Supernova
Elroy Jackson
“The good times we shared, I always will remember
But don’t wait for me to change, it will be a warm day in December.”
- 2 The Limit, Octavia
*snicker*
Happy Friday y’alls!
Have a safe, wonderful weekend.
Be blessed.
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Music quote of the day: Octavia
November 27, 2009 — SupernovaMaintaining the flab
November 26, 2009 — SupernovaPersonal health is tied very closely to financial health.
A person is considered obese if s/he is morbidly overweight, i.e. the person is at a risk of dying based on health complications that s/he has developed because of his/her weight.
Obesity is very expensive. Suze Orman, internationally acclaimed personal finance expert, shared some interesting tidbits on Obesity in America with the contestants of NBCs “Biggest Loser”, Season 8.
Apparently, research has shown that:
- Obese people earn less than people who aren’t obese, on average about $7,000 per year.
This is based on a number of factors including more sick days taken, and the increased cost to the employer for things such as health care insurance.
- On average, a family who eats just one meal at home every day can save up to $8,760 in just one year.
The average daily cost of the meal was calculated at $24.
- Americans spend $4.4 billion dollars per year on gastric bypass surgery.
With an average cost of $20,000 per surgery, that works out to 220,000 people per year.
- Obesity related healthcare issues cost Americans $147 billion dollars per year, 63% more than is spent on cancer related issues.
- An individual who has moved from being at an obese weight to his/her ideal weight would on average save $1 million dollars, in health care and other costs related to obesity, over 40 years.
Wowzers.
Makes you want to drop and do 3 sets of 12, STAT.
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Holiday Food Survival Guide
What’s your serving size?
Skin Type: Dry Skin
November 26, 2009 — SupernovaDry skin is one of four categories of skin types, and is the skin type that lacks oil. Some characteristics of dry skin may include:
- Thin texture
- Lack of sebum (skin’s oil secretions)
- No oily film present
- Tight/ taut sensation
- Lack of suppleness and tone
- Matte complexion
- Closed pores
- Rough texture
- Flakes of dehydration
- Expression lines (frown, smile etc) as a result of reduced natural lubrication and superficial dehydration
- Dull, lackluster skin
Treatment
As the protective barrier on dry skin is already compromised, harsh, soapy, detergent cleansers can completely ’strip’ skin’s protective barrier. Products with a higher oil (lipid) content work well for dry skin as they help reinforce this protective layer.
Cream or emollient cleansers, conditioning cleansers that are ‘non-soapy’ and often have either a thick or a fluid like milky look, work best for dry skin, especially chronically dry skin – skin that is prone to cracking, splitting and bleeding. The thicker the consistency of the cream cleanser, the more beneficial it is to drier skin, as the more oils the cleanser contains.
These same rules apply when choosing a moisturizer for dry skin. The drier the skin the more it benefits from the oils present in cream based moisturizers.
Exfoliation
For normal to dry skin, frequent mechanical exfoliation, with the use of appropriately mild facial scrubs 2-3 times a week is beneficial, as it helps shed the over abundance of dead skin cells present on the skin’s surface that can contribute to a dull, lackluster skin tone.
This exfoliation of normal to dry skin also helps stimulate the skin’s sebaceous (oil) glands and promote the skin’s production of oils that this skin type lacks.
Harsh exfoliating agents such as crushed walnut/ apricot shells should not be used on the face, especially on chronically dry skin. Even though these shells may be finely crushed, the pieces are not uniformly smooth and may contain sharp edges that can rip, tear and damage the skin’s surface.
Exfoliating agents that dissolve in water, like crushed cornmeal or exfoliating agents that contain spherical ‘microbeads’ work better at exfoliating skin without damaging its structure.
Alternatively, products that contain chemical exfoliating agents like alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as glycolic and lactic acids can work well to smoothen rough-textured, dry and dehydrated skin. Contact your skin care therapist before you start using these products as incorrect use can severely damage skin.
Dehydration
Usually, but not always, dry skin is also dehydrated. Therefore, using products that contain a high water content, like toners and/ or fluid moisturizers, can help to hydrate the skin, leaving it more soft and supple.
Drinking the required amount of water daily and having a diet full of vegetables (that contain mostly water) also assist dry skin to maintain flexibility.
Aging
Because dry skin often is dehydrated and lacks oil, suppleness and tone, it is prone to faster aging than oily skin. A proper and consistent moisturizing habit as well as the use of sunscreen are two ways to help prevent pre-mature aging.
Possibly related posts
Q/A: Is toner important?
