How To Highlight Your Best Features

Accentuate the Positive:

Beautiful features come in all shapes and sizes. Gorgeous eyes, pouty lips, sculpted cheekbones, artfully arched brows, a flawless complexion. You may not have them all ? hardly anyone has them ALL. But chances are, you?ve got at least one? one really gorgeous facial asset that's the envy of your friends. So, are you making the most of what you?ve got?

Lips? full, pouty, inviting lips.

If you?ve got them, you?re blessed. Make them as kissable as possible. Lip balm with sunscreen is a must. On no make-up days and even under your lipstick. Use a lip balm/moisturizer after you remove your lipstick at the end of the day.

Lipstick and liner should be checked and reapplied every few hours to ensure that all eyes are on your best features for the right reasons. Gloss makes those lips even more tempting.

Eyes? the window to the soul.

How about dressing up your baby blues, your doe-eyes or your emerald beauties?

Eye shadow should complement your complexion, not match your sandals. Have a make-up professional sample different colors on you.

Choose a color combination for day and a separate one for nights out on the town. Two or three shadow colors give your eyelids dimension.

Waterproof mascara is great at weddings and graduations, but not for everyday. It dries out your lashes and causes them to fall out. Don't touch your eyes or rub them.

This causes wrinkles and introduces bacteria. Give some attention to your brows once a week. Always use a makeup remover made for your eyes, wiping gently with a cotton ball.

Cheeks? we all have cheekbones.

Using a good quality, large make-up brush - not the little, cute one that comes with your blusher - is the key to applying blush. Smile at yourself in the mirror. Rest the brush lightly on the ?apple? of the cheek and gently sweep the brush back toward the temple.

Voila, gorgeous cheeks.

Beautiful skin? if you?ve got it, flaunt it.

If your skin is clear and even-toned, you already have what the rest of us are trying to achieve with foundation. Consider using a tinted moisturizer instead.

Or, go natural - forget the foundation during daylight hours.

Foundation is made to cover imperfections. Okay, it does help keep your other makeup in place, but if you can get away with not wearing it most of the time, you should. The rest of us aspire to that freedom. Go on and give us some hope.

Your unique features make you who you are. Show off what you?ve got.

Be the most beautiful you.

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Allison Saunders is a MAC qualified Make-up Artist and the author of an amazing new course, Hollywood Makeup Secrets a step-by-step simple video system for maximizing your inner and outer beauty potential. You can learn more about Allison, and subscribe to her free newsletter by visiting:

http://www.hollywoodmakeupsecrets.com/dt/s.php?id=9

(c)2005 HollywoodMakeupSecrets.com. All rights reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------

Brighten Up Dull & Tired Skin

As we grow older and are constantly exposed to the UV rays of the sun our skin starts to appear dry and dull. This is the result of the outside layer of the skin getting excessive build up and is not exfoliated on a regular basis. Build-up is especially noticed after we have spent the summer in the sun. It?s more apparent to women since we realize that our make-up doesn't look as fresh and our foundation begins to fade within a couple of hours. Our make-up and foundation is actually being absorbed into the accumulated dead skin cells, which gives a very tired and unhealthy look to the skin.

To keep your skin vibrant and healthy on a regular basis, you must have a regimen that incorporates exfoliation and nourishing the skin. Your regular skin care program does not have to be a department store or drug store solution. You can prepare an all nature skin care program right from your kitchen table and manage to get the same results if not better results that your store bought product promises.

Exfoliation:

You should exfoliate at least 2-3 times per week (daily is even better) to keep the skin?s healthy glow. One solution for exfoliating the skin in an in expensive way is to use sugar. Yes, Sugar! Glycolic acid which is found in most AHA (alpha hydroxyl acid) products is from sugar cane. You can benefit from glycolic acid by using sugar for exfoliation.

Simply mix ? to 1 teaspoon of sugar in with a small amount of your favorite skin cleanser. Wet your face and massage the cleanser/sugar mixture over your face for 1-2 minutes. Rinse your face with lukewarm water to remove this mixture and you will instantly feel a difference in your skin.

Nourish:

Give your skin a refreshing drink with a simple nourishing facial mask. The ingredients are powerful and can be found in your kitchen. Combine one or more main ingredient with a liquid ingredient for to make a wonderful facial mask. Base your ingredient choices on the health properties of each item.

