Make yourself over

No lypo, just plain old reason

The easiest way to completely change the way you look is to splash money on plastic surgery. Perfect your nose, opt for some botox, get your buttocks, tummy and thighs lyposucked, put some silicone into your breasts and after 6 months (of surgery, narcosis, pain and stitches) you're as good as new. Only breast implants will cost you around $6 000, so you can calculate the rest of the cost accordingly.

But, dramatic change to better your looks does not have to involve scalpels or credit lines. You can do much with so much less, so here it goes:

Skin
Be consistent with your skin care routine. This will perfect your skin and make it a great surface to work on. When you apply moisturiser always massage your face to help lymph and blood flow. Use a special cream for the eye area, and consider using moisturisers with lift effect (especially combined with antioxidants). Micro abrasion can be your friend too, as long as you don't overdo it. There are some great products out there, prices starting at $5.
Don't forget to keep your brows under control, they can really lift your look.

Make up
Hide blemishes and all other imperfections (there's a tutorial under hide).
Be careful with base. The more foundation and powder you put on the older you look. This is because those products have a tendency to sink in after hours of wearing, so a better thing to do is to choose from a range of new, all in one foundations, that smear like a cream but have a powdery finish.
Use natural colours for lids and lips, emphasise your lashes and always use lash curler.

Body
Yes, you have to exercise. Work on your problem areas at least 15 minutes every day. You can do sit-ups and firm your arms and breast area by lifting water bottles. A big help can be applying skin firmer lotions, such as Dove and Vichy produce. They refine the skin and make cellulite less visible.
Bronzers and self-taning lotions hide cellulite too. It takes a bit to perfect the applying skill, but it's worth it. Also, self tanners make you look slimmer, no wonder they are the hit of this season.

Hair
Choose a classic, sexy hairstyle that suits you perfectly, and don't get fooled with the trends. It takes money to have asymmetric bangs or healthy long hair, so cut your hair to the shoulders. Have it layered to achieve additional volume and consider getting a light modern perm that will keep your hair looking great for three or four months in a row.If you dye your hair, don't go more than two shades lighter than your natural hair colour. Always choose warmer tones of hair colour that make your face appear softer and younger.

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Blusher smart

You can't have serious makeup, or consider yourself ready to face the world without at least a pinch of blusher on your face. Blusher adds colour and depth to the skin and can add a healthy glow to colourless cheeks, forehead and nose. Blusher will also give dimension to areas that would ordinarily be lost.

You can choose from powder (the easiest to apply), cream (the most intensive one) or gel (to use with no foundation). The key is to apply a very small amount and add only a hint of colour.

This fall/winter look demands pinkish, glittery blush, combined with fuchsia lipstick, white eye pencil on the inner part of the eyes and deep black mascara. This is a great look, makes every woman look younger.

Decide which form of blusher you want to use and prepare your face accordingly (for powder apply foundation and powder firs, when using cream sole foundation will do, and with gel you don't have to put anything on except your beloved moisturiser).







If you want your face to look narrower, make a thin vertical streak in the middle of your every cheek.













Want to emphasise cheekbones and look slimmer? Apply blusher high, following your cheekbones.












If your goal is to look fresh and well rested, slap some blusher in the middle of your cheeks.













Your face is long and narrow? Make it rounder and softer by applying some blusher in a straight horizontal line.






Experiment and have fun. If you're feeling worn out, like the morning after partying all night long, try putting a light stroke of blusher across your forehead up by your hairline or just above your brows.

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Some new hair removal

Get tidy and fuzz-free before Christmas!

We have said the most important things about hair removal in our Hair removal and how to do it post, but it's high time we take one step further and let you know about all those new and 'maybe' less painful methods of removing hair. Tips and tricks on these new, or rediscovered, ways to get rid of unwanted hair, as well as some new thoughts on the matter as follows:

What do you really need?
It's always a good idea to get to know your body, skin and hair type. Consider different hair removal methods for different body parts. Maybe there is an easier and cheaper way to do it.

