Shoes

What's in, what's out

Sneakers are out of fashion. So are shoelaces. Polka dots and animal prints are this season's rage. Structured shoes with the Peter Pan look of early '50's is also popular. Italian heels are always popular as they blend in with both salwar kameez and western wear.

Slip-ons are all time favourites and comfortable for the feet. Stiletto boots with velvet lining are a rage in the North of India and Bangalore but have not gained much popularity in trendy Kochi. Retro pumps and kitten heels in denim embellished sequins and beads are also popular. So folks What's wrong with that? If it is alright to have many clothes, why not shoes, why the hypocrisy?"

Cute 2011 Winter Haircuts: Pixie Haircut

The pixie haircut is not only bold, but many girls can pull it off with minimal effort. The question is—what do you need to know about a pixie cut?

Agyness Deyn Pixie Cut for 2011

First of all, pixie haircuts require a lot of styling. This may means using a volumizing shampoo or a little bit of mousse to help. Blowdrying your hair may also be needed to help add a bit of volume.

Next, if you don’t like the haircut, you have a while to get it back to where it was. It’s better to seriously think about the cut before you run off to the stylist to get a better idea of whether you REALLY want to get the haircut. If you are looking for something a bit liberating, however, the pixie cut could be THE hairstyle for you.

Keri Hilson Pixie Haircut

Find a few pictures of pixie cuts. This gives you a much better idea of whether or not the cut will suit you and also gives your stylist a better idea of how to cut the look. Some more experienced stylists can tailor a pixie cut to suit your facial shape and make it look ten times as fabulous.

However, there are a few considerations to make when it comes to a pixie cut:

If you are getting your hair cut during the winter, keep in mind that you may not be as warm as you were when you had longer locks. The solution? Make sure that you have a nice hat and a pair of earmuffs ready.

Also remember that pixie haircuts can have two effects—make you look younger or more mature. It is up to you which.

Winter Hair Care

Winter Hair Care

Winter 2008-2009 is here once again, and this season can be harsh on your hair. A lot of people find their hair suffer during the winter months. And the usual winter-associated hair problems include dryness, dullness and weakness. Below are some tips to ensure that your hair stays healthy during winter.

Avoid frequent shampooing
Applying shampoo too often on your hair during winter can be damaging. You ought to remember that your hair and scalp are both prone to dryness in cold season. It is advisable that you shampoo only once a day.
Choose the right hair products for your hair type
The health of your hair depends mostly on the type of hair products you use on it. To ensure that you only use what’s right for your hair, seek the advice of your hairstylist or other beauty experts.

Fight static effectively
Statics can be dealt with easily and efficiently by doing this simple step. After styling your hair, brush through your hair from top to bottom, with a hairbrush sprayed with a small amount of hair spray.

Avoid frequent use of hairdryer
Drying your hair frequently with a hairdryer can dry and damage your hair. Whenever possible, avoid blow drying your hair. If you need to use a hairdryer, set it to cool to prevent it from over drying your hair. Although this method may take a little longer to dry your hair, it will also be less damaging to your hair.

Treat dry and brittle hair
Apply a leave-on conditioner to deal with dry, brittle hair. This method is effective in enhancing your hair’s moisture and strength.

How to Protect Your Skin During The Winter Months

Winter time is one of the harshest seasons for one's skin; especially the face. Like many of you, my skin is driest during the winter months. After winterizing our grass months ago, I thought it would be great to be able to do the same for the skin. Clearly our skin requires a little more time and care; it is the largest organ of the body. Nonetheless, it's important to winterize your skin the way your do your grass, your home or your car

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• moisturizer
• humidifier
• time

1. The obvious place to start is with a moisturizer. Moisturize your skin in the morning and also at night. Every time you wash your hands; moisturize. However, it is important to make sure that they include mineral oil and glycerin. Oatmeal based moisturizes and lotions work great for the hands and body. However, if there are no proven results, see a dermatologist.

2. Most of us tend to experience some degree of dehydration or dryness in our skin due to the increase heat content in our home. Therefore it is not only important to drink lots of water, but to also increase the humidity within the home. When the air is deprived of moisture, it can be very unhealthy for our immune system.

3. Additionally, working out is always good for the skin, because of increased blood circulation.

4. Hot showers are great, however not so good for your skin. Hot water will once again, dry the skin. Therefore, take warm showers, and pat skin dry with a towel instead of wiping dry. Also replace or lock moisture in with a moisturizer or petroleum based Vaseline immediately after showering.

