1.  Are You Your Worst Critic? Every time you criticize yourself and come down hard on yourself you’re engaging in negative self-talk.  Turn that around with positive self-talk.  Think of your best qualities and if you can’t think of many immediately, start making a list and add to it progressively.  You’ll be amazed at how many good qualities you’ve forgotten you have, or did not have enough appreciation for.

2.  Do You Eat Right and Exercise? Eating a balanced diet and staying active is the way to keep your body in shape.  There are many strategies you can implement with the ultimate goal of feeling and looking better.

3.  How Do You Identify Yourself to You and Others? What do you use as a base?  Your job may be Chief Accountant or a Corporate Strategist.  Those are titles, but you want to think of yourself as an individual with wonderful qualities and abilities that are not based on the job you do.  For example, you could be a ‘gifted gardener’ with the best green thumb for growing roses.  Or you could be known as a ‘great cook’ or a very ‘ hospitable person’.

4.  Are You a Natural Nurturer of Others? That’s a good thing but you must also take time to nurture yourself.  Take time just to relax, read a book or a magazine, go for a stroll, spend an evening with friends.

5.  Do You Set Goals for Yourself? What if you did not reach a desired goal?  Remind yourself that you did not fail.  You fail forward, which means that you never give up or stop trying.  You’re more likely to reach your goal if it’s connected to activities you’re really interested in so you can enjoy the process.  Remember that it’s better to try something and not succeed rather than to be successful at not trying.

Your image is more than the way you look on the outside.  It is also the image you have of yourself: your self-image or self-esteem.

A healthy self-esteem allows you to better cope with life’s challenges and this is manifested in a more content and confident you.  In addition, since your mind and emotional state has an effect on your health, you will also be healthier physically.

The self-worth of many adults is still affected by the approval or disapproval they received from adults, that is parents, teachers, relatives; and even peers.  On the other hand, many adults have been able to rise above these and are able to judge themselves based on the impact that they currently having in their world, especially in the areas of spirituality, work, family and love.

An important part of your overall image if your ability to love and be loved, which can give your life deep fulfillment.  The satisfaction you enjoy in various accomplishments in your life can help to reinforce your self-esteem and have an impact on the image you reflect to others.

As a Direct Sales Consultant as well as an Internet Marketer  I can provide individualized service to my customers. I have an even greater opportunity to build lasting relationships as they get to know, like and trust me and see that I care about them as individuals.  I’ve been fortunate to have customers who have been supporting my business for over 11 years.

I also like to support other Consultants in Direct Sales, but have found that on many occasions I meet a Consultant at a Party or Show, hosted by a mutual friend, and purchase something from them but never hear from them again.

This post was written to highlight  an area many of us may need to work on.  I have been guilty of this as well as from time to time I’ve received calls from someone who said, “I’ve been searching for your card ….Read the rest of the post

Oily skin is caused by the sebaceous glands producing too much oil and as a result your skin may frequently appear shiny. Some persons who have extremely oily skin may experience a greasy or sticky feeling for several hours after cleansing.

Characteristics of oily skin
- Large pores
- More prone to breakouts
- Clogged pores and blemishes

Advantages of oily skin (Yes, there are advantages):
- Signs of aging, including fine lines and wrinkles, take longer to appear
- The large percentage of oil on the skin’s surface helps the upper layer retain water, therefore protecting the skin from dryness caused by the environment.

Cleansing – Step 1 in oily skin care
Avoid harsh soaps which destroy the natural pH balance in your skin. Use a beauty bar or a lathering gel two times per day to effectively clear away impurities from your pores and remove oily buildup. Wash with tepid or warm, not hot, water.

Masking – an essential oily skin care step
Masks provide an extra deep cleansing and will help to absorb excess oils; remove dead skin cells; and refine the texture of your skin. Masks also help to minimize the appearance of large pores.

Toner/Freshner – the extra cleansing step
This is an important step, especially after applying a mask as it acts like an extra rinse cycle to remove any residue left by the mask. It also improves the appearance of your skin.

Moisturizer – Hydration!
Many women feel, as I did several years ago, that if you have oily skin you do not need a moisturizer. This is incorrect! The key is to identify the type of moisturizer suitable for oily skin care. The correct moisturizer should provide hydration where needed, and condition dry areas, if any. This should be applied two times per day after cleansing.

