The 10 Beauty Commandments Everyone Should Know

There are many options to take beautiful care of your skin, but the first and most important step is to have a clear understanding of how the so-called "beauty" industry works.  If you are a knowledgeable consumer you won't repeatedly get waylaid by poor, ineffective products and misleading, ridiculous claims.  Everyone should know these commandments BEFORE you go shopping at another cosmetics counter, view another infomercial, have a friend introduce you to a new multi-level cosmetics line, talk to your dermatologist, have a facial, or read another fashion magazine.  Take all these basics to heart and you will have a better perspective on what exactly you are buying (or what to avoid) at the cosmetics counters.  You will not be fooled by what the products claim to do or not to do.  You will be aware if you are wasting your money, and most importantly, whether any of these products can hurt your skin.

Make educated decisions about your skin care, body care and makeup, not to forget nail care and hair care as well.

1.  THOU SHALT NOT believe expensive cosmetics are better than inexpensive cosmetics.
2.  THOU SHALT NOT believe there is any such thing as a natural cosmetic (or that natural means better).
3.  THOU SHALT NOT believe in miracle ingredients that can cure skin-care woes.
4.  THOU SHALT NOT covet thy neighbour's perfect skin (or believe her perfect skin came from a particular product or cosmetics line; skin is more complicated than that.)
5.  THOU SHALT NOT believe everything a cosmetics salesperson tells you.
6.  THOU SHALT NOT believe in the existence of anti-wrinkle, firming, toning, lifting, or filling-in creams, lotions, or masks that can permanently erase wrinkles.
7.  THOU SHALT NOT be seduced by every new promotion, new product, or new product line that the cosmetics industry creates.
8.  THOU SHALT NOT get a tan; sun is your enemy, not your friend; it is the primary reason that skin wrinkles and develops skin cancer (and it isn't just about getting a sunburn - turning the skin brown is equally as damaging when done on a regular basis).
9.  THOU SHALT NOT buy a cellulite cream, nor shalt thou assume it's possible to dissolve fat from the outside in, because you absolutely cannot.  If these products worked, who would have cellulite?
10.  THOU SHALT NOT see picutres of pubescent, anorexic models (who spend two hours getting their hair and makeup done and another two hours posing while the photographer and a corps of assistants determine the most flattering lighting, after which the resulting pciture goes through a battery of digitally enhanced touch-ups and adjustments) and believe you will get the same (or even similar) results from using the products being advertised.  That is, unless you happen to be  pubescent, anorexic, and a model and can somehow stay in the right lighting all the time.

Source:  "The Original Beauty Bible" --  Unparalleled Information for Beautiful and Younger Skin at Any Age written by Paula Begoun