Сontrast Shower: pros and cons

Interesting Fact! Lucy Liu prefers Acupuncture when it comes to beauty secrets: “It can help you lose weight and your skin stay young.”

Today let’s talk about contrast shower. From my own experience I can tell that it’s a really good and useful thing to do, especially if you’re trying to deal with extra weight and cellulite. But bear in mind that it’s only an addition to your exercising and dieting. It can’t substitute any of them.

I hope my advice will help you to achieve fantastic results.

You might have heard a lot about contrast shower and its benefits. But not so many people know how to take use it and what kinds of contra-indications it may have. There is no doubt that contrast shower improves immune system and has a great influence on nervous system. Thanks to temperature drop you get not only full charge of energy but you also give a good training to your blood vessels and improve you muscle and skin tone. But keep in mind that you may experience certain discomfort at first. It’s absolutely natural: in order to get some kind of pleasure out of little physical stress you have to perform this procedure at least a few times. Eventually you will feel the need to take contrast shower every day as it gives you energy for the whole day. Besides it’s especially useful during autumn and winter when virus infections are rife and rampant.

How to take contrast shower

First of all, don’t throw yourself into extremes. It’s better to begin with a comfortable temperature. Remember the main rule: begin with hot water, finish with cold and don’t stand under the shower with the water pouring directly onto your head (only your body). The perfect contrast duration is 15 seconds. (15 seconds of hot shower in the beginning and the same of cold shower). At first you can take moderately hot (warm) and cool shower (10 seconds each contrast). In two-three weeks you can increase the number of “hot-cold” contrasts to three times. 

After the procedure you have to dry yourself and get warm. Don’t go outside immediately after the procedure; let your body to adapt. Take contrast shower at least three hours before sleep as it’s really bracing.

Is it possible to lose weight taking contrast shower?

Contrast shower improves blood circulation, thereby enhancing metabolism. Contrast shower is very useful if you have problems with cellulite. Make a circulate massage of your belly and buttocks with shower jet at a distance of 10 cm from your body. Massage your legs top-down from the front and bottom-up from behind. Together with exercising you can get a very good result in your battle with cellulite and extra weight.

Wintertime Skincare

Interesting Fact! Demi Moore moisturizes her skin all the time. No matter how late it is, when she gets home, she takes the time to clean and moisturize her face. "I’m a big believer in that if you focus on good skin care, you really won’t need a lot of makeup."

Wintertime skincare differs from your usual routine. Skin becomes sensitive in winter – that is why dramatic drops of temperatures can be especially harmful. In winter skin requires a special care and attention. Correct and regular wintertime skin care is a guarantee of healthy and nice skin the whole year round!

Cold changes your skin type significantly. Oily skin becomes normal in wintertime; normal becomes dry; and dry skin becomes hypersensitive. You should take it into consideration when choosing wintertime cosmetics.

A sufficient number of vitamins in your food contributes to preservation of healthy skin during wintertime because without them skin becomes dry and irritated. During this time, try to normalize your nutrition and forget about bad habits. Eat more fruit and vegetables because in winter their necessity is increasing. Vitamin A is especially important for preventing dryness and peeling, vitamin E for preventing skin diseases and vitamin C for immunity improvement.

Morning Care

Forget about soap – it overdries skin. Wipe your skin with sponge damped in cleaning lotion. Don’t use cosmetics that contain alcohol. Use skin milk with mallow extract which moisturizes skin and gives it a perfect balance.

Daytime Skincare

Remember that during wintertime you should prefer nourishing cream to moisturizing one. Specialists recommend creams containing calendula, musk rose oil and vitamin E. Their complex influence fits sensitive and irritated skin. Immediate sedative effect is supplemented with restoring and regenerating influence. Vegetable mix on the basis of oils and lichen extracts favours skin cleaning and stimulation.

Cream should be applied to skin not less than 40 minutes before leaving the house.

Remember that neck and décolleté skin becomes more vulnerable to external exposure with age and requires special care and creams for aging and dehydrated skin.

Evening Skincare

Don’t neglect moisturizing cream during wintertime. In the evening wipe your face with skin milk or makeup remover and apply moisturizing cream afterwards.

And don’t forget about your body. Because of dehydration and lack of vitamins during wintertime, suffers not only skin on your face or hands. Use special after-shower moisturizing creams and gels containing musk rose oil and vitamin E that makes your skin especially gentle and elastic. Calendula extracts improves skin regeneration.

