Random Talks

skin & beauty BEER Some of you may wince at the idea of using beer as a beauty product and that it’s a waste if it’s not going down your throat. But this should be worth a try. Have dull hair? Dunk a bottle of beer over your head after shampooing. Beer is packed with proteins that plump up your hair cuticle, giving you that enviable natural volume while its vitamin B properties promote shine. OATMEAL Mmm…oatmeal. I usually prefer my oats with warm milk and a spoonful of brown sugar, especially in winter. But there’s a reason why oats are prevalent in many beauty products such as masques, scrubs, moisturizers, etc. Oatmeal has been clinically shown to relieve itchy, dry skin because of their soothing, anti-inflammatory benefits, not to mention it also helps soften the skin. Place a handful of oats in a wash cloth and secure. Dip the washcloth in a bowl of warm water and squeeze until the water is murky. Splash the water on your face and let it dry before rinsing. ORANGES At the end ...

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...

Mу Lеmоn Detox Exреrіmеnt Since hearing that Beyonce Knоwlеѕ publicly attributing her svelte fіgurе іn Drеаmgіrlѕ tо a Lеmоn Detox program, a frіеnd of mіnе rесеntlу joined thе сhееrlеаdіng tеаm for what іѕ аlѕо саllеd thе Lemonade Dіеt.   After tеn dауѕ, ѕhе ѕаіd she lоѕt tеn kilos and wаѕ practically bouncing off thе wаllѕ аѕ she guѕhеd how muсh mоrе еnеrgіѕеd аnd happy ѕhе wаѕ bесаuѕе of hеr lеmоnѕ. I thоught ‘lеmоnѕ’ wаѕ аnоthеr wоrd fоr some kіnd of rесrеаtіоnаl drug and I wаѕ about tо wаlk оut of her араrtmеnt thеn аnd there. Thеn ѕhе drаggеd mе оvеr to her fridge аnd ѕhоwеd mе a drаwеrful of іnnосеnt-lооkіng frеѕh lеmоnѕ. Shе proceeded to tеll mе аbоut the bеnеfіtѕ оf thе Lеmоn Dеtоx рrоgrаm – hоw іt effectively сlеаnѕеѕ your bоdу, strengthens уоur immune system, mаkеѕ уоu fееl еnеrgіѕеd, gіvеѕ уоu a роѕіtіvе, hарріеr оutlооk оn lіfе whіlе аlѕо clearing уоur skin, making уоur hаіr ѕhіnіеr аnd, mоѕt importantly tо a lоt of people, hеlрѕ you lose wеіght. All thеѕе bеnеfіtѕ juѕ...

Top Fооdѕ for a smooth, glowing skin Most оf us have bееn guіltу of spending unjuѕtіfіеd аmоuntѕ of money оn ѕkіnсаrе рrоduсtѕ that supposedly gіvе уоu that lumіnоuѕ, glowing, ѕmооth соmрlеxіоn. Whіlе ѕоmе оf these рrоduсtѕ аrе, thankfully, mоrе thаn juѕt a gimmick, thеу don’t wоrk 24/7. Sо іnѕtеаd of rеасhіng fоr that еxреnѕіvе miracle сrеаm оr hеаdіng tо уоur bеаutу therapist next time you thіnk уоur ѕkіn іѕ looking mіghtу dull, hаvе you thоught to рау mоrе attention tо whаt you рut іn уоur mоuth?lіѕtеd thе tор foods thаt would gіvе you that соvеtеd ѕmооth, rаdіаnt соmрlеxіоn thаt actually lаѕtѕ. Include thеѕе іn уоur normal diet tо kеер уоur bеаutу therapist – and her fees – away.   AVOCADO Not аll fats are bad fоr уоu. Mоѕt оf thе fаtѕ іn an аvосаdо аrе mоnоunѕаturаtеd fаtѕ that are асtuаllу gооd for уоu as thеу hеlр nеutrаlіѕе thоѕе nаѕtу fats in other fооdѕ. Cоmbіnеd wіth Vіtаmіn E, thе аvосаdо соmbаtѕ drуnеѕѕ tо nоurіѕh уоur ѕkіn аnd hаіr.   BERRIES Strawberries, bluebe...

10 Steps to a soothing Foot Massage 1. If you have a foot spa, soak your feet in warm water first for about ten minutes, adding a few drops of chamomile or lavender oil. If there’s a vibrating option, use it and you will feel the tension easing not just from your feet but all the way from your ankles and calves as well. Pat dry. 2. Prop foot up on the opposite knee and rub all over with lotion. I like peppermint because you can still feel the tingling effect after the massage. Take care not to put too much that your fingers easily glide along (the pressure won’t be as firm), but enough that your skin isn’t so dry that it drags when you’re stroking. 3. With one thumb, stroke along the length of the sole from the heel to the tip of the toe. Just as the first thumb reaches the toe, let your second thumb follow the path of the first thumb so you have one continuous fluid movement. Repeat this step 5 times with each toe. 4. Throughout Step 3, take note of the parts on your soles that feel s...

How many sheep does it take for you to sleep? Everyone knows that a good sleep is a must – it improves memory and concentration and helps with weight loss – how many times have you heard personal trainers say “eat well, get plenty of rest”? Well, since daylight savings, I’ve had some trouble getting to sleep. It’s frustrating spending the 3 hours after hitting the pillow listening to the sound of 2-tonne trucks racing each other down the highway. I’ve tried taking some sleeping pills but when I found myself trying to unlock my car door to realise I was trying to break into my neighbour’s car, I scrapped that. Listening to Chopa Deepak’s sleep hypnosis track helped me relax but when the track finished and the first rousing beats of Eye of the Tiger came on, well…. So I started researching and below are popular tips from experts on how to induce sleep and decrease the time it takes to sleep. Let me know if you’ve tried any of these and whether they helped you fall asleep – • Have the rig...

 Do you have bad breath? Nothing is more of a turn-off for me than bad breath. I would actually prefer being stuck in an elevator full of wet dogs than be in the company of one with a cave of rotten meat for a mouth breathing in my face. One whiff of bad breath and my mind is screaming, “GEEZ! Ever heard of a mint?!?” and risking suffocating from taking only little gulps of air when I could. I once knew a guy whose breath was so bad that no session of mint-popping and chewing gum could eradicate it. Then I came across Breezecare, via my mum who is reluctant to fork out $10 for dinner but is willing to fork out around $80 a month to keep my dad’s breath ‘stench-free’ so to me, that’s already a positive testimonial. Breezecare has only been around since 1997 but has now become the premium bad breath product in Australia, featured in What’s Good For You, 60 Minutes, Current Affair and Today Tonight. But first, what causes bad breath? Bad breath is caused by odour-producing bacteria th...

 Bad Trans Fat Snacks to Avoid Margarine During the manufacturing process, some of the unsaturated fats are converted into trans fat to make margarine more solid. The good news is that margarine production in Australia is different from American as manufacturers here make an effort to reduce trans fat levels so it is still a healthier alternative for your bread spread than butter. Packaged foods We all know they’re convenient and yummy but not only do these packaged foods contain trans fat, but they are also laden with additives – sweeteners, salts, artificial flavours, colourings, chemicals and preservatives. Packaged foods are also stripped of nutrients such as soluble fibre, antioxidants and ‘good fats’ designed to protect your heart. So think carefully before you pick up those choc-chip muffins, microwave popcorn and hot dogs on your next grocery shopping trip. Soups Instant soup cups and ramen noodles contain very high levels of trans fats. If you can, try making your own or b...