Protect!

The 5th basic step in taking care of your skin is to protect it. Protecting your skin from the sun is key.  Because I too have oily skin I can understand the reluctance of women with this type of skin to apply sunscreen.  However, you may look for moisturizers that include SPF 15 and above.  Otherwise, it’s in your best interest to apply sunscreen to your face, neck and other parts of your body.

A basic protection for your skin is using a non-comedogenic foundation, one that will not block your pores, but will act as a protection to keep out the dust, etc. in the air from entering your pores.  At the end of the day you wash it off and all of those impurities will go down the drain.

For oil control during the day, keep a pack of beauty blotters (blotting sheets) on hand to blot off the shine but keep your makeup in place leaving your face shine-free.

What other tips do you have for oily skin care?  Please share in your comments.

I love gardening and wish I still had the amount of time and energy I had years ago to devote to my hobby.  Not only has the time I can allocate to gardening more limited, but unfortunately my knees and back don’t seem to like it when I kneel or bend over for long periods!

I mentioned gardening because I have a tiny potted plant, one of many potted plants in my home, that I somehow neglected to water for a while and it really looked pathetic.  I thought it would die, but a couple of days after it was watered, it looked like a new plant!  The leaves had become firm and were again upright. This made me think of our largest organ – our skin.

We need to drink adequate amounts of water to keep the cells in our body properly hydrated.  I deliberately used the word ‘adequate’ as experts differ in their view of how much water we should drink .  Some say the ideal amount of water to be consumed daily is 8 – 8 oz glasses. Others say that’s too much and you should listen to your body.  The general consensus though is that if you feel thirsty, dehydration has already begun.

Many women say they do not like to drink plain water and feel that it’s ok as long as they drink liquids.  A medical practitioner pointed out the following to me recently that I’d like to share with you:  It is not the same to drink fruit drinks, flavored water, etc. as drinking plain, preferably, distilled water.  He noted that everyone of those products had other ingredients, many of which had the potential to damage your body and contribute to other health problems.  For example, he said if you liked strawberry flavored drinks or water, drink a glass of water then eat fresh strawberries, or vice versa.

There are excellent hydrating products available as well as moisturizers that can help to replace the moisture lost from your skin and keep your skin moist and hydrated; however, drinking water is one of the best ways to stay hydrated as it does it from the inside out.  You do not want your skin to look like by dried-out plant.

As we age we may find that activities that came effortlessly in the past are sometimes harder or take more effort to engage in.  As a result, many older women become negative in their thinking and sometimes give up on themselves much too easily.

There are women who are in their 70’s who still play tennis, swim several laps each day and seem to be tireless in pursuing their various activities.  What makes them different from those who give up on themselves and whom I’ve often heard saying, “I’m too old to do this or that…?”  True, health may be a determining factor.  On the other hand, negative thinking and the belief that certain things are possible only for younger people prevent many women in their late 50’s and 60’s to set goals and work at attaining these goals, whereas positive thinking allows you to believe that you can do what you really want to do and work towards it.

As a member of the “boomer” generation I found that as I got older it became harder to release unwanted pounds, and for a while I allowed myself to buy into the excuse that my metabolism had slowed down and it was much too hard to ‘lose weight’.  I often referred to how easily I’d go on self-made diets and dropped pounds and inches in a short time; now it was almost impossible.  For quite some time I gave in to that type of negative thinking, but after seeing photos of myself, I decided that my self-image demanded that I take whatever action necessary to start releasing the unwanted pounds.

Because of a knee injury, I’m unable to do any exercise that involves putting a lot of pressure on my knees so I’ve made it a daily habit to walk for 45-50 minutes.  If time permits, I’ll walk two times per day. There has been no miraculous weight loss, but I’ve begun to feel better about myself and my clothes have begun to fit better as well.

The aging process is a natural progression of life, therefore, being positive in your thinking about yourself and the world around you, while incorporating your faith, and setting attainable goals will help you to age gracefully.

What motivates you to engage in positive thinking?  Please share your thoughts.

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 to or detract from your physical beauty.

