Beauty Has No Age Limit is an e-book written by Krizia, a fellow Total Beauty Member. Krizia has been researching on Diet and Nutrition for more than 10 years. This wonderful book covers topics ranging from Skin Care, Hair Care, Body Care, Make-Up to Diet and Fitness Tips for women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Same skin care approach might not work for all the ages, she tells you about the skin care concerns each age group faces and how to deal with it.  This chapter tells you how to beat your eye area issues, how to take care of your hands to make them younger looking and loads of other beauty tips.

She tells you about anti-aging foods and supplements that will help you age gracefully. Eating healthy definitely helps you look and feel good.

She reveals some great make-up techniques from top French Make-Up Artists  which will help you achieve a natural look and not overdone.

Hair Care Chapter covers topics like tips for Colored Hair and Hairstyle to suit your age.

If you are wondering how to stay fit after 35 without starving yourself you would definitely like Krizia’s tips.

In this book,she-

• Makes sense of the overload of information on beauty.
• Reveals the most effective anti-aging ingredients.
• Highlights the most popular cosmetic enhancement procedures and why they work.
• Gives her own strategy on how to “lose weight fast”.
• Shares some insider information from some of the top celebrity makeup artists and will provide some incredible information on how to use makeup to enhance your beauty and features as you as age instead of hiding behind makeup.
• Goes through the list of must-haves for your wardrobe to ensure you look stylish as you age.
• Also shares some of her favorite aging-well and beauty quotes that  she has collected along the way from different women who have a really interesting perspective on how they age.

Overall, this is a wonderful book, full of  information on how to age gracefully. After reading this book you will learn how to control exactly how you age. I enjoyed reading it and I am sure you will too:)

The Perfect Menopause

I just finished reading a book called The Perfect Menopause, written by Dr. Henry Hess and what a wonderful read. I know I still have time to start reading books on Menopause but its never a bad idea to prepare yourself for everything that you know you are going to face someday. Menopause is something no woman can avoid but good knowledge can definitely make your life so much easier.

Dr. Hess who has more than 25 years of experience in this field has beautifully written how one can achieve a normal menopause by learning to combat the difficult symptoms of Menopause like Hot Flushes/Hot Flashes, Mood Swing, Menopausal Weight Gain, Dehydrated Skin, Insomnia, Joint Pain, Poor Concentration, Hair Loss and loss of Passion for Intimacy. He talks about different therapies for Peri menopause and Menopause that are so much safer, he tells you how herbal and natural supplements can dramatically ease your peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms. He has also illustrated various case studies of his patients which makes it easier to understand different symptoms of Menopause and how to deal with each of them.

I learnt a lot about Menopause, specially about the hormone therapy but I would stick to herbal therapy which is so much safer.

Here’s an excerpt from the book-

7 ways to wrinkle-proof your face

1. GET A SKIN PRESCRIPTION Talk to a dermatologist who specializes in menopausal women. She might prescribe retinoic acid, such as Renova® or Avage®. There are also prescription medications which contain collagen and hyaluronic acid. Such precription medications for your skin may be very appropriate, and the effort you put into this will pay great dividends down the road.

2. DRINK UP! Most of us are in a constant state of dehydration. The older we get, the consequences of dehydration are more severe. In a woman’s menopause and post menopause years, the skin in thinner and fluids are lost through the skin more quickly. Drink water and other appropriate fluids constantly, and keep in mind that some fluids such as alcohol and caffeinated drinks are actually dehydrating. If you drink them, compensate by drinking more water throughout the way. Hydration can come in lotion form, too: morning and night, apply lotions that contain antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, green tea, and coenzyme Q10. All protect your skin from free radicals.

3. GO THE SUPPLEMENTAL ROUTE A variety of supplements can provide excellent antioxidants to help with the prevention and treatment of photo-damaged skin. Start taking these supplements every day to keep your skin vibrant: A multivitamin, Vitamin E, Fish oils, Coenzyme Q10, B complex and Alpha lipoic acid. Begin these substances one at a time, and add one per week, every week. Remember, any vitamin has the potential to cause upset stomach. Beginning them one at a time will help isolate the problem should one occur.

These are just the 3 tips you would be able to find more tips in his book.

