A New Year, A New You

Ring in the new year with a whole new look. This year's trends are taking 2009 fads to the extreme-colors are bold and playful and hairstyles are sexy and brazen. Whether you're looking for that perfect hair accessory to complement your goddess hairstyle or the latest bright-colored eyeliner for a night on the town, Beauty Collection has everything you need to keep your beauty resolutions for 2010.

Here are 10 hot tips to keep you looking gorgeous all year long:

1. Let down your hair. The long-locked look is here to stay for 2010. Whether you wear your hair loose and long like Giselle or go for a 1940s wave style à la Katharine Hepburn, pump up the volume with the Fekkai Advanced Full Blown Volume collection, featuring a shampoo, conditioner, and lifting spray.

2. Accessorize. Bold hair accessories are back in a big way this year. Bands featuring flowers, feathers, or a little bling off to one side are a must. To accentuate those long, flowing locks, the Lavender Girl Hippie Couture collection features a braided gold chain adorned with filigreed flowers.

3. Rock those red lips. Rich reds are all the rage for lips this winter-and the darker, the better. Try Cosmoholic's liquid lipstick in Rockstar Red, or go with Besame's Red Velvet. Use soft, natural colors for your eyes and face to really draw attention to those luscious lips.

[Hot Tip! To pull off those ruby red lips, go easy on the eye color. The Natural Eye Kit from Too Faced has the neutral shades you need to give your eyes a pretty, sexy look. For the finishing touch, apply plenty of Too Faced's Lash Injection mascara.]

4. Emphasize your brows. Gone are the pencil-thin brows of the 1990s. Natural, fuller brows, like Megan Fox's, frame the eyes and bring out their color. To accentuate your natural brow line, the Anastasia Five-Piece Brow Kit has everything you need.

5. Get creative with color. This year's eyeshadow palettes are colorful, sexy, and playful. You can't go wrong with icy blues, purples, and sorbet colors, such as Stila's Jade, Mystic, and Charm. To bring out those gorgeous eyes, use a subtle shade for your lips.

6. Brighten those eyes. Bright-colored eyeliner made quite a splash on the runways last fall. Experiment with bright blues, greens, or pinks from Too Faced to add extra pop to those candy-colored eye-shadows.
[Hot tip! To electrify smoky night eyes, go with silver or even white eyeliner. Feeling daring? Apply colored eyeliner to your lower lids as well to get that dramatic, off-the-runway look.]

7. Keep it natural. The soft, natural look is especially popular in spring and summer, and "barely there" makeup helps bring out those full red lips or candy-colored eyes. Use DDF Dramatic Radiance TRF Cream to give your skin a natural, glowing look for any time of year.

8. Get wet. Gelled, slicked hair is back-and it works equally well for both shorter and longer hairstyles. Comb slightly damp hair straight back, then apply a clear gel, such as Fekkai COIF Extra Control Styling Gel. Separate the gelled hair loosely with your fingers, then style the rest of your hair in loose waves for a sexy, just-out-of-the-pool look that lasts all day.

9. Braid away. While milkmaid braids remain a favorite of celebs like Drew Barrymore, look for long side-swept braids to hit the scene in 2010. To get this look, use a BioIonic iBrush Nano-Ionic styling brush to pull your hair loosely to one side. Then, create a low braid, and tie it off with a rubber band. Keep the rest of your hair loose and just this side of messy for an effortless, carefree look.

10. Go blonde. While redheads took center stage last fall, peroxide blonde is back in a big way this year. This bold color is perfectly suited to both longer and shorter styles-and can particularly complement the wet look and braids. Keep treated hair well hydrated and healthy with Jonathan Product Hydrating Shampoo.

