Booking out an appointment at the salon can get tricky – there are days where your desired time slots aren’t available or your favourite stylist or therapist is not in town. Disaster. What to do next? Enter our easy-to-follow guide that features 10 at-home beauty treatments that will help salvage the situation.
Just think of all the things you can do without having to leave your front door – exfoliate the lips with your customised lip scrub, tint your brows, slather homemade honey masks and the list goes on. Plus, you’re not at the mercy of the salon’s opening hours and you get to #treatyoself while waiting for Jon Snow to be topless again, cheers to that. Want the low-down on all of these? Then scroll on.
Bonus point – as your products are all homemade, they’ll have no extra preservatives, harmful ingredients or made from an old boot (okay we haven’t heard of any products made from an old boot, but you never know). These items are all made from goodness and love – your own love. Who could want for more?
As an alternative to Benefit’s lip tint, you can grind some pomegranate seeds and mix the juice with drops of coconut oil. For added nutrients, mash five raspberries and blackberries with a teaspoon of olive oil to the mix. Then, apply it for a rosy tint. Bonus: Your lips will taste oh-so-fruity.
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Other than being a great perk-me-up, coffee is known to treat acne as it exfoliates the skin thoroughly. But did you know that it helps in stimulating the circulation of blood and tightening of skin, making it one of the best home remedy to rid cellulite with? Plus, it plumps your skin and adds a healthy after-glow to it.
So don’t throw away that cup of ground coffee residue after you’re done drinking your cuppa. Mix it with 1 cup of coconut oil and smear it all over your targeted areas. Massage in a circular motion before rinsing it away. We promise you’re going to love the aroma left on your skin.
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The most delicate area of your countenance deserves extra care. To whip up your very own soothing eye cream, gather some gentle and nutrient-rich essential oils together with some vitamin E that helps to repair the skin and strengthen it against free radical damage. Mix four teaspoons of avocado oil, two teaspoons of calendula oil and rosehip oil, three drops of lemon essential oil and one capsule of vitamin E essence together.
Once mixed, gently heat the mixture up and stir it constantly. Slowly add in half a teaspoon of corn starch and two teaspoons of melted beeswax to bind the cream together. Thereafter, cool it in the fridge for 10 minutes and you’re one bespoke pot of eye cream richer.
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Other than being moisturising, raw honey has many more benefits, one of which is it’s antibacterial properties, making it a prime ingredient for a soothing mask. We know that orange is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants but did you know that the acid in the fruit makes it an excellent exfoliator?
Combine all of that with some oatmeal and you’ve got yourself a gentle exfoliating mask that cleanses and soothes your skin. If you’re interested in shrinking pores, add a little yoghurt to the equation and you’re sorted. Mix two tablespoons of honey, two cups of oats, juice from one whole orange two teaspoons of dried orange peel and some yoghurt together. Slather it on and leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.
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How could we neglect our mane? Besides, you get to squeeze in an episode of your favourite drama while waiting for your hair mask to be done. To restore shine, you should incorporate vitamin A, D, E and protein-rich ingredients such as eggs and nut oils, which helps to lock in moisture and nourish your strands.
Beat an egg into a cup of coconut milk and two tablespoons of olive oil. Add a touch of lemon and massage the mixture into your scalp and let it sit for 20 minutes before rinsing it off.
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We’ve previously mentioned how active charcoal is THE skincare ingredient of the year. It is commonly found in detoxifying masks that helps to draw out impurities from clogged pores and reduce the appearance of visible pores. Yes, you can buy it off the beauty aisles but why do that when you can concoct a personalised pot.
Brew some camomile tea and add two teaspoons of melted shea butter into it. In a different bowl, mix two tablespoons of bentonite clay from any pharmacy with 3 teaspoons of activated charcoal before adding it to the shea mix. Add a few teaspoons of aloe vera for hydration purposes and melt two teaspoons of shea butter into it. Mix well and coat it all over your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes before rinsing off.
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Nobody is interested in a pair of cracked lips, so you’d want to ensure that you sport a flake-free pout, always.Gather two teaspoons of brown sugar, a tablespoon of coconut oil and honey, mix it all together and exfoliate away.
Honey and coconut oil are going to help moisturise your pout while the brown sugar helps to strip away dead skin. If you want to skip the whole crafting part and head straight to the scrubbing part, get yourself a pot of this at Lush. Made with jojoba oil, castor sugar and peppermint oil, Lush’s sugary scrub promises to scrub away all flaky dead skin, leaving your lips cool and refreshed from the peppermint oil.
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A fast and easy way to do this is to get Maybelline’s newest Brow Tattoo Gel Tint. All you have to do is brush on your desired brow shape with the applicator, wait for 20 minutes before peeling it off and your brows are temporarily tinted for the next few days.
Do remember to peel it from the end of your eyebrow to the start, you don’t want to risk plucking off any of your natural brows. With tinted eyebrows that last for three days, this can shave off some time from your everyday makeup routine, score!
Maybelline Brow Tattoo Gel Tint, $19.90
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This is an easy one, just add your favourite skincare serum to your foundation or BB cream to give your skin an extra glow and nourishment. Our Beauty Editor recommends the Chanel Blue serum for its ability to tighten the skin, leaving you with a more radiant after-glow.
Chanel Blue Serum, $160
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The sweet and juicy fruit is packed with free radical fighting lycopene and antioxidants, making it a real nutritious treat for your skin. To cool you off in this heat, here’s a watermelon rind mist to freshen up your face whenever.
Slice the watermelon and remove the pink flesh till there’s only a hint of it left on the rind. Then, chill the rind in the the fridge for 10 minutes before grating and straining it through a cheesecloth. Collect the clear liquid in a spray bottle and the mist is ready.
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