Blackman and Zarek Wilson of Blue Dolphins fought tooth and nail to the end, and when the water had cleared, Blackman established a new 9–10 200-metre freestyle male mark of two minutes 11.51 seconds to win gold with Wilson just behind in 2:11.62.

Both athletes went under Blackman’s record of 2:15.39 which he set at the opening of the National Aquatic Centre in October.

Wilson and Blackman have had impressive success in the 200m free with both athletes holding the record at varying times during the year.

Later in the evening, Wilson turned the tables on Blackman in the 50m backstroke and 100m breastsroke events.

Wilson won the 50m backstoke in 33.66 and the 100m breaststroke in 1:26.33.

Julien was apparently discontent with her record performance of 29.63 seconds in the 50m backstroke from Thursday evening, and smashed her own record, with a new time of 28.87 seconds to win gold.

UTT’s Amira Pilgrim established a new meet record in the girls 100m fresstyle.

The multiple regional medallist sped to the wall in 56.84 seconds, erasing Sharntelle Mc Lean’s old mark of 57.31 seconds.

Jeron Thompson of Atlantis Aquatics was a triple gold medallist on the evening, winning the 200m individual medley (2:15.51), 100m freestyle (52.29) and the 200m breaststroke (2:25.11).

The girls 10-and-Under saw three different winners on the night – Neishelah Caseman of Tidal Wave Aquatics won the 200m freestyle (2:27.36) while her teammate Gabrielle Vickles won the 50m backstroke (33.53). Zoe Anthony of Marlins was the victor in the 100m breaststroke in 1:29.11.

Up to press time last night the Red Force were 235 runs for nine wickets, an overall lead of 93 runs on first innings.

After rain delayed play yesterday by one and a half hours, Mohammed and wicketkeeper Steven Katwaroo avoided any further batting collapse sharing in a 74-run sixth wicket partnership.

The right-handed pair took the hosts from 139/5 to 192/6 when Mohammed was dismissed for 70.

It will be Mohammed’s last action in the regional tournament for a few weeks as he was called up to the West Indies 50-over team which is currently in Zimbabwe to compete in a Tri-Nation series against Sri Lanka and the hosts.

Mohammed replaces Darren Bravo who has been sent home from Zimbabwe after his public outbursts involving WICB president Dave Cameron.

After the dinner break Katwaroo was the first batsman to be dismissed falling leg before for 30 to offspin bowler Liam Sebastian.

It was two wickets in the over for Sebastian as Marlon Richards (nought) was given out leg before to reduce TT to 203/8.

Roshon Primus, who was the star for the Red Force on Friday when he snatched 6/30, frustrated the Windwards bowlers with an unbeaten 31 to help boost the Red Force lead up to press time.

On Friday night a middle order batting collapse reduced TT to 139/5 at stumps on day one after being 96/2 at one stage. Outof- favour West Indies off-spinner Shane Shillingford took all three wickets for the Volcanoes.

The patient Yannic Cariah was the first to fall to Shillingford caught by Kavem Hodge for 17, before Red Force captain Yannick Ottley was leg before for only 10.

Imran Khan, who has struggled with the bat in Four-Day cricket of late, did not trouble the scorers caught by Hodge to give Shillingford his third scalp of the night.

The tournament lived up to its expectations as it filled the St Mary’s Ground, St Clair with action- packed matches which commenced around 10 o’clock yesterday morning.

The Trinidad and Tobago Women Rugby 7s team, commonly known as ‘The Scarletts’, flocked the field and started their campaign with a 12-0 win over Guyana, followed by a 27-0 trashing of the Dominican Republic and secured the top spot of their group at the day’s end by outplaying the Bahamas 24- 7.

Carlton Felix, coach of ‘The Scarletts’, gave an insight as to how he thought the day’s activities progressed.

“(Yesterday) went really well not only because we managed to win all our games but also in seeing the team execute instructions and roles that was asked of them before the game and also what we worked on in training.” A calm Felix stressed that while his team were not too troubled on the first day of the tournament, there is no room for complacency as he is aware that these things can change drastically today.

