Women’s Health September 2014

Making Faces

Eye Shadow  - put your chin up and look down your nose at yourself [ like a mean girl ], eyebrows slightly lifted. Use an eyeshadow brush to sweep color from the inner corner to the outer corner of each eye. This angle removes crease and crinkles from the eyelid, creating a flatter area for cream or powder shadow, so color goes on evenly.

Lipstick - smile as big and as tightly as you can, showing plenty of teeth. Use a lip brush to apply color to every bit of lips, including the corners. Opening your mouth into a broad, cheesy grin exposes the corners of lips, so you can get lipstick where you want it ( when corners are missed, it looks like your lips were cut off the sides ) - and not where you don’t (surrounding skin and teeth). Plus,  the lip skin is stretched smooth for an even application.

Eyeliner - many women lean in towards the mirror - but you shouldn’t. Instead, tilt your head back and lift your brow skin up with your finger so you can get right next to your lashes with the liner. Rest the pencil vertically so the tip lays flat against your lash line. If you tend to blink a lot while saying, “Aaah”. Your lashes will look thicker, and eyes will appear larger. Saying  “aaah” helps relax facial muscles so blinking slows.

Blush -  Practice the fake smile. Keep it close mouthed and a little rigid, just lifting the corners of your lips a bit. Apply blush right at the top of the apple - the part that sticks out most - the blend up and out toward your temples. For cream blush, use a stippling or Kabuki brush (which has short, dense bristles and a flat top). For powder color, a regular blush brush is fine. Color hits the apples of your cheeks in exactly the spot where you’d flush naturally.

Bronzer and Highlighter -  suck in your cheeks and purse your lips. Use an angled contour brush to apply matte bronzer that’s two shades darker than your skin to the area inside the hollow of your cheeks. Starting an inch from your lips, blend bronzer upward toward your ear. Then dab a cream or powder highlighter onto the cheekbones, moving upward toward your hairline. This play of light and dark defines the angles of your face, making cheekbones appear higher.

Ancient Secrets Modern Beauty

Body Work - in ayurveda, a warm oil body massage (called abhyanga) isn’t a monthly indulgence: it’s a daily 10 minute self care ritual believed not only to soften skin but also to help fight cellulite and keeps muscles supple.

Eye Palming - relieving eye strain relaxes those muscles around the eyes that can cause fine lines and wrinkles. Warm your hands by rubbing them together. Close your eyes and press the heel of each palm on the corresponding cheekbone, then cup your fingers over the eyelid. Breathe deeply and slowly in this position for five minutes.

Oil pulling  - an inflammatory response in the mouth like gum disease could lead to having inflammatory responses such as heart diseases or diabetes. A healthy mouth can be a pathway to healthy body. High levels of bacterias can accumulate in the mouth overnight. Swish one tablespoon of organic oil around in your mouth for 10 minutes for the a.m. before brushing your teeth; spit into a toilet.

Tongue Scraping - by unclogging the pores on the tongue, you may taste your food more and feel more satisfied, possibly curbing your appetite.  Use a metal scraper spans the width of the tongue. Before brushing your teeth, but after oil pulling, gently glide the  scraper from the back of the tongue to the tip, then along the sides, repeat a few times. Make sure to rinse the scrap between each swipe.

Foot Massage - Ayurvedic practitioners believe that four major nerves in the feet connect directly to the eyes, so massaging feet in this manner is thought to help reduce stress from chronic headaches. Before bed, clean your feet with warm water. While sitting down, rest one foot on the opposite thigh. Using brisk strokes, start massaging from the top of the foot; when you get to the toes, bend them back up and down with your hand. Then firmly massage the bottom of the feet with your thumbs and the heel of your hand, using stronger pressure on the toes [many of the nerve endings in the foot are there]. Focus the flow toward the toes, using circular motions.