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TREND WATCH: Earth-Friendly Products
Give Mother Nature an attractive boost with beauty products good for you and the environment. Our picks: Cargo PlantLove Lipstick ($20; Sephora), which features a case made entirely of biodegradable corn, and Aubrey Organics Eau de Parfum ($22; natural food stores), the first fragrance to carry the USDA “100% organic” symbol—which means it’s free of pesticides, preservatives, and synthetic ingredients.
Give Mother Nature an attractive boost with beauty products good for you and the environment. Our picks: Cargo PlantLove Lipstick ($20; Sephora), which features a case made entirely of biodegradable corn, and Aubrey Organics Eau de Parfum ($22; natural food stores), the first fragrance to carry the USDA “100% organic” symbol—which means it’s free of pesticides, preservatives, and synthetic ingredients.
The Sex/Mood Mystery
QUICK, WHICH COMES FIRST: Having sex or being in a good mood? Arizona State University researchers wanted to find out. They asked 58 middle-age women to record, every day for 9 months, both their emotions and how often they “got busy.” The results? Feeling happy may make you more likely to have sex with your partner—but a romp under the sheets might also boost your mood, possibly making you want more affection the next day. Conclusion: You’ll have to solve this age-old mystery of which one comes first yourself. But what a fun research project!
QUICK, WHICH COMES FIRST: Having sex or being in a good mood? Arizona State University researchers wanted to find out. They asked 58 middle-age women to record, every day for 9 months, both their emotions and how often they “got busy.” The results? Feeling happy may make you more likely to have sex with your partner—but a romp under the sheets might also boost your mood, possibly making you want more affection the next day. Conclusion: You’ll have to solve this age-old mystery of which one comes first yourself. But what a fun research project!
Bee Calm
Stress makes chronic skin conditions like acne worse but wildflower honey can make them better. The bee’s pride and joy is a moisturizer, antioxidant, and antiviral all in one sticky package. Spread a thin layer on your face and neck, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse offwith tepid water.
Stress makes chronic skin conditions like acne worse but wildflower honey can make them better. The bee’s pride and joy is a moisturizer, antioxidant, and antiviral all in one sticky package. Spread a thin layer on your face and neck, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse offwith tepid water.
Do Brunettes Have More Fun?
Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but according to Clairol, women—especially those over 40—would now rather their hair be chocolate, chestnut, or dark ash. For the first time in decades, at-home color in brown hues is outselling blonde dye by 11%. Why the shift? “Darker tones add the most depth to dull tresses, softening the appearance of aging skin,” says Marcy Cona, creative director of color and style at Clairol.
Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but according to Clairol, women—especially those over 40—would now rather their hair be chocolate, chestnut, or dark ash. For the first time in decades, at-home color in brown hues is outselling blonde dye by 11%. Why the shift? “Darker tones add the most depth to dull tresses, softening the appearance of aging skin,” says Marcy Cona, creative director of color and style at Clairol.
Fish For Compliments
Fish oil may help prevent wrinkles. When South Korean scientists treated skin with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil, and then exposed the skin to light, the number of collagendestroying proteins dropped by 75%. EPA also raised levels of “transforming growth factor–beta,” a hormone that boosts collagen and elastin formation. While researchers work to develop a topical EPA treatment, saturate your skin from the inside by swallowing 3 g of omega-3s in supplement form. Look for them at your local pharmacy or health food store.
Fish oil may help prevent wrinkles. When South Korean scientists treated skin with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil, and then exposed the skin to light, the number of collagendestroying proteins dropped by 75%. EPA also raised levels of “transforming growth factor–beta,” a hormone that boosts collagen and elastin formation. While researchers work to develop a topical EPA treatment, saturate your skin from the inside by swallowing 3 g of omega-3s in supplement form. Look for them at your local pharmacy or health food store.
