10 Steps to a Perfectly Clean Face

Here are some tips for proper facial cleansing from the 5,000-year-old healing tradition of Ayurveda:

1. Cleanse twice a day, no more. Unless you have exposed your skin to excessive dust, grime orpollution, twice-a-day cleansing is more than adequate for any skin type. Cleansing too often strips your skin of precious natural oils. Not cleansing regularly, particularly before you retire for the night, may lead to build-up and eruptions.

2. Choose a cleanser that is appropriate for your skin type. Do not use soap on facial skin: it can be too harsh and drying and damage skin over time. A too-rich cleanser can clog pores, while a too-dry cleanser can irritate the skin. A cleanser for dry skin should contain nourishing herbs and oils. One for oily skin should include herbs that balance oil production and support clarity. Sensitive skin benefits from an ultra-gentle, fragrance-free, non-irritating cleanser.
Traditional ayurvedic cleansers are made fresh with natural ingredients such as ground oats, lentils or chickpeas, complexion enhancing or clarifying herbs such as turmeric, Amalaki, Neem and sandalwood, emollients such as milk, cream yogurt or honey, and floral or citrus waters for pure healing fragrance. You can make your own by mixing the dry ingredients to last a week or two and blending the mix with milk or cream right before use. Otherwise, look for a natural cleanser that’s gentle and fortified with skin-friendly herbs.

3. Always cleanse with tepid water. Hot water dries and damages skin over time, and cold water won’t dissolve and take away embedded dirt and grime as well as lukewarm water.

4. If you use sponges or washcloths, make sure they are clean and soft. They are not necessary for effective cleansing: your fingertips can do just as good a job.

5. Wash your hands thoroughly before you cleanse your face, or you will be working dirt into facial skin. Use a headband to secure hair away from the face.

6. Start by splashing tepid water on your face and neck.

7. Apply the cleanser with your fingertips or a soft sponge, using gentle circular massaging strokes and moving upward on the face and neck. Do not scrub too much…gentle massaging strokes are enough to help improve circulation as well as loosen grime and old surface skin cells. Too much scrubbing will stretch skin and irritate it, especially the delicate skin around the eyes.

8. Rinse with lots of tepid water. Don’t forget to rinse off cleanser from the neck and hairline. Cleanser residue can clog pores and attract dirt.

9. Gently blot off excess water with a soft towel. Do not scrub dry or drag towel along skin.

10. Follow immediately with a water-based toner and a moisturizer appropriate for your skin type to seal in surface moisture and offer nourishment when skin is receptive.

Chocolate mousse cake

Ingredients (serves 4)
500g dark chocolate
2 tbs golden syrup
125g unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 tbs caster sugar
1 tbs plain flour, sifted
Melted chocolate, to decorate
Chocolate sorbet, to serve
Coffee mascarpone
200g mascarpone cheese
2 tbs instant coffee
2 tbs pure icing sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round spring-form cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
Place eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer or use an electric hand beater and beat on high for 10 minutes until very thick and pale. Gently fold in the flour then fold in the chocolate mixture until combined. Pour into the cake pan and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Remove collar from cake pan and transfer the cake to the fridge for 1 hour to cool (this step is important as it sets the middle of the cake).
Meanwhile, to make the coffee mascarpone, dissolve coffee in 1 tablespoon of boiling water and set aside to cool. Beat together the mascarpone, coffee and sugar in a bowl until stiff.
To make the chocolate leaf, brush non-toxic leaves with the melted chocolate. When cool, peel the leaf off.
Slice the cake and serve with a dollop of coffee mascarpone, a chocolate leaf on top and a scoop of sorbet on the side.

Notes & tips
Get the most out of summer with salad recipes, the barbecue recipes collection, picnic recipes and plenty of low kilojoule recipes for a top start to the New Year on Taste.com.au

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating
1.Beets:Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat:Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.

2.Cabbage:Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.

3.Swiss chard:A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.

4.Cinnamon:May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it:Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.

5.Pomegranate juice:Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.How to eat: Just drink it.

6.Dried plums:Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.

7.Pumpkin seeds:The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat:Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.

8.Sardines:Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat:Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.

9.Turmeric:The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.

10.Frozen blueberries:Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.

11.Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories. How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.

How to Make Up Your Eyes in 8 Steps
1. Prep your eyes with concealer Concealer can be used to cover up undereye circles or just the bluish discoloration just under your inner eye. To cover dark undereye circles, apply three dots of concealer under each eye. Start at the inner corner where skin tends to be darkest, then under the pupil and the third on the outer edge. Pat, never rub with your ring finger (this finger tends to have the softest pad) until it disappears.

2. Apply eye base to your lid Eye base is the secret to keeping your shadow in place for hours. Without properly priming your lid first, your eyeshadow will likely end up a greasy line in your crease.

3. Apply shadow. It's great to use a three-toned shadow and build from lids to brow. Allowing them to blend into each other like a rainbow is gorgeous, according to celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal. Start with a light color that almost matches your lid. Sweep the color across the lid and up to your browbone. Follow with a medium color across your lid only. Build on this with a darker color in the crease. Blend the colors well.

4. Follow with eyeliner Dark eyeshadows work great as eyeliners. Wet a slanted brush, then dip in a dark eyeshadow. Line eyes as close to the upper lashes as possible from the inner corner to the outer corner. Follow with liner on bottom eyes, but only line from the middle of the eye out. Smudge the bottom line with a Q-tip or your finger. You don't want a prominent line. For a smokey eye, use a brush to pat in a dark eyeshadow along the upper lid and below the lid. You don't want a stark line, instead you want to blend it so it's 'smudge-y.'

5. Brighten your eyes with a highlighter This step involves only the inside part of the eye. With a gold or pink highlighter (white is too bright), draw a v-shaped shape that follows the inner corner of your eye from top to bottom. Blend with your fingers. This will help make eyes 'pop.'

6. Highlight your brow Take the same highlighter and dab it on your browbone, concentrating on your mid-brow outward. Blend with your finger.

7. Curl lashes An eyelash curler will make even long lashes look more gorgeous. For added effect, you can heat the curler under a blowdryer for a couple seconds. Test curler before applying to lashes because you could burn yourself.

8. Apply mascara Place the wand of your mascara brush at the bottom of lashes and wiggle back and forth. Follow with another few sweeps of the wand. Apply to bottom lashes as well.