There’s more to cleaning your face than rubbing it with soap and water. The skin on your face is different than the skin on the rest of your body, so it requires different treatment. It’s also the skin that everyone notices the most, so why not take good care of it?

Part 1 of 2: Keeping Your Face Clean Daily

• Figure out what kind of skin you have.Is your skin dry, oily or normal? This is what you have to figure out so you can make sure you have the right face products. There are so many different types that it can be confusing.^[1]

• If you have normal skin, your skin has the right balance of moisture, oil and durability. This is what you’re trying to achieve with keeping it clean.
• If you have oily skin you face might appear shiny, greasy or oil only a few hours after washing.
• If you have dry skin, it’s often flaky.
• If you have sensitive skin, your skin is often tight or itchy and you experience allergic reactions when you come into contact with certain chemicals.
• A lot of people have combination skin, where part of your face is oily while a different part is dry.

• Use a simple face wash twice a day.Wash once in the morning and once in the evening. Everyone’s skin is different and needs different things. You may have to test out a few different face washes to find the one that works best for you. What you really want from a face wash is something that cleans away dirt and germs and excess oils, but doesn’t strip your skin of its healthy oils.

• Picking your cleanser is based on your skin type, how often you wear make-up, and how often you work out. For instance, if your skin is oily, you’ll want a cleanser that has a low pH level, which will be more effective in cleaning the oil. If you have sensitive skin, you won’t want the cleansers that are full of chemicals.
• Avoid using ordinary soaps, which are too harsh for your face and can strip it of its natural oils.
• It’s best to rinse your face with warm water or cool water. Hot water strips the healthy natural oils from your skin.
• You need to wash your face after exercising to get rid of any sweat and dirt and oils that might clog your pores.

• Pat your skin dry with a clean towel.Don’t scrub your face dry, be gentle. The skin on your face is sensitive. Make sure that the towel is clean, otherwise you’ll be transferring bacteria to your clean face.

• Use toners.While not necessary, toners can be a great help to people with oily skin, acne, or badly plugged pores. Toners help remove excess oils and dead skin after that remain after cleansing. This is a great way to add active ingredients like retinoids, antioxidants and exfoliants to your skin regimen.

• Apply the toner after cleansing with a clean cotton facial pad to your forehead, nose and chin (the so-called “t-zone”). Move the pad in gentle circles, avoiding the eye area.
• Find the right toner for your skin type. Certain formulations can help exfoliate acne-prone skin; others contain anti-inflammatory properties for sensitive.
• Many dermatologists recommended not using an alcohol based toner, because it’s too drying even for oily skin.

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  Treat the skin around your eyes gently.Don’t rub your eyes, or use harsh make-up removers on them. That part of the face is delicate. So, likewise, don’t splash yourself awake in the morning with cold water.
• Don’t touch your face.Touching your face can spread the bacteria which cause your pores to become inflamed. If you have to touch your face to apply make-up or face cream, wash your hands first to make sure they’re clean of oils.
• Also, try to avoid leaning your face against items that collect sebum and skin residue, such as a phone. Sebum is a light oily substance secreted by the skin glands which moisturizes skin and hair.

Use make-up that is suitable for your skin type. Try to buy make-up that has “noncomedogenic” or “non-acnegenic” on the label if you can, as these are designed to help prevent acne and breakouts and won’t clog your pores.

• Make sure that you aren’t using old make-up. Skincare products, like food, have an expiration date. Using them after that date will do more harm than good.
• Try to use mineral based or water based makeup instead of choosing oil based ones as they make skin look greasy and dull.
  • Drink lots of water.Drink at least 8 glasses of water. Staying hydrated and making sure that your body has plenty of water means that your body will be better able to function properly, including maintaining the health and cleanliness of your skin.
  • Follow a healthy diet.A healthy diet includes vegetables and fruits and eliminates sugar and “junk foods.”
• Try low-fat dairy products. A low-fat yogurt has vitamin A, something our skin is dependent upon. It also has acidophilus, a “live” bacteria that helps promote intestinal health, which in turn can help skin.
• Eat foods that have a high antioxidant content like blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and plums.
• Try foods that deliver essential fatty acids needed for healthy skin like salmon, walnuts, and flax seed. Essential fatty acids promote healthy cell membranes, which in turn promote healthy skin.

Part 2 of 2: Keeping Your Face Clean Long-Term

• Have a facial.You can either go to a beautician and have someone do a facial for you, or you can try one of the many home facials. Remember to use the one which goes for your skin type. If your skin is oily, try a facial that is for oily skin.

