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While each woman will exhibit different symptoms when she’s pregnant, the one that is most important is a menstrual cycle that’s been missed or delayed. It’s important that you understand the various possible symptoms of pregnancy, since most of these symptoms could also be a sign of something else.

Some women will begin exhibiting signs of pregnancy only a week after conception. Others will take several weeks to have symptoms. While each situation is different, here are some of the most common signs of pregnancy. If you experience any of these, and especially if you experience two or more, you should take a pregnancy test as soon as possible.

• Implantation bleeding. Somewhere around six to twelve days following conception, the embryo is implanted in the wall of the uterus, causing some bleeding. Some women experience cramping and spotting. Other causes could be actual or altered menstruation, infection, intercourse-related abrasion, or changes in your birth control pills.

• Difference in Your Menstruation. Probably the most significant sign of pregnancy is a delay or other different in your menstruation - period. If you become pregnant, you will miss your next period. While it’s not uncommon for women to bleed when pregnant, it will usually be lighter and for a shorter period than when you bleed during a regular period. Other causes for a difference in menstruation could include hormonal problems tension, extreme weight loss or gain, fatigue, and breastfeeding.

• Tender or swollen breasts. This could be experienced only a week or two following conception. Other causes for this could include an imbalance in hormones, birth-control pills, or PMS.

• Feeling more tired than usual can be a pregnancy symptom, and might be experienced within just a week following conception. Other causes for this could include exhaustion, stress, depression, the flu or a common cold.

• Nausea. This, also known as ‘morning sickness,’ is the best-known sign of pregnancy, it usually shows up two to eight weeks following conception. Other causes for nausea might be stress, stomach disorders, the flu, or even food poisoning.

• Headaches. Early in your pregnancy, you could have a sudden rise of hormones, leading to pregnancy headaches. Other causes could include stress, dehydration, eye strain, impending PMS, caffeine withdrawal, or other illnesses.

• Backaches. These occur especially in the lower back, and usually early in the pregnancy. It’s not uncommon for a woman to experience a consistent dull aching throughout the pregnancy. Other causes include stress, impending PMS, mental or physical strain, and other back problems.

• Darkening of the Areolas. This is the skin around the nipples, which sometimes get darker soon after becoming pregnant. Other causes include a previous pregnancy or imbalance in hormones.

• Frequent Urinating. This normally occurs around six to eight weeks following conception. Other causes include an infection of the urinary tract, increased drinking of liquids, diabetes, or taking diuretics.

• Unusual food cravings. This one is parodied much in the media, but most women actually do not desire pickles and ice cream. However, they will often feel an unusual craving for a certain food. This could last for the course of the whole pregnancy. Other causes include depression, stress, impending PMS, or just a poor diet.

It’s important that you take a pregnancy as soon as you recognize a couple of these signs. It’s important for the health of the child that the pregnancy be discovered as soon as possible.

Phillip Dye is the creator of PregnancyRx.com - A trusted source for online pregnancy information. PregnancyRx.com covers information from morning sickness to pregnancy symptoms. Sam created PregnancyRx to be a quick and easy to navigate reference for any expecting mother.

Nothing is better for the skin than drinking lots of water and eating good, natural, wholesome fruit and vegetables. But there are even more benefits when the fruit and vegetables are applied directly onto the skin!

If you need to pamper your skin but prefer not to spend all your cash on harsh and expensive products, give these homemade face packs a try.

They’re great fun if you’re having a girl’s night in and they really work!

FOR DRY SKIN

Milk and Honey Mask (for cleansing and softening parched skin)

All you need is:

2 x tablespoons of honey

2 x teaspoons of milk

Mix the honey and the milk together in a small bowl and smooth over face and throat. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Apricot Mask (for adding much need moisture)

All you need is:

1 x fresh apricot

1 x tablespoon olive oil (slightly warmed)

Mash the apricot in a bowl and mix it with the warm olive oil to form a paste. Apply it to your face and leave it for 10 minutesm then rinse off with warm water.

Avocado Mask (for a deep moisturising treatment)

All you will need is:

1 x ripe avocado

3-4 x tablespoons of orange juice

1 x teaspoon pure honey

Put all the ingredients into a blender, or mash by hand in a bowl. Add extra orange juice if the mixture is too thick. Spread the mask over your face and neck and leave it on for 30-45 minutes. Remove the mask with a warm flannel or muslin cloth - this will help gently exfoliate the skin as well as clean your face. If you don’t use all of the mask, it will keep for a day or two in the fridge

FOR OILY SKIN

Apple and Honey Mask (for drying up those problem oily areas)

All you need is:

1 x medium sized apple (any type of apple will do)

4 x tablespoons of honey (slightly warmed)

Finely grater the apple into a bowl and add the warmed honey. Mix it well and apply it to your face. Leave for 10 minutes and rinse.

Tomato Mask (for a more even skin tone)

All you need is:

1 x ripe tomato

Mash up a ripe tomato and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with tepid water.

