9 Ways to Get Naturally Gorgeous Skin Without Spending a Cent
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA 
on 08.22.09
Photo credit: Getty Images
Forget chemical peels, surgical face-lifts, Botox, or expensive hopes-in-a-jar. You can attain fresh, glowing skin by following a few simple directives and getting a little crafty around the kitchen.
When you've watched your budget plummet from Roquefort to Cheez Whiz, gone are the days when you can afford to keep a crack team of dermatologists and aestheticians on speed dial. (DIY sounds so much better than IOU, doesn't it?) You will be able to keep up with our nine tips for achieving a beautiful complexion, however, because they cost a grand total of absolutely nada.
1. Get your coffee fix
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Don't toss out the coffee grounds that brewed up your morning pot of java. A handful of moist grounds (organic is preferable) makes a fantastic facial exfoliant or all-over body scrub. Not only do the grounds physically slough off dead skin cells with remarkable finesse, but the remaining caffeine also tightens and firms pores, resulting in impossibly smooth skin. For dry skin, add 1-2 tablespoons of cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil.
2. Wash your makeup tools
Photo credit: Lisa Kay Photography
Dirty makeup brushes and sponges are hotbeds of bacteria and grime. Allowing them to fester in their filth and then rubbing them all over your face is the quickest path to clogged pores, zit outbreaks, and the gnashing of teeth. Wash your tools at least once a week with a spot of shampoo and warm water to get them as good as new.
3. Find appeal in peels
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For an instant, couldn't-be-easier moisturizer, says Donna Maria Coles Johnson, owner of Make Your Own Cosmetics, in the January 2008 issue of Natural Health, scrape off the inner peel of a banana, apply it to your face, and then rinse off after 15 minutes.
Other fruit and vegetable peelings to try (use the inner, fleshy part): Potatoes, which can help reduce puffiness; citrus (oranges, lemons, grapefruit) for its powerful astringent properties; avocado, for plumping up your complexion; and pineapple, to brighten skin instantly.
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