Getting the perfect look-at-me pout is just a few easy steps-and a great tube of lipstick away.

1 PUCKER PREP
Just swipe and go, right? We wish! Simply putting gorgeous color on a dry, cracked mouth doesn't help it look better, says California-based makeup artist Valerie Sarnell. Scuff off dry, flaky skin each morning with a soft-bristle toothbrush, suggests Sarnell, or if your lips need more intense exfoliation, mush a teaspoon of brown sugar with a teaspoon of honey and rub the mixture over them. When they're baby-soft, apply a moisturizing (not greasy) balm first. Your lipstick will go on smoother and be less likely to clump or cake in the corners.

2 PRIME YOUR POUT
Priming one's lips has become a crucial step before applying lipstick as it works as a lip conditioner while making your lipstick's tint last longer. It also makes for a seamless lipstick application as it smoothens and refines lips.

3 SEAL THE DEAL
You don't have to buy the most expensive lipstick in the store to be sure it will last all day. Alternating layers of creamy and dry texttures is a surefire way to make even the cheapest stuff stay put for hours-and this technique helps prevent feathering, too. Start by lining and filling in your lips with a neutral pencil. Then use a brush-on lipstick-cum-gloss. Next, lightly blot your lips with a tissue and dust on a little translucent powder. Repeat the steps once or twice more for color that keeps going...and going...and going. If you're not into color, but still want a finished look that stays strong all day long, Sarnell advises using a cream concealer (one to two shades darker than your skin) as a lip color, then boost shine with a single coat of gloss on top.

4 STRIKE IT RICH
"Ring-around-the-mouth"-it's the phenomenon produced when lipstick fades faster than liner...and it's ain't pretty. The main cause? Drinking from a glass! Take a cue from models and actresses: They will discreetly lick the edge of the glass with their tongues before taking a sip. The saliva creates a barrier, keeping more color on your lips and less on the rim of the glass.

Stroke of the Shade
When putting on lipstick, it's better to start at the center of your mouth and work your way outwards, stopping just before hitting the corners. Keep your hand steady by resting your elbow on a flat surface, like a table or a countertop. And to ensure that the color stays put, blot the first application with a tissue, dust with translucent powder and layer on a second coat.

Yes, you've heard them before, but these five simple tips, as shared by Dr. Connie Garcia, a general practitioner, can really help you lead a longer life.

1. Get command of the scale. Control your weight. Have a healthy diet with a regular intake of fruits, vegetable, complex carbohydrates, and lean protein.

2. Get adequate sleep. A full night's rest rejuvenates our cells and helps maintain normal brain function.

3. Avoid alcohol and smoking. Alcohol increases the risk of liver damage, while smoking increases the risk of respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer.

4. Exercise regularly. Three to four times a week for at least an hour is best.

5. Drink lots of water. Water keeps the body hydrated, helps organs function properly, and improves skin texture.

Psychologist Cristabel Fagela, who's also a teacher at the Behavioral Science Department of the University of the Philippines-Manila, tells us how to keep the passion burning.

1. Exercise! Apart from boosting your strength and endurance, physical activity also stimulates endorphins, your happy hormones-this means you'll have an easier time getting in the mood for love.

2. Think out of the box. Some couples like playacting, while others try out different sexual positions. Do whatever works best for you and your partner. Experiment!

3. Be confident. Being sexy isn't about how well endowed you are, it's about how comfortable you are in your own skin. When you love the way you look, you feel confident and secure, which makes you sexier in your lover's eyes.

Coming from the Greek words athero (meaning gruel or paste) and sclerosis (hardness), atherosclerosis involves deposits of fatty substances cholesterol, cellular waste products, and other substances in the artery's inner lining. Called "plague," this buildup usually affects both large and medium-sized arteries.

Atherosclerosis starts as early as childhood. A slow and complex disease, it often progresses as people age. In some people though the progress is more rapid and happens even in their twenty's.

