Quick beauty secrets for women on the move

So you don't have more than 10 minutes in the morning for yourself. Here are some quick tips or rather secrets that can take you a long way!

1.Clean Skin in a jiffy

In order to take out the oil and to refresh your makeup, lightly mist your face with toner, then pat with a tissue. Finish witha dusting of loose powder.

2.Unlock your hair!

If scalp grease (or too many products) have left your light hair looking dirty and without life,sprinkle translucent powder over your roots, then brush through.

3.Moisturize your skin instanstly

Use conditioner to moisturize your hair and body bas well!! Just massage it in neck-to-toe in the shower, rinse and dry off. The conditioner will hydrate nearly as well as body lotion - without the time of waiting for it to sink in.

4. Get Gorgeous Nails immediately

Remove all polish, clean under your nails (with lemon juice, if you have it) and massage the thickest lotion you can find (lip balm will suffice in a pinch) into your cuticles.

5.Use Pink to Fake Perfect Skin

Surprise! Concealer is only half the battle when it comes to fixing flaws. To really perfect your complexion (no matter what your skin tone), try wearing lipstick in a warm pink. This distracts people's eyes from blemishes and other imperfections.

6.Take away the frizz

To flatten frizz, dampen your hands with water and a drop of hand lotion, then gently pull your hair back into a French twist. Wait 10 minutes; take your strands down. Voilà - frizz free!

7.Focus on the front alone!

You have just had a shower and have to rush off to the Internet City? Do the the T-zone blow-dry: down your part and around your hairline only. The front and top of your hair will look finished.

8.Sexy evening eyes in a second

Eyeliner is the fastest way to look sexy. Trace your top lash lines to just past the outer corners of your eyes.

9.Pull it together with a ponytail

There's nothing wrong with resorting to a ponytail -after all, it's the ultimate easy style. Pull your hair back haphazardly with your fingers and spritz with hairspray. Last, twist a stray tendril around your hair elastic, pin.

10.Revive Your Face Rapidly

To look alive after a long night, pat concealer onto the inner corners of your eyes, under your lower lashes and next to your nose. Finish by swirling bronzer over your cheeks

Tips on applying eye shadow

Here are some guidelines that you can follow while applying eye shadow, these enhance the distinct shape and beauty of the eyes. We need to start by defining the eye shape which can be almond, narrow or round and size - whether you have large or small lid area with a clearly defined crease or is it flat with no marked crease.

Traditionally the tips followed while applying eye shadow are these:

For almond-shaped eyes with a distinct crease, place the deepest tone on the outer edge of the lid and half way up into the crease, keep the inner half of the lid lighter.

If you have narrow-shaped eyes with a small crease and want to use dark tones, keep them very close to the lash line, and consider highlighting under the brow bone.

For round-shaped eyes, keep the deepest tone toward the center of the eye blending upward from lid to crease.

For large lids, graduate tones, startine with a liner, then filling in with color to create depth.

For small lids, keep tones light, or you'll tend to close up the area and make eyes look smaller.

For eyes with no visible crease, try a deep shadow across the entire lid, then play with a fabulous midnight-blue or shiny black mascara.

Taking Care of your face regularly !

Women who wear makeup should follow a regular routine of cleansing, toning and moisturizing. This has to be done preferable twice a day and not just in the evening when we get back from work. If you get into this routine then it is less likely that problems like acne will haunt you.

1. CLEANSING

Cleansing remove old make-up, grime and grease that have accumulated through the course of the day.

1.Keep your hair off your face with a hairband before you start on this regimen.
2.Remove mascara with a cotton bud dipped in eye-cleansing lotion.
3.Remove mascara with a ball of cotton wool dipped in the eye cleansing lotion.
4.Pour the cleansing lotion into the palm of your hand and dab it generally over the nose, chin forehead and cheeks using two of your fingers.
5.Massage the cream into the skin, starting under the throat, using a gentle upward motion.
Continue massaging the cream up to the forehead, using the fingertips.
6.Gently massage the cream from the eyes to the nose.
7.Massage cream back over the chin, which is particularly prone to blackheads. Use the index finger.
8. Once this is over, remove the cream from the face with tissue pads in each hand. Start under the chin and work over the cheeks and on to the forehead.

2. TONING

Toners remove all traces of dirt, make-up or cleanser that remain after cleansing. Furthermore it will tone the skin and help to minimize the pore size and will promote a fine textured skin.

Immediately after cleansing apply toner to the forehead and cheeks on a pad of cotton wool.
Apply the toner to the crevices around the nose.
Apply the toner to the crevices around the chin.

3. MOISTURISING

Without moisturising, the skin will not remain smooth and supple. The face is exposed to the drying effect of the weather, so moisturisers -- which form a film over the skin -- contain and augment the natural moisture.

Using the tips of the fingers, dot moisturising cream lightly all over the face.
Press the fingers of both hands into the centre of the forehead and work the cream slowly outwards. Pat the cream gently around the eyes.

Work the cream around the jawline, chin and mouth with the middle fingers of both hands.
Massage the cream over the throat with alternating hands, using upward strokes from collar-bone to chin.

We recommend you to start this daily regimen immediately. You will see a difference in the face in a matter of 6-7 days.

Fed up with your Curly Hair? Tips on its daily care.

I have a friend who has long, curly hair. Her perpetual problem is that it never behaves itself! Knotting and tangling are major irritants. She had a session with her stylist the other day and these are some of the tips that she got.

Shampoo gently

The way you shampoo can determine the state of your hair and this could easily be one of the major causes of tangles and knots. What needs to be done is to massage the shampoo into the scalp gently. Do not lather the entire length of the hair. The shampoo will move down the hair as it is rinsed.

Condition throughly

Make sure that the conditioner reaches every part of the hair. What normally happens is that we put a handful of conditioner into our palm and then we try lathering our hair completely. Instead if we moisturise our hair in parts will produce good results. When the hair is divided into sections and then when we apply conditioner to each of these sections, you will do a more thorough job which will leave the hair smooth and conditioned well.

Throw the brush away

Curly hair should never be brushed. It has to be always combed. Brushing will only result in the hair being frizzy. So always use a large toothed comb for separation. This will allow each curl to fall into a more natural position.Wet hair should especially never be brushed. It tears the cuticle since hair is in a more delicate state and, if you brush a knot, chances are you will just rip it right out.

Do not put up your hair on top of your head

Finally do not ever wad your hair on top of your head after a bath. This will certainly create knots as you are bunching up your hair in one small area.

Home Made Facials / Scrubs

Sweet Strawberry Facial Mask (oily skin)

Ingredients

8-9 whole strawberries

3 tablespoon honey

Using a fork mash strawberries into a pulp, add honey. Mix. Don't over blend or it will be runny. Apply directly to the skin, let sit for a few minutes then rinse off.

Did you know

Strawberries - The Romans prized wild strawberries for their medicinal properties. Ounce for ounce, strawberries have more Vitamin C than citrus fruit. According to the American Cancer Society, foods rich in Vitamin C may lower the risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.
Source: American Cancer Society

Honey is primarily composed of fructose, glucose and water. It also contains other sugars as well trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids. Source: Honey BoardBody Cleanser Every 2 hours drink a cup of hot water with lemon juice. It flushes out built up toxins. Sea Salts also draws toxins out of the body. Make a paste of sea salt & water and rub onto your body before a shower, allow it to sit for atleast a minute before washing off. Feels refreshing.

3 bad skin habits we indulge in!

Is your skin as soft and beautiful as you would like it to be. You may be harming it by doing things unawares. You will findbelow three common habits that can cause a lot of damage to your skin. Do your skin a favour by coming out of these.

Bad Habit No.1

Dry shaving - Dont we all indulge in this when we are in a hurry! And our underarms and legs suffer because of it. We dry shave and this shaving legs or underarms dry can cause irritation, ingrown hairs, and razor burn. Inorder to nurture your skin and keep them soft we advise you to soften it in the shower for about 10 minutes. Then apply shaving cream or even conditioner. Do not use soap as this will dull the razor and invite cuts. Shave in long strokes. After the shower nourish your skin with body loion.

