Beauty

Make Up; Too Made Up? A typical teenage girl will apply three main types of makeup every morning; foundation, eyeliner and mascara. Even though these products will make our skin seem flawless, our eyes more dramatic and our lashes long and luscious, what are we really caking on our face?

Looking deeper into foundation, it is seen that there are seven different variations, oil/emollient based, oil-based, alcohol based, powder based, mineral based, water based, and silicone based. The oil and emollient based products are the oldest types of foundations. These products are said to have a thick coverage which hides flaws successfully, but the problem with them is that they are thick and can clog pores causing acne breakouts and black heads.

The alcohol based make up is light and usually will not clog pores like the oil based emollients would, however, alcohol dries out the skin and can cause the skin to seem ashy and have areas of the skin to flake off. Just like alcohol based make up, powder and mineral based make up will absorb the skin’s natural moisturizing oils and dry the skin our causing the ashy and flaky appearance.

Water based cosmetics are healthier than most for your skin. While all make up speeds up the aging process, water based foundation have less harmful chemicals (such as the oils and alcohol) than most. The drawback to water based make up is that they are not as comfortable as other make ups and have a tendency to run in the heat because they are not water proof.

The final type of foundation is silicone based make up. The silicone based make up is a blend of water a silicone which makes the make up more comfortable, however, the silicone make up has a tendency to ball up on the skin. The main danger with this product is those who are allergic to silicone can suffer an allergic reaction to these products, however, like water based products, they are better than most foundations for your skin. Along with early again, another effect that all make up has on the skin is that it can trap germs inside the skin’s pores can cause acne and infections.

Two High school girls were interviewed and tested on their eye makeup knowledge. They both knew that infections could be caused by makeup but they did not know which ones, the severity of them or how to treat them. In order to enlighten them and all teenage girls yes, eyeliner and mascara can give you eye infections, the most common infections that they give are acute conjunctivitis, styes and blepharitis. Acute conjunctivitis, better known as “pink eye” is an infection in the eye which is caused by a person’s eye coming into contact with another infected person’s eye discharge or tears. This is most commonly seen in teens when the teen has shared eye make up with a friend who was infected. To treat pink eye, medical attention must be sought. Usually the treating physician will prescribe a type of antibiotic eye drop to fight the infection.

Styes are infections that occur on the eyelid, they typically resemble a small pimple that resides on the edge of the lid. Styes are commonly caused by bacteria becoming lodged under the skin of the eyelid. The main type of bacteria that is the major cause in styes is a staphylococcal bacterium which is most commonly found in the nose. This bacterium is most commonly passed by sharing make up with an infected person, or rubbing the nose then the eyes. There is not a true treatment for a stye because they typically go away in a few days, but to reduce the redness and speed the process up, a hot compress can be applied a couple times a day.

Finally, blepharitis is a bacterial infection on the anterior side of the lid. If left untreated this infection can get severe and even lead to the loss of eye lashes. The symptoms of this infection include: tearing, crusting, flaking, itching and burning. The makeup that most commonly causes blepharitis are mascara and eye liner. Eye doctors will most commonly prescribe over the counter eye scrubs and cleaners to keep the eyes hygienic.

These viruses and infections are easier to be passed and contracted due to the waxy materials that eye makeup is made of and how easily they can trap germs under the pores. Also, since the pencils and brushes touch the moist parts of our eyes the bacteria that we may possess can easily be passed to someone who shares our makeup. None of the ingredients in it help our skin in the long run and can cause infections and discomfort. While some make up may be better for your skin than others they all cause early aging, acne, and increase our risk for contracting bacterial infections. Use it at your own risk and never share it, because now we know the consequences of this made up material.

