10 of the Best Drug Store Beauty Buys I have an apology to make: I used to be one of those girls behind the makeup counter of a big, fancy department store selling you over-priced beauty products. While I won’t say which brand I worked for, I can tell you that my uniform consisted of all black and way too much makeup. Hey, it was the 90’s, after all. Well, I’m here to make amends. Because, you see, not all department store makeup is better than the drug store version. In fact, a lot of drug store makeup is way better than the junk being sold in the department stores. The beauty industry is full of people pushing products that they don’t stand behind 100%. Also, celebrities rarely endorse products because, like the rest of us, they aren’t always picture perfect and no cosmetic company wants to be represented by someone who actually looks like the rest of us common folk. So, to make up for the error in my ways, I am sharing ten of my all-time favorite drug store beauty buys with you. L’Oréal Volumnious Mascara in Carbon Black
How to Make Your Own Beauty Products from Scratch | Diy on GOOD Let's keep things simple this week. When it comes to personal-care products, we are big believers in streamlining what you use—see "Eight Products You Think You Need But Don't" for a refresher—buying less in general, and getting creative. We have both always loved experimenting in our kitchens and our bathrooms, checking ingredients in products we love, isolating the main ones, and then trying them on their own. Sometimes it works: A favorite hair leave-in contained aloe, for example, so one day we tried aloe alone and found that, lo and behold, it worked just fine on its own. And sometimes it didn't. Simple body scrub Many body scrubs, even the ones that claim to be sugar- or salt-based, actually contain beads made out of polyethylene, which is environmentally deplorable (it all goes down the drain, remember)—to say nothing of the preservatives, fragrance, penetration enhancers, and sulfates that typically bulk up these products. Honey face wash One-ingredient eye liner Perfume Shave oil
Secrets learned at makeup artist school You could say that I have a love/hate relationship with makeup. Some days I enjoy playing with all the different colors and get excited when my smoky eye turns out perfectly. But then there are those days when my liner refuses to go on straight, my bronzer makes me look like an Asian Snookie, or my lashes refuse to curl. That's when I want to toss my makeup bag out my bathroom window. I had one of those days last week, and after walking into work wearing two very different winged tips on my eyes, my editor assigned me a new story: Go to makeup school and write about it. Want to see the best techniques I picked up without spending the thousands of dollars (and crazy amount of time) it takes to go to makeup school yourself? Lesson No. 1: Spend some bucks on your tools At Napoleon Perdis' Makeup Academy in Hollywood, Rebecca Prior, NP's National Educator, begins the first lesson by introducing us to our tools. Here are the eight basic brushes you need: 1. Totalbeauty.com
DIY Lengthening Mascara There are oodles of haircare products available. Between oils and deep-conditioners, it's really easy to keep our manes in tip top shape. But what about our eyelashes? They are technically hair as well, and although we love falsies, wouldn't it be nice if your real lashes were super long? If you want long and healthy lashes, look no further, because we've created a DIY lengthening mascara that'll do just that! What You'll Need First, wash an old mascara or nail polish container and fill with: 1/4 of the container with Castor Oil1/2 Vitamin E Oil1/4 Aloe Vera Gel Mix the concoction together as well as you can with your mascara wand. And you're done! While you wait for your own to grow, try out some of these crazy temporary lashes. Also try out some of these fun braids to match your plump new lashes.
5 Relaxing, Rejuvenating Bath Recipes - Perfect Alternatives to Bubbles So, by now you’ve probably come to terms with bubble baths not necessarily being the healthiest , most nourishing alternative for your skin. C’est la vie, crunchy people. C’est la vie. Life goes on, and in much more luxurious, relaxing ways. Here are your 5 ideas to turn your bathtime into a grown-up spa fit for a queen. Or you. Each of them serve a beautifying purpose, and each of them are (of course) environmentally friendly and 100% natural. If it was good enough for Cleopatra, it's good enough for you. You may have heard of Cleopatra. As cliche as it may sound, bathing in milk and honey is a fantastic way to get soft, supple skin – all over your body. The key is to use full-fat milk (or powdered milk) and pure honey. How to take a milk and honey bath: Pour 1-2 cups of milk (or 1/2 c. full-fat powdered milk) and 1/2 c. honey under running, warm water. For full effect, brush your skin lightly and in circular motions with a dry brush or a washcloth before getting in the bathtub.
