Tips & Tricks II

Skin Care & Anti-Aging

Reduce your risk of getting Chapped Lips

Avoid licking your lips. As that moisture evaporates, it dries the surface of your lips

Drink more water to help plump up skin cells, including those in the lips.

Take a multi-vitamin. Nutritional deficiencies, like a lack of B vitamins or iron, can cause cracking at the corners of the mouth.

Apply lip balm or petroleum jelly daily to help lock in moisture (see below)

Avoid tartar-control and cinnamon flavored toothpaste, since both can cause dryness and irritation of the lips.

Shrink Pores with Tea

Brew two bags of green tea in 2 cups of water, then put the cooled tea in a mister and store it in the refrigerator. The tea's astringent properties help reduce puffiness and redness, and the cool spray has a firming effect on the face that doesn't dry the skin like commercial toners. It's the best morning pick-me-up since coffee!

Breath Freshener that Flattens Pimples!

News about Listerine; not only can it treat dandruff, it can safely clear up pimples fast! "The same active ingredient that stops your scalp from flaking - methyl-salicylate - unclogs pores, while the antiseptic kills the bacteria that causes pimples," explains dermatologist Audrey Kunin, M.D. In fact, methyl-salicylate is so successful at clearing skin, it's found in a host of more costly acne remedies. "You can use any mouthwash that contains methl-salicylate," Dr. Kunin says. "Just soak a cottonball with it and dab onto blemishes."

More mouthwash magic: Ever run out of your favorite deodorant? Dab mouthwash on underarm skin, and it'll knock out the bacteria in perspiration that causes odor.

Fast fix: Rosemary oil - It gets rid of excess water and diminishes the look of orange-peel skin. Pour a few drop on a loofah mitt and massage into skin in the shower.

Sweep a cotton pad soaked in an astringent (like SeaBreeze) to temporarily tighten skin on legs before applying a leg makeup such as Dermablend, which evens out skin tone.

Erase Old Stretchmarks

Over 70% of women have them and for years, doctors have said we're stuck with them. Not anymore. Researchers now report that rubbing in Retin-A really can heal - even erase - new rosy-red stretch marks by boosting the growth of skin-healing collagen. But what about older, whitened stretch marks? For those, there's a unique light therapy device: Relume. "Using a precise wavelength of light, it stimulates stretch marks to produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its color," explains Dr. Sadick, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Preliminary data indicate that a few quick, painless treatments can fade even stubborn marks by 75% or more.

Fast Fix: A dollar-store washcloth

Use a coarse washcloth in circular motions to slough away old skin cells on your face

Erase Years with a Mint Mask

Mint fights the free radicals that cause aging.

Spring Clean Your Make-Up Bag!

Cleansers, moisturizers, exfoliants

If a product has changed color or texture, separates after being shaken several times, smells strange or is missing its lid, toss it, says Kansas City dermatologist Audrey Kunin, M.D. As a rule, skin-care staples are good for a year after opening. An exception: Products with Vitamin C should be thrown out after 6 months.

Powder, blush, bronzer, eye shadow

All powdered items are safe to use for up to 3 years, says make-up artist Susie Galvez of Richmond, VA. Keep them fresh by gently scraping the surface of each with a butter knife, which will remove facial oils and restore the product's original consistency.

Foundation

Replace liquids and creams about every 6 months and powder formulas once a year. As the seasons change, you can alternate a more hydrating winter foundation with a newly purchased water-based or oil-free version; once your skin adapts, toss the old foundation and switch to the new one full-time.

Mascara

Replace it every 3 months, but save the wand: Wash it thoroughly with soap and water, and use it as a great brow-grooming tool.

Clear away "bacne"

For millions of women, spots and pimples on the back are a recurring summertime woe. The reason: when tight-fitting clothes trap perspiration against the skin on your back, bacne flares up. Fortunately, "just washing the affected area daily with Panoxyl, a benzoyl peroxide soap," is often all it takes to control the problem, reveals Sarah Boyce, M.D., director of cosmetic dermatologic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The snag? When acne's on your back, it's difficult to reach. The solution? One or two 15-minute treatments with the NLite-V laser, which banishes blemishes for up to three months, according to British research.

Use a peel-off facial mask to smooth on rough body areas before showering then loofah to peel away rough skin.

Vertical Lip Lines

Believe it or not, for a quick fix, you can fill the lip lines with a wax type product such as lip balm. Place your favorite lipstick over the wax. To reduce the appearance of lip lines over time, you need to use an anti-aging product that helps to firm up the skin and prevent the deterioration in elasticity around the lips.