Farewell dark patches:
Brighten dark elbows and knuckles by rubbing them with half lemon that has natural bleaching effects. You could later moisturise to counter the drying effect of the juice.

Freshen up in an instant:
Carry a spray of mineral water/rose water in your bag to freshen up your foundation while you’re out and about.

For super-soft skin:
Apply some moisturiser immediately after showering or bathing. Cream is better absorbed by warm, damp skin and this also helps in sealing extra moisture. Don’t forget to moisturise areas such as back of the knees, inner thighs and of course your breasts. This is not cumbersome and we strongly advise to make this one a regular habit. Weekend ritual: For speedy soft skin, massage your body with oil before going for a shower. Then proceed as usual with your shower gel and scrub and a moisturiser thereafter. Issey Miyake has L’Eau D’Issey Body mist which is in the form of a spray, for women who want to take care of themselves but don’t have the time to indulge in luxury.

Soften your face wash:
Using milk and a little bit of honey, along with facial wash, can help cleanse your face while added moisture. This also works in the bath for all over the body. Using face wash mixed with sugar can actually make your skin more exfoliated and smoother. Sugar also works all over the body too. We recommend Biguine Bio’s Crème Oligo-Element which pumps up your skin with much needed oxygen and vitamins.

For baby soft feet:
Soak your feet in warm water for 5-10 minutes. If you don’t have time for a soak, at least wash them well. Then massage with copious amounts of regular Vaseline. Pull on a pair of cotton socks and head for the bed. They will be beautifully soft by next morning.

Facial scrub – a real pick me up!
This is a quick and invigorating way to recuperate dull skin. With a light touch gently rub the scrub into damp skin using circular motion. Avoid forceful movements as this may lead to abrasions or darker patches on the skin. Biguine Bio’s Apricot Kernel Exfoliant reveals a clear, healthy complexion.

Papaya pulp and gram flour is great for normal to dry skin. For acne-prone oily skin, mix papaya pulp with masoor dal

Treat the body with a scrub:
A weekly scrub does wonders for your body. The thumb rule is to massage gently in circular motions on damp skin. H2O has some delicious seaweed scrubs that leave you spoilt for choice. For a smoother softer skin mix the scrub with water or even oil to make a paste.

Sea salt and olive oil: Allow the mixture to soak into your skin for a few minutes to allow the salt crystals to dissolve before massaging in, then rinse away.

Cheat a facial!
When you cannot go for the real thing, here’s a short cut to a rejuvenated skin. Just apply a face mask on clean skin. Face mask if it’s the right one for you can work miracles for your skin. Dry complexions should go for hydrating masks. Clay or mud masks are ideal for oily skins as they absorb excess grease and impurities. Sensitive skin can go for the cooling effect of gel masks. Wash the dried mask with milk instead of water – this helps hydrate drier complexions. Try Body Shop's mineral warming mask to clear up your skin.

Sandalwood powder + a pinch of turmeric + rose water: Apply on face and neck to have a blemish-free complexion. Ayurveda has always recognised the cooling and polishing properties of sandalwood. It’s a natural astringent. If you have dry skin, use milk instead of water.

De-tan remedies: Mild home remedies if applied regularly work well.
Every day 15 minutes before your bath you could mix a bit if curd with milk powder and apply on the face. Till the time it dries, carry on with your regular chores. Oily skins could try a paste of curd and powdered masoor dal (rich in antiseptic properties).
* A mixture of lemon juice and rosewater also works if left overnight for week. To reduce the hassle factor, squeeze out juice of two lemons mix with equal quantities of rose water. Store in an air-tight bottle and refrigerate.
* Now here’s a messy one but one of our reader swears that it takes off the tan like a charm. Apply milk cream (malai) on the face religiously for a week. Let it stay for 10 minutes before washing off. The skin gets clearer and softer.

Stop smoking:
If the fact that they completely ruin your respiratory system doesn’t motivate you to chuck that pack, take this: Smoking hastens the ageing process as it strips the skin of oxygen and slows down the regeneration of new cells. It can give the skin grey, sluggish look and cause fine lines around the mouth.

De-puff your eyes:
It’s vital to take time to lie low and relax at least for 10 minutes. Fill a bowl with iced water or cold milk. Soak cotton pads and lie down with pads over your eyes. Replace pads as soon as they become warm. Continue for 15 minutes. Reduces puffiness and brightens the eyes. Another super quick treatment involves placing a slice of cucumber over each eye. It tones and soothes the skin around the eyes. Used teabags when cooled can be used as eye packs. Tannin is a natural astringent which firms the skin.

Lighten those dark circles:
Mix two drops of glycerine and finely crushed almonds in some grated cucumber (rich in vitamin C). Almonds packed with vitamin E lighten the skin while glycerine aids hydration. Place potato slices on closed eyelids to reduce the intensity of dark circles. Shiseido The Skincare has an Eye moisture recharge for fatigue & dryness around the eyes since the first wrinkle is a persistent line of dryness.

