The answer's a lemon

The humble lemon has a multitude of beauty uses
We all know the lemon is high in vitamin C, and that taken with honey it's a traditional home remedy to soothe sore throats. It's also an essential ingredient in lots of sweet desserts, and adds a zing to cocktails and soft drinks alike.

 

But there's a lot more to the humble lemon than that: the adaptable citric has a number of cosmetic uses and is widely used in perfumery and aromatherapy, as well as having energising and revitalising properties. Even that's not the end of the story. Here are a few ways you can use this sour citric in your own beauty routines:

• Cleopatra may have bathed in asses' milk, but she probably used lemons when she washed her hair. The Egyptians mixed water and lemon juice as a hair treatment as the citric acid helps break down and eliminate sebaceous fat. So if you suffer with greasy hair you could try incorporating lemon juice in the rinse water.
  
  
• In the summer, natural blondes can try mixing the juice of a lemon with a quart of water and using it as a hair rinse or spritz for sun-lightened streaks.

• If you live in a hard-water area, over time, the lime deposit on the hair cuticle deadens the hair's natural shine. Try using a special deep-cleansing shampoo every couple of weeks to eliminate the build-up, and add a few drops of lemon to the final rinse. You should soon find the lustre restored to your locks. Vinegar will also work, but doesn't smell quite as good!
  
  
• Rough and dull skin on elbows, knees and heels can also be tackled with lemon juice – just cut a lemon in half and rub the cut surface over the affected area. The citric acid acts as a  natural exfoliant and also helps to lighten the discoloured skin. Apply a moisturising cream afterwards and you should notice an improvement almost straight away. Within a month you'll be surprised how much softer and smoother your skin is.
  
  
• Yellow nicotine stains on the fingers and nails are unsightly, but lemons can help here, too. Rub the affected areas with half a lemon every couple of days and you should soon see the colour start to fade.

Spring Summer 2011 Beauty Trends

The look: Sultry, sizzling and utterly decadent, the roaring 20s return to SS11 but with a 70s twist. 

The high-octane, glossed look focused on deep-hued lips and hypnotic smokey eyes - steering clear of the gothic in favour of doomed deco.

The dark, nocturnal sister of the bright daytime colour pops - this look is sexy and   serious.

Homemade face masks

If you are looking for some terrific natural ways to keep your skin clean, hydrated and nourished, choose homemade beauty treatments that you can make in your own kitchen.

Oily skin

If your skin is oily, rinse your face daily with a combination of 1/2 cup of tomato juice and one teaspoon of lemon juice. This mixture will help reduce the overproduction of oil, improving your skin's texture and shiny appearance. Be sure that you aren't allergic to tomatoes before trying this home remedy.

Normal skin

A great face mask for normal skin can be made by combining 1/4 cup of oatmeal with 100% grapefruit juice. Just add enough juice to create a thick paste.

Spread the mixture over your face and neck. Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water, followed by a splash of cool water. Use this treatment once a week to help your skin stay balanced and revitalized.

Dry skin

Mash a small banana with two tablespoons of plain yogurt and a teaspoon of all-natural vegetable oil to create a face mask for dry skin.

Spread the mixture over your entire face, paying extra attention to dry areas. Lay back and leave the mask on for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water. This once-a-week treatment is excellent to hydrate dry skin, particularly in the winter months.

Super foods for Women's Health

Superfoods for optimal skin?

Your skin needs nutrients from the food we eat to be healthy. While there is no one food that will give you healthy skin, the nutrients your skin needs are found in a variety of foods so your best bet for healthy skin is to eat a variety of food from each of the five food groups. Here are some nutrition tips for healthy skin:

• Keep hydrated, not drinking enough will leave your skin dry and the best drink is water.
• If you drink alcohol, limit the amount you drink as alcohol can dry out the skin and cause redness.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables as they are great sources of antioxidants known to protect skin.
• Choose wholegrain cereals like wholegrain bread, pasta and rice.
• Eat lean meats, fish and legumes
• Use healthy oils and eat foods with healthy oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil, fish, nuts and seeds.
• Eat reduced fat dairy foods.

Tips for achieving health and general body wellbeing?

The best way to make sure you are eating the right foods for good health and wellbeing is to eat foods from each of the five food groups and to choose a variety from within each food group. The easiest way to do this is to plan what you are going to eat for the week and make sure you’ve got all the food you need ready to go.

