Simple beauty: Look good, plus trim spendy product costs
By MEGAN K. SCOTT • The Associated Press
• November 22, 2008
Sure, we've got problems with the economy. But no one wants to look stressed-out about it.
Here are ideas for keeping skin, hair and nails in shape without breaking the bank: Face stuff
Skip the expensive creams. Janet Luhrs, author of the newsletter, "Simple Living" and the book, "The Simple Living Guide," used to buy moisturizing cream at the dermatologist's office, spending $108 for a 4-ounce jar. Now she uses 100 percent jojoba, apricot or avocado oil, that she gets for around $4 for the same size container. Make your own acne treatment. Dina Falconi, an herbalist and author of "Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair," offers this recipe: Combine a quarter cup of water, a quarter cup of 80 proof liquor, and 20 drops each of sage, grapefruit and lavender essential oils. Apply to the problem area, she said. Forget about toner. If you want that squeaky, clean feeling, that's fine, said Nadine Haobsh, beauty expert and author of "Beauty Confidential." But there's no need to incorporate a toner into your routine, she said. She recommends simplifying things by using just a cleanser and an SPF 30 cream or serum. At night, use a cream or serum that has retinol and peptides, she said. Dab on pimple cream from the drug store when you feel a pimple coming. For more problem skin, go to the derm, she said. Grab a lemon or cucumber. Take a make-up brush, dip it in lemon juice and use it to fade age spots and freckles, said Haobsh. If you are prone to oily skin, soak a cotton ball in lemon juice and rub it on the T-Zone. Slice a cucumber and put a slice over each eye to deflate puffy eyes, she said.Make-up
Hit the drug store. Luhrs purchases foundation, eyeshadow and mascara at the local drug store. Cheap and better eye liner. Eyeliner at a fancy make-up counter can run you $13.00, Luhrs said She lightly moistens her powder eye shadow with water and then uses a fine brush to line her eyes. Find one or two colors that look great on you, and sticks with them.Hygiene
A little bit of Crisco never hurt. If you have super dry skin, use Crisco as a moisturizer, whether it's the hands, feet or face, said Haobsh. "It's not glamorous, but it works," she said. Vaseline does, too. Do your own waxes. Drug stores boast an array of home waxing kits for the face and body, said Haobsh. Use baking soda as toothpaste. Mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to the consistency of toothpaste and use it daily to brush teeth, said cosmetic dentists Drs. Marc Lowenberg and Gregg Lituchy. This cleans surface stains, kills bacteria and makes teeth appear whiter.Hair
Make your own shampoo. Falconi's recipe: Six to eight ounces of an herbal tea, 3 ounces of liquid castile soap, which can be purchased at a health food store, a quarter of a teaspoon of vegetable oil and up to 60 drops of an essential oil. Grab some condiments: Rinse your hair with beer in the shower to seal in shine. And if you are out of cream hair moisturizer, use your body moisturizer, Falconi said. Rub it into your hands and run your hands through your hair. DIY hair color. Modern hair color kits are pretty much fool-proof, said Haobsh. You can even do highlights yourself. Ask your regular hair stylist if he or she can recommend a kit to tide you between professional treatments, said stylist Peter Ishkhans, host of "Peter Perfect," which debuts a new season in January 2009 on The Style Network. Cut your own bangs. Make sure your hair is dry, said Ishkhans. Cut the bangs flat on your face (don't hold the bangs up and cut) and don't go shorter than your eye brows, he said. Use less. Ishkhans suggests adding water to shampoo and conditioner to make it last longer.Nails
Do your own manis and pedis. It's not about the color, said Haobsh. "If you keep the cuticles moisturized and keep your nails to a uniform shape, it'll look nice, like you had a manicure done." Use olive oil on the cuticles and gently push them back. File the nails to the same shape and length. Do this regularly, she said.
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