Fiscal Attractions
Appearances aren’t everything—except in business, where they can help you close a deal. The better you look, the more people trust you, according to a new Rice University study. Researchers had 206 students play a money-lending game and found that attractive students were more likely to receive loans. “We have stereotypes about attractive people—that they’re intelligent, high-wage earners, and consequently more trustworthy,” says study coauthor Rick Wilson, PhD. Not hand-over-the-money handsome? Compensate with a killer smile—students trusted smiling people more than those with straight faces.
Appearances aren’t everything—except in business, where they can help you close a deal. The better you look, the more people trust you, according to a new Rice University study. Researchers had 206 students play a money-lending game and found that attractive students were more likely to receive loans. “We have stereotypes about attractive people—that they’re intelligent, high-wage earners, and consequently more trustworthy,” says study coauthor Rick Wilson, PhD. Not hand-over-the-money handsome? Compensate with a killer smile—students trusted smiling people more than those with straight faces.
Kind Words
Loving words from—and for—your spouse can protect you both from a heart attack. University of Utah researchers videotaped conversations between 150 couples and did CT scans of each partner’s arteries. If a couple was openly hostile (making comments such as “You can be so stupid”), the wife had a 30% higher risk of severely hardened arteries. A man’s risk rose 30% when either he or his partner used controlling phrases like “Do it my way.” Start thinking before you speak. When discussing touchy subjects such as money or the kids, listen with empathy, avoid blame, and focus on the issue at hand. “Disagreements are an unavoidable fact of relationships,” says psychologist Timothy Smith, PhD, lead author of the Utah study. “But the way we talk during disagreements gives us an opportunity to do something healthy.”
Loving words from—and for—your spouse can protect you both from a heart attack. University of Utah researchers videotaped conversations between 150 couples and did CT scans of each partner’s arteries. If a couple was openly hostile (making comments such as “You can be so stupid”), the wife had a 30% higher risk of severely hardened arteries. A man’s risk rose 30% when either he or his partner used controlling phrases like “Do it my way.” Start thinking before you speak. When discussing touchy subjects such as money or the kids, listen with empathy, avoid blame, and focus on the issue at hand. “Disagreements are an unavoidable fact of relationships,” says psychologist Timothy Smith, PhD, lead author of the Utah study. “But the way we talk during disagreements gives us an opportunity to do something healthy.”
Working Smarter
Instead of ending your workday in a scramble to finish a project or in a fetal position from fatigue, shift the focus to tomorrow. Try not to schedule any new appointments during the last hour of work, take only urgent calls, and lock your door. The agenda: Map out the first hour of tomorrow, says Laura Stack, productivity expert and author of Find More Time. Keep things simple by determining the top two or three tasks you want to accomplish. The forecast should take 10 to 15 minutes; with the remainder of the hour, process everything on your desk—file it, rule on it, or trash it. Otherwise it will remain in perpetuity, blunting productivity. Same goes for e-mail. Try to empty your inbox before you leave. You don’t have to act on everything, but you should deal with it in some way. Take one of the following actions: Discard (delete); Delegate (forward); Do (reply); Date (move or convert it to a task); Drawer (file in personal folders); or Deter (unsubscribe or add to junk sender list). Not only will this smooth out the end of the day, but you’ll start the next morning fresh and ready to roll.
Instead of ending your workday in a scramble to finish a project or in a fetal position from fatigue, shift the focus to tomorrow. Try not to schedule any new appointments during the last hour of work, take only urgent calls, and lock your door. The agenda: Map out the first hour of tomorrow, says Laura Stack, productivity expert and author of Find More Time. Keep things simple by determining the top two or three tasks you want to accomplish. The forecast should take 10 to 15 minutes; with the remainder of the hour, process everything on your desk—file it, rule on it, or trash it. Otherwise it will remain in perpetuity, blunting productivity. Same goes for e-mail. Try to empty your inbox before you leave. You don’t have to act on everything, but you should deal with it in some way. Take one of the following actions: Discard (delete); Delegate (forward); Do (reply); Date (move or convert it to a task); Drawer (file in personal folders); or Deter (unsubscribe or add to junk sender list). Not only will this smooth out the end of the day, but you’ll start the next morning fresh and ready to roll.