“Defensively we were really good and we just need to show a little more composure to take control of the games. Also, finishing the day atop the group adds as a motivator as it builds the excitement heading into the final day,” expressed Felix.

Fly Half for ‘The Scarletts’, Nicolette Pantor, transferred her spirits after feeling the brunt of some challenges by stating, “overall the team had a great performance, now its time to head back to the hotel, recuperate from the knocks that we may have to nurse and discuss the day events (both the positive and negative aspects), and I am quite confident that we can come out (today) and finish the job.” The Scarletts would take on Mexico in their first game today as both teams would battle for the number one spot in the group.

The men’s team had the easier of the two in terms of the matches played but the squad gave the visitors a reason to fear the hosts as they trounced St Vincent by a margin of 52-0 in their first match.

In their only other match-up yesterday, Trinidad and Tobago men’s team saw the difficulty level raise as they were caught in a tight, hard- fought battle against Mexico as both teams left everything on the field. Even though mistakes were evident from both teams, it was the local team who pulled through and brought jubilation to the home crowds as they managed to rally to a 12-10 victory.

Trinidad and Tobago ended atop of the group with six points followed by Mexico on four points and St Vincent rallying up the table on two points. Trinidad and Tobago would face Bermuda in their first match today of RAN 7s as the tournament is set to resume at 8.30 am.

Still with two games to play, the men from Speyside drew to within one point adrift of leaders Leeds United after their 4-0 shut out of Golden Lane in the opening match of a double- header at Mt Pleasant on Wednesday.

In the latter match however, Leeds saw their chance of taking the title diminish when they went under 2-1 to near-bottom of the table Goal City on a last minute goal by Jelani Jackson.

In that game, Anderson Taylor gave the Goal City team the lead shortly after halftime, but Stefano Wright levelled only for that late Jackson winner.

Earlier at Mt Pleasant, though, prolific Pavel Warrick scored a double while Brandon Benjamin and Akeem Jordan added one each to see off Golden Lane.

Now Sidey’s have 31 points while Leeds ended with 32.

At the Cyd Gray Stadium, Roxborough Lakers and Georgia FC played to a 1-1 draw.

Jelani Turner scored for Lakers while Carron Williams equalised.

Other scores on Wednesday, Signal Hill United clinched automatic promotion from the Championship Division when they trounced Carnbee/Mt Pleasant 8-1 to top the standings with 30 points with still one game to play.

Bethel United, who had been idle, finished runners-up with 21 points and Lambeau who edged Earlbrokes 2-1 were third on 20 points.

Other Championship Division results: CHARLOTTEVILLE UNIFIERS (3) vs GOODWOOD UNITED (1); FEDERAL NORTHSIDE (3) vs CALDER HALL FC (2).

Often working either solo or with a very small team, these smallscale designers combine artistry and marketing to create lucrative small businesses with loyal clients.

Ellimac Handmade Jewellery and Designs is one such local company. Founded just over a year ago, the small business—which has already been picking up quite a bit of traction both locally and abroad—offers custom pieces fashioned with a wide range of precious metals and stones, the choices of which are highly customisable.

The lady at the helm of the one-woman show is self-taught jeweller Camille Davis-Yetming, who confessed to WMN that it was out of a desire for the perfect wedding and happy in-laws — with encouragement from her then-fianc? — that Ellimac was born.

Tryin’ ah ting “[It was] so strange; I have to thank my husband for that,” she explained. “When we settled on a [wedding] date, I decided that I would gift each family member with a rosary.” But her playing around with baubles and beads began when her husband, Andrew, suggested that she make the rosaries instead of buying them.

Yetming’s personalised rosaries were a hit but her wedding inspiration didn’t stop there — it was her fruitless hunt for personalised items for her fianc?’s sisters and bridesmaids that led her once again to tap into her own creative side to get what she was looking for. “I didn’t want everyone…looking the same; I wanted them to look like Camille, a celebration of my artistic spirit.” As is the case with most artists, Yetming was resolute about what she wanted.

