PAMPER YOU SKIN ~ EASY DIY RECIPES

OLIVE OIL & SUGAR SCRUB

What do you get when you mix two great things together? Well, if they’re olive oil and sugar, you get one heck of a skin scrub. I like to use this rich, moisturizing scrub on my hands, feet and body at least a few times every winter. The gently exfoliating sugar grains buff the flakes away from even my roughest, driest patches, while the olive oil helps to moisturize and repair.

If you happen to be out of olive oil, substitutions are allowed. You can swap it out for body or facial oils, like jojoba or argan.

The quantities listed here should make enough to scrub both of your hands and feet, but if you’re hoping for a full body scrub, you’ll want to use more.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Mix the sugar and olive oil into a thick paste, which should just take a minute, and then buff where needed using small circular motions.

Rinse with warm water, and follow up, if you’d like, with your favorite moisturizer for even more hydration.

SOOTHING YOGURT MASK

My combination dry/oily skin hates the chill in the air outside, and it’s also not a huge fan of indoor heaters. To show my face some TLC, I like yogurt masks like this one here.

The lactic acid in the yogurt gently dissolves away rough, dead skin cells while the oatmeal soothes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of plain yogurt (I prefer Greek yogurt because it’s thick and stays put)
• 1/2 cup of regular (not instant) oatmeal

Mix your yogurt and oatmeal into a paste, and apply it to freshly washed, clean skin. Let that sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with water or wiping with a warm washcloth.

You can also adjust this recipe, depending on the condition of your skin, or to address specific concerns. Gals with very oily skin can add a couple of drops of lemon juice to help clarify and cleanse, while damsels with dry skin can add two tablespoons of honey for extra moisture.

ORANGE JUICE & BAKING SODA MASK

As much as I like this time of year, my skin doesn’t. For me, holiday stress and dry weather adds up to breakouts (ugh!). If your skin has also been acting up, try this easy-peasy face mask. It combines baking soda to exfoliate, with orange juice to tighten pores.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda

Mix and stir the juice and baking soda for a few seconds, and apply a thin layer to clean skin. Let that sit and dry for about 20 minutes (try to sit still so the mixture doesn’t slide away), and then rinse with water, or remove with a warm washcloth.

10 MAKEUP MISTAKES YOU MIGHT BE MAKING

MISTAKE NO. 1: WEARING THE WRONG FOUNDATION SHADE

“Foundation isn’t supposed to give your skin a bit of a tan. After all, that’s what bronzers are for. Instead, “it’s supposed to create a perfect, smooth complexion and cover-up any imperfections. This is why you should always use a foundation which blends in with your skin.” We recommend testing on your jawline (not your hand!) before buying, and when possible, ask for a sample first. That way you can try it at home — and look at your skin in various lighting situations — to make sure the shade you choose looks natural.

MISTAKE NO. 2: APPLYING MAKEUP ON DRY, FLAKY SKIN

Foundation will only emphasize the flakes by sitting on top of them instead of blending in with your skin. Fix the dryness by exfoliating regularly (to get rid of flakes) and following that up with a rich moisturizer. Smoother skin means a much smoother application and finished look.

MISTAKE NO. 3: WEARING BLUE EYESHADOW

“Blue eye shadow works for some people. “Little girls in dance recitals. Guests at 1970s-themed parties. Ethereal looking supermodels. If you aren’t one of the aforementioned people, don’t wear it. Enough said.” Harsh, but truer words have never been spoken.

MISTAKE NO. 4: TRYING TO “PLUMP” YOUR LIPS

You’ve probably heard, or tried, the trick of lining just outside your natural lip line to make your lips look bigger. But it’s way easier said than done. One wrong move and you’ll end up looking like Pamela Anderson circa 1993. If you are going to attempt it, try to use a lip liner the same shade as your lipstick on the outer line of your lips, without passing over it. Fill in your lips as well — that way if your lipstick fades, you don’t wind up with only a line around your mouth.

MISTAKE NO. 5: OVER-TWEEZING (OR IGNORING) YOUR EYEBROWS

“When [brows are] well groomed they can enhance your eyes and your entire look. So head to a professional to get an ideal shape. While you do want to tame overgrown brows, we stress that you don’t want to tweeze too much. “As we get older, our brows naturally become sparser, so if you tweeze your brows too thin they might never fully grow back,” she says. So just stick with cleaning up the area around your brows and follow their natural arch for your best shape.

MISTAKE NO. 6: WEARING AN ENTIRE EYE PALETTE ON YOUR LIDS

“Just because your compact came with four or more colors packaged together doesn’t mean you have to paint them all onto your eyelids at once. Instead, we recommend wearing no more than three shades at a time: a medium one on your lids, a lighter one near your brow bone and a dark one as liner. But for every day, you really only need a sweep of one shade across your lid.

MISTAKE NO. 7: TRYING TO “SCULPT” YOUR FACE

Yes, we would all love chiseled cheekbones and a dainty, ski-slope nose, but if nature didn’t deliver, makeup isn’t going to help. Contouring is best left to professionals, and only for photography or film. “No matter how skilled you are with the makeup brush, it’s nearly impossible to use dark colors that aren’t glaringly obvious when viewed in person, especially in broad daylight. Focus instead on pretty, soft makeup that plays up your best features.