Winter Facial Skin Care Tips

Winter is here and the frost is not only nipping at your nose but the whole face. Fortunately, with a facial skin care routine that meets your exact skin care needs you can be on your way to healthy, radiant skin tone.

YOUR SKIN IS DRY OR SENSITIVE IF IT:

o Stings or burns when skin-care products are used

o Is easily irritated

o Sometimes appears red and inflamed

o Feels itchy, dry, rough and flaky

Facial skin care for dry skin:

Regular bath soaps clean well but are powerfully alkaline and irritating for both dry and sensitive skin. Clear soaps containing glycerin and alcohol may also be too drying. So, as an alternative of soap, dermatologists suggest a soap-free, sensitive skin cleansers. If your skin is very dry or sensitive, you may need to alternate a washable lotion with a sensitive-skin bar. After cleansing dry skin, apply a moisturizer that is light, hypoallergenic, preservative-free, all-purpose and water based. For extremely dry skin, moisturize with petroleum jelly or an oil-based lotion with 20 percent urea. After cleansing sensitive skin, apply a light, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free moisturizer, like Eucerin. To check your tolerance of the product, dab the moisturizer behind your ears for the first few days.

YOUR SKIN IS NORMAL IF IT:

o Is usually smooth and supple

o Is generally clear/blemish-free

o Appears neither dry nor oily

Facial skin care for normal skin:

You're one of those lucky people whose face can take some abuse and still bounce back, looking fresher than ever. Almost any cleanser (from regular bath soap to sensitive-skin bars) will work for you. If you need a moisturizer -- some people with normal skin don't! -- choose a light, hypoallergenic, preservative free, all-purpose, water-based moisturizer after washing.

YOUR SKIN IS OILY IF IT:

o Has enlarged pores or blackheads

o Appears shiny and feels greasy

Facial skin care for oily skin:

Regular bath soap, morning and night, is fine for cleansing -- your skin actually benefits from the drying effect of strongly alkaline bath soaps. If necessary, use an astringent pad at midday. Because your skin is naturally oily, you may not need
a moisturizer. But if you do, choose one that's noncomedogenic (won't cause acne) and either oil-free or water-based --Neutrogena or Aveeno, for example.

YOUR SKIN IS COMBINATION IF IT:

o Is oily on your forehead, nose or chin

o Is dry on your cheeks and around your eyes

Facial skin care for combination skin:

Dermatologists recommend one of two cleansing routines for women with combination skin. You can wash with a gentle facial cleanser in the morning and use an alcohol-free astringent on oily areas later in the day. Or wash with a soap-free cleanser on dry areas and with regular bath soap on oily areas. Treat dry patches as dry skin, then apply a water-based or oil-free noncomedogenic moisturizer to your entire face.

Skin care tips for every type of skin:

No matter how oily, dry or sensitive your skin, always clean gently. Use warm (not hot) water and your fingertips (not a wash cloth). Rinse well. Then use a towel to pat (not rub) your face dry. Wash your face no more than once or twice a day. After patting skin dry, apply moisturizer to skin while it's still damp to ensure that it is absorbed. Unless your moisturizer provides protection from damaging sun rays, consider applying a light sunscreen as well.

Winter Lip Care

The advent of winter brings about a lot of change in nature-frigid air, snowflakes and gloomy skies. Just like our skin gets dehydrated and wrinkled in winter so does our lips. With the harsh winter weather outdoors and high central heating indoors, even the softest of lips can soon dry out. Winter lip care is a must in an overall lip care regime. Harsh weather, wind, and cold turn the soft lips into chapped lips that not only are visually unappealing, but very painful in some cases. Here are a few more tips to keep your lips nourished and healthy during the winter.

1. The skin on lips lack oil glands hence they tend to get dry and cracked easily. You have to take special care of your lips to maintain its requisite moisture level.
   

2. Massaging lips with ghee (clarified butter) and leaving a thin layer of it on lips overnight acts as a natural protection for lips.
   

3. Keep them covered with a good lip balm applied several times during the day. Lip balms are now commonly available with an SPF factor as well to protect them from the harmful rays. Make sure the lip balm contains SPF 15 or 20. Other ingredients to look out for while buying a lip balm or chap stick are vitamin E and Shea butter.
   

4. Avoid licking your lips and don't bite the skin on the surface of your lips. The skin will never have a chance to heal if you chew on it. This is a hard habit to break but well worth the effort. It also darken the skin around the mouth.
   

5. Cracked lips could be a sign that your diet is low in B vitamins. The best sources of vitamin B are meat products, yeast, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, bananas, potatoes, milk, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, nuts, pulses, fish, wholegrain cereals, brown rice, apricots and figs, so it shouldn't be hard to top up your vitamin B if required.
   