Q/A: Skin type vs. Skin condition
Premature aging
Laying the foundation
November 26, 2009 — SupernovaFoundation is used for many reasons. It may be used to create a smooth canvas for applying coloured cosmetics, even out skin tone, minimize discolouration such as redness, protect the skin fron sun, wind and pollution, or when properly blended, change the appearance of the colour tones in the skin.
Foundation should be applied to a cleansed and well moisturized face. Moisturizer will hydrate and help smoothen skin as well as reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by temporarily filling in any creases that may be present. Wait a minute or two after applying moisturizer, or blot face with a tissue before applying liquid foundation to face, to prevent streaking.
Foundation may be applied using:
- Fingertips
- Cosmetic Sponges
- Foundation brushes
Fingertips
Liquid/ cream foundation may be simply applied using fingertips. Apply foundation on one finger, for example your index finger and dot on the forehead, nose, both cheeks and chin. Blend well using fingertips. Applying foundation in this way can impart oil and other bacteria that can be otherwise present on your fingers so be sure to wash hands properly before application.
Cosmetic Sponge
Foundation may also be applied using cosmetic sponges or triangles. When applied this way, a thicker layer of foundation may be applied at a time.
It is also possible to ’stipple’ liquid/ cream foundation application i.e. to go over an area using a dotting motion to apply more layers of foundation to just one particular area. This may be done directly on the skin during the foundation application or it may be done in a process that is referred to as ‘layering’. In layering, one layer of liquid/ cream foundation may be applied followed by a layer of loose powder, then followed by another layer of foundation applied with the cosmetic sponge in the stippling motion, which is then followed by another layer of loose powder.
This method is most used when covering skin imperfections, scars or tattoos for example, and is best performed using cream foundations, which provide heavy coverage.
However, a considerable amount of foundation is absorbed by the cosmetic sponge. Cosmetic sponges are not disinfectable and are therefore disposable. They should be discarded at least once a month.
Foundation Brushes
There are many types of foundation brushes used by makeup artists, depending on the desired effect.
For liquid and cream foundations, the most common foundation brushes are flat, wide, made with stiff bristles and come in many different widths. The larger the width of the brush the more area it covers and the more easily it spreads the product. Larger brushes function well in imparting a very thin, even layer of foundation to the skin, and can also be used in the layering technique described above.
Smaller bristle widths enable the application of more concentrated coverage on smaller areas, and can be used to apply concealer.
Powders are best applied using large fluffy brushes. The use of compact powders usually will transfer more pigment to the skin in one application than would loose formulations. Loose powders are often applied after the application of coloured cosmetics to blend, or after liquid/ cream foundations to ’set’ the foundation so that it lasts longer. However, loose powder may be applied on its own, without a foundation, or during the day for a lighter more natural look.
Foundation brushes, as all makeup brushes, should be washed with mild liquid soap or gentle daily shampoo at least once a month, and should be dried in a flat position, rather than in an upright position as doing so can destroy the integrity of the glue that holds the bristles together.
For more makeup tips see related post -> Frump to Fab in 10 steps
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Music quote of the day: B.T. Express
November 26, 2009 — Supernova
“Just take some time and relax your mind, then do it… ’til you’re satisfied.”
- Do it (Till you’re satisfied), B.T. Express
Go on, make it last as long as you can 
Have a great Thursday y’alls!
Live your life
November 25, 2009 — Supernova
Life happens every second of every day.
It’s not a dress rehearsal. You’re on the stage, the curtains are pulled, the lighting crew has put the spotlight on you. It’s your time to shine. Let the show begin.
Laugh
Enjoy the humourous (and not so humourous) in life. It is said that life is a tragedy in the short term and a comedy in the long term, so pay the present just the amount of seriousness that it needs, then let the good times roll.
Sometimes you have to laugh through your battles to help you keep your mind.
Love
You spend so much time catering to others. Love your family, cherish your kids and travel light.
Make peace with your parents, for they may not be around much longer. They cannot undo the mistakes they’ve made and neither can you. If you are judging them so harshly, hopefully you are/will be a better parent for it.
Make mental peace with those who you believe have wronged you. Feelings of happiness and resentment cannot reside in the same emotional space.
Most of all love yourself actively. To love others you must first understand how to love yourself.
Live
Be present in your life. Make the best choices that you can everyday in terms of your career, what you eat, who are your friends, and what you want for your family, how you live. Be an active part of what you are receiving in this life.
Your past is your past.
You need not keep reminding yourself of it, because you’ve lived it. Don’t worry, you wouldn’t forget it. It walks around with you everyday, so yes it’s there. It just doesn’t have to do all the talking for you.
Instead, flood your senses with who you are now and what you are going to become. Give thanks for that which you have and are about to receive.
Live proactively, not reactively. Find something that excites you.
And most of all filter. Not everything in this life is for you, as not everyone around you has something to say that you need to hear.
