Dark circles

Are stubborn dark circles casting a shadow over your beauty routine? Open your fridge for a quick eye saver. Lactic acid works as an anti-inflammatory that soothes skin, so soak a cloth in cold milk and place on your lids for an instant de-puffer.


Source:  Self Magazine

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

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:

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

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