Beauty How to Finally Master Contouring in 4 Easy Steps

"Can you teach us how to contour? Will it change our lives?" Leah asked not so long ago. "Yes," I said. And unlike Mayweather, I keep my word. Moving on. No matter how many unblended Kontour selfies Kim K. posts, I am unable to follow her and my contour skills remain abysmal, resulting in a chin-strap of bronzer along my jawline. While resident makeup mother Kurtis Dam-Mikkelsen, also known as Miss Fame, is an expert in extreme contouring—just check out his YouTube page—we don't want witness protection-level transformation; we just want a subtly more sculpted face.

Here, Dam-Mikkelsen does away with the gratuitous steps to give us the most minimal guide to contouring. Thanks to Miss Fame, a more angular face is now actually easy to achieve.

The Kit: Your existing foundation plus two stick foundations: one that's two shades deeper than your overall color, and one that's two shades lighter, says Dam-Mikkelsen, who loves Bobbi Brown because it's dense but blendable.

To prep: "Using fingertips or a Kabuki brush, apply foundation to even out skin," he says. Don't worry about varsity-level coverage. It's simply about creating a uniform base.

STEP 1: MAP YOUR FACE

With the darker of the two stick foundations, "Trace the temples. If you have a larger forehead, carry straight into the hairline to minimize it," Dam-Mikkelsen says. "To bring out your cheekbones, find the hollow part by placing your fingers on the sides of your face, and where you feel it dip underneath the bones, just above is where you place your pigment. With the nose, you can go a little bit narrower at the tip or you can carry it into the brow if you have a shorter nose to add length or width."

STEP 2: BLEND IT

"Take a damp beautyblender and tap over the area of the contour color, merging it into your base foundation. Tap in small circular motions using the bigger, rounded end of the beautyblender because it has more space. But for details like the sides of the nose, I flatten it and squeeze it into my hands."

STEP 3: GET LIT

Concentrate the lighter foundation stick underneath your eyes, Dam-Mikkelsen says. "If you want to go crazy you can do a little bit in the center of the forehead and on the chin, and the bridge of the nose. Blend any excess product with a damp beautyblender."

STEP 4: DUST IT

With a fluffy brush, dust the entire face with loose powder. "Translucent is best for securing a cream foundation," Dam-Mikkelsen says.

See? Very subtle. I sharpen some parts of my face with Miss Fame-level skills every day now, and it makes a difference. Even my therapist noticed! Try it and let me know how it goes.

Contouring a round face

Source
Contouring a round face

4 Exercises To Tone Your Butt

“Bottoms Up” and I don’t mean with a drink. I mean try these great exercises to lift and firm your butt. A busy life can often derail your fitness plan. But even doing a few exercises when you have time can help you feel stronger and feel better in your clothes. I am a fan of resistance bands because they are easy to use at home, the office, or on the road. I’m a frequent flyer, so I stick a few in my suitcase and can use them right in my hotel room. Bands offer the same benefits of other resistance equipment without being big and heavy. If you use proper form and a challenging level of tension, your muscle fibers won’t know the difference between weights or bands. Even better, bands can offer more muscle recruitment because you can use multiple muscle groups at once.

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10 Tricks to Make the Whites of Your Eyes Look Even Whiter

Just as a pimple on otherwise smooth skin can ruin your day, red or yellow eyes can put a damper on your look. Besides just being a vanity issue (people with yellow or red eyes are perceived as older, tired, and sad), yellow tinted eyes can also be a sign of a larger health issues like allergic reactions, glaucoma, toxin buildup, and more. If you’ve ruled out health issues after heading to a medical professional and you’re in search of ways to make the whites of your eyes look brighter, check out our tips and tricks below!

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The Power Abs Workout Shrink your waist, improve your posture and gain more confidence with this quick abs routine.

Firm your deep ab muscles to shrink your waist, improve your posture, and gain more confidence. Do this circuit workout twice, three days a week, for a stronger core.

Absolute Power

Flat abs and killer confidence have one thing in common: a hard core. That's because the muscles that make up your middle dictate not only how you rock a sports bra but also whether you stand tall and pack a punch in kickboxing class. "Firming the deep ab muscles is the fastest way to shrink your waist and improve your posture," says Alexandra White, a co-owner of Jumping Frog Pilates in Tenafly, New Jersey, who supplied the six turbo toners on the next page. Grab a yoga mat and do the circuit twice, three days a week on alternating days. Then flash that superfly center!

Watch the workout video

How to Prevent Cold Sores

Cold Sores are a pain and unfortunately I have the tendency to get them quite often. Today I’m sharing how to prevent cold sores. This is a home remedy that really works, especially when you do it in the first stage of a cold sore. You know what they say… It is better to prevent than to cure!

If you are afraid of cold sores … Do this! 

In order to prevent a cold sore you need to treat it in the first stage. This is when you start getting that tingling, itching, burning feeling beneath the skin of your lips. I hate that feeling because I know what’s coming next! To avoid the cold sore do this!

FIRST

Peel a fresh garlic clove and cut it in half!

