Beauty tips and tricks....

hello againnnnnnnnnn......

how r u all??? i hope everyone's well
in this post i am going to give you beauty tips and tricks to make yourself fabulous without going into debt...

When i was in college, i could only work part time, so i didn't have a big budget for my beauty products... so i tried beauty products from my own kitchen and found out which one works which one doesn't... and i'm going to share it with you.....

FACE:

I like masks.... my favourite type of masks are those made with natural ingredients... like the eminence mask

it's made with 8 different kinds of plants... please don't make me list them coz i don't remember what they are....but the mask has this gel consistency which greatly hydrates the skin ....

i was inspired to make a home made mask... while so many others fail.... i was able to make one that works very well..

GREEN TEA YOGURT MASK:
I made this mask when i learned about cosmetic ingredients at the beauty school... i was inspired by the fact that CLEOPATRA used to bathe in sour donkey milk to maintain her smooth skin(as it has enzymes that dissolve dead skin cells).. the YOGURT has lactic acid that also takes away the outer layer of dead skin cells..... and the GREEN TEA has antioxidant properties which will give you a glowing skin.... it's perfect for dull skin that needs exfoliation

the secret ingredient is honey.... HONEY helps calm the skin that might otherwise get irritated by the acidity of the yogurt...

The key is to choose FULL FAT UNSWEETENED YOGURT.... the full fat is important(vs the low fat) as the fat will nourish and moisturize your skin......

also, the green tea part comes from MATCHA POWDER, not green tea leaves!......the matcha powder is able to dissolve itself in the yogurt.. and it gives the yogurt a pretty light green color...

Now just add enough matcha to turn the yogurt into PALE green.... 
and add just a touch of honey (don't go overboard).. i never measure things,, i just put them together...

put the mask on for 15 minutes.. and you will have super smooth skin... (i tried it on my brother and it lightened his complexion also)

the best part of this mask, is that if you have some left over.. you can eat it as a healthy snack.. lol.. or you can put it on the fridge.... 


ASPIRIN MASK
i learned this from a famous beauty blogger...this mask is perfect for oily and acneic skin...i don't really understand the exact mechanism of it... but it has said that it will clear up and dry up pimples in no time....

what you do is take 1 aspirin tablet and ground it... and add 1 table spoon if water.. don't worry if you can't turn it into a fine powder, the water will dissolve the aspirin(as long as it's uncoated)... and after that put the mixture lightly in your skin.....

DON'T put it on too long.... it gave me a headache.. i think 10 minutes should be enough.. i was also scared of putting it too long coz the drug can get into the bloodstream through your skin....

the results?: well it definitely work as the pimples dry up way quicker.. but it also made my skin drier in the process....

if you have acneic skin this would be perfect to try... 

THE WACKY:

EGG WHITE MASK: i learned this from a collegue.... this is really simple also...just take an egg and put the egg white on your face.... but i was too disgusted to put eggs on my face so i never tried it... plus she has really bad wrinkles... so i don't trust that the mask work (im so mean huh? lol)

PEPTOBISMOL MASK: yes,. you read that right.. peptobismol as in that neon pink liquid you drink when you have a tummy ache,

claims that the enzymes in peptobismol clears up your complexion... i personally haven't tried this... but if you have and got good results.. please let me know...

HAIR:
a lot of bloggers recommend putting MAYONAISSE as a hair mask ... but i just don't have the heart to put that stuff in my hair...

i did try COCONUT MILK though... totally doesn't work.. it makes my hair even worse and tangled!!!!

what works is COCONUT OIL...

i buy it from health food stores.. they come in these jars... not too expensive.. about $10 dollars for a big jar... they are solid at room temperature but as you take some in your palm and warm it up , it turns liquid... i put a generous amount in my hair... and wrap a towel soaked in HOT WATER (for steam) for about 30 minutes.... and afterwards i shampoo it off and my hair is so silky...

it also works as hair oil.. during those days where your hair looks extra frizzy...

I love that it made my hair smell like coconut, i just love the smell of coconut oil.. and coconut oil is sooo versatile... you can use it as nail oil to moisturize the dry skin around the nail, or you can put it on your eyelashes as eyelash conditioner(to make them grow longer and thicker)...

i also use loreal HAIR MASK as conditioner..i always find that conditioner dries my hair... and that putting on hair mask every week is not enough.. so i started using hairmask as conditioner everytime i wash my hair.. but i leave it on for 5 minutes vs 30... 

I use the loreal total repair masque... it isn't really expensive (about 5 bucks/jar?) and it is easy to find(you can grab one at a supermarket) it's really viscous so a little bit goes a longgg way....

I dye my hair a lot so the ends are really dry... but when i religiously use this for 3 weeks.. it made a huge difference.....hair is silkier, shinier, smoother,, less tangled....

ONE thing that i urge you to buy is HAIR SERUM/ hair oil.... i buy one from paul mitchell...(kerastase is also good but it's a bit pricier) i put it on when my hair is stilll wet and before i BLOWDRY.. it helps protect the hair from heat...  a little goes a long way with hair serum... it will last you a longgggggggggg time

I also find it helpfull if you airdry the hair a lil bit before blowdrying... it cuts the blowdrytime in half(hence your hair is not exposed to the heat as long).....

If you have problems with thin hair.. i suggest growing aloe vera plants, as they mature, cut the stem and spread the gel on your scalp... when i was young my mother always put aloe vera on my scalp.. and i have super thick hair now... i never worry about hair loss... sometimes my hair is so thick that my hairdresser complained that it takes forever to blowdry.. lol

BODY:
scrubs are ridiculously expensive, yet they are so easy to make... i was taught how to make scrubs at beauty school...

first you need an ABRASIVE, either SALT , SUGAR or GROUNDED COFFEE....

i like to use salt since it's cheap and readily available...
 second, you need a carrier oil.... COCONUT, JOJOBA, OLIVE OIL, or PALM oil will do...

simply add a few drops of oil into the salt until the salt is saturated....and scrub away.... (while you moisturize your skin)

If you want to turn it into a spa experience.. add a fragrant essential oil.. such as LAVENDER, JASMINE, ROSE or whatever you like... you need only a few drops (as long as you can smell it it's enough)...
my favourite essential oil is lavender as it has calming properties...

L'occitane has pictures of lavender fields in provence in their shopping bags... everytime i smell lavender i picture myself being there....

PIGMENTED SKIN
I have pigmented skin on some areas of the body.....such as my armpitt... lol.. it's so embarassing to admit.. it's not that i don't shower or anything.. but no matter what i do it's just slightly darker than the rest of my body( i have really pale skin)...

so i looked around the internet, and one optioni have is IPL(laser)
as it's really expensive i looked at other options....

LEMON JUICE is another option.... so what i do now is squeezed lemon juice every night before bedtime(i don't recommend it during the daytime as it will make you smell really funky)... lol

i don't know the results yet... i will let you know in 3 weeks...

I hope all the beauty tips help... and i hope it inspired you to try some of the things i did.... hopefully it works for you too

Note: it is also important to eat a well balanced diet for healthy skin, hair and bones.... as for me, i find that eating tofu/soy products really help made my skin glow... one time my mom went into a crazy and cooked tofu products everyday... one morning after eating 2 weeks of tofu everyday.. i found that my skin was glowing like crazy.... i think it's the phytoestrogen in tofu that made my skin glow... lol
todeloo...
xoxo