We humans are extremely visual. Color effects us. It attracts us. Sometimes in very deep, moving ways. Color can serve to make us either less appealing, or more.

Reddish pigments, for instance, generally fire us up... energize us toward something. Psychologists theorize that this may be because red is the color of our blood -- so it's a very raw, "physical" color. Others theorize that various reds are like the color of our genitals when aroused. Often when we're aroused or stimulated in some way, our cheeks will also turn a deeper shade of red. Woman have, for quite some time, used of various red tones of makeup called 'blush', making it look almost like they were blushing -- to artificially stir a sense of excitement within others. Color certainly effects us.

Now, it turns out that the colorants that color plants -- called 'carotenoids' -- don't just color plants, but they also color you when you ingest them. Their pigments are actually stored over time in a subcutaneous layer of fat cells that rests directly under your skin. Aside from the melanin in your skin, your skin is actually fairly translucent, so much of your color actually comes from the color of this underlying layer of fat. You can, therefore, actually intentionally ingest more of certain plant pigments to increase various tones of skin color. Happily, it shouldn't cause you any harm to do so. Because these are just natural plant pigments, there is currently no known toxicity for these substances. You may even be enhancing your health by doing so. Studies are released constantly showing the health benefits of carotenoids -- that some of them protect you from and even fight cancer.

In the animal world, especially with birds and certain fish, many creature's coloring comes exclusively from their ingestion of carotenoids. In fact, animal researchers have shown that the most brightly colored of these creatures are chosen first as mates. Why? Because their bright coloring shows that the bird or other creature has had a large, healthy variety in their diet. Researchers theorize that any such bird, who has the survival skills to have such a rich diet, would be the superior choice to mate with to ensure the survival of their species. They have the most desirable traits to pass on to future generations, and it 'shows' -- literally. Therefore, there's some kind of genetic evolution that has occurred that makes creatures sexually respond to other creatures with the most brilliant coloring. I bet this is similar to a mechanism that must exist in humans, that explains the sexual appeal women are trying to achieve by wearing 'blush'.

The most famous carotenoid, one you've probably heard of, is beta carotene. If you ingest a sufficient quantity, either by eating carrots or taking capsules, you too will start to LOOK orange like a carrot. No kidding. And unless you already have the right kind of skin tone for this kind of thing, this effect isn't all that appealing.

So how about some cartenoids that could color you sexy, and not so much like... you know... like a carrot?

1. Well, first, beta carotene CAN be part of the equation. Just don't take too much. It's like being a painter mixing his paints... if you're looking to make a golden, reddish color... and orange paint is cheap and plentiful, you might use a bit as a base color. That's how you should treat beta carotene. A cheap, plentiful base. Just add more carrots to your diet. As little as a single carrot a day gives you a massive amount of beta carotene. If you prefer, beta carotene supplementation is cheap and plentiful.

2. After doing some extensive research, I found that the carotenoid lycopene is the stuff that turns tomatoes that nice red color. Much like ingesting beta carotene, if over ingested, it'll start to make you look like a tomato. And that's the magic of it, you see. Ingest just a moderate amount, and you'll add a wonderfully attractive, reddish hue to your skin. Studies show that 82% of our intake of lycopene comes from tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, pizza, and ketchup. Plan on adding more of these sources to your diet.  

Here's a chart detailing how much lycopene you get from a number of natural food sources:

You can also take lycopene supplements. 5 mg. capsules are most common. Unfortunately, they may also be the most useless for this particular application. A 5 mg. capsule only provides the amount of lycopene equivalent to that in about 2 tablespoons of ketchup, and isn't nearly as tasty (if you happen to like ketchup). Lycopene is one of the most valuable carotenoids for enhancing your sex-o-riffic coloration. However, if you're considering supplementation, do look for some kind of product that has more than a meager 5 mg. of lycopene.

3. Canthaxanthin is a reddish-brown carotenoid that body builders have used to naturally color their skin for years. Of course, when it first became popular, most of them didn't know it was some kind of harmless plant pigment. That wouldn't have been dangerous enough for them, I bet. Heh.

In any case, canthaxanthin ends up turning your skin something of an orange-bronze color. You may like the effect, or you might not. One of the best things about carotenoids, though, is that if you kinda like the effect it's giving you, but it's too strong... you can just lower your dosage, and you'll lower the effect. Likewise, if you want stronger results, you can just increase the dosage. It's all easy to adjust, which is great.

4. Although I'm still experimenting with different brands and quantities, I often take 'multi-carotenoid' supplements. These give me a wide range of pigments, and, in sufficient quantity, have aided me in getting an alluring skin tone.

One ingredient to look for is called 'dulce', a seaweed. It contains all of the carotenoids mentioned here, and then some. However, being a seaweed and all, it does tend to have a lot of bluish-green carotenoids. This isn't all that bad. For instance, research has shown that women tend to be attracted to more bluer reds, like wine and maroon. Dulce can provide this aspect of the red. Just be sure you're getting enough red carotenoids from lycopene and/or canthaxanthin to balance out the blues and greens.

Well, hey, there you go. A true secret about how to add some color to your life, and hopefully to someone else's... someone special. You can lose that Munster or Addam's family look, and start to become appealing to some of the other *living* members of the human population.

Color you sexy!

Update    March 29, 2000

You needn't necessarily color yourself sexy from the inside-out anymore. Although, doing it this way is still healthier, it may not appeal to the lazier crowd who seek more instantaneous results.

Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw have reformulated their carotenoid containing Smart Skin II product with red spectrum carotenoids. IE -- instead of turning you a bronzish color, which some people don't like, it almost exclusively turns you this wonderful sexy reddish color. You still look tanned, yes, but at the same time you look wonderfully healthy, as a healthy red glow implies that your circulation is functioning vibrantly. (Which, if you're a man, also implies -- at least unconsciously -- that you're you-know-what is functioning vibrantly. It's healthy function being so dependent on good blood flow, after all)

Trust me, the looks I've gotten from women when using this product have been spine chillingly positive. Oooooh -- if something like this only existed when I was going through puberty!

What's especially nice about being able to apply healthy skin tone from a bottle, for me, at least, is to make myself look healthy when otherwise I'd look dreaded. Say, after getting only half the sleep I need... or after an especially heavy (but accidental, I assure you!) night of drinking. I rub this stuff on, and whala... I look almost human again. Oftentimes, I look even better than I should... given the circumstances. 

Now, to get the best coloration effect, I evenly apply anywhere from 10-15 drops of Smart Skin II w/carotenoids after showering. If I've already used it earlier in the day, I'll use between 3-6 drops. Your milage may vary. Use whatever is appropriate for you -- that being an amalgamation of how it compliments your skin tone, combined with   preferences and the reactions from others that you receive.

To get Smart Skin II, contact Life Services. It's product # 267, and costs about $13 for a seemingly endless supply (even using it in the quantity I mentioned, expect it to last for at least six months to a year).

To contact Life Services, in the US and Canada, call 1-800-922-0009. Internationally, dial 1-732-922-5329. If it's your first call, please mention that Michael Ryan from Hollywood sent you.

If you haven't already, go ahead and peruse the other secrets before calling for the first time. I mention other products from Life Services that you may want to combine this order with. This place is one of the few panaceas for true life enhancement, and I recommend it dearly (to anyone I like, that is .