BAD Beauty Habbits to "BREAK" Now....!!!!

While you might never go to bed with make up on (stop it if you do) there are still a handful of beauty routines that might be keeping you from being your absolute best. We picked eight that can wreck havoc on an otherwise pretty you. If you find yourself guilty of any of the below, we have tips on how to get around it.

Using dirty makeup brushes

Clean makeup brushes not only make makeup application better but safer. Wash brushes that are used to apply creamy or liquid products like cream blushes and foundations at least once every three days. Use a brush cleanser like the Clinique Makeup Brush Cleanser and lay them on a flat surface to dry. Always store brushes in a ziploc bag. You don't want dust to settle on your makeup brushes by leaving them out in an open jar.


Over-exfoliating

Clean polished skin is great but are you over doing it ? Too much scrubbing rids your skin of its natural oils, making your skin go into a protective mode and produce excess oil, which in turn could result in acne. Exfoliate your skin with a gentle scrub like Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser twice a week. The scrub must not cause any redness or inflammation. Skip on exfoliation if you use glycolic acid based products.

Over-moisturizing


A decadent creamy moisturizer seems like just the thing to pamper your skin with. But buttery creams are notorious for blocking your pores and keeps your skin from breathing. Blocked pores result in acne, black heads and irritated skin. Instead go for water based moisturizers that leave your skin feeling light and comfortable as oppose to suffocated and heavy. We like Dior Hydra Life Pro Youth Hydrating Serum.

Tweezer friendly


If you’ve taken to managing your brows on your own, remember to handle the tweezers sparingly. Step back at least one foot from your mirror while tweezing so you get a better picture of your brows with respect to your face. With a magnifying mirror, it is easy to over tweeze and the result is not pretty. The same works while filling your brows; stand away from the mirror so you don’t overdo it.

Blowing on your brushes to remove excess product

Blowing the excess powder off your brush is an absolute no-no. Remember you are loading your brush with bacteria and saliva from your mouth while doing so. Instead tap the brush a couple of times to get rid of excess product before applying it on your face.

Using products past their expiry date

Clinging onto the shocking pink lipstick from high school might make for a great memory in the tube but not on your lips. Do not use products beyond their expiry date. One risks skin infection and allergies by doing so. As a general rule, mascaras have the shortest life span. Replace them every three months. Creamy, gel and liquid products last a year and powder based products are good to use for a couple of years. Eyeliner pencils if sharpened before use can last well up to two years.

Over-conditioning:

A conditioner if used right leaves your hair soft and silk like. But, its easy to get generous with the conditioner. Use a dollop of the conditioner and spread it from the middle of your hair to the ends. Do not condition the roots. They are drenched in natural oils from the scalp and conditioning them leaves your hair looking flat.

Wet hair mistakes:

Rubbing your wet hair with a towel is an easy recipe for poof-y frizzy hair. Instead wrap a dry towel around your hair and pat gently so the towel soaks up extra water. To rid your damp hair of tangles, always use a wide tooth comb. Reach for a detangling spray if your hair is curly. Never introduce your wet hair to a hair brush, the bristles tangle your hair and might pull out many a few strands.

Spring Prints for Curvy Girls

There are many fashion rules associated with dressing curves. Perhaps the biggest myth of them all, is that curvy girl's can't wear print. However you choose to incorporate prints into your Spring wardrobe, your curves are sure to look amazing!



Scarves

A printed scarf is the perfect way to incorporate the print trend, without stepping outside your comfort zone. An aztec print scarf in a neutral tone, is perfect for Spring!

Clutch

Another way to incorporate print is with a statement accessory, like a printed clutch.

Tops

Printed tops are great for dressing-up a casual pair of jeans! Just remember, when wearing a printed top, keep it simple on bottom, to show off the pretty print.

Skirts

This Spring, printed skirts are a major-must! Whether you opt for a girly floral mini, an ethnic inspired ikat print, a midi-length stunner, or a Rajastani print maxi, be sure to keep the rest of the outfit simple, so the print skirt is the main attraction.

Dresses

When wearing an all-over print, it's best to break-it-up with a waist-cinching belt in a solid color.

8 WaYs to Strengthen Your HaiR.

We all want strong, shiny, healthy hair, but unfortunately, the stresses and strains of daily modern life tend to make this goal difficult to achieve at times. A busy schedule and hefty workload often mean our locks take a bit of a back seat, and the result is generally not pretty. Subject both to the elements – sun, rain etc – and to the effects of an air conditioned or heated artificial interior climate, tired, neglected hair becomes weak, fragile and brittle. If your tresses are feeling a little the worse for wear, and you’d like to see their natural shine restored, read on: I’ve put together this list of 8 ways to strengthen your hair.

1. Protein Boost

To begin with, it is important to understand that weak hair need special attention. If yours is feeling a little brittle and lifeless, you’ll need to get yourself a specially designed set of shampoo and conditioner. Opt for something that is protein enriched: this will help your sad tresses to rebuild.

2. Moisturise

Dull, fragile hair is often left looking lifeless because it is dehydrated. Very dry tresses are prone to breakage in ways that healthy, nourished locks are not and so it’s important that you get yours the moisture that they need. Apply an intense conditioning hair mask about once every wee, or twice in times of real hair crisis, and consider a leave in re-hydrating treatment as well.

3. Turn Down the Temperature

Beware of taking very hot showers. Exposing your locks to high temperatures can actually contribute to weakening. Make sure your water temperature is sitting somewhere around the pleasantly warm mark, and never let it go all the way up to scaldingly hot.

. Supplement

Your diet is such an important factor when it comes to re-conditioning weak and lifeless hair. Make sure you are getting all the correct vitamins and minerals by adding a multivitamin to your daily diet regime, or by increasing your intake of foods rich in protein and iron, and those full of calcium as well.
5. Protect

Today, most you’ll find that most girls heat style their locks. Curling irons, blow driers and ceramic hair straighteners have become tools in our everyday beauty arsenals, and, as we know by now, they also contribute significantly to weakening our locks. In order to avoid dehydration and the breakage that results from it, it is crucial that you apply a defensive product before you get on with using your heat styler. This will help to seal in moisture, and will guard against the weakening effect of exposure to high temperatures as well.

6. Get Rid of Split Ends

Split ends occur when hair is especially dry and fragile at the tips and they pose a real threat to the rest of your locks as well. Split ends can ‘grow’ up the length of the hair, so that eventually almost the entire strand is cut in two. It goes without saying that this contributes significantly to weakening, and so, in order to keep your locks strong, it’s important that you trim about every six weeks or so.

7. Detangler

While this is perhaps not so much a means by which to strengthen hair as a strategy to avoid excessive breakage, it is, nevertheless, very important to consider. Especially if your tresses are a little on the fragile side, you don’t want to be dragging a brush or comb through them; instead, get yourself a good quality detangling spray and use it to help you to brush without breakage.

8. SPF

We often forget that our hair, when it is exposed to UV rays, suffers significantly from sun damage. In order to protect your locks from this kind of inevitable wear and tear, it’s a good idea to invest in an SPF enriched product for your hair – or, alternatively, simply wear a hat when you go out in the sun!

There are myriad contributors to fragile, brittle locks, and, unless you take care to counteract these, they can really wreak havoc with your tresses. Hopefully this list of 8 ways to strengthen your hair will help you to restore some of the vibrancy and bounce; do you have any expert suggestions of your own to add to it?