Basic highlights: in the most common highlighting method, a small section of hair is gathered with the point of a rat-tail comb and laid on a square piece of foil. Bleach is painted onto the hair until it’s saturated, then the foil is folded over the section.

Baliage: sometimes referred to as “hair painting”, this is a European coloring technique where highlights are painted on your hair without foils. (cotton batting or plastic wrap may be used to separate bleached sections from the rest of your hair). Baliage is the most artistic form of highlighting because the colorist can clearly see where he or she is putting the color. It’s also the least artificial-looking when your hair grows out, because the roots are less obvious (no foil means no strict lines of demarcation).

Chunking: popularized in the nineties, chunking is a technique in which big sections are lightened with one color. “Piecing” is a more evolved form of chunking. Colorists still work with sizable sections, but they use a number of light shades within each for a more three-dimensional, less bleached-out effect.

Lowlighting: darker strands are woven into lighter hair to create depth. This is also a common strategy for downplaying gray hair without subjecting yourself to a fully dye job.

Always test before you buy:

Pick a few colors: show up with a clean, bare face and select a couple of shades that seem close to your natural skin tone. Many makeup artists believe that yellow-based foundations look warmest and most natural on all skin tones, but if you’re extremely fair, try something a bit picker and cooler.

Put them on: apply small amounts along your jawline, so you can make sure the base matches your face and your neck, hence avoiding the dreaded mask effect.

Take a good look: stand near a doorway or step outside of the light. The right shade is the one you can’t see because it blends in so perfectly. Remember also that your skin color changes from summer to winter, so switch foundation shades accordingly.

Don’t settle:

Makeup artists: agree that foundation is worth spending some money on because it’s so crucial that the tone and product be customized to your skin. However, there are plenty of high-quality, inexpensive foundations out there, too. So it you’re shopping in a drugstore, test a shade by standing near a door or window and holding the bottle up to your neck while looking in a mirror. If you fear you can’t make an accurate assessment, buy two different shades from a drugstore with a liberal return policy, hand on to your receipt and try them at home.

Which comes first, eyeliner or eyeshadow? It depends on the look you want. For example, for a smoky eye, dark shadow goes on top of liner to “set” it, but for a cat eye you’d draw a dark line over pale shadow. Learn the proper application techniques and get comfortable (and steady) with sharp pencils and stiff-edged brushes, and you’ll realize liner can be as versatile and expressive as the most accomplished actress.

Eyeliner comes in three forms, each with a unique look and level of difficulty. One rule applies across the board: liner should be pliable, so that it never tugs at the thin skin around the eyes.

Pencil: pencils go on relatively quickly and blend easily, so they’re an easy everyday option. Automatic, mechanical and felt-tip pencils are always sharp, but be careful: precise lines can look severe on eyes of a certain age. Kohl pencils tend to be fatter and softer and have an almost powdery consistency, which makes them ideal for creating soft daytime looks and smudgy, smoky evening eyes.

Powder: this is the most natural-looking kind of eyeliner, and it’s easy to apply with almost any type of fine, short-bristle brush. Some cake (pressed powder) liners require a moist brush, but most can be used wet or dry. Many makeup artists use powder eye shadow as eyeliner: as long as it’s densely pigmented, it works just as well. (To keep dry shadow liner from fading, smooth a bit of oil-free foundation across your lids first).

Gel: of the three formulations, liquid liner is the most precise and long-lasting and has the sharpest, most defined look. On the flip side, it can also look dated. And as anyone who has applied it with a shaky hand knows, it’s the hardest type of liner to use. Liquid liners that come with small, pointed brushes create a very fine line, so they’re ideal for beginners. For a less intense effect, gently dot liner just between lashes with the tip of a brush. Felt or sponge tips are wider and therefore provide less control. Liquid liner shouldn’t budge once it dries – but use a waterproof formula in humid conditions, just in case.

Step one: trim random, extra-long hairs. Use a round brow brush to brush brow hairs straight up. With brow scissors (regular scissors aren’t sharp or small enough) trim any hairs that extend above the natural brow shape. Brush brows straight down and trim hairs that extend below it.

Step two: determine the inner edge of the brow. Place a brow pencil vertically along the right side of your nose, flush against your face. Where it hits your brow is where the inside starting point of your brow should be. Mark this spot with the pencil and repeat on your left side.

