Hair accessories continue to be hot, especially among the younger crowd. However, they can be difficult to find and expensive. The alternative is to make you own. Using the following steps, you can make your own beautiful hair accessories.

1- Decide what type(s) of hair accessories you want to make. These include barrettes, combs, bobby pins, ponytail holders and headbands.

2- Decide how you want to decorate your hair accessories. Some ideas include hand painting designs on the the accessory; adding trims such fabric, lace, braid or feathers; bejeweling or beading; and/or adding silk or ribbon flowers.

3- If you don't already have the supplies on hand to decorate your hair accessories, make a trip to purchase whatever you need.

4- Spray paint your hair accessories the base color you want for your design. Allow it to dry thoroughly before doing anything else with the accessory.

5- Paint a design directly on to the hair accessory, using craft paint that is appropriate for the type of headband chosen such as fabric or plastic. This technique is particularly effective for headbands and hair combs.

6- Add glitter to any hair accessory as desired.

7- Adhere fabric, lace, or fur to headbands that will match or compliment your clothing. Be sure the secure the edges to prevent the headband from fraying. This technique work particularly well for headbands and hair combs but can also often be effective on certain types of barrettes.

8- Adhere decorative trim like lace, braid, roping or beading to the hair accessory. This technique works well on headbands, hair combs and barrettes.

9- Add feathers to a hair accessory. This works well for most types of hair accessories with the exception of bobby pins or ponytail holders.

10- Adhere jewels to a hair accessory. While glue should work well for individual jewels or recycled jewelry items, it is best to sew strings of beads on to hair combs and, in some instances, headbands.

11- Adhere beading to a hair accessory. While glue may work for some types, it is best to sew beading on to hair combs and, in some instances, headbands.

12- Add sequins to any hair accessory. Individual sequins can be glued on, however, lines of sequins for adhere better when sew on.

13- Adhere other decorations such as coins, buttons or seashells to a hair accessory. This technique works best on large hair accessories such as hair combs, barrettes or headbands. However, it can also sometimes be used on bobby pins and ponytail holders in smaller forms.

14- Adhere silk or ribbon flowers onto any hair accessory using either glue or by sewing it into place.

Believe it or not, there is a way to apply your own makeup that is quick, goof-proof and easy, yet noticeably improves your appearance. Follow these steps for everyday use, or as a base for more dramatic and varied looks

1- Apply the foundation that perfectly matches your skin tone. A foundation brush uses less product, but a makeup sponge is just as effective. If your complexion is already smooth, clear and even, and it is a regular day with no special occasion, you might want to stick to under eye concealer and forgo foundation completely. On the other hand, if you are a little self-conscious about perceived flaws, you have the option of using spot concealer with the edges seamlessly blended into your foundation.

2- Fill in the spaces in your brows with a pencil that is slightly softer than your hair color if it is dark, or as dark as the darkest hair on your head if you are blond. Stroke on the pencil as if you are drawing in tiny fine hairs. Make sure your pencils are always sharpened so you don't tug on your skin and create harsher looking brows. For a milder effect, you can also utilize a small angled brush dipped into brow powder. Shaping your brows does wonders not just for eyes, but for your overall look.

3- Put eyeshadow primer on your lids. With an eyeshadow brush, press on some flesh-colored or taupe shadow with subtle shimmer. On your top lash line, smudge on a brown eyeliner. Do not extend past the outer corner of your eye so as not to drag down your eyes in appearance. Select a lighter colored eyeliner, like a soft caramel, and smudge it onto your lower lash line. Run a cotton swab over both your top and bottom lash lines for more natural definition. Finish up your eyes with a waterproof mascara on top lashes. Your bottom lashes are optional, as to lessen the possibility of smudging. Depending on your coloring and your preference of intensity, pick either a black or dark brown mascara.

4- Brush blush onto the apples of your cheeks. Blend away any hard edges with your sponge to avoid an artificial look. Your best option as the color of your blush is the same one that naturally appears on your cheeks when your skin is flushed. Dab on some pinkish-gold highlighter onto the tops of your cheekbones upwards towards your temples, and blend as well. It is very important that your skin looks as though it glows from within, not like you are deliberately trying to get your makeup noticed.

