Stood in front of a mirror and fixated on a flaw. A wrinkle here. A dimple there. And suddenly we’re hating ourselves. All because of a stupid wrinkle.

Make-up artists tell clients not to stand too close to the mirror. Why? Because no one else views you as decisively as you view yourself. No one else stares at the stain on your cheek, or the line on your forehead. Why should you fixate on it? Instead, they recommend that you step back a bit and admire the big picture, the total person. Mind, body and spirit.

People don’t usually see themselves this way — they generally look at some small part and stake everything on that. I got a letter once from a woman who felt her whole life was falling apart because her thighs were too fat.

I think that no matter who you are, you have to work with everything God has given you. Some of us are natural athletes; others are naturally gifted in very different areas. As we get more comfortable with ourselves, more sure of our priorities, it’s okay to say: “You know what? Not everything has to be perfect.” It’s okay to be just who I am. I’m not in competition with anyone. I’m going to focus on reaching my own highest level of vitality.

When you do that, you’ll feel great about yourself, you’ll feel great in your body — and you’ll be in good enough shape to experience the very best your life has to offer.

The next time you find yourself hating some part of your body, give one of these tricks a try:

Accentuate the Positive

You probably know what your least favorite features are — but which features are you really happy with? Maybe you have clear, supple skin. Or tapered fingers. Or shiny, healthy hair. When you’re down, lavish some attention on one of your favorite features. Apply your favorite vitamin-enriched face cream, get a manicure, give your hair a deep conditioning treatment. Or draw attention to your prettiest parts by adorning yourself with your favorite accessories.

Soft Focus

Whenever you stare in the mirror and fixate on a flaw, take a few steps back. Smile. Squint your eyes and peer through your eyelashes if you have to. See yourself in soft focus — the way the rest of the world does. Then, instead of focusing on your less-than-perfect parts, focus on the good things you do with the help of your body. Maybe it’s hugging your children or loving your spouse or planting your garden or making a great presentation at work. Remind yourself to put on this “soft-focus lens” whenever you start getting critical.

The Feel-Good Box

Find a pretty box or basket and every time you get a compliment, write it down on a piece of paper and drop it in. Every time you get a gift from a friend or family member — save the card in your Feel-Good Box. When you read a quote that touches you, add it to the collection. When you get flowers, dry a few and throw them in as well. This should be like a keepsake box, but only items that conjure up good feelings are allowed! When you’re blue, the Feel-Good Box should be the first place you turn.

Holiday parties are upon us and everyone will want to look their best. The following look works for every skin tone and for every holiday event.

The following products are needed:

• Eye shadows in vanilla shimmer, taupe brown and golden brown
• Dark Brown eyeliner
• Bronze cheek color and apricot cheek color
• Berry lip liner
• Berry or Red lipstick
• Shimmery clear lip gloss
• Black Mascara or False Eyelashes
• Makeup Brushes

For the eyes

1. After applying the foundation and powder to set the makeup, start by applying the vanilla shimmer eye color to the lid, brow bone, and inner third of the bottom lashes.

2. Starting at the outside corner of the eye, apply the taupe brown eye shadow in the crease, blending with the vanilla eye color.

3. Next take the brown eyeliner and apply just to the top of the lash line. Draw a fine thin line, as close to the lashes as possible.

4. Then take the golden brown eye color and apply along the top lashes then back into the crease, creating a c-shape. Blend with the taupe eye color.

5. Also apply the golden brown color to the bottom lashes blending with the vanilla eye color.

6. Next apply three coats of mascara or a set of false eyelashes.

For the cheeks

1. Really define the cheek bones by using a matte bronze cheek color to the cheek bones and slightly, slightly below the cheek bones as well. Blend well.

2. Then smile and apply the apricot cheek color to the apples of the cheeks. This gives a natural glow to the skin. (When purchasing the bronze cheek color make sure it does not have any shimmer to it. It is not possible to sculpt the face with a shimmer powder; matte is required.)

For the lips

1. Because the eyes and the rest of the face are so subtle, the lips will be the focal point. Which means it is time to pull out the candy red lipstick or the beautiful berry lipstick hiding in the bottom of the makeup bag.

2. Line lips with the berry lip liner and fill in the entire lip with the lip liner as well. This will prevent the lipstick and lip gloss bleeding into the skin as well as helping them to stay on all night.

3. Next, apply the lip color of choice, either a berry or red, with a lip brush. Using a lip brush is a must to be able to blend the lines from the lip liner.