Step three: locate the outer edge of your brow. Hold the bottom of the pencil at the center of your bottom lip, aligning the top of the pencil with the outer corner of your right eye. Where the inside edge of the pencil hits your brow is where it should end. Mark the spot with the pencil and repeat this step on your left side.

Step four: find your arch. Hold the base of the pencil at the center of your lips and angle it until the inside edge aligns with the outer edge of your iris (the colored part of your eye). The highest point of the arch should be where the inside edge of the pencil meets your brow.

Step five: sketch in the shape. Using a brow pencil or brow powder on a soft round brush, lightly sketch in your ideal eyebrow silhouette based on the points you determined in the previous steps. Use a white pencil or a concealer stick to mark any stray brow hairs that fall outside of the determined parameters.

Step six: tweeze the stray hairs that you’ve covered with white pencil or concealer. Pull skin taut and tweeze hairs in the direction of hair growth. Don’t rush: move back and forth between brows every few hairs and step back often to look at your whole face. Tweeze newly sprung stray hairs every few days.

Prevent hair damage

Condition: every single time you wash your hair to gradually add back moisture that’s been sucked out over time by sunlight, your hair is extremely dry and brittle, apply leave-in conditioner in addition to regular conditioner.

Don’t towel-dry your hair: it roughs up the cuticles, making hair harder to comb. Instead, gently squeeze out water, wrap your hair in a towel, turban-style, until it is mildly damp, then use a wide-tooth comb to detangle it before blow-drying. If you must blow-dry, protect your hair before blasting it with hot air. Products containing “thermal protection” or silicone create a barrier between the heat and your hair, making the hair shaft less vulnerable to damage. Always hold your blow-dryer at least two inches away from your hair. Better yet, abbreviate the blow-drying process. Let it air dry for 30 to 45 minutes – until it’s almost dry. Then dry your hair on low heat, fluffing it with your hands, until it’s 80% dry, then style.

Use the warm setting on styling tools like curling irons and flat irons: Choosing warm over hot will decrease the chances of damage. Also, never let an iron sit still on your hair.

Sleep on satin pillowcases: especially if you have dry, curly hair, regular cotton fabrics create friction, which ruffles the cuticle and make hair frizzy.

Dandruff control

Flakiness is never attractive, but in hair it’s very treatable. Dandruff is caused by excess sebum, or oil, on the scalp. Your scalp is constantly shedding dead skin cells, which normally get washed away. The scalp also hosts a fungus called pityrosporum ovale, which lives in the skin. Normally, the levels of this fungus are too low to do anything. But when the scalp produces excess sebum, these yeast0like organisms proliferate, inflaming hair follicles and accelerating the shedding of dead skin cells, which fall of in large, oily flakes.

The best remedy is to rotate three over-the-counter dandruff shampoos-one containing salicylic acid, one containing selenium sulfide and a third containing pyrithione zinc – interesting them with a regular shampoo every other day. A trio of treatments is most effective because if you use only one active ingredient, the fungus can adapt and become immune to it. Make sure to use a matching conditioner with the same active ingredient as the shampoo.

When shampooing, massage your scalp vigorously to loosen flakes so they can be rinsed away, and leave the lather in your hair for three to five minutes. Rinse thoroughly, since residual shampoo can lead to more flaking. If that regimen doesn’t fix the problem, see a dermatologist.

Three steps of applying mascara:

Step one: curl your lashes. Open the curler and position it around lashes and as close to your upper lid as possible without pinching the skin. Keep your eyes open and gently squeeze the curler closed. Pump the curler once, bending your wrist upward to curl lashes, and release.

Step two: pull the wand from the tube (don’t pump it, which forces air into the tube, drying out the mascara). Wipe off excess mascara from the wand. Hold the wand horizontally at the case of your lashes and wiggle it back and forth from underneath them to create thickness before drawing it up and out to the tips.

Step three: wait a minute and repeat for a uniform finish. If you have naturally tick, long lashes, one coat is probably enough coverage for daytime. If your lashes are quite light, put a touch of mascara on the bottom lashes as well, so the upper lashes will not seem artificially colored.

How to remove your mascara?