Beauty is Natural Soothing and repairing facial moisturizer-$40. Foot exfoliation cream-$12. Damage repairing hair serum-$20. Acne fighting facial wash-$20. Why is beauty breaking your bank? In today’s world, women spend hundreds of dollars on beauty products. But if you’re pressed for cash or can’t justify buying products this expensive, what’s the alternative? The solution lies in what these expensive products have in common: their ingredients. What I have found is that the money for beauty shouldn’t be spent at CVS but at the local grocery store. Instead of spending the $40 for the 1.7oz of the designer Nuxe facial cream that is raved about in all the beauty magazi nes, try spending $2.99 on Quaker Oatmeal and $7.75 on Earthy delights 8.5oz bottle of organic avocado oil. Combine these two ingredients with a touch of honey until it becomes a thick paste, place it on the face until it begins to dry, then rise away and allow to air dry. The oatmeal will reduce redness and make the skin softer while the avocado oil will repair the skin; it’s also a good choice for sensitive skin because it’s mild and won’t cause a reaction. One more added bonus is that the total cost of this product will be about $12 (with tax) for more than 10oz of this facial mask as compared to $40 for 1.7oz.

To help those dry winter heels and elbows, go nuts. Walnuts are rich in moisturizing oils and are coarse enough to slough off dry and dead skin. Ziayad shelled walnuts sold in a 12oz bag costs 5.99 as opposed to the $12 exfoliation creams. To create your organic exfoliation cream fist blend ¼ cup of shelled walnuts, ½ cup of olive oil, and a tablespoon of honey in a food processor on a slow speed. This scrub will slough off the dead skin as well as lock in moisture to make the dry skin smooth. Comparing the $12, 10oz product to the 12oz bag of walnuts alone, it shows how much further your dollar will stretch. However, if you have an allergy to nuts, there is an alternative.

Oranges are rich in fructose acid which works against dead skin, helping remove it from the healthy skin. This scrub is made by squeezing the juice out of one half of the orange and adding ¼ of a cup of granulated sugar and ¼ cup of olive oil. When these ingredients combine they form a moisturizing scrub that will slough off dead skin and moisturize the dry just like the walnut scrub does. Also, the orange scrub is just as inexpensive, oranges cost under a dollar apiece and the minimal amount of olive oil and sugar used can be found around the house.

When your muscles are damaged they crave protein to repair the torn tissue in the body. It’s the same concept with your hair. If your hair is dry and damaged it needs a source of protein to help it repair itself and keep the shiny lustrous look. The protein compound found in eggs is the same compound that is found in all the expensive repairing hair serums. To achieve the same effect that the serums have whisk together one egg, two tablespoon of sesame oil and two tablespoons of coconut oil. Then apply this mixture to the hair and wrap your hair in a hot moist towel for ten minutes. After ten minutes shampoo the hair and rise away the mixture. The cost of the ingredients for this product total are approximately $13 (eggs are $2.99 per dozen, $7 virgin coconut oil, and $3 Aura Cacia sesame oil) in comparison to the $20 3.4 ounce bottle of L’occitane hair serum by Sephora. Finally, all teens have seen all those expensive acne fighting facial washes like proactive that cost approximately $20 per month, but why not try spending $4 on a bottle of apple cider vinegar? Apple cider vinegar contains a high acid content which when applied to the skin, makes the skin resistant to blemish causing bacteria. First cut a handful of fresh parsley and crush it so the oils of the parsley are on the surface of the herb. Then steep the parsley with a tea bag in ½ cup of water for ten minutes. Once steeped, allow the liquid to cool and then add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the mixture. The best way to apply this liquid to the face is to pour it into a spray bottle and spray onto a freshly cleaned face.

Back in the day when there wasn’t a local CVS on the corner packed with every beauty supply imaginable, women concocted these natural homemade remedies for their beauty problems. If these products worked for those women, why can’t they work for us now? They can, and do. Since they are all natural, they are healthier for our skin, and unlike many of the beauty products today they don’t contain harsh chemicals that can cause a reaction. Finally, the home made products are very inexpensive to make, and truly stretch that dollar so that beauty is no longer breaking your bank.

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Want one more additional homemade beauty remedy? This oatmeal, yogurt and honey mask exfoliates and leaves your skin soft, smooth and hydrated. An added bonus is that it will reduce redness in blemishes and pimples, and help prevent future breakouts. With this step by step video, assembling this recipe is quick and easy. Also, since it’s homemade it doesn’t have harsh chemicals that can cause a reaction, or a harsh price tag.

Kiss the Freshmen Fifteen Goodbye College. One word that means so much to so many teens. It’s not just an opportunity for higher education but it’s the time in the teens life when they leave the parents nest and gain their own wings. There are new friends, new experiences and new opportunities at every corner. Hidden in behind those corners also lurks calories, sugars and the infamous freshmen fifteen. But how can we experience all that there is to experience of college without the extra pounds? The secret lies in three main points, overeating, under exercising, and overly stressing.