Hair growth inhibitors
Lately the market is swamped with different hair growth inhibitors. The truth is that not one of the products that can be bought in drugstores or shops (lotions, creams, gels) has proof of concept. That is, the producers haven't published research results stating how efficient their hair growth inhibitors are. Or are there any side affects. Some women find these moderately effective, or not effective at all, but some also develop nasty rashes or allergies. Our advice is to go to the store, find the product you want, copy the content list and discuss it with your doctor or beautician if you're worried.

If you have a bad hair growth problem (hirsutism), talk to your doctor, you might be eligible for some prescription drug, taken orally, which are very effective, but require constant drug taking.

Sugaring
This hair removal tactic is gaining back it's popularity, but if you're expecting a painless alternative to waxing, don't look for it here. The good news about sugaring is that it's very natural (it's made from sugar, honey and lemon juice), cheap, easy to clean up afterwards (sugar is water-soluble) and gives long lasting results.

There is a downside too. Sugars don't stick as tightly to hairs as wax does, so you'll have to do the same patch of skin twice or three times.

Threading or Khite
This method involves quickly rolling a twisted piece of thread back and forth across skin, removing many hairs at once, so threading is considered less painless than waxing. It's environment friendly and faster than tweezing, so it's a good idea for shaping eyebrows or removing facial hair. After threading you're free from unwanted hair for two to three weeks.

Threading is cheaper than waxing, but you might experience some problems finding a good salon practitioner. Be persistent in your search, many women report how delighted they are, cutting the time and money needed for the hair removal in two. You can buy a home kit, but it'll take time to learn the technique.

Combat ingrown hair
As every girl knows, ingrown hairs are painful and difficult to get rid of. The trick is to take a warm bath before hair removal and use body peeling regularly, so your pores are as open as possible. Rinse skin with cold water afterwards and don't apply any moisturizers for at least two hours.

If you still get ingrown hairs, don't wax, tweeze or epilate until the situation clears up.

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Liquid diets suck

The only purpose of that advertised shakes is to implement calories, otherwise you would most certainly die of starvation!

Looking at an advertisement for Slimfast diet shakes, which promises fantastic weight loss, we went bezerk and wanted to share our thoughts with you, so you wouldn't get intimidated or urged to buy that can of pure illusion.

Here it goes: when you're on the Slimfast diet, you are allowed to eat sugar free gelatine, vegetables, salads and…nothing else. But, you are required to drink 3 disgustingly tasting shakes, 8 glasses of water and exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.

What the… ? The pure logic of dieting states that if you exercise for 30 minutes every day, and don't raise your calorie input, you are bound to loose weight. Moreover, if you chop your food down to the list mentioned above, you are most certainly going to loose some more.

So, why buy Slimfast? For no reason whatsoever, except to give you the calories your body needs to run functions such as breathing, pumping blood etc. Because if you followed the diet without drinking the shakes you would most certainly become seriously malnourished soon, and that brings a lot of other problems too.

What's the point of all this? Well, our advice is: don't believe that magic pills, shakes and creams. Be smart and enjoy life, follow our simple tutorials: Commonsense diet tips 1 and 2, and stay clear of Fatty habits.

And by the way, it's ok to have a big bum, large breasts and a tummy. No one we know is perfectly slim, or wants to be. The only thing you have to do is to stay true to yourself, and be satisfied the way you look!

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Home made cosmetics

Home goodies to get you through winter

As winter comes we spend more and more time at home. To save you from boredom and yet help you do something good for your body, face and hair, we’ve collected some very easy recipes even we can make. It’s fun, easy and 100 percent home made!

Avocado hair bliss
This cream is great for deep conditioning of dry hair, but can be applied at least every fortnight to any hair type, because harsh winter winds, low temperature and indoor heating make any hair fragile.