SECOND

Place one half of the garlic right on top of the area where you feel the beginning of a cold sore forming. Make sure that the side that was cut is touching your lip. You want the garlic juice to rub on the affected area. Do this for about 10 to 15 seconds and let it dry.

THIRD

Repeat the previous step a few hours later.

I’m not going to lie, the garlic will make a bit of a burning sensation in your lip and it doesn’t smell the best BUT it works!

Top 10 Effective Home Remedies For Hair Breakage

Hair breakage is perhaps one of the most common problems that plague men and women alike. People are often found discussing their hair fall woes! Many spend time and money on hair experts, in the hope of a cure. What most don’t know is that there are several home remedies and tips that do work miracles.

Effective Home Remedies for Hair Breakage

1. Olive oil:

Hair breakage is generally a result of dry and brittle hair. Warm olive oil acts as a deep conditioner that will condition each strand of your hair, leaving it smooth, soft and silky, not to forget less prone to breakage. Warm half a cup of olive oil and gently apply it on your scalp. With your fingers work their way through to the ends of your hair. Wrap your hair in a warm towel for an hour or longer. Rinse off and shampoo when you are ready.

2. Beer:

Yes, beer is very good for your hair! Massage it into your hair, making sure that all the strands are soaked in beer. Let the beer sit on your head for a good 15 minutes. Do not shampoo, just rinse. Be sure to rinse really well, lest you stink like a barrel of keg!

3. Egg Yolk:

Messy as it can be, the yolk of an egg applied once a week can do wonders for your hair. Whisk the yolk of one egg, blend it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl and get into the shower. Wet your hair and slather the mixture on your head. This mix is not for the scalp, it’s for your hair. Concentrate on the ends of your hair and leave the mixture on for as long as you can tolerate the stench. Once you finish, rinse your hair and shampoo as usual. A month of this will make you smile about your pretty hair.

4. Mayonnaise:

Mayonnaise remedy for hair breakage is a treat to the hair too! Once a week, work up enough mayonnaise into your scalp and work your way through to the end of each strand, and let it sit for a good half an hour, before you wash it off. The longer you leave it on, the better. The mayonnaise will penetrate into your hair and both condition and strengthen each strand. This means less hair breakage!

5. Oil Your Hair:

Oil your hair as regularly as you can. You can always wash it off if you have to step out. Or, do it in the evenings and wash it off the next day! Heat the oil and apply it to your scalp down to the ends, before you use a shower cap to cover it up or a warm towel to do the same. Leave the oil on preferably overnight, or a good one hour, to strengthen your hair and reduce hair breakage. Coconut oil is the best!

6. Vitamin E:

Vitamin E, the wonder remedy for dry skin, also makes a great hair tonic that reduces hair breakage in just a few applications. Break 5-6 capsules of vitamin E into your shampoo and wash as usual. This will reduce breakage, enhance growth and give your hair a rich and healthy glow!

7. Protein Supplements:

If the usual home remedies for hair breakage have little effect on you, it is a good idea to consume protein supplements to strengthen your hair from within. If hair breakage has been triggered by chemical treatments, pamper your hair with protein rich conditioners and shampoos that will reverse the effect of chemicals on your hair, and reduce hair breakage.

8. Don’t Brush Your Hair When Wet:

Your hair is at its weakest when wet and putting it through a rigorous brushing session is only going to mean more hair lost! Instead, saturate your hair with conditioner to tame those tresses!

9. Say No To Heat:

Heat can damage hair. The more you expose your hair to a blow dryer the more will you hear those heart wrenching snaps, every time you run your brush through your hair! Curling irons, blow dryers and other heat treatments can cause irrevocable damage to your hair. Use braids and twists to curl your hair naturally, and save the heat only for special occasions!

10. Space Out Hair Touch Ups:

Go natural, try henna and other such natural hair coloring agents. Get a touch up done once in every 8 weeks, not any sooner!

Apart from these hair breakage remedies, don’t forget to trim your hair often. A trim will reduce hair breakage as it removes the dead ends that make your hair dry, brittle and weak.

These remedies did work for me and I am sure they will work for you too! Try them and say hello to beautiful hair.

5 Simple Tips To Build Your Mental Stamina

Do you want to increase your mental stamina? Have you ever wondered what the steps to mental mastery are? Well, they aren’t anything tough, but simple habits that you can inculcate and follow every day from the comfort of your home. And this post exactly deals with those simple habits!

Read on to get your brain buzzing again in top gear:

How To Increase Mental Stamina – Factors That Affect:

These can be simple things that you don’t notice much and take for granted, like the time you spend sleeping, eating or exercising. These have a great impact, believe it or not, on your brain and mental stamina.

1. Eat Right:

Proper nutrition is the key to increasing mental stamina. The brain has a huge demand for energy and nutrients to function well. This remains unfulfilled if you don’t take enough nutrients. A “healthy brain diet” includes proteins and iron. You should also stay away from processed sugars and take a multivitamin daily.

Including almonds, blueberries and walnuts in your diet has many benefits for the brain. They work by lowering blood sugar and can improve cognition, according to brain experts. Experts attribute their health benefits to rich amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, and to good amounts of antioxidants in the blueberries.