“At the time, my daughter was very ill,” she explained. “I wasn’t getting enough sleep since I was always up with her to make sure that she was okay.” During these all-night vigils, Yetming began tuning into online jewellery-making tutorials and the rest was history. She credits her husband as being the “catalyst” for her company. “Fast-forward to today,” she told WMN, my husband has supported me since day one. If I need a tool, he orders it.”

“It should be affordable to look nice” When asked who her target market was, Yetming replied, “Everybody,” telling WMN that she believes that her products “must be accessible.” She explained her strategy is inspired by client satisfaction, which is, in turn based on her satisfaction knowing that her pieces in are in a comfortable price range for her client.

“There is no one who can come to me and say that they cannot afford something,” Yetming boasts, telling WMN that payment plans are also available to clients. The businesswoman offers full creative control to her clients where the design is concerned, after which, she breaks down the cost of the imagined piece, every metal and every stone, offering a high level of customisation. “If you explain what you want, I’ll tell you how much it costs,” she told WMN. “It should be affordable to look nice.” Yetming affirms that good pieces “can be made both expensively and inexpensively” and that it’s very simple to “use a different medium to achieve the same look. They may have to take care of it a little more, but it achieves the same effect.” Yetming explained, “Rubies can be substituted by red quartz or blood quartz; in place of diamonds, there are curcuma diamonds, white sapphires, zircon and diamond X, the latter two of which are man-made.”

Four strikes, you’re out! With the creative freedom that she offers to her clients, many of her pieces are one-of-a-kind.

Some clients even make the request that she not duplicate the piece, a request that she always fulfils. But even generally, Yetming told WMN that she never makes more than four of the same pattern.

“I might make the same pattern in different colours, but I’ll never make the exact piece again.” She continued, “I’m not trying to be exclusive but at the same time, I’m definitely not about mass production.”

Ellimac to the world The Ellimac brand has extended itself to having an international presence with Yetming being able to boast of loyal clients in Italy, Germany and Sweden. Ellimac jewellery has also been worn by models sporting Trinbagonian designer Rhian Ramkissoon’s Honamic Designs on the runway in Europe.

The Ellimac Woman Yetming describes her clientele as women, though lying on a spectrum, all embodying elegance. “When I think who Ellimac is, she’s a woman in her 30s, one who has had a little struggle — am I talking about myself?” she chuckled — “and is finding herself as a woman. The Ellimac woman is also someone with potential, someone who has now found her footing, knows who she is and is going somewhere,” she added, referencing the young professionals among her clientele.

Rounding off the spectrum, Yetming told WMN that Ellimac also defines the woman in her forties and beyond, with an even more delicate taste still. “Their statement pieces will be different, from those of a 20- or 30-year old, reflecting an even more refined taste.” When asked about appealing to the teenaged crowd, Yetming described that although she found teenagers “finnicky” and commented that “they don’t know themselves yet”, often preferring to follow the crowd, Ellimac’s wrapped-animal birthstone pieces ended up becoming quite popular with that demographic. “You find that parents come to buy things for their teens when [the teens] wouldn’t come themselves,” she told WMN, explaining that women’s tastes in jewellery become more elegant with the passage of time.

Looking toward the future “Jewellery is now creeping up onto my clothing,” Yetming gushed about her newest endeavour.

“I’m building jewellery that can be incorporated into clothing.” Ellimac’s website is currently under construction, but in the meantime, her pieces have quite a presence on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. A soft launch will be held next year.

That woman, in this case, is Kell?e George, a self-taught barber, originally from Malabar, Arima, who has travelled the world to develop her skill and can boast about it through her very large, loyal and predominantly male clientele.

“I don’t want no woman cut my hair,” words she hears oh so often, but pays little attention to.

Like any woman confident in her craft, Kell?e lets her skill speak for itself. When she finished sharpening up the edges of the customer in her chair, her work was so well done that it shut up the man in the shop who had yet to be transformed by her work.