Base Ingredient:

• Honey ? It is a humectant (which draws in moisture) and it has antibacterial qualities that also stimulates and smoothes the skin.
• Mango - Provides natural fruit enzymes which also exfoliates the skin and the oil in mangos help moisturize.
• Avocado - A naturally rich moisturizer has essential fats and oils.
• Oatmeal ? Moisturizing and slightly exfoliating

Liquid Ingredient:

• Milk ? Enzymes and Lactose acid to exfoliate and milk fat to condition the skin.
• Aloe Vera Gel ? Healing and softening.
• Egg White ? tightening and conditioning.

You will want to follow your treatments with your favorite hypoallergenic moisturizer. For best results, these treatments can be done 2-3 times a week to help keep your skin youthful and vibrant.

Danielle Sims explored her library of alternative health, herbal books, and aromatherapy books and created a blueprint for making her own body wrap formulas at home. Now she offers this information in an e-book entitled Wrap Yourself Slim: Body Wrap Exposed. Monthly newsletter is also available at her web site. For more information go to Body Wraps Exposed

Natural MakeUp: Organic Ingredients Make a Better Product

What makes an ingredient natural? More and more leading make-up companies are responding to the demands of today?s educated market and offering their customers make-up containing natural and organic ingredients. Women - and more and more men - are realizing the benefits of leaving behind the man-made ingredients used in cheaper cosmetics and looking for the quality and results that come from natural make up. Cosmetics that have been made using quality ingredients - natural products close to the original state, and, whenever possible, organic certified.

One of the most popular ingredients you find in any natural make-up is almond oil. It is excellent for dry, rough skin and very sensitive skin. You will see it used as a base in massage oil, body lotions and many many bath products. Because it is so gentle it can be used on even a baby?s skin. Almond oil is a natural moisturizer and protects then skin beautifully- making it a great choice for those is drier climates. Adding a few drops of your favourite essential oil, such as rose oil or lavender to almond oil makes wonderful massage oil.

Using natural and organic certified products only serves to enhance the healing qualities of natural ingredients. Reputable companies will not indulge in cheap mass produced ingredients such as petrochemicals, lauryl sulphate, parabins, laureth sulphate and low grade alcohol. Alcohol, which is used as a preservative is still an ingredient - but only food quality and plant derived - such as beet root. Fragrance and colors are never artificial ? artificial scents and additives are to be avoided when looking for a true natural make-up.

You will see the ingredient grape seed extract in a myriad of products. It has restorative properties and is a valuable ingredient in natural make-up - especially face creams and moisturizers. Grape seed extract comes from the tiny seeds of red grapes. Grape seed is extract is rich in anti-oxidants - in fact there are more antioxidants found in grape seed than in vitamins C and E. Grape seed extract will help maintain the skins? elasticity and is a key ingredient in any face cream.

Another ingredient listed on many cosmetic and natural make-up labels is Lemon Oil. You will most often find this in bath and body products, massage oil, lotions and foot care. Lemon oil is derived from a cold pressing of lemon peel. In quality natural cosmetics the oils will come from certified organic fruit. Lemon oil is believed to have energizing properties- often leaving the user feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Rose oil, sometimes called rose otto, is a popular ingredient found in many natural make-up and skin care lines. Be sure it is ?rose oil? and not ?rose essence?, which in most cases is synthetic. Synthetic rose oil has no healing benefits or therapeutic value. Rose oil is often used in skin care because of its gentleness - it is suitable for almost all skin types - especially dry or very sensitive skin. It?s also a much sought after ingredient in natural make-up because it has been attributed to the relief of depression, anxiety, spasms, tension, stress and menopausal problems. You will often see rose oil used in many bath products because of the relaxing and calming effect it has on the user. Rose oil?s delicate scent is thought to increase perception and for this reason and it is believed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Natural ingredients, organic certified ingredients are important to the quality and effectiveness of the products you put on your skin. When you are choosing a natural make-up, look at the labels and try and get a better understanding of what you are putting on your skin - and what is being absorbed into your body. Knowing what is safe and what is effective will help you make better decisions about the products you buy. Using natural sources such as plants and herbs rather than synthetic man-made chemicals is always a better choice. Look for high-quality ingredients, ingredients that are not synthetic and are certified organic on the products you buy.

LJ Bronart is freelance writer in Toronto, Canada. She hopes to promote the organic products and the use of more natural make up.