While each meal is important, breakfast is the most important because we need to jump-start our metabolisms.  A low sugar, high protein morning meal does the job of awakening the metabolism and will keep you satisfied until lunch.  Also for variety, we can try adding oatmeal into our breakfast menu. Oatmeal is low in fat and sugar, high in fiber, and packed with beauty enhancing vitamins and  a revved up metabolism is essential to healthy weight management too.

Foods for Healthy Skin

Foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals are the best options to build and maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails. Most have seen people with absolutely glowing skin and a great outlook on life. If their diets were examined closely, you would find that these people eat a common diet.  Their diet includes whole food sources of vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E, lycopene, and omega 3 fatty acids. Vitamin C and lycopene helps the body to build skin collagen which translates into fabulous skin. Vitamin E and beta carotene protect the skin from harmful free radical and sun damage. Omega 3 fatty acids nourish the skin to give it softness and smoothness.

Examples of foods containing these nutrients are listed below:

Oranges – Vitamin C
Strawberries – Vitamin C
Grapefruit – Vitamin C and Lycopene
Sweet Potato – Beta Carotene
Walnuts- Omega 3 fatty acid
Almonds – Vitamin E
Eggs – Protein and every vitamin except vitamin C

Foods and Beverages That We Need to Avoid.

There are foods and beverages that are absolute beauty busters. Foods containing processed sugar are to be avoided or severely limited if you want a lifetime of healthy looking skin. The sugar serves to break down the body’s collagen production, and it promotes unhealthy weight gain. Caffeinated, sugar laden soft drinks are the main saboteurs of healthy skin because caffeine dehydrates the entire body including the skin. Pure water with a twist of lemon is a great replacement beverage.

Making a few simple changes in our daily diets and eating habits can make us feel more energetic and keep us healty and beautiful from the inside out.

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Nail art trace its origins to Japan. Japanese street fashion is known for being colorful and cartoonish, in the best possible way. Clothing is not supposed to reflect reality. It’s all about having fun and being colorful. It comes as no surprise that women who dress this way would see their nails as potential spaces for even more color.

Nail art became popular in the United States when people started using social networking websites like Pinterest and Tumblr to post pictures of how things they see and do in their normal, daily lives. These websites are unique among social networking sites because they make it easy and fun for users to share photos without much text. Once it became common for people to communicate solely by images, people began to share their ideas for fashion and crafting. Nail art is a natural outgrowth of this process. It is a relatively inexpensive way to express one’s creativity, and since nails need to be repainted frequently, people who enjoy nail art have a constant source of new photos.

Nail art received its first official endorsement when Katy Perry arrived at her Part of Me premiere with little three-dimensional charms attached to her nails. Each finger was decorated with a different miniature item that represented movies, such as popcorn and film reels. The Olympics placed nail art on a global stage. The female athletes were unable to wear jewelry when they competed, so they expressed themselves by painting their nails. Many of the women showed their patriotism by putting their nations’ flags on their fingertips. Some of them alternated between flags, the Olympic rings and imagery having to do with the sports they played. This trend was reminiscent of the way cheerleaders decorate their faces with temporary tattoos depicting their schools’ mascots. It was a cute way of showing team spirit that did not hamper the Olympians’ athleticism.

Nail art does not always have to be complex or hard to do. People who paint their own nails start with simple stripes. Anyone who has mastered French manicures can paint checked and crisscrossed patterns after a bit of practice. So for those of you who are unable to paint your own nails, you can still participate in this fun trend. Companies like Sally Hansen and Sephora make nail stickers that cover the whole nail with pre-printed designs. These stickers look like nail polish, and they last just as long. Tiny stickers in shapes like hearts and stars can be placed on nails in unique arrangements as well.

So when it comes to your nails, go for it, have fun and express your style.

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Change Your Shampoo/Conditioner

Sometimes dull hair can be caused by using low-quality shampoos and conditioners. If you are not satisfied with the way your hair products make you feel, try switching to a different brand or formula. One great thing to look for is products labeled “smooth and silky” or those with a similar label. It may take you a while to find the perfect product, but you will usually instantly feel a difference in the way your hair feels.

Use Cool Water

Instead of washing and rinsing your hair with hot water, try turning down the temperature so you are washing your hair with cool water. This helps to prevent frizz and dryness.

Deep Condition Once per Week

If you are willing to pay a little bit extra for shiny hair, try investing in a good deep conditioner and use it once per week. Deep conditioning will help to moisturize your hair and to keep it smooth, shiny, and healthy. Deep conditioning can also help with split ends to reduce frizz.

Mayonnaise Treatment

A lot of people who don’t use a deep conditioner try a cheap at-home remedy using mayonnaise. With this treatment, it is very important that you use real mayonnaise and not an imitation. Simply coat your hair in mayonnaise, use a comb to get rid of any clumps, cover your hair with a towel or plastic cap, and leave in for at least three hours. Once your hair is done soaking, wash it out with regular shampoo, and use conditioner afterward. You can also use this treatment over-night if you don’t have very much free time. Only use the mayonnaise treatment twice per month at the most.

Trim the Ends

Another thing you can do to help reduce frizz and make your hair look shinier is to get a trim. Often times hair looks dull because of frizzy split ends. A simple trim can get rid of these split ends without making a noticeable difference in the length of your hair.

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