Yes, these products do make a positive impact but it is the food that we eat that really ensures that the skin is gleaming and radiant.

Options galore when it comes to picking food for good skin. Ideally one should alter the diet to include the food that has a favorable impact on the skin.

Almonds: Extremely good for the brain and no less important for the skin, almonds can reduce the severity of condition of skin diseases like rosacea and eczema. The rich Vitamin E present in almonds maintains skin moisture, repairs skin tissues and thus gives it a shining look.

Berries: Be it strawberries, blueberries or blackberries, they all have antioxidant properties which prevent skin damage. These berries make for a scrumptious on-the-go snack.

Green Tea: Green tea has antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory properties. It helps in thwarting bacteria and protects cell membranes. Green tea is also high in polyphenols, compounds that gets rid of cancer causing elements. Prevention from sunburns are an added advantage of green tea.

Mangoes: Yum to eat, ideal for weight loss and fantastic for skin, does one need a reason more to eat mangoes?

Spinach and Carrots: Spinach and Carrots are another rich source of vitamin A, which is required for developing and maintaining skin cells. Spinach and Carrots can be eaten in raw form or can be used in salads or cooked with other dishes.

Yogurt: Low fat dairy products like yogurt are a rich source of vitamin A. Not only does it do wonders for your skin, it is also useful for people with medical conditions such as thyroid problems or diabetes.

Water: Had it not been an alphabetical listing of the foods, we would have put water at number one. Good hydration is skin’s best friend. And the best source of hydration for the skin is water. Needless to say water is extremely beneficial for the other organs of the body. So make sure to gulp down that glass of water regularly. If you want a figure to this, it is two liters per day.

Thus by essentially eating and of course drinking right, you can have that glow that you always yearned for.

Brooke Shields may have turned heads with her bushy brows back in the ’80s, but impeccable eyebrows have become big business in recent years. “Eyebrows frame your face like a beautiful painting,” explains New York City celebrity makeup artist Rochelle Weithorn. “If they’re shaped to compliment your eyes and face, you will always look well groomed.”

You’ve got two choices when it comes to eyebrow grooming: to wax, or to tweeze. While waxing can be less painful, it’s often difficult to do at home. Plus, tweezing gives you more control, since you pluck just one hair at a time. Below, tips for getting the perfect arch.

For starters, you need to use the right tool. Weithorn suggests using a tweezer you are comfortable holding, and one that grabs hair securely.

Before tweezing, apply some ice to the brow to numb the nerve endings so there will be less pain.

To determine where to tweeze, use an eyebrow pencil to fill in the shape you want, then tweeze any hair outside the lines.

If you’re not sure where your brows should begin and end, place an eyeliner pencil along the side of your nose, then tweeze any hairs that extend inward past the pencil toward your other brow.

Next, angle the pencil outward toward the outside corner of your eye and tweeze any hairs that extend outside the pencil toward your ear.

If you have a low hairline and high, stray eyebrow hairs that merge into it, tweeze those away, too.

Finally, tweeze any stray hairs beneath the brow.

Wash your face with a gentle, oil- and fragrance-free cleanser; preferably a nondetergent one labeled pH balanced.

Don’t scrub – irritated skin swells around the pores, which can cause breakouts.

Skip toner unless your face is very oily, otherwise it might dry out the skin.

TREAT!
Apply a topical acne treatment containing benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid, or salicylic acid over your entire face, not just where blemishes have already erupted.

At night, use a drying spot-treatment product and dab oil-free moisturizer on dry areas.
In the morning, apply an oil-free sunscreen gel over the entire face.

CONCEAL!
Use a small makeup brush to dab concealer or cream foundation (in the exact same shade as your skin) directly onto the blemish. Use a fingertip to wipe away excess concealer around the blemish and, if necessary, apply another coat of concealer.

If the makeup becomes cakey, carefully wipe it off and start over. gently brush powder (in the exact same shade as your skin) on top of the concealer.

Tricks Of The Trade:

* If you have oily skin and feel that you need toner, apply it only on the T-zone, and rinse it off afterward (leaving it on can dry the skin). Use a clay mask as often as every three days to absorb excess oil.

* To stop redness and swelling in an emergency situation (job interview, wedding), ask your doctor for a cortisone injection. It calms down a pimple almost instantly.

* If you can’t get to your dermatologist (or needles make you squemish), temporarily reduce redness and swelling by dabbing on a drop of drugstore cortisone cream, Preparation H, or Vasocon-A eyedrops.

Beauty consultants might recommend a facial treatment trifecta — cleanse, tone and moisturize — but dermatologists say that comfortable-for-you cleansing is key, and moisturizing may help some skin types.

First and Foremost: The Cleanser Itself

Use a gentle, water-soluble cleanser to avoid irritating the skin — not one that needs to be wiped away with a tissue or washcloth.

Besides the fact that it washes away with water (use tepid, not hot), all you need to know about a cleanser is that it makes your skin feel soft, clean and neither dry nor greasy. Experts’ picks for efficient, mild cleansing: Cetaphil, Aveeno, Neutrogena and Eucerin brands.

