April 13, 2010

Beauty on the Cheapo

Being pretty can be expensive. I was at Rite Aid the other day, walking down the cosmetic aisle and stumbled upon a tube of mascara that was sixteen dollars! What? Definitely not cool. 

I'm all for the cheapo, so I thought I would share some inexpensive beauty tips I have learned and love. 

1. Egg White Mask
Simply crack open an egg (but leave out the yolk!) into a bowl, and then wipe it on your face. Simple as that. Don't put it on your lips or eyelids because when the egg white dries, it gets really hard and you won't be able to talk or open your eyes. Leave it on for 10-30 minutes (the longer the better!) and then wash off with cool water. Wala! You have super tight, flawless looking skin! It is also great for helping get rid of acne, redness and scarring. 
To make things more interesting, you can add a bit of honey, oats, lemon juice, or milk. Personally, I just like using the egg white. When you're done, cover up the bowl and put it in the fridge. You can use for 3-4 days after, but I would get rid of anything left over after that.

2. Redness Reducer!
I think this has happened to all of us... you wake up one morning to find an huge unsightly red blemish in the most obvious place it could possibly be on your face. And no matter how much foundation or concealer you use, you can't seem to cover it up. Solution? Eye drops for red eyes! Weird I know, but all you do is put a drop on your finger and then dab it on the blemish. Let it set for a few minutes and before you know it, the redness will go away and the pimple will be MUCH less noticeable. You can buy a little bottle at your local drug store for under $2! Just make sure you buy the kind for REDNESS, not allergies or dryness or anything else.

3. Shiny Hair is Sweet!
Warm up about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup (depending on hair length and thickness) of honey in the microwave until its runny and hot. Not too hot though, because you'll be putting it in your hair and you won't want to scald your scalp. Take it with you to the shower and just let it sit for a minute while you wash your hair with shampoo. Then towel dry your hair until its not dripping anymore and pour the honey over your hair, working it through the ends and making sure you cover every strand. Since this can get a bit sticky, I like to get a plastic grocery bag and wrap it around my hair (don't cover your face... obviously) and then use the handles to tie it. Then go do whatever for 10-15 minutes while the honey soaks your hair. When the time is up, get back in the shower and wash out the honey with lukewarm or cool water. Make sure you wash it all out or else it will dry in your hair and then it will be really hard to get out. You can follow with conditioner if your hair tends to be on the dryer side. It leaves your hair super soft and super shiny! 
 You can also do this on dry hair, I tried it once and it was a bit more difficult to work the honey through, but works just the same.

3. Mayo Hair Mask
No, I'm not kidding. Mayonnaise is great for dry hair. Just take about 1 cup and work it into your dry hair and scalp. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then follow with shampoo and conditioner. This tends to be a bit smelly, so use a strong shampoo flavor after. The fat in the mayo restores moisture to your hair and makes it super soft as well.

What are some of your beauty secrets?

2 comments:

  1. Julia. You are a freakin' genius. Thanks for this. Definitely trying the egg whites and Visine. I've always wondered how you were so stinkin' beautiful...

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  2. All awesome tips! Never heard of the honey thing. I tend to just eat and EAT that stuff.

    One of my favorite tips isn't really for your face or hair, it's for your makeup brushes. About once a week I take a clean plate and pour on about two tablespoons of dish washing liquid, and then about one tablespoon of olive oil. (eyeball it, it's not rocket science) Then you just swirl your brushes around in the mixture and rinse. The dish soap removes any makeup, and the oil helps keep it soft and moisturized. :-)

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