Kim Douglas, a beauty and fashion correspondent and Cindy Pearlman, a syndicated writer for the New York Times and the Chicago Sun-Times have compiled the best of the best tips they learned in their book ‘The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets.’ How did they get all these tips? They simply asked the movie stars and their beauty gurus how they did it. These tips, simple and often inexpensive ways to boost your beauty IQ, are given to us by people who make their living by looking their best.
If like me you are wondering why the tips are inexpensive, the answer, according to the authors is Hollywood’s secret number one: “Most celebrities are cheapskates. If they don’t get it for free, they won’t use it. Since even they don’t get everything for free, most celebs rely on inexpensive, organic, yes even cheap, natural beauty tricks.”
Jennifer Aniston who was asked what she did to keep her skin so clear and line-free, answered that it was cheap soap!
“You’re going to hate me for this, but I don’t go out and buy only the expensive stuff. Most nights, I just wash my face with Neutrogena facial soap.”
Lisa Rinna who starred on Days of Our Lives, Melrose Place, and Dancing with the Stars admits that her favorite homemade beauty product is an egg-white mask for tightening pores.
Another food for the face worth mentioning is the sweet potato rich in carotenoids which blocks out damaging UV lights. The sweet potato also contains lutein which stops the damage of aging and can actually make your vision clearer. Furthermore, pomegranate juice contains natural antioxidants. If you drink it daily you will see fine lines start to vanish.
Bananas also help rid you of wrinkles. Mash one-fourth of a banana until creamy and spread on your face. Leave on for twenty minutes, rinse off with warm water, and then dash on cold water. Your pores will feel very tight, and your face will smell very good.
Sonya Drakar, top dermatologist to the stars particularly Gwyneth Paltrow, Britney Spears and Drew Barrymore strongly believes that the best anti-aging tip is to avoid the sun and never to skip your nightly skin regimen. No matter how late you return home, you must take your makeup off. If you don’t take your makeup off you close the pores at night and your skin will not be able to breathe while you sleep. You must remember that when you are sleeping, your skin is also supposed to be resting. It can’t rest if it is covered in makeup. She also reminds us that we should also use our facial products on the neck, chest and hands because the face is not the only place that is affected by aging, acne, discoloration and other skin problems.
Her secret recipe to get rid of zits consists of one package of dry yeast and water. All you need to do is pour yeast into a bowl and and water slowly, mixing well until the mixture becomes a medium paste. Place this mixture on breakouts. Allow to dry for about thirty seconds. The yeast will kill bacteria and dry out breakouts.
If you are looking for a great and inexpensive hair mask to give you lush locks like Salma Hayek, just mix a half cup of dried rosemary with a half cup of light olive oil. Let it sit and mingle overnight. Comb the infused oil through dry hair and leave on for ten minutes. Wet hair, shampoo and rinse out.
If you are experiencing oily hair, here is a simple and effective solution. Take five bags of mint tea, put them in a teapot and brew. While the tea is cooling off, shampoo your hair then pour the tepid tea over your head as a final rinse. The mint tea acts as a natural astringent and gets rid of the oil in your hair.
How can stars over forty look fabulous? Laughter! That’s what the invincible Sharon Stone says is her secret to looking young. Teri Hatcher says that “there is really something about turning 40. I’ve quit defining myself by what I’m not, and I’m thinking about what I am.”
Actress Tea Leoni married to David Duchovny looks gorgeous with almost no makeup. What are her beauty tips?
She wears a lot of sunscreen and also drinks lots of water. She also loves to walk and do Pilates. She is also openly anti-Botox: “Please say no to Botox. I’m really against cosmetic work. Don’t get me wrong. I’m dying to do it. But it makes me feel bad. It’s this idea that we have to do it. I’m 40 and I feel the best I’ve ever felt…I’m smarter. I have children and the lines that come with it. You can see my life in my face. My lines say that I’ve been laughing a lot and that’s a beautiful thing. I hate the idea of the woman who earned those lines making them go away with a shot or a scalpel. I want the lines to say, ” Congratulations you’re better than when you were 23 and had no lines.”
If you want to look fabulous when you are over forty, you need to exercise without over doing it. Suzan Sarandon relies on Pilates; Sophia Loren walks an hour a day and sleeps as early as nine to let her body repair itself.
If your face looks saggy, a little bit of weight can make it look like you’ve had a major lift. Salma Hayek did just that and put on ten pounds: “I like to look a little bit curvier and my face looks great; I also had fun eating a few burgers and fries,” she says.
Jennifer Garner is nutty about almonds and eats a handful every day. Almonds, incidentally, contain monounsaturated oil, which actually blocks fat absorption. And did you know that cherry tomatoes tip the body’s pH from acidic to neutral? This means fewer sugar cravings and a diminished appetite. The tomatoes will also get rid of yeast in the body, a substance that makes you crave sugar like crazy.
The ultimate Hollywood beauty secret according to the authors is not about the wrinkles it’s about finding what’s lovely in your life, your family and if you find your passion on top of that, those are the true ingredients to a beautiful life.
Jennifer Lopez known for the passion and dedication she puts into her work admits: “I used to be more of a fanatic about my body in my 20s. Now I’m in my 40s. I’m love me or leave me. It’s more about spiritual connections and inner peace and being with family. Those are the really important things in life.”
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Hollywood beauty secrets: Keeping it simple and cheap