Second for Some: A Separate Toner

If you feel you need a toner, think about finding a better-for-you cleanser instead.

A toner’s role is to remove oily residue and provide a fresh feeling; it does nothing to firm the skin long-term. With today’s rinse-off cleansers, you’ll rarely need a toner — you might want one, though, if your face has become oily over the course of the day.

Last but Not Least: Should You Use a Moisturizer? Maybe.

For dry-skin sufferers, a moisturizer can soothe and protect — the test is whether your skin feels too tight. There are many effective moisturizers — try one (sample size available?), then listen to your skin. These brands come recommended: by day, Oil of Olay; while you sleep, Estee Lauder.

Additional Products: A Matter of Preference

• To exfoliate or not? Removing dead skin cells can make your skin look less dull, but go easy or you could injure skin that’s sensitive. Instructs dermatologist Lisa Donofrio, M.D.: Use a little grapeseed or olive oil, a non-soap cleanser like Burt’s Bees or Cetaphil, or a cold cream such as Pond’s, and with the rough side of a washcloth make small, gentle circles all over your face.
• Can creams turn you into a cover girl? These three ingredients are common in face creams:
  • Retinoids. For rejuvenation of photo-damaged skin, these members of the vitamin A family (the best-known being Retin-A) are effective — in prescription concentrations, at least — in reducing wrinkles, as well as clearing up acne.
  • Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). Also known as fruit acids, these can give the skin a luster by keeping the skin free of dead cells. Over-the-counter preparations don’t make as dramatic a difference as the ones used by dermatologists.
  • Antioxidants. The vitamins A, C and E are said to have the ability to protect and possibly repair the skin by fighting destructive molecules called free radicals.

But, I promise, if you stay in the kitchen just a few more minutes and whip up some of these homemade spa treatments you will be very glad you did.

Years ago our grandmothers went through the same thing and mine had a whole list of concoctions that helped “take her away” long before Calgon.

When your skin feels tired and old and you want a quick refresher, you can blend a ripe peach with heavy cream. This moisturizer is very stimulating and can be massaged into your face, or any other area of the body, once a day. Keep any extra mixture under refrigeration.

Many know the benefits of mayonnaise on hair but did you know you can massage it into your skin as a cream? The best thing to do is make your own by blending eggs, vegetable oil and vinegar. Beat together 1 egg, 1 cup of vegetable oil and 2T vinegar. You can use prepurchased mayo as long as it has no salt. After you shampoo, mayonnaise can be used as a conditioner. Massage into hair and scalp, leave on for 1/2 hour and rinse thoroughly with vinegar and warm water.

There are facial treatments you don’t need to spend any time blending and mixing, however. Many fruits and vegetables are nourishing to the skin on their own. We’ve all seen slices of cucumbers applied to the eyes to refresh and relieve puffiness but they also make great cleansers when sliced and rubbed over your face. The same holds true for slices of fresh tomatoes.

Do you want a unique refresher for a hot day? There are many variations on this recipe, but one that I know feels great is to put a mint sprig with 3 ice cubes in a blender and chop finely. Pour into a wash cloth, wrap it up and apply to skin.

How about that relaxing bath we all love? There are many ways to make an herbal bath. You can boil the herbs down, strain them and put the water in with your bath water. Or you can do as Grandma did and tie dried herbs in a wash cloth or muslin bag and hang them from the bath faucet while tub is filling. Another “bath bag” you can make involves combining one part corn meal to one part dried herbs. You can use oatmeal as well as cornmeal. Oatmeal is softening and soothing. Cornmeal works as an exfoliant. Below is a list of herbs to choose depending upon what mood you’re looking for in a bath.

Stimulating: bay, lemon balm, marjoram, peppermint, rosemary, yarrow.

Relaxing: chamomile, lemon verbena, lavender, comfrey, thyme, vanilla.

Soothing: aloe vera, calendula, rose, sage, yarrow, honey, oatmeal.

So the next time you’re in your kitchen and you feel like getting away, or you simply want to unwind after a rough day, open your cupboards and check your fridge and you just might find all the necessary ingredients for a night at your in-home spa.

It’s almost automatic until puberty, but your all-clear, wrinkle-free complexion can hit some bumps in the road as early as adolescence, in the form of dreaded pimples. And as you age, skin becomes less and less stable, with genetic changes and sun damage taking their combined toll. You can’t control certain factors of natural aging, but today we know that the sun — not our genes — is mostly to blame for our baby-fresh faces turning blemished and wrinkled. Besides limiting sun exposure and wearing protection from damaging UV rays, focus on these other changes you can make to keep bad elements at bay: Don’t smoke. Limit your alcohol intake. And choose a skin care regimen that makes you feel comfortable in your skin.

Here’s how skin ages through the years, and what you can do at each life stage to keep it looking splendorous.