Scientists believe this disease begins with damage to the innermost layer of the artery, called endothelium. Damage to this arterial wall are caused mainly by three things:

- Increased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood
- High blood pressure and
- Tobacco smoke

Research shows that males and those with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease have a greater risk of astherosclerosis. Unfortunately, these risk factors cannot be controlled. However, reducing the controllable risk factors for atherosclerosis prove to be beneficial. These controllable risk factors include:

- High bllod pressure
- Cigarette smoking / exposure to tobacco smoke
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity

Tobacco smoke contributes to the worsening of atherosclerosis. It also speeds its growth in the coronary arteries, the aorta and arteries in the legs. Damage to the endothelium cause fats, cholesterol, platelets, cellular debris, calcium and other substances that bring about the further buildup of cells. These cells and the surrounding material then may increase in mass, enough to thicken the endothelium. This results in a shrink in the artery's diameter, decreasing blood flow and consequently reducing oxygen supply.

Why you forget some things (and not others)

Different kinds of memory are created and stored in different parts of the brain and respond differently to aging. Here are some examples:

EPISODIC MEMORY - The kind that you use to recall the name of a restaurant or the plot of a movie you saw a week ago. It starts to decline in your early 40s.

SEMANTIC MEMORY - The type that gives you the ability to collect and retain new facts and figures. It holds up pretty well, which is why you know what a blog is but forget your dentist's address.

PROCEDURAL MEMORY - The kind we draw on for tasks we do automatically, such as driving a car or playing the piano. This is also fairly resilient-so even if you can't think of your best friend's phone number, you can press the right keys on the telephone pad.

Mental Congestion

Multitasking makes it hard to commit things to memory in the first place. "Attention is the gateway to retention," says Barry Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology and cognitive science at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore. "If the information doesn't get in to begin with, forget trying to save it and access it later."

If your days is filled with multiple activities, don't rely on your recall skills. Make lists and take notes, and ask others to do the same.

Interestingly, people tend to blame age, rather than busyness, for their slips-and then may think their memory is worse than it really is.

Take the common lapse of forgetting someone's name. It happens to everybody, young and old. "Names are difficult to handle because they're abstract," says Dr. Gordon. The person's face and his name aren't logical ideas for the brain to link together. The older we get, the more data we have to sort through. Some mental lapses are nothing but congestion, says Dr. Gordon, who compares the middle-aged brain to a bridge at rush hour.

Also, we blank on names because we know too many of them. Anxiety makes it worse by creating more traffic. "That's why the name often pops into your mind later," he says, "when the mental traffic has died down."

Could it be an illness?

Certain medical problems can interfere with your ability to recall, notes Martin Goldstein, M.D., director of the division of cognitive neurology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. If you're struggling, see a doctor to rule out such possible cause as:

DEPRESSION - Mood disorders affect attention and concentration, so you don't form strong enough memories to start with.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE - Hypertension can cut down on blood flow to the brain.

THYROID DISEASE - Hypothyroidism slows down information processing; hyperthyroidism can cause distracting physical sensations, which make it hard to concentrate.

CONCUSSION - Even a mild blow to the head can lead t memory problems later on.

DIABETES - Fluctuations in blood sugar interfere with attention.

DRUG SIDE EFFECTS - Sleeping pills, antihistamines, and anti-anxiety medications are some culprits.

Building a better brain

With training, people have improved their mental agility after just two weeks, says Gary Small, M.D., director of the Memory Clinic at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. These strategies can help:

STRETCH YOUR THINKING - Crossword puzzles have long been touted as a mental strengthener. But if crosswords aren't your thing, try Sudoku, the new number puzzle (sudoku.com). Or sign up for a class in a subject new to you.

GET MOVING - Exercise increases blood flow, which helps nourish brain tissue. It also helps prevent or control other health conditions that can interfere with memory.

EAT RIGHT - Yes, fish really does seem to be brain food-as do nuts and olive oil. All these foods contain omega-3 fatty acids, which may slow down brain aging. Antioxidants-found in brightly colored fruits, vegetables, and green tea-also protect brain cells. Coffee boosts attention and alertness, which can enhance learning. But stop after a cup or two: Too much has the opposite effect.

CREATE CONNECTIONS - When you need to remember something specific, such as where you parked the car, make associations. The more vivid, the better: If you left the car at level 3, section C in the parking garage, imagine a billboard of flashing "3C" in neon lights.

MANAGE STRESS - Try whatever works for you-yoga, gardening, walking. Not only does tension distract you, making it hard to learn and remember things, but it also takes a direct toll on the brain. "In studies, humans injected with stress hormones, can't learn or remember," says Dr. Small.