5 Ingredients That Give Your Makeup Superpowers

The right cosmetics not only make your skin look good — they're also good for your skin. They contain potent ingredients that fight redness, calm breakouts, battle wrinkles, and more. Find out how to select makeup that does much more than look pretty.

By Sharon Feiereisen

Considering the amount of time makeup spends on your face, it should do more than add a bit of color or mask flaws. Whether you’re dealing with redness, uneven pigmentation, breakouts, or signs of aging (or all of these!), the following skin care ingredients can ensure that your makeup is multitasking.

Green Tea
“Green tea is one of the most powerful antioxidants available,” says Sapna Westley, MD, an attending physician in dermatology at New York Downtown Hospital. “The antioxidants in green tea, called catechins, counter free radicals caused by sun exposure, and studies have shown that using green tea along with sunblock may help prevent skin cancer.” Dr. Westley explains that the combination can also fight other damaging side effects of the sun, such as premature aging. Green tea also acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory and calming agent, so it's not likely to irritate people with sensitive skin.

Hyaluronic Acid 
Hyaluronic acid is a moisture magnet — it has the ability to attract and then lock water into the skin. By drawing moisture deep into the skin, it plumps up the skin, thereby reducing the appearance of wrinkles. “Products that contain hyaluronic acid are particularly effective for oily complexions, but they’re a great choice for all skin types,” says Dennis Gross, MD, the founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skin Care. As we age, the levels of hyaluronic acid in the skin decline, so products that list it as the first or second ingredient are especially beneficial in treating the effects of aging.

Niacinamide
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that hydrates, fights inflammation, and improves collagen production. One of its most impressive benefits is the ability to treat age spots, or hyperpigmentation, and to brighten skin tone, says Craig Austin, MD, the creator of the Cane + Austin skin care line.

Retinol
Retinol, a vitamin A derivative, has long been considered essential for healthy skin because of its ability to encourage cell turnover and to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. “The importance of retinol as an anti-ager cannot be overstated,” says Jeannette Graff, MD, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. “It helps with everything from normalizing the skin and stimulating collagen production to enhancing even skin tone and skin elasticity.”

Salicylic Acid
“Salicylic acid is lipophilic, meaning it’s oil-loving,” says Sarah Eggenberger, vice president of product development at MyChelle Dermaceuticals, “which is why it’s a proven acne fighter.” It eats away at the debris and oil present in the follicle, thus clearing the pore. Heidi Waldorf, MD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, adds that salicylic acid generally produces less irritation than other acne-fighting ingredients, making it more tolerable for people with sensitive skin.

10 Easy Ways to Manage Portion Sizes Sizing Up Your Plate: Why Portion Control Matters Whether you have diabetes or simply want to reduce your risk, monitoring food portion sizes will make it easier to keep your blood glucose levels and your weight in check.

With the introduction of Michelle Obama's healthy eating initiative "My Plate," keeping calories in check by controlling portion sizes is making headlines again — and while keeping an eye on how much you eat is important for all Americans, it's especially vital for the 8 percent of the population who have diabetes. “Portion control is important for blood glucose control and weight control,” says Dietlinde Wolter-Nitta, RD, CDE, a nutritionist and certified diabetes educator at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. For someone with type 2 diabetes who is also overweight, simply losing some pounds can lead to an easier time controlling blood sugars and possibly less need for medication.

Weigh and Measure Your Food

Many people — with or without diabetes — have trouble estimating portion sizes. Weighing and measuring food can help. “We can’t be healthy if we eat everything put in front of us, and weighing and measuring teaches us appropriate portion sizes,” says Jill Weisenberger, RD, CDE, a certified diabetes educator and writer in Yorktown, Va. “If you don’t eat the proper amount of carbohydrates at your meal, expect your blood glucose to shoot too high or, if on certain medications, to drop dangerously low.”

