The 10 Commandments of Clear Skin

Want to banish zits forever? (Stupid question?) These are the rules to live by.



1. KEEP IT CLEAN
Your makeup might hide zits, but it also traps free radicals against your skin, says Zoe Draelos, a professor of dermatology at Duke University. Wash your face morning, night, and after the gym with a cleanser that contains up to 2 percent salicylic acid.


2. DON'T POP YOUR ZITS
It's so hard not to, we know. But try to resist. Popping your pimples will only result in inflammation, scarring, and yes, more acne. If you're truly tempted, some experts suggest keeping your hands busy with a squeeze toy.

3. BUT IF YOU DO...
OK, what's done is done. Now disinfect the area with a 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide product and dot on a salicylic acid to help unclog the pore.


4. STICK WITH THE BASICS
There are certain ingredients that have proven themselves in clinical trials (benzoyl peroxide or glycolic or salicylic acid for acne)—use them. And give them a chance: They need at least six weeks to work. "If nothing has changed by week six, the product will never work for you," says David Bank, a professor of dermatology at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Then, it's time to see a dermatologist—prescription products or in-office treatments may offer some relief.


5. TRY RETINOIDS
Retinoids aren't just for wrinkles. They also fade spots, build collagen, and prevent acne—but only when used correctly. At night, instead of your overnight acne treatment, dot a pea-size amount on your fingertips and rub it all over your face. Using them on the skin as a whole helps with cell turnover, says Heidi A. Waldorf, director of cosmetic and laser dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.


6. TREAT EARLY
Spot-treating your pimple can reduce its lifespan by one to two days. But the real goal is a clear complexion—and early intervention is key. "You need to prevent acne from forming, and that means treating skin that's prone to pimples even if there are none present," says dermatologist Karyn Grossman. So use all acne products over your entire face.

7. BUT DON'T OVERTREAT
Overusing acne products can lead to excess drying and, in some cases, chemical burns. Apply the amount recommended on the packaging (usually enough for a thin layer), not a giant palmful. Finish with an oil-free moisturizer.


8. CALM DOWN
Easier said than done, we know. But stress hormones increase oil production, which can lead to clogged pores and whiteheads. So make an effort to relax when needed. "Anything that reduces stress in your body—tai chi, running, sex, a warm bath—will make you have less acne, less often," says Richard Fried, a dermatologist and clinical psychologist in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

9. PROTECT YOUR SKIN
Acne products can make your skin more susceptible to sun damage, so be sure to use SPF 30 or higher. Look for formulas labeled noncomedogenic, which won't clog pores.


10. FADE SCARS
Just because the pimple's gone doesn't mean it disappeared. Use a scar treatment with salicylic acid and licorice-root extract on dark spots to fade them over time.


Via Allure

Sothys New Cleansing Cream

Cleansing cream - radiance / brightness action
> This cleansing cream with [W.]™+ complex gently removes make-up and eliminates impurities leaving the skin radiant and luminous.

10 Surprising Sleep Facts

You think your pilot got enough sleep? Maybe not.
When the National Sleep Foundation surveyed airline pilots about sleepiness on the job, a distressing 23 percent admitted that lack of sleep affects their performance at least once a week, and 20 percent said they had made serious mistakes as a result. Even more train operators reported diminished job performance (26 percent), and 14 percent of truck drivers admitted having a near miss because they were sleepy. Half of the pilots, and 44 percent of truck drivers, said they never or rarely get enough sleep on work nights. Safe travels!

Dreams Can Occur During Any Phase of Sleep
Researchers once thought people only dream during REM (rapid-eye movement) sleep. They now believe we dream during other sleep phases as well.

While REM dreams tends to have elaborate, fantastical plots, non-REM dreams are more like thoughts, such as fretting over the idea that you lost your iPhone or misplaced your shoes. These obsessive thoughts tend to repeat over and over, without the vivid images we usually associate with dreams.

Some People Have a Natural Alarm Clock
Researchers report that the signal that causes them to wake up when they want to is triggered by release of the stress hormone adrenocorticotrophin, in an unconscious anticipation of the stress of waking up.

Teens Need as Much Sleep as Toddlers
If your teenager never wants to get up in the morning, it’s probably because she hasn’t slept long enough. Teens need about 10 hours of sleep on the average, the same as young children, while adults only need eight hours a night. Women may need to sleep an hour longer than men; not getting that extra hour might keep them tired and more prone to depression. People over 65 only need an average of six hours’ sleep.

