10 Beauty Tips For Eyes

The eyes are the part of the face we notice first. This is why it's important to make sure that your eyes look their best when attending to your makeup and care routine. Following are some great beauty tips for your eyes, no matter who you are.

1. Healthy eyes are beautiful eyes. If your eyes are swollen, red, or otherwise unhealthy, no amount of makeup is going to disguise this fact. If you wear contact lenses, make sure that you attend to all the care instructions for them. Also, protect your eyes by using cosmetics with sunscreen included.

2. When putting on eye makeup, make sure it goes with the rest of your look. Too many women forget that while the eyes are important, they must be in harmony with the rest of the face. Choose eye makeup that goes with what you're wearing, and with the look you choose on the rest of your face. Don't let your features go to war with each other to be the most prominent – you'll have to choose whether you want the focus to be on your lips or eyes, for instance. Overdoing it can just look garish.

3. Lay a good base. A layer of foundation on your eyelids will help smooth out imperfections and help your eye shadow and liner look their best.

4. Choose a color theme. This doesn't meant that you have to use a monochrome scheme for your eye makeup, but it does mean that it's a good idea to keep an idea of color harmony in mind as you apply your makeup. The colors that will work best for you depend on your skin tone.

5. Pay attention to your eye shape. What works on one person won't necessarily look good on another. Figuring out what shape and set your eyes are can go a long way to helping you get the right look.

6. Select quality cosmetics. It really matters whether or not your makeup is high quality. Don't let your tools work against you just because you can get a cheaper brand. You'll never achieve the same looks you can with a better brand.

7. Use specialized cleansers to remove your makeup. Soap and water are harsh and can irritate the eyes. Specially formulated eye cleansers are gentle, but made to remove old cosmetics.

8. Use darker, more heavily made up looks at night. Daytime requires a more natural look. Apply mascara on the tips of the lashes only, and save the liquid liner for evenings. Harsh makeup in daylight can look overdone or silly.

9. Soften over-prominent eyes. Just because the eyes are the first thing we pay attention to doesn't meant that they must be the focus of every look. If you feel that your eyes are too prominent, apply medium shadow and don't use highlights. This will make them appear deeper-set.

10. Keep up to date on the latest looks. If you've been doing your eyes the same way for years, you can look dated without knowing it. Pay attention to what other people are wearing as well as the latest makeup styles, and form a look that's your own.

How to Keep Teeth White Naturally

There are many effective methods of teeth whitening available, but some come with heavy price tags. Here are some steps you can take at home to whiten teeth naturally without breaking the bank.

Things You’ll Need:

Straw
Toothbrush
Lemon Juice
Salt
Baking soda
Hydrogen peroxide
Strawberries

1. Limit your consumption of drinks that stain tooth enamel. A few of these include coffee, tea and red wine. If you simply can't cut back on these beverages, consider drinking them though a straw to limit the amount of liquid that actually comes in contact with teeth.

2. Brush your teeth immediately after eating, especially if eating foods that stain easily, such as berries.

3. Rub raw strawberries on your teeth, preferably pureed. There is an enzyme in strawberries that acts as a whitening agent. You'll want to brush and rinse after applying the strawberries to remove the natural sugars and acids they may leave behind.

4. Eat crunchy foods that require a lot of chewing such as carrots, celery, broccoli and apples. These foods are abrasive and will remove built up plaque, which dulls the appearance of teeth.

5. Dip your toothbrush directly into baking soda and brush. The results are worth the lousy taste.

6. Combine lemon juice and one teaspoon of salt to make a paste-like substance. Brush your teeth and rinse. Again, not so pleasant on the palate, but your teeth will thank you.

7. Use hydrogen peroxide to brush your teeth. Dip your toothbrush into a small capful of the peroxide and brush as you would with regular toothpaste, being careful not to swallow. Rinse with water.

Tips

Consider using one of the several whitening toothpastes on the market that have all-natural ingredients.

Brushing after every meal and flossing regularly are the first steps in maintaining a healthy smile.

Sleeping With Lights On May Cause Cancer

Kids who sleep with the light on could risk leukaemia, parents were warned yesterday.

Scientists have found the body needs darkness to produce a chemical that fights cancer.