Use Visual Aids

How much is a portion, anyway? It's hard to tell in this era of supersized foods. Twenty years ago, the average blueberry muffin was 1.5 ounces and 210 calories. Today, most muffins are 5 ounces and 500 calories. A bagel used to be 3 inches and 140 calories, but now is 6 inches and 350 calories or more. Use a food scale wherever possible. When eating out, you can estimate serving sizes by comparing them to familiar objects — for example, one cup is about the size of a tennis ball, and one serving of meat, which is about 3 ounces, should be the size of a deck of playing cards. A serving of cooked rice, pasta, or cereal should equal the size of a small computer mouse.

Read Food Labels

It’s easy to grab a big bottle of juice and chug it down without thinking — and without reading the nutrition label first. But it’s important to read food labels carefully when monitoring portion sizes. Start with the calorie count, but then look beyond that. Many beverage and food packages contain more than you might think. What seems like a single serving might actually be two. And if it contains two servings, the number of calories in the container must be doubled as well. Food labels can also be useful pieces of information for sugar and carbohydrate counts, both of which are important to monitor when you have diabetes.

Avoid All-You-Can-Eat Buffets

Common sense should tell you that all-you-can-eat buffets are a bad idea for everyone, but especially if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. With big plates and the ability to endlessly refill them, portion control becomes a losing battle. If confronted with this type of dining experience, vow to use only two plates. For better portion control, choose low-calorie, low-carb foods like shrimp and raw veggies for the first plate, says Weisenberger, and follow your usual meal plan for the second.

Use Smaller Plates

Buying smaller plates or using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate are good options for people with diabetes because this is a tangible portion control method that’s hard to circumvent. Be sure to fill half your reduced-size plate with vegetables or salad, one-quarter with a starch food, and one-quarter with protein. This is a great way to monitor portion sizes and trick your eye into thinking you’re eating more because the plate will look fuller.

Get a Doggy Bag

Asking for a doggy bag when eating out is an easy way to practice portion control. With so many restaurants taking a bigger-is-better approach to portion sizes, you’re left to rely on nothing more than willpower for portion control. Taking leftovers home is a good idea, but don’t wait until the end of the meal — ask your server to package half your entrée before it makes it to the table or cut it in half yourself before starting to eat to remove temptation. Sharing a meal with a friend and ordering an appetizer instead of an entree are other possible ways to avoid overeating.

Write Down What You're Eating

Besides helping monitor portion control,keeping a food log has another benefit for someone with diabetes. “By recording your intake and your blood glucose, you will learn how foods affect your blood glucose,” says Weisenberger. You’ll need to measure your blood glucose in pairs for this to work. “Measure just before eating and two hours later,” she explains. “If you do this often enough you will know the best foods and portion sizes for you.”

Stay Away From Supersizing

Supersizing is a supersized danger when it comes to portion control. Avoid it at all costs. The average soda today is 20 ounces and 250 calories — compare that to 20 years ago when it was 6.5 ounces and 82 calories. Don’t get carried away with bigger portion sizes just because it’s a good deal for your wallet. Your waist and health will pay for it, especially if you have diabetes.

Watch the Beverages

Another reason to say no to sodas is their notable lack of nutrition. Many beverages tend to deliver empty calories, an enemy of people with diabetes. “Avoid regular sodas and juices as it’s better to eat your carbs than drink them,” says Wolter-Nitta. “Beverages don’t satisfy hunger and they raise blood glucose very rapidly. Choose water or diet beverages instead.” If you occasionally indulge in a regular soda or juice, read the label for the portion size information and practice portion control.

Don't Be Afraid to Snack

People with diabetes may cut down or eliminate snacking to practice portion control. However, this isn’t always necessary. “Snacking can be a critical part of a diabetic’s diet,” says Timothy S. Harlan, MD, medical director of Tulane University Medical Group in New Orleans, author of Just Tell Me What to Eat: The Delicious 6-Week Weight-Loss Plan for the Real World. “It can help control total calorie intake, control cravings and overeating, and help keep blood sugars stable. However, it’s important to check with your diabetes nurse educator or dietitian.”