The Brain Never Sleeps
Your body may be slumbering, but your brain never stops working. It stays busy, constantly instructing your systems to keep functioning—breathing, digesting, pumping blood and all the other tasks that keep you alive while you sleep.

Nighttime Violence Could Be a Brain Symptom
People who kick and punch while they dream are known as "violent sleepers." They have a 50 percent chance of developing a neurological disease such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease as they age. People who act out violent scenes in their dreams should consider neurological testing.

You May Be Able To Reset Your Body Clock in Just One Night
If you’re traveling to a different time zone, or are switching to the night shift, it usually takes a week to adjust to the new schedule. However, you may be able to use your internal “food clock” to override your body clock, suggests a Harvard animal study. Here’s how: Stop eating 16 hours before you want to be awake. After you start eating again, your sleep/wake cycle resets as if it were the start of a new day.

Can’t sleep in a hot house?
Why is it that you love lying in the hot sun, but a hot bedroom is extremely uncomfortable? It’s because your sleep-wake cycle is closely connected to temperature.

In order to succumb to sleep, your core body heat must be in harmony with your skin temperature, and that works best between 64 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. For older people, the range is much more narrow—between 73 and 77 degrees—which contributes to sleep disorders in that age group.

Sleep Deprivation Can Make You Stupid
Researchers have found that a lack of sleep diminishes your attention and concentration, thereby affecting your problem solving abilities. Without adequate rest, you cannot learn well. It also keeps you from “consolidating” memories, so you cannot remember what you learned from day to day.

Lack of Sleep—or The Wrong Slumber Position—Gives You Wrinkles
When you don’t get enough rest, your bodies release extra cortisol, the “stress hormone.” Too much cortisol breaks down the collagen in your skin—the substance that keeps it smooth and elastic.

Ironically, even an adequate amount beauty sleep can increase wrinkles—if you habitually snooze on your side or belly, with your face mashed into the pillow. These habits gradually etch “sleep lines” that eventually become permanent, according to a study published in Scandinavian Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Hand Surgery. Sleeping on your back, however, helps prevent or reverse the problem.

Via Yahoo! Health

Making the Cut

It doesn’t take a shear genius to see why short hair is trendy for summer; besides being lighter and cooler, it’s also great for fuss-free styling.

True Blood’s Evan Rachael Wood is the latest celebrity to chop her locks—but is her hairstyle right for you? Here, Hollywood hair gurus Ted Gibson (Brooklyn Decker, Anne Hathaway) and Adam Campbell (Kate Hudson, Scarlett Johansson) take the guesswork out of going short and reveal surefire ways to make the cut.


Face Type: Square Jaw

To offset Brooklyn Decker’s strong jaw line, Gibson gave her a soft, textured bob. “I also created graduated layers and made the cut a little longer in the front,” he adds. “You want hair in the front to be below the jaw so that it doesn’t draw the eye to that area of the face.”


Face Type: Square Jaw

If you prefer wearing your hair straight like Jennifer Aniston, Campbell recommends side-parting it. “A part that’s slightly off-center gives a square face more asymmetry,” he says.


Face Type: High Forehead

“Rihanna had a great pixie cut,” says Campbell. “To minimize her forehead, her stylist gave her fantastic chunky bangs.”

“Bangs work well with this face type, but they don’t have to be cut straight across,” says Gibson, who likes Rihanna’s side-swept, angled fringe as an alternative.


Face Type: Heart-Shaped

“If you have a sharper chin, I wouldn’t take the hair too short,” says Gibson.

“I don’t think you should go any shorter than the chin,” agrees Campbell. “You might also follow Reese Witherspoon’s lead and add soft bangs—she looks great with them.”


Face Type: Round

Those with round faces should integrate longer layers into their short hairstyle of choice. “Ginnifer Goodwin’s pixie works because it’s disconnected in shape,” says Gibson. “Instead of being short all the way around, it’s longer on top and shorter on the sides.”

“It’s a very versatile cut,” says Campbell. “She can style it up or down, with bangs or without.” To elongate the appearance of her visage, Goodwin sometimes coaxes her pixie into a sky-high pompadour.


