Standing tall, feeling confident, believing in yourself — these are all important ways to feel your best. But as any woman who's ever stood in front of a mirror can tell you, beauty secrets count too!

While the way we look may be only one part of who we are, it is still a part of us. And feeling that you look your best can be a real confidence booster.

Looking your best doesn't have to be complicated or expensive, either. Experts say most of us really only need to pay attention to a few basic beauty secrets — essentials that can help you look and feel great without spending a lot of time or money.

To help you find the beauty tips that really work, WebMD talked to top skin care and beauty experts, who parted with their personal tips for looking great:

Beauty Tip 1: Never Underestimate the Power of Moisturizer

Whether your skin is dry, normal, or even oily, if you can only afford one skin care product, experts say, your dollars will be well spent on a good moisturizer.

"Sometimes, all you really need is a good moisturizer and a mild cleanser, and you can take years off your face," says New York University professor Rhoda Narins, MD, president of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery. When skin is dry, says Narins, every wrinkle is accentuated, making you look older.

If you're in your 20s or 30s, doctors say, moisturizers will give you some of the protection you need to keep skin from prematurely aging.

"In your 20s and early 30s, a good moisturizer can take the place of a lot of products," says Park Avenue plastic surgeon Darrick Antell, MD.

So what exactly is a "good" moisturizer? Dermatologist Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD, describes it this way: "It's a product that will do anything from gently adding moisture, to sealing in the moisture you've achieved, to helping your skin produce more moisture — and which type you choose should be based on your skin's individual needs."

If skin is normal to dry, look for moisturizers containing alpha hydroxy acids. They can help skin produce more moisture on its own, Crutchfield says. Such products include Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Daily Moisturizerand Anew Advanced All In One Cream by Avon.

Products such as AmLactin XL — the over-the-counter version of the prescription cream Lac-Hydrin — not only contain alpha hydroxy acids, but also a new ceramide technology to seal in moisture.

"You put on when you skin is slightly damp, and it locks in all the water," says Crutchfield, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

If skin is very dry, he also suggests products using a technology called vesicular emulsion.

"This technology uses microscopic spheres that are alternating layers of moisture and water that slowly release throughout the day, so you get continual moisturization," says Crutchfield. Products using this type of technology include Atopalm and Curél.

If skin is oily, look for a light, gentle moisturizer — but don't skip this step, cautions Crutchfield.

"Oil is not moisture, and even if you have excess oil you still need moisture," he says. Recommended products include Aveeno with Colloidal Oatmeal, Vanicream Light, Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer, or Cetaphil Moisturizer.

Beauty Tip 2: Sunscreen Is Your Best Antiaging Product.

Before you see the plastic surgeon, before you plunk down half a paycheck on that pricey anti-aging cream, in fact, before you do anything, put on sunscreen.

While most of us know it reduces the risk of skin cancer, did you also know it's an amazing beauty secret that can help keep skin looking young?

The reason, say experts, is that when sunscreen blocks out the sun's damaging rays, it also blocks their aging effects.

"The sun impacts collagen production in the skin, and without collagen, skin won't naturally maintain that plump, moist, youthful, wrinkle-free look," says Antell. Get enough sun exposure, he says, and skin will wrinkle long before its time.

Without the protection of sunscreen, just a few minutes of daily sun exposure over the years can cause noticeable changes in how skin looks and feels, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Not only will you see more wrinkles and fine lines, but also more freckles, age spots, and spider veins. Skin itself can look rough and leathery or loose and slack — all thanks to the sun.

Sunscreen can protect your skin from these damaging rays, so that even if you do spend time outdoors, your face is less likely to give away your age.

Crutchfield advises choosing a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Because sun breaks down its effectiveness over time, if you're going to be in direct sunlight for an extended period, reapply every hour or two.

For longer-lasting results, he recommends Melashade, a sunscreen using new technology that remains in force hours longer than most other products.

Another option: Use your regular sunscreen before putting on makeup (it should go on first, before anything). Then, for touch-ups, use a light, translucent mineral powder to add extra protection throughout the day.

"These powders contain a natural sunscreen, and since they generally don't build up on the skin you can keep adding protection all day long," says Crutchfield. Products include Glo Minerals Powder, Neutrogena Healthy Defense Protective Powder, and BareEscentuals Mineral Veil.

Beauty Tip 3: Choose Your Cleanser Wisely

If you're a "soap and water" girl (or guy), you may want to rethink your cleansing strategy. Dermatologists say that one of the best beauty tips around is to use the gentlest cleanser you can find — and use it sparingly.

