Once upon a time, there was a body of water called fountain of youth. Sadly, just like any fairy tales that begin with those four words ‘once upon a time’ is not real. There is no fountain of youth. You may have seen something similar to it if you watched the movie “Tuck Everlasting” with William Hurt, Sissy Spacek, Jonathan Jackson and Alexis Bledel, but again, it’s just a movie.

So instead of being stuck in the notion that there is this fountain which helps you stay looking young, you have to make your own regimen on how you can do so.

The allusion is not far from reality. There is actually something liquid that could assist you in looking young. By drinking at least eight glasses a day, your body is rejuvenated by water and not only will it benefit your internal organs, you will also look healthy on the outside. Your skin will look better too.

The skin is the largest organ of our body. It is like a nylon cord that goes as long as 15 to 20 feet when stretched out.

We must take extra special care of our skin because it is also the organ most exposed. If we take it for granted, we may look withered and dry like a raisin. That’s why if we know we are going out on a hot summer day to do some gardening or other sun-exposing activities like hitting the beach or playing a game of tennis, we must shield ourselves from harmful rays by applying sun block on our skin.

The face masks that you see on the movies actually help. It cleans out your pores and conditions the skin. You can also brighten up your face by shaping your eyebrows and curling your eye-lids.

Make-up can not only accentuate your assets, it can also hide your liabilities. As for eyebags, you can always conceal them with a concealer. For wrinkles, hide it up by applying highlighter to those pesky creases.

Now the three steps in good skin care are: wash, cleanse and moisturize. Choose the perfect soap for your face. Make sure that it’s mild so it won’t irritate your skin. Then cleanse your face thoroughly using the right cleanser. Double check if you removed every hint of a make-up. After, apply moisturizer on your face. There are some products that have day moisturizer and night moisturizer. That is because there’s more SPF content with the former than with the latter.

Everybody understands the pressure of looking healthy. Some of us engage in a yoyo diet. Yoyo diet is similar to what Renee Zellweger did when she gained weight for “Bridget Jones” and lost it for “Chicago” then gained it again for “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.” Well, what’s different with it is that she did it for work. If we, non-celebrity people, do it, the effect will be our skin will have stretch marks and be elastic like a rubber band.

Lessen down the caffeine intake. Even if you drink the required eight glasses of water a day intake, coffee will only decrease the skin cell’s chances of getting nourished by water. Also avoid that one thing that goes with coffee – cigarettes. Smoking accelerates the aging process and damages the microcapillaries that is found in the skin.

Play up your hair style. It is like your outfits for the day. You want to change it up every week. Treat the people around you like an audience you have to charm. Surprise them, not only with your outfit, but also with your hairstyle.

The key to looking young, feeling young and staying young is eating a balanced diet. You must pack in the fruits and vegetables just like what our parents used to tell us when we were younger.

Sometimes natural extract of fruits can also be used in making the skin look younger. Did you know that the cosmetics you buy have fruit products as an ingredient? Examples of fruits that can be exfoliated are sugar cane extracts, citrus fruits, willow bark, apples and green tea.

A product we could recommend is the Self MicroDermAbrasion™ Ultra-Exfoliate. It removes the dried-up cells of your skin and reveals the younger looking flesh underneath. Red tea is an ingredient of the exfoliate. Like green tea, red tea contains vitamins C and E and flavonoids.

Finally, always find the time to exercise. You may have a hectic and jam-packed schedule but by exercising, you shed off the unwanted fat and calories that you get from sitting down for nine hours in the office. By exercising regularly, you tone your skin and your muscles, making you look like you’re the bomb. Don’t you want to have Jessica Alba’s gorgeous abs?

It all comes with effort and patience. Looking young also takes a lot of hard work. But the minute that you know you’re doing the right thing then you feel young. It is connected. Just as once you feel young, once you let out that young and carefree vibe into the world, you project this child-look aura that you actually look young.