Sleep is essential as it detoxes and repairs the body and brain overnight. 

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1. Avocado is a Killer Moisturizer!

Suffer from dry skin, eczema or psoriasis? Then listen up, because avocados are here to restore your skin’s texture and moisture content with its high oleic fat content. The high fat content of avocados help retain moisture, regenerate damaged skin cells, and reduce facial irritation and redness.

Avocados are also a great source of Vitamin E and C, making them one of the most powerful antioxidant-rich fruits you can enjoy.
2. Drop the Neutrogena & Pick Up That Pineapple

Styleoholic

Pineapple is chock-full of Vitamin C, which is what makes it an effective acne treatment for oily, acne-prone skin. The Vitamin C content in pineapple encourages the production of collagen and aids in tissue repair, while bromelain, an enzyme in the fruit, softens the skin and fights inflammation and swelling.

So, the next time a pimple crops up, juice some pineapple, apply it as a toner and rinse after 30 minutes. You can also leave the juice on your skin, but do note that it will feel sticky.

3. Zap Crow’s Feet with Some Blueberries

Young & Raw

Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants, Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and while they can be used to treat a myriad of skin concerns, they’re most potent as a natural anti-ager. As some of us may know, retinol is an animal form of Vitamin A, which makes blueberries a great anti-aging ingredient to add to your diet and skincare routine.

4. Slough Off Dead Skin with Papaya

How Face Care

Much like pineapple, papaya is a tropical fruit that is used in many countries to treat issues like dull skin, congested pores and hyperpigmentation. We love using the fruit as a natural exfoliant as papain, an enzyme naturally found in papaya, gently sloughs off dead skin cells while evening the overall tone of the skin.

The best way to reap this magical fruit’s benefits is to crush it into pulp and apply it as a mask. Leave it on your skin for 10-15 minutes then rinse with lukewarm water.

5. Acne Spots Bringing You Down? Lighten Them with Lemons!

Dentelle et Fleurs

What happens when you put a boatload of Vitamin C and citric acid in one lifesaving fruit? The best acne spot fader ever is born! Over time, these components naturally found in lemons will brighten the skin and lighten any dark spots.

If you have acne scars you’d like to fade, simply rub some lemon juice onto the spots with a cotton ball, let sit for 30 minutes to an hour, then rinse. For most people, the lemon juice will be too acidic on the skin. If you have sensitive skin, always rinse the juice off before going to bed. Or else… (Don’t you love empty threats?)

6. Strawberry as Sunscreen?

Style Elixir

Okay, so maybe you shouldn’t toss out your sunscreen to replace it with organic strawberries, but a compound in strawberries makes them a great UV protectant. When given ellagic acid treatment, mice showed reduced wrinkle formation as a result of the increased UV protection provided by the compound.

What does this mean for humans? Strawberries can decrease the amount of damage UV rays inflict on the skin, which makes them a great anti-ager and UV protectant! To reap its benefits, use this as a mask, scrub or cleanser.

7. Want Plump Lips? Eat an Orange

Spices in My DNA

Oranges won’t give you those Kylie Jenner lips, but they will give your skin a boost of collagen, which plays a significant role in the aging process. More collagen means plumper, softer and firmer skin and lips which, in our opinion, is a lot better than having to do the KJ lip challenge. Thanks, but no thanks.

8. Who’s Ready for a Peach Detox?

Prevention

Just when we thought detoxes were anything but fun, we come across this fun fact: peaches flush toxins from your body! It’s true, this delicious fruit flushes trans fats and other toxins from your body through your urinary bladder and colon. What does this mean for your skin? Let’s just say that the less toxins you have in your body, the clearer and more radiant your skin will be.

Looks like it’s time to start eating those peaches!

9. Bye, Acne; Big, Bad Banana is in Town

Black Doctor

With nutrients like lectin, zinc and Vitamin A, bananas are your one-stop cure for everything from inflamed, pissed-off pustules to dry, dark blackheads. Lectin destroy’s acne-causing bacteria; zinc fights germs that cause acne; and, Vitamin A fades acne scars and dark spots.

To treat existing acne, mash up a banana, mix with honey and turmeric (honey has antibacterial properties and turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties) and apply on your face as a mask. Use this mask consistently to see results.

Next time you’re eating fruit, don’t just congratulate yourself for making a healthier choice, congratulate yourself for killing two birds with one stone: keeping healthy and staying beautiful.

When it comes to maintaining your skin’s youthful appearance, eating natural, whole foods is the way to go. For more information on the connection between beauty and diet, read this article on how eating alkaline saved my skin.

If you have your own skincare story to share, share it in the Comments section below or via Facebook. For more skincare tips and tricks, subscribe to our newsletter here.

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Through the months of writing and growing Makeup Tutorials, several things have always remained constant: we love makeup and we can most definitely get down with, sometimes even prefer, natural, organic beauty products and remedies.

While new facial cleansers, scrubs and masks formulated with innovative technology, packed with good-for-you ingredients and packaged in fun bottles and jars are always the highlight of our day, we appreciate and can vouch for the effectiveness of time tested beauty remedies such as using lemons to fade dark spots, cinnamon for plumper lips, baking soda for whiter teeth, and honey for everything from treating acne to lightening hair.

While honey is nature’s miracle cure (right next to coconut oil, that is), it’s important to make aware, eco-conscious decisions when purchasing honey. We recommend you always look for organic, raw, unfiltered honey that was preferably bought from a local vendor. The best places to find local honey is at your neighborhood farmer’s market, co-op grocery stores and sometimes even Whole Foods will feature local harvesters.

