It is recommended that once you reach the age of 20, you should begin to perform BSE. The best time to perform BSE is about a week after the start of your period. It also helps to be familiar with your breasts. Once you’re familiar with how your breasts look in the mirror, you will then be able to spot any abnormalities like dimpling, change in shape or the retraction of the nipple.

BSE Part 1 – Visual Examination

Stand in front of the mirror and visually inspect your breasts fromt he front and the sides. Look for signs like pukering, dimpling, or an orange peel appearance. If there is a tumour beneath the skin, it will pull the skin inwards. Check for symmetryto see if either breast is out of shape. Finally, look at the appearance of your nipples for signs of inversion or any discharge.

BSE Part 2 – Physical Examination

The clock pattern is one common way to do BSE. Place your left hand behind your head and examine your left breast with your right hand. Think of your breast as the face of a clock. Place your right hand 12 oclock, at the very top of your breast. Using the pads of your three middle fingers, press your breast firmly in a circular motion. Feel for lumps as you move your hand along the circumference of your breast. Slide your fingers closer to the nipple and continue feeling your breast using the same motions. Keep moving your hand in increasingly smaller circles until you reach the nipple. Check the tissue under the nipple and look for discharge. Also check the tissue under the armpit as well as those surrounding the breast. Place your right hand behind your head and repeat the examination on your right breast using your left hand.

Always remember, prevention is better than cure, and detecting early signs may help to save your life!

Times have changed. Your skincare regime and rules will need to change too. Today’s woman knows better and desires more for her skin. Here’s how to maintain a youthful, modern looking U :-

1) Forget the 3 steps, remember the 7 steps! You need to cleanse, tone and moisturise, but dont’ forget to apply an eye cream to the delicate area, use a serum before your moisturiser to boost the efficacy of the latter, never forget to use a sunscreen, and lastly, foundation! Foundations are now considered the last step of skincare – especially those that offer skincare elements for example, lifting, hydrating, anti-blemish etc. Why? Simply because foundation, like skincare is the means to the end in the pursuit to a flawless complexion. You need good skin and an even base to start so that makeup can be applied smoothly.

2) Wear Sunscreen all over! Sunscreen for the face might be essential, but you need sun protection everywhere too! There’s no point flaunting a radiant complexion if the harmful rays are frying the rest of your body. So sooth lips with a lip balm containing SPF protection and slather on sunscreen on areas exposed to the sun such as the back of your neck, arms and shoulders. Dark spots anywhere on the body is unwelcome!

3) Go NUDE! A natural face with a hint of natural colour is desirable. Cheeks should be flushed with the softest hint of blush, puckers and pink and healthy and complexion shows enough skin that radiates with an even glow. Cover up with a base that corrects a dull, ashen complexion and smooths out uneven skin tone. You can start off with some tinted moisturiser, or a liquid foundation that offers an ultra-sheer and dewy finish. Nude definitely does not equate with zombie like brown and boring earthy tones. Colours that make up the new nude include rose pink, apricot and coral. Even metallic shades like gold, bronze and copper fit this look as long as you keep it sheer, natural and pretty.

4) Love your Eyeliner! Promote the eyeliner to New best friend status. Apart from defining your eyes, it can also be worn as eyeshadow. Pencil eyeliners are easy to use. they provide a deeper intensity of the shade compared to eye shadows and are great for creating bold eyes. Simply slant your eyeliner and shade your lids with them. Enjoy that your eye pencil is moist enough to shade smoothly. A rounded blunt tip will also work better. To ensure the liner doesn’t smudge or crease, layer over the liner with power eyeshadow in a similar shade.

5) Use foundation where only needed! Be prudent, not liberal with your liquid foundations. Do not treat your foundation like war paint. Instead invest in one that not just matches your flesh tone, but is very blendable, allowing you to build coverage wherever necessary. It’s trendier today to treat the foundation like a concealer. Allow the skin to breathe by applying only where needed such as spotty uneven areas. Your complexion looks smoother and less cakey in this way!

6) DO NOT OVERSLEEP! Sleep is only as good as your need it to repair the skin and recharge your body. Snoozing too much is just as bad as sleeping too little. Research shows that long sleepers who rest more than eight hours a day consistently report fatigue and lethary. Extended hours in bed stifle circulation too, your skin could look all the more worn and puffy for it. Get out of bed and exercise!

7) Groom your nails! Get rid of chapped, dry cuticles, file them into a neat shape and paint your nails in your favourite colour – be it sophisticated burgundy or understated pink. Dont’ forget the toe nails. feet look so much sexier in peep toe heels when you’ve had a pedicure done!

Treat your hands with respect! Hands are the first to show signs of ageing. Age spots and wrinkly hands arent’ uncommon before you hit 30. Massage with a hand cream to keep them soft and smooth every night before bed.

9) Match Scent with Fashion! Do you wear your scent according to your moods, Yawn!!! Double yawn if you stick to one fragrance everyday. Wear a scent to match your threads!

10) Dress up your hair! Hair needs a retouch or a shine boost. Even a fantastic haircut needs a little helping hand. Use good styling products to give it that extra oomph. Volume up or use a shine serum to add lustre. If you’ve long hair, polish it up with a serum or bundle it up into different styles. Occasionally book in an appointment at the hairdressers for a conditioning treatment!

Heart Disease kills more than all cancers combined. Here are a few simple heart-loving foods that you could take to protect that very important ticker :-

1) Avocados, almonds and Olive Oil
Rich in unsaturated fats, these foods will help raise HDL (Good Cholestrol Levels) HDL transports excess cholestrol from the arteries back to the liver.

2) Salmon and Tuna
Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon and tuna can help keep arteries clear so blood can reach your vital organs quickly and bring toxins and cholestrol to the liver for disposal. Opt for fish canned in water rather than in oil.

3) Green Tea
When hamsters on a high fat diet were fed green tea, scientists found that the beverage lowers triglycerides and cholestrol levels. It seems the chemicals in green tea were able to speed up the breakdown of triglycerides to fatty acids which can then be burned off as energy later.

4) Flaxseed
Hailed as a miracle food, flax seed contains high amounts of alpha linolenic acids, which is similar to Omega 3. Besides lowering the eveil trinity of heart disease, flax seed apparently has the ability to keep platelets from becoming sticky, therefore reducing the chance of a heart attack.

5) Fruits & Veg
A diet rich in fibre will help keep heart disease at bay. Green leafy veg contains heart-protective carotenoids and lutein, while foods like oats, citrus, fruits and berries have soluble fibre that lowers bad cholestrol. Colourful foods like bell peppers are rich in flavanoids which may help stop artery clogging plague from forming.

6) Soy Products
Soy Milk, Tofu, tempeh and edamame are rich in soy protein, which can be attributed to a decreased risk of breast and colon cancers and heart disease. Soy has a modest effect on lowering cholestrol, but when eaten together with other heart healthy foods, soy products are healthier alternatives to meat.

Looks like these are simple, regular foods that we can incorporate into our daily food intake. Point is, don’t treat it like a chore and you will enjoy the foods. These foods not only help to prevent heart disease, but they are also foods that can help keep you in perfect shape. So why not?!?!

Results weren’t great. The white content came from a correction pen lookalike and it smudged. All the earlier efforts were destroyed, and we had to file it and gloss it all over again, then apply the french manicure.

My sister paid 29.99SGD for it. You would be better off going to a nail parlour for a professional manicure!!!

Though i have to agree that Sally Hansen does really good nail products….not the french manicure unfortunately, but the glosser, the nail strengtheners and the polish removers are really good.

I highly recommend SALLY HANSEN products, but definitely not the French Manicure Kit.