There are two culprits under the first topic of over eating. The first culprit is the meal plan. Many parents and students opt for the unlimited meal plan to ensure that their son or daughter will never go hungry. The problem that many students run into with the unlimited plan is that they tend to eat as much as they can and whatever they want, without their parents there to help guide them on what to eat the menu mainly consists of pizza and french fries. The first step in avoiding the freshmen fifteen is to think about nutrition. Even though mom and dad aren’t there to put the veggies on our plate, it’s still important to remember the things we used to eat and how healthy we were before college. Without the fruits and veggies our bodies lack essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that we need to be healthy. So even though pepperoni pizza may be your favorite food, try to limit yourself and remember that it doesn’t provide the nutrients that your body needs.

The second culprit in the overeating category is partying and drinking. Even though we all know under aged drinking is illegal, we are all aware that it happens at colleges. In college the students are on their own and are around some students who are of age to drink. The older students throw parties and freshmen attend. Some, new to the party scene tend to consume a decent amount of alcohol and some on a regular basis. What the students don’t realize is that alcohol is loaded with calories.

The main point in gaining the freshmen fifteen is under exercising. Even though you have book reports out the whazoo and millions of chapters to read, you need to make time for yourself. If you don’t keep your body healthy and active, your grades will begin to follow the downward spiral. Exercise doesn’t have to be boring either take those new friends you make and convince them to come to the gym with you or sign up together for the kick boxing club. By having a gym buddy it will create a positive peer pressure so the two of you can’t let each other down. Not only is this a bonding experience for you and your new friends it will keep you healthy and happy. Exercise also helps cure the final main cause of the freshmen fifteen.

Endorphins are happy feelings that exercise produces which also help keep stress levels down. People react differently to stress but for many people it puts on weight. Many people are binge eaters when stressed because the food comforts them so they eat more and more of it and more and more of the junk. While others don’t eat anything at all, which is also bad because without food, your body wont loose calories but instead will store them as a backup energy reserve. Either way you look at it stress doesn’t help weight loss, which is why you have to try and keep those stress levels down.

With all the stressors in college it may seem like an impossible task, but I assure you, it is not. Along with exercise, find a relaxing activity that you enjoy. If your not sure what there is to do check out the student center at your school and ask for a list of clubs and see if there is one that appeals to you such as yoga, photography or art. These activities will help you tap into the happy and relaxing parts of your brain and help keep you happy and calm.

College is a happy time in every teen’s life, full of new activities and friends. Utilize those opportunities to help keep yourself happy and healthy. Remember to eat right, exercise and find time for yourself. Even though college is very demanding don’t lose who you are, instead loose the freshmen fifteen.

 Want more info on loosing the freshmen fifteen? This book is an essential read for all college bound first year freshmen who want to keep healthy and avoid the infamous “freshmen fifteen”. Author, Robyn Flipse, provides methods on how to keep the pounds off, like ways to reduce stress and tasty low-calorie recipes that any college student is capable of making. When interviewed, Flipse commented that this book attacks the three main causes of the freshmen fifteen, those being overeating, overdrinking, and undergoing and finds the cures to help fight them off. Reviewers of the book provide their own personal stories about their battles against the weight gain and how this book helped them win. They also share how they feel this book is a must read for all college bound students and their parents. [|Read the Review] Stay up to date on Seventeen Magazine’s latest fashion trends and news with this link. The Seventeen Style Blog provides a glimpse into Hollywood with the latest celebrity looks, and the everyday street fashion that’s inexpensive but looks like a million bucks. This blog provides new stories every day, so you will never be caught looking “out of date”. ​ [|Seventeen's Style Blog]

rss url="http://www.seventeen.com/hair-skin-makeup/hair-skin-makeup-rss/" link="true" number="5" For more beauty tips and information, check out the ever changing stories on the Seventeen Magazine website. The stories listed above are the top five most recent articles from Seventeen. The stories change every day and are constantly providing new and useful information. Some of the normal topics include every day beauty tips and hairstyles as well as the latest celebrity looks right off the red carpet.