Unless you use a gentle non-soap cleanser, your regular facial cleanser is probably too irritating to use on the delicate eye area. To clean off regular mascara, try a creamy or water-based makeup remover, which should dissolve it without scrubbing. To take off waterproof formulas, you’ll need an oil-based remover. Massage it into your lashes and then press them with a damp cotton pad or (dark-colored) washcloth. Refrain from rubbing or using tissue, which can be abrasive and leave residue.

The simplest way to get a dose of skin-boosting nutrients is with juicing. Some experts in longevity believe that the path to agelessness, not to mention maximum life span, is through the consumption of “live” foods and the supplementation of raw vegetables and fruit juices. Juicing fans also swear that fasting this way swiftly purifies the body, ridding it of potentially harmful build-up of toxins (such as agrochemicals and other pollutants, which may linger in the digestive system).

Juices are an easy and delicious way to make sure we are getting our quota of fruit and vegetables each day, which can be hard to achieve otherwise. Few of us would eat five carrots, but we could easily drink a 16-ounce glass of carrot juice, which is the equivalent. Taken with meals, the enzymes in fresh juice help us digest our foods. Juices are also great meal substitutes when you are in a hurry and need a fast blast of nutrients.

Invest in a juicing machine if you’re going to drink juices on a regular basis. No two juices need be the same – the only limit is your imagination. Make sure you drink a combination of fruit and vegetable juices to get the maximum nutritional benefit. It goes without saying that if you’re juicing, you should stick exclusively to organic ingredients. Berries, for example, may have been sprayed many times over, so if you juice non-organic fruit and vegetables, you’re juicing pesticides, too.

In the high-tech, marble beauty-hall world, “oxygen” is a buzzword: it’s being incorporated into skin creams and body lotions, or facials that mist pure oxygen onto the skin. But there’s a better way to deliver oxygen to the complexion – exercise.

When you work out, oxygen rushes to every cell in your body, encouraging the whole circulatory and nervous system to perform more efficiently. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have also established that the more oxygen you take in, the less likely you are to suffer free-radical damage, which is linked to premature ageing of the skin.

The key is to get the lungs and heart working, with aerobic exercise: brisk jogging, walking, running, cycling, dynamic yoga, rebounding, mountain hiking, ball games, spinning, rollerblading, skiing, skipping, swimming, or dancing. By making your heart work harder, exercise also raises the skin temperature, turbo-charging oxygen supplies to the skin, and allowing cells to regenerate faster and nutrients to be absorbed. It’s simple fact: exercise does more for your skin than any cream and can deliver many more physical benefits.

What does it take to make sure your skin and the rest of your organs are getting enough oxygen? Five 30-minute sessions a week, which sounds like a lot but isn’t that hard to achieve, once you get in the habit. Briskly walking at least part of your journey to work means you’re already incorporating regular exercise into your routine – and think of the transport fares or parking fees you’ve saved in the process.

If you are completely unused to exercise, start with eight minutes a day every other day for the first week, then add three minutes per session each week. Before you know it, you’ll be both slimmer and fitter, and your skin will positively glow with good health.

Of course, exercise does more than deliver a glow to the cheeks. Try to ensure that alongside your aerobic exercise you include weight-bearing or resistance exercises, such as swimming, to keep bones and muscles healthy. Above all, create a programme that suits your lifestyle and you will keep up.

1. If you are going to use nail polish or remover, open the windows before starting to minimize your exposure to the chemicals. In addition, ask at your usual beauty-supply shop or pharmacy for acetone-free polish remover; alternatively, look for the words “gentle” or “non-drying” on the label, which are clues.

2. Remove old nail polish: use a cotton wool pad and a cuticle stick that has been wrapped in absorbent cotton wool. Never use a wooden or metal instrument on your nails unless it has been carefully buffered with cotton wool first.

3. Shorten any nails that need cutting down – using nail scissors in preference to clippers, which can cause cracks. Cut from the side to the middle of the nail. Then shape the nails with an emery board, stroking lightly from the edges of the nail towards the centre. The softer and springier the emery board, the better. Look for the kinds which are almost squishy to touch, thanks to their foam backing, and last virtually a lifetime.

4. Using a dropper, apply Tough-As-Nails Aromatherapy Oil to the cuticle area, and massage in thoroughly with circular movements of the thumb.
Soak the fingertips in a bowl of warm water for at least a minute and dry thoroughly afterwards.