Everyday you should:
• Eat at least 2 serves of fruit
• Eat at least 5 serves of vegetables
• Choose wholegrain cereals, for example wholegrain bread and pasta, brown rice and cereals like untoasted muesli or oats
• Choose reduced fat dairy foods like cheese, yoghurt, milk
• Choose lean meats
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar

• Choose water to drink
What foods are best avoided?

All foods can be included in moderation as part of a healthy diet. No food or food group should be avoided as often this can lead to an unbalanced diet or bingeing. But you should try and at least limit foods high in salt, sugar and fat to at least once a week or less.

Facial Fitness Exercises:

Being beautiful on the outside is all about keeping the face young and looking healthy. We know that the absence of wrinkles and sags, as well as having taut, toned, smooth and glowing skin are the signs of youthful and healthy beauty. Some go through so much just to maintain the vigor and agelessness of their faces, so much that they would spend a fortune on face lifts and other procedures that would keep them looking as close to 18 years old as possible.
There is, however, an inexpensive way of retaining youthful beauty and that is through observing a regular facial fitness routine - that is, exercising the muscles of your face. The idea behind facial fitness is similar to the principle of doing a body workout: by exercising, you build up the muscles of your body and keep them toned and firm.
In case of the face, by exercising the facial muscles regularly, the muscles will be lifted enough to remove the sags, and the skin  will be smoothened enough to remove the wrinkles. The blood circulation to the face will also increase with facial exercises, enabling the tissues of the face to repair themselves more quickly.
Maintaining a regular facial fitness routine is easy. It only takes a few minutes of your time and it can be done while watching television or waiting for the stoplight to turn green when driving. Here are a few sample exercises for different areas of the face.

Forehead. This will smooth down the wrinkles of the forehead. Place your fingers just above your brow. Then, with your fingers, pull the skin down. At the same time, try to raise your eyebrows. Repeat this ten times.
Eyelids. To deal with crows' feet at the corners of the eyes, put the thumbs at the corners of the eyes and then shut your eyes tightly. Then, with your thumbs, pull at the skin towards the forehead. Repeat this ten times.

For sagging eyelids, hold your index fingers close to the brow bone. Afterwards, raise your eyebrows. At the same time, try to close your eyes. Again, repeat this ten times.
Cheeks. Form an 'O' with your lips and try to push them forward as fast as you can. Then release the 'O' and smile as widely as you can. Repeat ten times.
Lips. Push your lips outward in a pout as far as you can, then smile. Or you can suck on your finger as hard as you can. Once again, repeat ten times.
Neck. Arch your neck backward and place your hand on your neck just under the chin. After that, let your hand slide downward and push at your collarbone. An alternative to this one would be to push your lower lip outward as far as you can and tilt your chin up toward the ceiling, resting the hand against the collarbone as you are doing so.
Chin. Push your lower lip upward as high as you can. You can also press your thumb on the bone just under your chin and then push your tongue against your lower gums as if it is trying to meet your thumb. Another thing you can do is to tilt your chin up and massage the flesh under it with your thumb with strokes directed towards your neck. These exercises will take care of the double chin.
Just like in total body workouts, facial fitness exercises take time. However, if you truly want to see results on your face, try doing this once or twice a day, five times a week. You will be able to see changes in around a month or two.

A Homegrown Mineral Makeup

Montreal makeup artist and girl-about-town Lisa Sim has been using her namesake cosmetics line, Sim Minerals, on some of the city’s most beautiful faces. The foundation is so gentle that the spa uses it on clients after facials.

Winter Skincare - Relastin Ultra Emollient

I recently had the opportunity to try Relastin Ultra Emollient moisturizer. Winter is harsh on your skin. Cold weather and low humidity inevitably lead to dry flaky skin and finding the right moisturizer for winter can be tough. Relastin Ultra Emollient face cream is ultra hydrating and has antioxidants to protect against the environment.

Vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C and peptides, as well as Relastin's Zinc Firming Complex, help to hydrate skin and improve your skins elasticity while reducing the appearance of fine lines.

I found this cream to be perfect for my dry skin. It doesn't leave any greasy residue and my face feels moisturized all day long.
I put it to the true test on my recent trip to the slopes in Beaver Creek, Colorado and my skin still felt great after a day of snowboarding. Visit Relastin for more information.