With opposition all over his face, this new customer kept quiet while putting his butt on her seat. Kell?e took her time switching between different razors and blades. She lined up his hairline with precision, making it look easy to cut on a straight line without using a ruler. When she was done, his silence gave away that he was impressed. All she could do was laugh, because she knew he’d be back.

At around the age of 19, is when Kell?e started cutting hair. “Never, I never thought about [being a barber]. Anything I see and I’m actually attracted to I’ll try it.” Once the interest was aroused, she asked her uncle to buy her a pair of clippers. Soon after her cousins became her guinea pigs. “My older cousin, I used to practice on him and he went for a haircut in the mall and [he came back and said] Kell?e you’re way better than [that other barber] you know.” He asked her if she thinks she could handle going out and doing her thing, and, with no hesitation her journey began.

Trincity Mall is where Kell?e had her first official barber station back in 1999. Hungry for more she travelled to New York back in 2002 and stayed for about five weeks. Three years later she hopped on a flight to London, but this time stayed abroad for over six months.

With both experiences, she used what she learned from cutting different hair textures in her family to be ahead of the game when working with clients of different ethnic backgrounds abroad. While in London, Kell?e travelled from shop to shop learning different techniques and styles, but regardless of whether it was a light or dark Caesar, her cuts were sharp and her hands quick, qualities that her clients everywhere know her for.

Kell?e knows that her time abroad sets her apart but like the age-old adage goes, “there’s no place like home.” She opened her own shop around 2003 in Trinidad and recently moved it from Tunapuna to her own Oropune Gardens neighbourhood.

She lets her work prove just how strong her talent is. She said although people may make assumptions and judgements about her skill because of her gender, it does not bother her because, they usually become clients anyway.

“When I used to work in the mall, I always felt like an exotic animal in a cage, because everybody would pass and I would look like something new to some people.” There are pros and cons to everything, but with being in the profession for so long and no plans of stopping anytime soon, Kell?e definitely loves the benefits of what she does.

Never attending a barber school, she has built her career with no degree or certification, but has helped students from local barber schools learn a thing or two, leading them to question why they are paying so much for school but learning even more from her.

As her own boss, she opens and closes as she pleases, informs her clients on when she’ll be away for vacation and enjoys professional success.

Always seeking an opportunity to grow and learn more, Kell?e has joined forces with business partner Neven McPherson to create and market Modern Man Beard, a product line dedicated to the healthy growing and grooming of male beards.

The Modern Man Beard Oil is the first product to be released.

With thick and long beards being the latest sexy male trend and with this being No-Shave-November, a month dedicated to not shaving beards to bring awareness to prostate cancer, it’s the perfect time for this beard oil to make its mark.

Kell?e has a goal of becoming the only barber to come out with a male hair product line. Bottles line the inside of her glass showcase allowing her customers to get a fresh cut and be educated on the best practices to maintain healthy hair growth.

When asked about what she sees for her future where her career is concerned, Kell?e’s face lit up, “I want to be endorsed.” She lifted up two out of the many professional brand barber razors that she had to be completely clear about who she would like to be endorsed by, “[For me, it] was knowing always sticking with Wahl and Andis. I wish that I could be endorsed by [either one of] them. That would be good because we don’t really have any representatives in the Caribbean.” She’s most proud about the relationships she has developed with her clients and having the rare international experience that she’s had, “there are a lot of barbers that never left Trinidad and had the experience out there.” Encouraging other women not to let themselves be held back from going after what they want, Kell?e said, “For me, I’m never scared. Do not be fearful. Fear is like holding back your blessing. What you fear? Only fear God. He’s the only one to ever fear. Go out there and do your thing, you never know where it will lead you unless you try it. I always say that, ‘Try it.’”

Needless to say, in sharp contrast to the rise of the Obamas, the Trump ascension was not as vociferously supported locally. But there is great merit to be found, objectively, in the story of a man who, with no experience in government or service to the military, will now sit in the highest office in the land.