5. Gently push back the skin around the cuticles, working at the dead skin to create a neat, clean line. Use a cuticle stick wrapped in cotton wool or, better still, a rubber-tipped hoof stick.

6. Wash the hands thoroughly and brush the nails with a soft nail brush. Rinse the nails and dry them carefully on a towel. If you are going to apply polish, be aware that even a tiny amount of moisture or oil will spoil your manicure by preventing the polish from sticking to the nail, apply another dot of oil and work into the nail surface, then buff with a nail buffer. You can use one made of chamois. To buff the nail, always work in an up-and-down motion, rather than side to side across the nail. This stimulates blood flow and delivers a beautiful sheen.

7. If using polish, brush on a protective base coat to cover the entire nail surface, stopping short of the cuticle. A base coat keeps coloured polish from staining nails.

8. Apply two coats of your chosen toluene and formaldehyde-free nail colour, starting with a stroke down the centre of the nail and then a stroke on each side, being careful to avoid the cuticle.

9. Lightly brush on one layer of top coat to add gloss and protect against chipping and abrasion. When nails are dry to the touch, add a drop of your

10. Touch-As-Nails oil to each cuticle and rub it very lightly onto the surface of the polish; it acts as an amazingly effective quick dry. Ideally, however, you should allow half an hour for your nails to be completely dry, so allow yourself at least 30 minutes of pure relaxation.

11. To prolong the life of your manicure, brush on a fresh top coat every other day.

1. Stroke down the left foot from the toes to the ankle, using both hands. Then glide your hands back up to the toes. Repeat until the foot feels warm and relaxed.

2. Supporting the left ankle on your right knee, use your right hand to hold the ball of the foot and gently rotate the foot twice one way and then twice the other.

3. Continue to rest your left ankle on your right knee. Grasp the toes with your right hand and move them gently back and forth a few times to loosen them up.

4. Run your thumbs up the four “grooves” on top of the foot, which start between each toe. Stroke each “groove” firmly with both thumbs at least twice.

5. Using the middle and index fingers, make small, firm rotations all over the ankle area.

6. Supporting the left foot with your left hand, use your right thumb and index finger to work on the toes. Starting with the little toe, stroke, make circular movements, and gently pull each toe. Repeat the sequence three times. Now clasp all the toes together and pull gently.

7. Applying pressure to the sole is very therapeutic. To feel the benefit, continue to rest your left ankle on the right knee. Cradle the left foot with your right hand, fingers on top, thumb on the sole. Starting at the base of the middle toes, apply firm pressure, at 1cm intervals from the centre of the sole to the base of the heel. Glide your thumb back to the starting position, then repeat this movement three times.

8. To maximize relaxation, rest your left ankle on your right knee and support it still further by holding it with your left hand. Place the fatty pad of your right hand on the sole of your foot, in the arch, with your fingers on top of the foot. Press firmly, maintaining the pressure for a few seconds, then releasing. Repeat four times for maximum benefit.

9. To finish, repeat movement 1. Then change legs and reverse the positions.

Facial massage helps defy age by reducing muscle tension – tension that can eventually etch lines in the face. By increasing blood circulation, it brings oxygen and essential nutrients to the skin and helps remove toxin.

Step-by-step facial acupressure:

1. Locate the spots at the hairline that are directly above the centre of the eyes. Massage using inward circles, breathing deeply.

2. Move fingers down the face to halfway between eyebrows and hairline. Massage using inward circles.

3. Use your thumbs for this one: locate the spot on each side of the bridge of the nose, just below the brow line. Push upwards, using pressure rather than circling technique.

4. At the outer tip of the eyebrows, massage with outward circles.

5. At the outside corner of the eyes, massage outwards.

6. On the top of the checkbone, underneath the middle of the eye, circle outwards.

7. Now move the fingers down until they are in line with your nostrils, and massage using outward circles.

8. In the indentation that runs from the middle of your nose to your top lip, circle in a clockwise direction, using one finger.

9. Locate the middle of your chin and massage in clockwise circles.

10. Using both fingers again, place your fingers on the jawline at each side of the chin. Massage in outward circles.

11. Move your fingers outwards along the jaw to a point halfway between jaw and the jaw hinge. Massage in outward circles.

