That's Fit

Ever hit the sack without washing your face? You might want to rethink your habits.

Would you consider your job stressful? Do you blame your career for any of your skin problems and signs of aging? Are you having a hard time finding a skin routine that really works?

I realize that stress comes from all different areas in life, but I swear that 90% of mine has always come from my work. I'm 30 years old and just started to finally get really serious about skincare, and I would love to know just how many of my wrinkles were first formed somewhere back in my employment history. I just know that those 12-hour nursing shifts and that boss who used to turn bright red while yelling out commands must account for at least half of them!

I have been both shivering with disgust and giggling my head off all day today. I grabbed the March 31st issue of OK! magazine off the rack at my gym this morning to keep me company as I ran on the treadmill, and I nearly fell off from laughing. Ugly Betty star, Vanessa Williams, admits to having almost smeared urine all over her face in an effort to get rid of acne.

Oh my! Acne is stressful and embarrassing I'm sure, but I think my face would have to be falling off before I considered doing that! Apparently, someone told her that urine cures acne and she almost followed through with it. Her confession suggests she put her valuable "morning urine" in a container, but just couldn't follow through with applying it.

In most parts of the U.S., the sun is starting to shine a little more brightly, encouraging us to come out and play. Not only does the warm weather get us all frisky and ready to tackle all kinds of fun outdoor activities -- a change of season is also a reminder to take a look at our current skincare routine to make sure we're still meeting our skin's needs.

It should go without saying, but I'm still going to say it -- first and foremost, make sure you're applying sunscreen every time you go outside. Hats and sunglasses will help protect your face from sun damage, too, but it's a good idea to get into the habit of applying a moisturizing sunscreen every morning.

Traveling is easily one of my favorite activities. Whether it's a short road trip with friends or an across the globe adventure, as long as I can get the time off work and scrape together enough money to go, I'm in. The only thing I don't like, is the dazed and crazed look I often sport after several hours of travel time.

I wrote not so long ago about an article that gave tips on how you can maintain your good looks while on a flight -- drinking lots of water and no alcohol, sleep and movement are all key. This time I've come across an article that will help you prepare beforehand, including advice on what to pack and which beauty treatments to try before you hit the road. Whether you're traveling for business or for pleasure, the advice listed here will make sure that you're looking great as soon as you land.

I tend to think that moderation is the best way to go when it comes to most things, including alcohol consumption. However, I'd be a liar if I said I always followed my own rule. We all overindulge from time to time -- sometimes it can be easy to get carried away when you're having a good time. Despite the resulting hangovers, life goes on and we all have to pay for our overindulging.

If you find yourself in a situation where you've woken up with a raging headache, nausea, red eyes (etc) and don't have the luxury of laying around all day recovering in front of the TV, here are some tips from AOL's All About You on how to look good if you're hungover but still have to go about your daily life.

What's the big deal about a facial? I used to ask this question of my facial-fanatic friends until I had one myself. I imagine that anyone who has ever gone for a professional facial would agree that they're pretty great. Other than the extractions, pretty much everything about this ultimate pampering experience is fantastic.

Some facials are definitely better than others -- one in particular that sticks out for me included lower leg and foot, full arm, shoulder, neck and head massages during the normally fairly boring bit where they leave you to relax while the face mask sets -- but extra massage or no, pretty much any facial will be a worthwhile experience.

At some point or another we all suffer from puffy eyes, and they inevitably time their appearance before an important day at work, a social gathering, or worse yet a big date. Of course there are all kinds of beauty masks out there, and home remedies like using cucumbers or teabags, but if those don't work for you is there anything else you can try? Natural Health enlisted the help of massage therapists from a spa in New York City for advice, and they had this interesting technique to share:

• Place your index fingers in the depressions a half-inch below the inner edge of your eyebrows, below the brow bone (on either side of the narrowest part of your nose), and gently press in and upward (see a picture here).
• Hook your index fingers over the edge of the infraorbital ridge (the bone below each eye) at the very center, aligned with your pupils, and apply gentle pressure on the ridge.

The world today is full of all kinds of health and beauty hurdles like stressful schedules, unhealthy eating habits, and...cell phones?