Face Type: Round

According to Gibson, sleek, angular short cuts are best for a round face (think an asymmetrical bob or a pixie with side-swept bangs). “A rounder face tends to have less shape to it—while straight hair will lengthen, angles in the haircut will add shape and symmetry,” he says.

Don’t confuse straightness with flatness, though; hair should still have volume. Michelle Williams’ pixie is flattering because “the fullness is kept at her crown and above her ears,” says Campbell.


Face Type: Thin

If you have a long, thin face like Liv Tyler, Gibson says to go below or above the chin (“a little shorter or longer is better”). He also suggests making the face appear more horizontal with a deep side part or—if you’re feeling bold—wide bangs. “Bangs that extend to the outer corners of the eyes can widen the look of the face,” says Gibson. “Just make sure they’re not too blunt; thin faces tend to have more angles than most and you don’t want to exaggerate those.”


Face Type: Long Neck

Want to flaunt your long, gorgeous neck? Go with a pixie. For balance, however, Gibson says to try a lengthier bob like Anne Hathaway’s (“bobs that are cut above the chin can look weird with a long neck”). He also styled Hathaway's strands straight and blunt: “Annie has big, beautiful eyes and a softer complexion—I gave her haircut angles to bring strength to her face.”


Face Type: Long Neck

Emily Blunt also used to rock the grown-out-bob look, only instead of going sleek she opted to embrace her natural waves—a very strategic move, says Campbell: “A fuller style that’s longer than the shoulders can camouflage a long neck.”


Face Type: High Cheekbones

If you have chiseled features like Victoria Beckham’s, consider yourself lucky. “A lot of different lengths work for someone with high cheekbones,” says Gibson. “They can get away with anything.”

“I loved it when Victoria had the asymmetrical bob,” says Campbell. “It really showed off her amazing bone structure.”


Face Type: Oval

While high cheekbones might be the most enviable facial feature, a smallish oval is considered the ideal shape, says Campbell (“any style works with an oval face”). Just look at pixie loyalist Halle Berry for proof!


Face Type: Oval

You might be blessed with an oval face, but that doesn’t mean you have to go supershort just because you can. “Shorter pixies require a cut every four to six weeks,” says Campbell. “If you don’t have the time or money, I’d go longer like Sienna Miller did—a style like hers doesn’t require as many salon visits to maintain and you can get away with one to two bang trims in between full-on cuts.”


Face Type: Any
Personality Type: Bold

The blunt bob-and-bangs style is a favorite among daring pop stars like Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry—and wigging out in this look is easy enough to do if you feel the urge to follow in their footsteps. “It works for them and it can work for you too if you have strength of character and confidence,” says Gibson.


Face Type: Any
Personality Type: Bold

Those who want to attain this Cleopatra-inspired look using their own hair—regardless of whether they have the optimal oval face shape—should be aware of the styling it requires. “It’s a fun, edgy hairdo but it requires plenty of bang trims and flatironing,” says Campbell. “To minimize damage and maximize sleekness, be sure to use a thermal protectant.”

Actress Krysten Ritter pulls off the blunt cut with panache.

Via Elle

Skin Deep: How to Get Model Skin

Karlie Kloss

I just started using Latisse! Everyone was telling me about it so I went to my eye doctor to find out more. I was scared at first because I read it could change your eye color, but I decided to try it. I’m literally two days into it and keep checking my lashes in the mirror to see if they’ve grown!

Skin care-wise, I’ve just been using Pond’s Cold Cream—it’s a heavy, rich, really saturated cream that I think my grandma probably used when she was my age, but you can’t mess with the classics! It works.

I also like misting my face with rose water in morning. It’s so refreshing! It’s moisturizing and great for the winter when my skin gets really dry.


Joan Smalls

In the morning, I always make sure to wash my face with a salicylic acid cleanser and moisturize with a combination of lotion and Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair. I know it’s supposed to be used at night but I like putting it on for daytime because it makes my skin look dewy and glowing!

I also use the Advanced Night Repair before I go to bed—during Fashion Week my skin gets really cracked and sensitive with all the touching and rubbing that happens when putting makeup on and taking it off. It’s important that I get nutrients back into my skin.


Hyoni Kang

Dermalogica’s foam cleanser is awesome! It’s gentle but removes all my makeup. I use it once and the makeup is gone!

I also like the Labcconte lotion from Chile—it’s a snail cream and helps my face look fresh and glowing.


