Quick Tips

There is nothing like a quick tip..the kinds that do not take too much to remember but can do miracles for you and can turn out to be real saviors.

So here are a few quick tips for you, hoping you find them handy;

• To dry a freshly put nail enamel quickly, dip your fingers in ice water for two minutes after putting on the name enamel and then just get going!!

• For an instant glow, rub a piece of cut papaya skin on your face for 15 minutes. Let the papaya stay on your face for 10 minutes. Then rinse off with lukewarm water first and then cold water. Pat dry and feel the difference.

• A very effective home made face scrub is rice powder. grind rice powder and keep it in a small bottle. Twice a week, wet your face with luke warm water, take out half teaspoon of rice powder, mix it with rosewater(optional) and gently scrub your face in circular motions. Wash off first with lukewarm water and then with cold water. reveal a smooth layer of skin which is so great to touch.

• If your skin feels dry just before you have to step out and you have no intention of putting on a creamy body lotion, just massage your haor conditioner from your neck to toe in the shower and take bath with lukewarm or preferably cold water. Your body will be as hydrated as with a lotion.

• If your skin has few marks and imperfections which even your concealer cannot hide completely, try wearing a shade of warm pink in your lipstick. This distracts peoples attention from the imperfections and works for all shades of skin.

• When you are running short of time and your lips look a drab, just take a berry colour lip balm and smear it on your lips with your finger tips. This way it will stay longer on your lips and it needs less precision than a dark colour lipstick as far as application is concerned.

• Home Tan Remover: Mix milk,honey and lemon juice. Apply and leave for 15 mins. Works best for greasy and oily skin.

• Daily Face Cleanser: Mix plain yogurt, honey, turmeric & lime juice. Apply and massage for 2-3 mins. Wash off with cold water afterwards.

Quick Tips

Home remedies for acne

Acne, the word most dreaded by most girls..Here are some quick home remedies that will help you treat acne.

Note: The tips are only beneficial for one or teo breakouts. If you have a lot of them on your face etc, you must see a dermat because that needs serious medication

– Take a few pieces of jaiphal (nutmeg), mix it with some unboiled milk and apply the paste on your acne. Wash it off after about two hours.

– Make a mixture of cinnamon powder and honey and apply on your pimples before you go to bed in the night. Wash it with warm water when you wake up in the morning. Do this for a fortnight and watch your pimples disappear.

– Not only are oranges good for overall health, you can use orange peels as a remedy for pimples too. Grind the peels, mix them with a few drops of water and apply it on your face.

– Mix a tablespoon each of fresh lime juice and groundnut oil and apply it on your face to avoid blackheads.

– Leave fresh mint juice on your face overnight to tame pimples.

– Take methi (fenugreek) leaves and make a paste. Apply it every night for 15 minutes and wash it off.

– Take turmeric powder and neem leaves. Apply the mixture on your pimples. Leave it on your face for about half an hour.

– Take equal quantities of rose water and lime juice and apply the mixture on the affected area. Leave it on for 20 minutes.

– Make a face-wash by adding fresh lime juice to a cup of unboiled milk and using it on your face.

– Take some tomato pulp and apply it on your face. Leave it for 45 minutes and wash it off.

– Take a few drops of gulab jal (rose-water) and mix it with sandalwood. Apply the paste on your face and wash it off after 20 minutes.

No acne

Let your skin have a good nite too!!

When you sleep, your skin is working hard to repair its cells. Least one can do is to enable the restoration process by following a simple night time rotine:

• Start by cleansing your face with an oil free, soap free cleanser. Make sure there is no trace of makeup left on your skin and this includes your kajal too.

• Donot use very hot water on your face, as it tends to dry the skin. Lukewarm water is good as it softens your skin for better absorption of the night cream.

• Twice in a week use a gentle scrub on your face to exfoliate and remove the dead cells. This will bring out the shine on your face which otherwise gets covered by the dead skin cells.

• If you have open pores, follow this up with a toner. Skin without open pores does not require this step.

• The most important part is to select the right night cream.

Make sure you pick up a night cream. Yes it is formulated differently from a day cream. For any skin type, dont pick up anything too greasy as it clogs your pores.

For normal to dry skin, a cream base is always preferable over a lotion. A lotion based cream is better for oily skin as it is water based and has lesser chances of leading to breakouts.

Creams with ceremides or alfa-hydroxy acids smoothen fine lines and wrinkles and act as anti-ageing products

Creams with hydroquinone or retinoids remove pigment from the cells of the skin’s upper layers and act as whitening agents

Creams with aloe vera, jojoba extracts or glycerine help new cells grow faster and act as repairing agents

If you have not been following a night skincare routine and have already developed the signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, discoloration etc then you might want to use a night serum instead of a cream. Serums are more stronger than creams and are more suitable for matured skin.

avoid applying the night cream just before going to bed because then your pillow ends up soaking most of it. Give the cream absorption time of minimum 30 minutes before you hit your pillow.

• Once you reach the age of 25, it is preferable to start using an eye cream.  Since there are no oil glands around the eye area, this part of your face starts showing the signs of aging the earliest. Using an eye cream reduces puffiness around the eyes, dark circles and delays the appearance of fine lines. Eye cream should be applied gently without putting too much pressure as this part of your face is very sensitive and is made of a very thin layer of skin.

• Another important part of your face are your lips. Before going to bed wet your lips with warm water and gently run your toothbrush (without toothpaste) on them. This will help remove the dead skin from your lips and also soften chapped lips. Then apply a thick coat of lip balm on your lips. If your lips are very chapped, use vaseline petroleum jelly instead.

Its never too late to start following a night time skincare routine but the earlier you start the better it is. Whenever you start it, you are bound to see the results. And always top your night skincare routine with a lot of water intake. Have water before you sleep and when you wake up in the morning. Hydrated skin is happy skin!

Your skin is the largest organ of your body and least it deserves is a good nights sleep

Let your skin have a good nite too