HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: My dog had bad breath. My veterinarian recommended a few things: ■ Brushing the dog’s teeth once a week with special dog toothpaste. The dog will grow accustomed to it.

■ Wet food can be a cause of bad breath — I limit this.

■ There are commercial treats and chews to help.

■ A professional cleaning once a year, complete with X-rays, is a good idea.

She recommends tearing up fresh parsley and mixing it with dry food. Parsley. Who knew? — Erin R. in Seattle DEAR READER: Parsley is rich in antioxidants and is safe in moderation. Ask your veterinarian. Parsley is not safe for pregnant dogs.

DEAR HELOISE: Applying lipstick sounds straightforward enough, but there are ways to make it easier:

■ I fill in my entire lip with liner and then apply the lipstick over it. The color will last longer.

■ Applying lip liner just outside my natural lip line makes my lips look fuller.

■ Dark lip liner with lighter lipstick is a dated look. I match the colors closely.

■ To remove excess color, I put my finger in my mouth, purse my lips and draw my finger out. The extra color will be on my finger.

■ As I get up in years, I’m retiring my extra-glossy and also my flat matte lip colors. A medium-creamy lipstick works well.

— Samantha W. in New York

DEAR HELOISE: I was having difficulty sleeping through the night, so I decided to try doing yoga stretches before retiring. It has made a huge difference. I do about 15 minutes of exercise, starting with my neck and working down to my legs, and I find that I can sleep for up to five hours before waking.

I checked with my doctor before starting an exercise program, but yoga is safe and effective for most people.

— A Reader, via email

DEAR HELOISE: I haven’t had a weight problem in years, and I believe it’s because of the two rules I always follow:

1. I don’t eat unless I’m actually hungry.

2. I stop before I’m full. In the past, I ate something just because it was time, not because I was hungry. Also, if I stop before I am full, I’m surprised to see that in about 20 minutes, I feel full.

— Pam in Florida