Free Weights vs Machine Exercise

Something you need to keep in mind and never forget is that when you exercise, you are training for life. You still may spend an hour a day in the gym, although that will still leave another 23 hours or so for your muscles to function without using any fancy equipment.
Whenever you do any type of exercise, the movement of your body during the exercise is known as the range of motion. The more difficult the range of motion is, the more effective the exercise will be, because your body has to work twice as hard to perform the movement.
Take for the instance the classic dumbbell bicep curl. If you aren't familiar with the exercise, it is performed by standing up straight with your palms facing forward, and a pair of dumbbells held down by your sides. You'll contract your biceps to bring the dumbbells up to your shoulder height, then repeat the exercise as many times as you wish.
Using that same movement for exercise on a bicep curl machine, you should sit down, brace your upper arms on a pad, grasp 2 handles that are in front of you, then perform the same movement as above to move the handles in an upward motion.
Now, looking at the muscle contractions in this exercise, you are contracting essentially your biceps if you are using the curl machine, and that is pretty much all you are doing. When you use the machine you are sitting down, which will limit just how much your shoulders give. The machine has several muscles used in this exercise limited to the biceps, as well as
the muscles in your forearms and fingers.
Most of the time, when using machine weights, you will always be limited as to what type of exercise you can perform. You must always follow a strict procedure, which is pretty much the same with free weights. Unlike free weights, machine weights offer a certain degree of resistance.
One of the best thing about free weights is the fact that you move a little chuck around to select the weight you want to use. Instead of dragging it over to your exercise area, you simply select it on the machine. When you are tired during a workout, this can be a blessing.
A lot of people argue in the fact that free weights are the best for your body. While this is normally true, many people out there feel that machine weights are the best. There are pros and cons with both machines, although free weights have been around a lot longer and have been proven time after time to achieve dramatic results.
Body builders for example, have used free weights over the years to build very impressive bodies. If you ask most of them about machine weights, they would probably laugh at you and tell you that you need to quit joking around.
In a nutshell, free weights will use more of your muscles than the machines do, which makes them more effective overall. This doesn't mean that the machines are a waste of use, as they offer some great advantages. In some cases, it is best to stabilize the muscles that are being used in a movement, which is where machines are the best to use.
The decision on which to use for you should be based on what you hope to achieve with lifting weights and where you plan to use the equipment, such as home or at a gym. Both systems are great for your body, although the free weights are best to use if you want the best possible workout, and always ensure that your muscles are getting the right workouts they need.

Get Great Abs at Home

8 Minutes of Crunch Time. The quest for a flat stomach and defined abdominal muscles is one of the primary elements of many fitness programs. While many gyms and fitness centers offer classes, it is entirely possible to get a fantastic abdominal workout in the comfort of your own home. Even if you do not have much time to spare for a full fitness workout, spending 8 minutes a day on these ab exercises can give you great results. Whether you want to get ready for the beach, tighten your post-pregnancy stomach, or just firm up your middle section, these abdominal exercises are a perfect fit.
The Eight Minute Workout
Basic Crunches. Start with 25 to 50 basic crunches (adding more reps as you progress). Lying on your back, with knees bent, pull your knees and shoulders toward your mid section by using your abdominal muscles.
Russian Twists. Based on the same movement as the basic crunch, performing the Russian Twist adds the movement of touching your elbows to the opposite knee as you pull yourself up. These are more difficult than crunches, so start with reps of 20 and add more as you become more comfortable.
Leg Lifts. Still lying on your back, lift both legs straight up in the air until your heals are parallel with the ceiling. This exercise will work both your abs and the backs of your upper thighs. Begin with 25 reps and add more as you can.
Straight Leg Crunches. Repeat 25 to 50 of the basic crunches, only instead of bending your knees, keep your legs straight. Without the leverage of your knees, you will have to work harder, but you will have excellent results if you continue this workout on a regular basis.
That is all there is to it. As abdominal exercises can be tough, you will probably find your muscles are sore during the first few weeks of this workout. Starting out slowly while gradually adding repetitions of the exercises can help to alleviate some of the pain. As with any exercise, it is important that you stretch out before beginning to reduce your chance of muscle strain. While you may be anxious to see results, do not overdo it in the beginning or you may find yourself unable (or unwilling) to continue. The most important aspect to this ab workout is consistency. If you are unsure of your physical fitness, it is best to start out by working out only 3 to 4 times per week and adding more days as you build your strength and stamina.

Party Beauty Guide

Read the tips, so you can be fabulous at your next event!