Lips require special care. Moisturizing medicated lipstick distributed evenly on lips forms mild and non-sticky layer. Besides, it has anti-aging effect and improves skin elasticity around lips. Use medicated lipstick containing vitamins A, E, castor oil and beeswax which fights with dryness and cracking and also provides moistening.

Ice is also good for skincare. You can buy cosmetic ice base in the pharmacy but it is better to make it yourself considering individual needs and features of your skin. You can use herbal decoctions and infusions, fruit juices, mineral water without gas and pour them into ice moulds. It can be stored in the freeze without loosing its useful properties for a week.

Use 1 ice cube for each procedure. Pass it over your face along the massaging lines.

Calendula Ice

Pour 1 teaspoon of calendula leaves with ½ glass of boiling water and cover it with a lid. Brew it for 30-40 minutes, then filter it and let it cool down a little. Pour the liquid into ice moulds and freeze it.

Mint Ice

Pour 1 teaspoon of mint with a glass of water and brew it for 40 minutes. Filter it and let it cool down a little. Pour the liquid into ice moulds and freeze it.

Laurel Ice

Pour one laurel leaf with 1 glass of water and boil it for 15 minutes. Then remove laurel leaf from the decoction and wait until it cools down before pouring it into the ice moulds. Laurel Ice smoothes skin and removes reddening and irritation. Besides, it nourishes skin and tightens pores.

Parsley Ice

Squeeze juice from the parsley. Fill ice moulds with parsley juice and put it into the freezer.

Simple Ice

Fill the ice moulds with still mineral water and put them into freezer. This kind of ice is very easy to make. It tightens pores, tonicizes skin and makes wrinkles less evident.

ATTENTION!!! In some cases ice massage is contra-indicated. It cannot be used if you suffer from cold, rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, etc. It is also prohibited if you have a bursted blood vessel or your vessels are to close to the surface of the skin or your skin has some injuries (wounds, furuncles, allergy).

No matter how old you are, any skin type requires your care and attention. Don’t forget that cheerful mood favours your appearance. Smile more often and you will look splendid in any time of year and any weather.

There Are No Two Wrinkles Alike

" Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." — Mark Twain

Alas! Not all of us can refer to their wrinkles as philosophically as Mark Twain did. Their appearance provokes depression, low self-esteem, psychological discomfort, complexes, problems in private life and plenty of other unpleasant consequences. So, should we put up with this awful situation? Of course, not!

Achievements of modern cosmetology give us plenty of opportunities to “trick time”. To choose a proper anti-age program, you should know that wrinkles differ from each other. According to their origin, wrinkles are divided into two types.

 

Static Wrinkles

Static wrinkles form because of the physiological process in the skin. The reasons may differ: natural age-related changes, aggressive influence of the environment and functional aberration of body organs and body systems. By the way, bad habits have a lot to do with it. It is proved that smokers are twice as commonly affected with wrinkles than non-smokers. 

It is obvious that to avoid wrinkles you should remove the reasons of their origin or, at least, try to minimize their impact. Besides gentle care, you also need professional estimation of your skin condition and appropriate cosmetic procedures which can correct already formed deep wrinkles and prevent new ones.  

Dynamic Wrinkles

Dynamic wrinkles are a result of the heightened muscle activity. For example, every emotion that we experience – joy, grief, astonishment, indignation, or fear – put into operation a special group of muscles which are responsible for facial expression. During facial expression, your muscles literally squeeze skin and then it returns to its previous state. An18-year old girl have the same mimic wrinkles as a woman in her forties. Such “stretch-gymnastic” won’t do any harm to a young and elastic skin. 

But with age, when skin turgor grows weaker, those wicked folds remain and little by little they become more evident and turn into static wrinkles. Usually they are localized on the forehead, bridge of the nose, in the corners of the eyes and around mouth. These areas are used in muscle contraction more than any other area and skin on these delicate areas is very thin and deprived of fat layer. So, how can we protect it? Preventive actions for wrinkles reduction produce great results. 

First of all, you should learn to control your facial expressions. In other words, watch your mimic. Of course, it’s easier said than done. For example, lots of people don’t even notice how they knit their brow when they are deep in thought. But beauty requires some work from us. So, don’t be lazy and start taking care of yourself. 

