Not 1, not 10, but fifty beauty tips.

Courtesy of Herbal Essences come these top tips for giving your morning a boost. It made me smile as I sang a bit of Madonna at the top of my voice on the way to the salon this morning.

1. Keep a glass of water next to your bed and take a good gulp when you wake up to re-hydrate your body.
2. Put your alarm clock on the other side of your bedroom so you have to get out of bed to turn it off in the morning.
3. Turn on the light or open your curtains the moment you wake up to give your day a bright start.
4. Always make time for breakfast. Not only will it restock your reserves, it’ll also speed up your natural metabolism.
5. Don’t just listen to music in the car, turn up the volume and sing along to it too.
6. Drink a fruit smoothie instead of that mid-morning tea or coffee for a healthy hit of natural energy.

Concentrate now… A guide for Anti-Ageing from Olay (formally Ulay - I’m showing my age eh?)

1. Concentrated Cleansing

Try a new generation of anti-ageing cleansers (eg: Total Effects Age-Defying Wet Cleansing Cloths) for quick and easy deep cleansing that also fights 7 signs of ageing.

2. Concentrated Protection

Choose an anti-ageing daily moisturiser with a high SPF to protect, moisturise and fight the signs of ageing all in one go.

3. Concentrated Nutrients

Give your body a kick-start with a ‘power-boost’ breakfast of blueberries and orange slices (rich in Vitamins A & C antioxidants, key age fighters) and Vitamin B rich cereals to fuel your body for the day.

4. Concentrated Action

A 10 minute morning stretching regime will release muscle tension making your body stronger and more agile for the day ahead.

5. Concentrated Exercise

It’s a fact, says fitness trainer Matt Roberts, that if you concentrate on your exercises instead of just ‘going through the motions’ you’ll improve the efforts by up to 30%.

6. Concentrated Mind Fuel

As a rule of thumb, brightly coloured foods, like fruit and vegetables, are considered ‘Brain Food’. So eat small portions regularly during the day to stay alert.

7. Concentrated Thinking

A quick tip for quick thinkers is to spend a few minutes a day writing a journal. Author Thomas R Blakeslee believes an active mind will keep you feeling and looking younger for longer and that this regular outlet for thoughts and feelings can boost mental agility.

link: Olay

It’s that time of year where your legs can can come back out on show and the short skirts and sandals make a reappearance.

But, are you make the most out of the shape of your legs?

This article on iVillage is all about the different shapes that legs come in and how to get the best out of yours.

• Legs to heaven
• Curvy calves
• Uptown legs
• Pocket diva legs
• The thigh’s the limit
• Firm and fabulous legs

iVillage has two articles on their website that came to my attention this morning as the sun has started shining here in England:

1. The Devine Leg Diet - Not just excercise but also good nutrition will help you achieve the best results in less time for great looking legs.
2. Sexy Summer Legs - You’ve got your legs so make them look sexy with this guide to making the most of your pins after being stuck in jeans and tights for the winter?

Looks like it’s time to get those legs out for some fresh air girls!

We all love to look fabulous, don’t we, and sometimes maybe some of the newest products are a little out of our reach in terms of price. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of a little black book of beauty secrets that highlight some of the beauty tricks ofcelebrities:

Halle Berry uses coffee for her smooth, cellulite-free thighs.

"You just mix coffee
grinds with a little bit of body wash and rub it on your thigh area to
minimize the look of cellulite," says Kym Douglas the co-author of The
Black Book of Hollywood’s Beauty Secrets.

Cindy Crawford keeps
her face moist with a mixture of milk and water.

"She also uses a
combination of olive oil and coffee grinds to help make she skin glow
and pop"

Julia Roberts lathers olive oil on her fingernails to get them looking
smooth.

"It just adds that extra shiny coat like you’ve done a clear
gloss while also conditioning the cuticles."

Angelina
Jolie’s pout is another beauty trend that many women try and emulate. But Kym points out that  you can use cinnamon oil
instead.

"Cinnamon oil makes the lips tingle a little bit and it
encourages blood flow which gives you a natural plumpness," says
Douglas.

Catherine Zeta Jones puts crushed up strawberries on
her teeth to make them white.

"The anti-oxidants and the acid in the strawberries make
your teeth look really white," says Douglas.

Down the supermarket then ladies!!

Ref. First Coast News

Ever wanted to know the answer to any of these old age bits of beauty advice?