Who else could we have thought of, to nearly selffund a campaign, as a virtual political outsider, with little support (and major criticism) from the Establishment? No doubt women everywhere mourned the inability of Clinton to break that final hardened ‘glass ceiling’, but as we are coming to terms with the revolutionary election of an outsider, WMN takes a look at his wife, (and soon to be First Lady), who’s even more of an outsider than the President-elect himself.

Melanija Knavs was born in Sevnica (which is now Slovenia, but was then part of Yugoslavia) to a father who, as a Communist party member, managed car dealerships for a state-owned vehicle manufacturer.

Her ascension to First Lady would ironically start in modeling, at the age of 16 under the name Melania Knauss. She was spotted by a well-known photographer, Stane Jerko, who’s photo-shoot with her landed her in the modeling high ground, resulting in a contract with a major Italian modeling agency.

Soon, she was seen worldwide on catwalks and in magazines including a shoot on Trump’s Boeing 727 and the now legendary cover of British GQ, where she posed, in a first for a First Lady, naked.

She is however, not the first former model to accompany her husband to the White House – with both Betty Ford and Pat Nixon being former models.

Neither is she the first foreign-born First Lady – with that title going to Louisa Adams – the English born wife of the sixth US President John Quincy.

In her extensive travels, she continued informal education and she will therefore represent one major first for a First Lady – the first to be fluent in five languages – Slovenian, German, French, Serbian and English. She is also simply not acting at the behest of her brash husband’s wishes. She told Anderson Cooper directly in one CNN interview, “People really don’t know me. I’m very strong. I can handle everything. Do not feel sorry for me.” She also noted in another interview on CNN, this time with Larry King, “To marry a man like Donald, you need to know who you are. You need to be very strong and smart.” This sure-footedness is easily encapsulated in their first meeting in 1998 at a party in Manhattan. Donald asked for her number; she refused, given that he was there with a date. She instead asked for his. “If I give him my number, he’s just one of the many women he calls,” she recounts. “I wanted to see what his intention is. It tells you a lot from the man what kind of number he gives you,” she says with a smile.

The Donald gave her all of his numbers.

She waited a week to call him, just to make him sweat a bit and shortly thereafter they began dating, but she broke up with him temporarily a few months later in 2000 when he first toyed with the idea of running for President. Nonetheless, the couple married five years later, with the bride wearing a ?140,000 dress by John Galliano and then becoming a US citizen in 2006. They welcomed their only child together Barron William Trump also in that same year.

So, what kind of First Lady will she be? The irony is that she will likely be a very traditional one, contrary to her popular image on social media. She may closely be likened to Laura Bush – a First Lady who supports her husband diligently, in spite of the fact that he is the most powerful man in the world.

In an interview in 2000, she stated she would imitate predecessors such as Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy if she ever had to. She has often repeated that she seeks to be a mother first and always, to her son and also in her own way as stepmother to Trump’s children from his two previous marriages.

Ultimately, though women everywhere will be disappointed that they have not have broken the glass ceiling so desperately sought after as an act of rebellion and continued demonstration in favour of women’s equality. But there is still some merit to be found in the act of a woman who steadfastly supports her family, runs her own business, supports her husband (and his previous children), who created her own luck via her career choices and reached high for a spot as close to that glass ceiling as possible. And history will judge her accordingly.

Just one request Melania: please keep Michelle’s White House vegetable garden – we’re certain she won’t mind sharing something she created with her own hands.

This writer will sorely miss Michelle Obama however, who represented a powerful, independent, educated, stylish, relevant and modern First Lady to young women everywhere. Weigh in on the new FLOTUS on our Twitter @newsday_WMN.

If properly implemented, comprehensive sex education will involve teaching students about the human sexual anatomy, sexual health, responsibilities associated with sex and reproduction, the concept of abstinence, methods of birth control and a variety of other lessons involving human sexual behaviour. All this with a goal of helping young people to gain a positive view of sexuality and to arm them with developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills so that they can make healthy decisions about their sex lives now and in the future.

