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The A-Z of Beauty
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The alphabet never seemed so fun… Beauty Bible has put together a bumper beauty guide to the A-Z of beauty tools, tips, tricks and things you must know to look your best!

A: Antioxidants
Antioxidants are a power-house of protection when it comes to keeping us young and healthy – read: youthful looking. Antioxidants fight free radicals, which to put free radical damage in simple terms, is kinda like how the exposed part of a cut apple degrades within a few moments of being cut. So anything that damages the skin: UV Rays (Sunlight), Drugs, Pollution, Heat, Cold and pretty much most other things we come in contact with. The good news is there are many kinds of antioxidants and you can take them internally and apply them externally. Examples of antioxidants are: copper peptides, grape seed extract, green tea, coenzyme Q10, resveratrol and vitamins A, C and E. Talk to your pharmacist about a quality antioxidant supplement and in the meantime, protect your fair face with a daily serum – make sure it’s ‘stable’ otherwise it is ineffective. We Love: Juice Beauty Green Apple Antioxidant Serum – RRP: $65

B: Brows
Brows frame the face. A good brow sculptor can transform your face – lifting the eyes, tidying your appearance and giving you a polished look. On 14 year old models untouched brows can be a good look, but the rest of the population benefit from some tidying. If you have messed around with yours yourself, give them six weeks to grow out completely then get back to a professional.
The BB Team adore the girls at OFF for perfect brows and highly recommend keeping them neat and tidy with Smashbox Eyebrow Wax - RRP $46.00

C: Cut and Colour
Next time you see someone with a fabulous cut and colour, find out where it came from. A hair stylist you can trust should be on speed dial for every beautiful woman about town. The right cut and colour can save you styling time, make you look younger and should be customized for your face shape, skin tone and hair texture – it’s part art, part science, but it works! Check out our at home hair colouring guide.

D: Dry Body Brushing
Dry body brushing has been used to assist a detox, but this ancient ritual really has multiple benefits. It not only helps your body to shed toxins, but gives your skin a boost by removing dead skin cells and stimulates the lymphatic and circulatory system to help give cellulite the boot. Invest in a natural bristled brush, and take a couple of minutes to sweep across your body (upwards from the feet towards the heart) avoiding any sensitive skin areas.

E: Exfoliate
As we age, our skin cell turnover slows down and we need to exfoliate to keep our skin fresh and healthy looking. While exfoliating isn’t proven to reduce wrinkles, the potential benefits include brighter skin, better product penetration and it feels great have a good scrub-a-dub-dub! Ideally it is good to exfoliate once a twice a week. Whether you choose manual (grainy scrubs) or chemical (AHAs / BHAs) is up to you and your skin.
We love: Tebe Face Polish RRP: $25 and Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, RRP: $120.40

F: Fake tan
Thou shalt not ever get a real tan. A real tan is a recipe for skin cancer and wrinkles, so forget about it. Fake tan is a girl’s best friend. There are many formulations now that make orange streaks a thing of the past. Slow tan formulations (those that are mixed with moisturiser) are perfect for daily application and if you want a quick fix, there’s nothing like a spray tan or a good fake tanning solution to give you that “I’ve just been to the Bahamas” look. We love: Spray tans from Beautified and click the link below to read a few tips on giving yourself a flawless fake tan.

G: Green Beauty
The advances is natural skin care have grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years and organic skin care is not only kind to the skin and the environment but is actually effective. We love Juice Beauty Green Apple Antioxidant Serum - RRP $65.00 to provide high antioxidant protection to keep your skin looking younger for longer. Support local business and try Ethique – a gorgeous natural range hand-made by a young Christchurch lady. We love!

