Taking Years Off Your Complexion

Men and women out there how often do you find yourself making excuses when it comes to pampering your skin? Skin doesn't discriminate gender. It sags, discolors, creases, gets spotty and ages regardless. Do you often find yourself saying, "It's winter I don't need sunscreen," "I can spend money on something else," "I'm too tired to take my makeup off," "Exfoliating makes my face red," "I give up ... nothing seems to work?"

We all get overwhelmed in our lives by our jobs, work, raising a family, being in a relationship, keeping ahead of our debt ... the list goes on. However, too many lapses in caring for your skin can lead to ugly outbreaks and premature signs of aging. Let's face it. None of us want to appear older than we really are!

So, here are five simple things you can do to keep you skin in the best possible shape ever:

1. Take a few minutes to cleanse your skin before bedtime. Going to bed with the days dirt, oil and makeup on your face will cause acne and enlarged pores. To make it easier, just keep no-rinse face wipes in your nightstand. It's that easy.

2. Aging from UVA rays happens all year long. To keep skin youthful, use a moisturizer with SPF included. The higher, the better. Or, for the very best protection, choose one that contains avobenzone, mexoryl, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide.

3. The best products can only be found at the most expensive stores is a fallacy. Studies have shown mass products are as effective as those pricier lines. Your local drugstore will have fabulous products and the most effective anti-aging ones only need to include retinoids, AHA's, peptides, vitamin C and hydrators like hyaluronic acid. So do a label reading.

4. Patience is a virtue when looking for results. It can take upwards of 8 weeks before you see products delivering what they're suppose to. Introduce a new product about every two months. It takes your skin time to build up a tolerance especially for really aggressive anti-aging product lines.

5. Skin dies ... plain and simple. Do you want it laying around ... heck no! Removing dead cells helps soften wrinkles and brighten your skin. Exfoliating should be done no more than twice a week if you use retinoid or AHA. Stay away from aggressive scrubs because they can lead to redness and irritation. Choose a chemical exfoliator like glycolic acid or gentle cleansing beads.

Love the skin you're in and treat it kindly. And remember, just don't apply the pampering to your face but all over as well.

Why Women Love Romance

Romances were strictly written as prose starting as early as the 13th century. But I think it’s pretty safe to say true romance began after Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden and ticked off Adam. He had to do some real “wooing” back then to populate the world and according to scholars he lived to be 930 years old.

It has become such an inherent part of our society that as little girls we fantasize about a Cinderella world, being carried off by Prince Charming and living happily ever after. Our daddy’s revere us as their little princess at birth, treat us with tenderness, make us feel special and promise to always protect us. Most every woman want a man in their life like their daddy with a little bit of bad boy mixed in.

It’s what makes our heart go pitter-pat, our step lighter, our smile brighter, our day seem easier to cope with. If it’s lacking in our lives, we make up for it escaping into a fictional world where the hero is all man and the woman is US. It’s not the real world that’s true and as women we are nurturing, strong, independent, problem solvers, heads of businesses and multi-tasking managers of households.

We escape into genres filled with romance because while in that world we forget that the men in our lives are wired differently, come from Mars and gave up romancing us once the chase was over. Just sayin **wink ** wink

Herbs To Enhance Beauty

The use of herbs and plants to heal the body internally and applied externally for outer beauty is long recorded throughout ancient history. The Ancient Egyptians used plants as make-up, lining their eyes, and outlining their lips and created some fragrances for the body. The Romans developed the use of facial packs and bathed in flower essence while the Greeks formulated various types of cold creams dating back to the second century A.D.. The widespread production of the cosmetic and skin care companies is quite young compared to the world history of herbal use.

Herbs continue to maintain their popularity and place in these modern times for many reasons. They are less expensive than prescription drugs and much safer for prolonged use with very few side effects. A great advantage is that herbs and plant extracts are easily crafted for each individual no matter your skin, hair or body type.

Some popular herbs are those in the photos noted above starting with Sage, Yarrow, Witch Hazel, Chamomile and Aloe. Tumeric, Seaweed, Neem, and Rosemary are also very popular. You can experiment and see what ingredients work best for you. All are widely available in drugstores, supermarkets and of course, a well-stocked herbal store. Facials, lotions, rinses, shampoos/conditioners and creams can be prepared in a short time. Keep in mind you can change the consistency and substitute with other herbs the same way you would in the kitchen to modify a recipe to suit your taste.

For great recipes check out the following link below.

http://www.herbs2000.com/...u/1_beauty_skin.htm#masks
Search Amazon.com for herbs for beauty