12. Find the muscle just in front of the jaw hinge. With the mouth resting open, massage the area by making circles towards the back of the head.

If you have the time, massage each pressure point for up to one minute. Otherwise, using the pressure-point technique for just five or 10 seconds on each area will help.

Mild exercise, of types appropriate to the various stages, will help keep the circulatory system healthy, increase pelvic muscle tone and strength, and help to smooth out mood swings. Done right, you can lessen the severity of backaches, keep joints flexible and firm, and improve sleep.

Mild exercise helps release endorphins, which can help elevate mood. Proper strengthening and toning of the back, buttocks, and thighs helps improve posture and relieve backaches. Daily stretching keeps joints well-lubricated with synovial fluid. Moderate working out burns up some of that anxious energy, leading to more restful sleep.

Three exercises in particular are appropriate for most soon-to-be mothers: swimming, spinning and pelvic strengtheners.

Swimming is a great cardiovascular exercise and has the added benefit of easing the back and leg burden during later stages. Most women enjoy the (all too temporary) relief during those final months. Keeping the cardiovascular system active helps regulate the endocrine system and keeps muscle tissues full and joints flexible.

Swimming has the added benefit of working nearly all the muscles and joints in a low-impact way. Knees get a break from the higher stress of carrying additional weight and breathing exercises can be done while wading, in between laps.

Spinning, provided it isn’t done too strenuously, can be a terrific exercise up until the last two months or so. The cardiovascular benefits are similar to swimming and the legs as well as stomach and pelvic muscles can get a really good workout. That benefits fitness overall, while helping to keep legs in shape to prevent falls. It also helps two particular muscle groups that will be needed during delivery.

A 10-minute routine on a stationary bike is plenty, keeping in mind that you should stop at the first sign of bleeding, fluid loss, dizziness or intense pain.

‘Kegels’ are a commonly recommended exercise – and for good reason. They help develop those very specific muscles that aid in giving birth.

To find the right muscles to focus on, pretend you’re trying to halt urination in the middle of elimination. Squeeze those specific muscles for a few seconds, then relax. During the exercise, avoid tightening the legs or stomach. That will help isolate the right muscles you need to zero in on. Remember to continue to breathe normally, in and out slowly and regularly.

Before beginning or continuing any exercise routine once you know you are pregnant, be sure to have a long talk with your physician. Many of them are rushed, but be firm and get the answers you need in order to stay fit in a safe way.

Stop immediately any activity that produces heart palpitations, back pain or light-headedness. Don’t concern yourself with weight loss during pregnancy, just keep fit in order to maximize your overall health and mental well-being.

Diabetes comes in two types, Type I and Type II. In either case, the body has difficulty regulating the level of blood glucose. Glucose is the primary source of energy for the body’s activities.

One basic reason is the inability to produce the proper amount of insulin, a hormone that helps transport glucose to the cells. In Type I diabetes the body can’t produce adequate insulin, so the loss has to be made up from the outside, usually via injection. This is the more serious type and control of the condition requires obtaining medical advice.

In Type II diabetes, individuals produce insulin, but it’s less effective in performing its role as a transport aid. This is the type that is more likely to occur as we age. The kidneys become less efficient and we tend to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. We sometimes worsen our odds by being more indulgent about food. The long term effects add up.

Type II can be controlled with diet and exercise and with careful self-monitoring under the care of a physician, the effects can be minimal.

Exercise helps increase insulin sensitivity. It also reduces body fat, which helps regulate the amount of glucose needed and used. Weight training helps by increasing the metabolic rate, reducing body fat. At the same time, it increases the use of glucose used by muscles and improves the ability of muscle tissue to store it. All those help achieve the preferred glucose level.

Get professional advice and start any new program slowly, particularly if you have not been active habitually. Pain from doing too much too soon is one of the leading factors that discourages people from continuing a program. Also, the body needs time to adjust to changes in hormone level, metabolic level and thus glucose and insulin levels.

Be sure to warm up for five to ten minutes at minimum. Easy stretches and low-impact, low heart rate exercise help get the muscles infused with blood and joints limber. Take care not to exercise when it is too hot. Heat stroke (from too high an internal temperature and lack of fluid) is a risk, and more so for those who are older.