I am all for it! Even before I was a parent I was part of the ‘for’ group, moreso now. Not that I think it is the sole responsibility of the education system to enlighten my child about sex and his sexuality. But I see it as something that can make an uncomfortable discussion with my almost eight-year-old a whole lot easier with the help of trained professional. And by “trained professional” I don’t mean the average teacher. There are a number of university-trained sex educators out there who will not turn down a contract, especially in this guava season, to impart their wealth of sexual knowledge in an age-appropriate manner to the nation’s students.

Additionally, numerous studies have shown that children who are exposed to “proper” sex education are less likely to fall prey to sexual abuse, teenage pregnancies, or contract Sexual Transmitted Diseases.

If you think of it, what are the alternatives? A teacher who is not trained to teach sex education? The Internet? One of your child’s peers passing on what they learn through God knows what medium? I have had experience with the latter, and trust me you don’t want your child’s sex and sexuality education going down that road.

From an early age, I have tried to teach my son about sex in stages, laying the foundation for the discussions on how the act is actually performed. He has learnt about body parts, that sex is for procreation (too difficult to talk about the pleasure just yet), sperm fertilising eggs, how most babies make their grand entrance into the world through their mother’s vaginas (which elicited an “ewwwwww, but I knew it!”). However, I never really went into what happens leading up to how the sperm gets into the woman’s body to fertilise the eggs – the sexual act itself. As far as he was concerned, a man just stood really close to a woman and the sperm found its way to the egg. Prior to that he used to encourage me to “eat a lot so your belly could get big and you could have a baby.” That was good enough for me until I felt he was old enough to know better.

Well that intention ended abruptly when another almost-eight-year-old from his class took to drawing and labelling explicit sexual acts in my boy’s drawing book. I’m the type of parent who looks through every book to see how he is progressing at school – yes even the drawing book. I felt a chill when I saw sketches of a man and a woman in the shower, their private parts prominently displayed and labelled, with a line that read “sex” running from the vagina to the penis. An identified “bra” was lying on the floor next to the shower. And that was just one of a quite a few illustrations.

I must admit I was horrified until I really took notice of the quality of the drawings. That kid has talent! Relief set in when I realised this could not have possibly been my son’s work, for at his age he still draws stick men and women – something he clearly inherited from me. And the images were so NEATLY labelled. Again, definitely not my son’s work. Remember my complaint about his handwriting a few weeks ago? Well not much has changed since then. But I digress.

When I asked him who had drawn in his book, my tone alerted him that all was not right and he started interrogating me about the meanings of the illustrations. Long story short, I raised the issue with his teacher, who in turn spoke with the boy’s parents. And although I haven’t found the appropriate way to explain the sexual act to my child, I know I have to deal with it in the very near future. A trained sex educator could have taken so much of the “uncomfortable” from that situation (hint, hint Mr Education Minister).

In this technological age children are over exposed to an overwhelming number of hyper sexual messages – visual and audio – which, if they are not properly schooled about sex and the many issues surrounding it can lead them down a dangerous path. And let’s face it, like it or not we, our religious or moral persuasions cannot prevent them from having sex if they want to.

According to a study carried out by the Kinsey Institute, California State University, the average American male loses his virginity at around age 16, while females do so at around 17. And you know what they say about America sneezing. Isn’t it better to afford our children the opportunity to make well- informed choices, and responsible decisions? I want my son to grow up to be a man who is comfortable in his own sexual skin. At the rate he is going he may still not be able to draw or write all that well, but at least his physical, mental, social and emotional sexual experiences are more likely to be healthy ones.

But scars are a natural part of life. They form as a result of a wound repairing itself. Your body forms collagen fibres to heal injuries, which results in the scar.

Scar tissue usually has a different texture than the surrounding skin, so the area can be recessed, raised or shiny.

Today, we’ll be discussing some natural remedies that can help reduce the appearance of your scars. There are other methods that will be more effective, however these can be quite costly.

Chemical peels can help with acne scars by exfoliating the top layer of skin to reduce the appearance of scars over time. Collagen fillers can aid in filling recessed scars, but not without certain risks. There’s also laser treatment and surgery, which again, can be costly, painful and risky. Natural remedies tend to show results at a slower rate, so it’s up to you to decide how quickly you want your scar gone.