The portion of skin around your eyes is one of the most delicate areas 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 5 ways you can minimize damage to the delicate skin 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.
• Use a moisturizer that’s designed specifically for the eye are to avoid eye irritation.  You’ll want to use an eye cream that provides moisture and is formulated with age-fighting peptides.

Your age, your secret.  My age, my secret.  My other secret is TimeWise® Firming Eye Cream’s age-defying benefits. See the intensely moisturizing, firming and brightening benefits for yourself at http://marykay.com/yjones

Getting the correct nourishment in your body can significantly improve your ability to have healthy skin; therefore, skin care and a healthy diet support each other.

A healthy diet plays an important factor in determining your overall health condition, and when coupled with physical activity, a diet regimen is a significant factor in establishing a balanced weight level. Another key is ensuring that you are incorporating your skin care routines and maximizing its effects.

One of the major reasons why people go on a diet is due to obesity. Obesity increases the risk for cardio-vascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, kidney and liver problems, among many others. Research indicates that the appearance of the skin is a reflection of the conditions existing in internal organs.

A glaring reflection of what’s going on inside is how the skin appears dull or have dark spots, especially along the folds of the skin for obese or overweight individuals, with some women also having dark areas on the nose, neck, elbows and knees. While many persons go on a diet for aesthetic purposes, it may be a necessity for others for health reasons. It is very important to consult with a medical practitioner or get other expert opinion on the most effective ways to incorporate a healthy diet in your routine, one that is suited to your body type, height, and existing health condition.

Your skin is your largest organ and the first thing that someone sees as they approach you. Keep your skin glowing by practicing good skin care and consuming a healthy diet.

You’ve probably heard the expression,  you are what you eat. Which of these illustrations reflect the main components of your diet?

What you eat affects the way you look and how you feel about yourself. Making healthy choices in food and nutrition will also affect the way your skin looks. How can affirmations help you to make healthy choices?

Affirmations can help you stick to your diet, say “no” to temptation, and eat nourishing and

satisfying foods. How? By replacing the negative spiral of thoughts in your mind with powerful, positive ones. You first have to believe that it is possible to gain control over your thirsts, desires, and cravings. The first step in making a lasting change in your life is to make the commitment to success. Once you’ve set your commitment in stone, you’re ready to learn the top 10 affirmations to get you through moments of weakness.

Here are 7 tips regarding eyes and eye makeup that I learned from a workshop with international makeup artist, Robert Jones:

1. Cool tones vs warm shades: Warm shades make you look younger. Very few women are true ‘cool tones.’

2. Types of Eyeshadows:

a) Frost – Provides much more opaque coverage. Usually comes in light pastel shades that work best on younger skin. Can easily sink into wrinkles so is not recommended for mature skin.

b) Shimmer – Offers great, sheer coverage with a subtle sheen and hint of sparkle. Perfect choice for mature skin as it will not collect in fine lines. Light shimmers work great for highlighting. Dark shimmers are great for adding drama without being too harsh.

c) Matte – the best choice for creating a natural no-makeup look. The best formula for midtone shades because of its natural appearance. Works well for reshaping and defining the eye because of the higher level of color pigment.

3. Eyemakeup Colors: It is not necessary for your eyeshadow to match your clothing. Makeup is an accessory to you – what you need to look your prettiest. If you’d like to include an eye color to match your clothing, layer the desired color on top of the existing warm accent color (unless the accent color is the color of choice).

4. Color of Eyes: To maximize the brilliance of your own eye color, use colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel. For example, blue eyes will appear more intense when a warm, coppery shade is used.

5. Shadows and Liners: They shape eyes and eyelids. They push away what you don’t want to see or be seen too readily and bring forward what you want to see.

6. Eyeliner Application: If you line your bottom lid you MUST line the top eyelid as well otherwise it makes the eyes look tired. Liquid eyeliner is recommended for the top lid only. While not a hard and fast rule, when applied to the bottom lid it could look harsh and unnatural. Suggested application to bottom lid: use a dark eyeshadow and brush or use a pencil then soften with a coat of eyeshadow.

7. Brows: Your eyebrows are the frame for your face. Thicker but softly feathered eyebrows make the face look younger.

If you have a tip relating to eyes and eye makeup that you’d like to share, please leave them in the ‘Comment’ section.