Aqua effect :
The best way to get your skin looking fresh as a daisy is by splashing cold water on your face. The cold temperature helps by constricting blood vessels and making your skin look smoother. Splash some water first thing you wake-up to feel fresh and alive.

Bye bye dryness :
While you are sleeping, your skin tends to get dehydrated. Using a good moisturiser can help plump up the skin cells. All the signs of dry skin, such as lines which make you look older will reduce with the use of a moisturising cream.

Kitchen remedies:
If you are still looking pale and sallow, try using a combination of milk and ice cubes. Dip a napkin in the mixture and then place on your face for a few minutes. This will help to instantly brighten your skin, the Cleopatra way.

Reduce puffiness:
While most of us opt for eye creams in the night before sleeping, using one in the morning can help. Choose one which contains peptides and caffeine. Keep your cream in the fridge the night before and use it in the morning. The gel-based formula (opt for a water-based one) can help get rid of the puffy look.

Go slow on make-up:
If you haven’t slept much the night before, it’s best to go easy on the make-up. While you do want to cover up the tell-tale signs of sleepiness, you don’t want to look like a caked-up monster. Go slow on heavy foundation or powder. Try a tinted moisturiser with SPF protection instead and use a light coat of concealer.

Eye openers:
They say the eyes are our windows to the world. No greater reason to ensure that they look their brightest best. Use an eyelash curler to open up your eyes and then apply a light coat of mascara. It will do wonders for your overall look.

Add some colour:
Get rid of the sallowness from your face by using some pink or peach coloured cream blush. This will instantly transform your complexion and take away the attention from your under-eye. Creamy formulas work better than powder blushes as they blend well and can add just a pinch of natural – looking colour.

Mane magic:
While you may not have time to wash your hair everyday, adding some leave-in conditioner or serum can tame your mane in no time. If you have some minutes to spare, try blowdrying the top layer, otherwise just lightly wet your locks and apply product and scrunch.

Night care:
How well you take care of your skin the previous night can make a difference as well. Ensure that you use a good cleanser to remove all the make-up, dirt and grime stuck to your face.

Diet worthy:
Cutting back on salt and alcohol can do wonders for your skin. Alcohol dehydrates the body and causes those bags around your eyes. Drink plenty of water to clean out your system.

Pillow talk:
Use a satin pillow as it smoothes dry, frizzy hair and doesn’t cause friction with the skin when sleeping.

But experts are offering some simple steps you can take before going to sleep – that will have you not only waking up looking gorgeous but help keep you that way.

What do you look like when you first get out of bed?

“I try to take the makeup off but the hair is usually a mess,” one woman said.

“It depends on how I sleep. If I’m restless I wake up and my hair’s about 27 different directions but if I have a nice, peaceful sleep then it’s not too bad,” another woman said.

Before you roll over and drift off to sleep, think about this: what you don’t do – like washing your face or applying night cream – can have lasting, negative effects on your skin.

“If you did a study and you had one gal who did these tips and another gal who didn’t, you will see a difference five years down the road,” dermatologist Dr. Laurie Polis said.

To wake up looking great, experts say you must wash your face every night before going to sleep and then apply a good moisturizer.

“At night there’s more blood flow to the skin. The cells of the skin are in a more regenerative state,” Dr. Polis said.

Next, go to sleep on your back.

“It’s better for your breathing, it’s better for the skin,” Dr. Polis said.

In fact, Dr. Polis said she can often tell what side of the face her “stomach-sleeping patients” favor by the number of wrinkles there.

“If you’re a side sleeper, it wrinkles more because of repetitive pressure causing etched in lines over time,” Dr. Polis said.

Also, experts say sleep with your head elevated on two pillows.

“That’s good for lymphatic drainage around the eyes if you have a tendency to be puffy,” Dr. Polis said.

Experts say eating too many carbohydrates before going to bed can also make you look a little more bloated in the morning.

“This can increase the body’s glycemic level and lead to a puffy appearance in the morning,” said Nicole Catanese, beauty director at Self Magazine.

Other simple ways to wake up looking beautiful include:

Mix a drop of self-tanner into your night cream to give yourself a fresh, morning glow
Use a humidifier to help keep your skin and hair hydrated
Sleep on a satin pillow case to avoid frizzy hair

Follow these 10 tips for reversing your age:

1- Banish Bad Skin: Young skin should be clear, healthy and glowing and free of dark spots and blemishes. If you are prone to problem skin, Avon Anew Clinical Advanced Retexturizing Peel Glycolic Plus Soothing Extracts works wonders for exfoliation, unclogging blackheads, and keeping breakouts under control.

