Looking good for less

The ultimate key to feeling and looking to die for is very simply good skin and hair. The are the canvas to which you apply your makeup of choice, add hats, ribbons, diamonds...and no matter what you wear there they are sitting atop of your current look. With them in tip top shape the plainest outfit can look chic, a pair of blue jeans and a loose white top paired with groomed shining hair and a glowing complexion is never goes out of style or favour. Achieving this need not be expensive or time costly, in fact in my experience its about not doing rather than doing. Sometimes what you can make yourself is just as good as what can be bought. Here's my guide to feeling fabulous on a non existent budget
The golden rules
Avoid hair appliances as much as you can manage because honey it can burn you hair to a crisp.
Speaking of honey it is loved by Catherine Zeta Jones as a part of her beauty regime, on her skin mixed with sugar and rinsing her hair mixed with beer.
Take a break from make up at least one day a week and when you do wear it remove it PROPERLY.
Drink water and homemade juices and smoothies. I don't care what all those shop bought juices say about being natural and packed with vitamins, I will always prefer a homemade one where I can see everything that goes into it. For a skin tonic include carrot and spinach. Swap tea for herbal teas especially green tea.
Wear sunscreen religiously, prevents cancer and wrinkles, I've also heard of women applying margerine and butter to their faces and apparently it does wonders to prevent wrinkles in the future.
Cleanse, tone and moisturize I recommend 'simple' because it's gentle to sensitive skin.
To get instant shine to your hair when washing your hair, blast it for a few seconds at the end with cold water, this also is great for your body.
Detoxing every now and then is heaven for your body and appearance and it can all be done at home (more of this in further posts), some great detoxing juices include apple and carrot juice; chop 4 carrots and 2 green apples, juice and drink immediately. Raspberry and peach juice; a handful of raspberries and 2 peaches washed and stoned and juiced. Tomato juice; just 6 tomatoes juiced.

Kitchen cosmetics
I urge you to check out http://allnaturalbeauty.us/hbr_mainpage.htm It takes items you'll find in your kitchen so as lemons, bananas, coffee, oranges, avocado.. Items that are dirt cheap and provides homemade beauty ingredients that are effective and natural.
I have very sensitive skin and find exfoliators very irritating but I find homemade natural exfoliators do the trick. My mother thought me to use sugar or salt mixed with olive oil to sort out tanning disasters or remove dead hard skin from the feet and my good is it money saving. A salt body scrub not only removes dead skin and clears pores but also stimulates circulation and the removal of toxins from the lymphatic system and stimulates cell renewal.
Now its not found in the kitchen but for those who don't want to fork out on dry shampoos and have baby powder lying around apply it to greasy roots and comb through.
Homemade face masks are cheap, rewarding and smell divine. the Internet is awash with recipes one of my favourites is for oily spot prone skin and includes 1 grated apple and 5 tp of warmed honey mixed together and applied to the face for 10 minutes and removed with warm water.
Applying natural yogurt to the face also works wonders.
Food guide
If your skin is dry eat leafy greens, bananas, broccoli, fish and sesame.
If your skin is spotty eat yogurt and tofu
Reduce red meat, caffeine, dairy, fast food and sugary food and add more fruit, green vegetables and whole grain.
To reduce dryness, wrinkles and bags eat fish such as salmon and seafood at least twice a week.
For brittle hair eat carrots, lettuce, peppers, strawberries, apples, onions, peas, spinach and green tea.


P.S: On another note this picture brought quite a smile to my face, I've always loved Vivenne Westwood and admired her for doing her own thing regardless of whats in or out or trendy. Fair play to Pammy I'm loving the dress but I would not wear those socks, ghastly.

(none of the above pictures are mine and have been sourced from vogue and google images)

xox