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Archive for the ‘Beauty’ Category

Catherine Zeta Jones wears it. So does Jennifer Lopez. Why? Airbrush makeup creates a flawless face – almost as if you took your picture and ran it through Photoshop.

Here’s how it works. A tiny amount of specialized foundation makeup is mixed with a few drops of water, and then sprayed onto the face with a wand. The result is a sheer, yet full coverage. You end up wearing less foundation, but with a flawless finish. It even hides under eye circles and rosacea.

Tools for At-Home Airbrush Application

airbrush compressor

airbrush wand (sometimes called a pen)

hose (connects the wand and the compressor)

makeup foundation

bottled water

First time users can get this equipment in a kit. After that, all you will need is the foundation. Expect to pay from $120 to $600 or more as your initial investment. Once you’ve purchased your kit, the only further cost is foundation, which can be about $20. Some companies are making smaller compressors, which are easier for home use and for travel.

How to Apply

1. Place a few drops of foundation into the designated cup, along with a few drops of water. (Each brand will have its own instructions telling you specifically how many drops of each to use.)

2. Hold the wand about 6 to 10 inches from your face, and spray the mixture in gentle circles over your face and neck. Never hold the wand in one place. Keep it moving. And don’t spray it into your eyes. Keep your eyes closed if you can.

3. Let it dry. If you want, you can apply a second coat. After that’s dry, you’re good to go. No need for finishing or setting powder.

What Kind of Foundation to Buy

Airbrush makeup foundations come in two types: silicone-based and water-based. Many professionals recommend the silicone, saying that it creates a slightly more flawless look. You need to purchase dedicated airbrush makeup – you can’t use your regular foundation in these machines.

Cruelty-Free Companies

The good news is that many airbrush companies make non-animal tested foundations. Dinair Airbrush Makeup, OCC, and Luminess are among many cruelty-free brands.

Blush and Eye Shadow

You can buy airbrush-ready blush and eye shadow, although that may require the purchase of a special nozzle for your wand. But once your basic foundation is dry, there’s no problem using your regular powder blush and eye makeup.

Airbrush Advantages

Once airbrushed, you are good to go for up to 10 or 20 hours, with an average of around 16 hours. It won’t rub off on anything or disappear into your pores.

If you’re sharing the makeup – at a wedding, for example – the airbrush system is sanitary, since it never actually touches the skin.

Some of the kits and foundations can be used on legs, to conceal veins and discolorations. That means no panty-hose, ladies!

Special effects, such as stencil tattoos, are easily applied.

Airbrush Disadvantages

It’s expensive, especially at first.

Applying the makeup is time consuming and requires the equipment, a power supply, a water source, and enough space.

If you’re applying it on yourself and you’re alone, you’ve got to do at least parts of the application with your eyes closed. You don’t want to get the product in your eyes.

You can’t throw it into your purse like you can with mineral makeup or regular foundation.

If you use airbrush makeup a lot, you might consider some sort of face mask. No one has definitive information yet about how much of the product gets into your lungs.

Still, that ultra flawless, pore-less even look is a very appealing idea. Some women even say the makeup hides some of their wrinkles. If you want that look, airbrush makeup is certainly worth a try.

Breast lift surgery, clinically referred to as a mastopexy, restores a youthful appearance to a woman’s breasts.  Over the years breasts lose their shape and firmness due to pregnancy, nursing, and loss of skin elasticity, which basically means they end up sagging.  A Mastopexy will raise and reshape breasts—slowing the effects of aging and gravity.  This procedure can reduce the size of the areola, the darker skin surrounding the nipple.

Mastopexy is often performed in conjunction with breast augmentation to increase breast firmness and size.  This may appeal to women who have lost breast volume after pregnancy.  Pregnancy and nursing often result in stretched skin and therefore decreased volume.  As with all cosmetic surgery, realistic expectations are important.  Though breasts of any size can be lifted, women with smaller breasts enjoy longer lasting results.

A mastopexy is not a simple operation, though it is still normally safe when performed by a qualified plastic surgeon. Mastopexy is occasionally performed in a hospital, but more often is done in an outpatient facility.  Breast lifts are usually performed under general anesthesia.  The surgery may take anywhere between 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, and there is some recovery time.  As with any surgery, there are possible complications.  A patient may suffer an adverse reaction to the anesthesia (very rare), or experience bleeding and infection following a breast lift, causing scars to widen.  Poor healing and wider scars are more common with patients who smoke.

After surgery, stitches will be covered with gauze and an elastic bandage, or a surgical bra will hold the breasts in place.  Breasts will be bruised, swollen, and there will be some mild discomfort for a couple of days.  A soft support bra replaces the bandages or surgical bra after a few days.  While recovering, a bra should be worn at all times.  To ensure proper healing, plan to stay at home for at least a week before returning to work. The patient should avoid lifting anything over your head for 3-4 weeks and avoid strenuous exertion of any kind for a month

If an individual follows this advice, then with minimum pain and quick recovery she will be able to enjoy the benefits of a successfully finished procedure, and enjoy the added attention she will undoubtedly receive.

Often the biggest frustration for those with combination skin is caring for it properly. Having both dry and oily skin areas on your face can make skin care seem almost impossible. There are, however, things that you can do to care for and keep your combination skin healthy and feeling good.

For one thing, some areas of your face may feel tight after you wash. This will typically be on the parts of your face not included in the T-zone area. These areas will likely also look flaky and dull and may feel rough.

First of all, make sure you are cleansing every day. Use a mild cleanser on your entire face. Use the cleanser twice a day, preferably before bed at night and after get up in the morning. These are the times your face most needs to be cleansed anyway, but if you have combination skin it is imperative.

Get a good moisturizer. Once you have identified which parts of your face are the dry parts, most likely these areas are not in the T-zone and this is the area you will treat. Use the moisturizer on those dry areas only. Using it in your oily T-zone will only make that area worse.

The goal when you have combination skin is to normalize it. Normalizing is trying to gain a balance between the oily and dry areas so that all your skin looks and feels the same. In order to accomplish this feat, you want to look for products that are made for such normalization. For instance, ones that contain alpha hydroxyl acids (fruit acids or AHA’s) or retinols will work best. Retinols are a vitamin A derivative. Such products should help you to gain more normal and even looking skin.

The reason AHA creams are so beneficial to your skin is that they area catalyst for skin cell regeneration. By burning off or removing the top layer of skin cells (or the too oily and too dry ones) they expose the healthier skin cells beneath them. These cells are more likely to absorb moisturizers. They also help improve skin elasticity through their water-binding properties. This can help with that “tight” feeling you may get in the dry areas with your combination skin. The only thing about which you need to be aware is that once you are using AHA’s, you need to continue using them. Once you stop, your cells will not regenerate at the rate they were with the AHA and will return to their original state very soon.