MISTAKE NO. 8: USING PENCIL ON YOUR EYEBROWS

A penciled eyebrow looks painted and weird (hello Joan Crawford). Nevertheless, many women still go this route to fill in brows. A better option: Choose an eye shadow color that matches your hair color and apply with a thin, stiff, angled brush using tiny strokes.

MISTAKE NO. 9: WEARING BLACK EYELINER IN THE DAYTIME

Here is a general rule: dark colors shrink and recede. Light colors advance and bring forward. That’s why we recommend skipping black eyeliner (especially underneath eyes) during the day, so your eyes look more open and awake. Switch to a brown liner for daytime use underneath eyes.

MISTAKE NO. 10: GOING NUTS WITH “LUMINIZING” PRODUCTS

Luminous particles have been added to everything in the past few years, most notably foundations, powders, and highlighting products. One or two such products can make a woman look fresh and glowing. Too many can make her look very, very strange. Think glowing head on a matte body, or like you spent your morning leaning over an oil vat — not exactly sexy. We suggest limiting your illuminating products to these areas: cheekbones, inner eye corners, and (if used sparingly) under the eye.

Tips to help your skin in winter weather

There's nothing worse than dry, itchy skin. Dry skin can happen any time during the year, but is most prevalent in winter.  Find out why your skin tends to be dry in winter and how to solve dry hands, feet, body, face and lips year-round.

Why Do I Suffer From Dry Skin in the Winter?

In winter, low temperatures, low humidity and strong, harsh winds deplete skin of its natural lipid layer, which keeps the skin from drying out. The dry air from furnaces and other heating sources also suck the moisture out of skin. To keep skin soft and supple, your goal is not to add moisture to skin, but to keep moisture in. These 25 tips show you how to do this.

Dry Skin Tip: Keep Water Lukewarm, Not Hot

Hot water robs skin of moisture causing dry skin, so it's best to shower in lukewarm water. If you can't bear this rule -- I can't -- try to keep your showers short and try showering only once per day. This also means skipping hot tubs (another rule I simply cannot bear). The hot, hot temperature, combined with drying chemicals, is torture on dry skin.

The same rule applies to hand-washing: Wash hands in lukewarm, never hot, water (this is a rule I firmly abide by). If your skin turns red, the water is simply too hot.

Dry Skin Tip: Moisturize After Showers or Hand Washing

Your skin will tell you when it's dry. If your skin feels tight and taut, it's time to add moisture. 

Dry Skin Tip: Exfoliate on a Weekly or Semi-Weekly Basis

Moisturizer is much more effective on properly exfoliated skin. Use a salt or sugar scrub in the shower and exfoliate your face with a mild scrub made for the face. 

Dry Skin Tip: Invest in a Humidifier

Ever notice how older people in desert climates look like leather? The moisture in the air is actually good for skin. If you live in a low-humidity climate or you are around furnaces in the winter, invest in a humidifier.

Dry Skin Tip: Skip the Drying Soaps

Soaps can be drying. Stick with a creamy moisturizing cleanser that contains glycerin or petrolatum, such as Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash for the body or Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash (my current drugstore pick) for the face.

Extra tip: Simply can't skip the bath? Skip the bubbles, which can contain harsh foaming ingredients and opt for bath oils or oatmeal scrubs, which are great for soothing itchy skin.

Dry Skin Tip: Baby Your Hands & Feet

Hands and feet can suffer terribly from dry, itchy skin. Put on moisturizer and gloves BEFORE you head outdoors in the winter, and consider lathering up your feet in thick moisturizer and sleeping in cotton socks at night.

Extra tip: Cover feet in a thick moisturizer, wrap feet in Saran Wrap, then pull on a pair of socks for a couple hours. Try to sit or lie down while the moisturizer soaks in or risk sliding into a full split and pulling your groin muscles. The same treatment can be done on hands, except try plastic bags and keep hands in a pair of socks. A half-hour should do you.

Dry Skin Tip: Stay Hydrated But Don't Go Overboard

Many people believe if they drink more water, they'll hydrate skin. But I've read time and time again that this is a myth and you simply cannot moisturize skin from the inside out.

That said, a small study recently published by the University of Hamburg (and reported in Allure magazine), suggests people who drink relatively little water could see a significant benefit in skin hydration if they started drinking nine eight-ounce glasses of water per day. What does this mean? Probably that dehydration does affect skin, but a normally hydrated person isn't going to see major benefits by drinking even more water.

My advice: don't expect bottled water to save you from dry skin and the winter itch.

Dry Skin Tip: Don't Forget Your Lips

Licking your lips will not moisturize them and instead will help dry them out. Lips retain less moisture than other parts of the body, so they tend to dry out more quickly. A simple lip balm helps but if you have the bucks, try: Kinerase Lip Treatment (about $38).

Stacey ~ Wonder Valley Resort

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