Friday 6 December 2013

Beauty on budget!

ARTICLE UPDATE FROM MAY 2013, CARDIFF TIMES


Long summer days are here and your skin and make up routine needs attention. Prepare yourself to look ravishing this summer… No matter how much you read about being beautiful in the heart, the worth of beautiful and healthy skin cannot be underestimated. So here are some 2013 summer treatments for all those awesome gals out there who got beauty with brains by saving hot cash from expensive salon trips to be spent on fab shoes and miniskirts.
Hair
Weather changes can have serious impacts on your hair. Since Cardiff had pretty cold March and April this year, the extreme hot water showers and high heat blow drying was daily routine for all. In the summers, you can see the impact of this hot torture on your hair in the form of dandruff, hair loss, dryness and split ends. A normal trip to Boots might help you get some hair treatments such as Regain and Macademia Hair Masks. But in case you do not want to spend a fortune in Boots and want to rescue your hair from cheap products, here are my beauty secrets.


Beer Bath for hair
I know it sounds gross but this one won’t let you down, it’s a promise and tested secret. Get a bottle of Peroni and relax. Fill the bath with your favorite bath salts and tie your hair. Gently pour half the bottle on your head giving it time to absorb on your scalp. Now play on some cool tunes and shut your eyes. After at least 15 minutes, when you are ready for head wash, flip open your hair and pour the rest of the beer to cover the lengths of your hair. Wait for a few minutes before you shampoo and condition as usual.
The malt will make your hair shiny, soft, voluminous and healthy!
Tip! A head massage before the beer rinse will be an add on to your routine. Repeat once a week.
Old but gold: GOLDEN HAIR MASK
Yes, yes we all know how protein packed is EGG and consumption can add to so many benefits. But direct raw egg can do wonders too.
In a plastic bowl, break a medium sized egg and keep the egg white aside in another bowl (will tell you later, why). If your hair is longer, take two egg yolks. Mix it well and add 5 tsps of green tea extract to your mixture. An easy trick is to boil some hot water and dip a green tea bag into it for few hours.
Apply this mixture with an applicator brush to your roots. Wait for an hour or more before washing off with your favorite shampoo.
This is direct protein intake for your roots and will give amazing results.

Face
After this long chilly weather, sunny days are really tempting to sit and relax and feel the sunshine on your face. UV rays can be harmful and can cause dryness, redness, oily pores and other skin conditions. You don’t need to go to Boots again and spend a fortune on skincare. There are a few things you can do to save the day!
Seasonal treasure: MANGO MASK
Although, globalization has made possible to get any fruit at any time of the year, anywhere in the world, there is still some pleasure in reaping the fresh fruit coming out of mother earth, rather than a tin can of the fruit bits stored in it for months. A mouth watering summer fruit from the hot part of the earth is MANGO. Make use of this Mango from your local grocery/fruit shop.
Mash half a mango into a paste. Add few drops of your favorite oil such as rose/coconut or argan. Mix well. Now add a few drops and lemon and Viola!!!!
Apply the mixture gently on your face and neck may be while your hair is soaked in beer. Wash off with warm water. Repeat the treatment once a week and WOW your friends with a mangolicious look this summer.
The leftovers: EGG WHITE MASK
While you made the egg yolk hair mask, I asked you to keep the egg white safe. Here is why…
Take egg whites in a small bowl and beat them until frothy. Add few drops of honey and lemon to the mixture. To end, add 2tbsp of Oatmeal or ground rice.
Apply the mixture on face and neck and wash off with warm water.
The benefits of this mask are better than commercial creams. It is used for skin tightening, exfoliating, cleansing and oil blotting.
Your pores will literally thank you for this one.

Body
It is hot and a great opportunity to wear minis, sleeveless and backless dresses. As much as you want to show off some skin, you may want to show the skin to die for! A trip to your local beauty salon can be helpful but in case you don’t want to spend a lot and be your own boss, here is an awesome idea…
Get some Epsom salts or brown sugar from your grocery or ebay. Take the quantity you want to use because this is a fresh mixture. Drizzle in some olive or coconut oil. Mix well. Mix in some ginger and lime, zest or grated. You can also add/replace orange, strawberry mash and honey. Apply the mixture to your hand and legs gently and rub off the dead skin cells to reveal a shiny baby soft skin to go perfect with those strappy stilettos.
Lips
I wouldn’t suggest making your own lipstick at home, but a lip scrub could be helpful to cure dry chapped lips. This season, popsicle lip shades are in so for this, you may want to visit Boots and find some candy shade lipsticks to complement with bright summer maxis and crisp white tops. Look out for color burst shades from Revlon.
It is easier to buy products from the superstore but the benefits of these homemade remedies are next to nothing. The ingredients are easy to find at home, you can treat yourself whenever you want to, for however long you want and still get those expensive high maintenance looks. It’s all in the details babe. Go homemade and see the difference.


 PUBLISHED IN CARDIFF TIMES, MAY 2013

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