16 rules to live by for young-looking skin

16 simple yet wildly effective rules to live by for dewy, plump, perfectly smooth skin--no matter what your age.

1. Even if you're sitting in the shade, without sunscreen you're being zapped by aging rays. Sunscreen, (at least SPF30, every day) not only prevents aging, it gives your skin time away from defending itself, so it can actually repair and undo existing damage.

2. There's wet, and then there's wet: If you want any antiager to work better, get your skin very wet. For instance, if you want your face scrub to exfoliate more than usual, do it at the very end of a shower.

3. Always pat eye cream in with your ring finger--it's the weakest, so the most gentle.

Perfect Your Skin: The right regimen makes all the difference, whether you're treating breakouts, wrinkles or redness.

4. Retin-A, Tazorac, Renova: These prescription-only retinoic acid formulas de-age skin like no over-the-counter cream. It takes about six weeks to see results, but the difference in most people is truly spectacular.

5. For some, retinoic acid is too skin-sensitizing. The next strongest thing is available over the counter: retinol. The most powerful retinol we know of is Help Me by Philosophy. If that's too much for you, Healthy Skin by Neutrogena is nonirritating but still extremely effective.

6. Too much sugar in your diet causes glycation--an inflammation and a disruption of collagen production. Avoid eating sweets, and use a product designed to prevent (and undo) the reaction.

7. Your skin does most of its repair-and-refresh work at night. Lack of sleep shows up on your face as dullness initially, graduating to wrinkling, sagging, and even breakouts as you continue to lose sleep.

There are no falsities to this beauty sleep business. A Lucky beauty editor was recently inflicted with mono (and a 1,000 hours of sleep) and reemerged with her most luminous skin ever.

8. Supplements: Who knows if they work? They might, and that's why we take them--especially those with omega-3, -6, and -9 oils. Since none of us can eat as much youthifying salmon as the experts say we should.

9. Cold really does bring down puffiness. Throw your eye cream in the fridge, or use these already-frosty versions.

10. Unanimous editors' rave: More Lucky staffers mentioned Kiehl's when they were queried about their antiaging routines than any other brand. They love the avocado eye cream, the pineapple papaya face scrub, the...

11. Peptides stimulate your cells to produce more collagen. They retexturize--so your skin feels silkier and looks brighter--and minimize lines. And they don't irritate at all.

12. Smoking is even better (and faster) at aging your face than the sun.

13. Wind and cold are dehydrating. Moisturizer plumps up your skin, making it look and feel smoother temporarily. We have never met a makeup artist who doesn't apply moisturizer liberally before makeup--it really makes a difference.

14. If you overdo it on skin treatments, anti-inflammatory products like Dr. Brandt's Laser Relief will calm your skin back to normality overnight.

Been a little overzealous with your skin care routine? One Lucky editor suggests this calendula cream as a cure all.

15. Tinted undereye moisturizer is a genius invention. Use it alone if your trouble is not severe, under concealer if it's more major.

16. If all else fails, keep your sunglasses on--and not solely for the obvious reason of camouflage. You also shield the delicate and first-to-wrinkle-and-sag eye area from future damage. Eye cream with SPF

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The wonders of Pearl Powder

Pearl is a valuable ingredient in Chinese medicine. It has the function of brightening eyes, curing skin disease, and fighting off diarrhea. Its elements are shell protein and non-organic elements mainly consisting of calcium. However, pearl powder is very difficult to absorb into the human body. It can result in severe poisoning if not dissolved and diluted completely. It is useful when the powder can dissolve in the solution keeping its effective elements.
Powdered Pearl- a beauty treasure of the orient. Pearl powder, taken internally, contains calcium carbonate which strenghten bones, muscles and nerves. It reduces skin blemishes and rebuilds your health. Use it as a cooling beverage, taken with water, tea or juice. Powdered pearl can also be applied to the face as a beauty mask for rejuvenation and flawless complexion.


Pearl powder is a finely milled powder made from freshwater pearls, which contains a number of amino acids and several minerals. It is considered by its proponents to help improve the appearance of the skin.
Long a favorite of Asian women. According to ancient Chinese history artistes in the Tang Dynasty began using Pearl Powder on their faces to protect and beautify their skin when applying stage makeup. During the Ching Dynasty Empress Dowager began taking Pearl Powder internally as well as applying it to her face.


Freshwater pearls have been collected for some 3,000 years by the Chinese, and not just for jewelry. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) employs the medicinal qualities of ingested powdered pearl to treat inflammatory illnesses including epilepsy, convulsions, hyperactivity, hypertension, insomnia and palpitations. Traditional Chinese medical doctors also suggest pearl to quiet nerves and improve vision.

According to ancient texts and records including the "Compendium of Materia Medica," up thru the current "Pharmacopoeia PRC edition" pearl has been used for medicinal purposes from China for over 2000 years. Pearl has a reputation of being a medicine for treating certain diseases as well as preserving a youthful appearance. The cosmetic grade pearl powder is mixed with the inner shell of the oyster as compared to the medicated grade which is made wholly from pearls.

TCM physicians believe the calcium and other valuable minerals and amino acids from pearl powder can also be absorbed through the skin. They have found pearl powder, applied externally, speeds the skin's natural metabolism to tone and rejuvenate complexion, heal blemishes, minimize large pores and reduce redness. A pearl facial pack is said to rejuvenate dry, dull skin. CiXi, the last Dowager Empress of China during the Qing Dynasty (1644­1911), preferred expensive powdered pearl face masks to maintain her complexion.

During Ming dynasty the famous doctor Li Shizhen put in his medical book, Classical Chinese Materia Medica, the use of pearl powder for skin health: "Spread on face, lubricate skin and give good complexion. Spread on hands and feet, smooth skin and relieve chaps. Remove face acnes. Decrease secretion."

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To make a mask, you can mix one teaspoon pearl powder with enough olive oil to form a thin paste. Apply to clean, dry skin; then, after 10 minutes rinse off with warm water. Another option is a mix of pearl powder and milk and beaten egg, believed to have anti-aging effects. This pearl powder can also be used on its own, applying it on the face before sleep and removing it the next day. In TCM terminology, pearl powder has cooling, disinfectant and balancing properties. It keeps the skin cool and moist.

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Pearl has other interesting applications. In China, pearl powder is used to heal wounds because it is believed to have antiseptic properties. In the United States, surgeons frequently sprinkle a lower-grade pearl powder, called surgical pearl, into their latex gloves before operating. The soothing, antiseptic pearl powder absorbs excess moisture and may help prevent the spread of infection. Similarly, pearl powder sprinkled into shoes helps absorb odor and excess moisture. The peal has been used to treat ulcerous sores by sprinkling the sores with the powder. It enhances tissue growth and prevent infections.

Pearls are made of aragonite (CaCO3) and a small amount of conchiolin, an organic albuminoid substance. Oyster pearl powder and shell are both chemically the same and are good sources of calcium carbonate.

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