each product and then compiled their opinions to give you our 25 best beauty buys.

1. Sue Devitt Pencil Liner is nice and creamy with a velvety texture and is available in 10 shades

2. Mac Eye Shadow has a wide selection of colors. If the color is available from mother nature than Mac has it. Rich texture and blends easily

3. Revlon Eye Shadow is expensive and has a huge selection of shades. The colors are up todate and apply easily

4. Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara is dependable and affordable. Comes with a nice fine brush that grabs every eyelash and the formula is nice and rich and doesn’t flake

5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Filler has a great color selection and applies easily with a brush

6. Stila Convertible Color Blush creates natural looking rosy cheeks. Creamy formula blends well producing a very natural look.

7. Revlon Skinlights Bronzer is inexpensive. It’s rich and smooth texture is easy to apply and it is enriched with vitamins A, C, and E. Available in 6 shades and has a SPF15.

8. Tarte Cheek Stain is an oil free push up blush available in 5 natural tones.

9. Max Factor Erace Concealer is inexpensive with a sheer texture so it can be used around the eyes, but covers well enough to hide those more prominent imperfections.

10. Mac Pressed Powder is ultra translucent and you can be sure no shine will creep through.

11. Mac Lipstick is available in over 200 shades. They won’t bleed and have a good lasting power.

12. Mario Badescu Lip wax is soothing and not waxy. It is enriched with Vitamins C & E and has a SPF15.

13. Lancome Juicy Tubes Lip Gloss can be worn by itself or layered over your lipstick, resulting in luscious glistening lips

14. Cetaphil Facial Cleanser is highly recommended by dermatologists. No perfumes or irritants, powerful mild cleansing.

15. Kinara Lactic Acid facial Exfloiator is a light hydrating serum that easily absorbs into the skin. Non abrasive exfoliant that cleans deep

16. Olay Regnerist Anti Wrinkle Cream is enhanced with pentapeptides and amino acids that encourage production of collagen for firmer skin.

17. Lancome Heavy Duty Moisturizer is a nonsticky cream that contains glycerin, wild yam extract, sea algae, and soy restore moisture.

18. Dove Facial Cleanser is mild and easily rinses away makeup and oil leaving skin feeling fresh and clean

19. Aveeno Facial Moisturizer is an excellent emoillience but it is scented. Oil-free lotion enriched with skin softening soy extract

20. Murad Acne Kit consists of 4 steps – cleanser with triclosan and salicylic acid to fight bacteria, pore cleaning gel with glycolic and salicylic acids, exfoliating lotion with retinol, and spot treatment with sulphur

21. Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Pimple Healer Spot Treatement is a fast acting blemish fighting gel. Contains Salicylic acid, and glycolic acid as well as herbal incredients such as cinnamon bark and ginger root

22. Lancome Eye Makeup Remover will even remove waterproof mascara. Very gentle so perfect for sensitive skin

23. L’Oreal Home Microdermabrasion is a two part system. Smooth skin with aluminum oxide crystals and moisturize with vitamin E cream

24. Neutrogena T/Gel Dandruff Shampoo is soothing and calms the scalp eliminating flakes and relieving itchy scalp

25. Pantene Pro V Overall Conditioner is inexpensive and hairstylists say its great. Frizz fighting rich nourishing formula rich in vitamins is easily absorbed by the hair

These products are great choices to keep you looking great!

Ten Tips For Beauty

It is simple to look and feel more beautiful starting today. You can even put away your pocketbook because these tips are free.

1. Smile... it will brighten your day and others around you will feel your energy.

2. Stretch... cats know that total body stretch does wonders. Follow their example and roll up slowly out of bed and stretch gently. (For more tips on stretching here is a great book: AM/ PM Stretch for Health.)

3. Exercise... at least 20 mins of any continuous activity will boost your energy level and reduce bad stressors. You don't even to pay a membership fee. The key is continuous like a 20min walk or even mopping your floors. You will look and feel better.

4. Drink water. No other liquid is quite like it. Clear your system. 8 glasses are recommended daily. Your skin will radiate.