H: Healthy Diet
Beauty does come from within. Haggard paparazzi pics of poor Lindsay Lohan is great proof of that. At a mere 23 she should look fresh and vital with her skin in the prime of its youth, but no. So, here’s the lesson: don’t smoke, don’t take drugs, get plenty of sleep, drink lots of filtered water and eat pure, unrefined foods and plenty of colourful fruit and vegetables daily and your skin will thank you. We BB girls are always chowing down on these super foods to stay looking young and feeling healthy.

I: Injectables
We’re not saying you should, but if you’ve wondered how Hollywood stay looking young, for the most part it is as a combination of injectable fillers and botox. If you decide to go down this path, always err on the side of natural. A frozen face is not a beautiful one. Read up on everything you need to know about common injectable Restylane.

J: Jet Set Beauty
There is nothing worse than stepping of an international flight looking like you have been dragged through a bush backwards. With all these new regulations about liquids in your carry on baggage how is a girl suppose to stay looking good? The answer is travel sized beauty products, if they are not already your best friends they soon will be. Our favourite is the Trilogy Travelers Pack; all the products 100mls or under so it’s the perfect travel companion. Each pack contains, Cream Cleanser, Hydrating Mist Toner, Energising Face Lotion and Nourishing Body Lotion. If you’re on a long haul flight, take off your makeup and put a hydrating face mask (see Masks below) on to keep the moisture in your skin. Another tip: drink loads of water and less champagne and if all else fails, carry some huge sunglasses with you to pop on when you get off the plane!

K: Kissable lips
Healthy lips are super important for any woman, keep yours in check with a little exfoliation and use a moisturizing SPF gloss. Remember the lips contain no melanin which is the skin’s natural defense against the sun’s rays. It’s really important to protect your pout from the sun. For hot tips on getting hot lips read on…

L: Lasers
Laser technology has grown in light years (pun intended) over the last few years. These days laser can be utilized to rejuvenate the skin, keep unwanted hair growth at bay, get rid of veins, or completely resurface the skin to remove acne scars and wrinkles. It’s amazing technology baby – but if you are going to get amongst it, make sure you choose a highly reputable salon with the best quality machines. Laser is a powerful beauty technology that should be handled properly.

M: Masks
Face masks are a great investment. They can give your skin a weekly lift and boost to rejuvenate any glow that you lost during the Monday to Friday slog and just as importantly it makes you take some time out to pamper yourself. Make a face mask part of your weekly ritual – and add in a dose of pedicure and manicure and a hot oil hair treatment and you’ll feel fabulous the whole week following.
Face masks we love include: Dermalogica AGE Smart Multi-Vitamin Power Recovery RRP: $103.90 and Gingi Collagen Serum RRP: $219.90. Other good ones to try: Dr Hauschka Rejuvenating Mask RRP: $79 and Clarins Beauty Flash Balm RRP: $68

N: Nails – fingers and toes
Nothing looks worse than stained, yellow nails or chipped nail polish so keep your nails in check with regular manicures and pedicures. Remember you don’t have to spend a fortune getting them professionally done either; check out our how to guide for the perfect at home pedicure that’s cheap, easy and fun.

O: Oils – inside and out
Oils can be a marvelous addition to any woman’s beauty regime. Supplementing your diet with essential fatty acids such as omega 3, 6, 9 combinations (flaxseed oil is fab!) can do wonders for your skin (helps to internally treat dandruff, eczema, psoriasis and dry skin conditions). If your skin or hair is dry, look no further than the kitchen cupboard for a quick, cheap and all-natural fix – olive, avocado, rice bran or coconut oils all make amazing hair deep conditioning treatments, rubbed on the body or even the face for nourishing.

P: Photoshop
Embrace what is real and strop stressing about trying to mimic what is not. Nobody looks the way women do in magazines. Everyone has something they don’t like – veins, cellulite, freckles, wrinkles. That’s real life and it’s part of who you are. It will be an eternal quest if you are trying to achieve the impossible airbrushed look, so if you choose to read magazines, look at the pictures as works of art, not real life.