Even switching the light on for the toilet, staying up late, traveling across time zones, or the light from street lamps can stop enough melatonin being made, they say.

The body needs the chemical to prevent damage to DNA and its absence stops fatty acids reaching tumours and preventing them growing. Texas University Prof Russell Reiter, who led the research, said: 'Once you go to bed you should not even switch the light on for a minute.

'Your brain immediately recognises the light as day and melatonin levels drop.'

Rates of childhood leukaemia have doubled in the past 40 years.

About 500 youngsters under 15 are diagnosed with the disease each year and around 100 die. A conference on childhood leukaemia in London yesterday heard that people were being subjected to more light at night than ever.

This suppressed the production of melatonin which normally happens between 9pm and 8am.

Past research has shown those most affected, like shift workers, had higher levels of breast cancer.

Blind people, who are not vulnerable to fluctuations of melatonin, have lower rates of cancer, it was found.

Parents are advised to use dim red or yellow bulbs if their youngsters are scared of the dark.

Clear Skins Tips

It’s a cruel irony that more than half of adult women are battling breakouts at the same time they’re coping with crow’s feet. The culprit is hormones, which ebb and flow throughout a woman’s life rather than stabilize as they do in men. “As estrogen levels fluctuate–or in the case of menopause, decrease–androgens, the hormones that stimulate oil glands, can lead to breakouts,” says Jonette E. Keri, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Also to blame: stress, which raises hormone levels. One thing you needn’t stress about is controlling the condition. New remedies make it easier to get the clear skin you’ve always wanted–and erase signs of aging in the bargain.

This skin care routine fights the main cause of acne: pores clogged by oil and cellular debris and inflammation from P. acnes bacteria. But unlike topical teenage treatments–formulated for oilier complexions these OTC solutions are less likely to dry mature skin and make wrinkles more pronounced. The routine relies on products that address the dual concerns of acne and aging (see products at right) by employing agents such as:

Salicylic acid, which unclogs pores and smooths skin by sloughing off dead cells. Retinoids like retinol, a vitamin A derivative that improves acne, fine lines, and sun spots by normalizing cellular turnover. Humectants that attract moisture and anti-inflammatories, like green tea and allantoin, to quell inflammation.

In the Morning, cleanse gently. Use a facial wash with salicylic acid. “It gets into the pores and dislodges debris,” says Diane Berson, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and board member of the American Acne and Rosacea Society. Avoid gel cleansers (they can contain alcohol) and granulated scrubs, which strip the skin of oil, making it overcompensate and produce more, says Keri.

Treat affected areas If you have a blemish, dab on a spot corrector with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, which kills surface bacteria and dries oil. If you’re prone to breakouts in a particular area (say, your chin), apply it to the entire zone daily to help prevent them.

If skin is dry, apply a moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher Choose one that contains an alpha-hydroxy acid like glycolic acid for a double benefit: The AHA exfoliates pores as it sloughs off dead cells and moisturizes skin. If your complexion is oily, use an oil-free sunscreen. UV rays thicken the outer layer of skin, which can block pores and lead to breakouts.

At Night, remove makeup with a gentle, nonmedicated cleanser The skin can’t exfoliate properly if it’s not clean.

Apply a retinol cream The prescription retinoid Retin-A was approved for treating acne long before it became the gold standard for fighting wrinkles. “Retinoids help clear up and prevent all kinds of acne, from tiny bumps and blackheads to inflammatory acne and red nodules around the jawline,” says Keri. OTC retinoids like retinol don’t pack the same punch as Rx versions, but they can be less irritating and a good way to acclimate skin. Moisturize as needed Apply face lotion frequently to prevent dryness.

If your skin doesn’t respond to at-home treatments within a few weeks or you have many pimples (especially cystlike nodules, which are large, painful, and can cause scarring), see a dermatologist. She’ll prescribe a more potent retinoid and topical antimicrobial like benzoyl peroxide to kill bacteria and quell inflammation. Bonus: New Rx meds are more appropriate for aging and dry skin. “If there’s not enough improvement after a few months, other drugs can be added,” says Berson. Also available in a derm’s anti-acne arsenal.

