What to Expect in a Facial??

Facials are great tools for relaxation and allow you to take a few moments just for you. In your crazy, on-the-run, 24/7 life, sometimes some "you" time is needed, and what better way to spend time on yourself than to sit back and let someone pamper your face? If you are preparing to, or even just want to go get a facial, you may not know exactly what to expect. If you're unsure about facials, here are a few things to know about what to expect so your facial experience will be a good one!
Facials essentially just take away the dead and old skin cells on your face. Facials also include the massaging of the facial muscles for greater relaxation and the tightening of the skin to achieve a younger, healthier look. Things included in a facial are steam, exfoliation, extraction, masks, peels, massages, lotions, and creams. Some facials can actually be quite involved and can be expensive; however, regardless of the type of facial you get or how much you spend, your facial experience will more than likely be a good one.
When you sign up for your facial, make sure you know what type you're getting. As mentioned above, different facials have different components. You should know what you're signing up for and what your specific facial will entail. If you don't know what a certain treatment of the facial is or involves, you should always feel free to ask questions; it's your face and your money, so you should know exactly what's going to be going on.
Once you've scheduled your facial, just go prepared to relax. Before the facial actually begins, ask any last minute questions if you're still a little nervous, and then just sit back and allow yourself to be pampered. Relax and let your mind wander—let yourself doze even! (However, you don't want to completely fall asleep; otherwise you might makes things with the facial a little difficult, if not awkward!) Facials are for relaxation—let yourself relax!

Choosing the Right Cosmetics

We all have different skin types and all of those different skin types react differently to the various cosmetics out there. I've worn some brands of makeup that make my skin break out and some that give my skin that desired porcelain look. With all of our individual skin characteristics it's no wonder there's no many cosmetics out there and apart from the basics of skin type, you have skin tone and a myriad of other variables. That's why choosing the right cosmetics is so important!
For me, choosing the right cosmetics is trial and error. The cosmetic that gives me the most problems is foundation because I have naturally oily skin and so I need to be careful about what kind of cosmetics I buy. There are so many different brands out there and so many different cosmetics targeted toward almost every skin type so sometimes it just takes some time in the makeup aisle to find something that could work.
Choose cosmetics that match your skin tone and complement it. A darker foundation, deeper eye shadow colors, and darker shades of eyeliner will all look great on olive or chocolate skin. If on the other end you have a fair skin tone, buy makeup in lighter tones—lighter foundation, lighter eye shadows, and lighter eyeliner or mascara will all work to enhance your features. When you use cosmetics fit for your skin tone you will complement and enhance your features rather than washout or overpower it.
It's worth it to invest in good makeup. I know good makeup can get pricey, especially if you buy it all at once, but you won't regret it. If you have good, quality makeup, your face will look good and quality. However if you're trying to save money, you could incur cost on your complexion and overall look. Cheap makeup looks cheap on your skin; it can cake on there and make you look plastic rather than beautiful. Remember also that cheap doesn't inexpensive. You can find some great deals at department stores on great makeup, but avoid the cheap, low quality makeup; don't buy makeup for the sole reason that it doesn't cost a lot. Buy it for its quality and for how it make you look.
So, back to the original question: how do you choose the right cosmetics?
Accommodate your skin type—makeup that dries out or aggravates your skin isn't worth it
Use cosmetics to work with your skin tone—darker shades with darker tones and lighter shades for lighter tones
Investment in quality makeup, even though it can be expensive, results in a quality look. You'll pay more on your face if you use cheap products.
Choosing the right cosmetics is a quandary only because it's completely personal. Your skin is so individualized and so these tips should be so individualized. No rule regarding what kind of cosmetics to buy is hard and unchanging. Now you know to work with your skin instead of changing it, cosmetics will be a breeze!

Easy (and sexy) ways to lose 50 pounds this year

For many people, losing weight seems like an impossible task. "I don't have the willpower!" they say. But it doesn't have to be that hard.

The basic rule of weight loss is that you take in fewer calories than you burn -- and if you want to turn a positive calorie balance into the calorie deficit you need to lose weight, just make some smart choices in what you eat and drink, and how you burn calories.

The second rule of weight loss is that if you take in 3,500 fewer calories than you burn, you'll (generally) lose a pound of fat. So if you can have a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day, you'll burn a pound of fat a week (7 times 500 is 3,500), which is about 50 pounds a year.

If you have been maintaining the same weight for a little while, you are taking in the same amount of calories as you're burning. So you just need to choose a few of the options below to lose 50 pounds in a year. However, if you've been gaining weight, you'll need to choose a few more of the options below to go into calorie deficit.

Remember that 50 pounds a year is only about 4 pounds a month, so you won't notice a huge drop in the first month. Be patient, stick with it, and you'll start to see weight loss in the following months. Also remember that with any of the changes below, it's hardest for the first few days. After that, you get used to it, and it gets easier.

