I‘ve heard this ‘myth’ for a long as I can remember! Unfortunately, I recently read that scientists’ tested this theory out – and that there is no evidence to show that drinking water will directly hydrate your skin.
From Daily Record UK:
THERE is no solid evidence that drinking eight glasses of water a day improves skin tone, helps dieters or prevents headaches, a review found today. Despite claims that drinking lots of water flushes out toxins and improves health and wellbeing, there is no evidence to back this up, it showed.
However, experts said the lack of evidence did not mean there were definitely no benefits to drinking lots of water. More research is needed to discover once and for all if eight glasses a day is necessary, they suggested.
There we have it – as of right now, there is no evidence that this myth is true. So drink as much as you want, but rely on your moisturizer to hydrate your skin! (The one I use is Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizer.)
Has anybody else heard of this myth? Any thoughts?
The very first reader question! Let me hyperventilate.
OK done. Reader K writes:
Been looking around your site and it has some great beauty tips for general use. I am having a spring wedding though, and was wondering if you had any more bridal specific beauty tips?
Congratulations on your engagement! I am sure you’d want to look your best possible on your special day – not to mention, the wedding photos last a lifetime, so it’s vital to look your absolute best! I am nowhere near getting married so I don’t have any personal tips, however I can imagine, and plus I did some research online. :) Here’s what I found:
Hair and Make Up
- Keep the whole look classic and timeless. Don’t experiement with any new hair colors or haircuts right before your wedding, try it out at least one month before. Same for makeup – no trying on blue eyeshadow or some lipstick that flakes everywhere on your special day! Take photos of your makeup so you can access how you will look like in your wedding pictures!
Schedule your hair and makeup trial appointments about a week before the wedding – that way, if you do like it, the stylist can remember what they actually did! Trying on makeup and hairstyles months before the wedding is not such a good idea; 1) because you might change your mind, and 2) the stylist might not remember exactly how he/she did it.
- Have a test day for your whole ensemble. Sometimes, the hair can look beautiful – but when it’s with your dress it might look completely different and make the proportions look all wrong!
- This is a recommendation from a friend … she says Bobbi Brown has some of the best natural looking makeup, and Bobbi herself has always said your wedding day should just be a more beautiful version of yourself, and I couldn’t agree more! Opt for something natural and beautiful, like this picture from her Spring makeup collection above! Stunning.
Skin care
- Do not try any new skincare products closely to your wedding. If you can, go to a dermatolgist a month before so he/she can sort out any skin problems you might have. If it’s nothing serious, get a facial – but at least 2-4 weeks before the wedding, in case there are any reactions.
- Waxing should be done at least 4 days before your wedding day, in case you get irration or ingrown hairs.
- Two words for the big day (apart from I do of course!): BLOTTING PAPERS. Or a makeup artist lurking around somewhere. Blotting papers are quick touch ups that soak up any nasty sebum or mishaps that has happened with your makeup. Try getting powdered ones – it’s a more natural, light alternative to piling on lots of applications of powder throughout the day.
One last tip … waterproof mascara – for everyone in the family! :-P (And take some time to de-stress and relax through all that planning!)
Does any other brides, soon to be or not, have any other bridal beauty tips? And if anyone else have any beauty questions, I’d be happy to help out, just contact me.
This is one of those bigger skin myths. When I started the whole skin care routine, my mom told me that I should finish washing my face with very cold water, to “close” the pores. Unfortunately, she is wrong!
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but no – pores cannot open and close. For them to actually open and close would mean it would have to have muscles. Pore size is genetically determined, so with everything, blame your parents!
From Society Hill Dermatology.com:
There’s no magical process or product that will cause your pores to “open” and allow impurities to rise to the skin’s surface.
By the same token, splashing cold water on your face – or doing anything else for that matter – won’t cause the gates to slam shut on your pores.
Simply put, “pores are pretty stationary,” says Susan C. Taylor, M.D., a dermatologist in Philadelphia and author of Brown Skin: Dr. Susan Taylor’s Prescription for Flawless Skin, Hair, and Nails (Amistad, 2004).
What you’re doing when you steam your face is causing the blood vessels to dilate and the skin to swell slightly. Similarly, “astringents and toners slightly irritate the walls of the pores and make them swell, causing the pores to look smaller,” Baumann explains. But they haven’t actually changed in size.
Even in the best-case scenario, their diminished appearance won’t last for more than 24 hours.
That being said, with pore minimizing products don’t expect miracle results. Though they clean your pores out, making them appear smaller, the size of your pores haven’t changed one bit. Think of your pores as a “V” shape. The only real thing you can do is to exfoliate your skin. If you exfoliate (more info on exfoliating at Exfoliation 101), it scrubs off a layer of the ‘V’, making your pore appear smaller, but again, your pore size really hasn’t changed size.
Sad but true, but this skin myth has officially been debunked! Any thoughts?
Glamour magazine interviewed four skin doctors to ask them what their favorite anti-agers were, and guess what? They were not $300 eye creams!
Most of them would be even be considered relatively cheap:
- Neutrogena Healthy Defense. This doctor said that it’s great for her sensitive skin because it’s oil and fragrance-free. Even better, it has SPF 30.