"While the temptation may be great to wash your face several times a day (or more if skin is oily), not only will over-cleansing not help you, if you're using a harsh product — particularly soap — you could be harming your skin," says Crutchfield.

Wash your face too often — more than twice a day — and you can damage the natural lipid barrier, the protective mantle of lubrication that keeps skin looking and feeling healthy.

"Once that protection is lost, and the integrity of the skin barrier disrupted, skin becomes dry — which means it can crack, peel, itch, burn, sting, or any combination," says Crutchfield. It also means you can look older than your years.

The solution: Wash skin no more than twice a day and choose your cleanser wisely. Crutchfield's three top favorites: Dove Unscented Bar, Cetaphil, and Vanicream Cleanser.

Beauty Tip 4: Use the Right Tools for the Right Job

You can have the best eyeshadow money can buy, the world's most luxurious foundation, a bronzer straight from the cosmetic bag of a supermodel. But if you don't have the right tools to apply them, their benefits will be lost. That's the advice of Smashbox Cosmetic's director of global artistry, Holly Mordini.

"Using the right brushes, the right application tools — it's key to making the products go on the way they are intended and to give you the look that you want. For a professional makeup artist, the tools are as important as the products," says Mordini, who has painted and puffed some of Hollywood's most famous faces.

What constitutes the "right" tools? Brushes should be soft and feel gentle on the skin, but also have substance so the product can be moved to the surface of your skin. If you dip a brush in shadow or blush and the color falls off before you make it to your face, that's a bad brush, experts say.

If you don't know what to buy, you can't go wrong if you purchase the tools sold with a high-quality beauty line, Mordini says. Most, she says, are created to give your application a professional touch and to work best with each product in the line.

"It also makes putting on makeup incredibly easy, plus it's often what sets apart women who have the 'professional makeup look' and those that don't," she says.

Beauty Tip 5: Update Hair and Makeup Every 2 Years

If you walk into your high school reunion and hear a chorus of "You haven't changed a bit," run, run, RUN to the nearest beauty salon!

Experts say that if you can't even remember the last time you changed your hair and makeup, it's way overdue.

"Ideally, your image, including hair and makeup, should be updated at least every two years — and sooner if the styles change dramatically," says Beverly Hills hair expert and QVC personality Nick Chavez.

By keeping your look current, says Chavez, you also look younger and more modern. "Nothing dates a woman more than outdated hair and makeup," says Chavez.

If it's been a while since you've had a change, visit the makeup counters at your favorite department or beauty store, and don't be afraid to ask for help. Most of the better lines are sold by makeup artists who can quickly catch you up on what's new.

To find the best new hairstyle without commitment, try wig shopping! It's a fun, fast, and easy way to try on styles and even colors before making a hair appointment.

要站直、要自信、要相信自己－－這些都是讓你獲得最佳感覺的方法。但是就像任何照過鏡子的女人會對你說的，美容的秘訣也很重要！

雖然外表的樣子只是我們真正自我的一部分，它“依舊”是我們的一部分。因此，感覺到自己外表處于最佳狀態(tài)真的能鼓舞你的自信。

讓你外表處于最佳狀態(tài)不一定是很復雜的過程，也沒必要花費很多金錢。專家說，我們多數(shù)人實際上只需要關(guān)心一下幾個基本的美容秘訣－－這些要領(lǐng)可以幫你看起來漂亮、感覺不錯，而又不用花很多時間和金錢。

為了幫助你找到真正有效的美容竅門，WebMD采訪了頂尖的皮膚護理和美容專家，他們傳授了各自讓人看起來漂亮的竅門：

美容秘訣之一：決不要低估潤膚霜的作用

無論你的皮膚是干性的、中性的、或是油性的，如果你只買得起一種皮膚護理用品，專家說，你的錢花在品質(zhì)好的潤膚霜上將是最劃算的。

“有時候，只需要一種品質(zhì)好的潤膚霜和一種溫和的洗面霜，你就能讓自己年輕好幾歲，“紐約大學教授、美國皮膚外科學會會長、醫(yī)學博士羅達·內(nèi)林斯說。如果皮膚是干性的，她說，每個皺紋都會很顯眼，讓你顯得更老。