Q: Quirks
Quirks are fabulous - embrace yours! Women are constantly bombarded with articles on ‘how to fix your flaws’ but we think it's time for a reality check...maybe those flaws are what make you, YOU! Check out some super hot celeb quirks.

R: Rejoice in colour
The right colours for your complexion can take years off your looks, brighten your skin tone and make your eyes pop. Get rid of the black – or at least partner it with some bright tops and scarves to accent your face. If you want to find out the best colours to bring out your natural beauty we highly recommend Colours – it will change the way you look at your wardrobe!

S: Sunscreen
We don’t need to say this, but sunscreen is a must - EVERYDAY, EVERYWHERE. We don’t care how cloudy it is; 80% of the suns harmful rays can still pass through clouds and rain. You need a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays and has an SPF factor of at least 30. Not only does sunburn leave you sore and looking like a lobster which is not cute, but it can increase your risk of developing skin cancer as well speeding up the ageing process. If you want a golden tan the best thing to do is to fake it! So in the words of Baz Luhrmann, WEAR SUNSCREEN!

T: Tinting
Tinting your eyebrows and lashes… a monthly investment that saves time in the mornings.
If your lashes or brows are naturally blonde, getting them dyed will create a much more dramatic look. Unlike mascara that you must apply every morning, be careful not to smudge, and wash off at night, with dyed lashes you wake up looking like you already have makeup on. Lash tinting is a great option for women who have busy or active lifestyles as it will give you a more polished, look that is also no-maintenance.

U: Undereye circles
Undereye circles can be the result of too much partying and too many late nights or the can simply be hereditary. The only things known to alleviate them are: getting lots of quality sleep, detoxing and going back to basics with your eating, applying an eye cream with vitamin K or lymphatic drainage. But even lightening them is tough and there are no guarantees - we suggest you invest in a good concealer designed for the eye area.

V: Vitamin C serums
Considered to be one of the best ways to fight free radicals and provide the skin with antioxidant protection, vitamin C also enhances the effect of your sunscreen and is great for those who suffer from pigmentation. There are many available on the market – just make sure that you check that you are selecting one that is ‘stable’ as Vitamin C breaks down readily and loses its potency. We love: ASAP Vitamin C Repair Serum RRP: $110 and Environ C Boost RRP: $81.60.

W: White teeth
The quickest and easiest way to get a Hollywood smile is to visit your dentist for a laser treatment(around $1500) or Professional Whitening Trays (around $500 to $1000) however most of us can’t spare that kind of money so for only slightly stained teeth try an at-home teeth-whitening kit they can work wonders. Within one to two weeks, supermarket products can enhance your tooth colour by up to two shades. Our top pick is the new Pure White Professional Teeth Whitening System.

X: Xerosis
This is the medical term for dry skin and is a very common problem. Your skin needs moisture to stay smooth and supple, and retaining moisture becomes more difficult as we age. Our skin also looses moisture more readily in the winter. To help keep the dreaded dry skin away make sure you are drinking plenty of water and moisturise your skin at least once a day. Try not to over indulge in air conditioning, heating and hot showers as these can make the problem worse. For extra dry skin we love Oasis Beauty Rhino Repair Cream, RRP: $29.90

Y: Yoga
Yoga helps you become more aware of your body's posture, alignment and patterns of movement. It makes the body more flexible and helps you relax even in the midst of the most stressful situations. People who practice yoga are fitter, more energetic, happier and more peaceful and if that doesn’t make you look and feel more beautiful we don’t know what will.

Z: Zits
Pimples must be left alone, this means no picking, squeezing or touching. Blackheads are a common skin issue for many and for many they are also the source of endless 'picking pleasure but the bad news is, that although they can be extracted at home, the squeezing and picking can traumatise the delicate skin on your face - causing infection and permanent scaring. If pimples are a problem, try ASAP Clearskin Gel RRP: $45 or Clean and Clear Advantage Fast Clearing Spot Gel RRP: $9.99