A Dash of Feng Shui

What if rejuvenating your life was as simple as moving a few things around? According to the ancient Chinese art of feng shui (pronounced "fung shway"), it is. Based on the idea that your living space reflects your life, feng shui strives to achieve balance in both. Feng shui holds that all objects possess an energy called chi, and that you can use this chi to bring luck, wealth, and opportunity into your home. "With feng shui, you don't have to spend 20 years on the couch [with a therapist] to change your life – you just have to move the couch," says Ellen Whitehurst, author of Make This Your Lucky Day: Fun and Easy Secrets and Shortcuts to Success, Romance, Health, and Harmony (Random House, January 2008). Try these ten tips to get that energy flowing.

Open the Front Door

Energy flows through the front door. An open and inviting pathway allows positive energy to flow into your home, whereas energy can stagnate if the entryway is closed off. Want opportunity to come knocking? Place a red-flowering plant outside or put some red accent colors on or around your front door. Red attracts energy, fortune, and luck.

Clear the Clutter

In feng shui, a cluttered house equals a cluttered mind. Even worse, clutter literally sucks up the energy in a space. "You may think you're hiding your clutter, but the closet has as much of an effect on energy flow as anything else," says Whitehurst. If there's clutter somewhere in your home — even tucked away in an attic — then it's also cluttering your head, as well as the rest of your body.

Seek Balance

Make sure you have something representing the five elements — wood, earth, metal, fire, and water — in every room. The goal is to stay grounded, centered, and balanced in your life and your environment. For example, place a wooden bowl filled with stone pebbles alongside a candle and a vase of flowers. Or try to incorporate colors that symbolize the five elements:

Black = water

Green = wood

Red = fire

Yellow, tan, and brown = earth

White = metal

Bring the Outdoors In

Nature creates a sense of peace. In fact, research shows that viewing nature reduces anger and anxiety and enhances feelings of pleasure. So flood your home with natural light, open windows and doors to let fresh air inside, and bring plants indoors. Decorate with bamboo, wood, or wicker, and use stones and rocks to add texture. You can also adorn the walls with paintings of nature and its serenity.

Use Mirrors Wisely

Mirrors reflect energy, so position them in places where you want to increase energy flow. Also, make sure that mirrors reflect something beautiful. "You don't want mirrors to reflect anything low energy or negative, like kitchen trash cans," says Linda Varone, RN, MA, founder of Nurturing Spaces Consulting. Finally, think twice before adding mirrors to your bedroom decor. They can energize the room, which, though it may be great for hot sex, is not so great for getting enough sleep.

Stop Runaway Chi

You can't benefit from the positive energies (or opportunities) that flow through your front door if they zip right out the back door. If you open the front door and there's a direct line to the back door or a window, that's runaway chi. "You want chi to run in a meandering pattern so it can deposit good energy throughout your home," says Varone. You can stop runaway chi by placing furniture or some other decorative object in or near the questionable path and by using rugs to impede energy flow. Hanging a room separator or a faceted crystal near one of the doors will help, too.

Make Your Bedroom Restful

The bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the home, according to feng shui, because it's where we seek restoration, balance, and peace. It's also the place of dreams. In feng shui, the items you place between your mattresses have an energetic association with your intentions. So yes, you can make money (or find true love) in your sleep. Use sensual fabrics and fluffy pillows to promote relaxation and don't store things under your bed — shoes, suitcases, books, pictures, and files are too energizing for restful slumber.

Place Family Photos Wisely

"Family pictures don't belong in the bedroom," says Whitehurst. "It's the most intimate room in the house and should be reserved for you and your partner." Pictures of children, relatives, and friends may cause you to think about your obligations — and that doesn't allow the mind (or body) to rest. So keep only pictures of you and your spouse or partner in the bedroom, and put other pictures in the dining or family rooms.

Place Living Plants

Live plants have their own chi and will draw chi to them. Don't have a green thumb? "The next best thing is to showcase high-quality silk plants and flowers — not plastic," says Varone. The best places for plants are in the kitchen (between hot and cold appliances to create balance), in the dining room (to draw abundance), and in the family room (to promote health, life, and connection).