2 – The Whites of Your Eyes: Tired eyes make you look older. If you are jet lagged or sleep deprived, bloodshot eyes can be a chronic problem. Systeine eye drops help clear redness and moisturize, cool and refresh. Make your eyes pop with dark navy liner like Sephora Kohl and Liner Waterproof in Keep Blue. Smudge the line with neutral smoky tones of browns, plums and muted grays.

3- Toss Your Brown Lipsticks: Think fresh and soft shades that add light to your face. Stick with medium to light rosy, pinky, peachy and coppery colors and leave dark, drab, matte shades to teens and twentysomethings. Deep reds and wines can make your lips look smaller. Use a neutral lip liner to shape the lips that should not show up as a contrasting shade. For a little shine, try a sheer gloss with a touch of pink pigment.

4- Brighten Pearly Whites: Just like your skin, teeth get discolored and thinner with age. You lose some of the outer layer of enamel that wears away, and stains set in from foods, Diet Coke, and red wine. See a cosmetic dentist for an in-office laser bleaching treatment that will brighten up your smile. If you’re on a budget, try Colgate Simply White Night Clear Whitening Gel.

5- Frame Your Eyes: A quick fix to open up your eye area is to reshape your brows. Tweeze or wax your brows to create an arch, filling them in with a powder brow pencil, like Dior Powder Brow Pencil. Keep brows in place with a clear mascara or brow fixative, and if you have gray brow hairs, either pluck them out or use a colored brow gel to camouflage.

6- Lighten Up Your Foundation: Wearing the wrong makeup can pile on years to your face. Powders tend to make skin look dry and accentuate fine lines. Choose a lightweight foundation with light-reflecting or soft focus pigments to brighten the skin like

Sue Devitt Spa Complexion Hydrating Marine Minerals Tinted Moisturizer SPF15.

Apply foundation and blend well so it looks seamless. Look for warmer, light, soft undertones to enhance your complexion and create a healthy glow.

7-Hydrate Your Skin: Keep dry areas hydrated to help plump your complexion from the outside in. Look for emollient ingredients like hyaluronic acid in Peter Thomas Roth VIZ-1000™ 75% Hyaluronic Acid Complex, to plump and firm the skin and inhibit dehydration.

8- Reduce Brown Spots: Brown discoloration from sun damage and hormonal flux look old. Add a brightening serum to your daily skincare routine to correct existing pigmentation and prevent new ones from ruining your flawless face. Look for the new Lumixyl™ Skin Brightening System that has four key products plus an innovative new sunscreen to keep dark spots at bay for the long term.

9- Slow Down on Self Tanners: Avoid overdosing on orange or yellow undertones from bronzers and self tanners that create an unnatural look that is so not flattering.

Instead of enhancing your natural skin tones, choosing a too dark shade of self tanner can cause your complexion to go sallow. If you’re not sure of the best color for you, try St Tropez Wash Off Face. For bronzing, stick with creamy natural rosy blushes for a healthy Nars Orgasm blush type of glow. Declare a moratorium on any products with that circa 1985 sparkle or glitter look for your face.

10- Highlight Your Hair: Dark brown and black hair can age your face by dragging down your skin tone and stealing the brightness, not to mention, the inevitable grays. Add some soft highlights to frame your face and/or lighten your natural color by a shade or two to soften your overall appearance. Think about wispy layers instead of straight across bangs which can be an alternative to BOTOX® for your forehead but has a harsh effect. Highlights can reflect light back onto your face for a younger look is pretty and sexier.

L’Oreal, one of the biggest spenders on R&D in the personal care market, is researching beauty “from the cell to the gesture,” referring to all aspects of that elusive phenomenon. The company’s broad studies include research into the origins of hair shape, searching for a new ingredient to better protect skin from the sun and understanding the effects of the dabs and strokes a woman in a particular country uses to apply makeup.

These researchers are now looking into the molecular origin of hair curliness because they say understanding the basic biology and physics might enable them to take an entirely new approach to hair straightening, curling and even hair color. The scientists are analyzing the biochemistry, protein structure and cell types within hair fibers to learn how they work together to give sheen, shape and color to hair. It’s possible that their work might lead to a new method of hair straightening and even the development of a pill that would replace hair dyes.

While these high-tech and high-priced products might help you get that flawless complexion, all they do is an outside job that does not maximize your skin’s beauty potential.

There’s a lower-priced yet healthier alternative that does just as well, maybe even better. Nutrient–rich foods work from the inside to tap into your body’s natural moisturizing, anti-aging, regenerating and beautifying power. Now that’s literally beauty that comes from within.

Here are some foods to help you get that beautiful blooming skin.

Low-fat yogurt. This creamy snack packs a lot of vitamin A that takes care of your skin’s health. On top of promoting good vision, vitamin A promotes cell growth and repairs skin damage. It is also said to reduce the production of sebum, one of the main triggers of acne. Other good sources of vitamin A are green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli – toss them up in a salad or mix them with your favorite entr?e. Your skin will stay smooth, soft and flawless with a daily dose of vitamin A.

