7 Tips to Get a Step Ahead for Prom

4/20/2016

Prom is one of the most unforgettable moments of high school and an event that is looked forward to with excitement. However, there’s a lot of advanced planning that goes into looking your best and feeling confident, such as finding the right outfit, gathering a group, making sure your hair and teeth are in perfect condition and prepping acne-prone skin.

7 Tips to Get a Step Ahead for Prom

(Family Features) Prom is one of the most unforgettable moments of high school and an event that is looked forward to with excitement. What is there not to enjoy about getting all dolled up and spending a memorable night dancing and having a good time with your friends?

However, there's a lot of advanced planning that goes into looking your best and feeling confident, such as finding the right outfit, gathering a group, making sure your hair and teeth are in perfect condition and prepping acne-prone skin. These advance planning tips can help make your preparation stress free so you can enjoy the big night without a care in the world except what song to request at the DJ booth.

Pick the Perfect Attire. Selecting your dress or tux is one of the most fun yet stressful parts of prom planning. There are endless colors and styles to choose from, so it's best to visit several shops to try on different looks and browse online for inspiration. Then add details, such as jewelry, that accent your style to complete the ensemble and decide if you and your date want to don matching colors or accessories.

Get Glowing Skin. Acne is always difficult to deal with and can pop up at the most unwanted times, which becomes more of a concern during prom season. To help teens plan ahead, OXY acne medication launched a 28-Day Challenge to provide accurate and realistic tools to clear acne-prone skin through a personalized, dermatologist-approved skin care regimen. The free smartphone app features daily tips and alerts along with the ability to take pictures throughout to track progress. More information about the challenge and app can be found at Oxy28daychallenge.com.

Figure Out the Logistics. Decide who to go with and build a group to have dinner with before the dance and hang out with afterward. Once your group is set, begin planning the more intricate details, such as transportation, dinner reservations, when and where you will all take pre-prom photos and what you want to do after you've danced to your heart's content.

Order the Flowers. Giving your date a boutonniere or corsage to wear to a formal dance is customary. Call a flower shop and choose the flowers you want included on the boutonniere you'll pin to his tux or corsage you'll place around her wrist. Ask for it to be ready the morning of prom so the flowers will be as fresh as possible.

Whiten Your Smile. Your teeth are delicate and important, so take your time in using whitening strips or a whitening kit to brighten your smile. Or, if you'd rather not deal with a drawn out process or time is of the essence, try to schedule an appointment to have your teeth professionally whitened.

Take Care of Your Hair. If you're planning on getting your hair cut or styled prior to the big night, make sure to make an appointment in advance. If not, you can find inspiration for DIY hairstyles online and practice the looks by yourself or with a friend.

Pack the Essentials. Pack a bag of items to bring with you that you may need at dinner or for any after-prom plans. Make sure to pack essentials, such as tickets, keys, money, your cell phone (and charger), and items for touch-ups, like lipstick, perfume or cologne, a comb or brush, OXY Rapid Spot Treatment and extra bobby pins. If you're staying somewhere overnight, grab a change of clothes, toiletries and a hanger for your prom attire.

Now that you have a plan in place and all of your hard work has paid off, relax and enjoy making a night's worth of memories that will last a lifetime.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

SOURCE:
OXY

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7 ways to keep your child learning this summer

4/20/2016

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(BPT) - When school dismisses for the summer, parents across the country worry about how much their children will forget over the vacation months. Will all those hours helping them with math and reading dissolve with the carefree hours spent at the pool or playground?

“While a break from the long days of school is needed, studies show that most kids lose up to two months of their math skills between school grades,” says Dominique Ciccarelli, Ed.M., education specialist for Kumon North America. “The brain is like a muscle and needs a regular dose of exercise to stay strong. Connections in your brain multiply when you learn new topics, and through this process, you get smarter.”

Added to this concern is how much time over the summer parents will be able to commit to helping their children retain and reinforce what they learned during the previous school year. While millions of children are eager for the freedom of summer, parents are coming up with plans to keep the learning momentum going.

Here are seven fun ways to keep your child engaged over the summer with enriching experiences.

Have a scavenger hunt at the museum. One way to turn a visit to the museum into a fun and educational experience is to make it a scavenger hunt. If you’re going to an art museum, your list can include things you might see in paintings or sculptures from a certain country. If it’s a natural history museum, you can include dinosaurs and animals.

Find the right learning program. For families with children looking for enrichment activities, the right learning program is invaluable. With nearly 1,500 centers throughout the United States, Kumon uses an individualized approach that helps children develop a solid command of math and reading skills. To help students continue learning through the summer, Kumon is offering free registration in June at participating centers.

Develop their green thumb. Gardening allows children to not only play and build something — as they might do in a sandbox — but learn about the life cycle of plants and the importance of nutrition. One way to make this more exciting is to try to grow something giant, like a huge squash or zucchini that will provide an end goal to the entire experience.

Let them be your travel agents. Before you set off on your summer vacation, get your children involved in the planning process. Let them help you search for lodging within your budget and in the area you want to stay. Together, you can learn about nearby attractions and plan your visit accordingly. The entire process not only builds confidence, but serves as a finance, geography, history and social studies lesson all wrapped in one.

Have adventures in reading. Reading is one of the most important skills to maintain and develop. Reading to your children each day establishes a positive association in their mind and makes them excited to read on their own. Be sure to stay up to date with the activities at your local library, which provides fun and sociable learning opportunities.

Make something. While there are plenty of kits out there to promote STEM learning skills, you can encourage your children to use their creativity and knowledge to build projects from common household materials. Some classic examples of this would be making a raft out of empty milk cartons or plastic bottles, a homemade volcano using vinegar and baking soda or a homemade electromagnet.

Become a collector. A great way for children to get hands-on knowledge of the natural world is for them to build a collection while discovering the outdoors. Rocks, plants, bugs — these are the things that excite a young mind. Search for different kinds of leaves to press at home, then work with your children to identify their types.

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