When the Wind Blows

 

 

When we think of how the weather can adversely affect our health, we usually think of the damage caused by the sun. But when the weather turns cold and blustery, bitter winds can also have a negative effect – causing everything from earache to chapped lips.

Of course, windy weather is no reason to avoid going outdoors. In fact getting out and about on a blustery day can be invigorating and energising. So here are some tips to keep you comfortable in windy weather:

 

Earache
Some people find that windy conditions can cause earaches. Even on a warm day, if you are moving quickly, such as when jogging or cycling, you may find that the breeze created can lead to ear pain. If wind affects you in this way, make sure you always have a hat with you – a woolly one for winter and a lightweight version for warmer weather.

 

Chapped Lips
When you are out and about in strong winds, the delicate skin on your lips can quickly become chapped. You can treat chapped lips with stick treatments or ointments from the chemist. However the best way to avoid chapped lips is to use a protective lip balm containing petroleum or beeswax – this will create a barrier to protect lips from the wind whilst sealing in moisture.

 

Dry Skin
Cold, dry, windy conditions can lead to windburn – an irritation of the skin which is usually red and sore. It’s quite common for people who participate in winter sports such as skiing to develop windburn. You can treat the symptoms by regularly applying a moisturiser – choose an unscented version to avoid further irritation.

 

For more information about looking after your skin in different conditions, visit: www.nhs.uk/Livewell/skin/Pages/Skinhome.aspx

 

Categories: chapped, chapped lips, lips, nbsp, skin, weather, weather nbsp, windy conditions, windy weather

Tea, Stretch, Lips, Cream: Four Night Time Anti-Ageing Steps

 

 

You may not realise this, but just before bed is the perfect time to take care of your wellbeing, especially in terms of your anti-ageing wellness. This is the time when your body starts replenishing itself and begins to relax, and so any good habits you implement will be more effective at night. Here at the four best rituals you can incorporate into your bedtime routine, in order to look your absolute best.

 

1. Switch to decaf. Why does the evening seem to be the time for drinking stimulants? It makes absolutely no sense; drinking caffeine or more than a couple of alcoholic beverages in the evening will keep you awake, which will cause you to lose out on restorative sleep time. Your evening coffee also does damage to your skin health, as it dehydrates your skin and increases the appearance of wrinkles. If you crave a hot drink before bed, drink decaf tea. However, your best option is plain-old ice water.

 

2. Stretch. If you start doing some gentle stretching before bed, in a few weeks time you’ll start to see amazing results. Stretching lengthens your muscles, meaning that you’ll have a leaner, more toned appearance in addition to being more limber. Plus, simple, light stretching helps you to relax and get a good night’s sleep – which is essential for looking young and fresh come morning.

 

3. Apply an anti-ageing moisturiser and eye cream. The active ingredients in anti-ageing products often don’t react well with sunlight, and so it’s better to apply them at night. Make sure your product contains retinol, as this is one of the only anti-ageing ingredients that have been scientifically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and create smoother skin. As the skin around your eyes is extremely delicate, you’ll also need an to layer an eye cream on top of your moisturiser for extra protection and hydration.

 

4. Soften your lips. If you’re going to have younger, smoother skin and a lean and limber body, you may as well have soft, kissable lips to match. When you’re brushing your teeth before bed, run your toothbrush lightly back and forth across your upper and lower lips a few times. This will help to exfoliate your lips and get rid of any dry, flaky skin. After a few seconds of that, apply a softening lip balm and you will wake up with noticeably nicer lips.

 

Categories: ageing, anti ageing, decaf tea, Eye Cream, lips, nbsp, Night Cream, skin, smoother skin, Stretching, time

5 Body Parts that Might Benefit from Dermal Fillers

As your skin ages, your skin loses collagen and fat and falls prey to other factors such as sun damage, smoking, poor diet and pollution. All of these things can take their toll on your anti-ageing wellness, causing your skin to appear wrinkly and saggy. However, dermal fillers are non-surgical injections that claim to restore youthfulness to your face, but how do they work? We spoke to celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Dr Shuba Dharmana, the Founder of Le’Jeune Medspa and winner of Woman Entrepreneur of the year 2012, to find out more.

 

According to Dr Dharmana, ‘Dermal fillers contain hyaluronic acid in a very purified form. This is used to build collagen that is lost from the ageing skin thus restoring volume, lifting sagging skin and plumping out the folds. The hyaluronic acid filler is injected in to the layers of skin, in the folds after numbing the skin with a local anaesthetic cream…These injections are not very painful when used with the numbing cream and you may feel only a slight discomfort. But the effects of the fillers last for 12-18 months and they help maintain younger looking skin.’ So which areas can be treated with dermal fillers?

