Health / Beauty Tips

Below are some of our favorite ideas for staying healthy and looking great -
we'll be adding more ideas soon.

So, you've decided to change your hair color for your big day. You should realize that different hair shades demand different color palettes. Sound confusing? Listed below are guidelines for getting gorgeous with your new look.

IF YOUR HAIR IS BLOND
Baby pinks will look wonderful with your newly flaxen tresses, so apply them to your cheeks and lips. Keep things soft by highlighting your eyes with taupe and bone shadows. Eyebrows should be equally fine. You'll look great in salmon and peach shades, as well.

IF YOUR HAIR IS BRUNETTE
Kick your routine up a notch with light-to-medium colors: rose, raisin, brown, and mahogany. If your eyes are also dark, make them smolder with brown shadow and charcoal or mahogany liner.

IF YOUR HAIR IS RED
Use rich brown or brown-red shades on your lips, apricot or muted pink blush, brown mascara, and camel and toast eye shadows. And if you also have green eyes, make them look even greener by lining them with a red-brown liner.

IF YOUR HAIR IS DARK BROWN OR BLACK
Deep lip colors will look the best on you: chocolate, blackberry, plum, burgundy, and red. If your dark hair is paired with fair skin, line your eyes in a soft brown or gray, then apply black mascara and white shadow to your brow bone to really make them pop.

IF YOUR HAIR IS GRAY
Using more colorful makeup is essential. Gray or white hair drains color from your face, so you need the lift of makeup color, ideally, soft shades that
are not too washed out. Our expert's color recommendations: For your lipstick: stay away from brown, and opt instead for pretty pink, rose, apricot, and peach. For your blush: go for rosy tones, soft brights, or pastels. For your eyes: if they're dark, use a gray or brown shadow palette; if they're light, use a shadow trio of gray, slate, and navy. And please avoid blue eye shadow, it's very aging.

So, it's time to decide on your hair style for the big day. You might be lucky enough to have a stylist who's been doing your hair for decades, one whom you trust completely, and who knows your hair better than anyone else. If you don't, it's time to start doing some research. Ask other brides whose hair you've admired. Check with your local bridal salon. Once you've garnered a list of options, it's time to set up consultations. It's the only way to determine if a particular stylist is right for you. Listed below, are a few suggestions.

BRING PHOTOS
When you're meeting with a new stylist for the first time, keep in mind that he or she has no idea what your taste is. The best way to show a stylist what you like is to tear out photos from magazines of hair and makeup styles. You can even bring pictures of yourself that represent the way you want your hair and makeup to look, or photos from a friend's wedding, anything that will give them a hint about what kind of style you're seeking.

DRESS APPROPRIATELY
If your dress will be white, wear something white to your consultation, even a white T-shirt will do, so that any hair color you experiment with will have the same background as on your wedding day. Try to choose a shirt that has a similar neckline to your gown. Elaborate hairstyles and up-do's lend themselves better to certain necklines, so you will be able to better tell what suits you.

BRING A CAMERA
You know what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words. Have your stylist photograph your finished look from four different vantage points: front, back, and both sides. That way, you'll be able to see how you look from all angles, and you'll get an idea of how the stylist's work translates to photographs. Ask the stylist to arrange your hair in a few different styles, then photograph each one.

BRING YOUR HEADPIECE
Since your hairstyle will look different once your headpiece is in place, it's important to bring it along for the consultation, if possible. If it hasn't arrived yet, ask your bridal salon to loan you a sample. Or bring along a photo, so at least the stylist knows what to expect.

WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN
A wedding consultation can take place months and months before your actual wedding, so it's important for your stylist to write down exactly which products and techniques were used on you. Make your own list for safekeeping as well.

KNOW HOW TO HIRE
Hair stylists can usually be hired in four ways: you can hire them to do your hair and makeup at the salon, you can hire them to come to you, you can hire them to do you, your mom, and your bridal party, or you can have them come and stay with you throughout the day, to do touch-ups before the photo session and the ceremony.

How long you hire a stylist will depend on your budget. The advantage of having a professional stay all day is that he or she can help you look your best from start to finish. Discuss these options with your stylist to see if your budget can accommodate the additional luxury. If not, make sure you have a repair kit for touch-ups.

TIME IT RIGHT
Timing is everything on your wedding day. Ask your photographer what time you'll need to be ready for preliminary photos before the ceremony. Then ask your stylist how long it will take to do your hair (ask the same of your makeup artist if you're hiring one). Then count backwards, giving yourself an extra half-hour. For example, if photos are scheduled to begin at 2:00 P.M., make sure everyone involved; you, your groom, your parents, and the wedding party are ready to go by 1:30 P.M.

