Expert Skin Care

 

What exactly does a skincare routine entail? This question must have crossed your mind and it deserves a thought. Building up an arsenal is quite an effort and it demands you to understand what is the need of the hour for your skin. Chances are such that, the more you slather, the more damage you may welcome. Going big isn’t always the best choice despite the pursuit for achieving healthy skin. The rule of thumb is to apply products ranging from thinnest to thickest formula and to take a 30-second break between each product application, this ensures the products are seeped in well.

There is no mandate for the products that fit into the morning schedule to necessarily make the cut at night. Mornings are for lighter and protective formulas. You have no freedom to skip sunscreen when indoors or outdoors. Sunscreen acts as the holy grail product all-year-round for its intense power to shield your skin from damage and premature aging. Nights are all about targeting and treating skin scaries. In other words, retinol is a big no for daytime. And hyaluronic and peptides are meant to work a dream at night. 

Do not forget to keep your skin squeaky clean from makeup. Remove all its traces with an oil-based makeup remover. Opt for gentle cleansers that are water-based and do not pick harsh face washes for acne-prone skin. It will only worsen the skin and lead to havoc. Use a toner infused with natural ingredients post cleansing your face for extra hydration. While picking your serums, go for antioxidants like Vitamin C during the day and anti-aging rich ingredients like hyaluronic acid and retinol at night. For under eye bags, you can skip this step during the day if you aren’t applying makeup. Look for antioxidant-rich caffeine eye cream or rollers at night. If your skin is prone to acne, you can feel free to ditch face oils and go for moisturisers. Face oils are advised to be used pre moisturisation at daytime and post moisturisation at night. This helps to lock in all the above products. For dry skin, facial oils can do good because it delivers hydration. Follow it up with a soothing and nourishing moisturiser. 

Written By Manjusha Naik
 

Step 1: Line your eyes at the centre of the eyelid. As you move out, make make an elaborate sweep towards temples to create the wing tip.

Step 2: Join the wing tip to the outer rim of your eyes to get the pointed effect.

Step 3: From the centre of the eyelid, connect the line to the inner corner of your eyes. Keep the line as thin as possible in the inner corners. Once dry, reapply for a more dramatic look.

Winged eyes are hot favorites this Christmas. It gives your eyes an intense dramatic look. Make sure you don't use a pencil liner. Gel or liquid liners work best. A thick brush will give you chubbier lines and fat cat eye. Since the winged eye look is quite dramatic, make sure you go stick to a neutral eye shadow.

Keep the rest of your face bare and finish it off with nude or light pink lipstick.

How often have you craved for a voluminous crown before every outing or party? Guess, almost everytime. Here's a simple trick to lift your face value and add some much needed volume to your hair.

1. Part your hair into sections across the crown. Take each section and tease the hairs at the roots using a fine-toothed comb.
2.
Take a cylindrical bottle - a deodorant bottle would be ideal - and place it across the teased section of hair and wrap the section tightly around it. Fix by spraying a good hair spray.
3. Slowly remove the bottle to give way to the uplifted section of your hair.

4. Repeat this process across the crown for a voluminous look.
5. Adjust the volume with your hands, depending on how much volume you want.

The curling irons are back with a bang this winter. So keep your straighteners at bay this winter as poker straight hair is too predictable and boring.

So what kind of curls can we opt for? There is no dearth of curling styles this season. If you have straight hair, then add volume to them by creating curls at the ends. The curls may range from big, voluminous shapes to soft, small ones. Girls with shorter hair lengths can actually play with hair styles by creating soft curls all over

The layered wavy look is also in fashion. You can team this look with a stylish outfit complimented with sexy smoky eyes and nude lips.

Watch this column for more :)

Your face mirrors your personality. Skin type can effectively say a lot about you even if you choose to keep quiet in a social circle. Be it dry skin, oily skin, sensitive/combination skin - every type has a story to tell. Check out this lens to know what career prospect you can opt for with your skin type.

In addition, you can also associate the personality traits of some big names across various countries, including India.