- Relastin Eye Silk. This little bottle is the ‘anti-aging secret’ of this doctor, which she says, “keeps the skin around my eyes nice and tight.”
- Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Moisture Cream. This doctor loves this bargain buy because it is packed with anti-oxidants.
- Retinols or retinoids (prescription only). Retinols are most-proven to really help prevent and reduce wrinkle, (I should write about this is more depth!) as they boost collagen and slough off damaged skin. “My older patients with great skin use them, but they prevent wrinkles in young women too,” says this skin doctor.
Want other tips on anti-aging? You can read my post Preventing Signs of Aging, which tells how you can slow down physical signs of aging, or find out the Top 5 Ultimate Skin care Tips.
What do you think of these recommendations?
Who said makeup isn’t art?!
A simple artist’s color wheel can give us great information on colors with makeup application.
It can determine what colors compliment each other (like what eye shadows will suit your eye color.) In this case though, I want to talk about using it to help neutralize discolorations we may find on our face.
Basically, to neutralize a color, you find it on the color wheel, and use the opposite color in place to neutralize the color.
Color correctors and neutralizers are found in foundations, concealers, makeup bases and sunscreens for the different skin tones and problems.
Here’s some common discoloration problems, and what colors will fix them:
Yellow and Peach (depending on your skin tone)
Yellow and peach corrects blue areas like bruises and dark circles. A great yellow concealer is Benefit Boi-ing – it is fantastic at covering dark circles. Peach also livens up fair skin tones, and balances out slight discoloration.
Pink
Pink correctors neutralize greenish skin, green facial veins, etc.
Green
There are many green based foundations and concealers (that require another layer of makeup to cover up the green). The green counters redness like blemishes, zits and flushed skin.
Purple/Lavender
Purple neutralizes yellowish complexions and covers sallowness. It evens out overall uneven skin tone, and gives a healthy glow. This color is found in many makeup bases, to prep skin with a even complexion before makeup.
I hope this has been helpful to some. :-) If anyone has anymore information on actual products that neutralizes the colors said here, I’d love to hear about them!
My best friend in London, Christine has been obsessively been talking about something called Goji berries (also called Wolfberry), which apparently Madonna eats.
Talk about celebrity endorsement! Since then, Tesco (UK) has been stocking up and Christine told me that there is a sign outside claiming Madonna is a fan of them. Well, if it’s good enough for Madonna it’s good enough for all of us!
The fruit has been called the new ‘superfruit’ and recently been rated No 1 on the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) by the US Department of Agriculture, so says this article. (This article is pretty old though, last I heard Coffeeberry, found in skincare line REVALESKIN that you apply, rather than eat, was the latest to top that scale? Correct me if I’m wrong!)
Also, Goji berries have 2,000 more antioxidants and 500 times the amount of vitamin C per weight as oranges. They further contain beta-carotene, vitamins B1 and B2, minerals and amino acids, and are believed, among other things, to strengthen the immune system, help eyesight, protect the liver, boost the sperm count and improve circulation. Dang – not bad!
Is anyone obsessed with Goji berries like my friend and Madonna?! :-P
Image: NaturalBornCancerKillers
Let’s face it…. Whether we like it or not, every day we get a little bit older, with signs of aging showing more and more in our hair, skin, and face. These are some ways to take care of your body and skin so it looks its best it can be, and demise signs of aging… as much as possible, of course – there are no miracle workers!
Preventing the signs of aging begins every morning in your shower. Most people think treating your skin starts once you’ve dried off but there are products that help renew your youthful appearance – for example, moisturizing body washes that do not dry out your skin.
Your face is one of the first things people see when they look at you and it’s one of the first things that can show signs of aging, so it deserves so extra attention. Eye creams and microdermabrasion systems and even the foundation you wear can all help to keep your skin looking young. (The new skincare line REVALESKIN contains one of the most powerful anti-oxidant found to date, Coffeeberry, and is said to help fight aging very well.)
As we age, skin becomes rough, dry, discolored, dull, and transparent. It may also lose elasticity and become wrinkled as a result of sun exposure, loss of fatty tissues, stress, and, of course, gravity. Using a daily moisturizer rich in collagen and vitamins can help replenish essential building blocks found in naturally healthy skin.
- Give Your Lips Some Love.
Lines in your lips and discoloration are two symptoms of aging that can be easily corrected without surgery. You can try an intense lip correction product or a moisturizing lipstick to help lips have the same luster as they did in your youth. (Apparently this lip plumper by Clinique is said to have some anti-aging ingredients in it.)
One of the first places you start to notice aging is on the backs of your hands. It’s important to give your hands the same attention as you do your face when it comes to reversing the signs of aging. Combat sun spots, wrinkles and fine lines by using an intensive hand therapy treatment daily.
Bottom line? Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! You don’t want to end up Botox-mad like the lady above, do you? :-P Do you have any other tips to add?
Hello and welcome! I'm Renee and I created this site to combine my love for writing, the web, and of course all things beautiful. ;) You can find out more 