Expert Skin Care

Ashley Greene has said - after posing for a magazine in a skimpy bikini - that she has no desire to be stick-thin.

She revealed: 'A lot of people like to be super-tiny, but I don't want a child's body - I want a woman's body that is extremely fit. It's so much sexier.'

The 23-year-old actress shares her fitness secrets with Women's Health.

In it, she describes the gruelling exercise routine that gave her the toned body she shows off in the latest Twilight movie, Eclipse.

'My body holds muscle really easily and I tend to bulk up [if I'm always lifting] weights,' the 5ft 5in beauty says.

So, during breaks in filming, Greene says she would do interval training including squats, abdominal planks and lifting kettle bells.

'I did side-planks for my obliques, which are one of my trouble areas,' she said. 'And traditional planks tone your back so you don't have that little bit of fat hanging over your bra. Ugh!'

Greene says she even arranged squat contests among her female co-stars.

When she's not training for the Twilight movies, Greene takes a more relaxed approach to exercise, doing Pilates or running three to five miles, three to five days a week.

'You put on your headphones and go off into your own little world,' says the actress who likes to run in a canyon near her Los Angeles home.

'If you're running outside and you have a beautiful view, you have this sense of being free.'

Since my work wardrobe consists of bikinis, people ask me all the time what I do to feel confident in a bathing suit. Over the years I've learned a thing or two and now that bikini season is in full swing, it's time to share my secrets!

• Fix your skin: Start with a clean canvas. Banish sun spots, redness, fine lines, and prominent veins with products like Murad’s Environmental Shield line.
• Groom please: In my line of work having smooth legs and a smooth bikini line are musts! I spent years waxing before I invested in laser hair removal and it was well worth it. I keep my skin moisturized with Basq Body Oil, a product I discovered when I got pregnant. It is light, clean smelling, and leaves my skin feeling soft and sexy.
• Work your buns: I find that if my buns look good, I'm less concerned about the rest of my body. Lunges, squats, and running are all staples in my fitness routine. I also focus on my core because a strong and healthy core equals a strong and healthy body. I practice Pilates and find that planks are perfect for toning my core while working other key muscles in my arms and shoulders.
• Don't limit exfoliation to your face: Exfoliation is such an easy way to make your skin glow and I swear that getting rid of that top layer of dull skin takes years off. Use an exfoliating glove or product a few times a week and you will look and feel like new.
• Ultimately, it's about what you eat: Drink lots of water, eat fresh leafy greens, and prioritize whole grains. If you splurge on a "no-no," up your intake of fruits and veggies to get back on track.

1. Starting Your Day: Squeeze a lemon half into a glass of warm water and drink each morning before eating or drinking anything else. The natural diuretic will flush your liver and help prevent water retention. Results over an extended period include diminished cellulite, reduction in acne and an overall rejuvenated appearance.
   
   
2. Wash with Pure Water: Many affordable water filters are available today, the Wellness filter, which can be installed on your shower head and sink faucet. People often spend plenty on great skin products only to wash them off with chlorinated water. Pure water washing keeps your skin better hydrated without nullifying the effectiveness of your products.
   
   
3. Shower from Hot to Cold: Recreate the new day-spa trend of hot and cold plunge pools in your home shower. Start with a hot or warm shower, then turning the water completely cold for 30 seconds. You may repeat the hot-to-cold treatment up to eight times, although repeating it just once is a good start. The quick-change in temperature opens and constricts pores, pushing impurities out and potentially eradicating acne, keeping skin healthy, and creating that after-facial glow. 'Try it right before going out on the town or throwing a dinner party for a free beauty boost,'.
   
   
4. Frownies: 'I suggest wearing them when you are alone or around those who love you, even if you look like you've been in a fight with a roll of packing tape,'. These natural stick-ons prevent you from frowning much more cheaply than Botox, diminishing the impulse to frown with each use. 'Think of it as expression training,'. 'Who wants to frown anyway?'
   
   
5. Humidify. "Create a humid climate in your bedroom with a good quality humidifier,". For an even better fix, add rose essential oil to the humidifier (about 6 drops per gallon). Although the natural skin-enhancing effects of the humidity are temporary, you can do it nightly, - and be sure to use purified water.
   
   
6. Low-impact Sports. High-impact sports stress the body's soft tissues. Avoid excessive high-impact sports. 'Runners should try an elliptical machine for at least some of their training,' she says.
   
   
7. The Power of Oxygen. Oxygen is a very important rejuvenator. A popular protocol for cancer treatment and prevention, called the Budwig Diet, includes blending 2/3 cup organic cottage cheese with 6 tablespoons flaxseed oil; frozen berries may be added for flavor. 'This powerful combo delivers oxygen to a cellular level in the body and kicks up energy production in the cells,'.
   
   
8. Mineral Makeup: 'By far, my favorite makeup is mineral makeup,'. 'I love Jane Iredale. I use their active light concealer, the loose powder a shade lighter than my skin tone, followed by an unshimmery bronzer, and then a matte blush. I top everything off with their D20 spray which is absolutely essential. It's the only mineral make-up that I believe makes you look younger versus older, and it's also a physical sun block that last all day.'
   