I highly recommend this book to those of you who are struggling with pre-menopausal and menopausal symptoms, its gonna help you a lot. I also think that it makes a perfect mother’s day gift, why don’t you gift one to your mom? Trust me she’ll thank you for this wonderful gift.

I have been reading this book called Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me By Paula Begoun(7th Edition) and I must tell you its a wonderful book.

Paula has reviewed more than 3000 products ( almost all the big brands in the market). She has listed why she likes a particular product and why she doesn’t like it.

She reviews products based on the claims made by the brands versus how it works(she goes by labeling). Ingredients listed on the labels help her review the products because its definitely not possible to use each and every product for reviewing them.

Paula is very particular about these points-

#She says every brand should have products with AHAs and BHAs for blemished prone skin.

# She says skin whitening creams and gels in jars are of no use because most of the ingredients used in the skin whitening/lightening creams are sensitive to air and light so these products have to be packed in an air-tight, dark colored container.

# She is completely against using soaps and bars on the skin.

# She doesn’t like fragrant essential oils because they irritate your skin, let alone synthetic fragrant oils.

# She says don’t go for Toners that contain Alcohol or Menthol because it will leave your face feeling dry, red and itchy so its not good for any skin type.

# She doesn’t believe in buying separate day and night cream except for sunscreen. She says our skin needs the same food whether its day or night.

Paula’s Rating System:

Paula’s Pick

$$$ Excellent (Paula’s Pick but overpriced)

Very Good

$$$ Very Good( but overpriced)

Average

|$$$ Average(and overpriced)

Poor( don’t buy)

Paula dispels cosmetics industry myths and answers the following questions:

# Of the thousands of anti-wrinkle products being sold which ones work?
# Are expensive skin care and makeup products better then inexpensive ones?
# What are the worst shopping mistakes women make?
# What are the best products (cleansers, moisturizers, anti-aging, foundation, blush, lipgloss, sunscreen) for the least amount of money?
# Are there any miracle skin-care ingredients?
# Can you ever understand a cosmetic ingredient label?
# What about mineral oil, parabens, or other cosmetic ingredients some cosmetic companies and web sites have labeled as dangerous?
# Are “organic”, “natural” or “botanical” products superior to those that contain synthetic ingredients?
# Why are irritating cosmetic ingredients or formulations so bad for skin?

I agree with some of her reviews and don’t agree with some. I have never had any problem using any essential oil in my skincare products so I don’t agree with her opinion towards essential oils. She’s completely right about avoiding clear jars for skin lightening or any cream because it can get contaminated easily and some of them tend to be air and light sensitive. I also agree with the fact that alcohol and menthol based toners should be avoided because it really irritates your skin.

I couldn’t understand why her own products (Paula’s Choice) are rated when most of the brands are ripped apart completely.

Here’s a sample review from her 1,200 page book:

La Mer Creme De La Mer($1200 for 16.5 ounces)

“Creme De La Mer is the original product created by Max Huber, as described in the introduction to La Mer. As enticing as this dramatic story sounds, the reality is that this very basic cream doesn’t contain anything particularly extraordinary or unique, unless you want to believe that seaweed extract (sort of like seaweed tea) can in some way heal burns and scars. Even if it could, burns and scars don’t have much to do with wrinkling, and this product is now being sold as a wrinkle cream. According to Susan Brawley, professor of plant biology at the University of Maine, “Seaweed extract isn’t a rare, exotic, or expensive ingredient. Seaweed extract is readily available and [is] used in everything from cosmetics to food products and medical applications.” Creme de la Mer contains mostly seaweed extract, mineral oil, Vaseline, glycerin, waxlike thickening agents, lime extract, plant oils, plant seeds, minerals, vitamins, more thickeners, and preservatives.

This rather standard moisturizer also contains some good antioxidants, but the jar packaging won’t keep them stable during use. This also contains a skin-stressing amount of eucalyptus oil, as well as Kathon CG, a preservative that is recommended for use only in rinse-off products. Consumers who have a “steadfast devotion” to this product are not only wasting their money but also hurting their skin.”

You will get to discover some shocking truths about the beauty industry. So Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without going through this book.

You can buy this book at Paula’s website.

OR

at Amazon

Overall, its a very good reference book specially for those people who are particular about using and avoiding certain ingredients in their cosmetics/skincare products.