Jewelry Cleaning - The Cheap and Easy Way

Jewelry Cleaning - The Cheap and Easy Way

by: Ricky Alberta

There is no need to waste money on fancy jewelry cleaning solutions. You can save money by cleaning your jewelry at home using things you'll find in any kitchen or bathroom.

Cleaning Your Silver Jewelry

Use a soft bristle toothbrush with mild soap and warm water to restore the shine and brilliance of silver jewelry. Avoid immersing your sterling silver jewelry into jewelry cleaning dips, they should be cleaned by hand. Use a soft cloth to buff your silver jewelry for a nice, clean shine.

Cleaning Your Diamond Rings & Jewelry

Use a solution of six parts water and one part ammonia. Use a soft bristle toothbrush or toothpick to remove any dirt or particles from any crevices. Rinse well in water and buff dry with a soft cloth.

Cleaning Gold, Platinum and other Gemstone Jewelry

Use a solution of mild dishwashing liquid, like Ivory. Soak jewelry in this solution for a few minutes, then lightly brush away any dirt with a soft brush. Rinse with lukewarm water and air dry or buff with a soft cloth. Be sure not to soak any soft stones like turquoise, amber or lapis, as soaking can damage their polish. For particularly dirty gold jewelry, soak in alcohol or ammonia before cleaning.

Cleaning Pearls

A mild soap and water solution works well for cleaning pearls. Then wipe dry with a soft cloth.

Cleaning Costume Jewelry & Rhinestones

Use a soft brush to sweep away any dirt and dust. Use window cleaner, like Windex, sprayed on a soft, lint free cloth to clean the stones surface. Also try alcohol on a q-tip to get in between small spaces.

With just a few minutes of care, your jewelry will be sparkling like new!

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Tips For Girls To Reduce Acne

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about acne. When you start sharing the fascinating acne facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

Tips For Girls To Reduce Acne

Girls go through a great deal of physical and psychological changes during puberty. These changes include body composition, fat distribution, menstruation, growth spurts, body and facial hair growth, body odor and skin changes. The body physically changes as the fat tissue increases in the hips, thighs, and breasts producing the typical hourglass shape of females. With all these changes going on, what effect does acne have on girls during puberty?

During puberty girls experience an increased likelihood and severity of acne from the increased oil secretions in the skin. Puberty is often a difficult time and acne only adds to the difficulty. During puberty girls usually experience increased irritability, mood swings, and feelings of low self esteem. Even girls who have been very sure of themselves may suffer from low self esteem when puberty sets in. These changes may be even more severe in the girl also suffers from acne.

The negative changes in girls during puberty are made even worse if acne is a problem. You can help deal with the changes when you know how to lessen the problems of acne.

I trust that what you've read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

Practical Acne Treatments For Girls...

Proper skin care is the first step in treating acne. The face should be gently washed with a facial cleanser. There are many skin care products on the market that may help with acne. To kill the bacteria that cause acne the cleanser should contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or sulfur. Gentle cleansing is an important factor when dealing with acne. A common mistake is to clean the face too often and with harsh cleansers. Careful cleaning of the face twice a day is the best way to go.

There are some cosmetics that can be detrimental if you are trying to control acne so it is important to use non-comedogenic products. Non-comedogenic products are less likely to cause acne, blackheads or block the pores of the skin. Today there are many non-comedogenic products available, such as makeup, lip stick, moisturizers, and even acne medicated makeup.

The changes experienced during puberty can take a mental and physical toll on girls. The onset of acne certainly makes these changes even harder to deal with. It is a good idea to visit with a dermatologist if the acne can not be controlled with over-the-counter medications. A dermatologist will understand the changes that are associated with acne and will be able to offer advice and treatment programs. It's also important to be understanding and offer support to girls as puberty can be a difficult time to go through.

Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on acne.

by: Daniel Lesser

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Fake a Tan with Sunless Tanning Lotion

Fake a Tan with Sunless Tanning Lotion

by: Lorene Radenz

A great tan is associated with health and beauty. While a bronze look is desirable, especially in the summer or on holiday -- we all know the dangers of the sun's UV rays. Is a temporary tan worth the permanent sun damage, wrinkles, and skin cancer risk? Absolutely not!

You can save time and avoid these risks entirely with sunless tanning lotion. Today's self-tanners give you a deep golden tan, not the orange look of years ago.

Many new self tanning lotions are tinted and these are the ones I recommend. Not only do they give you an initial tan, you're more likely to apply the lotion evenly and avoid streaking.

First, take a shower or bath and exfoliate your skin. Pay special attention to your elbows, knees and any other rough spots. These areas will soak up the self tanning lotion and turn darker so you need to get rid of any dead skin.

Pat yourself dry and pin your hair up. Apply regular body or hand lotion to the dry spots you exfoliated. Allow yourself several minutes to completely dry.

You may choose to wear thin gloves to put on the self tanning lotion and avoid getting it on your hands, but applying it with your bare hands will probably result in a more even application. It's your choice.

Start applying the lotion from the bottom - up, bracing your foot on a chair or stool. Rub in lightly, you can always go back later and apply a second time.

Don't forget the areas that would tan naturally in the sun, the back of your legs, knees, arms, and neck. When applying to your face, remember to smooth it on your eyelids and into your hairline -- avoiding your eyes and hair. For people with sensitive skin, there are self tanning lotions formulated specifically for your face and will result in a more natural look.

If you will be wearing your hair up, don't forget to apply the self tanner on the back of your neck, and behind your ears to look more natural.

When you're finished, wash your hands thoroughly if you chose not to wear gloves, so your palms don't turn an unnatural color. Use a hand towel to dry them completely.

Before the lotion dries, it's more likely to tan what you're wearing too, so let yourself dry and put on some loose clothing. If you're going to be sitting on a cloth chair or couch, sit on a towel to avoid staining.

For a deep, dark tan before a special occasion, apply self tanning lotion before bed, and again in the morning. Before you go out, check yourself in the mirror for any streaks and correct them with a damp paper towel. Apply bronzing powder to your face and shoulders for a finishing touch, and hit the town!

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5 Tips For Choosing Gifts

We all love to receive gifts, whether it’s at Christmas or birthdays, or even a special anniversary. But in order to keep getting gifts, we have to give them to others too. And happily we like that part of the bargain almost as much as the receiving bit. Here are a few tips that may help you choose the right gift for the right person.

1. To help make up your mind you can easily read reviews of gifts you are considering buying at places like Amazon.com, Buy.com, Epinions.com, BizRate.com, etc. And of course, you can even purchase from there too.

2. Price comparison for gifts is easy if you’re switching between sites like Shopping.com, PriceGrabber.com and Cnet.com. The lowest gift price is out there. All you have to do is find it.

3. One problem with gifts that are wearable is getting the right size. You can overcome this by getting gift accessories, such as scarves, belts, hats, etc.

4. It’s obvious, but keeping an up to date list of the birthday, anniversary, etc, dates of your friends and relatives will mean that you’ll always know when it’s time to buy a gift. That way, you’ll probably receive more gifts too when it’s your turn.

5. Always think about the recipient of the gift. Your maiden aunt is unlikely to appreciate a year’s subscription to a risqué glamour magazine, and your young nephew probably doesn’t really want a pair of socks.

Gifts should not be just for Christmas and birthdays. There’s no reason why you can’t give a special gift to someone special just because you want to at any time of the year. It does wonders for a person’s self esteem, and it does wonders for you too: we all really love to give. I hope you can find the time to give to someone today.

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