Allow me, if you please, to present you with two very different but equally interesting surveys and the results they came up with.

Survey No. 1:

An international grocery and general merchandising retail chain based in the UK which is one of the largest of Britain’s retailers both in global sales as well as the domestic market, has recently conducted a survey on beauty and cosmetic products. In this survey, this retailing giant approached the British beauty media and more than half a million women to vote on their favorite cosmetics. The results were astounding as the disparity between the two groups was miles apart. It was apparent that the beauty media a.k.a. as the experts in the field of beauty and cosmetics and the average consumer representing the public at large disagree when it comes to choosing their favorite brands and products.

To demonstrate just how different the two groups think, when they were asked to nominate the greatest beauty icon of today and of all times, the British media chose blondes in the shape of Julie Christie and Kate Moss while the public favored the more voluptuous brunettes such as Elizabeth Taylor and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Can the contrast get any bigger?

Personally, I am gratified and pleased to learn that consumers are still following their own heart and intuition and are not as influenced by the media as I feared that might be. Conversely, though, I am saddened that the media is too arrogant and too absorbed in its own self-importance to listen more closely to its audience – the ordinary consumer who, in essence, drives the market and the economy. Developers, producers and marketers of cosmetics need to redirect their focus from the beauty media who professes to know it all, and pay closer attention to the consumer who really and truly does know it all.

Survey No. 2:

A recent Gallup Poll (Gallup is an official entity that conducts public opinion polls around the world and disperses its results in the media) concluded that in today’s highly stressful world, women are subjected to greater tensions, new pressures, closer deadlines and added hostilities in the workforce as well in the general public more than ever before. 

Women, therefore, crave and appreciate friendliness, kindness and common courtesy as well as good manners wherever and whenever they come across them.  Even more important than good and reliable cosmetic products and fair prices, women want to be treated with the respect and the gentle touch that they deserve. Surprisingly, an overwhelming majority of British women believe that shopping for cosmetics in drugs stores affords them more of the civility and good manners than in the larger department stores, specialty shops and door-to-door sales people.  Unfortunately, drugstores fail to train their polite sales personnel to also become more knowledgeable about cosmetic products, their checkout was labored and slow and the ambiance was poor.

So what do British consumers of the female gender really want? They want kindly service that is well versed in the widely varied product lines which are readily available on their attractively set shelving, sales people who can advise and counsel them and quick and efficient checkout counters at the end of the transaction that will not totally drain their purses. British consumers want the shopping experience to be as nice as or nicer than the products they ultimately buy.

Our skin, yours and mine, are endowed with oil glands that produce oil that normally lubricates our skins. When the oil ducts become blocked, due to the overproduction of oil, different types of small swellings and bumps appear on the surface of the skin in the form of blackheads and whiteheads which are also known as open and closed comedons, pimples, or cysts. The sum total of these unsightly afflictions is the dreaded acne.

Areas of our skin which have the largest population of oil glands have the greatest tendency to erupt with acne and those are the face, chest, shoulders and back. Just to give you a rough idea, the estimated count of oil glands in our foreheads alone is 2,000 per square inch.

Acne is most often seen in teenagers and on through their 20s, but they certainly do not hold a monopoly on such conditions because younger kids and older adults can have acne as well. Dermatological studies and statistical research have shown that:

- Nearly 80% of teenage boys and girls have acne and since it is so common, it has come to be accepted as a normal part of puberty.
- On the average, acne last approximately three to four years for most of those who are affected. However, in 15% of the cases, acne can persist for as long as eight to twelve years.
- In around 5% of those afflicted with acne, the condition will persist beyond age 25 and up to age 40.
- Some cases of acne, particularly in women, may not start until they are 25 years old.
- 70% of young women will experience flare-ups of acne before their menstrual period and that is believed to be brought about by a rise in their androgen (male hormone) levels.
- Due to the fact that male hormones often promote the development of acne, the most severe cases of these conditions are found in men.
- Women who have unusually hairy bodies and faces as well as abnormal and irregular periods are also at intensified risks of acne outbreaks. They should be medically evaluated for hormone levels.

For the most part and particularly when it comes to fighting acne, I am very big on home remedies and I would like to share some of them with you. Before I do, however, I would like to suggest that you supplement them with an increased water intake, regular exercise, plenty of fresh air and good nutrition which includes at least five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables:

- Applying toothpaste, not jell, to your acne affected areas overnight will reduce the swellings.
- To wash away access oil and avoid aggravating inflamed acne, wash your face twice a day with warm salt water.
- Massage your skin with the skin of a washed lemon before rinsing with lukewarm water.
- To speed up the healing of acne, apply pure Aloe Vera juice twice a day.
- Grind orange peel with some water to form a paste and applying on your acne affected areas. This one, by the way, happens to be my personal favorite.
- And do you want your pimples to disappear like pure magic? Grind some nutmeg with milk and apply on your affected area.

I have always firmly believed that the most effective and efficient way of attacking a problem is by getting to its roots.  Therefore, before we discuss getting rid of blackheads, let us first come to a clear understanding about what they are and how and why we get them.