MAKE A DEPOSIT
Once you've decided to hire a stylist for your wedding, give him or her a deposit to save the date, and ask for a receipt. Another option is to sign a formal contract, detailing everything you expect on the big day. It may seem like your overdoing it, but keep in mind that your wedding will quite possibly be the most important day of your life, making it even more necessary to take precautionary measures by having formal agreements, even if they are with people you know and trust.

What could be easier than applying lipstick? Twist up the tube, glide it on and you're in business! Well, not exactly. According to our experts, women make several common mistakes when it comes to technique, ranging from too much lipstick, to drawing outside the natural lines of their mouth.

Wondering if your technique is on target? The shape of your favorite lip color will give you a clue. Here's what some shapes reveal about your technique:

• If the top of the lipstick looks like a pyramid, congratulations! It's a good sign that you're applying your color evenly to both lips.
• If your lipstick is FLAT, chances are you're applying color to your lower lip and then smacking your lips together to spread it around. While this is a good emergency measure when you don't have a mirror handy, you risk leaving the corners of your mouth bare. Try applying your lipstick to both lips evenly instead.
• If your lipstick is SLOPED, you're probably placing the tube between your lips, pressing your mouth on the stick and running the color along the length of your mouth for simultaneous two-lip application. With this technique, you risk depositing too much color at the corners of your mouth, and you're at greater risk for wasting your money, the thinner the narrow part of the slope gets, the greater the chance that it will eventually break off.

So, wondering what to do for great wedding day lips, but don't quite know how to go about it? Following is a four-step guide followed by our experts:

GET SHADY
For long-lasting wear, most experts recommend shading your lips with a lip
pencil that's the same shade, or one shade darker, than the lipstick you plan to wear. This will create an adhering surface on which to apply your color, so make sure you fill in your entire mouth.

GET IN LINE
Next, begin coating your color with a lip brush for a more precise application. Don't attempt to paint a shape that's not there. Follow the natural line of your lips, and don't forget the corners of your mouth, open wide to get the best angle.

PENCIL IT IN
Then, use your pencil to line the outside of your lips. Be careful not to go beyond the natural line of your mouth, as it will look artificial.

BLOT AWAY
Last but not least, smooth your mouth's texture and remove excess color by blotting your lips with a tissue, then go show off your great looking lips!

Perfect skin is probably the most highly desired element of beauty, and for many people, it's also the most elusive. If you were born with lovely skin, consider yourself lucky. For most people, the quest for a good complexion is very frustrating. Much of what affects your skin is completely out of your control.

Genetics play a big part. No potions or lotions will ever change the genetics of your skin. Stress is another detrimental factor; it can over dry already dry skin, and trigger breakouts in oily or difficult skin.

The secret to beautiful skin is taking care of the issues you can control. Such as, getting adequate sleep, drinking plenty of water, and engaging in physical activity on a regular basis.

Be aware that smoking and sun worshipping can age your face measurably. Make-up experts agree that you should be your own skin expert. Look at your face in the mirror and see what's going on. If it's summer, your face may be drier on the surface, thanks to air conditioning, but oilier underneath. If it's the middle of winter, or if you're traveling a lot by plane, chances are your skin is very dry. Ideally, the idea is to have not just one product or one daily routine, but a flexible program that makes your skin healthy, smooth and clear. Following are suggestions from our experts.

CLEAN & CLEAR
Start by cleansing dry or sensitive skin with a gentle, non-stripping gel cleanser. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, find a gentle gel formula that's made specifically for your skin type, and follow with a non-alcoholic toner. Those containing AHA's work especially well to help smooth the skin's texture.

SCRUB-DOWN
On days when you really need to exfoliate, use a gentle, grainy scrub (skip this step if you've got sensitive skin). If you've got oily skin, you'll want to exfoliate twice weekly, concentrating on blackhead-prone areas like the nose and chin.

MOISTURIZE
If your skin is dry, use a rich moisturizer that absorbs completely into your skin. At night, use an even heavier moisturizing cream. And if you have extremely dry spots, apply an AHA lotion all over your face and a richer hydrating cream on those areas. Remember you don't have to treat your whole face the same way. Oilier skin types should choose a gel, oil-free moisturizer, or mattifying cream. Before applying your makeup, allow a couple of minutes for your moisturizer to absorb.

DON'T TOUCH
Without even realizing it, you may be wiping away makeup and adding oil and dirt particles to your skin to boot. Try to keep your hands off your face during the day.

TAKE IT OFF
At the end of the day, start your cleansing process all over again. Use a non-oily eye makeup remover on a clean cotton pad to wipe away mascara, liner
and shadow. Oily removers can aggravate eyes and cause makeup to travel all over your face, making it more difficult to wash off. Once your eye makeup is removed, use your cleansing gel to remove all foundation, concealer and powder. Then dip a Q-tip into the remover and run it gently over your eyelashes to eliminate any residual mascara.