Bad Habit No. 2

Walking in the sun - We generally tend to ignore the incidental sun exposure ie, the exposure when we walk from the car to the office or to the shopping mall. Yes this may not be as damaging as spending hours in the beach. But just a few minutes exposure here in the Middle East can cause wrinkles. Our advise to you(or rather request to you) is to wear a SPF lotion formulated for the face. My favourite brands are Clinique and Neuterogena as these work very well underneath my makeup.

Bad Habit No. 3

Avoiding exfoliation - The buildup of dead skins cells can cause itchiness and rashes specially in a climate like ours. While in the shower scrub daily with a puff or a grainy exfoliator; this will sweep away the rough skin. After the shower use a moisturizer to make it soft

To an end to the annoying split ends!

Split ends is the condition that happens when the hair splits at the end into two or three strands. The split strands can be as long as two to three centimeters in length. The best treatment is to cut the split end completely. Normally this happens in dry or brittle hair and the typical causes of this is either excessive colouring of the hair or even vigorous brushing.

I am sure all of us with long hair has faced this at some point in life. This is specially irritating when we are trying to grow our hair as these are annoying hindrances to the growth and the beauty of the hair.

So how do we remove them? Try these to ensure continuous growth of healthy hair:

1.Take small sections of hair and carefully twist them in a gentle downward motion.

2.Any split ends will automatically stick out.

3.Carefully snip into the twist with sharp scissors. Don’t cut right through; just cut into the thickness to remove the damaged cuticles and give a natural layered effect.

4.Be careful to cut roughly the same amount from each twist.

Are split ends preventable? Yes certainly. Follow the follwing steps to prevent hair from splitting:

1.It’s best to use a wide tooth comb if your hair is vulnerable to splitting.

2.If possible allow hair to dry naturally. You can use dryer once a while.

3.Minimize tangling. There’s detangle spray available in the store. Another way is using conditioner.

4.If you’re using hair color take caution with chemicals. They can make your hair weak and cause split ends.

Hair loss in women!!!!

After coming to the Middle East I have been losing hair like crazy. Sometimes when I comb my hair I try not to look at the amount of hair I have left on the brush. While the water is a valid reason for the hair loss, I would not want to blame water completely. If you are also in the group who has been loosing hair on a daily basis, I think you would want to read on to find out some of the reasons for this very common syndrome.

The truth is, a certain amount of hair loss is normal (anywhere from 50–100 strands per day), but excessive hair loss and hair thinning indicates that something is not right. The causes of accelerated hair loss are very individual and depend on a complicated set of factors, including hormonal and metabolic imbalances, emotional stress and nutritional deficiencies.

So let’s talk about why women lose hair and what you can do about it.

Causes of hair loss in women

A strand of hair is made of compact dead cells. All the things that you put into your body finally comes out in your hair. This usually can be seen within 3 - 6 months. This is similar to the growth rings in trees, from a single strand we can find out your present state.

The reasons for hair fall could be many and could include any of the following:

Stress (emotional and physical)

Hormonal imbalance, specifically androgen sensitivity

Genetics

Immune system irregularities

Thyroid disorders

Nutritional deficiencies (especially iron or vitamin A)

Cosmetics (allergies and harsh treatments)

Radiation/chemotherapy

Dental treatment

Blood loss

Drugs

Disease

Surgery

Scarring

Hormones and hair loss

Eliminate dietary causes of hair loss

Eat a balanced diet comprised of whole, protein-rich foods — the more organic the better.

Avoid or limit refined sugar and other simple carbohydrates as this may increase insulin sensitivity.hair loss

Address vitamin deficiency hair loss. Take a rich multivitamin daily that includes hair-healthy vitamins such as B, C and E.

Other important nutrients are calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and iron.

A fish oil supplement containing vitamin D and essential fatty acids will help boost immunity and soothe inflammation.

Consider herbal supplements.

Scalp massage and acupuncture can be helpful in stimulating blood flow to the scalp and supporting normal follicle function.
Finding healthy ways to express yourself and your anger can go a long way toward reducing stress. If you are under severe psychological stress, your hair loss should improve a few months after the stress is relieved.

If your hair loss does not improve with these measures after six months, talk to your practitioner. He or she may recommend undergoing the tests. Ask to see the results and where they fall in the range of normal. The closer to the midline the better. If you notice any irregularities, talk to your practitioner about targeted supplements or treatment targeted toward hair growth.
Remember that the condition of your hair mirrors what’s going on inside your body. It only makes sense to consider natural options that nurture your whole health before you spend a lot of money on expensive shampoos, conditioners and hair thickening products. While some of these products may enhance the appearance of your existing hair, they don’t generate new hair. Nurturing your health from the inside out, including your emotional health, should improve the quality and quantity of your hair, as well as your life!

Beauty treatment from Home - For your Hair !

Whether you are a busy executive or a free home maker, we are sure you would enjoy these home made beauty treatments that we have put together. Each of the recipes put out have been tested by our beauticians based in the Middle East and have been OKed by them.

Remove Hair Build-up Recipe

1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water

After conditioning the hair use this as a final rinse. Leaves your hair soft and shiny.

Hair Egg Conditioner Recipe

1 teaspoon baby oil
1 egg yolk
1 cup water

Beat the egg yolk until its frothy, add the oil then beat again. Add to the water. Massage into the scalp and throughout your hair. Rinse well.

Hair Conditioner One Recipe

Combine mashed avocado with some coconut milk. Comb it through the hair and let sit for 10 -15 minutes, rinse out.

Shampoo Recipe

In a blender, combine 1 ounce olive oil, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Use as regular shampoo.

Remove Conditioner Buildup Recipe

Baking soda removes conditioner build-up from your hair. Rub in and rinse thoroughly, then shampoo with your regular shampoo.

Hair Conditioner Two Recipe

Mayonnaise is a great conditioner for dry hair.

Depending on the length of your hair, apply approximately 1/2 cup of mayonnaise to your dry hair. Work into hair really well and then cover your hair with a plastic bag, allowing to set for about 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and then shampoo as usual.

Egg & Olive Oil Hair Mask Recipe

Mix two whole eggs with four tablespoons of olive oil. Smooth through hair. Wrap head with plastic wrap, and leave in hair for 10 minutes. Rinse well.

Home made beauty tips - For your face!

Whether you are a busy executive or a free home maker, we are sure you would enjoy these home made beauty treatments that we have put together. Each of the recipe's put out have been tested by our beauticians based in the Middle East and have been OKed by them.

1.Honey Mask Recipe

The best facial mask is honey. Place a cloth in warm water and apply to your face to open the pores. Smear on honey, and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores. Use once a week.

2.Avocado Facial Recipe

Avocado is a naturally rich moisturizer. Mash the meat of the avocado into a creamy texture. Massage into the face and neck . Leave on for 15 minutes and gently rinse off.

3.Facial Mask Recipe

Squeeze half a lemon and mix the juice with one beaten egg white. Leave on your face overnight or, for a quick pick-me-up, just 15 minutes. Splash warm water on your face to rinse. It helps to removes blotches, because the lemon works as a bleaching agent.

4.Lighten Circles under Eyes Recipe

To lighten dark circles under your eyes, wrap a grated raw potato in cheesecloth and apply to eyelids for 15-20 minutes. Wipe off residue and apply an eye cream.

5.Egg & Honey Mask Recipe

Mix together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon almond oil and 1 tablespoon yogurt. Honey stimulates and smoothes, egg and almond oil penetrate and moisturize, and yogurt refines and tightens pores.

6.Egg, Avocado & Mud Facial Mask Recipe

Clay is available in powder form at any health food store. Mix 1 tablespoon dry clay with 1 egg yolk, 1/4 of a mashed avocado and enough witch hazel to create a smooth mixture. Mud dries excess sebum while the egg yolk and avocado replenish lost moisture. Witch hazel tones.

7.Facial Exfoliater Recipe

2 heaped tsp fine oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine ingredients, and add enough water to make a paste. Apply to skin and rub gently. Rinse and gently pat dry.

8. Banana Wrinkle Fighter Recipe

Banana is wonderful as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Mash 1/4 banana until very creamy. Spread all over face and leave for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water followed by a dash of cold. Gently pat dry.

9. Grape Cleanser Recipe

Grape juice makes an excellent cleanser for any skin type. Simply split one or two large grapes, remove pips and rub the flesh over face and neck. Rinse off with cool water.

