Beauty Secrets You May Not Know

Random fact about me, my favorite place to buy books is at garage sales! I always find THE BEST selections when I’m browsing someone else’s ‘unwanteds’! Plus, at a garage sale you can usually get that $29 book for 50 cents! It’s crazy! And crazy exciting!

Why am I telling you this on a “beauty secrets” blog post? Here is why… I found this cute little book over the summer and just had a chance to flip through it last night. I was blown away by all of the beauty secrets the author had to share!

Now don’t get me wrong, this book was published in 1997 so there are quite a handful of things I just don’t agree with – for example, in her list of Fashion Don’ts she mentions that it is never stylish to wear :

-sequins during daylight hours (Wrong! A cute sequin tank is great with jeans, boots and a chunky oversized cardigan! )

-bell bottoms ( I just bought the cutest pair of bell bottoms and CAN’T WAIT to wear them!)

-Sweatshirts (?!? what?!? how could a sweatshirt EVER be a “don’t” ??? #athliesure , duh!)

-jogging suits when you’re not jogging (ok Karen, have you never heard of Target runs???)

-more than two bracelets (… come on now!)

-ankle bracelets (stahhhhp it! Now she’s gone too far!)

So after I shook off the shock of how far off her fashion list was in this present day, I kept reading and found some really cool and interesting tips. Keep reading to learn some of the ‘World’s Best Kept Beauty Secrets’

• Water! – okay, this one is pretty well known but so important that it deserves another mention! … because as the author says, “It all beings from within. If you don’t drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day you are depriving yourself of the best beauty treatment on Earth!”. Oh, and by the way she also mentions that drinking ice water is best because the body uses more calories to warm the water to body temperature in order to absorb it.

• Exfoliate- Removing the grime from your face is the base of good skin care. Skip the chemical laden products and try these natural options : mix a packet of sugar (raw works best) with a few drops of olive oil, gently rub it into the creases of your face then rinse -or- mix a pack of instant oatmeal with water and rub onto your face then rinse -or- rub sea salt all over your face and body for invigorating effects!

• Face Masks – Apply whole egg mayonnaise right from the jar onto your face. Let sit for 20 minutes then rinse -or- mash up a very ripe banana and add honey (but not too much!), apply over your face and hair. Let sit for a few minutes then rinse. (This is a great firming mask! The author mentions that aging movie stars have been known to put it into the cups of their bra to make their breasts more perky! – Not sure I’m willing to try that one! Eeek!)

• Bathing – Adding apple cider vinegar to your bath water will invigorate the body and fight fatigue

• Quick Skin Pick Up! – (this would be great before a photo shoot!) Bend over at the waist as far as you can possibly go, and hold to the count of thirty. Scientists have proven that this boosts circulation in your face and speeds up the turnover of skin cells. It can also help you focus if doing it in the morning, in the afternoon it can give you a midday boost and at night it can help you unwind and reset your heart rate and breathing. (Ps.. if you struggle bending that far you can also lay over the side of your bed with your head down for 30 seconds)

• Face Lift – Hemorrhoidal cream! When I read this one I chuckled because my grandma always swore by this trick for smooth, firm skin – and honestly ya’ll my grandma had the BEST skin on her face!!! In fact on her last day on Earth before heading to Heaven the nurses at the hospital actually had a conversation about how amazing her skin was with no wrinkles at her age! So…okay,okay gram, message received – I’ll be heading to the dollar store to snag some up! (PS- the author mentions that Hollywood’s biggest names won’t go on the road with out this cream, makeup artists won’t do makeovers without it! Although she did also mention being aware of when you use it , because of the medicinal scent you may want to not use it right before walking out the door for an event – or just be sure to dab some perfume on before heading out.)

• Erasers – Quick jewelry tip: when you are in a pinch and lose the back of your earring, pull the eraser off of a pencil and stick it to the earring to hold it in place.

• Lemon Juice – using the juice from a fresh lemon on your face can remove residue, tone the skin and gives you a nice refresh.

• Cracked Hands – Mashed potatoes are better than lotion! Boil a small peeled potato then mash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Apply to hands and leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water.

• Jewelry “Don’t” List – don’t wear perfume near pearl, the oil will eat away at the coating. Don’t wear pendant necklaces longer than your belt line. Don’t wear big earrings AND a big necklace at the same time.

• Bronzing Powder – Use bronzing powder liberally all over the face and neck to quickly take years off of your appearance.

• Organizing Tip – Fasten your earrings through the holes of a button to keep them from getting separated.

• Cleaning Tip –Use shampoos and conditioners that you have but didn’t like for your hair to clean makeup and hair brushes! Shampoo and soak them all then rinse with conditioner!

• Teeth Whitening – Super weird, but burned toast is effective at whitening teeth. Pound the toast into a powder and add a few drops of (food grade) peppermint oil, then brush into teeth.

• Shoes- Never wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. Give them at least 24 hours to air out.

• Wear a bra! – The chest muscles don’t provide enough support to go braless, no matter how small your breasts. … ok this one makes me sad because bras are THE WORST , especially after a long day! Am I right?!?

• Loofah your legs – Give your legs a light scrub with a loofah before you shave them to remove dead skin cells.

• Fresh Breath – Chew on fresh parsley to freshen up your breath.

• Overnight – Elevate your head with a firm pillow to eliminate puffiness.

Okay, that was a LONG list of random beauty tips for ya, and there are SO many more in this cute little book I found – stay tuned for a Beauty Secrets Part 2!

And, as always, I’d love to hear your feedback! Have you tried any of these tips before? Which ones seem too silly to be true? What are some of your favorite best-kept beauty secrets? Let’s chat in the comments!