Bizarre Beauty Rituals

You normally wont find fish or bird droppings at the beauty section of big department stores. But these bizarre cosmetic ingredients have been used by Japanese women for ages to maintain their smooth, wrinkle-free complexion.

Now, trendy, high-end spas are offering these ancient remedies to both men and women who are willing to try anything in the name of beauty. These geisha-inspired treatments are the latest craze and are taking the beauty industry by storm.

For several centuries, Japanese women made their own skincare formulas at home with natural food products and the trade secrets of their female ancestors were passed from generation to generation. It is these ancient beauty rituals and renewed interest in the once denigrated geisha that have been resurrected in Japan and sold around the world, said Stephanie Rafanelli in the Daily Mail.

For starters, how about a goldfish pedicure? In this procedure, hundreds of miniature fish eat your feet right before your very eyes! But dont panic. Were not talking about piranhas here. The treatment uses doctor fish or gara rufa that nibble away dead, scaly skin in a matter of minutes.

Several beauty salons have picked up on this trend, which has long been used in Turkey, China, and Japan. The fish feed on dead skin, leaving the healthy, new skin exposed. The result is supposed to be soft smooth skin without a hint of roughness, explained Amy White in AssociatedContent.com.

Your most unpleasant flaky bits will be swiftly nibbled away in 15 unbearably ticklish minutes to reveal baby, clean feet. So the only thing youre likely to die of is laughing, Rafanelli added.

If you have a strong stomach, get a nightingale-dropping facial at Haris Salon in London. This 90-minute treatment will help lighten and brighten dull skin. The birds feces were used by early geishas and Kabuki actors to remove their thick make-up. Prior to applying, the droppings were dried in the sun. This has been replaced by ultraviolet light to sterilize them. At 135 its one of the most expensive facials but customers swear it leaves the skin shiny, clean, and fresh looking for the rest of the week. Plus its odor-free!

Nightingale droppings contain an enzyme called guanine which bleaches and heals the skin, which makes it such an effective facial ingredient. This amino acid’s benefits have long been known by Japanese geishas and Kabuki actors. Even monks have used these droppings to condition their exposed scalps, revealed White.

Believing that beauty is not only skin deep, the Takano Yuri Beauty Clinic in Japan is known for its Etiquette Up treatment that supposedly purifies the body. This weird beauty regimen promises to detoxify your internal organs and make your feces odor-free. Your bathroom visits will be more pleasant afterwards. Did I mention this procedure is also good for the skin and eliminates wrinkles? Indeed, Japan is the place to be for pretty feces I mean faces!

Quality Stock Cabinets can Fit your Style and Budget

Should you opt for top quality stock cabinets when you are remodeling your kitchen, or hold out for custom cabinets? Watch a few design shows and you might come away with the idea that stock cabinets are inferior. Stock cabinets, which get their name from the fact that they come in a more limited range of standard sizes and colors and are often “in stock,” are quality products that will add beauty and functionality to your kitchen.

Stock vs. Custom Cabinets

Stock cabinets come 12 or 24 inches deep and up to 36 inches high. They are prefinished in a limited number of colors and are priced based on size, material type, and color. Because the sizes are limited, you will have to plan your remodel around the size. Since prebuilt cabinets are constructed and ready to go, you should be able to get them almost immediately from your distributor.

Custom cabinets are built by hand in any color, size, and style you need. They are usually all wood instruction, which is not always true for other types of cabinets. What might cost $8,000 to $10,000 for an average remodel might cost 3 to 4 times that for custom job. Since the cabinets are made just for you, the lead time may be 6 to 8 weeks. The prices for custom cabinets usually include installation, while installation for stock cabinets from big-box stores is about $100 each for single door cabinets and about $300 for wider ones, in addition to the price of the cabinet. Most people do not find this is a good DIY job, so planning on professional installation is wise.

Falling between custom and stock options are semi-custom cabinets. These products come in standard sizes like stock cabinets, but have custom stains, styles, and hardware that will bring the price up to about double what purely stock cabinets will cost.

Picking Good Quality Stock Cabinets you’ll Love

For most customers, stock cabinets are the perfect addition to the kitchen. Among manufacturers of stock cabinets, there are variations in colors, door style, and other features so the average homeowner will be able to find something that will look great. This is not surprising. Stock products represent the sizes, colors, and features that the majority of buyers want. As trends change, so will what is “in stock.”

When purchasing stock cabinets, there are quality differences among manufacturers and among lines that different companies carry. The best quality stock cabinets are marked by these characteristics:

Made of wood or plywood, rather than pressed wood.

