Cosmetics - A little history and a whole lot of super beauty tips and advice!

A lot of criticism of cosmetics has come from a variety of sources, including feminists, animal rights activists, authors and public interest groups. In the western world, the advent of cosmetics was in the middle ages, although typically restricted to use within the upper classes. The Romans and Ancient Egyptians used cosmetics containing poisonous mercury and often lead. During the 20th century, the popularity of cosmetics increased rapidly. Many companies have catered to this expanding market by introducing more flavored lipsticks and glosses, cosmetics packaged in glittery, sparkly packaging and marketing and advertising using young models. While there is assurance from the largest cosmetic companies that their various ingredients are safe to use, there is a growing preference for cosmetics that are without any "synthetic" ingredients, especially those derived from petroleum. Even though many products in cosmetics are regulated, there are many health concerns that come from harmful chemicals in these products. The manufacture of cosmetics is currently dominated by a small number of multinational corporations that originated in the early 20th century, but the distribution and sale of cosmetics is spread among a wide range of different businesses.

It's a known fact that skincare experts disagree on all sorts of things, but most of them consider retinoids to be a miracle skin saver. While some skincare experts swear you should cleanse skin with creamy cleansers that you wipe off with a tissue, never letting water touch your skin (some hard waters are especially hard on skin), we prefer the water method.

Adjust your skin care to fit your age and choose a doctor for skin rejuvenation treatmentSirtuins, longevity and skin rejuvenation. Use Oat beta-glucan's anti-wrinkle promiseAcne and skin agingNiacinamide: Can you teach an old vitamin new skin care tricks? Of course. Curcumin may spice up your regimen for disease prevention, longevity and healthy skin. When your skin is tight, it's crying out for moisture. This is why you need to know your skin type. Believe us when we say that there are right (& wrong) ways to cleanse, moisturize & exfoliate your skin.

How you care for your skin is utterly dependent on the type of skin you have: oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive or sun-damaged. You need to find a good cleanser that your skin respondswell to, and stick with it. According to Rona Berg, in her book, 'Beauty,' a French cosmetics executive once told her 'soap should only evertouch your skin from the neck down. Big grains in cheap scrubs can tear skin and cause more harm than good and should be avoided. Some people swear by toners, but many beauty experts do not (I once read a skincare expert claim, 'toners are only for copy machines').

Steven James is a beautician and former beauty magazine editor who currently runs a website dedicated to providing FREE beauty tips and advice to keep you looking gorgeous for many years to come!