A Week Before
Drink Up: Drink lots of water starting from a week prior to the event. Drinking at least 8 glasses a day with revitalize and rejuvenate your body before party night.

Break a Sweat: Try to get in a bit of exercise to loosen up the body and relieve any tension or stress. If you have no time to hit the gym, try some quick exercises at home.

Say No to Salt: Try and avoid overly salty foods on days leading up to the event. Salt causes bloating, water retention which is just plain uncomfortable.

The Night Before
Catch Some Zzzz's: You definitely want to look alive during your party, so get some major rest! Go to bed a little earlier than your usual bedtime. If you didn't get enough sleep, try cucumbers or an eye serum to reduce dark circles or puffiness and use an eye-brightener on your eyes.

The Day Of
Soak Up: Take a nice, hot, relaxing bath before getting ready. It will hydrate the body and relieve tension possibly caused by work or a face-paced environment.

Eat: Grab a decent bite to eat before going out to drink. It will keep you in control of the drinks, and likely, you'll drink less! Plus it reduces the chances of you being sick (i.e. your head in a public toilet) at the end of the night.

Right Before
Glow: Give yourself a nice glow with a shimmer lotion. It'll highlight your skin tone and make your skin look amazing. Avoid tanning too close to the party date, since there is a chance the tan might look strange or too strong.

Shape-wear: For whatever type of dress you may be wearing, wear the proper undergarments. If the dress is a real curve-hugger or clingy, why not try shape-wear which will flatten and instantly tone the body.

Nails: Try a festive nail color to stand out.

Makeup: Choose a focus, whether it be the eyes, cheeks or lips and accentuate only that with a bold color or dramatic touches. For the rest of the face, try and keep it somewhat neutral for an overall put-together and classy look.

Perfume: Do not go overboard on the scent. Go really bold on the fragrance, and try something new and unexpected; the exotic smell will be enticing and make you the life of the party!

Hair Growth Tips You Can Use at Home

When you are trying to grow your tresses you will find many kinds of products on your store shelves. They work well but they can be very expensive especially if you use them on a regular basis. There are ways to get the same hair quality and hair growth by making products at home. They are less expensive and many items you may already have in your home. Here are ten hair growth tips to help you grow a long and healthy mane.

1. First of the 10 hair growth tips is to drink lots of water although it may be obvious, drinking plenty of water and eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables will promote hair growth. These natural foods have the essential vitamins and minerals you need. To grow longer and thicker locks.

2. You can however supplement your diet with vitamin supplements. Good hair vitamins such as Vitamin B, C, and F as well as zinc, iron and copper are all important for growing longer tresses.

3. You should also consume plenty of lean proteins to help grow longer and thicker locks

4. One of the best hair growth tips is a formulation of celery leaves and lemon. Boil 1 cup of celery leaves plus the stems, strain them and add the juice of 1 lemon. This is a great rinse to use after you have washed your hair, instead of buying those expensive conditioners. It leaves your hair silky and luxurious.

5. Using lavender oil on your hair has been shown to boost growth, plus it has a lovely scent. Just massage the oil into your scalp once a week, keep it on for 30 minutes then wash it off using shampoo.

6. Another one of the hair growth tips you can use is to have your hair trimmed at least once a month. Trimming the ends can prevent damage done to the tips and take away split ends.

7. When brushing your hair, use a wooden brush and never brush it when wet. You want to make sure you use a wide tooth comb as it does not tear at your locks.

8. One of the most effective hair growth tips is to use Aloe Vera. Massage Aloe Vera into your scalp especially where you find you have hair loss will give your hair a boost. Leave it on for an hour and then rinse with warm water; this is amazing for growing long tresses.

9. You can rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar and sage tea to help grow longer tresses. You can also boil rosemary leaves in water and then use this infused water when you wash your hair every day.

10. One of the best hair growth tips is to purchase a natural home made product called Mira hair oil, which has a combination of oils and herbs that make growing longer tresses possible. Apply it at night and massage it gently into your scalp and then wash it off in the morning. You will find your hair will grow much faster.

These are the 10 best hair growth tips you can use to grow a long, healthy mane. Use them consistently and you will have longer and thicker tresses in no time.