5. Rest... you need to take breaks during the day and sleep at night. Takes breaks away from work space to keep fresh and focused. Make sure you are getting sufficient sleep at night since your body regenerates while you are sleeping. If you are constantly letting your mind wonder make a conscious decision to put away thoughts till morning. It is amazing how good your subconscious mind listens to your conscious mind (so be careful what you tell yourself)

6. Do good. When you do something for someone else without expecting anything in return you benefit in ways unimaginable. (the key is don't expect anything in return)

7. Exchange... the money you spend on junk food for food that will enrich your body and soul. Start with a simple plan of exchange. Because some think healthy foods cost more, find out your spending pattern by making 2 lists:

. foods you like that are healthy that you normally don't buy

. foods you like that are "junk food" that you normally buy

calculate the cost of the 2nd list then use this amount to fund your "healthy" purchase. (of course you have to say bye-bye to the "junk food")

8. "Stop and smell the roses". Look for good in everything. This is a toughie because most of us are "trained" to look for faults, errors, shortcomings, defects, etc. Begin with yourself. List all your assets (not just physical). Then realize all the good in being you. Move on to other things around you. Work on this consciously every day till it becomes a habit. There is something good about everything and everyone. Once you realize this you will be finding good everywhere without even trying.

9. Learn... something new every day. Pick up a book. or search online. Learn to do something you have always wanted to do. You can even start for free by researching online. Search the subject and start stimulating and enriching your mind today.

10. Reward yourself. Set financial and personal goals and tag them with rewards for accomplishing them. (this one may be something special you have always wanted to do. and not necessarily a purchase.. But if you have done all the above maybe go ahead and splurge a little. You deserve it!
About the Author

Use beauty supplies the right way and yours could well be the face that launched a thousand ships!

Use beauty supplies the right way and yours could well be the face that launched a thousand ships! Growing old may be mandatory, but looking it certainly isn’t. It’s just that one has to do it right. But that’s exactly what’s difficult. The mind boggles with the onslaught of unending types of beauty supplies, countless makeup and enticing brands. Am I using the right beauty supplies? Am I doing it correctly? What about side effects? Thankfully, makeup tips are not very difficult to find.


Trust the beauty supply expert.


Generally, you can always trust a beauty supply expert. And thankfully, one is almost always available without much trouble. The media abounds with beauty supply tips. And then there are brands that you can trust your skin with. Or use exotic mineral beauty supplies that are a great alternative to chemical beauty supplies. They use natural ingredients and causes less damage to the skin. Over a period of time, the presence of wrinkled skin could make that vital difference between skin that used regular beauty supplies and skin that used natural beauty supplies.


Beauty supplies today not only means enhancing beauty that is skin-deep, it also means preservation of skin nutrition. After all, our skin is the largest organ of our body and needs adequate nutrition like any other organ. Consistent, healthy skin care is the best way to avoid wrinkles, sunspots and premature aging. It will pay off in the end. We spend our hard-earned cash on beauty and skincare. Lets make sure that its main beneficiary is our skin, not skin care product manufacturers.

Should You Make Your Own Products

With the huge range of beauty products on the shelves, why do some people still make their own beauty products?

I started making my own skin care products years ago. I got a book about natural skin care. You can actually make masks out of mashed fruit. They are really messy though, but back then, I was really broke. Could not afford to spend on good skin care so I made do with what I could get.

I mashed watermelon and put in on my face. My face felt really clean, but there was a bit of a rash after that. I also read that papaya was used in spas for back exfoliating masks. In fact, the enzymes in papayas and pineapples are often used to exfoliate the skin. These can be rather harsh though, so I never tried that on my face.

One thing led to another. I moved on to make my own creams. I went through a period of time where every body lotion I tried from the stores, from the cheap ones to the $20 ones, made my skin itch. That prompted me to make my own body cream.

The cream recipes I found were mainly for cold cream. These were really heavy, oil based stuff. I wanted something lighter. A water based lotion.

A cream is basically droplets of water suspended in oil, kept in that state by an emulsifier. For my creams, I used beeswax as an emulsifier.

I experimented in the kitchen. After plenty of failed experiments. I finally came up with lotion in a texture I simply loved.

A lotion is made of droplets of oil suspended in water, kept together by an emulsifier. I used lecithin for my lotion. Here are some of the lotions I made.

By varying the water based part, using rosewater or tea instead of plain water, you can make all sorts of lotions. Likewise, you can play around with the oil part of the formula, with various infused oils, or a few drops of different essential oils, to change the lotion or cream. You can make tailor your beauty products to your personal tastes, and needs.

I had lots of fun with that. My skin loved these home made creams when they were fresh.

I even made a batch tailored specially for a cousin, using ingredients that she loves.



Yet, I have since stopped making them.

Why?

Laziness is the main reason. Lack of time is another reason.

So much care must go into making the lotions which don't keep. For me, even if I keep the lotions refrigerated, 2 days after making the lotion, if I use it on my face, my skin breaks out. 3 days later, if I use it on my body, my skin itches.