• Chocolate Gives You Spots
• The more expensive the product the better it is
• Squeaky clean skin is the secret to good skin
• Using cucumber on your eyes prevents eye bags
• Putting toothpaste on spots helps them go down
• Darker skins don’t need to use sunscreens
• Pinching your cheeks is as good as using blusher
• Drinking two litres of water a day is essential for healthy skin
• You need eight hours of sleep to look your best
• Natural products are best

iVillage has the beautiful answers…

Ever had a product lying round the house and the packaging or casing breaks?

Kris Connell from Real Simple Magazine was on The Early Show on Tuesday with some great advice for situations where you maybe would have thrown them out.

She gave some great solutions for problems such as:

• Clogged Hairspray

• Jammed Lotion
• Broken Lipstick
• Shattered Powder
• Nail Polish That Won’t Open

Wow, we went for the first of a four treatment Colonic Irrigation course yesterday. We have been talking about it for quite some time and we finally found somewhere local.

Colonic Irrigation, or colon hydrotherapy as it is properly known, has many benefits. You can read more about the actual treatment and benefits at the Association of Colon Hydrotherapists.

Someone recommended Pamela Chambers to us, who works from home in Camberley (01276 500470 - don’t forget to mention Truly Scrumptious).

Pam was great; she really put me at ease and after taking some information about me, the foods that I eat and about my medical history, etc. I began to feel quite comfortable, considering what was about to happen.

The Colonic Irrigation Treatment

The actual colonic irrigation treatment was better than I was expecting. I was asked to take off my clothes (bottom half) and sit on the side of the bed with a towel over me, whilst I was left in the room on my own.

Them Pam came in and asked me to lie on my side, poking out my bottom to the side with the towel still over me. She explained at each time what she was going to do.

Basically, she inserted a tube about 25mm diameter into my anus. Sounds gross, but it wasn’t so painful. When the tube is inserted, it goes in about one or two inches, you hardly feel it in there.

The tube is split into two cavities inside and has an ‘in’ and an ‘out’. The ‘in’ is where the water goes in and the ‘out’ is where the waste comes out.

She did warn me as the water was gently turned on. The first thing that tends to come out is gas. I didn’t see any of it but you could feel it ‘popping’ through the tube.

Having water pumped up your back-side doesn’t feel pleasant, but it doesn’t hurt either. Everyone is different but after the gas, nothing came out for a while so she turned the ‘out’ pipe off and kept gently pumping in water. This built up a certain amount of pressure, which was a little uncomfortable but after about a minute, she opened the ‘out’ valve again. She also started to rub my hip, which started some movement. I was expecting it to smell but it was very clinical with no smell or leakage.

After five minutes or so, Pam asked me to roll onto my back carefully and then proceeded to massage my colon, just above the pelvic bone. I could literally feel waste moving out and down through the pipe.

I stayed on my back for about five minutes and than rolled back on my side for a couple more. The actual treatment took about 35 minutes.

Pam gently removed the rod, which was okay and then I stood up to go the to the bathroom. Again, I was expecting it all to leak, but I managed to walk across to the toilet taking my time (not rushing with legs clenched).

This is just to get rid of all the remaining water and is a little bit like having a wee out of your bum (yeh, I know it sounds gross - I’m only telling you so you know the in’s and out’s if you fancy it).

When I finished I had a look and could see little bits of very solid waste in the toilet pan. Because of the nooks and crannys in your colon (see this diagram of a colon), some of the waste can stay in you for quite some time so you may end up clearing some of that stuck on waste.

After the Colonic Treatment

One of the myths I busted for myself is that your bum leaks with water for the rest of the day - it doesn’t! I drove home afterwards feeling completely un-bloated but a little tired. I drank lots of water and my appetitive wasn’t great for the rest of the day (a pleasant side-effect?).

The next day, I woke up with more energy already. Colonic Irrigation is good for releasing toxin and allowing your body to soak in more nutrients from good food so I made sure I ate lots of quality food the next day, again drinking lots of water - which we should always do anyway.

Would I Recommend It?

If you are going because you think you will loose weight, don’t bother. If you feel bloated or don’t digest foods that well I would definitely try it. It’s not ‘addictive’ like some say and it doesn’t hurt so there is no damage that can come from it as long as you choose someone reputable.

The Association of Colonic Hydrotherapists have a list of Therapists all over the UK.

With cold weather battering your face, it’s no wonder our lips struggle to remain smooth and moist.
So, I was very glad to read this tip from About Beauty about How to Get Rid of Scaly Lips.

1. Put Vaseline on your lips (rubbing in well)
2. Use an old toothbrush and brush the vasoline into your lips in a circular motion.
3. Wash and repeat a couple of times a day until smooth and beautiful

I shall be trying that one tonight!