I’m sure that at some point we’ve all tried some home remedies to enhance our looks... talcum powder as a dry shampoo, anyone? There are some beauty tips, however, that are pretty outside the box or just downright strange. Over time I’ve come across a few such tips, and I’ve got to say, some of them really do the trick. So please allow me to introduce to you my weird but most certainly wonderful beauty tips.
Lemons - This is one that I’d heard from a couple of sources and had been meaning to try to for ages. You know that slight tinge of colour that is sometimes left on your nails after you’ve painted them without a base coat? Well lemons are actually extremely effective at getting rid of it. A lot of us will have lemons hanging around our kitchen, and if not then they’re very easy to get hold of. Simply cut your lemon into slices and rub the juicy bit onto your naked finger nails and BANG the stain is gone. Get it? But seriously, you don’t need much and it is a little bit like magic.
Bicarbonate of Soda - Most of us are familiar with physical exfoliants such as the sugar or salt that are put into body scrubs to force off flaky skin, but what about chemical exfoliants? They’re actually present in a lot of beauty products, but Sodium Bicarbonate is a very good chemical exfoliant. Yep, that stuff that you have lurking in your baking cupboard can be mixed with water or a water based cleanser (I use Bioderma) to make a substance that will gently lift off any old skin cells to make space for the new, prettier ones. Mix until a thick paste is formed, slather on your face and after ten minutes rinse it off. Simples!
Olive Oil - More kitchen fun. A lot of you may be familiar with Argan or Moroccan oils, but let’s give a little love to their less celebrated cousin ‘Olive’. A good helping of this left in your hair overnight and rinsed out in the morning makes for a cheap yet effective hair mask and it leaves it silky soft and shiny. Perfect for any dry-haired ladies on a budget.
Nipple Cream - Perhaps the weirdest of the bunch, this is a tip that I pulled out of Rae Morris’ book (the one I always prattle on about that you can see here). She said that the best way of prepping your lips and making them smooth and soft before applying lipstick was to use Lanolin, most readily found in... nipple cream. Yes, that’s right, I went into Superdrug (with my boyfriend I might add) and bought My Little Star New Mum Nipple Cream. It felt a little weird, but I tried it and I am amazed. Bye bye flaky lips, hello perfect pout.
Baby Wipes - It seems if it’s not kitchen goods, it’s something from Mothercare. Another tip from Rae Morris was if you haven’t got a good toner to hand, then the best way to tone skin when you’re prepping it for makeup is to use baby wipes. She advises that they're alcohol free so I like to use the Johnson's Baby Extra Sensitive Wipes as they are also fragrance free. I almost always use these on my eyelids before priming them for eyeshadow, and they're always coming in handy in my makeup application for my hands as well as my face. I’ll never be without them again!
Well that’s it for now folks. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to try out some of these tips, they’ve really helped me, plus they’re also a brilliant way to save money if you’re a student, or just a bit skint.
