Beauty Tip: Use Organic Skin Care Products

In the past few years organic skin care products have gained popularity in the beauty industry. People are becoming more conscious about what they put on their body. I, for one, have been looking at the ingredients of skin care products that I've been using. Half of it is mumbo jumbo to me! Organic skin care products sounds so appealing now because they provide a healthier way to live. Who doesn't want to be healthy, right?

Think about all the pesticides, fertilizers, and all the synthetic chemicals they use on some of the plant extracts in many beauty products today. Now imagine those chemicals being absorbed by your skin and flowing through your blood stream!

For those of you who have sensitive skin, I do highly recommend natural skin care products - especially for people with allergies and eczema. I have my eye on Dr Hauschka products because everything is organic - from cosmetics to face and body care.

With summer here, I know many of you will be heading out to bask in the sun. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. I assume it's because of the harsh chemicals we put on our body in addition to not wearing sunscreen when heading outside. Think about buying natural sunscreen products.

If you use organic products, I'd love to hear your testimony. Leave a comment!

May Is Better Sleep Month: Sleep Tips For a More Beautiful You

STATS:
According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a chronic sleep disorder or intermittent sleep problem. Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression—which threaten our nation’s health.

FROM THE EXPERT:
According to a report from Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs, Americans with sleep disorders may be relying too heavily on sleeping pills instead of trying safer non-drug remedies. “Most people who have trouble sleeping do not need sleeping pills,” says sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus. “The scents in Aromatherapy Sleep products are scientifically proven to help provide a better night’s sleep. I recommend that those who have trouble falling and staying asleep try the formulas before turning to more drastic measures like sleeping aides.”

TIPS:
Dr. Michael Breus, PhD, sleep expert and author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, and Feel Great Through Better Sleep, offers tips to get a better night's sleep:

* Take a hot bath: “Taking a hot bath before bed heats up our body’s core, then cools it down just like the process when we sleep,” says Dr. Breus. “Therefore a hot bath can trigger a biological function that our bodies associate with being at rest.”

* Get a relaxing massage: “A relaxing massage is a great way to de-stress and help us get ready for bed,” says Dr. Breus. “Ask your partner to give you a massage using Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Sleep Body Lotion to help relax or apply the formula yourself very slowly, taking deep breaths along the way.”

* Be aware of surroundings: “Our surroundings play a huge role in the quality of our sleep,” says Dr. Breus. “By using the Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Sleep Pillow Mist on your bedding you are creating a calm environment that is conducive to sleep.”

Photo Credit: Mayr

Total Beauty's Top 10 Favorite Mascaras & How to Choose the Right Mascara

Are you on the hunt for the perfect mascara? The editors over at Total Beauty have offered us a top 10 list of mascaras. Is your favorite on the list?

Right now I'm using the Sephora brand mascara that came with the smokey eye kit I received awhile back. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it an 8. It tends to clump a little but overall I'm happy with the way it glides on easily and gives my very thin eyelashes some volume.

How do you pick out the right mascara for you? Here's a video of celebrity makeup artist Lutz Wesemann giving his tips on how to choose the right mascara...

Guys Need Beauty Tips Too!

Here at Beauty Is Within I talk a great deal about beauty for women. However, I know once in awhile a guy happens to stumble across this blog, so I thought I'd share these 5 beauty tips for guys I discovered...

I completely agree with #1: Sleep!

"No matter how pretty or handsome you are, eyebags and red eyes aren’t going to help you land that date. Tiredness also contributes to poor posture, which won’t help you present your best self."

Here are some other beauty tips for men...

Other men's fashion blogs of interest:

• iluwfashion
• Manolo for the Men

Related Post:
Seven Things To Do Now to Look Good Always!

5 Ways to Take Care Of Your Inner Beauty

"...the inner beauty is what makes the outer beauty even more stunning. And in the complete package, this complete beauty turns heads and becomes unforgettable to those they meet..." -- from the article, Inner Beauty Strategy: Confidence and Positive Thinking

What have you done today to take care of your inner beauty so that your outer self becomes beautiful too?