FOR SENSITIVE SKIN

Just Honey Mask (for an all round cooling, cleansing, moisturising effect)

All you need is:

4 x tablespoons of honey

Gently warm the honey in a bowl (make sure you test it to make sure it’s not too hot). When warm, apply the honey generously over your entire face. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm, then cool water.

FOR REMOVING BLACKHEADS

Baking soda mask (to loosen those unsightly blackheads)

All you need is:

2 x teaspoons of baking soda

2 x teaspoons of water

Add ingredients together in a bowl and once mixed, rub the mixture gently on your skin for 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

FOR FIRMING THE SKIN

Banana Mash Mask (a fantastic firming mask used by ageing movie stars!)

All you need is:

1 x very ripe banana

1 x teaspoon honey

Mash up a very ripe banana and then add the honey to make a soft pulp. Smooth the mask over face, neck and d?colletage. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Strawberry Whip Mask

All you need is:

6 x large strawberries

1 x egg white

3 x tablespoons of natural yoghurt

Whip up the egg white until frothy then add the natural yoghurt. In a separate bowl, mash up the strawberries with a fork and then add the mixtures together and blend well. Apply to your face and relax for 10 minutes then wash off with warm water.

This article was written by Maryse Mignott, for ExclusiveLondon.co.uk. Balance your work and social life by taking part in the London entertainment scene. For the hottest London events, restaurants, clubs, fashion boutiques and much more, visit www.exclusivelondon.co.uk

Maryse Mignott is a communications executive and features writer for ExclusiveLondon.co.uk, a luxury London entertainment and lifestyle booking guide. To view more articles written by Maryse Mignott on London nightlife, London culture and London shopping, visit www.exclusivelondon.co.uk

It’s never too early or too late to start anti aging steps. Learning how to care for your skin can help slow down aging effects on our bodies.

Skin sags. Hair grays. Organs don’t work properly. Wrinkles form. Aging has less to do with our age and more to do with our lifestyle. Exposure to sun, smoking and stress causes your skin to begin losing collagen, radiance and elasticity. Even if you’ve been neglectful and damage has started, the good news is you can reverse the damage.

Here are is a guideline of do’s and don’ts you should do to help slow the aging and get glowing skin at any age.

Don’t Smoke. To combat the signs of aging, stop smoking. Smoking speeds up the aging process. Smoker’s skin becomes wrinkled, especially around the mouth. Your skin appears dry like crumpled paper. Smoking is the 2nd biggest cause of skin damage. Nicotine squeezes blood vessels and cuts the flow of oxygen to the skin.

The first signs of aging show up on your skin. Your skin starts to wrinkle and sag on your face. Drinking plenty of water hydrates your skin. Keeping your skin moist helps plump up skin so wrinkling is less noticeable. You should also use a daily moisturizer. As we age, skin thins and dries out, making it more apt to become damaged. For best protection, use a moisturizer with sunscreen when exposed to the sun. Don’t forget to moisturize hands; they show age almost as fast as our faces. To best lock in moisture, apply your moisturizer to damp skin.

Exfoliate once a week. Pick a formula that works best for your skin type. Choose a formulation that’s best for your skin type.

Use an eye cream daily. Eyes are very susceptible to aging. Your skin around the eyes is very thin and should be protected from the sun with an SPF eye cream. Natural products are good for soothing and preventing those horrible bags under your eyes. Lie down in a quiet room. Once a week, put two thick slices of a cool cucumber or cooled tea bags on your eyes. Leave cucumbers on for around ten minutes.

Take your antioxidants. Antioxidants are big in anti aging prevention. Green teas and beta-carotene are good antioxidants. Take both oral and topical antioxidants. ‘Antioxidants’ is a huge word in aging prevention.

Don’t tug and wipe your skin. Don’t stress you aging skin by pulling and tugging at it. Don’t forget your neck and chest. With less oil glands in our neck and chest, aging signs show up here quickly. Don’t ignore them. This area is another place to apply moisturizers with anti aging ingredients like retinols, copper or vitamin C.

Always use sunscreen. Well, duh. We’ve been drilled since childhood to wear sunscreen. In all seriousness, we need to protect our skin, even in winter. And don’t tan. Sun damage can be reversed with pricey pulsed laser treatments.

Slow down the process with some anti aging techniques. Get regular exercise, eat healthy, and avoid the sun. Moisturize daily, give up smoking and keep skin exfoliated for more youthful looking skin.

Truman Tyler is the professional freelance writer. He’s also the webmaster of Womensmate.com

The Apple Bottoms clothing line was created by multi-platinum superstar Nelly with the belief that the natural curves of a woman should be celebrated. His entire mission with the Apple Bottoms is to liberate the natural curves and women of all shapes and sizes and set a trend about the beauty of a woman’s body.