• First Signs of Trouble In Your Teens. As early as puberty, hormonal changes can turn your fresh-faced complexion into an acne-prone one.
  • Saving Face at This Age: In addition to using simple over-the-counter washes and pimple remedies, or consulting a dermatologist if a more potent treatment is needed, wearing an SPF 15+ daily is the best thing you can do to save your skin.
• Some Wear-and-Tear In Your 20s. Expression lines will begin to form from talking, laughing and frowning. The collagen and elastin that have kept your skin supple begin to break down.
  • Saving Face at This Age: Wearing sun protection remains your best bet for controlling the amount of damage.
• Early Environmental Damage In Your 30s. Sun-induced wrinkles are starting to form. Good news is, they’re hardly seen so there’s time to to start wearing an SPF 15. The skin’s collagen and elastin are losing still more of their spring.
  • Saving Face at This Age: A cosmetic or doctor-prescribed alpha hydroxy acid cream can return your skin’s youthful radiance.
• Skin Irregularities In Your 40s. It can be the decade of dry skin. More dead skin cells are sticking around, darker patches may appear, and expression lines can become entrenched.
  • Saving Face at This Age: If you’re dealing with dry skin, make a moisturizer a regular part of your successful skin care routine.
• The Sun’s Damaging Effects Can Become Evident In Your 50s. Expect that some damage has already been done if you haven’t been a loyal wearer of sun protection. Wrinkles, age spots and spider veins are bound to be developing, and skin can be dryer than ever these days.
  • Saving Face at This Age: It’s not too late to start using a daily SPF 15 cream — you can still reap some rewards in terms of slowing down sun damage and perhaps even repairing some of it.
• Starting in Your 60s, a Lifetime of Skin Protection Pays Off. Skin should be pretty stable these days, with women having survived the menopause-induced hormonal imbalances. Wrinkles, red veins and dark spots are common, but are probably less pronounced if you made a habit of protecting your skin from the sun.
  • Saving Face at This Age: If basic skin care isn’t cutting it anymore, ask your dermatologist or a plastic surgeon about microdermabrasion, chemical peels, laser procedures, facelifts and other options that might make just the dramatic difference you’re searching for. It’s true that some wrinkles might be inevitable as we age. But healthy habits — most of all wearing sunscreen every day — can go far to preserve the pretty bloom of youth.

Aside from genetics there are no other skin-aging factor beyond your control.

Types of Wrinkles

• Static wrinkles are always visible, even when all the facial muscles are resting. Static wrinkles tend to develop in skin that has thinned and stretched as a result of premature or natural aging processes
• Dynamic wrinkles occur in people of all ages, even young children. Sometimes called “laugh lines,” dynamic wrinkles appear temporarily when a muscle contracts, causing the overlying skin to crease like an accordion. Dynamic wrinkles are seen only when you are smiling, raising your eyebrows, or otherwise animating your facial expression.

Causes of Premature Skin Aging

Sunlight

Research indicates that about 90 percent of skin changes that begin in your 30s and 40s stem directly from “photo-aging,” or the cumulative effects of exposure to the sun’s UV radiation. Simply put, UV radiation from the sun damages the DNA of skin cells. To make matters worse, the thinning of the Earth’s protective ozone layer is believed to be amplifying UV radiation levels. It takes many years before enough microscopic damage accumulates to create wrinkles and other visible skin changes.

Ways to avoid UV radiation

• Try to avoid sunlight between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when UV rays are the strongest
• Apply a sunscreen with SPF 15 or above on all exposed skin, 30 minutes before going outdoors even if it is a overcast day. Remember, UV light penetrates clouds and can still harm unprotected skin.
• Wear makeup (i.e., foundations and lipsticks) that contain sunscreens with SPF 15 or above

Dieting

Cyclical, significant weight loss and gain, also known as “yo-yo” dieting, stretches the skin, causing it to lose its elasticity. It makes the skin more vulnerable to wrinkling and sagging under the force of gravity. Try to stay within 2 or 4 kilograms of your ideal weight, and avoid fad or crash diets.

Smoking

It is well-known that cigarette smoking ages people on the inside by causing lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and an array of other health problems. But fewer people realize that smoking also ages your appearance. Chemicals inhaled from cigarette smoke constrict tiny blood vessels in the skin, reducing the oxygen and nutrient supply to delicate facial tissues. Blood-vessel constriction lasts at least an hour after a cigarette has been snuffed out. Over many years of smoking, the oxygen and nutrient deficiencies cause skin to wrinkle prematurely, lose elasticity (the ability to “bounce back” after being stretched). It is not unusual for the skin of longtime smokers to exhibit a grayish pallor. To make matters worse, repeatedly pursing your lips around a cigarette hastens the formation of fine vertical lines around your mouth. Squinting when smoke gets in your eyes can cause premature wrinkling of the eyelids. So, DON”T SMOKE.

Facial Expressions

In a sense, skin has a “memory.” If it is repeatedly folded in the same way by muscle contractions, permanent static lines will eventually form. This is common in people who smile broadly and those who scowl a lot. So try to become aware of undue tension in your facial muscles and to make a conscious effort to relax your face.