Studies have shown that your cell phone may be the cause of some of your skin and complexion problems, including everything from breakouts to premature aging and wrinkles. In addition to having bacterial build-up that can cause breakouts when the phone is held up close to the skin, Artificial Electromagnetic Waves (or AEWs) emanate from the phone and could be speeding up the aging of your face by causing cellular damage and premature wrinkles.

The whole idea of cell phones and how they do or don't damage our health is constantly up for debate, so I'm not sure if I believe this or not (although it does make sense). What do you think?

Although in principle I like the idea of them, I've never been a big one for trying home beauty remedies for fear of ending up with some disaster like a head full of greasy hair that stinks like beer and mayonnaise. But here's one that seems a little less intimidating than some others: using bananas to get more beautiful skin.

You can go as simple as scraping off the insides of a banana peel and then apply them directly to your face (I tried this and although weird at first my skin did feel more moisturized!) or you can spend a little more time and mix up a banana-and-honey based facial mask.

My pantry is missing a few of the needed ingredients so I'll have to go shopping before I can try the recipe, but what do you think: worth a shot or just pointless food on your face? (After all, simply eating the banana is good for you too!)

It's a fine balance, trying to look young and feel your best at work while still being professional and not looking overdone. Not to mention you don't want to have to keep up with a lot of reapplications or maintenance throughout the day, but you don't want to look like a slowly disintegrating mess as the hours go by. Makeup has been a love/hate relationship for women since it was invented, and finding a look that can go easily from day to night is just one piece of the big and sometimes frustrating pie.

The thing that always gets me about makeup is that it's so simple, yet so complicated!

I am well past the age when I thought I'd have to worry about major breakouts. I rarely had pimples or zits when I was a teenager and now that I'm pushing 30, I thought I was safe. Not true. I don't know what it is but suddenly I've began to have super, massive under-the-skin, painful zits on a regular basis and am getting other minor breakouts on occasion as well.

In the last week in particular my skin has been revolting -- and I use the word 'revolting' as both a verb and an adjective in this instance. I was afraid that I was alone until I got a text message from a very good friend giving me a quick update on her life. "Things are good but nearly 30 and suddenly breaking out all over".

I've always wondered how in the world certain politicians and socialites seem to remember familiar faces so easily. Some people have an amazing ability to recall this sort of information at the drop of a hat. Like so many other things, your good memory (or lack thereof) is strongly affected by your genes.

The study was conducted with a set of fraternal and identical twins, the latter having the exact same genetic makeup. During testing, the twin's brains were scanned using a functional MRI. Not surprisingly, brain patterns were more similar for the identical pair when they tried recalling faces and places. This is opposed to their ability to recall objects (like chairs) and made-up words easier.

So next time you see a politico in action, you won't have to wonder how they do it -- it's in their genes!

Is there anything yoga can't do? It tones, it strengthens, it stretches -- according to this past post by Rigel it may also help you find love (well for those who manage to avoid 'inappropriate yoga guy'). I was musing earlier today during my walk to work about all of the benefits I noticed when I was practicing yoga on a regular basis (I admit that for various reasons most of us who fall off the bandwagon would understand, it has been a while since I've been to a class). I remember feeling more limber, more energetic yet relaxed, and just generally had an enhanced feeling of well-being.

I began to wonder if yoga can also make you look good. I mean beyond the obvious tightening benefits, are there any yoga moves that will improve the shape of your body or perhaps improve the overall look of your face. Every time I used to leave yoga class I noticed that all of the participants, myself included, had a lovely glow about them. Was that just due to the excessive heat, sweating and exertion or could there be more to it?

I have been thinking about getting bangs cut into my hair for ages. I believe I first got the notion after watching the Devil Wears Prada and admiring Anne Hathaway's super cool fringe. Granted she seems to have great hair all the time but something about those bangs made me wonder if I could attempt something similar.

After that I found myself noticing women on the street who had a fringe. Whether the bangs swooped to the side, were ultra-short or cut straight across their eye line, I thought they all looked pretty great. So after weeks of careful deliberation I took the plunge and headed to the hairdresser.

Before I the cutting began, we had a chat about which of the various fringe styles would best suit me. I didn't think I could pull off the cute but really short look and didn't think the swoop would be a dramatic enough change. So we agreed to try that straight across the forehead, just above the eyes style. I was nervous to begin with because if the look didn't work for me I had no idea how I'd hide it while my hair grew back out.