How to Have a Super Skin?

You skin renews itself every three weeks. New cells from the subcutaneous layer work their way up to the epidermis. New skin is exposed when the old dead cells are sloughed off.

Paying close attention to your diet and skin from the first of the month will mean that you start reaping benefit by the first of the next month!

Good Skin and Diet

A healthy growing skin needs the right feeding. Skin, hair, nails - in fact, all of you - will benefit from what you feed yourself inside arid out.

Whether you live on a diet of sweets or health treats, your body's definitely going to show it.

The Acid-Mantle and Your Skin Type

Oil from the sebaceous glands, and the acid from the sweat glands blend to form a protective film on the skin surface. This protective film is called the 'acid-mantle'.

For a normal healthy skin, a perfect balance of the 'acid-mantle' must be maintained. If the sebaceous glands are over-active, an oily skin results.

If, however, the sweat glands are over-active and too much acid is left on the skin, a dry skin results.

How to Find Alkaline Soap and Acid Soap?

All soaps and cosmetics used on the body should be of an acid nature. Alkaline soaps and cosmetics rob the skin of the 'acid-mantle' leaving it vulnerable to surface infections and out­ breaks.

As soaps and cosmetics are not generally labelled 'acid' or 'alkaline', a simple test given below will help you determine their nature.

To a dampened bar of soap or cosmetic, apply Nitrazine paper. If the article under test is alkaline, the paper will turn deep blue. An acid preparation does not change the color of the paper. Nitrazine paper should be available at good chemists.

However, whether or not you use an acid or an alkaline soap, it is of the utmost importance to rinse off completely, leaving absolutely no trace of it on the skin.

What You Should Know About Your Skin

Your skin is a protective wrapper. It helps your body to discard water, fetch supplies, it nourishes growing hair, sustains the nails on toes and fingers. It also reports your total health by its texture, color and tone.

With a good healthy skin and a radiant complexion, any woman is well on her way to beauty. Very few of us have perfect skins; with the right care, however, we can do a great deal to improve the general condition of our skin.

Your skin makes up about one-tenth of your body's weight. It consists of three main layers - the epidermis, the cutis and the sub-cutis.
The epidermis, or the topmost skin layer, is itself divided into five cell layers. These are: the horny layer, the glossy layer, the granular-cell layer, the prickle-cell layer and the basal-cell layer.

Cells harden here, thicken and then flake off.

The horny layer is constantly renewed.

The cutis or the lower skin layer contains the sebaceous and sweat glands. The sebaceous -or 'oil' glands lubricate the skin and keep it soft, moist and supple.

These glands can occasionally become over-active due to some emotional disturbance or the presence of male hormones. From this over-activity, acne can result.

The sweat glands pump up perspiration to the surface of the skin. Exposure of sweat to the atmosphere helps to keep the temperature of the body at the correct level through evaporation.

General Making-Up Tips

In the summers, condition your hair more frequently as you probably wash it more frequently. Use of cold water retards oiliness of hair and scalp.

Stretch your cosmetics - Dot lipstick on the cheeks as blusher.

Never use your nails for dialing numbers on the telephone. Always keep a pencil with you. This prevent chipping of nail polish and rough edges.

Special Making-Up Tips for Colors

Make-up that looks just fine in the sunshine can look faded and washed-out under artificial lighting. Use warmer and deeper colors for the evenings.

If you try to match eye shadow color to eye color and lip color to nail color, you are dating yourself.

Use only those colors that look best on each individual part of you and stop matching browns with browns or reds with reds.

If your skin color is a little sallow or pale, use clear pink blushers to neutralize the yellow. Avoid using brownish and golden melony tints.

Before you decide on your make-up, decide on your clothes. Especially if you're going to be wearing a difficult color.

If your complexion is too sallow, don't be tempted by a clear beige or very pink foundation. Avoid yellow or green colors whether in clothes or make-up. Yellow and green colors bring out the sallow color of your skin. Go in for warm beige foundation and clear blue eye shadows. Lip­sticks are best in medium tones - pink or coral.

If your complexion is too pale, don't use a pink foundation. Choose a clear beige foundation for a natural look. Avoid very dark eye shadows and lipsticks. They make you look too intense and tired. Go in for dull blue eye shadow. Use a blusher on cheeks, chin and forehead.

Special Making-Up Tips for Your Skin

To get rid of the lines on the forehead: Lie with your head hanging over the edge of the bed. Raise your eyebrows as high as you can. Relax after a moment-Repeat 15-20 times. Wear a heavier moisturizer in the winter.

Does your face look terribly oily halfway through the day? Don't despair. Your complexion can look and stay natural and soft all day if you try this trick:
Take an old blusher brush. Clean it in cool water and dry it. Then sprinkle some baby powder into the open bristles. Dust this powder over your face before applying your foundation.


Powder blushers give you color without shine - oily skins should avoid creams.

Remove blackheads which don't respond to cleaning by squeezing gently through tissues. Close pores afterwards with astringent.

The most economical way to use skin food is to smooth it on while you lie in the bath. (Warmth helps the cream to penetrate. )

In the summer keep skin fresheners, colognes and astrin­gents in the refrigerators. This makes them doubly refreshing.

Dilute your toner and astringent a little; most are best this way. Always use damp cotton wool when patting on.

Do remember to smooth on your face-mask where it really matters, that is, on the sides of the nose, in the crease of the chin.

Special Making-Up Tips for Your Eyes

Before tweezing your eyebrows use lots of moisturizer on them. Rub it in well and leave it there for 10-15 minutes before tweezing.

When you shampoo your hair, wash your eyebrows too. Don't neglect them.

Use a blusher across your earlobes, your elbows, cleavage and heels for an exciting evening. Just a touch of color that is well-blended makes them sexy, rosy and young.

Never spend a day in the sun without sunglasses. Unprotected eyes can lose 50% of their night vision after one day out in the sun. Good sunglasses have got to be really dark,

In winter use pearly-grey and shell-beige eye shadows. Avoid white highlighters as they're too harsh.

If you wear false eyelashes, make them look natural by brushing both the false and real lashes with a little mascara after putting them on.

Using a heavy eyeliner dates you. Today, the more natural and subtle look is in. Instead of using a liner, draw the thinnest possible line at the roots of the eyelashes with a soft dark brown eye shadow.