Winter Beauty Secrets

Now that I'm back in New York, I have to use different skincare products because of the harsh, dry, cold air. I tried using the L'Oreal RevitaLift cleanser that worked really well for me in L.A. but it dried out my skin too much here. =(  So, now, I'm using Olay Daily Facials Hydrating Cleansing Cloths to keep my skin soft and hydrated.

To get rid of the dead skin cells that make my skin look rough and splotchy, I give myself an exfoliating treatment with Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel System. I apply the thick, gooey scrub with an electric toothbrush and run it over my face in small circles (a trick I learned from a Michelle Phan video a long time ago). I don't usually use the Activator afterwards, because my skin is sensitive to Lactic Acid... but if your skin does well on AHAs then I would definitely recommend trying it. The mini crystals in this kit are the BEST- nothing makes my skin smoother or more radiant!



Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion & Peel Kit

After scrubbing my skin, always use a pampering face mask so that my skin won't get irritated. I use Kinerase Pro + Therapy Ultra Hydrating Repair Mask, which plumps my skin with moisture and makes it as soft as a baby's butt. It's a little pricey but it's the most luxuriously rich moisturizing mask and there's nothing else like it! The morning after I use it, my skin looks so healthy and glows. It's well worth the money and you only need a tiny bit each time. It also comes in a hygenic airless pump jar.

Kinerase Pro + Therapy Ultra Hydrating Repair Mask

My lips also need extra moisture because they're always extremely dry, especially in the winter, so I've been using a thick lanolin ointment (ok, it's a nipple balm for breastfeeding mothers) and it works WONDERS! I use Lansinoh Lanolin ointment, which I found on Amazon for $7. You can buy Lansinoh at Walmart, too, for under $10. It seems pricey for a lip balm but each tube contains 1.41 oz (which is a TON of product) and you won't find a better healing ointment for dry, cracked lips. The consistency is very thick at first but it melts right into your lips and stays put, even while eating or drinking. You can even dab it on minor cuts to help heal and protect them.

Lansinoh 100% Natural HPA Lanolin Ointment

How to Get Million-Dollar Hair for Under $10

Today, I read that Rihanna spends $1 million dollars on her hair every year. That's INSANE!!! Then again, her perfectly styled, fiery red locks are a huge part of her image and stage presence. (Plus, she has the money to spend, so why not?) Celebrities like her have teams of people who work around the clock to keep her looking gorgeous.

As for poor little ol' me (emphasis on the word "poor"), I don't have the dough for celebrity hair maintenance. My wallet already takes a beating from my financially-crippling online shopping addiction. :(

Horrible spending habits aside, I've recently made it my life's mission to have hair as shiny as Camilla Belle's. Luckily for me (and anyone else on a budget), getting super shiny hair is pretty inexpensive.

Camilla Belle, you are my hair idol

 

After reading the book Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?, I found out that avocado and coconut are two of the best things to put in your hair because the oils penetrate the hair shaft better than other oils. I break out from using avocado oil or coconut oil directly on my hair or skin but, for some reason, I don't break out when I use mashed avocado and coconut milk. I make a hair mask every once in a while with both of those ingredients to strengthen my hair and hydrate it a couple days before coloring:

 

Ingredients
1 Can Coconut Milk
1 Avocado
Medium-Sized Pot
Mixing bowl
Stirring Spoon
Shower cap
Someone to help you (if possible)


Directions
1. Simmer down the coconut milk on LOW heat until it is a thick cream. Stir constantly to prevent burning/sticking to the bottom of the pot.

2. While waiting for the water to evaporate from the coconut milk, scoop out the avocado, removing the skin and the pit, and mash in a bowl until smooth.

3. Pour the coconut cream into the mashed avocado and mix until blended.

4. Let this mixture cool until lukewarm and then massage into DRY hair from ends toward roots. Saturate well and cover your hair with a shower cap.

5. Let the mask sit for as long as possible (at least 30 min). You can wrap a hot towel (fresh from the dryer) around your head to help it penetrate your hair better/faster.

6. Rinse the mixture out of your hair in the shower and shampoo and condition your hair.

Short and Sweet: Do this avocado and coconut hair mask a few times a month and you'll have crazy shiny, healthy hair, sans the huge dent in your non-celebrity bank account.

If This Clay Mask Were a Man, I'd Marry it

I couldn't sleep the other night, so I ended up window-shopping the skincare goods on Amazon. Somehow, I stumbled upon a product called Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. I was immediately attracted to the mystical sounding name- I envisioned witch-doctors using the clay to heal their patients' wounds... (It was 3 AM, okay- I was delirious.)

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay, $7-9, Whole Foods or Amazon.com

Then, I noticed that this product had great reviews from over a hundred people who all swore that this stuff could get rid of everything from acne to poison ivy to spider bites. I was definitely intrigued and, after Googling it a bit more, I found out that this calcium bentonite clay has tons of uses and rave reviews all over the internet.