Preservatives are put in commercial skin care products to prevent these from spoiling. Without preservatives, bacteria, mould and all these nasty things multiply rapidly, spoiling the entire batch, causing nasty reactions on the skin. These home made beauty products don't have preservatives. That meant that I had to make new batches of skincare almost everyday.



Also, care must be taken to ensure all the equipment is sterile so the final product is safe to use. Carelessness could introduce lots of nasty germs into the beauty products you make. The water and oil component must be heated to the same temperature and drops of one are added to the other while mixing thoroughly or the batch might separate.

It is so much more convenient to buy beauty products from brands that agree with my skin condition, than to make them from scratch. That is what I have been doing lately. Plus the reknown skincare lines are way better than what I can make. I mean, with their R & D budgets, they can afford to do plenty of research on creating the most effective beauty products for virtually any beauty need.

At the end of the day, whether you make your beauty products or buy them off the shelf, it is a matter of your personal preference.
About the Author

A beauty salon will help you look your very best

A beauty salon will help you look your very best with a price that will fit in almost any budget. A beauty salon will be able to make your hair, skin, toes, and fingernails look marvelous. In addition, most beauty salons offer their services for a fairly reasonable price. However, sometimes it may be difficult to choose what service you want. If that is the case, simply be on the lookout for any fashion style that you like. Look through magazines and cut out photos of styles and colors that you find pleasing. Take notes so that when you do go to a beauty salon, you will know exactly what you want. However, be aware that some beauty salons are better than others. To make sure that you are in high-quality beauty salon, check to see if it has clean beauty salon equipment and a clean work area. Also, be aware that in most states, beauty salons are required to publicly display their establishment license. If the salon or barbershop won’t show you an establishment license, you don’t know whether the shop’s health and safety procedures have been approved by the state.



Time saving Beauty Salon Tips.



A beauty salon visit can be time consuming. To get the most from your visit and still have time left in your day, try these time-trimming tips. Before you leave your beauty salon, schedule your next appointment. Call ahead on your appointment day to see if your stylist is running on time. If not, you won’t have to waste time sitting at the beauty salon when you could be home. If you want to be quickly in and out for your beauty salon appointment, try to schedule the first appointment for the day.

7 Steps to Great Makeup

1. Avoid wearing too much

Makeup is meant to enhance features not bring negative attention to you. That's what wearing too much makeup will do; it will bring you unwanted attention. Don't wear too much of anything such as:

1. Eyeliner: dark, thick eyeliner will make you look overdone and will ruin the rest of your makeup.

2. Mascara: too much mascara looks fake and will flake. It looks especially bad if worn with thick eyeliner or dark blue eye eye shadow.

3. Foundation: Make sure your foundation is the same color as your skin. Foundation is meant to protect and give the face a smooth look. The magic word is blend.

4. Powder: The same holds true for powder - not too much. Also, be sure to blend your makeup so there are no obvious lines.

2. Lips

Apply lip liner to completely cover the lips, add color and your lipstick will stay on much longer. Make sure your lip liner doesn't show. Also, your lip color should match your skin tone; wear cool colors if you have cool coloring and warm colors if you have warm coloring. If you want to make your lips look smaller, keep your liner on the inside of your lips. However, if you decide to make your lips look larger, going outside the natural outline of you lips is a mistake. This can look quite messy and unnatural.

3. Appropriate makeup

Wear makeup that is appropriate for the occasion. If you are going to the beach you shouldn't wear the same or as much makeup as you would if you were going dancing. Also, when you are in daylight your makeup should be a lighter than when you are out for the evening.

4. Too little or no makeup

Some women don't wear makeup because they are not sure how to use it and are afraid of being overdone. If you are unsure, start will light colours in your shade. Start slowly and add one product at a time. Maybe start with foundation, add mascara, blush or lipstick. If you are not used to wearing makeup, using a lot a first may be a little too much for you, so start slowly. The bottom line is a little is better than none. If you are still unsure seek professional advice.

5. Overall look

When your makeup is completed it should look natural. That means avoiding colours that clash. If you have dark skin and hair you will look better in darker shades; light colours will make you look washed out. If your hair and skin tone are light, light colours will look better on you. Dark makeup will make you look older and harsh. If you have oily skin, first use oil control moisturizer and foundation. Then be sure to wear loose powder, keeping pressed powder with you for touch ups.

6. Hair color

Your hair color should also be in harmony with your skin. If you have dark hair and you want to add color, keep it close to the same shade. If you have light hair, use light colors. As you age your skin will lighten, so should your hair color. One last thing about hair color - if you do color you hair be sure you keep it up, don't let your roots show.

7. One last thing

Keep makeup looking fresh all day by doing regular touch ups. Don't let your makeup fade or crease. Smile!!!