 

1. Cheeks: ‘As we age, we lose volume in the cheeks,’ says Dr Dharmana. ‘This, in addition to the effects of gravity causes the underlying tissues and the skin to droop giving rise to laughter folds. This volume in the cheeks can be regained with thicker dermal fillers that not only create a fuller, youthful lift giving high cheek bones but also correct the laughter lines.’

 

2. Lips: Dr Dharmana explains, ‘The injections used in the lips will help accentuate the lip line, the cupid’s bow area, the smoker’s lines and to plump body of the lips. Depending on one’s pain threshold, they may choose to have this with a local anaesthetic cream or have a set of numbing injections called ‘dental blocks’ given into the gums inside the mouth prior to the procedure. These injections given inside the mouth are relatively painless and are similar to an injection from your dentist before a tooth removal.’

 

3. Décolletage: ‘We often overlook our décolletage, the most age revealing part of our bodies,’ Dr Dharmana laments. ‘It is the area comprising the neck, shoulders, cleavage. The skin around the cleavage is one of the first places women show their age. The skin is fine, thin and very delicate, and tends to show sunspots and lines easily with age. Women also tend to overlook this area when it comes to skincare, not realising they should be treating it with just as much care as their face. This area can be treated effectively with a slightly less viscous dermal filler like Juvederm Hydrate, Restylane Vital, Mesolis or IAL. You will have a series of tiny injections in the area after using a numbing cream and you will require three sessions and maintenance treatment once every three months.’

 

4. Nose: Dr Dharmana asks, ‘Don’t like the shape of your nose? You can correct it without surgery with this treatment. Fillers are used to non-surgically repair a crooked nose or build a higher nasal bridge. This non-surgical rhinoplasty performed with fillers lasts up to two years.’

 

5. Hands: ‘Hands, especially fingers show signs of ageing which can be corrected with the help of a filler that hydrates, lifts and plumps volume in to the sagging skin,’ notes Dr Dharmana.

 

But what about possible side-effects? Dr Dharmana adds, ‘Due to the use of needle, there is likely to be some bleeding and rarely some bruising at the injection site. Redness and swelling may occur after the injection and this reaction may last for two weeks. There is rarely any discolouration of the injection site, nodules. But if these develop, report them to the practitioner as soon as possible so they can advise on the best course of treatment.’

 

Categories: anaesthetic cream, Dermal Fillers, dr dharmana, Hyaluronic Acid, injection site, lips, local anaesthetic, nose, numbing cream, Sagging Skin, skin

How to Have the Hottest Make-Out Session Of Your Life!

We all love a good make out session, as it often leads to mind-blowing sex. However, you can sometimes forget how important kissing is to your sexual health. Once you’ve moved beyond kissing and onto, ahem, other things, you tend to focus on the more overtly sexual stuff as your goal. Yet kissing is a hotter form of foreplay than you realise, and can work wonders for your sexual wellbeing. Therefore, we’ve spoken to sex therapist Sonia Borg, PhD, author of Marathon Sex: Incredible Lovemaking Experiences Hotter and Longer Than You’ve Ever Done It Before and sexologist Jessica “Dr. Jess” O’Reilly, PhD, founder of sexwithdrjess.com, for their hottest tips for improving your kissing wellness.

 

1. Play with Your Positions: ‘How you angle your bodies affects the mood of your make-out sesh,’ say Borg and O’Reilly. ‘If you feel like being in charge, sit on his lap and wrap your legs around him so you’re kissing him from above. Want him to take the reins? Stand up so he towers over you (if he’s taller). A hot horizontal option is to kiss him while spooning—push your butt into his pelvis and grind against him.’

 

2. Sense His Breath: Though it sounds weird out of context, when you’re in the moment and you feel your partner’s breath on your mouth, there’s something very sensual about that. Borg and O’Reilly instruct, ‘Lightly brush your lips against his, letting the sensation of his exhales linger on your skin.’

 

3. Change Up Your Technique: Borg and O’Reilly note, ‘Changing up your technique builds excitement, so alternate between different mouth moves: Slide your tongue back and forth between his lips or against his gums. Swirl your tongue around his, then take his tongue into your mouth and suck on it the way you would his penis. Gently nibble his lower lip.’