• Drink water. If you typically drink lots of juice or soda or alcohol, replacing these calorie-filled drinks with water will cut a few hundred calories a day.
• Exercise for 15-20 minutes. If you have a weight problem, chances are you also have a problem with regular exercise. That's probably because you tried to do too much. Just commit to 15 minutes a day. That's not hard at all. And don't do anything intense, especially for the first month. Take it easy -- do a few crunches, a few push ups, jog in place for a few minutes. If you do this every day, you'll burn 100-150 calories, depending on your size and metabolism.
• Replace a fatty snack with veggies. Potato chips, fries, anything that's greasy -- those are laden with calories. Fat is the most calorie-filled food type there is. If you eat a snack like this every day, replace it with cut-up carrots, broccoli, celery, or a salad (with low-fat dressing, not anything fatty).
• Have sex daily. One of the best exercises there is. Of course, you'll need to do it beyond your usual three minutes. If you can get 15 minutes of sex in a day, you can burn 150 calories. You also might need to find a willing partner. The exercise in the item above might help with that.
• Replace a sugary snack with fruits. If you eat Twinkies, Ding Dongs, donuts, candy bars, a carton of ice cream ... you know you need to cut those out. Try fruit instead. Berries are my favorite.
• Eat a healthy breakfast. If you eat eggs and bacon, or something covered in syrup, or anything else sweet or fatty, replace it with something healthier. Steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries, ground flaxseed and almonds is a great choice that is delicious. Also try whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk or soy milk.
• Walk, and use the stairs. Park 5-7 minutes away from work, which adds up to about 10-15 minutes of walking a day, to and from work (in addition to the exercise mentioned above). Use the stairs instead of the elevator. That's about 100 calories total.
• Use non-fat milk in your latte. If you use half-and-half in your latte, using non-fat milk will save you about 250 calories.
• Skip butter. If you put butter on your toast, your roll, and your baked potato, you can save 200-300 calories a day if you skip the butter.
• Plan snacks, don't randomlysnack . Munching on little things here and there, throughout the day, can add up to hundreds of calories. Instead, plan on a midmorning and mid afternoon snack, and make at least one of them healthy. Don't snack in between snacks.
• Go with red pasta sauce, not white. Marinara sauce instead of Alfredo will save you a couple hundred calories. Skip the meat too.
• Eat baked chicken, not fried. Fried chicken contains a lot of fat absorbed from frying oil, as well as the fatty skin. Skip the skin, and bake the chicken. Herb it up good, with some pepper, and it tastes great.
• Skip seconds, and eat slower. If you go back for an extra piece of meat and buttered bread, you're adding another few hundred calories. Instead, eat slowly, and you'll get full faster. Also, even if feel hungry after the first helping, wait for 20 minutes. Often, the feeling of hunger will go away.
• Air-pop popcorn. Movie popcorn is full of oil and butter. Tons of fat. Instead, air-pop the popcorn. You can put salt on it, but not butter.
• Go for pretzels, not peanuts. Nuts contain tons of calories. Instead, snack on mini-pretzels (not the soft kind), which can satisfy the salt craving without all of the fat.
• Skip the muffin. Muffins are just cake, if you buy them at a coffee shop, donut shop, or grocery store. You can make your own muffins that don't contain all that fat and sugar, but instead, try eating the healthy breakfasts mentioned above.

6 Ways to Get Shiny, Healthy Hair

1. Avoid Dead Ends
Frederic Fekkai stylist Adir Abergel, who works with Jessica Biel, Camilla Belle and Jennifer Garner, says frequent trips to the salon is one of the first steps to healthy hair. "Getting regular trims and cutting off any dead ends will keep hair looking fresh," he says. Six to eight weeks is the recommended time between visits. However, you may need to trim more often if you create additional stress on the hair by frequent swimming or coloring.

2. Quick Shine
If you're in a hurry but your hair needs help, stylist David Babaii -- who has worked with Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and Kate Hudson--says to massage a little hair polish through the hair. He recommends using his WildAid brand, saying that "the clean scent along with its shine properties will have your hair smelling freshly washed and looking extremely shiny." Flyaways can also contribute to an unkempt look. "To smooth the hair, put some of my Volcanic Ash Sculpting Clay onto an unwanted toothbrush then brush away those strays."

3. Protect with Products
You can try and avoid drying, flat-ironing and curling your hair, but for most people, using hair tools is inevitable. Therefore, stylist Rita Hazan, who colors Jennifer Lopez's hair, says: "It's important to use products that protect your hair from the heat." Also, if you dye your hair, Hazan recommends using shampoos and conditioners that are specifically made for color-treated tresses.

4. Weekly Buildup Removal
Stylist Ted Gibson, who works on the manes of Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie and Claire Danes, says: "Use a clarifying shampoo once-a-week to remove buildup from the hair." This is especially important if you use an excess of styling products or exercise and sweat a lot.

5. Keep Heat to a Minimum
You want to avoid over-drying your hair, says Manhattan-based stylist Michael Murphy, who has worked with supermodels Naomi Campbell and Elle Macpherson. This also forces variety -- instead of blowing your hair dry, let it air-dry and wear it up or put it in foam rollers for a new wavy look. If you do blow-dry, "always use a nozzle on the end of your dryer," says Murphy. "It keeps hair from frizzing and prevents it from getting too close to the hair and burning it."

6. Try a Cold Blast
"Get shiny hair by shampooing with lukewarm water and finishing with a cool rinse," says Michael Murphy, who has trimmed and styled Katie Holmes's tresses. "This will seal the cuticle and give a more reflective quality to the hair." When the cuticle is closed -- which happens when it's cold and it opens when it's warm and humid -- the hair lays flat and therefore has more surface area to reflect shine and give the appearance of lustrous locks.