Charge forward from this day onward, with a renewed sense of being.
Unwind
Put aside some time to unwind. It doesn’t have to be as grand as one day a week, it could be as little as 15 minutes everyday.
Drink a glass of wine with your dinner. Take 15 minutes before you go to sleep to read a few pages from a chapter of a novel, or some pages of your favourite food/lifestyle/ fashion/ fitness mag. Take up knitting. Learn something new on the history/ discovery channel. Read more about whatever you are interested in.
Create rituals for yourself. For example, put aside time every week to soak your feet or yourself in a bath of dead sea salts. Let the goodies stimulate your skin and get rid of those pesky dead skin cells. When you are finished, not only would you be well relaxed, but you will have fresh glowing skin too!
No-one’s judging you. Take the time to do whatever makes you happy.
Dance
Music is a universal language. It can lift your spirits as well as lower them. When you feel the stresses of life creeping on, crank up the music that gets you moving and let the feel good vibes flow.
Break out your best 80s moves, however well coordinated they may be. Like singing karaoke, it’s much more fun when the professionals stay out of it.
Plus, dancing the fool doubles as a good workout.
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Viva la dolce vita!
Possibly related post -> “Brazilian bikini wax is a must!!!”
Wash mindfully
November 25, 2009 — Supernova
The conditioning agents present in hair conditioners can clog skin pores when they are deposited on your skin through rinsing. If you have an issue with pimples, acne or general build up occuring on your back, try cleansing your skin after you have rinsed the conditioner out of your hair, and not before. Doing so will wash away any potential pore clogging residue from your back.
If you tend to have excess oil buildup on your face or have acneic skin, also consider cleansing your face with your routine cleanser after you’ve rinsed the conditioner from your hair.
Alternatively, you can choose to apply a leave-in conditioner, in a cream or spray formula depending on the texture and condition of your hair. Apply the leave-in conditioner from the middle of the hair strands to the ends, avoiding the forehead and other areas of your face. This is because the conditioning agents present in the leave-in conditioners can leave the same build up/ residue on the skin, which can clog pores on the face and give rise to acne in the same way.
Cream leave-in conditioners work well for drier hair and/or thicker hair strands as they provide extensive moisturization and help to better tame fizziness. However these formulas will weigh down fine hair.
Choose the one that works best for you.
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Possibly related post -> Clean roots, Soften ends
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Skin Types: Normal Skin
November 25, 2009 — Supernova“Normal skin” is considered to be one of four categories of skin types. This type of skin secretes a moderate amount of sebum (oils secreted by the skin) so there is no lack neither is there excess. Skin feels neither dry nor oily.
Most skins can be classified as either normal to dry or normal to oily. It is very rare that a skin type would considered to be normal, that is it is not affected by any underlying skin conditions. For example this skin type is not dehydrated, does not have areas with darkened or lightened spots, is not acneic, or does not show signs of aging etc.
Not even all babies today are born with a normal skin type. Some babies are born with birthmarks on their skin, some have rough scaly patches, and some are even born with breakout activity on their faces for example.
Normal skin is perfect to the naked eye. Because it has the right balance of oils, normal skin:
- Is plump
- Is smooth and soft
- Has even pores and colour tone
- Has no excess oil or dryness.
Normal skin can use either water (aqueous) or oil (lipid) based products. This type of skin easily maintains it’s balance and it’s protective barrier.
As this skin type is very rare, it is a good idea to re-evaluate this skin type with the change of the season or lifestyle.
Possibly related post -> 10 Top Skin-Care Faux Pas
Skin’s secretions
November 25, 2009 — Supernova
The amount of oil secreted by your skin determines your skin type, i.e. whether your skin is considered to be dry, oily, or normal. This oil that is secreted by skin helps the skin to form its lipid barrier, which is a combination of oil, sweat and dead skin cells that form a layer over the skin and protect it against bacteria.
Unlike your laundry, your skin should not feel ’squeaky’ clean. It should not feel so clean that after cleansing and drying your face, rubbing your finger along your skin almost produces a noise similar to the one produced when you drag your bare feet against a newly polished floor. *squeak*
Using cleansers that are too harsh for your skin can remove this barrier completely and give your skin that squeaky clean feeling. When this lipid barrier has been removed, the skin then goes into emergency mode and attempts to restore this barrier by producing, and sometimes over producing, oil.
This lipid barrier decreases with age, which is why you would find that your skin gets less oily and more dry with age.
Huh.
Music quote of the day: Savage Garden
November 25, 2009 — Supernova“Come stand a little bit closer, breathe in and get a bit higher
You’ll never know what hit you when I get to you”
- I want you, Savage Garden
Happy Wednesday y’alls!