Soothe irritated skin:
Drinking plenty of water helps rehydrate and purify your body. Rub ice tied up in muslin cloth to cool skin during summer months. This also works to soothe irritated and flushed skin. Emergency SOS care for the most sensitive skins that is irritated and inflamed is the Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate by Clarins. Its blend of essential oils immediately calms and soothes the skin thus controlling sensitivity.

Place your scent strategically:
Before you go to work in the morning, mist your bra and undies with your favourite fragrance. The perfume will adhere to the fabric and last until you get undressed. This way, you don't have to lug your fragrance around in your bag.

Pain-free threading:
To ease out the pain of threading eyebrows, hold the ice cube over the area first to numb it before you start. Okay so it’s not completely pain-free but effect is substantial enough for us to recommend it.

Don’t miss the night ritual:
Apply a night cream before you go to bed and wake up to a softer smoother complexion. You could choose from a plethora of options. To know the one which will definitely work for you, seek advice of an expert. Be regular in your application. Dab night cream in your palm, then gently rub your hands together. The heat liquidifies the cream so that it is easily absorbed by your skin. We suggest: Chanel Hydramax + Active range.

Work on your beauty potions
Keep handy on the dresser: Rosewater, sandal wood (normal to dry skin) /fuller’s earth (oily complexion), glycerine and your favourite massage oil (olive and almond oil are good easy options), pure turmeric powder.
Refrigerator essentials: Lemons, curd, milk, cucumbers
On the bathroom rack: Get hands on some small pretty containers with air-tight caps. Weekly store these with gramflour/fuller’s earth/sandalwood powder, sea salt, sugar crystals and honey.
The monthly grind: Masoor dal, almonds — they make some very handy scrubs.

Natural beauty Boosters
Yogurt: It is ideal to massage skin as it can tone up both dry and oily skin 
Lime: A glass of lime juice has adequate vitamin C to improve the skin colour 
Honey: It has vitamin B complex which is really important for good skin colour
Lightening ritual: Take a lemon and cut it into two halves. Rub one half on the face gently. Squeeze the other half in the cup of water, add a little rock salt and drink it. Do it for 6 to 8 weeks regularly day after day and observe the difference.
Complexion mask: Make a paste of a pinch of turmeric and a tablespoon of milk powder in two tablespoons of honey and the juice of half lime. Apply it on your face and rinse off in 10 minutes.
Skin expert Blossom Kochchar

Beauty expert Shahnaz Husain’s wonder scrubs

Facial Scrub: Take one teaspoon ground dry orange and lemon peels, one teaspoon oatmeal and one teaspoon ground almond. Add one teaspoon rose water. Apply on the skin and rub gently with circular movements. Then wash off with water. Orange and lemon peels should be dried thoroughly in the sun and kept in a tightly closed container. You can use the oats which are available for making porridge. 

Body Scrub: You can try out the traditional ubtan with simple kitchen ingredients. Take choker (wheat bran) and add ground dried orange and lemon peel, along with honey and curd. Apply on the skin. After 20 minutes, moisten the scrub and rub it gently on the skin and then wash off with water. Gram flour, curd and a little turmeric also make a good scrub, especially for removing tan. The paste should be applied and then washed off after half an hour.

5 steps to bright, blemish-free complexion
Watch that sun: You apply a sunscreen every time you step out in the sun. But still your skin feels dull? It could be because of the way you apply it. Blend it well by rubbing it into your skin and there you go breaking the chemical formulation, rendering the lotion quite ineffective. So next time put small dots all over your face, gently dab and roll to form a thin even layer. The whiteness will disappear after 5 minutes and you will discover your old sunscreen working much better!
Block the glare: Does your skin feel like a dry, dull peel by the end of the day? This is even when you don’t step out in the sun too often? The culprit may be the computer screen you pore into the whole day through. The screen also emits ultra violet rays. To fix this problem, get an anti-glare screen and apply a sunscreen every three hours.
Get rid of that spot: You have an event to go to where you want to look your fab-best, and just a day before this pimple crops up. Apply a dot of Tretinoin cream over the spot and most likely it will dry overnight. You can also consider putting 2-3 drops of lemon juice to naturally dehydrate it. And if there’s no time for that also, then let concealer be your weapon. Under any circumstances, don’t squish it out.
Relinquish the dead skin: Get your hands on a cream containing hydroquinone/Kojic acid. Apply overnight on a clean face for a week and say hello to a visibly brighter, lighter skin. If you want some instant results, go for a skin polishing session with a dermatologist of repute.
Ask for testers: You really feel that a particular formulation from a coveted brand will work for you? Before you invest in the real thing, ask for a sample. Even the best of products may not suit your particular skin type. In case of a reaction, visit your dermatologist.
Dr. Preeti Savardekar, Consultant Dermatologist and Cosmetologist, Kaya Skin Clinic

 

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