Oral antibiotics A 2- to 6-month course speeds healing by targeting deeper blemishes. These drugs travel through the bloodstream, so they also fight hard-to-reach back and chest acne.

Hormone therapy To steady hormones and quiet premenstrual flares, patients are often put on a low-dose birth control pill. One caveat: Women who are over 40 can be at increased risk of developing the same side effects associated with hormone therapy to reduce menopausal symptoms, including blood clots. Also prescribed in conjunction with oral contraceptives or by itself: spironolactone, an anti-androgen that decreases oil production.

Eat mushrooms for weight loss

Eating mushrooms in large quantities can help prevent or treat obesity, says a new study.

According to the study, which was led by Dr. Cheskin, suggests that increasing intake of low-energy density foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, is a strategy for preventing or treating obesity.

To reach the conclusions, study participants were randomly chosen to receive either beef or mushroom lunch entrees over four days – lasagna, napoleon, sloppy Joe and chili.

Subjects then switched entrees to consume the other ingredient (mushroom or beef) the following week.1 Energy (calorie) intakes were significantly higher during meat meals than mushroom meals, a difference that averaged 420 more calories and 30 more fat grams per day over the four-day test period.

Subjects' ratings for palatability (meal appeal), appetite, satiation (after meal fullness) and satiety (general fullness) did not differ between groups.

"The most intriguing finding was that subjects seemed to accept mushrooms as a palatable and suitable culinary substitute for meat," said Dr. Cheskin.

"They didn't compensate for the lower calorie mushroom meal by eating more food later in the day,” the researcher added.

Surprising Things that Affect Memory

Tofu: While usually considered a healthy choice, new research shows excess tofu consumption may increase the risk of memory loss in the elderly. A new study out of Loughborough and Oxford universities of more than 700 Indonesian people ages 52 to 98 shows that those who ate tofu at least once a day, particularly those in their 60s, had an increased risk of dementia or memory loss.

Carbohydrates: If you want to stave off Alzheimer's, consider cutting back on the carbs. Overdoing it on carbs causes your insulin to spike. In doing so you're also causing the insulin-degrading enzyme that exists in the brain to work overtime removing insulin, rather than getting rid of beta-amyloid proteins, the toxic protein that produces Alzheimer's disease.

Hot Flashes: New research out of the University of Illinois at Chicago is finally confirming a link between hot flashes and poor verbal memory among women in mid life. In fact, the more hot flashes a woman has, the worse her ability to remember names and stories. A surge in the stress hormone cortisol, which usually accompanies a hot flash, is believed to be the cause.

Smoking: Middle-aged adults who smoke appear to be at an increased risk of having poor memory. As if there weren't enough reasons to quit already, the research also shows that long-term ex-smokers were less likely to have cognitive deficits in memory and vocabulary.

Statins: New research out of the University of Michigan School of Public Health shows that people at high risk of dementia who took cholesterol-lowering statins were half as likely to develop dementia as those who did not take the prescription medications. One theory is that statins help lower the high insulin levels in the brain linked to Alzheimer's.

Thyroid Disorder: Memory loss is a common symptom of an underactive thyroid. That's because hormones from the thyroid help control a host of bodily functions, ranging from heart rate to mood and memory. Older people with this treatable condition may exhibit only one symptom, such as memory loss or decreasing mental function.

Depression, Anxiety: A study published in the journal Neurology in 2007 shows that those who most often experience negative emotions, such as depression and anxiety, were 40% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who were least prone. A transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, mild cognitive impairment is associated with mild memory or cognitive problems.

Chronic Pain: Chronic pain not only affects a person's ability to work, sleep and function on a daily basis, it can also impair memory. A 2007 University of Alberta study of 24 patients who had pain lasting six months or longer shows that, when tested, two-thirds showed significant disruption of attention and memory.

Marital Status: New research out of Sweden suggests for the first time that mid-life marital status is related to late-life cognitive function. A Finnish study of more than 1,400 people in mid life and then an average of 21 years later showed that those who were living with a life partner in mid life were significantly less likely to show cognitive impairment compared to all other categories--single, separated, divorced or widowed

Fish: People who ate tuna and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids three times or more per week had a nearly 26% lower risk of having the silent brain lesions that can cause dementia and stroke, compared to those who avoided fish.