After the excesses of December, a lot of people are complaining about the effect their big festive season had on them, from their wallets to their faces and bodies. Seeing that it’s “JanuWorry”, we decided to look up beauty treatments for women that are cheap, chic, natural and best of all will not blow your budget.
Berry Skin Scrub
Energize a sallow complexion with this berry-sweet skin scrub.
What You Need
3 medium-size strawberries
1 tablespoon honey
1. Stem strawberries, cut into small pieces, then mash against the sides of a bowl with a spoon until softened.
2. Fold in honey and gently mix until it’s evenly distributed among berries.
3. Using small circles, continuously massage the mixture into your face for 3 minutes; rinse with warm water.
Beauty Benefit
Gentle enough for sensitive skin types, “the natural fruit enzymes in strawberries slough the dull top layer of skin,” says Jolanta Smusz, an aesthetician at Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge in New York City. It’s also ideal for dry and oily skin: The honey hydrates parched patches, while the two-ingredient combo produces a mild antiseptic that can help head off breakouts.
Finger Food Manicure
Who needs lacquer? Neaten nails with juicy “finger food” instead.
What You Need
5 grapes (red ones are packed with more antioxidants than green)
1 tablespoon sugar
1. Slice grapes in half widthwise.
2. Dip the fleshy side into the sugar and use it to massage the skin around each nail (one halved grape per finger) for about 30 seconds each.
3. Brush away excess sugar with a soft towel and rub a dot of grapeseed oil or hand cream onto hands and cuticles.
Beauty Benefit
“The sugar crystals remove dead skin and hangnails, and the gentle fruit acids help exfoliate remaining raggedness,” says Regine Berthelot, head aesthetician at New York City’s Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, where signature manicures begin with this treatment. In addition, the oil and cream offer the instant shine of a top coat.
Treat Your Feet
Get toe-tally smooth in just two steps with this deflaker.
What You Need
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon mashed banana
1. Stir cornmeal and banana together until evenly blended. The mix should have the consistency of wet sand.
2. Massage the paste all over feet, working it into calluses for about 30 seconds, or until skin feels smooth.
Beauty Benefit
“Cornmeal exfoliates roughness and has antifungal properties, while the banana softens skin,” says Kim D’Amato, owner of Priti, an organic spa in New York City.
UV Damage Repairing Mask
Rescue sun-stricken skin with a potent antioxidant-rich mask.
What You Need
10 blueberries
1 tablespoon plain yoghurt
1. Mash blueberries with a spoon (you can also run them through a food processor), then add yoghurt.
2. Spread the mask all over your face; remove with water after 15 minutes.
Beauty Benefit
Blueberries are packed with vitamins C and E, which repair and moisturize skin plus fend off fine lines caused by the sun,” says Cox. Yogurt’s lactic acid helps exfoliate the UV-damaged layers of the epidermis.
Snacks with Beautiful Benefits
Beat your biggest beauty challenges with these tasty, healthy snacks.
For: Pearly Whites
EAT: 1 cup low-fat yogurt. It offers half your daily need of enamel-building calcium and has tooth-strengthening phosphorous, says Lisa Drayer, RD, author of The Beauty Diet.
For: Fewer Wrinkles
EAT: 1 cup kiwi. It has more wrinkle-fighting vitamin C than a cup of orange segments — 220 percent of your daily value, says Allison Tannis, author of Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles.
For: Soft Skin
EAT: 1 cup baked sweet potatoes. Its hue comes from beta-carotene (it has about as much as a carrot), which is converted into skin-softening vitamin A in the body, Tannis says.
For: A Dewy Glow
EAT: 1 cup hot cocoa. Sip this to get twice the amount of antioxidant flavanols as you would from a glass of red wine, Drayer says. They increase blood flow to the skin for added radiance.
For more natural beauty tips head to Fitnessmagazine.com
