Random Talks

Short Hairstyles to suit your Face Shape Heart-shaped You have a heart-shaped face if you have a wide forehead and cheeks that taper down to a noticeably narrow, pointed chin. So if you have your hair tied back in a ponytail, the attention is usually focused on your chin – think Christina Ricci. The key is to draw more attention to your eyes and cheekbones. Katie Holmes with her (enviably) new hair style does just this, with the heavy fringe drawing your attention to her sultry eyes. The sleek bob also succeeds in making the upper part of her face slimmer. Another great short hairstyle is a cut that creates volume at the bottom of your face, roughly from the ears down to give the illusion of a wider chin and jawline. Check out Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama with the wispy, bottom ends flicked out, detracting the attention away from her pointed chin and creating a more ‘balanced’ look. Avoid too much volume and height at the crown as this will only make your chin longer and/or ...

 Taking care of your skin by the decade 20s Ah, the good old 20s. You don’t really need to spend too much time in the bathroom, slathering one cream after serum after cream and no need to fork out too much on products you don’t really need, like anti-wrinkle creams or microdermabrasion. The only focus should be on damage prevention. If you have normal skin, you need to only wash your face at night before going to bed. Use a mild, gel-based cleanser if you have oily skin or a mild, milky cleanser if your skin is dry. Pick any brand of moisturiser, just as long as it contains SPF 15 or 20 and UVA or UVB protection. Apply all over the face and neck, but also over the chest – especially if you think you’ll be wearing low-cut tops in your later years, so your cleavage won’t resemble an accordion. For a night-time treatment, use hydrating fluid or oil-free moisturiser. Also start using products with vitamin A, like Retin-A which reduces fine lines, stimulates collagen and also treats acn...

 Common Diet Mistakes  1. FOCUSING ON CARDIO Many people opt to do only cardio workouts when trying to lose weight because cardio workouts burn more calories in the duration of the workout than, say, resistance training. But what they don’t realise is that the key to getting a more toned body is to increase the metabolism. You should go for activities that not only burn calories during the workout but also burn calories for hours and days afterwards, such as resistance and/or interval training. In short, don’t focus on just cardio-only workouts but aim to combine it with some weight training to build up muscle. 2. SKIPPING BREAKFAST Skipping meals is something many people do – especially when they feel they ate like a pig the night before. But there is a reason why breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should never be missed. When you wake up, your body craves for nutrients as it’s been fasting for six hours or so. When you skip breakfast, your body starts breaki...

Nightingale Facial Nothing like bird faeces slathered all over your face to make your skin look more translucent and flawless. This is Diamond Hawaii Resort & Spa’s signature facial and the geishas were the first to discover the benefits of nightingale excrement for the skin. Perhaps in ten years’ time, someone will discover the benefits of dog crap that will have us scurrying toward our pets with a plastic bag everytime they hunch over and we can say goodbye to swearing viciously everytime we step on one when we have a picnic… Butt treatment We get our faces scrubbed and exfoliated but someone had the bright idea that we should also look after our second set of cheeks down south. I call this the Buttial where your backside is cleansed, exfoliated, applied a mask to, waxed (if required), massaged and moisturised so your ass can look polished and feel oh-so smooth. Perfect for summer when you want to gallivant around on the beach with a g-string. Cupping Remember when sticking needl...

Slimming 'Pooh' Tea The tea is guaranteed to make you lose weight fast by getting rid of everything you’ve eaten. Think bulimia but it goes out through the other end. I don’t know what makes up the tea and I don’t really want to know. The tea is a brown liquid with such a foul smell, it would send everyone else running out of the room, leaving you gagging. The taste is just as disgusting and the only easy way to drink the darn thing is to pinch your nose and scull the whole thing, which is not an easy feat considering the tea’s supposed to be infused in boiling water. But that’s not the worst bit. The worst bit is those two hours spent doubled over, clutching your bloated stomach and beating your fists on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, cursing the pain in your abdomen that’s probably ten times worse than your period cramp. You’re dehydrated, you’re weak, you’re seeing white stars circling around you and you wish you could just faint already. But the thought of waking up ...

Things where germs lurk The Bed Hubby often complains of my tendency to leave the bed unmade, scoffing at my excuse that I’ll be back there in 12 hours anyway. Now I have a valid excuse. Dust mites live in your sheets and feed on your dead skin, contributing to asthma and allergies. What to do : Don’t make your bed. Dust mites need humidity levels above 50% to survive and a made bed traps the moisture they need. If the sight of an unmade bed gives you the creepy crawlies, mount an air attack. Bundle a humidifier with an oscillating fan for a double moisture eliminator. The contact-lens case A 2007 Chinese study revealed that 34% of contact lens cases tested were crawling with germs that can cause an inflammatory eye disease that can damage the cornea and lead to blindness. What to do : Throw away your used solution and thoroughly rinse the case in hot water daily. Replace your lens case at least every 3 months. As multi-purpose solutions lose most of their germ-fighting power after a c...