Summer: Time of Changes

Interesting Fact! Cameron Diaz says that in order to maintain her slim figure and health she just exercises regularly, laughs and plays often, and makes love every moment she can. Oh, yeah, and drinks lots of water”

1. Aerobics                              

I don’t think there is any other physical activity which makes you look slimmer so fast and efficient. Especially now, when metabolism is completely shattered after long cold winter.

2. Bath

Add 125 g of baking soda, 150 g of sea salt and a few drops of lavender alcohol into your bathtub. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket right after bath. Making such a fat-burning bath every two days you will find yourself a few pounds lighter very soon. 

3. Lips

Massage your dry and chapped lips with a toothbrush bashed in the Vaseline. The other day saturate them with hygienic lipstick. 

4. Diets

I’m sure you have already set your mind on going on a diet. The problem is: what kind of diet will fit you best? I want to share with you a diet which may not have an instantaneous but a stable effect. You can keep this diet for month and then take a 1 month break. 

Breakfast

Breakfast is highly important! Early in the morning you sugar level is extremely low. Without urging it with healthy and light food you beginning of the day will be marked with weakness and irritability. It doesn’t mean you have to devour chocolate and cakes for breakfast – dramatic sugar and energy burst into your blood will make you inert and sleepy for the next 3-4 hours. 

Right after waking up drink a big cup of water. Porridge without butter or sugar with a cup of natural yogurt; 2 toasts with a thin layer of butter and cheese; cup of kefir or milk; fruits or dried fruits; coffee or tea with cracker or a teaspoon of honey.

Luncheon

Kefir, milk or yogurt. 

Dinner

Vegetable salad or vegetable soup; 150 g of fish, or 2 eggs; 2 slices of bread; fruits.


5. Immune System

Polyvitamins should be taken with special regularity, that is – daily. So called “fresh” vitamins are also desirable. For example, the key vitamin – vitamin C contains in kiwi, broccoli, kraut, tomato juice, and rosehip tea. Green tea will supply you with vitamin P. Cereals and bran bread will give you plenty of vitamin B. Dairy products provide potassium, potato – calcium. As you can see – everything you need is at hand, in you fridge.

6. Oxygen

There is not enough oxygen in the cold air for a normal life activity. That is why during winter time we feel fatigue and suffer from headache more often.

How to import oxygen into the blood? Easy. Sound sleeping with the window ajar, aerobics, walks in the fresh air or simple physical exercise, yoga, qigong, and meditations stimulate your respiratory center and ventilate your lungs. Vitamin B also helps to import O2 from blood to body organs. You can find it in tomatoes, cabbage, beet, apples, oranges, and beef liver.

7. Elbows

If you have problems with coarsen skin on your elbows try make a special bath for them once a week. Heat up a vegetable oil, pour it into the dishes and dip your elbows into the warm oil for 5 minutes. Then rub them with pumice and apply oily cream afterwards. 

8. Massage

If you don’t have enough time for an anti-cellulite bath you can get by with a shower. Dip a bath sponge into the sea salt (baking salt is also possible) and rub your body bottom-up, from feet to shoulders. In this case salt works as a scrub or peeling and softens your skin. After a shower apply some balm to your skin.

9. Metabolism

During winter time your metabolism slows down significantly. Besides, if you’ve been doing the same kind of work-outs for some time you body eventually got used to it and effect became zero. There is only one way out – change your physical activity.

Sugar Depilation at Home

 

Interesting Fact! Georgia May Jagger always takes off her make-up and let her face rest. She also uses exfoliant.

How to make skin impeccably smooth without expensive cosmetics and cosmetologists? Sugar depilation is not only affordable, it is practically painless, easy-to-make, and doesn’t require expensive cosmetics. All you need is sugar, water, and a few drops of lemon juice. Sugaring can be performed in the beauty parlour or at home. The result preserves for a month.

Sugaring: Sugar Paste Recipes

Cosmetologists use finished compositions that are adapted for wide audience. Moisturizing and antiseptic components are often added to the composition which adds value to procedure. 

Sugar depilation paste can be easily made at home: mix 10 portions of sugar with 1 portion of water, and then add juice of half a lemon. Melt this paste on slow fire until it becomes brown. When mixture becomes dark and small bubbles appear, you can start sugaring.