• A good home facial mask is a mixture of milk and honey together. After blending the ingredients, put the mixture on your face for 30 minutes, then clean your face with warm water.
  • Exfoliate your skin.Gently exfoliating your skin will make you get rid of dead cells in your face, which can make your skin look dark and rough. Exfoliate your skin once a week, or once a month. Don’t do it more than once a week, because it can strip your skin of important essential oils.
• A nice exfoliation scrub can increase the circulation in your face giving you a healthy, rosy glow.
• All you need for a home exfoliating scrub is an exfoliant like salt or sugar, a binder like honey or water, and a moisturizer that includes vitamin E oil, jojoba oil or even olive oil. If you have oily skin you can use a mashed banana or avocado as a moisturizer.
  • Get rid of pimples.While it can be satisfying to pick at the pimples and pop them with your fingernails, that is the exact wrong way to deal with a pimple! Wash your hands well before dealing with pimples to avoid infection.
• Avoid touching or trying to pop the pimple or you might irritate it. Popping a pimple can lead to scarring if you’re not careful.
• Apply a cold, wet washcloth or teabag on the spot for three to five minutes throughout the day. This will help lessen the irritation.
• Use a spot-treatment that contains 1 percent or 2 percent salicylic acid, which is often less irritating than benzoyl.
• Applying Visine on a cotton swab to the spot can reduce the redness.

10 MAKEUP TRICKS EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO KNOW

• Concealer :Never put concealer or foundation on your eyelids as a base, it will cause your eye makeup to crease.

• Foundation : Use your fingers to apply your foundation if you want sheer coverage and a brush if you more polished, medium to full coverage.

• Powder : Always apply powder where you are shiniest first, which it usually your T-zone, with a very light dusting everywhere else.

• Bronzer : You should put bronzer on your neck, face, and chest to even out your skin tone. Be sure to take a step back and make sure everything is the same color.

• Blush : When applying blush, first smile, then start on the apple of the cheek, blend the blush back towards the top of the ear, then down toward the jawline.

• Eyebrow : Always apply your brow pencil or powder to the upper portion of the eyebrow to lift your face up.

• Lipstick : You want to make sure your lipstick is not too defined at your cupid’s bow (the top of your lip), and that it goes all the way out to the inner corners of your mouth. Be sure to press down hard as you apply.

• Eye Shadow : Always start with a base shadow without any shimmer that matches the lightest skin tone on your face and apply all over your lid up to the brow. You should use this base shadow to make sure the darker shadows used on your lid up to the crease are properly blended.

• Eyeliner : Instead of looking straight ahead at the mirror, get as close to it as possible, stick your head up and bring your chin toward the mirror. You want to look down as you apply, starting at the inner corner and making sure to go all the way out to the fold on the outside of the eye.

• Mascara : You don’t want to do quick soft motions when you apply mascara. Instead, jam the wand into the root of the lash and do zigzag motions as you go up.

FIND THE RIGHT CUT FOR YOUR FACE SHAPE

The perfect haircut is more than just a few snips! Before booking a salon appointment, determine your face shape so you’ll know exactly what to ask for. You can do this at home by breaking out a ruler and measuring the widths of your brow, cheekbones and jawline, and the length of your face from forehead to chin. If you have an oval face, the widths of your brow, cheekbones and jaw are almost equal, but if yours is round, your face is nearly as wide as it is long, with your forehead and jaw curving at the corners. People with heart-shaped faces have a wide brow and narrow jaw, but if the length and width of your face is equal, you have a square. We put together a list of our favorite hairstyles every shape-click through to get inspired!

SLEEK, LOW BUN

A strong center part and tons of shine spray make a low chignon instantly classic (add smoky eyes and it’s ridiculously sexy, too). To get this pretty loop, draw a center part and clip aside a one-inch chunk of hair from each side of the hairline. Gather the rest in a low ponytail at the nape and roll (rather than twist) it up toward the base, pinning it against the head. Then pull each of the front pieces back around the loop, pinning them into place. Finish with a generous dose of glossy shine spray

As much as we all vie for that perfect face and look, there’s probably one area where we all tend to get a little lazy – taking care of our bodies. While makeup and various other beauty products will do much to enhance our looks, unless and until we take good care of our bodies, the end result won’t always be pleasing. So here are a few body care tips to make sure you take care of your body – inside and outside.