6. Massaging lips with ghee (clarified butter) and leaving a thin layer of it on lips overnight acts as a natural protection for lips.
   

7. The chapped lips when rubbed with a matt lipstick, take in a mass of the lipstick. This also ruins the tip of the lipstick with scratchy lines. The lipstick is left uneven and the gloss on it makes the cracked lips very prominent. This constant action of applying lipstick and then the gloss sometimes causes the dried and delicate skin of the lip to peel off.
   

8. Dip a black tea bag in warm water and press it on lips for three to four minutes. This increases moisture level on skin of lips.
   

9. Drinking water isn't just for the summer months. Everyone feels like drinking hot drinks in winter. Even though it feels unnatural, make sure you keep drinking water so you're hydrated on the inside, making your skin and lips better on the outside - about 8 cups a day is ideal.
   

10. To relax the lip, mash a quarter of ripe papaya to a juicy paste. Then, lie down on a towel and apply a generous amount to the lips and the skin around the lips. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse it off and apply lip balm. Papaya contains exfoliating enzymes and can help to soften and refine lip lines.

Winter care you just can’t resist

With cozy nights and sunny days, some by products that the winter-chill gets along is the myriad skin and hair problems The problems get compounded by endless partying and late nights, which are the norm in the festive season and in turn take a toll on the skin.

It is important therefore to know what’s right for your skin, hair, and body. Read on for some expert advice on how to take care of yourself this winter…
Glowing Touch For The Skin

A dehydrated and dry skin is a common complaint in winter. The problem could lie in use of a wrong moisturiser or not drinking enough water. According to experts, it is important to maintain the water balance in our bodies in winter.

Moisturiser : Given the lifestyle that most of us follow, it is important to frequently moisturise the face with serum-based oil especially at night. Most women tend to wipe off the moisturiser before sleeping but our experts advise you to keep it on and even if it is in excess, it would automatically get absorbed by the skin.

Water intake : While most of us are thankful that we don’t have to battle with sweat in winters, we also end up drinking less water in this season. However experts advise you to increase your water intake as this helps to retain moisture in the body, prevent dehydration and keep the skin hydrated.

Wash it off : When it comes to washing or cleansing your face, a lot depends on the skin type. Contrary to popular belief, using a face wash does not dry the skin. However, experts prefer cleansing milk over face wash because it goes a little deeper. They also recommend using a face mask at least once a week, especially a mud mask. An important piece of advice that most of us ignore: wash off your make-up before you go to sleep as it cleans your skin pores and makes you feel fresh the next morning.

Get The Right Make-Up

One of the pleasures of winter is being able to apply make-up without the fear of it being ruined by sweat or rain. However, that’s precisely why you need to take extra care when applying make-up in this season.

Lucky lips : Lips need proper nourishment like the rest of the body else you’ll end up with dry and chapped lips that are quite a sore sight. Gloss is passé and for the coming season, experts suggest using matt shades.

Expert tip : Matt colours like orange and pink are quite in vogue and they only appear to be dry but they are not so.

Eye make-up : The eyes are one of the most precious parts of your face and are the ‘window to your soul’. With the right eye make-up, you can let your eyes speak for you. Simple and pastel shades are in vogue this season; neutrals and skin tones like browns and pale pink look good during daytime and for the evening, dark shades like plum and charcoal grey are the best.

Expert tip : Don’t use too dark tones for the winters because we usually wear dark clothes and similar eye make-up would spoil the whole look.

Mascara/kajal/eye-liner : Mascara or kajal or eye-liner is a must-have for a woman’s make-up kit. With water proof kajal and eye-liner and quality mascara readily available in market, it’s quite easy to pick up one that suits you. Colours this season? Coloured eye-liners are passé and the natural look is in vogue again.

Expert tip : Kajal often spreads so it is better to use mascara and while applying it cover the lower lashes also.

Blush on : To shade or highlight your cheekbones use metallic shades as they are pretty popular this season. According to experts, metallic shades complement the kind of jewelry most Indian women like to wear. Bid adieu to glitters; shades like copper and silver are hip. If you are using a cream based product, apply it evenly with your fingers and in case it is powder based blush, then a good brush would do.

Expert tip : It’s not always hygiene to use fingers and finishing is any time better with a brush. Also, don’t over apply anything in a bid to match the make-up with the kind of clothes you wear.

