Alleviate PMS Cramps with Fried Chicken

This may sound totally out of this world to you but it worked for me. You can alleviate those horrible PMS cramps by eating fried chicken. I was given this "prescription" by an alternative medicine doctor. I tried it time and time again and it worked. The doctor explained to me that during my menstrual cycle, my body is "weakened" and "cold" as a result of the blood loss. Fried chicken is a type of food with "hot" characteristics and has the ability to balance the "coldness" of my body. It probably doesn't make sense to you. But if you're suffering from PMS cramps next time, try it. Go have fried chicken as a meal. It's much better than taking pain relievers..

Troubled by Dark Circles Under Eyes? Here's a Hollywood tip...

My friend Lucy, a makeup artist in Hollywood shared this tidbit with me: How the celebrities get rid of dark circles under their eyes.

It's very easy, every morning soak 2 cotton pads in warm water. Cover eyes until cotton pads are completely cooled. Repeat 2 times.

The epidermal layer around and under the eyes are much thinner than the rest of the face. Warming the area under the eyes will increase blood circulation. This will in turn increase the oxygen and induce cell regeneration in the area.

Another alternative is to use lukewarm milk. If you have sensitive skin, stick to warm water.

Also remember to apply moisturizer, eat healthy and sleep before 11pm.

Vaseline to the Rescue!!!

Winter is coming. I've finally turned up the heat and the heat is sucking every drop of moisture from my skin. My hands and feet are the ones suffering the most. My hands especially because they come in contact with water frequently.

My retirement fund has shrunk miserably amist this economic tsunami. So I must forfeit my luxury trips to the spa for hand and feet treatments. Therefore I've adopted my grandmother's home remedy.

For soft hydrated hands:
Before bedtime, rub hands with vaseline (or any generic brand of petroleum jelly). Wear a pair of cotton gloves overnight. Petroleum jelly is a hypoallergic product with inert qualities. It rare to cause any irritations. It prevents your skin from losing water.

For soft hydrated feets:
Same thing, before bedtime, rub a sufficient amount of vaseline on dry area. Put on a pair of socks overnight.

Trust me it works! And it's cheap!

BeautyTalk: Beauty Basic Forever: Vaseline

BeautyTalk: Beauty Basic Forever: Vaseline

4 easy ways to achieve Beautiful Skin without hurting your wallet.

In this type of economy, we must tighten our belts and stretch our savings to the max. So here are 4 easy ways to achieve beautiful skin without hurting your wallet.

Tip #1: Drink lots of water.
Water helps hydrate your skin and flush out any impurities from your internal organs (kidney, liver, lungs and large intestine). What goes in must come out. Think of all the bad stuff we put into our system (i.e. chocolate, fried foods, chips, caffeinated drinks & etc...)

Heard of the "8 x8 rule"? The rule says we should drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day. Although this rule is not supported by any scientific evidence, it's a good and basic guideline to use since many people do not drink nearly enough a day.

For the curious ones, you can try the "Hydration Calculator" which helps you to calculate how much water you should be drinking, visit: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

Tip #2: Try to sleep before 11pm every night
Sleeping late damages your skin and gives you unpleasant looking dark circles under the eyes. Sleep is very important to attaining nice skin. 11pm-4am is the prime time for your skin to repair and regenerate. Sufficient and quality sleep will improve your skin, complexion, body and overall health.

Tip #3: Chuck the chocolate bar or cookie and grab a piece of fruit instead
Fruits are high in vitamins and anti-oxidants. They help combat aging (oxidation). Fruits such as Kiwi, Strawberries, Cranberries and Blueberries are especially high in anti-oxidants and fiber, LOW in calories.

Tip #4: Develop a healthy cleansing routine
Make sure you remove your makeup completely before you go to bed. Any residual cosmetics will plug your pores and cause inflammation (which leads to acne). Your skin, like you needs to breathe too.

Clean your skin twice daily.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rejuvenator. I LOVE IT!

I have combination skin. Dry and sensitive. Oily around T-Zone. Enlarged pores and blackheads on nose. Sometime I get whiteheads and small pimples around PMS time.

Tip from a dear friend who's in the cosmetic industry: NEVER squeeze your blackheads on your nose. Each time you squeeze them, you're enlarging the pore follicle. Clean it out with an exfoliant or a cleansing mask.

The NARS Mud Mask is a very good one. As it dries on your face, it removes the excess dirt and oil trapped in the pores and follicles. I try to use it once every 2 weeks. It's not cheap but one jar can last you a pretty long time. It's US$45.00 and you can get it at Bloomingdale's or online at http://www.kissandmakeupny.com/.

For a good exfoliation or "microdermabrasion" as Neutrogena calls it, I highly recommend the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rejuvenator. I've used it for 3 consecutive months now and have noticed an improvement in my skin. I bought it at Walmart for $34.99. It came with a battery operated hand held device, 2 batteries and box of 12 refill pads (aka Rejuvenating puffs).

How it works is that it removes the top layer of dead skin cells, thereby facilitating absorption of any facial cream or lotion.

The only minus about the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rejuvenator is that the refill puffs are not cheap. Also the puffs are adhered to the device via velcro. So each time you dispose the puff, you need to remove the lint from the "hook" side. That bugs me.

Bio Oil does it really work?

Ok I usually have relatively strong will power and do not easily get suckered in by those TV ads. Lately I noticed the Bio Oil commercial on a lot.
I have really bad stretch marks around my thighs, butt and the lower back. I get very self conscious each time I wear a bathing suit. I've had these since puberty. So of course every time the Bio Oil commercial comes up, I hear this little voice in my head "Gee, maybe I should try that."

Finally today I gave in when I saw it on sale for $10.99 at Walmart. Who can resist a sale...

The Bio Oil website says it supposedly works wonders if applied 2x a day for a period of 3 months.

Today is Day 1.

Here's a picture of my stretch mark ladened thigh. Bio Oil states that stretch marks will never go away but will become less noticeable.

The box says it's "non-greasy and rapidly absorbed". Well that's not really true. It is in fact greasy. Feels like I just smothered myself in baby oil. I was also going to try it on my face since the website says Bio Oil helps improve uneven skin tone (which I'm pretty sure a lot of women have), and combats aging and dehydratin (again which I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one searching for a miracle solution). But it feels a little bit too greasy to go on my face.