Home Beauty Recipes

Here are some articles and submitted suggestions loaded with ideas for creating your own homemade beauty treatments using natural products found right at home. Use caution if you have sensitive skin or are sensitive to any of these food products!
 

---

Exfoliators:I take almond oil and add "sugar in the raw" It makes a great exfoliator and is so much less expensive than buying it commercially.  I love to rub it into my hands and heels and then rinse it off.  It makes them feel nice and smooth!

I use regular epsom salts available at any pharmacy and add my choice of essential oils I get at the health food store.  I love to use eucalyptus and mint or orange. Add it to the bath.  It really helps clear the sinuses when you have a cold or just plain makes you feel relaxed.

---

Hair Masks:
 

• Mayonnaise for dry hair

• Olive Oil - apply to your hair. Enclose your  hair with plastic wrap. Leave on at least an hour, or overnight if you have very dry hair. Shampoo out. This leaves your hair feeling very luxurious. 

• Beer rinse on hair makes it nice and shiny.

• Peanut Butter - use as a super conditioner. The peanut oil will condition your hair deeply. Comb it into your hair and let it sit for about 10-20 minutes, then shampoo it out.

• Herbal Tea - Use as a cleanser for your hair. Rinse it in.

---

 

Homemade Facial Masks
by *Kimberly's 'Bits *

Avocado ~
Mash half of an avocado and apply to your face. Apply to face and leave it on for 20 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Banana, Honey & Sour Cream ~
Mash 1/2 banana, add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Apply to face and leave it on for 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Almonds & Berries ~
In a food processor or blender, combine 1/2 cucumber, 1 tablespoon yogurt, a few strawberries, and 1 teaspoon honey. Apply to face and leave it on until it dries. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Cornmeal ~
Mix two tablespoons of cornmeal mixed with a bit of water to make a thick paste. Apply to face and leave it on for 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Apricots & Cream ~
Soak 1 cup dried apricots in water until softened. Then puree in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons skim milk powder. Apply to face and leave it on for 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Cucumber & Yogurt ~
Puree 1/2 peeled, sliced cucumber in a blender or food processor and add 1 tablespoon yogurt. Apply to face and leave it on for 20 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.
 

Kimberly is the editor of PS.update, a weekly e-newsletter that's fresh, interesting, fun, thought provoking, unusual, or just entertainingly weird --- depending on what kind of mood she's in ;)  ~ presencesense.com

---

 

Homemade Facial Scrubs and Masks
by Rachel Paxton

Make a paste from a little oatmeal and water. Apply to face and allow to dry. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Mash 1/2 banana and add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently  wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Two tablespoons of cornmeal mixed with enough water to make a thick paste makes a great inexpensive facial mask. Gently apply to face and wash off.

In a food processor or blender, combine 1/2 cucumber, 1 tablespoon yogurt, a few strawberries, and 1 teaspoon honey. Apply to face and allow to dry. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Grind 1 tablespoon almonds into a fine meal in a blender or food processor. Mix almond meal together with 1 tablespoon honey and 1 egg white. Apply to face and let set for about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

To loosen blackheads, combine equal parts baking soda and water in your hand and rub gently on your skin for 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Mash half of an avocado and apply to entire face. Let set for about 20 minutes and then gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Soak 1 cup dried apricots in water until softened. Puree in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons skim milk powder. Apply to face and let set about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Puree 1/2 peeled, sliced cucumber in a blender or food processor and add 1 tablespoon yogurt. Apply to face and let set about 20 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Crush a handful of strawberries and mix well with 1 teaspoon honey. Apply to face and let set for about 15 minutes. Gently  wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons honey, the juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and 1 small carton plain yogurt. Stir in 1 whipped egg white. Apply to face and let set about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth. 
 

Rachel Paxton publishes the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club, a weekly newsletter that contains quick, easy dinner ideas and money-saving household hints. Creativehomemaking.com

Q & A with Glamazon - TAXES

Q. Hi! As makeup artists, we spend lots of money on items large and small, from taxis to classes to supplies. Who on this group has used a simple accounting program to record all of there expenses and get organized? I would love to hear about it.

A. I use a site called outright.com. Its great and makes managing my business and life really easy. It even tell you how much taxes you have coming due at the end of the year. I love it!

Q & A with Glamazon- TIPS

Q. How do u prep the eyes before applying shadow?

A. most use an eyeshadow base or primer...this will give the eyeshadow more staying power, will prevent it from creasing, and bring out the intensity in the colors more. i use "shadow insurance" by too faced and "primer potion" by urban decay. if you are doing bright colors use a cream eye shadow base in the color you desire and then place an eyeshadow powder on top of the cream base.the cream base will bring out the color even more!

Q & A with Glamazon - TIPS

Q. How do u take care of fallen eyeshadow on the face, do you put powder?

 A. place a generous amount of translucent powder underneath the eyes to "catch" the excess eyeshadow..when eyeshadow is complete, simply brush away the translucent powder, and the excess should follow! if it doesn't, than you didn't put enough powder!

Tips for Breaking into the Wedding Industry

There's a couple ways you can break into doing wedding makeup.

1-Reach out to friends & family, letting them know that you're a makeup artist, but most of all, if they know anyone that's engaged, to gently ask for referrals. Offer to do a complimentary makeup demo, if you don't feel comfortable charging for those services yet.

1a-Another creative way to get the word out is to look up your engaged friends on Facebook and reach out to them personally!

2-If you're a certified makeup artist or cosmetologist, reach out to the salons in your area. Offer to do a 2-week trial or "audition" so you can show your makeup skills.

2a-Another method is reaching out to experienced wedding makeup artists and offering to assist them for free. You would be their assistant--offer whatever help they may need, such as cleaning brushes, helping set up on site, etc.

3-If your pockets are deep enough, sign up to do a few wedding shows in your area. That is the best way to jumpstart your wedding makeup business, since you will be provided a list of brides to follow up with. Good makeup skills are not enough to cultivate a bridal clientele, you should also have good salesmanship skills--such as following up, making phone calls, and being aggressive. After these expos, brides get a deluge of solicitation calls from vendors, so you might have to reach out up to 6x just to get an appointment (unless they say no).

4-Again, if you have the money, I'd recommend signing up with MG Hair & Makeup. Megan Garmers runs an agency exclusively for wedding makeup artists & hairstylists. You set up an interview and pay into the classes - www.mghairandmakeup.com/Careers_Classes_1.html. Also, she runs the bridal beauty artists network, which is a more affordable option, if you're already trained in hair/makeup (http://www.bridalbeau....

5-After every successful appointment (wedding-related or not), remember to collect testimonials! It can be either typed or video-recorded (preferred). As you collect testimonials, people will know the quality of service you give your clients, and you're able to show them to the brides you have trial appointments. Also, offer an incentive for existing clients to refer your services, such as a free gift or complimentary service.