For all Beautiful Women ilanders...::karmic guy in Mumbai : Beauty blog at Rediff iLand

Down the ages, Indian women have used simple, effective home-made remedies to look after their skin.

Skin Cleanser:
Found in your own kitchen is a simple, chemical free cleanser ? good ol? unboiled milk. All you need to do is dip a piece of cotton wool in milk and wipe your face with it. It also cleans unseen dirt and goes down into your pores. Another fine cleanser is almond oil, especially effective in protecting the delicate skn under the eyes.

Skin Moisturizer:
For normal skin care, you can take 1 cup of yogurt, 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mix it into a paste. Apply it on your face as a mask and keep it on for 15 minutes. Then clean it off with a wet tissue watch your complexion glow. For dry skin, you could use a mixture of cooked oatmeal and honey; it will not only help moisturize the skin but also acts as a good cleansing agent.

Skin Nourishment and Bleach:
For nourishing your face try a protein mask. You can prepare this mask by first soaking 1 tablespoon urad dal and 4 almonds in water overnight and then grinding them into a paste. You can then apply this protein mask to your face and wash it off after half an hour. This exceptional protein mask will not only nourish the skin but also bleach it.

Wrinkle Prevention and Softer Skin:
To prevent wrinkles and soften your skin, you could try pure castor oil; it is known to slow down the aging process of the skin.

Skin Conditioner:
Another simple and excellent skin conditioner that can be made out of 1 tbsp. honey blended with 2 tbsp. cream (of milk). Leave it on for a few minutes and wash it off. It works like magic.

Skin Blemishes:
For skin blemishes, you can try rubbing a raw potato on your face.

Sun-Protection Lotion:
It?s summer time. Time to cool off. So let?s wind up with a good home-made sun-protection lotion. Take cucumber juice and equal amounts of glycerine and rose water and make a concoction. This should be refrigerated. Try it, it?s really cool.

Everybody?s in a hurry. Rushing to college, to a party, to a meeting, to pick up the kids, or to office. You grab your breakfast as you rush out of the house, brush your hair in the car, and if you hae the time, you swipe a tube of lipstick over your lips. There. You?re all set.

Or so you think.

Most women go through life with looks bordering on average, never realizing their true potential.

Then on the other hand there are those women who do take time out to apply make-up, but somehow they don?t reach their beauty peak. They just don?t get it right!

It may come as a surprise to know that you could look at least 40 percent better than you do, if you take the time, and make the effort.

Here are a few tips to get you looking your gorgeous best.

Apply foundation

Not only does foundation even out your skin tone making you look fresher, it also protects your skin from the heat, dust and pollution. Mix your foundation with a drop or two of water, or better still, apply it with a damp sponge, so doesn?t coat your face heavily. Foundation should be completely invisible.

Target lips or eyes, not both

There should be one area of focus on the face: lips, or eyes. Either apply a heavy eyeliner, or a dark lipstick, not both. Indian women usually have beautiful eyes, so make the most of them by lining them with kohl and layering on the eye shadow.

Apply mascara

Apply a quick coat of mascara to your upper and lower lashes. It opens up your eyes and makes them stand out some more.

Thread your brows

If you think you do not need to thread your eyebrows, think again. Clean, sharply defined brows really bring out your eyes, so if you have never threaded them, it is time you started. Keep a tweezer handy so you can clean them between threading sessions.

Stay away from bright colours during the day

Save those blood red and maroon lipsticks for after nightfall, and stick to pastels or neutral shades during the day. Light pinks and glosses look great in the day.

Get rid of fuzz

It never fails to amaze me when I see women walking around sprouting a moustache, when getting rid of upper-lip hair is so easy. Always, always remove fine hair on your upper lip, by waxing or threading it off. You could bleach it too, but this does not leave as neat a result as waxing or threading does. Similarly, if you have hair under your chin, remove it. If you have very few hair on your chin, pluck it instead of threading it.

Wax or shave regularly, to get rid of all unwanted body hair.

Groom your hair

Wash your hair three times a week to keep it clean and healthy. If your hair is dry and damaged, wash it less often, perhaps just once a week depending upon the extent of damage.

Keep frizzies at bay by applying a frizz-ease, or by applying 2-3 drops of oil to wet hair.
Choose a hairstyle that complements your face cut, and trim it regularly.

Untidy hair draws from your looks, so keep a brush handy.

Experiment, experiment

Don?t be afraid to experiment. Keep trying out different looks and hairstyles. You?ll never know what looks good till you try it out. Checking out hairstyles on your photograph on some computer screen isn?t as good as the real deal. You have to get out there and try it out for real.

Don?t stick to a look

So you found a great hairstyle or lipstick shade, and feel that this is THE one for you. Well, you could be surprised. Maybe it looks good, but then again, maybe you still have to stumble upon something that looks better! So even if you are happy with your present look, after a while, opt for a change.