Natural Beauty Remedies - DIY Beauty Want to banish undereye circles in the blink of an eye? Pass the parsley. It's rich in vitamin K, a nutrient that, when applied topically, reduces blood flow to the eye area—a key factor in the formation of circles, says Kansas City, Missouri—based dermatologist Audrey Kunin, MD, founder of DERMAdoctor. Brightening Eye Mask 1 small handful of fresh parsley2 Tbsp plain yogurt Place parsley and yogurt (which has a cooling and hydrating effect on skin) into a food processor. Home Spa Recipe Treatments - Natural Beauty Recipes at WomansDay Who says you have to spend a fortune on pricey organic beauty products to reap the benefits of nature’s best ingredients? Some of the finest all-natural beauty remedies can be whipped up at home using basic items you probably already have in your kitchen. To give you some ideas, we got beauty experts to share their favorite “recipes” for curing common skin and hair gripes using equally common pantry staples. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. All photos by Shutterstock.
Shave and Save on Women's Razors -- Savings Experiment Experts show you how to cut back on the costs of women's razors. Women's razors can come with a variety of features -- multiple blades, gel strips, etc. -- many of which also increase their cost. Every woman is looking for a close, comfortable shave, but which products offer the best blades for your buck? These days, drugstore shelves are lined with various models that come with extra conveniences and added moisture strips, but the truth is, almost all razors do the exact same thing. So, the best way to save on the product is by making them last longer. So, the next time you get tempted to buy that pretty pearlized pink option, think again.
Gift Ideas for Poor Creative Souls (21) Posted by: Cathy on Oct 06, 2012 Tagged in: Untagged I saw this idea a few times on the Martha Stewart site and I would really like to make these as stocking stuffers this Christmas. It seems like such an easy thing to do and would really take no longer than baking a cake. I have some lovely old jars that I could place these in too which would really make it a lovely gift for someone. Materials: Baking soda Cornstarch Citric acid Spritzer bottles Food coloring Glass bowl Essential oil Baking molds 1. 2. 3. If you wanted to have a different shape, you simply just need to use a different mold, like ice-cube molds. This would give you a different way of being able to package them, like putting them in jars. Source For tutorials on how to market yourself online, go here. Submit tutorials here for free and get more traffic.
Exposed muscle halloween makeup It is the first week of October!!! It is starting to feel like fall… pumpkin flavored everything is in full swing, leather jackets and sweaters are being dusted off and…….Halloween will be here soon! I decided last month that I wanted to do some Halloween makeup tutorials because not only will it possibly be able to help some of you wanting to concentrate heavily on your makeup this year but it also gives me the chance to branch out, try some different techniques and have some fun! Products Used: Grease paint in red, white and black, latex or eyelash glue, not pictured: tissues Clean the skin. Step 1: Rip up your tissue into some jagged pieces, make different sizes. Step 2: While my latex was drying, I went around the latex side of my face with some foundation…I didn’t cover all of the latex/tissue combo just yet because I didn’t know how far I wanted to go yet. Step 3: Ok. Step 4: and this: Easy right? So….. you can use this technique in different places for a great allover “torn” effect!
8 Easy Home Remedies for Acne - Skin and Beauty Center The ingredients to clear acne may be as close as your kitchen cabinet. Homemade acne treatments include facial masks made from lemon juice, cucumber, and honey. You might be surprised to find that you already have several acne treatments right in your own home — and in your kitchen of all places. Common foods and ingredients, such as cucumbers, oatmeal, grapes, and yeast, can be mixed into a facial mask and turned into acne remedies. Giving yourself a homemade facial may help you prevent or clear acne and keep skin glowing, moisturized, and healthy. Fran E. Grape Cleanser Grab a few fresh grapes from your fridge, and you've got an easy facial cleanser. Cucumber Face Mask "Make a paste by blending one small cucumber and 1 cup of oatmeal," says Cook-Bolden. Cucumber Face Pack This cooling, soothing mask will help smooth your skin, which can often feel rough from acne. Simple Honey Mask Before applying this mask, rinse your face with warm water to open up pores, says Cook-Bolden. Oatmeal Facial
DIY beauty treatments you can make in your own kitchen | Makeover Most girly girls dream of a collection of lotions and potions with fancy French labels, but a trip to the produce aisle can be a super natural way to treat your skin free from scary science lab ingredients. Equally exciting, making your own sugar scrub is a heck of a lot easier on your wallet than buying one. Most of these beauty recipes below are cheap, cheap, cheap, but the question is: would you be up for smearing banana on your face or bathing in egg whites? 1. ¾ cup Epsom salts ¼ cup baking soda 4 drops of grapefruit essential oil (or scent of your choice) Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. 2. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and thoroughly blend. 3. Blitz all ingredients in a blender or food processor for an antioxidant rich scrub. 4. ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup grapeseed oil (olive oil would be great, too) splash of vanilla extract Stir to combine and slough away! 5. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredient. 6. 7. Blend ingredients in a food processor until smooth. 8.