10. Oily Skin Mask Recipe

Mix 1 tsp. brewer’s yeast with enough natural yogurt to make a thin mixture. Pat this thoroughly into all the oily areas and allow it to dry on the skin. After 15 - 20 minutes, rinse off with warm water, then cool water and blot dry

Home remedies for healthy hair

If you want to Save money by not using those costly hair care products and want to give yourself a break from the chemicals found in most of these products then this article is specially for you.

1. Apply olive oil (or Musturd Oil) at bed time and wash off the hair next morning.

2. Boil mustard oil. A regular massage of this oil is helpful.

3. Always maintain a balanced diet with exercise for a healthy head of hair. Drinking plenty of water and eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables is probably the best way to achieving healthy hair.

4. Wash your hair with a paste of cooked Urad dal (black beans) and fenugreek (methi) 2-3 times a week.

5. Trim the hair every 4 to 5 weeks even if you are growing it.

6. Coconut oil mixed with lime- juice on the hair applied daily is also good for hair health .

7. Do not use any old rubber band just to keep hair off the face. Rubber bands tend to break or split hair. Instead just use a scrunchy or a fabric coated elastic band.

8. Do not brush wet hair too harshly because its three times weaker and more likely to break off mid strand. Towel dry hair first, then gently detangle using a wide tooth comb.

9. Rinse your hair with lemon juice can to bring life and shine back to dull hair.

10. If you have dandruff then one of the oldest ways to is to apply a mixture of vinegar and water on the scalp. Make a mixture of Vinegar and water and apply it on the scalp before you go to bed. Keep it for the whole night, Rinse your head with vinegar water again in the morning. You will see the result within a few weeks.

11. Another good way to get rid of dandruff is to soak ground fenugreek seeds overnight in water and massage the paste on the head, leaving it for a few minutes and then wash it.

12. Mix Banana in Honey and apply on hair for 30 - 40 min, and then wash it for that sheen in your hair.

13. For stopping your hair from getting grey, you can mix Bhringraj (Eclipta elba), Amala, corals, iron and black sesame seeds. It is very useful and even stops the graying of hair.

14. Another good way is to keep head of healthy hair is to Apply juice of green coriander leaves on the head.

15. Massage of olive oil and almond oil on your scalp is a good cure of dandruff.

16. Mash eight strawberries with one tablespoon mayonnaise. Massage into washed, damp hair. Cover with a shower cap, then a warm towel. Wash out with a shampoo/conditioner combination. This luscious mix of rich acidic berries will leave your hair both conditioned and with rich gloss.

Kindly note that Diet and lifestyle are two leading factors that affects the health of your hair. There was some foods that you could avoid like too many sweets, chocolate, cakes and cookies. Always remember Whatever goes into your body is reflective on the outside including your hair & Skin. Poor diet, illness and deficiencies of any particular vitamin and mineral affects the quality of hair and problems like dandruff, thinning hair, balding, premature graying etc. spoil the hair.

Simple homemade beauty tips

Our hands are one of the most abused organs in our body! Mainly because it comes in contact with chemicals, detergents and a whole lot of other things like dirt. Due to this our hands should be well cared for and should be exfoliated and moisturized regularly.

Given below are a few hand care recipes that you can make at home to take special care of your hands.

Hand Sugar Exfoliant: Mix two tablespoons of oil (like olive, baby or safflower) with three tablespoons of sugar, it is better if you use the coarse variety. Make a paste and gently rub them on to your hands. Wash off with warm water and dry thoroughly.

To soften coarse and dry hands use this mixture. Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice with a teaspoon of sugar and a little water. Apply this mixture on hand and wash off in about a minute.

Nourishing Hand Cream: Mix 1/3 cup of glycerin and 2/3 cups of rose water. Combine the two by putting them in a bottle and shaking it well. Massage into your hands as often as possible. Store in cool dry place. Glycerin is a humectant that is it attracts moisture to your skin. Therefore it is important to use it to rehydrate your skin.

Recipe Cuticle Softener: Warm a teaspoon of Olive Oil and after your bath push your cuticles back and massage this oil into them. Use the tips of the fingers to massage the oil. Use these simple home recipes for your hand and you will notice the difference in a few weeks. These products do not have preservatives so their shelf life is about a week.

Evening Wear Essentials

A few days ago there was a good fashion show in Dubai and a friend of mine had been given special tickets to enjoy it with her husband. She declined to go as she said that she did not have anything appropraite to wear for the occasion.

I felt sorry for her and all those women who think of these things at the nth moment!

So if I ask you women to come with me for a special evening how many of you would jump at it! Many would say No! Because, like the my friend who missed out on the fashion show, most women have gapping holes in their wardrobes that prevent them from going to certain places appropriately dressed. They funnel the majority of their clothing budgets into their primary activity, like work or taking care of kids, and are caught like a deer in the headlines when something out-of-the-ordinary comes along. They're either forced to decline a last-minute invitation, or go with what they have and spend the whole time feeling inappropriately dressed.

All this is so unnecessary! Because with just a little bit of planning, they could be ready for ANYTHING - even a last minute invitation to a touring Broadway show. So let's take a few minutes to discuss an appropriate evening wear wardrobe.

So what are the 5 top evening wear pieces you should have?

A Dark Dress

This can be a little black dress, if black looks good on you, or navy, brown, red, or even plum. For maximum durability, it should have simple lines and some sort of sleeve. That way, you can add a splash of jewelry and wear it to semi-formal functions like cocktail parties, nice dinners, and the theater, and to more solemn affairs like weddings also.

An Evening Top

This can be anything that smacks of evening, from a satin or sequined camisole to a beautiful lace blouse. Pair it with a skirt or pants, wear it under a suit, or mix it with your other evening pieces for an elegant, classic look.

An Evening Skirt or Pair of Pants

A simple skirt or pair of pants in an evening material can take you to a variety of functions for years. Pair them with your evening top, atrendy blouse, a simple top with knockout jewelry - the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Evening Shoes

Sandals, pumps, or slingbacks in metallic, lace, or satin will upgrade almost anything else you're wearing to a more formal status. Pair them with a suit, an evening gown, a simple sheath, or whatever, for a glamorous evening look.

An Evening Bag

An evening bag like evening shoes, instantly upgrades your attire to a more formal status. Since you can only carry your lipstick, a key, a credit card, or folded currency in such a small bag, it says that you're there for the evening's festivities with nothing more important to do

For beautiful feet always

I take good care of my feet as I strongly feel that lovely cared for feet go a long way and reflect a lot about the person. But in our daily rush (the traffic which is only going up here in Dubai!) we tend to neglect these little things.

But even though our feet carry the weight of our entire body and if often one of the most abused and least cared for parts of our body. Foot care is very important in order to keep your feet healthy and beautiful. The skin on our feet is very delicate and foot skin care on a regular basis is a must if our feet are to look beautiful.

We have put together over here a foot care routine that is simple and is not time consuming and that you can follow a few times a week.

The first step to good foot care is to remove the hard skin from your feet. You may have to use a pumice stone or apply cream generously on the area in order to remove the dead foot skin. Soak your feet in a bowl of slightly hot water. This will soften the dirt and the dead skin, which will allow you to remove it easily. You could use a foot file as well, rub your skin gently and rinse off the flaky residue.

After this soak your feet for about 10 min in a bowl of warm water. Add some mineral salts or palm sea salts, along with a few drops of lavender essential oils that will relieve the aches and reduce the swelling.

Dry your feet, especially between your toes. Trim the nails of your toes by cutting straight across the tip. Shape the corners with an emery board.

Massage your feet with rich foot skin cream. Cup your hands on either side of your foot and with your thumbs firmly press the upper part of your foot while pushing your thumbs outwards.

Gently massage the anklebone in a circular motion to remove any stiffness in the ankle.

Remove the extra cream from your nails. Then place cotton wool tufts in-between your toes to keep them apart.

First apply a base coat of nail polish and then apply a second coat if required.When you apply nail polish, begin from the middle of the nail with one quick stroke and then work outwards.

Wait for ½ an hour before wearing your shoes.