Humidity levels are a factor to consider, as well. The body’s ability to regulate internal temperature is made less efficient when the moisture content of the air is high. The heat doesn’t travel out of the sweat and off the skin so readily. On hot and/or humid days, wear loose fitting clothing and reduce the time and vigor of your routine.

Walking is a great way to get started. Try to walk on grass rather than concrete or asphalt, but with good shoes you do either. An hour per day every day is best, but even 20 minutes three or four days per week will help.

Persistence is key. Reducing the odds of getting diabetes, or controlling it once you have it, require permanent lifestyle changes. But the benefits are not only the absence of a debilitating disease, but a healthy body and improved mood.

You probably need less foundation than you think you do. Scrutinize your face in a mirror, because that always makes everything look worse than it is. Dab foundation onto imperfections such as spots, broken veins, and dark circles, and blend well. For more coverage, use a concealer that matches your skintone perfectly. Forget sponges. They’re fussy, and you usually end up applying more than you need.

Foundation and concealer need setting with powder if they’re not to disappear into thin air. Apply with velvet puff pad or a brush – not the big, fluffy brush that you’re usually recommended to use, but a 2 cm brush that allows for precision placement of powder. Powder is normally needed only around the oily T-zone of the face: the forehead, nose, and chin, which can appear shiny.

To avoid breathing in the powder and getting a dusty effect, whack the base of the brush hard on a flat surface before you apply it to the face.

The reason women reapply powder frequently during the day is usually to avoid shine. Oily-skinned women who follow the skincare advice should find that they start to shine less, anyway. But instead of adding powder to mop up oil, try using the one-layer-of-tissue trick. It will blot shine without disturbing the rest of your make-up.

For a sun-kissed glow, you should use a big, fluffy brush, the bigger and fluffier the better, and dust the bronzing powder onto your forehead, the tip of your nose, your chin, and the top of your cheekbones – anywhere the sun strikes naturally. Once you have loaded the colour onto the brush, tap the handle sharply on a flat, hard surface to remove any excess, which will mean you don’t apply too much to the face and that there aren’t loose particles of bronzer in the air for you to breathe in.

Allow ten minutes after applying moisturizer before make-up. This will encourage the makeup to stay put for longer, avoiding the need for touch-ups during the day.

The best way to put the sparkle back in tired eyes is by getting plenty of rest, but there is no need to reach for pharmaceutical eye drops when you’re simply suffering from lifestyle-related soreness or redness.

Fast fixes for puffy eyes

Swelling that doesn’t disappear rapidly once you’re out of bed is commonly caused by allergies, so you may need to consider whether there is anything you are reacting to, particularly if you have a tendency to allergies. Possible triggers include cosmetics, anything applied to the eye area last thing at night, or even skin mites in your mattress and bedding.

In rare cases, major swelling around the eyes can indicate more general health problems, such as circulatory disorders. If the puffiness is very noticeable or has been persistent for a long time, consult your doctor.

To soothe dry eyes

Often eyes become tired and itchy because the air is too dry. An electric humidifier can create a more eye-friendly environment, or fill your office and home with plants, and spray-mist them frequently.

To soothe tired eyes

Cucumber slices, raw potato slices, and witch hazel-soaked cotton pads are all extremely soothing. Eyebright is nature’s sparkle-restoring herb: add 30 drops of tincture of eyebright to a glass of cool, boiled pure water, and keep it in the refrigerator; organic cotton pads soaked in it are tremendously eye-claiming. Apply morning and evening.

To tone down red eyes

To draw attention away from red eyes, wear less make-up. Avoid eye make-up with even a hint of red, such as purple, burgundy, and pick shades.

Natural or synthetic?

Most fragrances today are a combination of hundreds of different ingredients: some are natural elements, but most are synthetic. Some of those chemicals, for instance methylene chloride, may even be carcinogenic. Synthetics are used because they are far less expensive to produce. Fragrance industry “noses” also argue that synthetic ingredients do not vary, as natural elements can, differing subtly according to the soil they were grown on, the climate, and the speed with which they were processed.

A fragrance may contain as many as 200 different chemical ingredients, and because of the highly competitive nature of the business, it is impossible to tell what’s in a fragrance – listing ingredients is tantamount to giving away a multi-million-pound formula. Some consumer groups, however, are lobbying for labeling on fragrance, so that people with chemical sensitivities know what to avoid.