You can buy ingredients for sugar depilation off-the-shelf: glucose or honey, water-soluble low-temperature wax, essential oils. Ingredients are variable – that is why they can be easily chosen for any skin type. 

How to Make Sugaring at Home?

Apply sugar paste with a spatula to dry and degreased skin. You should move along the hair growth. Cover the treated area with a piece of a clean cotton cloth. When you feel that cloth is stuck closely to the paste, pull it away against the hair growth. Sugar depilation is finished.

If you want to make sugaring on a large area of your body, you need to treat small areas of skin gradually.

Sugaring Efficiency

Sugaring is a very effective way to remove hair for a long time. Hair is removed with a root while upper layer of dermis remains untraumatised. It doesn’t have contra-indication or cause allergies. Effect of this procedure can be preserved up to 3-6 weeks. Homemade depilation can remove even ingrown hairs.

The procedure is equally efficient for removing hair above the upper lip, armpits, cheeks and ears. Bikini area hair can be removed as easily as on hands or legs.

Any unpleasant sensations, which can be caused by this kind of depilation, disappear in a few minutes.

Sugaring: Contra-indication

Sugaring is contraindicated only for people who suffer from serious maladies. Sugar depilation is not recommended for people with injured or inflamed skin, pregnant women or those who suffers from heart diseases and high blood pressure, If you have any of these health problems you should consult your doctor before performing the procedure. Sugar depilation (or any other depilation) is not recommended for people who suffer from diabetes, bleeding and high temperature.

Sugaring is easy, inexpensive and effective procedure. Because of its efficiency and affordability more and more women use this kind of depilation.

Beauty Secrets of Legendary Women

Interesting Fact! Marilyn Monroe used 3 shades of red lipstick to make her lips look bigger.

Ancient beauties didn’t have modern cosmetics and army of doctors, cosmetologists, and stylists. But they succeed in the art of homemade cosmetic. Today we are going to reveal some of their secrets. These useful tips on natural skin care are not only simple and effective but they can also help you to make a brilliant display of your erudition and knowledge in the sphere of woman’s beauty in different cultures of the world.

Cleopatra’s secrets of youth and beauty

Cleopatra chose all the necessary ingredients for face cream herself. The main component of her creams was silver infused water. Besides, Cleopatra added aloe powder and honey. In order to preserve her hands smooth and young she used to make milk bath. She used special body scrub made of sea salt and cream. She rubbed this scrub into her body for 10 minutes and washed it away afterwards.

Cleopatra’s hair care secrets

Cleopatra’s hair was treated solely with fresh egg yolks which worked not only as a shampoo but also as a mask. After this procedure she used a special herbal conditioner made of burdock root, nettle, and hop inflorescence.

Scheherazade’s secrets of youth and beauty

Well-known beauty Scheherazade was not only the legendary Persian queen and the main character and storyteller of the One Thousand and One Nights. She was also a real historical figure. She used to colour her coal-black hair with basma (black hair dye) and henna. Afterwards she washed her hair with fresh juice made of various fruits. Her teeth were stunningly white thanks to natural dense yogurt. To achieve smooth and gentle skin she rubbed herself with a mixture made of honey and nuts. For depilation she used special sugar balls with lemon juice.

Diane de Poitiers’s secrets of youth and beauty

No wonder that Henry II of France chose Diane de Poitiers to be his mistress. Diana had a reputation for being a reigning beauty at court because of her knowing of some essential skincare rules. Diana knew for sure that simple facial mask wouldn’t help her to keep the King at her feet. That is why a cool bath and a horse ride afterwards was the first thing she did at 6 o’clock in the morning. After the ride Diane had a rest and a light breakfast. All political and social business was set aside for the evening. The King’s favourite never drank alcohol beverages even if the king himself asked her to. She knew that wine can cause face swelling. But the main secret of Diane de Poitiers’s youth and beauty was the fact that she always considered herself young and never thought of her age. 

Secrets of youth and beauty of Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great of Russia used plenty of natural cosmetic recipes. A special bath balm was created specially for her. It consisted of egg yolks, dense almond milk, 200 ml of vodka and rose water.

Secrets of youth and beauty of queen Isabella of Spain

Isabella, the queen of Spain was famous for her beauty even in her declining years. Even her sworn enemies noted her blooming appearance. Her biggest pride was her hair which was combed by her maidservants every day for hours. Perfect skin and youthful glitter in her eyes completed the whole picture. The queen took care of her face using special masks on a herbal basis. She also used plantain, chamomile, rosemary, rose, and lily tinctures. 