All you need is a ripe avocado and two tablespoons of plain yoghurt. Peel the avocado, slice it and put in a blender or food processor. Add the yoghurt and mix until you get a smooth cream. Moisten your hair and apply the avocado cream. Massage it in and let on for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse well, shampoo and condition as usual.

Tired feet remedy soak
After a day’s hard work pamper your cold feet in this great recipe. You need to pour a cup of milk and half a cup of lemon juice in a blender and mix well. Transfer the soak in a large basin and put your feet in. Rest for about 15 minutes, take your feet out and dry properly. Apply a generous amount of any hydrating cream and put on a pair of warm cotton socks.

Dry skin honey smoother
Our elbows, knees, legs and hands get especially dry at winter. This mask is quick and easy to prepare, but it’s affects are long lasting!

You’ll need half of an apple (peel it, get rid of the centre and chop it to smaller pieces), one tablespoon milk, one tablespoon honey, one tablespoon of finely ground oats, one teaspoon of apple vinegar and a few drops of lemon essential oil.

Put an apple in a blender (food processor) and start blending. Add the vinegar, after a while milk and after a further minute add oats and honey. Blend until it becomes smooth, and then pour into a container. Stir and add about three drops of lemon essential oil. Let it rest for 15 or 20 minutes.

Apply the mixture to any body part you wish, let it sink in for a few minutes and then gently massage in circular motion. Rinse well and hydrate the skin with any cram you like.

Oat and honey skin clear up
If you get blackheads during winter, although your face skin is dry, this is the right thing for you! Simply mix three tablespoons of roughly ground oats with two tablespoons of honey, apply to your face, avoiding eye area and rest for 20 minutes. Rinse well, tone and moisturise.

You can use this mask twice a week, and soon you’ll se the blackheads disappear!

If you liked these recipes, please read our Look beautiful all winter long post too. You’ll find some interesting tips and tricks there, which are bound to preserve your beauty all through the winter.

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Long, long hair

How to care for and grow long hair?

Did you ever look at a woman with long, shiny, luscious hair and wish yours was such? Although we all envy the owners of long hair, only few of us really try to grow it. Short hair is much simpler to handle, style and take care of.

But, once you start thinking about it, you picture yourself with long golden locks, that turn men’s heads. So, do it.

Let your hair grow. In months to come, you’ll be often unsatisfied with the way your hair looks. That’s usually why many women give it up and cut it the way it was. Our suggestion is to bear with it, it’ll be worth the trouble. The first step is to get a haircut, because you need to start with healthy hair, ready to grow. Ask your hairdresser to cut off all the damaged hair and to style it according to your goals. That means no short bangs.

You still have to trim your hair regularly, half an inch every four months at least. Avoid using blow dryer, or hair iron, it’ll break and damage your hair. After you wash your hair, tuck it in a towel and leave it that way for 20 minutes. If you really must use the blow dryer, use it for only a few minutes at time, letting your hair cool off in between.

Say goodbye to peroxide and other damaging hair colours. Go for nature-based colours that protect your hair. Never brush your hair when it’s wet. Brush your hair starting at ends, detangling gently piece-by-piece with your fingers first. Read more tips and tricks about maintaining beautiful, strong and healthy hair in our Hair trouble post.

Once your hair has grown for a few inches, you can go to the hairdresser to style it more suitably. For instance, you can get layers by cutting a few locks shorter, which will make your hair appear fuller too.

Waiting for your hair to grow and dealing with outgrown style can be stressful. But stop worrying, here are some hairstyle suggestions: Make a sweet ponytail and tame the stray hairs with some cool pins. Change the parting of your hair, that can completely change the way you look and feel. Flip your ends out and tuck bangs behind your ears. Use some gel to sleek all of your hair down. Put your hair up and safe it with a fair number of pins. Curl only the ends and sleek down the rest of your hair.

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