Very useful tool! Evaluate your skin = )

Sponsored by L'Oreal, you can get information about your skin type and even a personalized regimen.  Definitely check it out.  You don't need to get the L'Oreal products.  Just buy cheaper substitutes instead-- or if what you're using is working for you, then why change it?  Just add the additional products recommended for you that you are not currently using.


Personal Skin Evaluator

Source:  WebMD

Dry, aging skin

Dry, aging skin?  Try this:

Add a drop of vitamin E oil to a squirt of your moisturizer and smooth the mix onto trouble spots (such as around your mouth and eyes)--it's a trick Luke learned from her relatives back home. "Besides being a skin hydrator, vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that helps skin stay young looking," says Women's Health dermatology advisor Francesca Fusco, M.D.

Source:  Women's Health

DIY pimple cream! Cheap, cheap! I like!

DIY for acne! You don't need a store-bought cream for acne.  You can try this concoction with things you already have at home!

"Combine baking soda with water to make a paste and dab it onto a pimple," suggests Nadine Luke, a MAC makeup artist in New York City who was born in St. Ann's Parish, Jamaica. "As it dries and hardens, it sucks dirt and oil out of your pores."

Source:  Women's Health

Lash curler spoons?

On one special occasion, I had to rush out to buy a lash curler at the local CVS.  It cost me $3+.  So expensive!  At that time, I wish I had time to rush to the local 99 Cent Only store-- well, that is IF they had them in stock.

Well whaddya know-- I could have just used a spoon instead of wasting my $3+!  Read on:

Mexican women use teaspoons as lash curlers, says Brenda Legorreta, former editor of Women's Health Mexico. Here's how: In one hand, hold the spoon horizontally so it's cupping your lid. The edge should touch the roots of your upper lash line. Using the thumb of the same hand, gently press your eyelashes upward against the back of the spoon. Slowly push the edge up toward the ends of your lashes. Repeat until you've achieved the degree of curl you want, then apply mascara.

Source:  Women's Health

Prevent premature skin aging

I am pretty tanned, even in the Winter.  I can't seem to lighten up my skin tone.  I did research online, and some people swear that by using water leftover from rinsing rice to cleanse the face daily, it will lighten up the skin tone.  I definitely need to try that.

Anyways, it seems that the rice water has other benefits:

"Many women in China use rice water to cleanse their faces, because rice has antioxidants that help prevent premature skin aging," says esthetician Christine Chin, owner of Christine Chin Spa in NYC. Give it a try: Soak Chinese rice (find it at Chinese grocery stores) in bottled water for 20 minutes. Strain the rice out of the water, then dunk a washcloth in it. Apply the damp cloth to your face for 10 minutes. Do this once a week.

Source:

Dry hair

I frequently have dry hair.  Sometimes, I have to use a conditioning mask, but it seems that it wears out pretty quickly because soon my hair will feel brittle again.

So, what to do to quench your hair's thirst?

Use shea butter and apply it thickly to hair as a hydrating mask, or in a smaller amount as a leave in conditioner.

Source:  Women's Health

Pretty nails

If you have nails that are tinted yellow from nail polish or you just want to whiten up your nails, use lemon or lime wedges and scrub on your nails.  Then, it's a good idea to moisturize your cuticles with lotion in case you get some of the acid on the skin surrounding your nail.

Here's a tip for prevent splitting or peeling:

Make a soak of warm olive oil and a few drops of vitamin A oil to moisturize nails and make them less prone to splitting or peeling (a result of dryness). "Do it every two weeks to keep them healthy and strong," says Ana-Maria Gheorghiu, a Romanian manicurist and owner of Onyx Salon & Spa in New York City.

Sources:
Mom (cosmetologist)
Women's Health

Get glowing skin!

Want glowing skin?

Mash either avocado or papaya, slather it on their face, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then rinse with water. Avocado is loaded with skin-friendly oils, and papaya has papain, an exfoliating enzyme.

Source:  Women's Health

Battle frizzy hair

Don't you hate it when your hair gets all frizzy and you can't control the frizziness?

Coat the ends of their hair with a few drops of coconut oil before bed and leave it on overnight to keep hair frizz-free.

Source:  Women's Health

Smooth out rough skin

I have rough skin around my elbows and my knees, so here are some things I'll be trying out:

To smooth rough skin, combine a quarter cup of grated fresh ginger and a quarter cup of finely chopped limes and rub the mixture onto dry spots.

"Women all over West Africa use shea butter to soften their skin," says New York City model Nina Keita, who was born in the lvory Coast.

Source: Women's Health

Elbow or Armpit redness or bumps

I use an epilator for my armpits since it's fast, but it does give me redness and bumps.  Pretty nasty.  So, here's a tip for getting rid of the redness and bumps that I found that also works on elbows:

Add the juice of two lemons to one tablespoon of baking soda; rub the paste onto skin for 20 minutes and rinse off with water. Follow up with a moisturizer.

Source: Women's Health

Shrink pores

There's nothing you can do that will permanently shrink pores.  Well-- not that I've heard of.

But to prevent pores from getting even bigger, always be sure to use all these products:

1. Cleanser
   
2. Exfoliator - scrubs off excess skin that may clog pores
   
3. Toner/ astringent - cleans out the leftover dirt and grime from cleansing
   
4. Oil-free or noncomedogenic (non-pore clogging) moisturizer to maintain the pH of your skin.  

Moisturizer is really important because without it, the toner/ astringent will leave your skin too dry, causing excess sebum (oil) production which will further clog pores.
To temporarily shrink pores, you can use a face mask (I've heard that egg whites work too?  I need to look that up!) or using pore strips.

Here's another one I found online:

Combine equal parts orange juice and water and swab the mixture across your face (avoiding the eye area) with a cotton ball. "Leave it on for a few minutes, then rinse," suggests Rebecca Ugalde, editor of Women's Health's Central America edition.

Source: Women's Health