Gorgeous and Shiny hair at your home

All the hair commercials we see always show hair that falls perfectly and shines beautifully! It really makes a difference. I have seen women get transformed with just a change in the hair texture. Shine stands out and oozes beauty. Dull hair gives a very negative impression as well. I have found out that the things that affect the shine of the hair includes the hair products that we use, our diet and also our exercise plan!

Shine involves reflection of light - and if your strands are coated with multiple layers of gel, mousse, hair spray and various leave in serums or conditioners, the radiance of your locks can’t peek through! A good and healthy diet that is enriched with nutrients and vitamins feeds your hair and helps in increasing the shine naturally. Exercise increases blood circulation to keep your cells healthy and happy, setting the stage for beautiful hair and skin.

This apart did you know that you have the ingredients needed for shiny hair in your very own kitchen?!! Well instead of going in for chemical products you can whip up your own shiny hair masks which can provide satisfying and glorious results. Here are 2 simple do it yourselves hair shining recipes which can give truly glowing results in a giffy!

Honey and Oil Mask

2 tbsp honey

1/3 cup olive oil

Beat honey into oil in small bowl. Apply to hair, concentrating on ends. Wrap hair in a hot towel for 30 minutes. Be sure to rinse thoroughly as mixture will be sticky.

Eggs and honey Mask

1 egg

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp olive oil

Beat the egg into the honey then beat in the oil. Shampoo hair, rinse, then apply mixture to hair and scalp. Massage for 5 minutes, then rinse well

Did you overdo your makeup?

You would say yes if: You scratch your skin and end up with a fingernail full of foundation. Friends don't recognize you when you go au naturel. When you wipe your mouth at lunch, you're left with a streak of base and lipstick on your napkin.

These days, an overly made-up face is passe, and can make you look much older than your years. To help you pare down, try these ideas: Find your perfect-match foundation. A base that matches your skin tone exactly gives a more natural look than one that's slightly off, and you're likely to use less of it.

Check your light.

If you apply makeup in a dark bathroom, you'll wind up looking too made up once you step outside. Apply makeup next to a window; if that's not possible, invest in bright white light bulbs for your bathroom for the next best thing to natural light.

Shape your brows.

Makeup artists swear that well-shaped brows give a face instant polish -- and that if you keep yours groomed, you'll need less makeup to look like you're "done."

Stick to sheer textures.

Forego matte and cream makeup, and instead use products labeled "sheer" or "wash." They go on lighter, and give subtler color than heavier makeup

How often do you wash your hair?

What is best for your hair type.

Shampooing your hair daily might feel good and healthy. But this may not be the best thing as it may not suit your hair type. Overwashing some types of hair can cause them to become dry, brittle, and frizzy. Do wanna know the ground rules on how often you can lather up?? Read on....

Washing daliy : Can be done for fine hair and most of the short styles as fine hair can become flat and greasy if left unwashed for too long due to the natural oils from the scalp. Short hair can become greasy quickly, too. Best Products: A gentle shampoo + a light conditioner (also called a detangler) with every shower.

Washing 2-3 times a week: Can be done for long, thick or curly hair as these kind sof hairs tend to become dry easily specially at the ends. And the reason for this is because the scalps natural oils have to go a long way to reach the ends of the hair. And if you are a person who washes the hair regularly this oil may also get washed out leaving the hair dry. So if you skip a day or two between shampoos it may give your natural oils to reach the hair ends. On these days imply style hair dry, or rinse with warm water, condition, then dry and style as usual.

Best Products for you: A moisturizing shampoo + conditioner.

Washing one to two times a week: can be done for very dry hair like those of Africans and/or chemically processed hair. This is because hairs like this are very porous and dry or they have been severely damaged by perming solutions, straighteners or colorings. So these hair need as less washing as possible and heavy conditioning packs every week.

Best Products for you: A shampoo formulated for chemically processed hair(which will be more moisturizing)+ a thick conditioner.

8 Fashion Mistakes (MEN)

Men's fashion mistakes - We all make fashion errorsnow and again, but some fashion mistakes made by men are just unforgivable. Here are eight fashion mistakes to avoid at all costs.


Socks with Sandals

Who decided this was okay in the first place? Fine itis chilly outside we all dream of the warmth of the summer sun, but wearingsocks with sandals doesn’t make the seasons change any faster. If you want towear sandals this badly, move to a warmer climate.


Novelty Ties, Shirts, Etc.

Just say no (I'm channeling Nancy Reagan). There isnothing lasting about novelty clothing nor does it project a stylish, puttogether image. Leave the smiley faces, hearts, reindeer, shamrocks, animal andvarious other prints on the racks of the store where you found them.


Blaring Designer Labels

This is a personal pet peeve. You don’t have to be awalking advertisement and neither should you. It’s not a sophisticated look.Just because you are wearing a designer’s name on your chest, sleeve, orwherever, doesn’t make you stylish. Keep it understated and simple.


Backpacks at the Office

Its a surprise how many men wearing nice suits areschlepping backpacks. Unless you are a student or are hiking up a mountain,leave the backpack at home. If you need something for your gym clothes, buy anice looking gym bag (and there are options that don’t have big logos on them),or if you need something to carry your assorted papers, cell phone,day-planner, etc., get a nice messenger bag.


Chunky Shoes

These were okay back in the 90s, but the big chunkyshoes, especially those with square toes, should be retired at this point.Choose something classic that stands the test of time.


Shiny or Glittery Shirts and Suits

If you are looking for something to go outnightclubbing in, think of much better choices than those that are glittery,shiny and ultimately tacky. If you are at a loss, try a form fitting blackt-shirt or black dress shirt which can be worn with jeans or trousers and dressshoes or casual shoes.


Clothes That Are Too Loose Fitting

In a word, sloppy. Unless you are a hip hop artist,it’s not the right look. Choose clothes that fit your body. This might takesome experimentation by mixing and matching certain cuts and styles until youfind the right fit for your body that is flattering.


Unflattering Colors

That beautiful blue cashmere sweater you found onsale after Christmas might be really tempting, but if it makes you look illit’s no bargain. The colors you wear should compliment your natural featuressuch as your eye color, skin tone and body shape. Keep this in mind whenputting your look together.

Beauty is in the sex of the beholder - study

WASHINGTON: The brains of men and women respond differently to beautiful objects such as paintings, researchers reported on Monday.

They used imaging technology called magnetoencephalography to look at the brain activity of 20 volunteers while looking at pretty paintings and ugly pictures of cities and found clear sex differences when the test subjects saw images they described as beautiful.

Women use more of the whole brain when appreciating a nice piece of art, while men use mostly the right side, Francisco Ayala of the University of California, Irvine and colleagues in Spain found.

The differences are likely linked to known differences in the way male and female brains process spatial information, and probably are unique to humans, Ayala and colleagues reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

‘The differences between the decorative objects found in Neanderthal and modern human sites support that idea of a ‘modern brain’ capable of appreciating beauty and its uses in different ways,’ they wrote.

Most explanations of why men and women process this information differently focus on the use of the brain to navigate spatially, they said.

‘Perhaps women make use of both global and local features in making their judgments, whereas men only rely on global features.’

Language could also explain it. ‘Women obtain higher scores on a diversity of verbal and language tasks. Perhaps women are more likely to associate the images with verbal labels than men,’ they wrote.

Top 10 Cosmetic Do's & Don'ts

Beauty Flash: The Top 10 Cosmetic Do's & Don'ts for Women With Sensitive Skin

Understanding the make-up of cosmetics can really pay off when it comes to protecting sensitive skin, said Dr. Draelos. â Women should know what type of ingredients to look for when they âre purchasing products at beauty counters or drugstores, as well as know how to properly use those cosmetics once they bring them home.


To determine which cosmetic products are best for sensitive skin, Dr. Draelos offers the following recommendations:

1. Choose powder when possible.

Powder cosmetics are not only great at removing shine, they have very few
preservatives and contain minimal ingredients that can cause skin irritation. This
means powder cosmetics are much less likely to cause problems for women with
sensitive skin than their liquid counterparts.

2. Avoid waterproof cosmetics.

While waterproof cosmetics, such as mascara, are great for tearful moments,
they require a solvent to remove them that also removes sebum, the oily
substance made by the sebaceous glands in the skin. Without this oily barrier,
skin is exposed to potential irritants that can cause a beauty breakout.

