Winter has definitely done its number on us females. Between the rain, sleet, snow, ice, freezing cold air, flues and taking care of sick children and husbands, we’ve lost ourselves somewhere along the way. Fried hair, dry skin and probably some hairy legs and dirty toenails here and there, what can we do to snap back and start feeling like ladies again? Follow this guide and you’ll be taking those important steps toward retrieving the gorgeous you that you know is still in there!

The key here is to pamper yourself a little bit. You’ve been so preoccupied with taking care of everyone else and it’s past time you do something for yourself! Start by giving yourself a mani and pedi (and shave those legs, girl!), that ALWAYS makes a woman feel beautiful; I know it works like a charm every time for me! Life is tough financially for most of us these days, especially with the economy the way it is. So I have compiled a list of products you can pick up, or even stuff you can put together yourself with ingredients from your home, to pamper yourself and stay in your budget! You can pick up all of your necessities from Target, Wal-Mart or other mass retailers to get yourself a good price. You can also order everything you need from Avon, I highly recommend their products. You can order your Avon products by contacting your local Avon lady, and if you don’t know of one, you can order online at www.avon.com. Their foot care products are amazing! If you’re opting for Avon, try the “Foot Works Therapeutic Cracked Heel Relief Cream”. It is regularly .00 but often on sale for only .99. Also try the “Foot Works Lavender Clay Mask” (.00) and “Foot Works Thermal Exfoliating Scrub” (.00). If you choose to go the mass retailer route, try the “Aromafloria For Feet’s Sake Spa Foot Soak” (.50, 10oz), “Burt’s Bee’s Peppermint Foot Lotion” (.99 3.38oz) and the “Aromafloria For Feet’s Sake Foot Scrub Tube” (.50 6oz); all available on the Target website. Don’t forget to pick up your tools, try “Tweezerman Pedicure Kit 8-pc.” (.99) and “Ms. Manicure Handy Dandy Mani 8-pc Set” (.99), also available on the Target website. If you would like to attempt doing your own acrylic nails at home, you can pick those up at any mass retailer such as Target and Wal-Mart, for around .00.

Now that you’ve taken care of step one, it’s time to move on to the next step, your face. How can you feel beautiful without having a facial? We all have different skin types so we will take a look at several products to cover all skin types. Avon has two really great facial masks. For breakout prone skin, try the “Clearskin Blackhead Eliminating Deep Treatment Mask” (.29 and sometimes on sale for .99). For all skin types try mark’s “Calm Yourself Hydrating Mask” (.00 for 3.4oz). Target also has a couple of great masks that are a little bit more on the spendier side, but worth every penny. For oilier skin the “Boots No7 Purifying Sauna Mask” (.99) is a fabulous choice. For all skin types a great option would be the “Boots No7 Intensive Moisture Face Mask” (.99 for 3.3oz). I also grabbed a couple of recipes for homemade face masks from http://beauty.about.com . This first one sounds crazy, but they claim they saw it on a TV show years back and that the beauty expert on the show claimed that cat litter is made from the same ingredients as the special clays they use in a 0 spa facial!

Cat Litter Facial:

1 Bag Cat Litter (Must be marked 100% natural clay)

Water

Drops of your favorite essential oil

Mix in a couple tablespoons of the cat litter with water and drops of oil

(The oil will help to make the mask smell more like a mask and less like cat litter)

Apply mask to face

          

Wash off after 15 minutes.

If you’re not really feeling the putting cat litter on your face thing, here’s another option that I found on http://beauty.about.com also.

This simple, cooling mask is great for soothing sunburnt skin. It’s great for all skin types.

            Yogurt Face Mask:

                1 Tbsp Natural Yogurt at Room Temperature (Not low fat or nonfat)

                1 Tsp Runny Honey (Microwave for a minute to soften hardened honey)

                For dry skin, add an extra tsp of honey

                For oily skin, add a few drops of fresh lime juice

                Combine mixture, then apply to face.

                Let sit for 15 minutes.

                Wash face with steaming washcloth.

Since you’ve had your facial you are probably starting to feel close to back to normal again. You’re feeling good, time to move on to step three, your hair. Hair really takes a beating during the cold, winter months, and is usually pretty fried and dried out by the time spring rolls around. You need to apply a good hair mask that will help you revive your hair. Avon has a great one, “PLANET SPA Mediterranean Olive Oil Conditioning Hair Mask” (.50 4.2oz and .99 when on sale). Many women use this mask as a hair conditioner when showering and claim that it’s one of the best conditioners, if not the best, that they’ve ever used. Target also carries a really great hair mask, “Yes to Carrots Hair and Scalp Moisturizing Mud Mask” (.99 8.45oz). If you prefer to do it yourself, or are on a tight budget, here is a recipe I got from http://hairstylecity.com , which you can make with things you might already have in your home.

Banana Smoothie for Hair:

1 Mashed Banana

1 Whole Egg

3 Tbsp Honey

3 Tbsp Milk

5 Tbsp Olive Oil

Mix all the ingredients together.

Make sure it’s all well combined, and then apply to hair.

Leave for 15-30 minutes.

Wash out with a gentle shampoo.

Your next step is your skin. In today’s economy, most of us can’t afford to go to the tanning salon. Here is a great solution to get your tan on, AND moisturize your dry, winter-beaten skin. For a sun-kissed glow and maximum moisturization, try mark’s “Instant Vacation Costa Rica Gradual Tan Moisturizer” (.00 6.7oz and only .99 when on sale!). My personal favorite (7.94 for 7.5oz at Target, but available everywhere), is “Jergens Natural Glow Firming Moisturizer”. This stuff does it all; firms, moisturizes and gives you a gradual tan! Another good option is Nivea’s “Gradual Tan Moisturizer” (.99 for 6.7oz at Target). I also find that getting a little sun on your face gives you a beautiful glow, and helps clear away blemishes. You should never expose yourself to the sun for long periods of time without protection, so try a lower SPF and limit the amount of time you are in the sun, so as not to go past your level of protection.

 You almost have the old you completely back. You have groomed your hands and feet, had a facial, moisturized your hair and quenched your skin as well as giving it a nice glow. You have just one step left, and you’ll be back to your old self again! I think one trick that works for every woman, every time they do it, is whitening their teeth. I don’t know what it is, but every time your teeth look whiter you get this huge boost in self-esteem. So my last trick for looking beautiful is to get yourself a nice teeth whitening kit so you can show off your pearly whites. I have two products to recommend for two different price ranges. Keep in mind that you do get what you pay for, but for a lower price these are pretty good products. The less expensive of the two is “Crest Whitestrips Classic Whitening Kit” (.49 at Target). The other product I recommend is “Platinum Dental Whitening System” (.99 also at Target). The latter is actually amazing quality for the price, and they are both worth trying out.

So now that you’ve spent some time pampering and beautifying yourself, you must be feeling really great. Maybe you can go by yourself a new outfit and spend a night out with your significant other, or the girls, to celebrate and top it all off! Always keep in mind that beauty comes from within, but really feeling it on the outside never hurt anyone, so keep up the good work, girl!

Resources:

http://www.avon.com

http://www.target.com

http://beauty.about.com

http://hairstylecity.com

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