Make it up

Fragrance has become so much a part of our image that it is almost inconceivable to think of giving it up: a spritz to boost confidence, a dab for romance, a splash to cool down. It is up to you to decide your priorities and whether, instead of buying another bottle of perfume, you might like to have fun making your own.

Some natural food stores, meanwhile, carry all-natural fragrances from companies including Dr. Hauschka and the Australian brand, Natio.

Each day, the world exerts a certain amount of trauma on your skin. Just as you do your best to adapt to changes that come your way, your skin does its best, too. As you sit at your desk, eat lunch in the park, or walk down the street, your skin is working hard to regulate heat, excrete water and salts as sweat, and provide oxygen to the body. But it is prevented from functioning at its best by routine exposure to environmental stresses. For a healthy, glowing complexion, skin needs to be buffered against potential damage. So, what assaults skin? And what can we do about it?

Sun: 90% of premature ageing is linked with overexposure to UV rays. The solution: shield your skin from the sun with natural skin protectors.

Smoking: another skin enemy – even passive smoking. When tobacco burns, as many as 4,000 different chemical compounds are produced: these may be absorbed via your skin. These chemicals affect your internal health, causing lung, heart, blood, and stomach disease and can cause a variety of visible problems, including skin discolouration or irritation and blackheads. More worryingly, the chemicals can also cause skin cancer. The solution: creams featuring antioxidant ingredients, such as vitamins C and E, can help to protect against – and may even reverse – some of the damage triggered by smoking.

Pollution: skin can be exposed to hundreds of chemicals a day. The solution: switch to natural cleaning materials. To protect your skin, also choose body and face creams featuring antioxidant ingredients.

Alcohol: it dehydrates the skin and leads to broken or swollen capillaries, especially on the nose and cheeks. It also destroys the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy complexion. The solution: cut down to one or two glasses of good wine a day, and maintain an adequate intake of Essential Fatty Acids.

Particularly today, when there are so many electronic alternatives, young people may exercise less than they should. It’s during the formative years that individuals lay the groundwork for what later become healthy or poor habits.

Kids will usually become quickly bored with routines designed for adults. But the activity doesn’t have to involve organized group sports, either. A gentle jog with an adult, a tennis game, swimming, golf, martial arts, bicycling, dancing, gymnastics and many other sports are enjoyable for the younger crowd.

Kids are usually sensitive to anything that appears inconsistent or hypocritical from adults. Be prepared to follow your own advice and exercise with them. That also helps parents share quality time with their kids outside the house and during activities that benefit both. Parents get the added benefit of monitoring to ensure that the kids are exercising in a safe and proper way.

Like any routine, if it produces pain – even the day after – the individual is less likely to continue. Keep it simple and build up the difficulty and length gradually. Kids are more flexible, but they too need to warm-up and gently stretch before engaging in vigorous exercise. A few minutes of static and dynamic stretching will help avoid injury.

Exercise routines should take into account the age group of the individual child.

Children from about 4-7 should focus primarily on developing basic physical skills, such as coordination and balance. These are the years when motor skills, eye-hand coordination and other things adults take for granted are still fluid. Children take to these activities naturally, as well. Jumping rope, hopscotch and other simple activities help guide the development of these skills.

From the age of 8 or so, exercises can become more vigorous in order to keep that active metabolism from turning food into fat. Here again, though, adults need to guide kids in order to build good habits and avoid injury. Weight machines are almost always a bad idea for pre-teens, for example. They’re risky and unnecessary.

Gymnastics, by contrast, helps build on those basic motor skills learned earlier while developing strength, balance and keeping the endocrine system active and healthy.

For teens, the field is wide open. They have the basic bone and muscle structure that gives them the potential for high performance activity in a wide variety of activities. But here, too, the possibility of injury remains for those who don’t get the proper guidance.

Teens are inclined to roughhousing and rebelliousness. Give them an outlet that directs all that energy and independence to the achievement of positive goals – fitness, endurance, high scores.

No reputable researcher will claim that exercise will repair a weakened or diseased immune system. Nonetheless, a broad spectrum of studies confirm that moderate exercise can help sustain and strengthen it, even when the effects are indirect.