3. Throw out old cosmetics.

“Women should keep track of cosmetic expiration dates and throw out any items
that have passed their peak,” cautioned Dr. Draelos. “Old make-up products may
have spoiled or become contaminated, a particularly important point when it
comes to eye products.” A few standard product life spans include: one year for
foundation and lipstick; three-to-four months for mascara; and two years for
powder and shadows. It is also important to wash make-up brushes and sponges
regularly since they can harbor dirt and germs that will aggravate sensitive skin.

4. Use black-colored eyeliner and mascara products.

Women with sensitive skin will find that dramatic black is best when it comes to
eyeliner and mascara product colors. Dermatologists feel that black is the least
allergenic of all colorants.

5. Use pencil eyeliner and eyebrow fillers.

According to Dr. Draelos, “Pencil eyeliner and eyebrow pencils are wax-based
and contain pigment and minimal preservatives. They are much less likely to
cause problems than liquid eyeliners that contain latex and may cause problems
in latex-sensitive individuals.” The pencil forms of these cosmetics are also water
removable, making them easier on the surface of the skin.

6. Stick to earth-toned eye shadows.

Lighter earth tones, such as tan, cream, white or beige, seem to cause less
upper-eyelid irritation in women with sensitive or itchy eyes. “It is possible that
the higher concentration of pigments in darker colors like navy blue can cause an
adverse reaction in women with sensitive skin,” speculated Dr. Draelos.

7. Check sunscreen ingredients.

Dermatologists recommend daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun
Protection Factor (SPF) 15 or higher. For women with sensitive skin, this
sunscreen should only contain the physical sunscreen ingredients zinc oxide or
titanium dioxide. Unlike chemical sunscreen agents which absorb UV rays, it is
impossible to be allergic to physical sunscreen ingredients since they deflect the
rays rather than absorb them.

8. Use products that contain no more than 10 ingredients.

Simply stated, the fewer ingredients in a product, the less likely it is that the
product will cause a problem.

9. Avoid nail polishes.

In addition to being easily smudged and chipped, wet nail polish can be
transferred to a person’s eyes and face before it dries. This casual transfer can
cause problems for women with sensitive skin if they find the polish irritating or
have an allergic reaction to any of the components of the polish.

10. Use foundations based on silicone.

While powder is preferred to protect sensitive skin, women choosing a liquid
foundation should look for one with a silicone base. Liquid facial foundations
based on silicone do not cause acne, and silicone has a very low incidence of
skin irritation.

According to Dr. Draelos, “Beauty products are a great way to enhance a woman’s appearance, but if you have sensitive skin and are finding thatcosmetics do more harm than good, your best course of action is to consult with a dermatologist who can help determine the right beauty regimen for you.”

The American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of over 14,000 dermatologists worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical, and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM or www.aad.org.

MaKeuP DoS, Don'Ts, & MaYBeS

Do's
Makeup should only go on a freshly washed and moisturized face.

Whatever you're doing, you have to see what you're doing. Have bright, even light in front of your bathroom mirror.

Blend. Blend. And did I mention...blend! You don't want to see where color begins or ends. Whether it's foundation, blush, or eye color: no hard, drawn lines. An exception to this would be eyeliner, but I prefer even that to be smudged.





Don'ts
Pink complexions should not wear pinkish foundations. No way. No how. Not ever!






Maybe's
When it comes to color, take direction from you hair, rather than from your eyes or your clothes. Or not!

It used to be a no-no to wear shimmer eye shadows on mature faces (shimmer accentuated the lines). But most shimmer formulas are so refined now, just about anyone can wear them.

Are some looks strictly day or night? Nah. (Besides, when you're coming home from a party at 5 a.m. is it day or is it night? These are the mysteries of life.)

When it comes to eye shadow, stay in the same color family if you're wearing more than one tone. Then again, a color mixed with a neutral looks great -- pink with brown, or blue with brown.

Forex Managed Accounts

Forex Managed Account
http://www.forex-day-trading.com/managed-forex-account.htm

A managed forex account can give an investor who cannot watch the market 24 hours a day an opportunity to participate in the colossal world of forex trading (US$1,000 minimum - for the Robot Program). A managed forex account may also be appropriate for the investor who prefers to have his capital managed by professionals. Studies of professionally managed forex accounts have shown returns that are not related to the performance of the stock market. Consequently, allocating a portion of an investment portfolio to a forex managed account may be an appropriate way to increase the portfolio's total diversification (learn more about our managed accounts).

If you are interested in learning how a managed FX account can help diversify your overall portfolio, or if you are looking for an alternative to stocks, please click the button below to complete our managed forex account contact form or call us at 305-600-4651 (from other countries).
The Forex Managed Account Program offers investors the following benefits:

* Asset diversification from forex trading that is not tied to the stock market.
* Professional forex account management.
* Diversified forex trading discipline using the major currencies only.
* High risk, high return objective.
* Trading opportunities in rising and falling markets.
* Real-time account management and reporting.
* Liquidity of assets - money can be withdrawn at any time..
* Ability to participate through an individual retirement account (IRA), Roth IRA, or through certain company retirement plans.

The three managed account programs customers can choose from are:

* Automated Managed Account (FX Bot Portfolio) ($1,000 minimum)
* Global Diversified FX Portfolio (no longer available)
* MAC (Managed Account) ($50,000 minimum)
* MAC Aggressive ($50,000 minimum)

The automated managed forex account program, FX Bot Portfolio, uses liquid currencies, including the US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, etc.

The minimum initial investment for the managed forex fund program is US$1,000 (Forex Robot).


Managed Accounts
http://www.goforex.net/managed-forex.htm

Hot Offer! This is a special time limited offer for new clients who open an account before the 19th of March, 2009. Use this coupon code: GF1903 when opening an account to receive a discount on performance fees. Note: Discount not applicable to accounts managed at Dukascopy brokerage.

If you are interested in opening a managed forex account, please complete the form below and a professional account manager will get back to you ASAP. Have your account managed by the winner of the 2007 Automated Trading Championship. Managed account programs start at $5,000 and can cater to high net-worth investors and institutional investments. For performance results and more information on opening an account, please complete the form below.

Current Number of Managed Account Programs: 1 [Get Notified of New Managed Accounts as they are added by signing up to the newsletter above]

Minimum account: $5,000

Forex managed accounts
http://www.fxcm.com/managed-accounts/managed-accounts-terms.jsp

FXCM offers managed forex programs. These programs are managed by Informed Funds LLC. Informed Funds LLC is not registered with the CFTC and is not a member of NFA. Informed Funds recently assumed management of FXCM's Managed Accounts Program.

To proceed to managed accounts performance records, you must read the following "Risk Warning Disclaimer." By checking the "I Agree" box at the bottom of the page, you are agreeing that
you understand the material discussed in the "Risk Warning Disclaimer."

Forex (Currency) Trading course

What is Forex (Currency) Trading?
FREE Online Forex Class - Login and Get Started
http://www.tradingacademy.com/actionforex/forexclass_actionforex.htm


You're about to receive incredible streaming content - absolutely FREE! Simply fill out the form below and you will be immediately directed to the online course! Please enter your email address accurately, so that we can send you a link to an additional online course and other valuable trading resources. We protect your privacy and will never share your information with any other company. If you choose to sign up for our newsletters, you will start receiving them shortly, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like, using the links provided on the newsletters.

The course is a Macromedia Flash presentation complete with audio track. You will find out how to get started in Forex and what you can do to increase your odds for success as a trader substantially.




SF Free Forex Course
http://www.straightforex.com/forexcourseoutline.html

This free forex online course is recommended for novice traders and traders with experience in other financial markets:

check Access to this course is 100% FREE

check All students have access to the general student forum (Free Forex Education)

check Quizzes and Q&A section for each lesson in the course material

check Self paced course, access at a convenient time for you

check 11 lessons cover: technical indicators, chart patterns, brokers and more.

check Complete all Quizzes and get a FREE certificate.