For Those Silken Tresses

Come winter and your hair begins its battle with dandruff, dry and itchy scalp and coarse hair. Here are our experts to the rescue…

Shampooing and conditioning : There are countless myths attached to hair washing and conditioning and women today find it tough to understand what’s good for their hair. Shampoo, we are well aware by now, should be gentle and should be one that matches your lifestyle. For those who use olive oil, which is heavy, do not overdo the shampoo. Use coconut oil instead which washes off easily. About the frequency of washing hair, thrice a week is perfectly fine.

Once you have shampooed, you need to condition, which experts say has to be done on a regular basis, as it is quite nutritional and makes hair healthy. According to experts, ‘henna’ cannot be recommended as a conditioner, while egg and curd is always a good combination.

Expert tip : It is a terrible idea to use soap on hair and people often mistake dandruff with soap excesses left after hair wash. So in winters, make sure that it gets rubbed off completely with mild warm water.

Dry it up : After shampoo and conditioner, drying up the hair is not as easy task as many might think it to be. Improper usage of a hair dryer can result in damaging it in the long run where hair can become brittle and would start breaking easily. Experts do not favour using a hair dryer in winters because hair is already dry in the season. But if it must be used, it should be kept six to eight inches away from the hair and you should strictly avoid touching the scalp with it. Also, use a wide-toothed comb for your tresses.

Expert tip : Using a dryer on hair is just like ironing your clothes, so no dryer should be kept at one portion of the hair for more than three to four seconds.

Hair styling : Once the hair is in place after a gentle wash and drying up, it’s important to give it proper styling. During winters hair should be static and too much layering should be avoided. Though it’s correct to say that there cannot really be one style for all times and occasions, but any hair style if it works for you and suits you is trendy. For the daytime tied up hair looks good. Those with long hair can pull them back and tie it in a pony, as it accentuates the look of the face. Experts strictly oppose keeping unkempt and messy hair during winters. However they believe that a high bun should not be too neat either. Furthermore, various brushes can be used to give different looks like bounce, straight, or curls.

Tips for Winter Skin Care

Winter can be one of the worst times of the year to take care of your skin. Your skin either gets extremely dry or a combination of all of the above. When the weather changes, so should your skin care treatments. Your skin is slowly adapting to the environmental changes around it, but once your skin has fully adapted it is time for it to change yet once again, so your skin never really settles down during the winter. Your skin gets dry in low humidity which is what the winter brings along with it. In low humidity your skin gets dehydrated and fragile. This is where moisturizer comes into play. The more the better!

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

Moisturizing is about the only thing you can do to treat dry skin in the winter. Taking a hot bath and lathering on the moisturizing crème is an easy and quick start to healing and preparing your skin for the cold elements that it will face for the day. After taking a shower apply baby oil to your skin. This will help to keep the moisture in and the dryness out.

Some of the best types of moisturizer for winter weather are ones that contain oils in them, just because your body isn’t producing the oils needed to have hydrated skin. Lanolin, vitamin E oils, and avocado oils are perfect for absorbing moisture and retaining it in the skin. Protein from milk is a great way to soften skin that is dry or wrinkled. Honey is also a great moisturizer that is all natural.

Exfoliating the Dryness Away

Finding a good exfoliating regime is one of the first things besides the moisturizer to seek out. With your skin drying out constantly, exfoliating it is a good way to keep your skin looking great. You should exfoliate your skin at least two times a week to keep the flaky dry skin away. Your skin diminishes it oil production in the winter which in turn causes the dry skin. This is due to the low temperatures outside and the heat from inside which removes most of the moisture from your skin.

The Importance of Water

Water is important no matter what time of year it is, but it is extremely important in the winter. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day to replenish the water lost from the winter air taking it out of your skin. There is one ancient Chinese remedy that is a safe method give your body a boost of energy. This includes warm water mixed with lemon. This concoction detoxifies the body of toxins and removes those that cause your skin to be dry.

A good night’s sleep is also a good step to take. While you sleep at night, your body is replenishing itself and preparing itself for the oncoming day ahead whether it be hot or cold. If you aren’t getting enough sleep at night, your body as well as your skin will not be health and glowing.

Eating the Right Foods

In the winter time we regularly eat a lot more than we do in any other season. This is good as long as we are eating the right foods. Eating foods rich in protein, vitamin A, B1, and B2 is a great way to improve your skins healthiness. By consuming these types of foods, you can help your skin build up a defense against the elements along with your regular skin care regiment. In winter time, your skin needs all the help it can get. Foods that are full of antioxidants help your skin to fight off inflammation and protect the cells of the membranes from being destroyed by the elements. Drinking green tea or eating foods with omega 3 are other great ways to help. These are rich with antioxidants. Taking a multi-vitamin is also a great way to help your skin along.