如果你還是20來歲或30來歲，醫(yī)生說，潤膚霜能給你一些必需的保護，使你的皮膚不致早衰。

公園大街整形外科醫(yī)生德里克·安泰爾博士說，“對20來歲到30歲出頭的人來說，好品質(zhì)的潤膚霜能替代很多美容產(chǎn)品。”

究竟怎么樣才是一種“品質(zhì)好的”潤膚霜呢？皮膚科專家查爾斯·E·科蘭馳菲爾德三世博士這樣說：“品質(zhì)好的潤膚霜產(chǎn)品，能夠輕微地增加皮膚水分、保持皮膚現(xiàn)有水分、并促進皮膚分泌更多水分－－你選擇哪一類潤膚霜取決于你個人皮膚的需要。“

如果皮膚是中性到干性的，你要找一找包含AHA果酸的潤膚霜。AHA果酸能夠幫助皮膚自己產(chǎn)生更多的水分，科蘭馳菲爾德說。這樣的產(chǎn)品包括露得清（Neutrogena）的高級日常潤膚解決方案和雅芳（AVON）的新活高效全能護膚霜。

其它產(chǎn)品，如AmLactin XL（強效保濕露）－－處方藥膏LacHydrin的OTC柜臺銷售型－－不僅包含AHA果酸，還使用了新型的神經(jīng)酰胺技術(shù)來保持皮膚的水分。

明尼蘇達大學醫(yī)學院臨床皮膚學副教授科蘭馳菲爾德說，“當你皮膚有些濕時涂上潤膚霜，它就能鎖住皮膚中的水分。”

如果皮膚非常干燥，他建議使用那些采用了被稱為泡狀乳劑技術(shù)的產(chǎn)品。

科蘭馳菲爾德說，“這項技術(shù)利用微泡來改變皮膚水分層，水在一天中緩慢釋放，因此皮膚就能得到持久的濕潤。“使用了這類技術(shù)的產(chǎn)品包括愛多康（Atopalm）和花王的Curel系列。

如果皮膚是油性的，選用一種輕微、柔和的潤膚霜－－但是不要跳過這一步，科蘭馳菲爾德警告說。

他說，“油不是水分，即使你的皮膚分泌的油脂過多，也是需要水分的。”推薦的產(chǎn)品包括Aveeno的膠原燕麥，薇霓肌本清新保濕（Vanicream Light），露得清（Neutrogena）去油保濕露，或舒特服（Cetaphil）潤膚露。

美容秘訣之二：防曬霜是你最好的抗衰老產(chǎn)品

在你去看整形醫(yī)生之前，在你花掉一半薪水在昂貴的抗衰老霜上之前，事實上，在你采取一切行動之前，先涂上防曬霜。

雖然我們多數(shù)人都知道防曬霜能減少患皮膚癌的機率，你知道它也是一種神奇的、能使你皮膚顯得年輕的美容秘訣嗎？

專家說，其原因是，當防曬霜阻止陽光的破壞性射線時，它也能阻止陽光的衰老影響。

安泰爾說，“陽光影響皮膚中膠原的生成，而沒有膠原，皮膚就不能自然地維持其豐滿、濕潤、年輕、光滑的樣子。”在陽光下暴露足夠久，皮膚的皺紋就會出現(xiàn)得早得多。

根據(jù)美國皮膚學會的說法，沒有防曬霜的保護，哪怕每天只有幾分鐘暴露在陽光下，經(jīng)過一些年，皮膚的樣子和感覺也會發(fā)生顯著變化。

皮膚不僅會看起來有更多的皺紋和細線，還會出現(xiàn)更多的雀斑、老人斑和蛛網(wǎng)狀血管。皮膚本身會顯得粗糙，象皮革一樣堅韌，或是松馳下垂－－這都是因為陽光。

防曬霜能保護你的皮膚不受這些破壞射線的影響，因此即使你在戶外待很久，你的臉也不太可能泄露你的年齡。

科蘭馳菲爾德建議選擇防日光系數(shù)（SPF）在15以上的防曬霜。因為陽光會逐漸減弱防曬霜的效果，如果你打算在直射的陽光下多待一段時間，每一兩個小時重新涂一下防曬霜。

想要長時間保持的防曬效果，他建議使用Melashade，一種采用新技術(shù)的防曬霜，有效時間比其它產(chǎn)品要長幾個小時。

另一種選擇：在化妝前使用你常用的防曬霜（化妝前第一步涂防曬霜）。然后，在補妝時，輕輕地用半透明的礦物粉來增加全天的額外保護。

“這些礦物粉包含一種天然的防曬層，因為它們不堆積在皮膚上，你可以在一天中不斷地添加保護，”科蘭馳菲爾德說。相關(guān)產(chǎn)品包括Glo  礦物粉，露得清（Neutrogena）健康防護護膚粉，和BareEscentuals礦物膜。