As a result of damaged pores of the skin or due to dead skin cells that had not been flushed away, pores become clogged and trap excessive buildups of naturally occurring oils in the skin that normally flow to the surface.  As those clogged pores eventually open up to expose the trapped oils to oxygen, the oils darken in color and become the universally loathed “blackheads.”  Some people are more prone than others to the formation of blackhead and their predispositions are augmented by accelerated hormonal activities which increase oil production as well as by the use of oil-based skin products.

To prevent or decrease the development of blackheads, you should:

• Keep creamy, greasy and oily cosmetic products away from your skin.
• Cleanse your skin with a gentle water-based acne cleanser.
• Avoid using bar soaps because the ingredients that retain their shapes have a tendency to clog skin pores and cause skin cells to flake off and clog pores even further.
• Moisturize your skin but do it moderately because moisturizers can also increase skin oils.
• Exfoliate to flush out dead skin cells which clog pores, and opt for products that contain 1% or 2% beta hydroxyl acids (BHA or Salicylic Acid) which penetrate through to the lining of the pores or alpha hydroxyl acids (AHA) which exfoliate only the surface of the pores.
• Retinoids which are forms of vitamin A preserve the health of skin pores and therefore improve the flow of oils.  Retinoids are usually found in prescription salves.
• If your skin is oily, absorb excess surface oils with clay masks or cosmetic oil-absorbing paper.

Now that we understand what blackheads are, how they form and how to prevent them, let us take a look at how to remove them.  After all, one or two may have sneaked up on us in spite of our most earnest efforts at preventive measures.  The most commonly used method is by squeezing it out.  And I know as well as you do that, although we’ve all been warned against it, we have all done it at one time or another.  But let us now review the proper way to do it and, in fact, it may even be helpful to your skin to remove the “yucky stuff” because it relieves some of the pressure within the affected pores.

a)      Begin the process by removing dead cells with a mild scrub or an exfoliate.

b)      Gently dry your skin with a soft towel.

c)      Soften the blackhead by treating it with a warm compress for ten to fifteen minutes.

d)     Dry your face again with a soft towel.

e)      To prevent slippage and cause a wound or a tear of the skin, wrap the tip of the two fingers that will be squeezing the blackhead with tissue paper.

f)       Apply even pressure to both sides of the blackhead by pushing down and then upwards.

g)      If this method fails after one or two attempts, do not pursue it any further for the time being or you will damage the skin and cause it to scar.  You can always come back another day when the blackhead is more “ripe.”

Adding to the glow on your skin
Take a little gram flour and mix it with some warm milk to make it in to a smooth paste. Use it as a body wash or a face scrub. Leave it on for a while say three minutes and wash it off with water. Sure enough your skin will glow with a soft texture written all over it. And guess what… the glow lasts for the entire day and your skin remains soft for a long time. Ensure you indulge in this beauty care often to keep your skin healthy and nice.

Reducing facial hair growth naturally

Tired of going to the parlor every now and then to get your chin threaded of that unwanted stray stubble? Take a spoonful of powdered turmeric and mix it with a spoonful of mustard oil. Apply it as often as you can on the area which harbors unwanted hair growth. You will see that your facial hair growth has reduced considerably over the days and your skin feels softer and relatively free of unwanted facial hair.

Reducing dark circles

Fed up of those dark circles that just refuse to leave your sight? Here's solution to get rid of them. Firstly drink adequate water say at least ten glasses a day. Then slice up a fresh cucumber and place the slices on your eye and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Then squeeze out the juice of the cucumber and apply it on your dark circles and leave it on for a good 20 minutes. After doing that, wash it off with cold water. Repeat this procedure as often as you can. You will see your dark circles vanish in no time. Plus this solution will soothe your eyes and help in reducing the strain they have been through in the course of the day.

About the Author

Be Beautiful

The author of this article is a Health and Wellness Coach who has been a successful organizer of several be beautiful programs for many years. Author decided to share SKIN beauty solution and tips for your healthy and happy life.

I recently purchased a Pure Night Serum from poundland and while peeling off the tags, I found out that it was no other than a Boots Botanics Serum in disguise!

So this

is actually none other than this

Pass the message, girls!

How many times have you been dazzled by a celebrity-endorsed product, a clever marketing campaign or a wonderfully designed advert to buy the product described and then be utterly disappointed when the promises are not delivered?

 Too many times.

 Let me tell you a story: when I was at University, money was very tight, a burden shared by every student. I thought I would be saving money by buying good quality cosmetics and to someone as uninformed as I was, quality meant “expensive”. I realised how wrong I was when I discovered at the end of a party, or a presentation, that my mascara had flaked, or my eyeliner had smudged, or my eyeshadow had creased… I guess we all have been there. You try to flirt with this cute guy to then realize you looked like Alice Cooper all the way through the conversation.

And the nightmare went on well into my professional life: how would you feel if you had to deliver a demanding presentation to a high-profile client to then look in the mirror to find a panda staring back at you?