The belief behind the Apple Bottoms is that woman shouldn’t have to attempt to fit into their clothes. They believe that the clothes should fit the natural silhouette of a woman. The style of the Apple Bottoms clothing line is to accentuate all of the curves of women. Nelly personally is involved in the designing of each of the products from his line to ensure each product is the way he believes it should be.

In 2003, Nelly decided he needed an Apple Bottoms dream team and he created it with pals Yomi Martin and Ian Kelly. This team kicked off a campaign to hold a nationwide model search to find what would be known as the “Apple Bottoms Girl.” This event was televised on VH1 and became one of the most popular shows of 2003. The jeans became so popular that they sold out in as little as two weeks. Because of the attention the search for the Apple Bottoms girl caused the company immediately gained national media attention which resulted in major growth. This caused the company to expand their product line from fashion focused denim with signature apple pockets. These Apple jeans extended the boundaries of denim because they focused on women’s curves and soon became a cutting edge collection.

Many celebrities favor the Apple Bottoms clothing line jeans like Oprah, Fergie, Vivica Fox, Ashanti, and more. Today Apple Bottoms is not only well known for their signature jean enhancing a woman’s figure but for other products also. They have many other lines such as sunglasses, scrubs, optical, swimsuits, intimates, footwear, jewelry, handbags and other accessories, children’s line, and sportswear.

Apple Bottoms is a successful clothing line designed by Nelly and he has done a fantastic job because he believes the clothes should fit the women not that the women should fit into the clothes. Gift vouchers are another attraction of Apple Bottom. It is the best way to make friends happy and closer. Fabric collections are really richer with denim, jumpsuits, different other dressing materials and accessories suitable for all season.

Jeans suitable to be used as a party ware is the main innovation of Apple Bottom. Now jeans are more delicious with designer work and sequins work in back pockets and around the back. Top quality jeans with richness of beauty can only be used for this by Apple Bottom. Outfits from Apple Bottom are really one of a kind and no one can find a similar piece elsewhere. Clothes of different types are made more and more attractive with creative talent. No special care or attention is needed for clothes from Apple Bottom. You can wash and iron them as the normal clothes.

Convenient online gift cards are also available from Apple Bottom. With the perfect gift card you can buy whatever type of gift you want to dears and near. Now Apple Bottom collections are more delicious and luxurious with denim, jumpsuits, accessories and other dressing materials suitable for all season.

The author LaCola Berry delivers designer clothing from AppleBottoms.com.
Browse Apple
Bottoms clothes line for current promotions.

Hair Extensions have widely grown in popularity in the past years and they are now used by many people across the world as a way of adding length, fullness, texture and colour to natural hair. The reasons for the use of hair extensions can vary from being hair loss through medical treatment or just purely for cosmetic reasons. Whatever your reason here’s a little bit of information to help you with your hair extension decisions.

The use of versatility of hair extensions has been recognised among many different ethic and social groups. They are made from a range of human hair and synthetic fibres but how do you no which is right for you?

Realistically either human or synthetic or perfectly fine to be used for hair extensions even though human hair is always often preferred due to the fact it blends in which your natural hair more as it is the same texture and more likely to be a more natural colour. Human hair is available in different grades with the main suppliers of it is India, China and Eastern European countries.

Synthetic hair however does have its advantages. You can get synthetic hair in any colour that you could possibly imagine and it is generally less expensive than human hair. You can also purchase synthetic hair in a range of different styles such as:

• Yaki - pure straight, usually mimicking the straightness of Asian hair.

• European – this is more natural-looking straight hair that may have a slight wave to it

• Deep Wave - while generally not a true ‘wave’, it can be made to look like spiral curls.

• Loose Deep Wave or Romance Wave - looser version of the deep wave, softer curls.

• Jheri Curl - usually sold in very short lengths, it is often used to recreate the full ‘afro’ look.

• Wet and Wavy (Spanish Wave or Indian Wave) - usually human hair is used, and is either naturally curly or permanently waved to appear so.

If you wanted to create these sort of styles with human hair extensions you would have to have the style placed onto the extensions after you had them placed in, costing you more. Human hair however outweighs synthetic immensely when it comes to what you can do with them when they have been placed in.

When it comes to the styling and washing of your hair with your hair extensions in, extra care will need to be taken but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will cause you extra work. The shampooing of your hair should be done in the same way for human hair and synthetic fibres. You should continue to wash your hair how you always have, however it may be a good idea to switch to a more mild shampoo and conditioner. This, along with using cool water, helps to dramatically reduce tangles.

The styling of your hair extensions can be carried out like normal, just like how you treat your normal hair, if you have human hair extension, which gives them a major advantage over synthetic hair as synthetic hair restricts you from styling.

It is not advisable to use heat on synthetic hair as it has the potential to burn or melt the hair. This means that you would have problems when it comes to drying, straightening or curling your hair.

If you are considering having hair extensions please speak to your stylist before making any major decisions.

Helen is the web master for Inanch who are specialists in the application of Hair Extensions.