1.      Treating dark elbows and knees:  

• Squeeze out some fresh lime juice
• Alternatively cut out some fresh lime wedges
• Rub these over the dark/discoloured areas around the elbows and knees
• Leave on for about 20 minutes
• Soak a towel in hot water and scrub over the area

2.      Soft glowing skin:

• Take 1 tbsp rose water, 1 tbsp glycerine and 1 tbsp lime juice
• Mix together and store in a bottle
• Apply this daily for about half an hour before bath or at bedtime for soft glowing skin

3.      Treating warts around the fingers:

• Take a raw potato and slice it
• Apply the juice on the area around the nails where you have warts (dried out damaged skin)
• Using a piece of cotton, massage the area gently
• Wash off after about 10 minutes

4.      Treating puffy tired eyes:

• Take some cotton balls and rose water
• Dip the cotton ball in the rose water and place these over the eyes
• Keep on for about 20 minutes
• Lie back and relax
• It will help treat any puffiness you have around the eyes and also help relieve tired eyes

5.      To get smooth skin:

• Take 5 tsp olive oil and about 50 gm papaya paste
• Mix the two together
• Apply over dry areas on the skin
• Do this twice daily to get naturally smooth skin

6.      Face mask to treat wrinkles around the eyes:

• Take 3 tsp raw milk and 3 tsp honey
• Mix both together
• Warm the mixture slightly
• Apply this around the eye region and leave on for about 30 minutes
• Wash off with warm water
• This is a natural solution to reduce and prevent wrinkles around the eye region

7.      Natural conditioner for hair:

• Take some raw milk (preferably cold)
• Before bathing, apply this over your hair using a brush to comb through, or using your fingertips or using a spray bottle
• Leave this on for about 30 minutes
• Wash off with your regular shampoo
• Milk acts as a natural conditioner, leaving your hair soft and silky

8. Reduce dark spots:

• Take 1 cup of curd and 1 egg
• Mix both together
• Apply on your face, especially over any dark spots
• Leave on for about 1 hour
• Wash your face with water
• It will help lighten and reduce any dark spots on your face
• Will also make the skin naturally glowing

9.      Reduce dandruff:

• Take a hibiscus flower and mash to get the juice out
• Apply this on your scalp, especially over dandruff-affected areas
• Leave on for about 1-2 hours
• Rinse off with cold water
• Do this twice a week to reduce dandruff

10. Softening rough hands and feet:

• Take half cup of curd and half tsp vinegar
• Mix together
• Massage this over your hands, palm and feet
• Leave on for about 5-10 minutes
• Wash off with regular water

• Themost flattering nail shape is not long or short or square, it’s “squoval” — not quite square and not quite oval. Get the look yourself by filing nails into a shape that mirrors the curve of your nail base. To ensure your nails are the same length after filing, line each nail up with its counterpart.
• Don’t shake the nail polish bottle, instead roll it between your palms. This mixes the polish without causing air bubbles. Before polishing clean nails, soak a cotton ball in nail polish remover and swipe across nails. This will remove any excess oils or soap than can cause peeling once polish is applied.

One trick for applying nail polish: Hold the brush between the thumb and middle finger while resting your forefinger on the top of the cap. To get the best results, apply thin layers.

Take a close look at your fingernails. Are they strong and healthy looking? Or do you see ridges, dents, or areas of unusual color or shape? Many less than desirable nail conditions can be avoided through proper fingernail care. Others might indicate an underlying condition that needs attention.

Your fingernails — composed of laminated layers of a protein called keratin — grow from the area at the base of the nail under your cuticle. Healthy fingernails are smooth, without pits or grooves. They’re uniform in color and consistency and free of spots or discoloration.

Not all nail conditions are normal, however. Consult your doctor or dermatologist if you notice:

• Changes in nail color, such as discoloration of the entire nail or a dark streak under the nail
• Changes in nail shape, such as curled nails
• Thinning or thickening of the nails
• Separation of the nail from the surrounding skin
• Bleeding around the nails
• Swelling or pain around the nails

Fingernail care: Do’s and don’ts

To keep your fingernails looking their best:

• Keep fingernails dry and clean.This prevents bacteria from growing under your fingernails. Repeated or prolonged contact with water can contribute to split fingernails. Wear cotton-lined rubber gloves when washing dishes, cleaning or using harsh chemicals.
• Practice good nail hygiene.Use a sharp manicure scissors or clippers. Trim your nails straight across, then round the tips in a gentle curve.
• Use moisturizer.When you use hand lotion, rub the lotion into your fingernails and cuticles, too.
• Apply a protective layer.Applying a nail hardener might help strengthen nails.
• Ask your doctor about biotin.Some research suggests that the nutritional supplement biotin might help strengthen weak or brittle fingernails.