Here are five things you can do right now:

1. Meditate on peace and happiness

2. Eat the right foods

3. Work on not being a judgmental person

4. Exercise

5. Enjoy a day at the spa to de-stress and relax!

Related Posts:

• A Balance Between Inner Beauty and Outer Beauty

• Take Care of Your Inner Beauty

There's Always Time to Look Fabulous!

You probably know a mother who has "let herself go". She always looks tired and stressed. All she wears are sweat pants, a t-shirt, and throws up her hair in a rough-looking ponytail. I know, I've been there and I don't even have kids!

I'm not a mother, but I have a couple friends who are. Some of them say that they just don't have time to make themselves look fabulous every day and I just roll my eyes...

I say: There is always time. You can make time.

When I watched my three young God-daughters for a week, I thought that I would turn into one of those harried-looking women, but I discovered the secret to looking fabulous... Get up 30 minutes earlier than the kids. While the house was still peaceful and quiet, I was able to fix myself up. It's amazing what you can accomplish in 30 minutes when there isn't a little one tugging at your blouse!

I also know a mother who complains that she doesn't have time to take care of herself, yet she sits on the couch for a couple hours in the morning watching her soap operas. Hmmm...During that time she could be giving herself a manicure or plucking her eyebrows!

It's all about setting priorities and sadly, many women don't consider themselves a priority! When you love yourself, you take care of yourself - and when you take care of yourself, you have a high self-esteem, feel more confident and generally feel happier overall ;)

The Winner of the Dove & Beauty Is Within Giveaway!

The winner of the Dove & Beauty is Within Giveaway is...

Drumroll please!

Susan Stone of Susan's Spa!

Susan has won Dove's Cool Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner, a Beauty Is Within t-shirt, and a $25 gift certificate to use at my shop at Etsy!

Thanks to all who entered! The people who entered shared some great beauty tips:

Susan, the winner, says:
"My beauty tip for anyone is to remember to exfoliate. Use a scrub once or twice a week to remove dead skin cells to reveal fresh, new and glowing skin."

Payton of The Find offers this beauty tip:
"My #1 beauty tip is to get rid of pimples! I'm in my 30s and still get them. Anyway, if you feel a new pimple coming up, rub a very small dab of toothpaste into it and leave it alone! The toothpaste does two things: 1) reduces the redness 2) brings the toxins to the surface. If possible, do this at night before you go to bed. Once the puss surfaces, you should use a blackhead remover to extract the puss (do not use your fingers, you introduce germs/dirt to the pimple and bruise your face). Your pimple will clear up much faster with this easy remedy."

Lesha of The Stylish Mom (among other beauty and fashion blogs!) says:
"Drink Green Tea - it does wonders for the skin! :)"

Give Your Hair Some Volume!

Do you have limp, lifeless hair and need a pick-me-up? Check out this video with International hair and makeup expert Hervé Bernard as he gives you some tips to add some extra volume to your hair.



P.S. I promise I'll be back soon to continue the "7 Steps to a More Beautiful You" series!

7 Steps to Creating a More Beautiful You Step 1: Smile

People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. ~Lee Mildon

I know I’ve blogged here about how a smile can be the most important asset you have, but I feel it needs more emphasis because lately I’ve been running into women with sad and distressed faces. I make an effort to acknowledge them and offer a smile hoping that maybe that positive energy will reach them. It’s very disheartening to see a beautiful woman with a frown her face.

Try this exercise every morning as you’re brushing your teeth…Look at yourself in the morning and say to yourself, “I am beautiful. I am happy. My smile is contagious.” Say that to yourself at least ten times.

Another exercise you can try is to close your eyes and think of a time in your life when you were most happy. Maybe it was the first time you owned a designer bag or a memory of a vacation when you felt oh, so, relaxed. Take yourself to that moment and feel that smile come across your face!