 I really got fed up with paying more than £10 on mascara on average that I decided to do my own research: surely if “expensive” does not mean “quality” then I should be able to find cheaper alternatives to all these highly advertised branded cosmetics! Or at least find those that actually work, saving me all the wasted cash in trying them all…

Well, by trawling the net and looking for other female’s review and advice I have managed to save £150 on skincare and £100 on makeup over one year! And this is only because some of the products I have found reviews for were working but simply not what I was looking for! With all the products researched combined, the savings could reach up to £285 on skincare and £180 on makeup for you!

Also I have made an incredible discovery during my research… I discovered that my skin was an organ of my body just as important as my heart, my brain, my liver, my lungs or my skeleton. In fact, scientists tell us some very interesting facts about the skin like…

• Your skin is the largest organ in your body!
• Your skin breathes as much as your lungs do. In fact, if your skin were to be blocked up with paint, you might suffocate!
• Your skin is your first line of defense against disease and injury.
• Your skin is your ONLY organ that is COMPLETELY exposed to the outside world.
• Your skin is almost entirely “self recuperative”. That means that your skin is DESIGNED to be damaged and it just naturally recovers, many times when you are not even aware that there was a problem!

 Ok, well that tells how the skin is important to you from a scientific point of view, but what about the more practical aspects? Your skin is by far the most important organ TO YOU because…

• It is the first thing people notice about you. Along with your eyes and your hair, your skin is what makes an impression on others, good or bad.
• Your skin has the power to make you “sexy” if it is smooth, well toned, soft and healthy.
•  When your facial skin is brimming with life, it virtually shines, it can catch the eye of a lover, make an impression when you speak to a group or land you that big job you want.

Have you ever had an unsightly blemish, a growth or a sore on your skin and you just didn’t know what to do about it?

 Sure, we all have had that happen. Especially if that blemish is in a visible place, that awful pimple in your otherwise perfect skin can become the first and the only thing that everybody notices about you!

 Click here to find out how to get rid of acne and save up to £17!

One thing I soon realized during my quest was that we all are to be extremely careful as to where the information regarding certain cosmetics comes from.

Have you ever wondered what all these fancy, scientific-sounding terms actually meant? The answer is simple and only requires your common sense: you only need to ask yourself “what interest is there for the celebrity on my television screen to tell me about product X, Y or Z and its magical properties?”. The television ads just want to sell you something. They are not likely to come clean with the facts of life about your skin. Just keep in mind that while cosmetics are not there to make your skin ill, the companies marketing them are here to make a profit, not to educate you about what really works.

Click here to find out which cosmetics actually deliver on their promises!

 While trawling several forums on beauty and lifestyle, it became apparent that a lot of women do not know how to exactly use their make-up. Have you ever wondered what the difference between highlighters and concealers was? I also did not know what the use of a bronzer was, or how to apply blusher. There are also different ways of applying certain make-up products like foundations: do you use a brush or a sponge? Before I started researching, I did not know about a seemingly innocent fact regarding foundation that, if overlooked, could bring even more of those dreaded pimples while you are trying to cover them up!

Discover all the make-up secrets every woman should know!

Now you might ask why my ebooks are different… Well, for a start, I did not write them using scientific jargon. After all, we are only interested in finding out what works. The scientific part is only present when naming and shaming those cosmetics containing parabens for you sensitive skins out there. I have also based my research and trials on what women like you and me had to say about their favourite cosmetics. There is no propaganda in these ebooks: if a branded product is included in them, it only means that it delivered on its promises. The only interventions from the cosmetics industry are made by experienced and unbiased make-up artists and beauticians. All these useful insights from professionals will help you understand how your skin works!

THE SAVINGS IN BUYING BAD SKIN CARE PRODUCTS ALONE WILL MORE THAN PAY FOR BOTH BOOKS!

Of course, you will need to check on your waterline (lower eyelid) regularly if you want perfect results throughout the day. I have yet to encounter an eye pencil that can resist the constant duct tears attack. When applied to the upper eyelid, the crayon actually lasts very well (it was still there at 2 am after my wedding day). I also use my grey and black pencils to produce a smoky eye effect: the brushes at the other end of the pencil allows you to smudge everything in sight. It’s also handy if you want to expertly transform a mess into a smoky mess J The brush can also let you transform your eye pencil into an eyeshadow: I wanted to have silver on my eyelids but had run out of powder, so i used my chrome eyepencil instead, applied a generous layer of it and then smudge the whole lot with the brush. All in all, a wonderful little handbag staple. My only reservation is that the brush can feel a bit “harsh”.

“Get five Bourjois Eau De Gloss lip glosses for just £5 at Halfpriceperfumes.co.uk. Individually these can cost from £3.50 up to £6.99 each, so it’s nice saving. It’s max one set per person and is highly rated by our MSE forumers, read the Bourjois Forum Discussion.

What’s more spend more than £10 on your order and get 10% off. Just enter the code hpp10off at the checkout before Weds 17 Mar.

The code’s valid on all items on the site including clearance, the one day specials and the 3for2 special offers.

Delivery for Halfpriceperfumes is £3.95.”

Enjoy!