The role of exercise in helping to lower stress – and the subsequent beneficial effects on health – has been widely studied. Here the studies are less clear, contradicting one another in some details. But overall the conclusion is the same: moderate, regular exercise helps the immune system by moderating the effects of stress.

Most studies carried out over the last 30 years agree: a continual high level of stress has a number harmful effects on overall health. People who experience high stress get more colds, suffer more digestive tract problems and have more frequent bouts of fatigue. Part of the latter is indirect, since it tends to lead to lowered amounts of restful sleep.

Regular exercise helps relieve stress. It does so directly, by providing an outlet for, and consuming much of, the nervous energy produced by stress. It also helps indirectly by shifting one’s focus away from the external factors producing the stress.

Exercise can help the cardiovascular system, which in turn improves blood flow, carries away toxins from muscles and organs, and helps keep the kidneys and endocrine system working well. It helps remove germs and circulate antibodies.

All those promote a healthy immune system by lessening the body’s susceptibility to disease, while increasing the robustness of the immune system itself.

Exercising increases the body temperature slightly. This, as anyone who has suffered from a cold knows, is the body’s natural response to colds, flu and other diseases. The increased temperature helps kill the infecting organisms.

A study at the University of Colorado, Boulder suggests that moderate exercise helps prevent colds as well. It showed that individuals are less likely to get sick after stressful situations when they had engaged in a regular program of moderate exercise. Those that began exercise only on the same day as the stressor didn’t enjoy those benefits.

The study was carried out on rats, but one of the reasons those mammals are used is the similarity in some systems, and their responses, to humans.

Exercise programs, undertaken consistently and correctly, help improve body image – that’s one of most individuals primary goals in making the effort, after all. That improved body image often leads to higher levels of confidence and relaxation in social situations. That in turn helps reduce stress and enhance the immune system.

Whether the effects are direct or indirect, exercising can help you support and enhance your immune system. That leads directly to better overall health.

When and how you can begin exercise routines after major surgery will vary with the type of treatment you had. Most physicians will recommend at least a week, sometimes 6-12 weeks, of recuperation before even attempting regular routines. Consult your physician.

Most people will want to perform some kind of toning exercises and probably induce some weight loss. Most surgery reduces the metabolic and activity level – leading to weight gain and flabbiness.

Be sure to keep well hydrated, no matter what form of exercise you perform. This is helpful in order to keep the endocrine system functioning properly and aids the process that keeps joints lubricated.

Take it slow and return to your pre-operative level gradually. Here are some specific exercises for two different types of surgery. Again, consult your physician first.

Breast Surgery

About a week after surgery, you’ll still be experiencing discomfort. But recovery will be aided by some simple arm exercises. Perform steady breathing during the following:

Lift the arm on the operative side and simulate hair brushing and eating. Do a few reps at most the first few times. Raise that same arm above the heart for an hour, two to three times per day in order to reduce swelling. With the arm raised, gradually open and close the hand, building up to clenching a tennis ball as the discomfort decreases. Alternately bend and straighten the elbow.

After a couple of weeks you may feel fit enough to perform the following exercise.

Hold a broom handle (with the broom cut off), in both hands with your palms up, arms outstretched. Lift above the head and hold for a few seconds, then lower the broom handle to the pelvis. Repeat several times.

Hysterectomy

In these exercises, you’ll work the abs, pelvic, and back muscles. As with any routine, be sure to get the advice of your doctor before beginning.

Lie on the floor, knees bent, hands behind your head. Press the small of the back gently into the floor, then more firmly. Don’t try to work ‘through the pain’.

Raise your head and shoulders slightly off the floor, paying attention to the contraction of the abs. Take care not to move the chin toward the chest. Then slowly lower the head and shoulders back to the floor. Repeat several times.

Lift the hips, hold for a few seconds, then lower them. Do 10 reps. Then, alternate with the abdominal exercises. Roll over onto the knees, making sure you have some knee pads or carpeting to soften the point of contact.

Slowly raise one arm and the alternate leg. Alternate. Right arm out, left leg out, then, left arm out, right leg out. Hold each for a second or two, switch and repeat 10 times.

Again, don’t try to exercise if you feel intense pain as distinguished from mild discomfort. Take it slow, building up strength over time.