Getting started

The Main Principles of Trading In contrast to exchange transactions with real supply or real currency the participants of FOREX use trading with a margin deposit; i.e. marginal or leverage trading. In marginal trading, each transaction has two obligatory stages (they can be divided by period of time, which can be as long as you like): buying (selling) of currency at one price, and then selling (buying) it at another (or at the same) price. The first transaction is called opening the position, the second one, closing the position. Opening a position, a trader furnishes a deposit sum from 0.5 to 4 per cent of the credit line, granted for the transaction. So, in order to buy or sell 100,000 US dollars for Japanese yens, you will not need the whole sum, but only from 500 to 2000 US dollars depending on your policy of controlling risks. When the position is closed, the deposit sum returns, and calculation of profits or losses is done. All the profit or losses caused by the change of currency rates is credited on your account.

Let's take a concrete example of getting a profit from the changing the rate of the Euro, from 0,9162 to 0,9292. If you have anticipated this change by using technical or fundamental analysis, you can buy the Euro cheaper for dollars, and then sell it back at a higher price. For example, if you choose leverage 1:100, then 99,000 dollars of the credit line, granted by the Internet broker, is added to 1000 dollars, and you buy the Euro at the price of 0.9162. As a result of this transaction we get: $ 100,000 / 0.9162 = Euro 109.146, 47.

When the rate changes (an average daily change of Euro is about 70 to 100 pips), you close the position and sell the Euro for dollars, but at the rate of 0.9292. You get 109,146. 47*0.9292 =101,418.89 dollars. Your profit is $ 1,418.89. The same transaction with leverage 1:200 would give you $2, 837.78 of profit, with leverage 1:50 the profit would be 709.45, with leverage 1:25 - 354.72.

We'd like to remind you that the higher the credit leverage, the higher is your profit if the fluctuation of the currency rate was anticipated correctly. However, if your anticipation was wrong, your losses will be bigger.

One cannot feel confident in the FOREX market without a thorough knowledge of the terms used there.

Foreign exchange quotes are a relation between currencies.

USDCHF - the cost of $1 in Swiss Francs.
USDJPY - the cost of $1 in Japanese yens.
EURUSD - the cost of Euro 1 in US dollars.
GBPUSD - the cost of 1 GBP in US dollars.
That is, quotes are expressed in the units of the second currency for a unit of the first one. For example, quote USDJPY 108,91 shows that $1 costs 108,91 Japanese yens. Quote EURUSD 0.9561 shows that 1 Euro costs 0.9561 US dollars. The last figure in the quote is called "pip". The cost of the pip is different for every currency, and depends on the leverage and current quote.

The formula for calculating 1 pip is:


100,000/current quote without commas * K


where К=1 at leverage 1:100,
К=2 at leverage 1:200,
К=0,5 at leverage 1:50,
K=0,25 at leverage 1:25.

Examples:

USDJPY = 108.91 leverage 1:100
100.000 / 10891 х 1 = 9,18 USD

EURUSD = 0.9561 leverage1:200
100.000 / 9561 х 2 =20,92 USD GBPUSD and EURUSD are direct quotes, i.e. when the chart goes up, GBP and EUR become more expensive, and when it goes down, the currencies become cheaper. USDCHF and USDJPY are backward quotes, and when the chart grows, prices on CHF and JPY fall, and when the chart goes down, the prices grow.

On direct quotes you buy according to ASK and sell according to BID. With backward quotes, you buy according to BID and sell according to ASK .

Trading in the FOREX market is realized in lots. When you open a position, you can choose the number of lots you want from 1 to 10. One lot equals $ 100,000. The deposit sum for one lot will vary from $500 to $2000, depending on the credit leverage you choose. Leverage is a financial mechanism that allows crediting speculative transactions with a small deposit. We give you an opportunity to choose a credit leverage in the range of 1:200 to 1:25.

In the course of trading you can fix your profit or cut off your losses according to the commands LIMIT and STOP

LIMIT is set up higher than the current meaning of the price.
STOP is set up lower than the current meaning of the price.

With these commands the positions is closed without additional orders when the price reaches the agreed level.

In the process of trading you can create pending positions, that will be activated when the price reaches the agreed level (open price). When creating and closing orders, a temporary delay occurs, and lasts for about 30 to 40 seconds. When you make an inquiry, you are given a real market price, which is the current price at the moment of proposal, not at the moment of inquiry.



The main terms that characterize the account:

Deal, realization of 2 trade transactions, when currency is bought (sold), and then the reverse conversion is realized.
Balance, the sum on the account of a client after the last transaction is conducted.
Floating Profit, the current profit on open positions.
Floating storage, fee for postponement of an opened position over midnight GMT.
Equity = Balance + Floating + Floating storage.
Margin requirement, a necessary deposit sum calculated according to the formula
100,000 / K + 100,000 / K,
where K = leverage, and the number of items equals the number of open positions.
Percentage, index of an account.
Percentage = Equity / Margin Requirement. At Percentage lower than 50 % it's impossible to open new positions.
Margin call, condition of an account when all opened positions are closed by the Internet broker according to current quotes. It occurs at a Percentage lower than 10%.
Please note that contrary to the majority of other companies, in PRO-FOREX.com price levels of client's orders may differ from the current price only by 5 pips. However, very rarely are orders executed worse than requests, because of the high market volatility. that have been set up.

What is FOREX?

What is FOREX? FOREX (FOReign EXchange market) is an international foreign exchange market, where money is sold and bought freely. In its present condition FOREX was launched in the 1970s, when free exchange rates were introduced, and only the participants of the market determine the price of one currency against the other proceeding from supply and demand. As far as the freedom from any external control and free competition are concerned, FOREX is a perfect market. It is also the biggest liquid financial market. According to various assessments, money masses in the market constitute from 1 to 1.5 trillion US dollars a day. (It is impossible to determine an absolutely exact number because trading is not centralized on an exchange.) Transactions are conducted all over the world via telecommunications 24 hours a day from 00:00 GMT on Monday to 10:00 pm GMT on Friday. Practically in every time zone (that is, in Frankfurt-on-Main, London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc.) there are dealers who will quote currencies.

FOREX is a more objective market, because if some of its participants would like to change prices, for some manipulative purpose, they would have to operate with tens of billions dollars. That is why any influence by a single participants in the market is practically out of the question. The superior liquidity allows the traders to open and/or close positions within a few seconds. The time of keeping a position is arbitrary and has no limits: from several seconds to many years. It depends only on your trading strategies. Although the daily fluctuations of currencies are rather insignificant, you may use the credit lines, that are accessible even to currency speculators with small capitals ($ 1,000 - 5,000), where the profit may be impressive. (You can learn more about it in the section: GETTING STARTED.)

The idea of marginal trading stems from the fact that in FOREX speculative interests can be satisfied without a real money supply. This decreases overhead expenses for transferring money and gives an opportunity to open positions with a small account in US dollars, buying and selling a lot of other currencies. That is, on can conduct transactions very quickly, getting a big profit, when the exchange rates go up or down. Many speculative transactions in the international financial markets are made on the principles of marginal trading.

Margin tradingis trading with a borrowed capital. Marginal trading in an exchange market uses lots. 1 lot equals approximately $100,000, but to open it it is necessary to have only from 0.5% to 4% of the sum.

For example, you have analyzed the situation in the market and come to the conclusion that the pound will go up against the dollar. You open 1 lot for buying the pound (GBP) with the margin 1% (1:1000 leverage) at the price of 1.49889 and wait for the exchange rate to go up. Some time later your expectations become true. You close the position at 1.5050 and earn 61 pips (about $ 405). For the calculation of 1 pip

Everyday fluctuations of currencies constitute about 100 to 150 pips, giving FX traders an opportunity to make money on these changes.

In FOREX, it's not obligatory to buy some currency first in order to sell it later. It's possible to open positions for buying and selling any currency without actually having it. Usually Internet-brokers establish the minimum deposit such as $ 2000, for working in the FOREX market, and grant a leverage of 1:100. That is, opening the position at $100,000, a trader invests $1,000 and receives $99.000 as a credit. The major currencies traded in FOREX, are Euro (EUR), Japanese yen (JPY), British Pound (GBP), and Swiss Franc (CHF). All of them are traded against the US dollar (USD).

In order to assess the situation in the market a trader has to be able to use fundamental and/or technical analysis, as well as to make decisions in the constantly changing current of information about political and economic character. Most small and medium players in financial markets use technical analysis. Technical analysis presupposes that all the information about the market and its further fluctuations is contained in the price chain. Any factor, that has some influence on the price, be it economic, political or psychological, has already been considered by the market and included in the price. The initial data for a technical analysis are prices: the highest and the lowest prices, the price of opening and closing within a certain period of time, and the volume of transactions.