Light Up Your Life

Bright lights rev up energy. If you're trying to keep energy costs down, then place high-wattage bulbs in the hallways, and lower-wattage bulbs in the rest of the house. "Hallways represent the meridians; the brighter the wattage, the more clean and clear your veins and arteries are," says Whitehurst. Want to light up internally? Place objects around your house that elicit positive emotions and lift your own personal chi. If a particular item makes you feel giddy, put it in a place where it's easy to see.

Bok Choy-Apple Slaw Recipe

Quick Info:

 Servings
Quick MealContains DairyContains EggVegetarian

Nutritional Info (Per serving):

Calories: 56, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 272mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Total Fat: 2g, Carbs: 8g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Protein: 2g

Carb Choices: 0.5

Recipe Source:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup(s) sour cream, reduced-fat
• 1/3 cup(s) mayonnaise, reduced-fat
• 2 tablespoon vinegar, white wine
• 2 teaspoon sugar, granulated, or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cup(s) bok choy, very thinly sliced, (about 1-pound head, trimmed)
• 1 large apple(s), Granny Smith, julienned or shredded
• 1 large carrot(s), julienned or shredded
• 1/2 cup(s) onion(s), red, slivered

Preparation

1. Whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar (or honey), celery salt and salt in a large bowl until smooth. 

 

2. Add bok choy, apple, carrot and onion; toss to coat.

Five Ingredients That Promote Healthy Skin

For gorgeous, glowing skin and a smooth complexion, turn to these crucial skin care ingredients.

Like the end product of any recipe, your skin requires quality ingredients for the best results. What are the ingredients that will help your skin look healthy, ward off damage, and stay young? Below, top dermatologists reveal the five superstar ingredients your skin needs to look its best.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids
Typically, healthy skin is also well buffed from exfoliation, which helps remove dead skin cells and ushers new ones to the surface. Dermatologists recommend using a form of alpha hydroxy acid because it encourages exfoliation and “stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen and elastin, which strengthen the skin,” says Jennifer Linder, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California at San Francisco. Even sensitive skin can benefit, by using lactic acid. “It reduces bacteria, acts as a humectant, and is also beneficial for those who have hyperpigmentation,” Dr. Linder explains.

Antioxidants 
Just as your body benefits from a healthy diet of colorful fruits and vegetables, your skin, not surprisingly, benefits from antioxidants, too. “You should constantly bathe your skin in antioxidants because they counter the effects of free radicals and inflammation from stress, pollution, and the sun — effects that can lead to wrinkles or disease,” says Helen M. Torok, MD, a dermatologist in Medina, Ohio.

It may seem these days as if everything is an antioxidant, but stick with proven ones such as green tea, which contains the powerful polyphenol EGCG. The compound has been shown to protect skin from the harmful effects of UV rays when applied before sun exposure, and to correct damage and calm the skin after exposure. Green tea has also been shown to soothe sensitive skin.

Humectants
Humectants draw moisture into the skin and hold it there. One in particular, hyaluronic acid, is a darling of dermatologists because of its ability to hold 1,000 times its weight in moisture. Other effective humectants include sodium PCA, glycerin, and urea. “Glycerin and urea are especially effective when applied topically because they penetrate through the cell membrane that allows only water, glycerin, and urea,” Linder explains.

Lipids
“Lipids are an important ingredient to preserve the barrier that helps skin hold onto water,” says Leslie Baumann, MD, a dermatologist in Miami, Florida, and author of Skin Type Solutions. “They are also necessary in cell membranes and in the substance that surrounds the cells.” Lipids, or fats, are crucial in keeping skin moisturized. Look for lipids such as ceramides or stearic acid in lotions and creams.

Occlusives 
Humectants do the job of drawing moisture into the skin, and occlusives help keep it there. Occlusives are used in thick ointments that seal the skin and promote the healing of cuts and burns, or that keep your skin from cracking or flaking during the winter, when the indoor heat is blasting. Classic examples of occlusives are petrolatum and lanolin, but if you're sensitive to these ingredients, look for dimethicone and shea butter.