美容秘訣之三：明智地選擇洗面霜

如果你是一位“肥皂加水型“的女孩（或男孩），你可能需要重新想想你的洗臉方法。皮膚學家們說，最好的一個美容竅門就是使用盡可能柔和的洗面霜－－還要盡可能少用。

科蘭馳菲爾德說，”雖然你可能會覺得每天洗幾次臉不錯（如果是油性皮膚，可能次數(shù)更多）；過度的清洗不僅對你無益，如果你使用強烈作用的產(chǎn)品－－尤其是肥皂－－你就可能傷害到皮膚。“

洗臉過勤－－一天兩次以上－－你就可能損害皮膚天然的液體屏障，一種使皮膚看起來、摸起來健康的液體保護覆蓋層。

“一旦保護層喪失，皮膚的整體屏障就受到破壞，皮膚變干－－這意味著皮膚會開裂、起皮、發(fā)癢、灼痛、刺痛或各種組合的情況，“科蘭馳菲爾德說。這也意味著你比實際年齡看起來要老。

解決辦法：每天洗臉不超過兩次，明智地選擇你的洗面霜。科蘭馳菲爾德最喜歡的三種產(chǎn)品：德芙（Dove）無味皂，舒特服，薇霓肌本洗面膏。

美容秘訣之四：使用合適的化妝用具

你能得到用錢買得到的最好的眼影膏，世界上最奢侈的地基，一種直接從超級模特的化妝袋里拿來的銅色化妝品。但是如果你沒有使用這些化妝品的合適工具，你就不能得到他們的好處。這是SmashBox的化妝全球藝術(shù)總監(jiān)，霍莉·莫蒂妮的建議。

“使用合適的彩妝刷，合適的化妝工具－－這是讓化妝品能正確使用，讓你得到想要的化妝效果的關(guān)鍵。對職業(yè)化妝師來說，化妝工具同化妝品同等重要。”莫蒂妮說。她為好萊塢一些最著名的大明星化過妝。

什么構(gòu)成“合適”的工具呢？專家說，彩妝刷應該柔軟，讓皮膚感覺柔和；同時，它還要有能將化妝品敷到皮膚上去的材質(zhì)。如果把刷子沾上眼影粉或胭脂，還沒敷到臉上粉就掉了。這就不是好刷子。

如果你不知道買什么工具，你買那些與優(yōu)質(zhì)美容產(chǎn)品系列一齊銷售的工具就不會錯，莫蒂妮說，多數(shù)是專門設(shè)計出來讓你獲得專業(yè)的化妝效果，同該系列美容品最相稱的工具。

她說，“（好的工具）也能使化妝變得極其容易，而且，它們也經(jīng)常是把臉上有‘專業(yè)化妝效果’的婦女和那些沒有這些效果的人區(qū)分開的關(guān)鍵。”

美容秘訣之五：每兩年改變一下你的發(fā)型和化妝方式

如果你走進高中老校友的聚會，聽見一群人說“你一點也沒變”，快跑、快跑、快跑去最近的美容沙龍。

專家說，如果你甚至記不得最近一次改變發(fā)型和化妝方式是什么時候，它絕對是太過時了。

“理想情況下，你的形象，包括發(fā)型和化妝應該至少每兩年改變一次－－如果化妝的風格變化劇烈的話，還得變得快一些。“貝弗利山的美發(fā)專家和QVC（美國著名電視購物頻道）名人尼克·查維斯說。

讓你的外貌符合潮流，查維斯說，你也就顯得更年輕、更時髦。“沒有什么比過時的發(fā)型和化妝讓一個女人顯得更落伍的了。”

如果你已經(jīng)有一段時間沒改變過化妝了，去你喜歡的百貨商店或美容商店的化妝柜臺看看，別不敢張嘴尋求幫助。多數(shù)高檔一些的美容系列產(chǎn)品是由化妝師來賣的，她們能很快地讓你趕上最新的潮流。

要找最新最好的發(fā)型又不想急著拿定主意，到假發(fā)商店試試。這很有意思，又好玩、還方便，你能嘗試不同的發(fā)型，甚至不同的顏色，然后你再去預約做頭發(fā)。