Karmen Pedaru

In between shows during Fashion Week, I’ll dab Darphin eye cream on my lids. I carry it everywhere! The skin around the eyes is delicate and goes through a lot during Fashion Week, so I try to keep it moisturized.

I also always take my makeup off before I go to sleep. And once in awhile, I’ll get facials. At the Bristol Hotel there’s a spa that gives really good facials but unfortunately, it’s in Paris! I live in New York.


Anja Rubik

I use a gentle scrub every night—it’s really, really important. It unclogs all the pores. I use the Clinique one—the 7 Day Scrub Cream. I just massage it in and use a lot of moisturizer afterward. Massaging is especially important because it increases circulation.


Lindsey Wixson

I use RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream to cleanse my skin and take off my makeup. I also use the skin care line by Dr. Alkaitis—he’s based in California and his products were recommended to me by Rose-Marie Swift, the founder of RMS Beauty.

For spots, I use tea tree oil—I get it from health food stores like Whole Foods.


Chanel Iman

My favorite oil is Rodin Olio Lusso. It’s amazing and it just makes the body so beautiful and glowing. I use it on my face too—I use it everywhere! Right after a bath, I rub it all over my body and it gets me into that zone of going to bed and sleeping well.


Mirte Maas

I don’t smoke, and I use moisturizer every day and night. I’m not particular about moisturizer as long as it has a UV filter—I always wear SPF on my skin to protect against wrinkles.

Sometimes if I’m coming off a plane and I know I have to do a casting, I’ll use Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat concealer to cover any blue or darkness underneath my eyes. It also helps for pimples.

I eat healthfully—I like to eat big portions but of healthy things like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. I’ll eat pizza once in awhile but if I ate it every day my skin and body would suffer! I live in New York City and my favorite restaurant is Sticky Rice. It’s this Thai restaurant right across the street from my apartment. I go every week!


Jessica Stam

Right now I’m using Neutrogena’s cleanser—I like it because it gets rid of my makeup and washes my face in one step!


Frida Gustavsson

After taking my makeup off, I’ll wash my face with Dermalogica cleanser and use Nuxe oil as a moisturizer—it’s a very good oil because it’s non-greasy and has a lot of A and E vitamins. It keeps my skin soft.


Liu Wen

During Fashion Week, I’m getting makeup on and off my face all day. It can be tough on my skin so I use a lot of moisturizer and masks to help rejuvenate it. I especially like masks because they’re relaxing—I use the Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv one. I also drink a lot of water, and orange juice for vitamin C. I’m so busy during the day with shows that I don’t have a lot of time to eat, so I just make sure to always stay hydrated!


Aminata Niaria

Before I go to bed, I always use Lancôme makeup remover. I’m Senegalese so I also eat a lot of fish—it’s full of omega-3s, which are good for your skin.


Ranya Mordanova

When I’m not working, I only wear concealer—I wear makeup so much for shoots and shows, I like to be free of it! Bobbi Brown’s concealer is great for hiding the bags under my eyes.

I have pale skin and burn easily—the sun can be very harsh. I always wear a day cream with SPF. I like Avène’s.


Hannah Holman

In the morning, I use Christine Chin’s cleanser. It’s a soft exfoliator and great for during or after a shower when my pores are already open and warm. After washing my face, I splash cold water on it to close the pores and make any swelling go down.


Jac

I use a lot of products from Origins’ mushroom line. They work really well on my skin and they’re organic, which I like. When I see that a product is “organic” I want it! There can be a lot of crap in products, so when I see that something’s organic I trust it more.

Before and during Fashion Week I also take a lot of vitamins so that my skin looks nicer. I take zinc—from what I know, it’s the best for your skin.


Alana Zimmer

I drink a lot of water and get as much sleep as possible. I also use Ling Chan’s skin care products—I use her mask once a week and get facials from her three or four times a year. She’s great because she assesses my skin and tailors the facial to my skin’s needs at that given moment.

It’s hard to eat healthfully during Fashion Week because you’re always running around but in New York there are lots of delis to grab fruits and nuts from in between shows. In Milan and Paris it’s a little tougher to find places—I’ll usually pack my purse with snacks at the start of the day.


Natasha Poly

I use all different things but right now I like Sisley Paris All-Day All-Year cream. I carry it around in my purse during Fashion Week—it’s a really good moisturizer. At nighttime I use the Sisley serum. It brings out the best in my skin!

Via Elle