A technical analysis is founded on three suppositions: Movement of the market considers everything;
Movement of prices is purposeful;
History repeats itself.
That is, technical analysis is a statistical and mathematical analysis of previous quotes and a prognosis of coming prices. A number of technical indicators have been installed into the PRO-CHARTS trading system. Analyzing the indicators one can come to the conclusion about further movements of the quoted currencies. For a more detailed description of the indicators, analyzing price charts and volumes of trading, .

Fundamental analysis is an analysis of current situations in the country of the currency, such as its economy, political events, and rumors. The country's economy depends on the rate of inflation and unemployment, on the interest rate of its Central Bank, and on tax policy. Political stability also influences the exchange rate. Policy of the Central Bank has a special role, as concentrated interventions or refusal from them greatly influence the exchange rate.

At the same time one should not consider fundamental analysis just as an analysis of the economic situation in the country itself. A far bigger role in the FOREX market belongs to the expectations of the market participants and their assessment of these expectations. Various prognoses and bulletins, issued by the participants, have a strong influence on the expectations. Very often an effect of the so-called self-filfilling prophecy occurs when market players raise or lower the exchange rates according to the prognosis. But a deep and thorough fundamental analysis is available only for big banks with a staff of professional analysts and constant access to a wide field of information.

In spite of these different approaches, both forms of analyses complement one another. Traders who act on the basis of a fundamental analysis, have to consider some technical characteristics of the market (the main rates of support, such as resistance and resale), and supporters of the technical approach to the market must track the main news (interest rates, important political events).


The main merits of the FOREX market are: The biggest number of participants and the largest volumes of transactions;
Superior liquidity and speed of the market: transactions are conducted within a few seconds according to online quotes;
The market works 24 hours a day, every working days;
A trader can open a position for any period of time he wants;
No fees, except for the difference between buying and selling prices;
An opportunity to get a bigger profit that the invested sum;
Qualified work in the FOREX market can become your main professional activity;
You can make deals any time you like.



The simple sense of Forex (Forex currency exchange, Foreign Exchange) is simultaneous purchase and sale of the currency or the exchange of one country's currency for the one of another country. The world currencies do not have a fixed exchange rate and are always fluctuating being traded in the currency pairs like Euro/Dollar, Dollar/Yen an others. 85% of daily trades are taken by major currencies trading.

Investments usually deal with 4 major pairs: Euro against US dollar, US dollar against Japanese yen, British pound against US dollar, and US dollar against Swiss franc or EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and USD/CHF used to sign these pairs accordingly. These major pairs are considered as Forex market's "blue chips". You will not receive any dividends on the currencies. Well known "buy low - sell high" gives the profit for currency trades.

In case you have a forecast that one currency would get higher to another you can exchange the second one for the first one and wait for the profit. If you are lucky to see the trades following your forecast you can make an opposite transaction and to exchange currencies back gaining the profit.

Forex transactions are carried out by Forex brokerage companies, also known as major banks dealers. Forex market is worldwide and your European colleagues may make a transaction with Japanese traders when it's time for you to sleep in the North America. There are 3 shifts for the major institutions to work in due to 24-hours a day activity of the Forex market. It's possible to ask for overnight execution for take-profit and stop-loss orders of the client.

Prices in the Forex market fluctuate without any dramatic changes unlike stock market where considerable gaps are likely to be seen. There isn't any problems entering and exit the market due to its daily turnover of about $1.2 trillion. Forex market can not ever be forced to stop. The transactions were carried out even in 2001, on September, 11th.

Foreign exchange market (also called Forex of FX to shorten the name) is the oldest market in the world. It is also seen to be the largest one. Being currencies' primary market working 24-hours a day, Forex is also the largest market with highest liquidity. This is an interbank market carrying out spot (or cash) transactions. The currency futures market, to be compared with Forex is traded only 1% as much.

Forex market doesn't have any exchange center unlike the stock market. Forex trading seem to go after the sun around the world, from banks of the United States to other parts of the world like Australia, New Zealand, the Far East or Europe and back to the US some time later.

High minimum amount of transaction and strict financial requirements used to make this interbank market unavailable for small speculators. The only dealers of currency markets were banks, huge-amount speculators and largest currency dealers. They had an ultimate access to this market dealing with lots of primary exchange rates of the world currencies, the market with an extremely high liquidity along with an unusually strong nature of trends.

Nowadays small traders have an opportunity to purchase the small lots (units), as a result of the large inter-bank units being split by market maker brokers like FX Solutions, at the amount they like.

The traders of any size like small companies and individual speculators have an access to the market at the same price fluctuations and exchange rates which only large players used to enjoy recently. Market makers monitor the rates so that produce their profit on the difference of rates at which the currency was bought and sold.

Foreign Exchange Market has an acronymic name Forex. It has the largest size and the liquidity throughout the world nowadays. Forex daily transactions are carried out at the common amount from 1 to 3 trillion dollars. There is no stock market that is able to deal with a comparable amount of money.

This enormous market is like the dangerous sea where you can meet lots of sharks and dangerous waters but at the same time it is the only one where two weeks of trading can hypothetically bring you $1,000,000 out of $1,000 of initial investment.

This is certainly hypothetically because a lot of newbie traders deal with their trades as gambling, that surely bring them to having nothing in the end. You should always keep the phrase "be careful!" in your mind. This market would give you its profit possibilities only if you learn the basic things hard and make lots of demo trading.

The statistics is that as much as 95% of traders come to losing their money at Forex, 5% have profit and less than 1% of traders make large fortune at Forex. You shouldn't produce, sell or advertise anything trading at Forex. Your assets are your knowledge, experience and a small amount of cash.

This market is a platform for banks, transnational corporations and individual traders to change the currencies they possess into other ones. This is the spot Forex market. At this market you can trade with up to 1:400 leverage which means that you'll get $400 on your account for each dollar invested. So, you can trade with the $400,000 sum having invested $1,000 onto your account.

Still, lots of experienced traders consider such leverage dangerous and won't get started with it. Though, if you know how ho use such high leverage it will do you only good. But this is the place to stop speaking about the basic things. Keep reading these articles if you want to be aware of how this market has occurred and some of its historical matters.

Now it is time to speak about the strategies and the way of making money at Forex some traders use. First we should say that the things that work in one case do not certainly work in another. The fact is that currency trading surely means risk. Still, there are a number of strategies for the newbie to use to be the winner.

Forex trading may seem very easy but it is not. Your high today earnings may turn into considerable losses even of your starting capital tomorrow. Newbie traders are likely to make the same mistakes several times. Here is a list of such typical mistakes.
1. There is no use of searching the "Holy Grail"

This phrase is to think for those who are scared of losses or being too greedy does his best to get rich in no time. You can surely make lots of money during some time and there isn't a necessity of producing and advertising anything but a huge homework is required to learn first. You have to know how this market works and which factors can take the exchange rate up or down. You should also be aware of the effective management for your money not to lose everything.

The majority of traders starting at Forex, look for their ultimate strategy that will cause no losses and will bring only profit. The desire of such people is to make a strategy that guarantees stable profit and millions of earnings in a short time without any losses for them to quit and enjoy their fortune and the new huge house. This will never bring any success.

There is no strategy that will give you only profit and such research is only waste of time. High profits of trading are caused by high risk, and you won't earn a fortune without being on the knife edge. Don't be sure that every trade will close in advantage to you. You will always feel uncertain and there is no way to vanish it. It means that you should always be ready to the possibility of your strategy failing even if it is thought as perfect.

You'll save a plenty of time and nerves by avoiding the search for the perfect strategy of earning millions. Even if you find this strategy you won't ever need it. You'll see why later.
2. Apply fundamental and technical analysis.

At the beginning of my trading I relied only on the money management on which I wanted to base my strategy and saw no sense of these analyses. But money management which is still very important doesn't worth omitting them. You can forecast the direction of the market basing on your technical and fundamental strategies to see their effectiveness.

You'll be able to make forecasts of price movements by applying the past data of the prices and graphs to the technical analysis methods. You can predict future prices with the level of accuracy dependent on your technical analysis skills using the graphs of the rates you observe.

