After incorporating some of the tools below into your life, you may want to take the YOU-Q test again. Even if it's hard to think of skin creams in the same category as spreading kindness, trust us—they are all part of fully expressing the authentic beauty that is deep within everyone.

1. Use Smart Creams

Among the hundreds of ingredients in skincare products, only a few make a real difference. These three have the best scientific backing:

Vitamin A (retinol, retinoic acid or Retin-A, retinyl propionate, and retinaldehyde): In its various forms, vitamin A increases elastin, collagen, and the natural moisturizer hyaluronic acid in the skin. It's the only thing you can apply to repair sun damage, giving you a smoother, less wrinkled complexion.

Vitamin C: Also stimulates collagen and elastin growth and helps thwart free radicals. (Vitamin C rapidly breaks down when exposed to light and oxygen, so the jar should be opaque and kept sealed.)

Vitamin E: An antioxidant, vitamin E acts to slow wrinkle production. Some research suggests it may also help protect against skin cancer. (Must be in the form of DL-alpha-tocopherol to make a difference, so read the ingredients on the label.)

2. Get Your Beauty Sleep

Getting eight hours of quality sleep is perhaps the best thing you can do to feel revitalized. Research shows that aside from restoring energy (human growth hormone is primarily secreted when we're slumbering), sleep decreases pain and helps you lose weight. Schedule more hours with the pillow, or, if you have trouble sleeping, see a specialist for insomnia.

3. Try Massage to Alleviate Pain

If you have a headache or tension, place your hands on the affected body parts and apply pressure until you feel relief (some experts warn against doing this when pregnant).

The temples: With index and middle fingers pressed closely together on each temple, clench your molars a few times to feel the part of the muscle you want to target. Along with the pressure, a little massaging will help.

Behind the ears: Using both thumbs, locate the points at the base of the skull, just behind the bones in back of the ears, and apply rotational pressure for two minutes.

Between the eyes: Pinch the bridge of your nose with your middle finger and thumb and slowly push upward so you feel pressure near your eyebrows.

On the hands: Using your right thumb and index finger, firmly pinch the soft fleshy web between the thumb and index finger of your left hand. Switch hands.

As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.

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