5- Find a lipliner the color of your lips but more vibrant. Staying away from shades that are obviously not found on a real human helps keep your look authentic. When drawing on your lip shape, stay on top of your actual lip line for a full but natural look, unless you want to make alterations. In this case you'd draw just slightly under or very minutely over your lip line to capture the illusion of smaller or larger lips respectively. Fill your lips in; to add more life to them, you can choose to either dab a clear gloss on, or a moisturizing lipstick the same color as your lipliner.

6- Take your oversize fluffy brush and sweep translucent powder lightly over your forehead, nose and chin, where you deliberately wish to remove shine. Avoid getting powder on the highlighter so as not to dull down the already subtle shimmer. Clean up any remaining uneven lines or product distribution with your makeup sponge. When you step back to survey your look, you will see that you are now a more polished version of yourself. No fussing around with complicated colors.

 Maintaining a youthful appearance starts with proper skin care. There's no magic formula, but the simple things count in a proper skin-care regimen.

1- Treat your skin as it were fine silk -- always try to touch gently. When we wash our faces, shave or apply makeup, is the time that facial contact is often made. Wash in a gentle, circular motion in an outward direction. Never use your nails or apply pressure to the face. The eyes and lips have the thinnest layer of skin on the face. Refrain from rubbing your eyes. Over time this may cause wrinkles and crow's feet. Instead, pat the eye area down when drying or applying face cream. Use soft, quick patting gestures. Never pull or stretch your eye when applying eyeliner to get that cat's eye look. This will cause fine lines to the eyes in no time. Practice applying eyeliner; it won't be perfect at first, but practice makes better. Take the time to properly remove makeup; don't be impatient and just rub abruptly until the smudges disappear.

2- Do some research. Some great facial creams out there live up to their name, but consider what ingredients are in those miracle creams and skin care products. Stick to products with more organic and natural ingredients.
Your daily facial regime should include a high-quality SPF sunscreen. If you love to tan, leave your face out of the equation. Instead, opt for bronzers to enhance a beautiful facial glow; you can achieve that desired look and still save the skin cells from the sun's rays. So the next time you tan, lather up sunscreen, probably a SPF 50 or higher, to the entire surface of your face. Apply a higher SPF range for your eyes and lips to protect the thin skin layer of those areas; they are most susceptible to sun damage. The eyes are usually the first indicators to a maturing look, so always apply a face cream with a high SPF value to that area.

3- Give your skin a treat. Once or twice a week, your skin deserves special treatments or a facial to boost the skin's healthy appearance. Use a facial scrub once or twice a week to de-surface the skin of dead cells. The overall effect is a smooth, glowing surface to the face. People with sensitive or mature skin need a finer or gentler scrub because the skin is more delicate.
Mud packs range from moisturizing to deep pore refining. Moisturizing mud packs are like conditioners for the skin. They leave the skin soft and supple, and are great for dry and combination skin. Deep cleansing and pore refining mud dry out the debris trapped within the pores and also minimize the pores' appearance. They are also great for oil-prone skin.

4- Try a few skin-saving secrets to achieve and keep a youthful appearance.
For a vitamin C scrub, cush a couple of vitamin C tablets, mix with a tablespoon of honey and apply to the face. Use gentle circular motions to scrub the face, then leave on for five to seven minutes. The antioxidants in the vitamin C will supply a natural glow while exfoliating the dead skin cells. The honey will nourish and moisturize the skin, leaving it soft to the touch.
Try olive and emu oil for younger looking eyes. Olive oil is naturally full of antioxidants and vitamin E. The oil has similar properties to the sebum in our own skin and absorbs very easily. This oil can help replace the sebum and other vital nutrients stripped away from harsh soaps. Like olive oil, emu oil greatly penetrates the skin without clogging the pores. Emu oil is rich in omega fatty acids essential to skin health. The replenishing effects of these two oils keep elastin intact, promoting an extended youthful appearance to the eyes.
Try fruit acids for skin resurfacing. We're all probably familiar with chemical peels and their amazing results on the skin. The enzymes of specific fruit works much in the same way, except much gentler on the skin. Blend a slice of pineapple and apply to the face. Leave this on for about 15 minutes, then rinse.

5- Cut down on junk food. Too much processed foods creates an overload of free radicals that eventually destroy skin tissue. The face will eventually look dull and tired. Drink more water and antioxidant-filled teas to chase away free radicals, flush out toxins and replenish much needed moisture to the skin. Eat good omega fat. These foods produce the lipids responsible for holding moisture in our skin and safeguarding elastin. Eat plenty of nuts, seeds and fish.