So, the mall beckoned the other day and I found myself at home there…i.e. the cosmetics department.
I'm a bit of a junkie when it comes to hanging out at all the counters. Want to make me over? Do it? Got a new cream to try? Whoa, nelly? Let me see what's in it because while writing this blog, I've become a bit of a scientist in the skin care department. Ghosting a book for a top Beverly Hills dermatologist gave me advanced credit in this department.
I don't know about you, but this holiday season, I'm a bit fried out when it comes to high-end beauty products. They all promise the world (and swear I will look 20), but there is something about putting yak placenta on my face that makes me a bit squeamish. I don't even eat deer meat and honestly feel the yak should keep his placenta private.
This brings me to all the DIY beauty tips and organic skin care tips. Some are total crazy nonsense while others are so simply beautiful and cheap that they make me feel dumb for spending money on high end products when DIY Beauty Tips really do the job.
Here are three home beauty recipes and DIY beauty secrets that I'm loving today:
*GET RID OF FINE LINES BEFORE THEY BECOME WRINKLES. This comes from a nurse friend who reminded me that in the hospital when people have scar-causing operations, nurses often (and frequently) apply vitamin E oil on the scar. She noted that this works wonders on fine lines.
I TRIED IT: It works amazingly well, but I didn't like the mess of all those little breakable vitamin E capsules you can find in health food stores.
THE FIX: Buy a roll on vitamin E bottle. It's just like deodorant roll ons. Give your under eye area a swipe each morning and use it around your lips…or anywhere else you notice fine lines. In a few weeks, you will see a visible difference.
*GET RID OF ADULT ACNE BEFORE IT ERUPTS. This comes from a fashion model who was sick of adult acne breakouts because they hurt her career. In my case, they just make me nuts. In a good friend's case, she moaned, "I can't be going through the change of life and getting zits at the same time." I reminded her that stress causes breakouts and she nicely told me, "Shut up!"
I TRIED IT: The model told me to mix lemon juice and egg whites in a bowl and then apply it as a facemask. She said to leave it on for 20 minutes while it dried and then rinse with warm water. It was good because my skin was less oil and there were no more breakouts, but it was a messy.
THE FIX: Do this in your kitchen instead of taking everything into the bathroom. Do it right over the sink and paint the mask on with a basting brush. Make sure you wash everything off well. Do this often if you're oily, but less often if you're dry.
GET RID OF SKIN BRUISES FAST. While doing ten bajillion things in a day, I'm known to bash my leg into the cabinet because …it's there! Why is it there? An ugly bruise will form. Or in the case of my friend Carol, she bruises because her 100-pound dog likes to jump on her. Whatever the issue, you don't want to look like a walking bruise and don't have to look this way.
I TRIED IT: Our friends at Dixie Bits (they have amazing products) suggest that you buy sunflower oil and keep it in your house because it smells nice and it's a light oil packed with vitamins A, B, D and E and high in linoleic acid. It's been used to provide a protective barrier on the skin of preemie babies and make them less susceptible to infections. Another benefit is you can use it on skin bruises.
THE FIX: No fix needed. Just apply a light coating to your bruises and watch them fade faster.
Do you have a favorite DIY beauty recipe? Let me know below!