Oranges. We’ve been told that foods rich in vitamin C help keep the sniffles and coughs away. But one other beautifying benefit you get from eating vitamin–rich fruits is to keep sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles at bay. Vitamin C is the key to the production of collagen, a type of protein that keeps the skin strong and flexible. Grapefruits, guavas, lychees and kiwis are better and cheaper alternatives to collagen injections. Add these juicy fruits to your daily meals to keep your skin looking young and firm.

Berries. The black, blue and red variety ranks as the highest source of anti-oxidants, a group of vitamins and minerals that eat up free radicals. Caused by pollution, cigarette smoke, sun exposure and a bad diet, free radicals damage the healthy cells in your body. What this means for your skin is dryness and wrinkling. Aim for a daily serving of healthy berries to keep your skin smooth and supple. Not fond of berries? You can still get your antioxidant fix from sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

Whole-wheat cereal. Eating whole-wheat cereals for breakfast is a good way to get your supply of selenium, a mineral that works with vitamins C and A to fight free radicals. Another benefit of going whole-wheat? You’ll be too full to eat refined carbs such as white bread, rice and cake — the worst foods for your skin. These “white foods” cause a spike in your insulin levels that contribute to inflammation and skin breakouts. So the next time you’re in the bread or pasta aisle, look for the whole wheat variety so you can keep your skin blemish-free.

Green tea. This variety has the highest amount of skin-loving EGCG. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is a compound that prevents inflammation, which is related to acne and skin aging. Applying green tea topically can help protect the skin from sun damage. Another reason to love green tea is L-theanine, an amino acid that has a calming and soothing effect on the body. Since it causes breakouts and makes your skin age faster, stress is one of your skin’s greatest enemies so the less stress you have, the younger your skin will be.

Of course, water is still one of the cheapest natural moisturizers at your disposal. Drinking up to one liter a day ensures that your skin is hydrated, nutrients are absorbed and toxins are flushed out of the body. When your skin cells are healthy, the result will be naturally radiant and beautiful skin.

Remember that you are what you eat. When you take in nutritious food that nourishes your body, that healthy glow will show on your skin too. Load up on these healthy foods that nourish your skin and let your beauty shine from within.

About 89% of the women are not aware of any such information available about these beauty essentials and 68% replace make-up when they fall short of it.

It is really surprising to know that 72% of the women never wash their sponges and brushes.

In addition to that, every 8 in 10 women go to bed without washing their face. 60% of females shared make up with their friends, family members therefore making the germs spread faster.

Sara Stern, director of cosmetics at Debenhams said, ”We wouldn’t hesitate to chuck out moldy or bacteria-ridden food and the same standards should apply to the lotions and potions and that we put on our skin. Beauty is timeless but unfortunately, products are not”.

Expired date products may lead to irritation as well as skin infection. Multi- use cosmetics can spread germs to eyes, skin, nose and lips. Sometimes women keep eye shadow products for as good as 15 years which is more than
10 times longer than they should be kept.

We asked Begoun for ways to get GORGEOUS on a budget and what she has to say about eyecreams and jar packaging might just surprise you!

Beauty-samples: Name three top beauty secrets that only the pros know? Begoun says
the pros get sucked into beauty myths just like everyone else.

Begoun: Here’s what the pros should know too but don’t:

1. You don’t need an eye cream (there is no research showing the eye area needs something different then the face)

2. Do not buy moisturizers in jar packaging (state of the art ingredients deteriorate in the presence of air not to mention it isn’t hygenic.

3. Fragrance, synthetic or natural, along with alcohol irritates skin and cause inflamm-aging and can stimulate oil production in the oil gland.

Begoun shares 2 tips for recession proofing your beauty routine.

1. Don’t buy the latest fad.

2. Don’t believe the myth that expensive means better (it absolutely doesn’t in the world of cosmetics)

Beauty-samples: What can Anti-Wrinkle Creams do, and what can they absolutely not do?

Begoun: When they are well formulated they can build collagen, protect skin from free radical damage, improve the skin’s barrier, smooth wrinkles etc.

What they absolutely can’t do is work like the claims on the label or even remotely work like anything a cosmetic dermatologist can provide (there isn’t a skin care product that replaces Botox or dermal fillers, it is foolish and a waste of money to believe those ads).

Beauty-samples: Are eye-creams a waste of money? Is it necessary to have separate creams for your face and eyes, or not?

Begoun: Yes, they are a complete waste of money. As I mentioned, there is no research showing the eye area needs something different then the face.