   
9. Eyebrows: Find someone good in your area for an eyebrow shaping. 'It's amazing what a simple shaped eyebrow can do for your overall appearance,'.
   
   
10. Easy Tooth Bleach: Bleach your teeth by gargling with hydrogen peroxide. Dentists recommend doing it once in a while to kill unwanted bacteria, 'and the side effect is whiter teeth for 79 cents,'.
    
    
11. Stay Hydrated: A dehydrated face looks years older. Many cosmetic companies take a 'before' photo of a dehydrated model, then give her a bunch of water (and of course their miracle product) to take the 'after' picture, drink half your body weight in fluid ounces daily - and an additional eight ounces of water for every eight ounces of caffeinated beverages consumed.
    
    
12. Omega 369: New evidence suggests plant omegas are more beneficial to the skin than fish omegas. 'I prefer Barleans Total Omega Vegan Swirl, made with flaxseed and borage oils,'. 'It actually tastes like a smoothie and doesn't cause any fish breath.'
    
    
13. Sleep on Your Back. Side-sleeping eventually creates deep chest and face wrinkles. For an easy solution, take three towels - roll up two the long way and one short - then sleep with a long roll on either side and the short one under the knees to take pressure off the lower back. 'Think of the way you prevent a baby from rolling off the bed,'. 'Eventually you get used to the new position and won't need to use the towels.' She adds, 'Even if you only make it halfway through the night, you're better off than when you started.'
    

1. Waxing. Some women swear by this. They say that it makes sex more pleasurable... and it also doesn't hurt that their men find it sexy. Speaking of "hurt," this process is painful, and some of us also find it disturbing that there are men who prefer a look that predates our coming of age. But the practice is so widespread that there are even take-home bikini wax kits. Uh, we'd rather leave the hot wax on our labia to the professionals. Aussie Survey Says: Sex is Better with a Brazilian
   
   
2. Stencils. Less invasive than a vaginal piercing... yet somehow also more ridiculous. Some sites sell stencils designed to help you replicate the look of various waxing treatments: The landing strip. The classic triangle. And then there are those, like Betty Beauty (a site dedicated to cutesy pube products), that have stencils allowing you to shave your hair into the shape of lightning bolts, stars, hearts and more.
   
   
3. Hair Dye. Betty Beauty is even better known for their pubic hair dye, which we must admit intrigues us. Because if you're too chicken to dye the hair on your head electric blue, why not experiment with the hair down there first? Betty Beauty has classic colors like auburn, black, blonde and brown, but also offers some more offbeat colors, like Bridal (aqua blue), Fun (hot pink), Sexy (lilac) and Love (red). A New Look Down Under
   
   
4. Pink Button Genital Dye. Okay. So this product is more for the bits that poke out of our pubic hair, but we felt it was crazy enough to warrant a mention. My New Pink Button is a "genital cosmetic colorant" meant to restore the pink to your, um, pink button. Personally, we're not letting that stuff anywhere near our crotches.
   
   
5. Pube Perfume. We'll admit it. This doesn't actually exist. But scented hair removers like Coochy Shave Cream do—in flavors like Pear Berry and Green Tea.

If there's one supermodel that proves she has staying power, it's Kate Moss. Sure, Cindy and Naomi and Heidi have still got it, but Miss Moss is the one with the perfumes, the fashion line, the big bookings and mini-mes running all over town. Even after that cocaine scandal, Kate continues to reign and Fab and I tirelessly pore over snaps of her attempting to see how she does it. Today we got a little bit closer as the 35-year-old revealed her beauty secrets in an interview with The Times:

Iced water with cucumber; and waxing, definitely — it’s better than shaving. Moisturise, sleep — and happiness: that’s a beauty secret. I know I look different when I’m happy. I don’t really stick to one thing.

Got it. It's all about the water, moisturising, waxing and happiness. Which I do/am anyway so all I need is a little cucumber and then a rock star shall knock at my door.

1. Get References
   
   Talk to people whose haircuts you always seem to like. Find out what beauty salon they go to. You also want to find out who the stylist is. This is the best way to figure out what beauty salon to go to. If you ask family and friends, they will steer you in the right direction and you can stop getting bad hair jobs.
   
   
2. Services
   
   You want to look at what the beauty salon offers as far as services. If you are the type of person that would like to get your nails and eyebrows done while you are there, make sure the salon you choose offers these services. You will only have to go one place to get it all done. Some salons offer a huge variety of services such as massage as well.
   
   
3. Price
   
   Don’t worry so much about how much the services cost. Just because it’s cheaper doesn’t mean you should do it. You will probably be sorry if you go for the cheaper cut in nine times out of ten cases. Worry more about how people look when they come out. You can judge everything by appearances at a beauty salon. Spend the extra money to get the right look.
   
   
4. Products
   
   Make sure the products that the salon uses are products that won’t bother you. If you have allergies, this could be a problem. Make sure that you don’t end up breaking out or having an asthma attack while you are trying to get beautiful. You also want to make sure they are using good products. A salon that uses good products is usually better at what they do.