Sunday, May 9, 2010

Beautiful Healthy Smile

• Make your lipstick last!--Cover your lips with foundation and powder first.

Outline with a lip pencil then dust with a little powder again. Apply lipstick and powder again lightly. Reapply your lipstick and it will last all day!

• Drooping Lips--Cover the corners of your mouth concealer. Use a lip pencil to subtly extend lip corners upward. Then fill in color.

• Lip toner--Saturate a black tea bag with warm water. Press over clean lips for 5 minutes. Repeat if desired. Black tea is high in tannic acid which retains moisture and keeps lips smooth and taut.

• Lines around mouth--Apply almond oil around the mouth to keep your lips supple and soften the lines.

• Whiten your teeth--Change your shade of lipstick and brighten your smile. If your teeth are grayish, reach for warm shades like bronze or copper. If your teeth are more on the yellow side, pick cool, blue-based shades.

• Chapped lips: Exfoliate your lips by using an old toothbrush and a menthol based lip balm. Apply lip balm first, and then brush gently with the toothbrush.

• Hate that "lipstick-y" look?--Fill in your entire lip with a lip pencil only.

• Homemade lip balm can be made with 1 cup almond oil, 1 ounce of bees wax, 2 teaspoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of rose or vanilla extract for flavor. Mix all of these ingredients over a low heat until well incorporated, then store in an air tight container for use.

• Just like our bodies, our teeth and gums need certain essential vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and strong. Babies, children and adults all need ample amounts of the minerals calcium and phosphorous, and the vitamins A, C and D to ensure proper tooth development and strength.

• Calcium, aided by phosphorous and vitamin D, is the main component of teeth and bones. It's what helps keep them strong. Vitamin A is necessary for the formation of tooth enamel, and vitamin C is essential for healthy gums.

• Fluoride is an important mineral for tooth decay prevention. Fluoride
strengthens the enamel of young developing teeth, and acts with calcium and phosphorous to restore and harden enamel in mature teeth.