Health, Fashion, Parenting and Women Related Issues

RealAge skin expert Dr. Wechsler is a big believer in simple, basic products. But as she says, “Who doesn’t love a little luxurious skin treat now and then?” Of course, nobody needs a $250 moisturizer. But if money is no object, and you love the way it looks and feels, go for it and indulge. Below are a few products under $250 that Dr. Amy treats herself to:

Lipsticks. For Amy, great lipsticks are hard to resist. They’re the one makeup item she’ll really splurge on, because she adores the way they feel. Her favorites are Shiseido and Cle de Peau (which is actually part of Shiseido). She raves, “The colors and the textures are amazing.”

Antioxidant treatments, particularly the ones based on green tea or caffeine. A line she personally likes is Topix Replenix. Its antioxidant Cream CF and Serum CF are caffeine enhanced and have 90% polyphenols from green tea. They cost about $60 each. The cream is slightly more moisturizing, so it’s good for dry types; oilier skin would be fine with the serum.

L’Occitane’s olive-oil skin products. Like safflower oil, olive oil is a great moisturizing skin treatment, but the straight stuff leaves you smelling like a salad. These don’t.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Fluide Extreme SPF 50+ with Mexoryl SX and Mexoryl XL. Amy loves this ultraprotective but gentle sunscreen but says that it’s definitely expensive in the U.S. — if you can find it at all. She suggests ordering this product online from Canada; it can be $60 a tube here, but if you shop hard, $20 outside the country.

Here are some things you will want to know if you have a positive child:

When it’s a good thing: A generally happy kid is fun to be around. Consider yourself lucky if you ended up with a kid with this type of temperament.

When it’s not such a good thing: It can be easy to overlook the needs of an “easy kid” who always seems to be in a good mood, simply because a child like this tends to be less demanding.

Bringing out the best in your child: Don’t overlook the needs of your “happy kid” just because he may not be as demanding as some of his siblings or peers. It’s not fair to punish him for being easy to get along with!

Some children are highly cautious—even fearful—in new situations. They’re the ones who can be found clinging to their mother’s legs on the first day of school or hiding behind the couch whenever someone new has been invited over for dinner.

Here are some tips on coping with a shy child:

Try to understand what’s at the root of the problem if she refuses to cooperate in a particular situation. She may be refusing to go to bed because she feels lonely or afraid when she’s in her room. She may be refusing to eat the casserole that you whipped up for dinner because it contains a vegetable she doesn’t recognize. It’s easier to deal with a particular problem once you’ve pinpointed the root cause. At that point, you can start brainstorming some creative solutions.

Even if you’re a natural-born extrovert who’s never shied away from a new situation in your life, let your child know that you understand how she’s feeling and that you’re not angry at her for being shy or scared. Although it can be incredibly frustrating to sign your child up for a gym class only to have her spend the entire session crying and begging to go home, she can’t help the way she feels, so it’s important to be kind and empathetic.

Encourage your child’s attempts at socialization. Continue to expose her to social situations even if she isn’t willing to do anything more than tentatively observe the other children from the sidelines. Eventually, she’ll become more comfortable with the idea of socializing with other children.

Accept the possibility that your child may not outgrow her shyness any time soon. Research has shown that only 40 percent of shy toddlers overcome their feelings of inhibition by the time they start kindergarten.

When it comes to basic skin care, these items are at the top of RealAge skin expert Dr. Wechsler’s list of beauty bargains.

* Vaseline. Says Amy: “It’s the best lip moisturizer. And talk about cheap! By the way, steer clear of any lip balms that contain phenol (Blistex does, for one). They strip the top layer of skin off your lips. That’s why you get addicted to them; they remove your natural protection.

* “For body lotions, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Body Lotion are both terrific. Warehouse clubs sell big tubs of Cetaphil cream or the giant pump dispenser of Norwegian Formula.

* “Also at the local warehouse club, you can get Dove or Purpose soap by the case. (If your skin is touchy, buy Dove in the fragrance-free or sensitive-skin formulas.) They don’t strip your skin of good oils. Neither of these is expensive anyway, but they’re a little more than some supermarket brands, so why not buy in bulk and save the difference?

* “For sunscreens, Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion SPF 30 is a world-class bargain. It contains 9.1% titanium dioxide, a crushed mineral that protects you instantly.

* “Safflower oil. Yes, the kitchen oil you buy at the grocery. It’s a super moisturizer, especially for gator-dry legs, and gentle enough for babies (some hospitals use it on newborns). It owes its famous skin-enriching actions on its very high linoleic acid content, a fatty acid that skin normally makes to keep its moisture level up and barrier function intact. Since our body’s linoleic acid production gets sluggish as we get older, safflower oil helps replace it — from the outside in!”

Lord­ Ches­terfield­’s­ ad­vice to all fas­hion d­ivas­ “If­ y­o­­u­ are no­­t in f­ashio­­n, y­o­­u­ are no­­bo­­dy­” ha­s a­ r­i­n­­g of t­r­ut­h. I­f y­ou wa­n­­t­ t­o ma­ke­ i­t­ bi­g, how y­ou dr­e­ss a­n­­d ca­r­r­y­ y­our­se­l­f pl­a­y­s a­n­­ i­mpor­t­a­n­­t­ r­ol­e­. So he­r­e­ a­r­e­ some­ hot­ fash­ion­ tips t­hat­ every wo­men­ sho­uld f­o­llo­w:

Fashio­n­ T­ip­ 1
Be­ing­ st­ylish a­nd fa­shiona­ble­ doe­sn’t­ de­pe­nd on your­ siz­e­ but­ is m­­or­e­ im­­por­t­a­nt­ly de­pe­nde­nt­ on wha­t­ you we­a­r­ a­nd how you ca­r­r­y. Unde­r­st­a­nd your­ body t­ype­ a­nd dr­e­ss a­ccor­ding­ t­o your­ we­ig­ht­, he­ig­ht­ a­nd a­g­e­. If you ca­r­r­y som­­e­ e­x­t­r­a­ pounds you ca­n e­a­sily hide­ t­he­m­­ by we­a­r­ing­ a­ pe­r­fe­ct­ly t­a­ilor­e­d dr­e­ss in flowing­ m­­a­t­e­r­ia­l lik­e­ chiffons a­nd g­e­or­g­e­t­t­e­s. T­ip num­­be­r­ 1, siz­e­ doe­sn’t­ m­­a­t­t­e­r­ st­yle­ doe­s. Le­a­r­n t­o hide­ your­ fla­ws a­nd e­m­­pha­siz­e­ your­ posit­ive­s.

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