Pamper your hands and feet with these simple beauty aids.

The face may be the window to our soul and thus, deserving of all the special care that we lavish on it but our hands do a lot for us and those around us and our feet do the important task of carrying our weight to all places imaginable and sometimes, unimaginable. Considering that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we don’t always give them the kind of care and attention that they deserve. Anyway, it’s still not too late to make amends. There are loads of things that you can do to pamper your hands and feet without going to a salon.

One of the joys of womanhood is taking the time to pamper to face each new day looking and feeling the best. Women normally reserve pampering for special occasions such as weddings. On the contrary, periodic pampering sessions ensure that women are always prepared to face new challenges with confidence and flair. There are always chances to create special occasions simply by setting aside time to pamper, renew and recharge ourselves on a regular basis.

Overview of Skin & Function

As a beauty aid, turmeric prevents and cures pigmentation, maintains the PH balance and makes the skin glow.

Turmeric is an integral part of a bride’s beauty regimen in Pakistan and even as far as Java.

Turmeric, which is a perennial plant about 60 to 90 cm in height, has a short stem and tufted leaves, has even found a mention in ancient Sanskrit texts. From being used as a beauty aid to effectively stopping bleeding from cuts, this spice is now also used in plugging radiator leaks!

Skin should be your prized asset. A healthy diet, enough sleep, regular exercise and a complete beauty regime are all very important in maintaining good skin. Your skin just like you requires a diet to keep it taut and supple. But this diet needs to be altered to meet the skin’s requirements from time to time. The diet should be adjusted according to the climatic conditions as well as according to your age and hormonal changes. The perfect skin diet consists of good eating habits as well as good skin products, but finding the right products to suit your requirements can often be a costly, hit-and-miss affair. To make skincare simple, the first step is to identify your skin type and then address its needs.

Skin -our beauty depends on its health and glow. More and more people are finding out that our skin and its related problems and cures depend largely on what you eat. Read on to know what advice a doctor has in store for you.

Skin eruptions can lead to permanent scarring. Our expert helps you deal with the problem.

Acne, a common skin condition, appears when the body goes through physical changes and glandular secretions increase. Due to this reason, adolescents are the main victims of an acne condition. In many cases, the condition reduces after puberty and may disappear. Had this been all, there would be no cause for anxiety. But, acne can cause deep, permanent scars. It is a misconception that acne is something teenagers must live with and “grow out of “.

Prompt action pays

Worried that your makeup’s looking too patchy or dry? Your skin type may hold the answer to that problem.

There was this new foundation that looked so, so good on your friend. You went out and got yourself the same brand… but it just doesn’t seem to look as good on you. What went wrong? Your skin type, in all probability. It’s the reason why the same makeup looks great on certain people, patchy on some and totally nondescript on others. That’s because the four skin types - normal to dry skin, oily to combination skin, sensitive skin and extra dry and mature skin - all respond to makeup differently. Each skin type needs specific handling both with regard to pre-makeup preparation and skin care to feel and look good.

Shading and highlighting can add dimension to your face apart from just correcting your flaws.

Makeup is a game of adding shadows to and lighting areas of the face to accentuate your features or hide your flaws. This is done to create balance and an illusion of proportion and shape. Areas that are usually shaded are the hollows of the cheek, along the hairline and jaw line, the crease of the eye (to define the socket’s shape), the sides and the tip of the nose, the area under the chin and the temples, the sides of the neck for length, the collar bone and the cleavage.

Unflavored, unsweetened milk with minimal additives is known for its skin softening and moisturizing properties. However, milk can also be used in combination with turmeric, honey and even essential oils. The simplest beauty therapy is to take the inside of a milk bag and rub it on your face. It is even safe to be used on children, especially those with problem skins. Depending on your skin type you could use full cream or skimmed milk. Cleansing milks remove surface grease, dirt and salt left on the skin by perspiration, without upsetting the face’s delicate hydro-lipid (water-oil) balance.

Bran, gramflour and oatmeal are a few of the ingredients that hold the key to a glowing, well scrubbed complexion.

Our grandmothers swore by the exfoliating properties of chokar (wheat husk) mixed in malai that sticks to the bottom of the pan after the milk is heated. The scrub was used for rejuvenating and removing dead skin. Coarse gram flour or besan is yet another effective homemade scrub they used. Traditionally used, a turmeric scrub, over time, is known to remove facial and tender body hair altogether.