How To Minimize Damage To The Skin Around Your Eyes

Your eyes tell a lot about you.  They can immediately tell if you are tired, if you got enough sleep the night before, if you're happy, or if you're sad. Your eyes can either add or detract from your physical beauty.

The portion of skin around your eyes is one of the most delicate portions of your skin as it is much thinner and has very few oil glands.  Thus the skin under your eyes and over your eyelids depend on the additional loving care that you must provide. The following are actions you should avoid when caring for the skin under and around your eyes:

• Do not tug or pull the delicate skin under your eyes
• Avoid rubbing or wiping your eyes harshly and pat gently instead
• If you wear mascara, use an oil-free eye makeup remover to remove your mascara instead of a product that you need to wipe with much pressure.
• When applying a concealer to cover dark circles under your eyes or on the eyelid, do not tug on the skin; instead stipple using a small brush then blending with your ring finger or just use your ring finger to stipple on and blend the product.

What are some ways to counteract the natural aging process that becomes evident in the skin under your eyes and above your eyelid?  I'll cover those in my next post.

Can Positive Affirmations Really Work To Make You Feel and Look Better?

Many people scoff at positive affirmations and hold to the theory that they do not work.  Do they really work?  What are affirmations?

Affirmations are basically a form of self-talk.  Look at this realistically.  Every day, several time each day we talk to ourselves, and no not because we're crazy.  Unfortunately, most of it is negative.  Don't think so?  Let's look at these two scenes:

1) You get in your car in your driveway and you suddenly remember that you left your cell phone in the house, but it's important to have it with you. You immediately start berating yourself on being forgetful and may call yourself harsh names for not placing the phone by your keys as you usually do.
2)  You just got back from the supermarket and as you walk in the door you remember that you forgot to buy the main ingredient for the dessert you wanted to make for dinner.  You could begin to call yourself stupid, you never can remember anything, and quite a bit of negative self-talk.

This type of talk is not up-building,  does not make you feel good, and does nothing for your self-image.

Positive affirmations, on the other hand, affirm the best in you and focus on your good qualities.  They encourage you to improve in areas in which you're having a challenge.  "I'm getting better at remembering things," "Everyday I learn from my mistakes and avoid repeating them."  These are examples of positive affirmations as they help you to see yourself as you would like to be and the goal you are reaching for.

Author, Julia Cameron, notes that "Affirmations are positive statements about positive beliefs.  They help achieve a sense of safety and hope.  If we can become one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as we are at negative self-talk, we will notice an enormous change."

What can you affirm about yourself today so you will feel better on the inside and look better on the outside?

How You Look On The Outside Is Affected By How You Feel On The Inside

How you look on the outside is often a reflection of how you feel on the inside.  It is evident in your facial expression, your posture, and your body language in general.

It's often said that beauty comes from within, and while this most often refers to the good, personal qualities of a person that are evident in their personality, it is also true that how you feel on the inside affects the way you look on the outside.

If you are happy and confident, it will show in your smile and the way you walk with long, firm strides as if you know exactly where you're going and how to get there. On the other hand, if you are insecure and lack confidence, it will be evident in sadness in your eyes or a downcast expression, as well as uncertainty in your voice.  Rounded shoulders and a slump to your posture are always ways to detect the negative things that are going on inside.

Regardless of the negative things that are happening in your life, with conscious effort you can apply certain strategies to stimulate and or restore your energy and positive qualities so that the beauty within can shine through.  In my next post we will consider some suggestions that may help.

Women of All Skin Color Need to Protect Their Skin From Sun Damage

Recently I recommended the use of a moisturizer with sunscreen to one of my skin care customers, who is an African American, and she responded that she did not like products with sunscreen as she felt they caused a darkening of her skin tone.

In my over 10 years of providing skin care I've found that many people of different races have an aversion to sunscreen  for various reasons.  Some of my Caucasian customers do not like sunscreen, especially on their face, because they say it makes them feel oily, while others say they do not like the 'sticky' feel.

Regardless of the reason, real of imagined, it is important to wear sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15, as it helps to protect your skin from the damaging UVA rays that contributes to early aging of the skin, and UVB rays that burn the outer layer of the skin.

As a dark complexioned woman myself, I am very concerned about many women of color who resist using sunscreen because they feel they do not need it.  This is in line with the results of a recent study which revealed that 63% of African Americans never use sunscreen.

Keep in mind that while melanoma, which is a dangerous form of skin cancer, is more common among Caucasians, there are studies which show that the survival rate for African Americans is lower, perhaps because of the timing of the diagnosis.  It would appear that by the time it's diagnosed, it is too late.

It's obviously going to be a very hot summer.  Everyone should make sure to apply sunscreen liberally and repeat every two hours, especially when outdoors.

What is your opinion on the value of sunscreen?  Please share your thoughts.