With that said, let’s get into the 12 reasons honey should be the star of your beauty routine!

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Surprised to learn how great honey is? In my home, honey isn’t used as just a sweetener, I love using it as a hair remover and nail conditioner. It gets the job done every time!

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What’s film photography? Some people think that film photography is an out-of-date stuff their grandfathers used long ago. But if you’re familiar with digital photography you probably noticed that film photography is getting more and more popular among people of the younger generation. Although film photography is pretty complicated, it still has certain advantages over digital photography. And here are some great reasons to give it a try:

1. You’ve got only one chance to take an awesome photograph. When taking photographs with digital cameras you’re able to take as many pics as you want and pick the best one. But it doesn’t work with a film camera. Here you spend more time composing your shot. You put more conscious thoughts about choosing the right preferences (such as ‘F-stops’) to make your shot perfect – the first time. The amount of the shots is limited. And after experimenting and practicing you’ll get a deeper knowledge of photographic techniques and your digital photography will improve as well.

2. Experimenting with different films and cameras. As long as many different films are still being made these days, it’s up to you to choose your favorite one that will work for your personal photography style and color preferences and generally speaking, for the time of day you may be shooting. Try to experiment with different film stocks, but we recommend you avoid the cheapest films, because they will likely be a waste of practice and time. A few tips to choosing the film to start with: for color photography try Fuji Pro 400H, Kodak Portra 160, or Portra 400, for black and white pictures the good starters will be Kodak’s T-Max 400, Ilford Delta 3200 and Ilford 400. Try to shoot overexposing and underexposing and see the results. Lower ISO numbers like 100, 160 or 200 are used for normal daylight conditions where you probably won’t be using a flash. The bigger the ISO number the better the film is for shooting in dark conditions. ISO followed by a number (e.g., 400 or 800) represents the sensitivity of a given film emulsion to light, often referred to as “film speed.” Higher ISO numbers indicate a greater sensitivity to light. A 3,200 speed is for shooting in very dark conditions where the film emulsion picks up all the ambient light to create a photograph. It will also be grainy in appearance when developed.

3. Better quality of photos. You really can achieve better color saturation and accuracy using a film camera. When taking photos with a digital camera, it collects the color information by 3 sensors that then combine in microprocessor and create a photo. Processing the information affects and distorts the color data of your picture and some of the colors in reality cannot be transferred into the pictures. With the film camera there are more chances to save the original colors and contrasts.

4. Less additional editing or no editing at all. To some of us, this can seem more like a drawback than a benefit. But you actually get more spare time not editing pics you’ve taken. You simply wait for the photo laboratory to send printed photos to you. And imagine the pleasant experience from seeing the pics you probably don’t even remember taking! But if you scan films at home you will actually need to remove a film base fog that appears from the base layer of the film – the plastic part of it. Try to do it with the help of the contrast adjustment on the camera.

5. Lomography. Yes, every person can surely become a photographer, using the most advanced photo technologies that will help to achieve amazing high-quality results. But if you haven’t tried lomography, you aren’t practicing the romantic part of the photographer’s craft. So what is lomography anyway? This is not a very old type of photography invented by the Australian Lomographic Society in the early 90′s. The word came from a cheap Russian film camera called Lomo LC-A. This camera takes high contrast photos with heavy vignetting and high saturation. However, Lomo LC-A is not the only camera that can help you achieve those effects. You can find some more recent lomo-cameras on Ebay or at different photo shops that cater to film photography. Lomography has some special rules you need to follow or it doesn’t work. You must take your camera everywhere you go, and use it any time you see a shot you want to capture. Try to take pictures from the hip, fast, without thinking about extra settings and focusing. Don’t be afraid of people around you or people and objects you are capturing. Just don’t think! And you will be amazed by your unexpected, spontaneous-looking shots later! Want to learn more?

6. Double exposure. Double (or multiple) exposures are two or more photos that are superimposed creating one image. The technique is all about experimenting with photographs and creating unusual, unrealistic-looking but creative photos that will amaze anyone. It’s not about photo-shopping, you do the trick using just your film camera and that’s all. Not all cameras can provide such effect, so if you want to try multiple exposures, choose the model that supports this option before buying one. Multiple exposures are really easy to do, just do not stop experimenting, even if you get pics that look like a total mess. Learn the basic rules, grab your camera and start shooting! The creative possibilities are endless here!

7. Your own photo camera and accessories collection. Love some cool old (“hipster”) stuff? Visit yard sales or popular flea markets in your town for vintage cameras. They are usually not expensive and most of the sellers there are friendly. You will be able to find out more information for yourself from photography buffs at the flea markets and probably make some new friends in the process.

8. Your own darkroom. Okay, that is not really easy. Many of us have grown up in the time of digital photography dominating over film and didn’t really have any idea what was going on in those mysterious dark rooms. But if you’re sure you can handle the main rules of the process, plus you own special space that you can transform into the dark room to develop film and print photographs, this may become your new hobby. Where to get the equipment? Visit the same old flea markets for your first starter kit, or try looking on the Internet. The instructions on how to use it are also available on the net, so feel confident to Google everything you need to know about the dark room process. The work in the room may take a lot of time, even a few hours, so if you want to work with your film in the daytime, make sure your room is light-tight. However, the whole process will be super exciting, time really flies there. Good luck and enjoy the great world of film photography!

Enjoy the result:

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