2. Adequate Sleep:

The brain needs rest. During sleep, the brain gets some “me time” that it utilizes to rebuild its neural networks and do some mental spring cleaning. Missing out on sleep takes away this healing time. And this affects your mental stamina as well as keenness.

3. Exercise Is Key:

Rest and exercise, both are very important for the brain. Here is how to improve mental stamina through them. That’s why, experts tell us to exercise daily for at least 30 minutes every day. This not only works on our body’s muscles but also keeps our brain working at its optimum capacity.

Even a 5 minute walk around your building can up your brain stamina substantially. Exercising outdoors has more benefits for the brain than exercising within your home.

4. Manage Stress:

We have all heard about the debilitating effects of stress on our minds and bodies. Stress is a major ‘mental’ depressor.

We suggest that you turn to visualization exercises for taming this monster. All you have to do is to imagine that you’re in a soothing place whenever you are overwhelmed. Also meditate and relax consciously each muscle group from your toes to your head while meditating. This will have a brain boosting effect.

5. Concentration Makes Brain Perfect:

To increase brain stamina, include games requiring concentration, such as chess or Chinese checkers. Scrabble, Monopoly and Cards also work well as they require strategy, analysis, and endurance. These work together to increase mental stamina.

But, make sure to reduce video games. They can do more harm than good.

6. Meditation Works Well:

Meditate frequently. All you have to do is sit in a quiet corner and empty your mind of thoughts. Yes, it is a bit hard to practice in the beginning. But, it becomes easier with time. This helps in relaxing the mind and also keeping it healthy.

7. Practice Deep Breathing:

Deep abdominal breathing fills up your lungs with oxygen that improves brain function. A regular deep breathing practice is thus excellent for upping mental stamina and acuity. It also relaxes your mind, which again improves mental stamina.

Warnings:

Do not ever turn to over- the- counter (herbal) remedies that claim to help boost mental stamina. They may do more bad than good.

The road to a clear, focused and strong mind is the one of disciplined living, thought control and eating right. Do fill your minds up with positive thoughts, as positivity is a great brain tonic!

5 Exercises to Combat Cellulite

Cottage cheese should only be a reference for the actual food. No woman should ever have to worry about her thighs looking like the dimpled, lumpy food. Unfortunately it happens–even to the most avid exercisers and dieters. In fact, 90% of women suffer this condition in industrial nations. So, let’s first look at the cause to understand the solution. According to The Scientific American, cellulite occurs as women approach menopause and their estrogen levels decrease. This usually occurs around ages 25 to 35. As the estrogen decreases, so does your circulation. With less oxygen and nutrients, the collagen production levels decrease and the fat cells increase. When they begin to push through the thinning layer of collagen, they produce the bumpy look known as “cellulite.” However, as a society we have become more sedentary. Cellulite didn’t become a cultural issue, noted in publications, researched on until the 70s and 80s.

While the root of the problem is much more complex than a simple active lifestyle (check out The Cellulite Cure by osteopathic physician Lionel Bissoon), keeping your circulation at its optimum is easier to fix with exercise. Here are 5 moves aimed at tightening the thighs, saddlebags and glutes:

Plie Squat: Rather than standing with your feet hip width apart and your toes forward, scoot your legs out a little wider and point each toe to the adjacent wall: left toes toward the left wall, right toes toward the right wall. Keep the same posture and technique as a regular squat. But, when you push back up to standing position, squeeze your inner thighs. Try to tuck your butt inwards and give a little pelvic thrust at the top to make sure you are targeting your inner thighs and outer thighs.

Squats with an Exercise Ball: Place an exercise or stability ball between your legs. It should be off the ground, with its center hitting somewhere around your knee. Keeping your knees behind your toes and the weight in your heels, do a squat. This time however, squeeze your knees inward. Put as much pressure on the ball as you can as you squat down and up. Release a little of the tension when you are in standing position. For an extra challenge, hold the squat and pulse your squeezes.

Booty Bridge: Lie down on your back with your arms comfortably at your sides and your feet tucked under your knees. Push through your heels and thrust your hips upward towards the ceiling. The upper part of your back and shoulder blades should be pressed into the mat or floor. Lower yourself back down and repeat the motion. For an extra degree of difficulty, do the lift on one leg!

Mountain Hiker: This is a combination move. Start in a standing position. Bend down while placing your hands on the ground and kick your legs out. You should be in a plank position now. Kick your right leg up as close to your right hand as you can; this should feel like a very deep lunge. Pull that leg back and repeat on the left side. Then swing your right knee out to the side and tuck it on the outside of your shoulder. This is like a spiderman push up without the push up part. After each move has been done once on each side, jump or tuck your knees back in and stand up, returning to the start position.

Side Leg Raises with a Resistance Band: Grab a resistance band and place it around your calf. The higher up towards your knee, the harder this move will be. Lift your right leg up and out towards the right wall. Keep your leg straight and just hold it for a moment. Gain your balance and then put the movement into motion. Lower your leg back down. When you raise it again, really push it up and feel the pull of the band. Again, for a challenge, hold your leg up and pulse it upwards for 30 seconds. Repeat on both sides.