Josephine’s secrets of youth and beauty

Josephine, the greatest love of Napoleon, used beauty secrets that were known at that time only to peasant women (before her rise she was a simple Creole). She maintained youth and whiteness of her skin with the help of masks made of boiled potato and cleaned her pores using compress with warm camphor. However, clean skin was a result of a healthy lifestyle. Long time before magazine articles and advertising slogans she new about the benefits of regular body cleansing: every morning she drank a glass of mineral water with lemon juice before breakfast. By the way, juice can be substituted with apple vinegar (1-2 teaspoons would be enough). 

Madame de Pompadour’s secrets of youth and beauty

Another famous minion – Jeanne-Antoinette, the mistress of Louis XIV, also known as Madame de Pompadour is considered to be an inventor of high heels and bouffant hair, fashion devotee and expert on beauty secrets. According to her contemporaries she was short, stumpy and down at health. But that couldn’t prevent her from being cheerful and active: she was fond of theatres, assisted in palace design, introduced new fashion tendencies, etc. Besides she knew how to take care of her skin and be attractive and the king’s love was a confirmation of that fact. 

Fresh carrot juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey was marquise’s favourite skin nourishment. It improved not only the general state of health but also appearance: vitamin A regulates cellular renewal process, prevents dryness and reddening.

A famous Frenchwoman also used special mask made of whipped cream and lemon juice to preserve whiteness and smoothness of her skin. Madame de Pompadour wiped her face with lemon juice after washing and pampered her skin with olive oil. As a result her face was fresh and smooth despite the fact that her skin was naturally thin and inclined to dryness.

Another beauty recipe for all types of skin by Madame de Pompadour - ice cubes made of settled water and lemon juice or herbal decoction.

Marilyn Monroe’s secrets of youth and beauty

Instead of moisturizing cream American sweetheart used Vaseline or olive oil. She didn’t like to be exposed to the sun as she believed that tan and sun were the main enemies of youth. For breakfast she had a glass of hot milk and two raw eggs. But her most curious beauty recipe was denial of underwear and stockings which allowed her skin to breathe.  

So as you can see all of these beauty recipes are quite suitable for our hectic modern life. Why not try?

Plan of Action: a Week of Delight

 

Interesting Fact! Liz Hurley drinks a glass of warm water every day before breakfast because ‘it’s fantastic for your digestive system.’

It is very hard to find some time for self-care in our hectic and full of stress life. But why not try to contribute 15-30 minutes of time to yourself every day. We suggest you to try our plan of action or… plan of beauty for a week.

Monday

Face and neck. Wash your face with cosmetic milk and apply a cleaning mask or scrub to your face. Leave it for a few minutes then wash it away. Wipe your face with tonic or lotion. Apply eyelid cream and face cream and make slight massage. Apply a nourishing cream to your eyelashes and a balm to your lips. This whole procedure takes no more than 30 minutes.

Tuesday

Body. Stand under the shower for a few minutes then rub a scrub into your body actively. Wash away the scrub and rub problem areas with anti-cellulite sponge. Apply a balm or anti-cellulite cream to your body. This procedure takes about 30 minutes of your time.

Wednesday

Hands. First, make a hand bath. Let your hands soak for 5-7 minutes. Then remove cuticle, clean and file your nails. After that you can apply nourishing or moisturizing cream to your hands and medical enamel or special oil to your nails.

Thursday

Feet. First, make a foot bath. Then rub your heels gently with pumice or scrub and clean and file your nails. After that you can apply nourishing or moisturizing cream to your feet and medical enamel or special oil to your nails.

Friday

Hair. Wash your hair and apply a nourishing mask for 15 minutes. Wash away the mask and apply balm or oil.

Saturday

All together. Take a bath with sea salt and essential oils. Use a mud mask for body. Remove undesirable hair and apply a moisturizing cream.

Sunday

Consolidate your achievements. Put on something pretty and go for a walk, breath some fresh air, pamper yourself with something pleasant or delicious (ice cream, new dress, you name it). Of course you can vary the list of procedures during the week, adapt it to your own need or add something new. The point is to find some time every day for free and easy self-care. In a month you will look significantly better. In two months you will feel tired of compliments. Try that simple Plan of Action and you’ll see.