Offer wall thickness at least one half inch for sturdiness.

Have consistent finishes and colors so that your whole set will match.

Feature full extension hardware, which means the doors will open all the way so you can easily access them.

Dovetail joinery or metal box on drawer backs inside rather than staples.

Cabinets with these features will last much longer and look nice longer than those without them. With stock cabinets, you will have to compromise a bit on finish, color, and even on size, as most stock cabinets only come 36 inches tall. If the dimensions of your kitchen don’t match up with stock cabinets, you may have to have filler strips installed or have a cabinet that is an inch or two shy of where you would like it to end. The trade-off is that you will save thousands of dollars.

Choose Wisely for Lasting, Affordable Style

Although prebuilt cabinets are not custom, they are personalized with hardware of your choosing. As long as you select the best quality you can afford, you will be very pleased with how stock cabinets look and function in your kitchen.

The Beauty Of Curvy Girls

Curvy girls are girls who have some curves on them. This is usually considered a very attractive shape of the body. Curvy girls will attract men from all over due to their strong feminine features. Girls who are very skinny are not curvy. Bigger girls are usually with curves. The curves will be found around their waist and bottom as well as the upper body. Many girls have chosen to flaunt their curvy features as they take pride in what they have to offer. Beauty is sometimes very dynamic and, it occurs in many forms. Girls can choose to have curves and they can even create curves through the clothes they are wearing. To a woman, curves are very vital because they are the major different between the anatomy of a man and a woman. If you admire curvy girls, the good news is that you can explore your very own curves and manage to pull it off. The first thing that girls should know is that curves are very attractive. It is vital to keep this in mind because there are girls who do not like their curves. The other thing is to ensure that you show the curves in the best way possible. This can only be achieved by wearing the right cloths that flatter your figure.

You need to highlight curves so that the beauty can shine through. You should never wear clothes that are oversize. This is because you are going to hide your best features. Therefore, make sure that every cloth you get is fitting and tailored for you. A common mistake that girls make is wearing cloths that are too tight. There is a huge difference between fitting and tight. When you wear very tight clothing, you will feel uncomfortable. Never leave the house with cloths that you are not comfortable in. It is vital that when purchasing a dress or a skirt, you take the right measurements. Ask for professional advice. They will always lead you to the right direction. The same goes for your tops and blouses. They should never be too tight. The right fit or a slightly larger size is perfect. Another thing that a curvy girl should consider is the kind of styles you wear. There are certain styles that may make you look excellent and there are others that will suit other people better.

When it comes to fashion, you have to go with what looks best on you and not what you love most. Usually a third or fourth opinion never lies. When you buy clothes, make sure that you try them out in front of people so that they can review you. If you do not have curves, look for cloths that can create the impression of curves. These days, cloths do wonders and you will have the look you want. Above all, make sure you enjoy your curves and flaunt them at every opportunity. Apart from cloths, you can consult a nutritionist who will advise you on how you can achieve curvy body; you will also need to see a fitness expert. When you are on the healthy path to acquire or maintain your curves, you will be a very happy person.

Beauty And The Geek Tommy Talks About learning How To Fish

When the fifth season of Beauty and the Geek finally came to a close earlier this month, Tommy and Amanda were a quarter of a million dollars richer after winning over Chris and Cara by a difference of one more contestant collected across the city. Reality News Online wasted little time in engaging Tommy Severo in conversation about the just-concluded season and his experience on it.

One-half of the winning tandem narrated how he came to be among the Geeks in the show, especially when he doesnt exactly fit into the stereotype.

Actually, the show chose me. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, Tommy recalled. A film was being shot at my law school last fall and they needed people to play extras. After sitting in the background all day, I was approached by one of the producers from the film who apparently noticed my geeky style, formal speech, and awkward interactions with some of the female cast members. Once he found out I was also a student at the law school, he got me to come in for an audition.

Though recruited purely by accident, Tommy remains thankful for the experience of being on Beauty and the Geek, citing the most obvious of perks among the top reasons.

“I am truly grateful for having had this wonderful experience…I was certainly fortunate enough to have had a great deal more female attention than I was used to receiving in my everyday life,” he said. “Having had little experience with that kind of interaction, it was easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of emotions, but I kept reminding myself that the girls were there to teach me how to get dates, not to be my dates. Its the old ‘give-a-man-a-fish/teach-a-man-to-fish’ thing.”

And that, folks, is as geeky as Tommy can get the heart and soul of Beauty and the Geek in a nutshell.