4. Next, apply the lip gloss to the center of the bottom lips and smudge out with the lip brush.

5. Make sure to clean the lip brush after each use to prevent damage to the brush hairs.

6. Now, pack the lipstick and lip gloss in the evening bag for an after-dinner touch-up. It would probably be a good idea to bring along powder and blotting tissues too.

A household functions smoothly only when all its members contribute to the work. Loading only a single person with the entire responsibility will make him tire out very soon. Involve your kids in the housework by following ways:

• Make the cleaning time as much fun as possible. Music comes in very handy in making the environment pleasant and fun.
• Do not make the housework time boring by enforcing unnecessary discipline on them. Housework can be fun, if the kids want to do it dancing or singing, let them enjoy it.
• Work can also act as a fun way of learning basic things also. Like tell them to make pairs of the socks of same color or count the number of clothes to put into the laundry basket.
• Work along with your child and not just order him. It teaches them a lot of important lessons of life like teamwork, good leadership and ownership of work. Also, you can learn a lot about his way of working and together might come up with some great new ideas of doing the same old boring work.
• Teach the kids that by doing housework, they needn’t become servants of the house. It is their own work. You can also exchange your chores with there’s. If you clean up there room for them, exchange it with them doing something for you. Remember; do not ever give them a chore to do as a punishment. They will start hating it for ever.
• Give your child work that he is capable of doing. Making a task hard for him or not keeping in mind whether he will be able to do it or not is going to make things worse.
• It is not a difficult thing to have an involvement of the entire family in the work. It is just the way you teach them to look at it. They can look at it as an unwanted task and hate it or they could see as an important responsibility which is fun to do.

There are various methods and techniques used for removing the tattoos from the body. You can select any one of these techniques for yourself in order to remove any. You are also free to attempt to camouflage an old tattoo with a latest and different one. Some of the techniques are given below.

• Laser Treatment

The laser treatment can be used to lighten the tattoos more easily and effectively. This technique requires several visits during a period of seven days or even months. This method of treatment might cause some individuals experience hypopigmentation, which represents lightening of the natural skin coloring, in the affected area. The laser treatments can also cause some tattoo pigments to change to a less desirable shade. It is also reported to cause allergic reactions to the individuals who have taken laser treatments to remove the tattoos. It is because the laser caused allergenic substances in the tattoo ink to be released into the body. This treatment is expensive also.

• Dermabrasion

This technique of tattoo removal involves abrading layers of skin with a wire brush or diamond fraise, which is a type of sanding disc. The main drawback of this method is that it may leave a scar on the skin.

• Salabrasion

This is the method in which a salt solution is used to remove the pigment of tattoos. This technique is sometimes used in conjunction with dermabrasion. However this method of tattoo removal is not very popular.

• Scarification

This is the technique in which the tattoo is removed with an acid solution. The acidic solution used in this method creates a scar on the place of tattoo after removing it.

• Surgical Removal

This method of removing tattoos sometimes involves the techniques of tissue expanders such as balloons inserted under the skin. This is because when the tattoo is cut away, there is less scarring on the skin. The tattoos that are large in size may require repeated surgery for complete removal.

• Camouflaging

The technique of camouflaging a tattoo entails the injection of new pigments into the skin. This helps either to form a new pattern or to cover a tattoo with skin-toned pigments. However, it is observed that the injected pigments tend not to look natural as they lack the skin’s natural translucence.

Cracked heels are perhaps one of those problems which majority of the people have to face yet it mostly ignored. They not only look bad but also are extremely painful and become a perpetual problem due to lack of care.

Cause of cracked heels:-

• These are generally caused because of dry skin around the rim of heels.
• It is called heel fissures.
• The skin of the heels is thick and due to constant pressure and friction the crackes begin to appear which due to negligence and dust become deep.
• They start to bleed and become painful.
• Wrong ways of walking, diabetes, exposure to dust, over weight, fungal infection make a person prone to cracked heels.

Treatment and care

• The best way to prevent them is to keep soles clean.
• Where shoes which cover the whole feet while going out especially in sandy and dusty or dirty places.
• Wear sleepers at home because there are dust particles on the floor also.
• Keep feet in warm water for 10 minutes and then scrub them with pumic stone. It will remove dead cells and keep the foot skin soft and healthy.
• Dry the heels properly. Moisture left in cracks is injurious.
• Apply some good moisturiser or foot creams and wear soft socks. The best time to do the cleaning is before sleeping as feet will take rest and will not be in touch with dust. They will get time to heels.
• Wear socks in winters because the skin gets dry and is more prone to get cracks.
• Dont wear shoes, which do not fit, well and tend to bite.
• If it is due to some disease like diabetes then consult the doctor.
• If you are over weight then wear heel cups or heel pads which will prevent heels to expand sideways.