THE THINKER

You are: A pragmatist.

Your skin is: Normal/balanced.
Your skincare routine is: Basic - comprising of shower products, deodorant, and sunscreen.
Your skin says: Your skin is relatively fuss-free, probably because you accept the way it is, and you do not try to alter it or find fault with it.
You are likely to be: A successful author writing under a pseudo name.

The Doer

You are self-centered, self-assured, and self-reliant.
Your personality is: Extroverted.
Your skin is: Shiny/oily
Your skincare routine is: You use beauty products, but it is more for convenience and efficiency than vanity or pleasure.
Your skin mirrors you: It has a luminous glow when confronted with success and can get oily and irritable when the success wanes. However, you keep skin problems at bay by keeping a wide array of skin products near at hand.
You are likely to be: In pinstripes at a high-power corporate job.

The Seeker

You are: Searching for acceptance from within and without.
Your personality: Moody, frustrated, and misunderstood.
Your skin is: Irritable, prone to eruptions.
Your skincare routine is: A must, as your skin is problematic
Your skin mirrors you: Your skin is prone to blackheads and acne that can last well past your teenage years until you learn to quell the turmoil within.
You are likely to be: Socially delinquent.
Your skin personality type: Your internal existence is in disarray as you swing between hope and despair, landing mostly on angry or frustrated. You believe that people just don't understand what you are going through.

The Helper

You are: A positive life force of energy - full of emotions and a very intuitive person.
Your personality: Social.
Your skin is: Sensitive/combination.
Your skincare routine is: Indulgent. you love the feel of creams on your skin, which is obviously a good thing as your skin tends to dry faster.
Your skin mirrors you: Pampering, luxurious, even simple and tactile. Your skin loves to be touched. When you feel happy, you skin becomes soft and supple but negative emotions can cause allergies and rashes.
You are likely to be: In any job that requires public interaction.

The Moralist

You are: Traditional, extremely rigid about ethics.
Your personality type: Introverted, dogmatic.
Your skin is: Dry, lacklustre.
Your skincare routine is: Extensive and elaborate, but you keep it a secret.
Your skin mirrors you: Your skin tends to have a sallow, lacklustre appearance with an uneven skin tone. You are also prone to dark circles and eye bags.
You are likely to be: A critic.

Winter is knocking at the door and so is the problem of keeping your hair shiny and lustrous. Our hair needs even more protection during winters as they tend to dry at a faster rate.



Dry hair tends to break off easily and that is why we need to ensure that our hair is well-conditioned. Do not wash your hair in warm or hot water as it tends to drain our the remaining moisture from hair strands. Instead, always wash your hair with cool or cold water. A deep conditioning mask when washed off with cold water adds shine to the mane.

People with extremely dry and frizzy hair should get a good hair spa done at least once a month. In addition, their hair washing regimen should comprise of a good moisturizing shampoo followed by a repairing and deep conditioning mask. Leave on the mask for five minutes and rinse off. Take care not to rinse off the entire mask entirely. This will protect your hair from the cold air outside. Once your hair has been towel dried, smooth it up with good anti-frizz serum.

One more tip - Always try to oil your hair at least one hour before shampoo. Our scalps too need some moisture and even more in winter. Oil application also prevents the occurrence of dandruff in winter.

The former Spice Girl said in an interview for the latest issue of British InStyle magazine that her and the footballer are not worried about getting older.

She said: "I have no problem with surgery at all but for me, it looks ridiculous when you have a face that looks 25 and a body that looks 65. I think it's much more modern to go for a natural look.

"But ask me next year and that might change."

David, 35, and Victoria admitted to using alternative therapies.

The 36-year-old said: "We both like crystals, as in crystal energy."

Victoria also praised the oxygen facials she gets from a dermatologist.

She added: "Dr Lancer has really sorted my skin out."

Although Posh says she definitely doesn't use fake tan.

Beckham said: "I've embraced whiteness. I don't use any tanning products. Sometimes in photographs I look orange, which is really random, because I don't use fake tan at all."