Trading with some brokers you can see technical indicators along with the graphs. You can apply it to your demo account and estimate your prediction skills necessary for planning trading decisions.

It is impossible to choose the most effective indicator among lots of various ones. Each trader has to decide for himself which indicator is best for him. You can't find any magic formula; you just see the graphs, make your forecasts and find out whether they come true seeing the values in the news later.

Your decisions form this formula along with your knowledge that occurs out of the practical experience. Starting trading with an online broker it's best for you to trade with yourself on the sheet of paper rather than invest real money at once.

There are a lot of technical analysis indicators available but here are the ones which are the most wide-spread: the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), the Bollinger Bands, Pivot Points, RSI, Stochastic, Fibonacci, EMA, Elliot Waves.

The broker's software will automatically make all the necessary calculations when you add the technical analysis indicator to the graph so that you'll see some facts which are unavailable without using these indicators. It is even possible for you to build your own technical systems basing on these indicators.

Fundamental analysis is another tool that maximizes your profit and minimizes your losses on the trades. There are some traders who prefer only one kind but the majority prefers both.

Fundamental analysis means trading following the news, e.g. telling about the economies or unemployment rate in the countries of the currencies you trade. They can also tell about the events that can have a strong influence on the currencies' exchange rate.

You can make forecasts on the market direction by following the news as well. That's why various trading software of the brokers like www.oanda.com offer a link to the page containing important news.

a) www.bloomberg.com
b) www.businessweek.com
c) www.economist.com
d) money.cnn.com
e) markets.ft.com
f) www.reuters.com
g) www.fxstreet.com
3. Use the strategies of money management.

Money management strategies let you win or lose. You should use them to be in a profit. Many traders make too vast investments in every trade and this is not always rational and reminds of a saying: "Expect to make too much and you will make too little, expect to make little and you will make a lot." It means that even if you invest much trying to get a lot on every trade you can lose all and even if you make small investments looking for a small reward you can make a lot in some period.

1% of the total sum of your account is the maximum sum of the potential risk. This is the first rule of the money management. Stop loss and limit orders may help you to follow this rule. This may be the reason of the small profit, especially if you have small initial investments, but by compounding a part of you profit or the whole one you can get an exponentially growing income.

This strategy of compound profits is the one that helped to make millions on financial market instead of gambling that results in losing all investments quickly.

Here is the example of the opposite tactics that many traders follow. Imagine that you have an initial investment of $5,000. You're lucky to possess the trading account and you enter a $1,000 trade. In case the markets trends down and you lose your $1,000 your assets become $4,000. You keep following your strategy and enter a $1,500 trade being sure that the market is at its low and hoping to get back your $1,000 plus earn $500 more. Then the market keeps moving against you leaving you with $2,500 on your account which is only one half of your starting capital. This is a very difficult situation to recover from.



What is Forex (Foreign Exchange)?

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Foreign Exchange (FOREX) is the arena where a nation's currency is exchanged for that of another. The foreign exchange market is the largest financial market in the world, with the equivalent of over $1.9 trillion changing hands daily; more than three times the aggregate amount of the US Equity and Treasury markets combined. Unlike other financial markets, the Forex market has no physical location and no central exchange (off-exchange). It operates through a global network of banks, corporations and individuals trading one currency for another. The lack of a physical exchange enables the Forex market to operate on a 24-hour basis, spanning from one zone to another in all the major financial centers.

Traditionally, retail investors' only means of gaining access to the foreign exchange market was through banks that transacted large amounts of currencies for commercial and investment purposes. Trading volume has increased rapidly over time, especially after exchange rates were allowed to float freely in 1971. Today, importers and exporters, international portfolio managers, multinational corporations, speculators, day traders, long-term holders and hedge funds all use the FOREX market to pay for goods and services, transact in financial assets or to reduce the risk of currency movements by hedging their exposure in other markets.

MG Financial, now operating in over 100 countries, serves all manner of clients, comprising speculators and strategic traders. Whether it’s day-traders looking for short-term gains, or fund managers wanting to hedge their non-US assets, MG's DealStation™ allows them to participate in FOREX trading by providing a combination of live quotes, Real-Time charts, and news and analysis that attracts traders with an orientation towards fundamental and/or technical analysis.


What is Forex

Forex is an interbank market that was created in 1971 when international trade transitioned from fixed to floating exchange rates. Since then the rates of currencies relative to each other are determined by the most obvious means which is the exchange at a mutually agreed rate.

This market surpasses the others in its volume. For example, the daily turnover of world equity market is estimated at $300 billion, while Forex approaches 1 to 3 trillion US dollars a day.

However, Forex is not a market in a traditional sense. It doesn't have a fixed location of the trading floor as, for example, shares or currency futures market does. The trading is done over the telephone and at the computer terminals in thousands of banks around the world simultaneously.

Besides, futures and stock markets have one significant difference, and, at the same time, restriction — the trade is interrupted at the day end and resumes only next morning. And if you trade in the Russian market, and some significant events happen in the USA, the market open may differ from your expectations.

Forex market is open 24 hours a day, and currency exchange operations continue during the whole working week. There are dealers willing to quote the currency practically in every time zone (London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney etc.).

Just a Minute With Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet, who has won wide acclaim in recent months for her performances in Revolutionary Road and The Reader, has already picked up two Golden Globes and a BAFTA award to adorn her mantelpiece. The big one, though, is the Academy Award and on February 22, the 33-year-old will find out if the best actress Oscar for her role in The Reader is hers. Winslet was at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this month to discuss The Reader, based on Bernhard Schlink’s novel about a teenage boy who has an affair with the much older Hanna Schmitz (Winslet). Years later, Schmitz is put on trial for her secret past as a Nazi prison guard and the boy, now a law school student, is forced to confront his past.

It is awards season and you have been in the thick of it so far. How has that been and how do you prepare?
You can’t prepare yourself. I mean, there is no textbook. I sort of wish there were some kind of lessons in how you deal with this kind of thing ... You know, I think I am kind of useless, in fact, at the awards season and I have discovered one thing about myself that I didn’t know before, which is that I am too emotional to lose and clearly I am too emotional to win as well, which is a big new discovery. But it does mean a great deal when they open that envelope and they say, ‘And the award goes to Kate Winslet.’ Suddenly you think, ‘that is me, the kid from Reading, who suddenly ended up in this room with all these fine people. What the hell is going on?’ It is very, very out-of-body and nothing can prepare you for it at all and quite honestly my motto at the moment is, I am just really, really happy because I genuinely am and I am just going to enjoy it because these moments, these are very rare moments for anyone to enjoy and I am going to make the most of it.

How did you get ready for the role of Hanna Schmitz?
It was very, very complicated for me playing Hanna for very many reasons, not only because I was playing a German and I knew I had to get that accent absolutely down, that had to be perfect and I knew that I had to physically change myself quite considerably ... throughout the film. But quite aside from that, just getting underneath the skin of such a complex person who had lived such an isolated life for so many different reasons, it was hard and quite lonely at times.

Did you feel a sense of responsibility acting in love scenes with such a young and inexperienced actor (David Kross)?
I did feel that it was a responsibility and I felt, I hope I put this in the right way, I kept feeling for David, I am really happy that it is me that is here with him because I so understood how he felt, because I have been in exactly that position. I did my first love scene when I was 18 years old and (was) terrified and now he is 18. I wasn’t nervous for myself because I am used to that kind of thing now, and also I really loved all of those scenes — they were so important to the story. But I knew that I had to just make sure that he was okay and that was done by literally talking, you know, ‘This is what is going to happen now and this is how many people are going to be in the room, this is where your bathrobe is going to be and when they call “Cut”, I am going to chuck that bathrobe over you and I am going to grab mine second.

How do you feel about bringing this movie to a German audience?
It is really exciting to be back in Germany. (Director) Stephen Daldry and I have been talking about this trip for so long I can’t tell you and we have been holding it up as, ‘We just have to get back to Berlin, we just have to get back there,’ because somehow to be back here is to be sane, this is the audience we want to be talking to. So it is exciting, it is really exciting. It is definitely a little bit nerve-racking, because it is such a much-loved piece of German literature and we hope that people will feel that we have honoured the book because that was our intention.