 

4. Get in Sync: Borg and O’Reilly recommend, ‘For an incredibly soulful kiss, put your hand on your man’s heart and smooch in rhythm with his heartbeat.’

 

5. Get Your Hands in the Game: ‘Kissing isn’t just about the lips,’ Borg and O’Reilly point out. ‘Get creative with your hands, too. Seductively play with his fingers as though you were giving his digits a hand-job, passionately rub and grab at his inner thighs, or drag your fingers through his scalp and tug on his hair.’

 

6. Use Everything You’ve Got: Why stop at lips and hands, when you’ve got a whole body that can turn your partner on even more?  ‘Pulsate your groin against his,’ Borg and O’Reilly advise. ‘Try straddling him, undoing a couple of his shirt buttons, and then pressing your breasts against his chest. Or stroke yourself in tandem with your kisses, so he can see you getting aroused.’

 

7. Don’t Knock Dry-Humping: ‘There’s a reason every teenager in the book does it,’ Borg and O’Reilly argue. ‘Simulating sex (and watching each other get off in the process) makes actually doing it way steamier. While making out, thrust your hips into his, or grind your way up and down his leg.’

 

8. Pay Attention to His Ears and Eyes: Tell your partner just how badly you want him, and what you’re about to do to him. Even just a moan can make things feel naughtier, but if you’re feeling adventurous, something along the lines of, “I want you to plow inside of me,” is practically guaranteed to make him blow his load. With his eyes, Borg and O’Reilly point out, ‘Couples often neglect to make eye contact while getting it on. It’s the quickest, easiest way to instantly intensify things.’

Categories: borg, kissing, lips, nbsp, positions, reilly, reilly point, technique

Soft Skin, Shiny Hair, Kissable Lips: Thanks to Olive Oil!

In today’s tight economy, the name of the game is cutting costs without sacrificing on quality or your wellness. This means more and more people are turning to ancient wisdom for some tried and tested ways to look after their wellbeing. While this usually means turning to Ancient Egypt, Rome or Asia, here in Europe we have a little bit of ancient knowledge up our sleeves too; olive oil. Yes, you may use it in cooking or drizzle it on salads to prevent heart health concerns, but there are numerous benefits to olive oil that you may not realise.

 

1. Moisturising your skin: In the world of beauty, no one is going to be surprised that oil can make for an effective moisturiser. However, Mediterranean women swear by olive oil specifically for helping them keep their skin young and radiant – and there’s a reason. Olive oil is packed with antioxidants, which helps to defend your body against free radicals. These little devils are thought to be behind major diseases, inflammation and – this is the important bit in this section of the article – premature ageing. Moreover, as olive oil contains vitamin E, it works to repair your cells, as well as protecting them from UV rays and further damage. All you need to do is rub a small amount on your face and neck in the morning and evening. Alternately, you can try mixing the oil with sea salt and adding a little lemon zest for an amazing body scrub.

 

2. Conditioning your hair: If you can get your head around the fact that olive oil makes for a great moisturiser, you should have no trouble seeing how great it can work as a hair conditioner. Simply warm up the oil and apply it to your hair and scalp. After 20 to 30 minutes, wash your hair thoroughly for a super soft, well-conditioned, frizz-free style.

 

3. Making your lips more kissable: I hope, by now, you’re beginning to see the nourishing nature of olive oil, which is why it’s so perfect for providing moisture to your lips. Whether your lips start chapping in the cold winter months or the dry summer days, olive oil can help you out even if you have particularly sensitive lips. Start by brushing your lips when you brush your teeth in the morning, as this will exfoliate away any of the bad bits. Then apply a small amount of olive oil. You could do this at the same time as you moisturise your face – saving money and time, what a winner.

 

4. Getting rid of head lice: Is there a bigger pain to deal with than head lice? Whether you’re sick of nit-picking and chemically treating your kids’ or your own scalp, olive oil can be a gentle and effective solution. The way it works is that the olive oil smothers the lice in the same way that other natural solutions – like petroleum jelly, butter, or mayonnaise – do. However, olive oil is the most effective of all these methods, as well as being the easiest to wash out and – as we’ve previously covered – leaving your hair in wonderful condition. All you need to do is apply olive oil generously over your hair and scalp, cover it with a shower cap and let it do its work overnight. When you wake up, simply comb out the nits and give your hair a wash. Not only will the olive oil kill the lice during the night, but the smooth, nourishing oil will also make combing so much easier.

Categories: hair, Hair Conditioner, Head Lice, lice, lips, nbsp, olive, olive oil, Skin Moisturiser