Beauty tips and money savers

• Did you know that hair conditioner can be used to shave your legs?  To keep legs silky soft, apply about a quarter sized dollop of conditioner to each leg, then shave as you normally would.  This is especially helpful in the winter months in keeping your skin moisturized.  For the past decade, my skin gets unbearably itchy in the winter, and this (along with constant moisturizing) helps keep it comfortable.
• Another hair conditioner tip--to save time, apply conditioner along with shampoo, working both products into the hair at the same time.  It works just as well, and takes half as much time!
• Wanna smell yummy?  Spritz yourself with vanilla or sugar cookie scented body spray.  I wear Vanilla/ brownsugar spray and get lots of compliments.  It is fresh and not overpowering like heavy perfumes.  (I love Body Fantasies Vanilla!)

• Scour your dollar stores and other bargain outlets for outrageous buys.  We have a 'Big Lots' where I've found some great deals.  You can often find Revlon or L'Oreal lipsticks in these places, for $1.00!  The colors will be limited, but I've found some really nice shades.  If it turns out that you don't like it once you get home, you only spent one dollar!  Now, if you do not care for it, don't throw it out!!  Here's why--say the shade is a dark red or plum.  You can take a lipstick brush and apply it very lightly, then take a paler shade and blend it.  You can create your own shades this way.  Blending more than one color often looks nicer and more natural than a solid shade anyway!  ;)  You can also mix a little with a light moisturizer and use it as a creamy blush.
• Oatmeal makes a great facial mask.  Apply a layer of cooked oatmeal to your face (instant is fine), and leave it on for 15 min.  Afterwards, rinse and pat dry.  Your face will feel revitalized!!
• Sometimes (Shocker!!)the cheaper, no frills cosmetics work pretty well.  The packaging isn't as fancy, and maybe the quality isn't as good as the name brands, but try them out, you  might be surprised!  I like to use facial bronzing powder (especially in summer), and the cheap brands work just as well as the pricey ones.  For the most part, in comparing cheapie lip or eye liners (sometimes as cheap as $1.00), I really see no difference in performance.  They seem very comparable to the more pricey brands.

***********************************************************************************
To save money on all kinds of things:

1. Buy fruit and veggies in season.  As much as I love strawberries (they are my favorite fruit), buying them now is an extravagance.  (Saw them today at$5.99 a qt.)  Wait a few more months, and they'll be 3 qts. for $5!!  Apples and citrus fruits are good choices in January.
2. Limit your convenience food purchases.  They are a huge rip off.  If you like single serving packages, buy a large bag and divide it up into zip-lock sandwich bags. 
3. Pay attention to the price per serving!  When I buy a product, I always read the little label on the shelf that says how many cents per serving it is.  Sometimes I'll see a box of cereal on sale for $2.50, and I'll grab it.  After I check the cents per serving, I often return it to the shelf or exchange it for the store brand.  If the box only holds 9 oz. of cereal, it could very well be much pricier than the store brand box that hold 15 oz. and is $3.00.  (Sometimes the boxes look the same in dimension, but they don't hold she same amount of cereal.)
4. When buying meat, ground turkey (the leanest possible) is a healthier choice than beef and tastes just as good in sloppy joes and spaghetti sauce.  If purchasing beef, buy only  ultra lean (90% lean or better).  When frying as hamburgers, add a small amount of water and olive oil to the pan to help keep meat moist.  These lean meats are more expensive, but this is one place a person shouldn't skimp.
5. In buying clothing, don't be timid about walking into your neighborhood Goodwill.  I have found some great buys in my local GW!  I've found blue jeans, designer purses, casual suits, and kids' clothes at 'next to nothing' prices.  My GW has half price weekend once a month, and I can make out like a bandit!  A plus for moms is that in buying jeans at $1.99 a pair, if the kids grow out of them quickly, you didn't spend an arm and a leg!

And now, about those eyebrows!!!!

Here's what you'll need:

tweezers
eyebrow brush
small scissor (cuticle work fine)
eyebrow pencil near the natural shade of your brows

Here's how to shape them:

Spray your eyebrow brush with hairspray, then brush your eyebrows upward.  After they dry (a few seconds), take the pencil and hold next to your nose.  It should be vertical and touching the side of your nose.
This is where your eyebrow should begin.  Take the pencil and draw a small dot at that point.

Now, hold the pencil next to your nose again, and move the top slowly to the side until it is at an angle and is at the outer corner of your iris (the colored part of your eye).  This is where your arch should be.  Draw a dot at this point.

Last part: Hold the pencil vertically next to your nose.  Again, slowly move the top of the pencil to the side until the tip is lined up with the outermost part of your eye.  (Where crows feet would be.)  This is where your brows will end.  Draw a dot at this point.  You will now have three dots.

Ok, tweeze stray hairs that are outside the two outer dots.  For areas within the dots, brush eyebrow upward again, and while holding it up with brush, trim any long hairs that stick out at the top with your scissors.
 
*I'm not big on using pencils to fill in brows.  I use them, but I prefer to use eyeshadow or a eyebrow shadow.  These items can be applied with a very stiff eyeliner brush.  Follow the shape and arch of the brow, and using 'feathering' strokes, fill in the brow.  It looks much nicer than 'drawing' in with a pencil.

VOILA!  You have your 'PIN-UP' eyebrows now!!

HUGSxxxAnnie