Skin Care on the Frugal Side
One of my first and most favorite moisturizers is good old Vaseline, found at any Dollar Store. I prefer to use from a tube. I hate to get Vaseline under my nails.
I have used Vaseline or the cheaper Petroleum jelly to soften calloused feet. After you shower and dry off, apply a thin coat to your entire foot. Now put on a pair of cotton socks. By morning, you will have surprisingly soft feet. If not as soft as you want, just repeat this until you have what you want.
Vaseline is good to smooth rough elbows and knees. Again, just apply a small coating after shower or bath.
For more uses for Vaseline click on this link.
I prefer the whipped petroleum jelly sold at Dollar Stores in a tube. This version is much nicer than the usual greasy texture and is a dollar a tube. I tell all of my friends to use this for dry skin because it absorbs much quicker. Apply a small amount at night for a great moisturizer for your face. Apply a little behind your knee and them apply fragrance. The Vaseline will hold the scent and make it last longer. When your body warms the fragrance, the scent will drift upward. Another way to be smelled in addition to wrists and arms.
I also use this whipped petroleum jelly on my arms and then apply fragrance. Remember to never spray fragrance on your clothes. The oil in it may stain your clothes beyond removal. You can also use lotion on your arms and them apply fragrance. Keeps the scent longer and you will not have to re-apply during the day.
If you do not want a swollen face in the morning, do not drink liquids within 2 hours of bedtime.
Face serums are a little pricey, but I love them. Make sure they include ingredients like vitamin A, C, E and green tea. They will really improve your skin .
Your eye area is different from the rest of your face. It requires special care. Be careful not to stretch or pull this skin. Use a product made specifically for the eye area. Use your ring finger to apply products, this finger has less strength than your other fingers, thus being more gentle.
Exfoliate your skin at least once a week. This encourages cell turnover, gets rid of dead skin cells and encourages the new ones to the top of your skin.
Hand creams purchased from the Dollar Store are as good as name brands. Look for ingredients such as glycerin, mineral oil or petroleum. Make sure alcohol is not in the first 5 ingredients listed on the container. I buy small ones for my purse and work desk. I use lotion every time after I wash my hands.
Speaking of Dollar Stores, I find them a very good source of cosmetics. Name brands in smaller containers are sold there. I can try a new color and not have to pay a lot. I have found new color eye shadows there and try them. If I like them, I am ahead, if I don't, I am not out much money. A little caution. I purchased my favorite brand of toothpaste there. I thought I had gotten a wonderful value. I purchased several tubes. When I used he first tube, I noticed that the writing on the tube was a little different. It had been made and packaged in Mexico. Not a bad thought, but Mexico does not particularly add fluoride to their toothpastes. I have a page just for Dollar Store purchases. Check it out.
Shampoo, by any other name, is still shampoo. If you like the scented kinds, head to the Dollar Store. There are great brands there that smell fabulous. I take my shampoo and divide it into two containers. I add water to the bottle to fill it. When I use it, it is easier to get into a lather being thinned. I do not have to work to get a lather. I do not tangle my hair as much.
Now conditioners are a different animal. I do not scrimp on conditioners. They are the major ingredient to good hair. The cheaper ones may work on normal hair, but if you have ANY problem with your hair, being dry or oily, you need a conditioner specially made for that condition. The new Argan oils are terrific. You can get them in conditioners or get them in a little bottle. They come in leave in types that you can use every day and they are not greasy to your hair. They add shine and manageability and a very nice scent.
If you drop your compact of powder, bronzer or shadow, get a small container and add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the broken bits. Make this into a paste. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the mixture back into the compact. By morning, all will be one piece again.
I use shaving cream as a hand cleaner. When doing dirty jobs, I put a glob in my palm, rub hands briskly and wipe on a paper towel. Grease, paint and garden soil comes right off. No mess and no rinsing needed.
I am a fan of hand sanitizers. I carry a small bottle in my pure for restaurants or after shopping and using a grocery store buggy. I also use hand sanitizer for bug bites and anything that itches. If you have scratched it, it will sting, because hand sanitizer is mostly alcohol.
I use hand sanitizer for pimples just coming out. When the skin shows red, I get my purse and go to work. I get stress blotches on my face that are beet red. I use my handy dandy hand sanitizer and they are gone in 15 minutes.
A routine for your face is important. I do this routine morning and night. Start out by washing your hands. Next, I grab my big jar of Noxzema (or the Wal Mart equivalent), get a glob on my finger, smooth it between my palms and apply to a damp face. Remember your "face" extends to your neck and behind your ears. After that I towel off my face. I apply my favorite serum, then a moisturizer with a sunscreen. After that dries, I apply my make-up. In the evening I do the same except I take my make-up off before I do my cleansing. And in the evening, I add a light coating of petroleum jelly over my "face" (remember how broad that is), after I moisturize, and don't forget your ears and neck, I am done for the day.
Drink water with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar before a picnic to not be a mosquitoes snack.
A cheap quick dry shampoo is to sprinkle talc powder through your hair, massage it into the scalp and them brush it out thoroughly. This will take the excess oil out of your hair and leaves a nice smell.
Baby oil on your newly polished nails will speed the drying and allow you to continue getting dressed in a pinch. Put a tiny bit on your palm, rub the other palm to coat with baby oil and just gently rub your nails over the oil in your palms.
Do not be afraid to cut open product tubes. There is at least 2-3 more uses left on the sides and top. Cut the tube open length wise. Use a cosmetic spatula to collect the product and put it in a small container with a lid. I keep the bottles from bouillon granules or baby food jars.
Recently purchased cosmetics can be returned to the store if you do not like them or their color or their performance. You can get store credit or some stores give you the cash back. Don't live with a cosmetic you do not love.
Extra virgin olive oil can be applied with a cotton ball to moisturize crows feet or any wrinkle that needs extra attention. Apply at bedtime. I have a small bottle I use just for me in my cosmetic cabinet.
Baby lotion is a good make-up remover and is gently on skin. Also is cheaper than most make-up removers.
A good mouthwash, when you run out, is a tablespoon of vinegar in a glass of water.
Fingernail polished nails can be jazzed up with a sharpie. I can add designs and as long as you use this over your polish, nothing permanent is done.
I put my body lotion in the bath tub with me and my bubbles. When I am finished with my bath, my body lotion is warm and soothing.
A little trick I use when doing my face, is that I use wrist bands. I hate for water to run down my arm and wet my sleeves. Put them on before you start to cleanse your face.
Scars can be made less visible by rubbing castor oil into them at night. Also for surgical scars.
A nose bleed can be stopped by soaking cotton balls with apple cider vinegar and inserting into a dripping nostril. Hold for about 5 minutes.
Copywriter: Karen B. Cardwell 2012. Email me at: cradwell.kc@Gmail.Com
Tweet me at: Karen Cardwell@blairie12.
Original Artwork Images by Tom Wilson.