Hopefully you will find yourself grinning from ear to ear after doing these exercises. If that doesn’t work, well, then try watching the Sunsilk commercial I posted a few days ago - that should put a smile on your face!

Stay tuned tomorrow for step #2!

Tips For Looking Young and Healthy

I just came across an article written by Dr. Mary E. Waters which offers the Top Seven Tips on Keeping Your Skin Looking Young and Healthy. Dr. Waters has some good tips and it's a good read!

As for me, everyday I become more and more aware of my health and eating healthy. I think it is really important to have a healthy diet and to exercise at least three times a week.

Here are a couple tips I would add to Dr. Waters list:

• Don't drink excessively - drinking can cause liver damage. I don't know what kind of damage it can do to the skin - if any - but drinking is just bad period.
  
• Meditate morning and night - overall, meditation puts you in a more relaxed and healthy mind state. Your face will be more relaxed and radiant!
  

Resources of interest:

• Yoga and Mediation - Beginners Guide To Yoga And Meditation


• The Complete Book of Beauty: The complete professional guide to skin-care, make-up, haircare, hairstyling, fitness, body toning, diet, health and vitality

Do you have any tips for looking young and healthy?

Beauty Tips For the Summer Traveler

With summer fast approaching, I’m sure many of you are gearing up for travel to far away places - and I’m no exception! Next month I head to Chicago, so I’ll be posting all my adventures into boutiques in the Windy City…then in August I’ll be on a cruise into either the Caribbean or Mexico - haven’t decided yet ;)

Well, if you’re the woman who is constantly on the go, here are ten beauty secrets of a traveling woman that I came across over at Tips, Tricks, Tweaks - a website full of all kinds of health, fashion and beauty tips…plus everything else to help you get through life ;)

My favorite tip stated in the article is #10:

Have a Great Attitude. We all know people who are attractive and we know people who we think are beautiful. Most of the beautiful people have an inner beauty that separates them from the rest. Keep a good attitude. Life is short so make it beautiful.

It really is all about attitude. If you are smiling, happy and enjoying life to the fullest, it makes you glow…That inner light is shining! You can also apply this good attitude towards how you present yourself in the way you dress. When you’re confident and just feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, people take notice!

Beauty Blog Links

I did some beauty bloghopping today and wanted to share some worthwhile reads:

Over at Beauty and Personality Grooming, I learned that Pranayama, a Yogic breathing exercise, enlivens your looks! I’ve always wanted to learn Yoga and discovering this post has given me the nudge I need to use this as part of my beauty ritual.

The Beauty Brains has some tips for longer and stronger nails. My nails start to break after growing about half an inch, so I’m going on the hunt for a good hand or cuticle cream.

The Glamorous Bee reveals that she is anti-age after seeing the Dove ad in Harper’s Bazaar. No matter what I look like I will always be 21 in my heart! Embrace your age, Glamorous Bee! It’s just a number ;)

The Fountain of Youth

The other day Oprah had a special on “Aging Brilliantly” and had Diahann Carroll, Geena Davis, and Nora Ephron on her show to tell their stories and share some tips. I was surprised to know that Diahann Carroll is 71 years old! The woman looks absolutely gorgeous for her age and although she didn’t openly admit it, she says that she is all for plastic surgery. (By the way, if you’re interested in plastic surgery, check out this plastic surgery blog).

Although I’m still pretty young, I still feel like I’m in my early 20’s. My birthday is coming up and most women my age would probably consider themselves “over the hill”. I feel that I’m finally blooming into the person I was meant to become. People still mistake me for being 25 and I sure as heck am not going to argue with them *wink*

What’s my secret to looking young? I think Oprah mentioned this...but, my secret is having a good attitude about everything and not stressing over anything! It also helps to be loved by a very awesome guy who has a great attitude as well ;) You can use all those anti-aging products all day every day, but if you’re constantly stressing out all the time, nothing is going to help!

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