Beauty-samples: When it comes to sunscreen, what’s the real difference between SPF levels?

Begoun: The SPF number tells you how long you can stay in the sun without burning, the higher the SPF the longer the protection.

Beauty-samples: What is inflamm-aging?

Begoun: It is believed that inflammation causes most aging in the body, when skin is “inflamed” by sun damage, stress, pollution, irritating skin care ingredients, etc it causes the breakdown of collagen, elastin, causes skin to make unhealthy cells, wrinkles, etc.

Beauty-samples: Why should you avoiding jar packaging?

Begoun: They don’t keep the truly beneficial ingredients such as antoxidants stable. Most state of the art ingredients are air sensitive, plus it isn’t hygenic and the bacteria from your fingers further degrades the ingredients.

Beauty-samples: What are the benefits to regular exfoliation?

Begoun: We all have sun damage and that damage causes the outer layer of skin to become thick, and it can’t shed as it normally would.

When you help skin exfoliate in a normal manner it is one of the most immediate improvements to skin you can get.

Beauty-samples: What are some natural solutions for removing skin discolorations, wrinkles and dry skin?

Begoun: Natural is a joke, so you’ll have to let someone else lie to you about that. But in the real world of research on skin, sun protection is THE number one thing!!! Every day, 365 days a year!

Then you can add for brown skin discolorations the active ingredient hydroquinone (even the plant extracts that show they efficacy breakdown in skin to be hydroquinone).

Dry skin is about shoring up the outer barrier of your skin, that takes a brilliantly formulated “moisturizer” but a little plant oil over the top of any moisturizer (olive oil, safflower oil, evening primrose oil) can make a beautiful difference.

1. Skin Care! At the first sign of a blemish and oily hair as a teen, develop a skin care routine. Start with daily basic cleansing and graduate to the appropriate skin care as your skin changes with age.

2. Wear a sunblock. All ages and all skin tones under the rainbow need to protect their skin with an SPF of at least 15.

3. Use a scrub. Removing dead skin makes the skin look healthy. Choose one per skin type.

4. Remove make-up at night. This helps cut down blackheads and bacteria from forming. Plus is healthier for your skin.

5. Use an eye cream starting at age 20. It is the first place you show age. Contacts, smoking and being outside cause extra stress on the skin, hence, extra lines.

6. Anti-aging creams. Night creams used to be what we used after we started to see dryness and lines. Now with the new batch of anti-aging creams, you can start early to prevent and prolong aging skin problems. They also protect the skin.

7. Protect lips. The skin of the lips is very delicate. That is why they can get chapped so fast in the winter, there are no oil glands in the lips. They need protection from the sun and dryness so use some type of lip product every day, even before going to sleep at night.

8. Wear a foundation. A study found women look 20 years older with uneven skin tone! With all the wonderful new formulas, find one and wear it! It will protect your skin too.

9. Care for your nails and hands. Not only to look good, but fingernails can be the window to health issues. Changes in color and texture could mean a medical problem. If you see any changes in your nails, call your doctor.

10. Get regular hair cuts. Keeping your hair in good condition, regardless of your style, will make you look younger and healthier. That goes the same for your eyebrows, keep them groomed.

Start at the top
Apply foundation on your forehead first and blend downwards. This will ensure that the spread of makeup is even and will prevent over-applying foundation on areas that don’t need it.

Layer up
Don’t be afraid to build up several light layers of foundation on areas that need it most, such as under-eyes, chin and around your nose.

Get finger friendly
Using your fingers rather than a brush gives better results. Your fingers allow you blend your makeup into the skin to avoid caking, visible makeup lines and brush strokes.

Save the best til last
If you are making up your eyes, apply your foundation and concealer after. It sounds odd, but when you apply eye shadow, some pigment will drop down your face, deepening the appearance of dark under-eye circles. By applying your foundation after your eye makeup you can erase any excess shadow.

Jawline and beyond
The biggest foundation no-no is seam lines around your jaw and hairline, so blend outwards working around your jaw, under your chin and extending slightly down your neck. The key is to blend, blend, blend!

The Mirror said that recent research has hinted that smoother skin gives a younger appearance, with age spots, uneven pigmentation and spider veins ageing people.

However, the newspaper said that flawless skin can be achieved with the help of a few natural makeup items, starting with products which contain an SPF.

It suggested using natural beauty products with light-diffusing particles, which will give a sheen and soft effect.

“Other key ingredients to look out for include vitamin A derivatives, such as retinol, which promotes skin turnover,” the newspaper added.

Vitamin C is also recommended as it lightens skin tone and so can reduce the signs of ageing and freckles.

Corrine Bailey-Rae recently told the Guardian that she prefers a natural beauty approach to ageing, saying that we should embrace the fact that we are all going to get older.