Lemon This tangy fruit has exfoliating properties due to its acidic nature. Alpha hydroxy acids help to exfoliate the skin, while the bleaching property helps to lighten scars. Apply lemon juice directly to your scar nightly with a cotton bud. If you have sensitive skin, dilute the juice with water.

Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse off. Follow with a moisturiser, as lemon can dry out your skin. Do this daily until you achieve your desired results. This treatment can increase sensitivity to the sun, so be sure to wear a moisturiser with SPF during the day.

Papaya Rich in enzyme papain, papaya naturally exfoliates the skin and increases cell turnover.

Scoop a teaspoon of papaya into a bowl, mash and apply to your scars. Leave this mixture on for 15 minutes and then remove with warm water and pat dry.

You can follow this step with the previously mentioned lemon remedy, to increase efficacy.

Aloe Vera This succulent has been called “miracle plant” and is known to lessen inflammation while soothing and moisturizing the skin. It helps to repair damaged skin cells while simultaneously protecting new, healthy cells. It penetrates deeply and may stimulate collagen production to promote healing, which would be particularly beneficial for treating atrophic or recessed scars.

For best results, use fresh aloe, although 100 percent pure aloe vera gel will do the trick as well. Apply the gel to your scar two to three times a day, until your scar fades.

Onion This supposedly does the opposite of aloe vera; it is supposed to inhibit collagen production, which can reduce scarring in its early stages. When a scar is first forming, collagen fibres can arrange the mselves haphazardly, which can result in a scar that is raised or hardened. Onion extract can help to reduce the height of the scar, particularly if it’s hypertrophic or in some cases, keloidal. I recommend testing for sensitivity before using this treatment, as in some cases, onion can irritate the skin, doing more harm than good.

Apple Cider Vinegar This is probably the most versatile product there is. It contains alpha hydroxy acids and amino acids that dissolve dead skin cells and aid in regeneration of tissue for the growth of healthy new skin. It also contains lactic and malic acids which exfoliate and soften the skin.

Simply mix equal parts of water and raw, unpasteurised, unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar that has the mother in it. Apply this mixture with a cotton ball all over the skin. You can either use this as a toner and leave it on overnight, or if you have sensitive skin, splash your skin with cool water and follow with your serums and moisturisers. Apple cider vinegar is best for fading acne scars.

Cocoa Butter This is the most well known ingredient for treating stretch marks; Cocoa butter intensely moisturises the skin, so a daily routine of massaging with this cream can improve circulation, thus helping to diminish the appearance of certain types of scarring.

With any treatments you do, I recommend protecting your skin from the sun, since excessive exposure can darken your scars, slowing their healing and fading.

Wear protective clothing such as long sleeves or long pants for scars on your arms or legs, or hats for facial scars. Also wear sunscreen for added protection, and if possible, go as far as avoiding sun exposure completely during your treatment.

In essence, simply choose a dress, pants or a skirt, now add the colour red, some sequins and glitter, and you’ve created the perfect Christmas party outfit.

Sequins have always been incorporated into holiday ensembles. Add your shimmer to holiday inspired colours such as red or blue to give it that boost of elegance and an overall glamourous appeal.

The idea is for you to create a festive and not to mention fashionable look for the Christmas party. A girly-chic and form fitting dress with the enhancement of glitter is quite suitable for that Christmas staff party outing.

Play it safe and wear white if you are unsure about what colours compliment your skin tone. Accessorize this white fit with pearls and gold to give your outfit an angelic yet festive polish.

If you are a “let me walk in and make a statement” type of lady, then you’ll need one of those trending wrap maxi skirts. Local designer, Adrian Foster caught on with this trend and offers these skirts in a variety of holiday appropriate colours. Pair his signature skirts with an elegant crop top and statement earrings for that elegant finish.

’Tis the season to deck yourself out in and hit the holiday party circuit. Incorporate holiday themed colours and accentuate with sequins/ shimmer for that ultra-chic holiday finish.