If you polish your own nails, get some Sally Hansen "Mega Shine." Use a clear base coat, then two coats of polish. Then, wait at least one full minute (I wait two), and blow on your nails during that time. Then, put on one coat of the Mega Shine. In less than 5 minutes your nails will be dry enough that you can do stuff without wrecking the polish; your polish will last much longer without chipping or wearing off; and it gives a great shine to your polish.

Make sure that any sunscreen you buy has titanium dioxide in it. That's the ingredient that actually blocks the harmful rays.

I saw an Oprah show about women that look years younger than they are. One woman swears by not only Prep H for eyes, but uses vaginal-dryness cream for her face. She said a dermatologist recommended it to her years ago and she had used it ever since. She looked great. Never tried it myself though. I am another fan of castor oil. It works very well as a moisturizer. I wouldn't use it iin the daytime though because it's kinda greasy.

I googled "Big Sexy" and came up with this link. It looks like they even ship to Canada. I don't know if this is good pricing or not because I have never seen it here before but it sounds good!

Here is a link that might be useful: Big Sexy Hair Products

I use an English diaper/first aid cream called Savlon -- both for my face -- and on my bikini area after shaving -- it is wonderful and takes out any redness or irritations -- but hard to find!

Just one shop (a British food/other stuff shop) carries it around my area.

I've used Clinique's Exfloitating Scrub for years -- really scrubs up well!

Other diaper creams may be good too -- I use the one that comes in a tube -- slightly easier to put on than the heavy stuff in the cans or containers!

I've heard KY jelly vaginal lubricant holds moisture on your face and neck. There was a woman on the Daily Show that claimed she looked so young because she used premarin vaginal cream on her face. There's some pretty bizarre things out there that really work better than those expensive products. I've heard of prep H for a long time, professional models claim to use it regularly.

I also think Sally Hansen's "Mega Shine" is great stuff. Although I will try the Maybelline Express Finish recommended on another thread. For what reason are you guys using the Preparation H or castor oil around the eyes? To reduce wrinkles? Does it help with under eye circles?

I credit two things for my good skin (hardly any wrinkles-yet) at age 49. One is good genes; the other is vaseline! Yes, I am one who every night--every night-- after washing with a mild soap smears a thin layer of it all over my face and neck. It not only keeps my skin baby soft, especially in our dry winters, but also feels great, like a mini-face massage. A thin layer is all that is needed and is not greasy. For obvious reasons, though, I only do this at night. My daily moisturizer is Clinique's Dramatically Different. I should look for a cheaper one, I think, but I've been using this one a long time and really like it.

I also use vaseline, I use it to remove my eye make-up. It takes it off easily and leaves a trace of vaseline around my eyes overnight.
Someone told me years ago...whatever you do, take off your makeup EVERY night...for whatever reason of all the things people have advised me to do over the years, that one I listened to.
Another vote for the pink and green mascara.
=D

I've been looking at a book I got from the library--Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me.(2003 I think) (Maybe I even saw it mentioned on this forum.) The author has reviewed thousands of products and notes which ones she thinks are the best.

If you sign up for her newsletter, you can download her list of the best cosmetics available at drug stores. Paula Begoun does her her own line of cosmetics, but she shares her knowledge of other good products. She says many lines are a mix of very good and not so good products.

She also reviews men's products in her book.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cosmetic Cop

I have a ton of them...but if I told you I would have to kill you!:) Seriously, I use stuff from the Edgar Cayce readings and they really work..but some of them are a little out there ..until you see the results.My favorite , because it really worked when nothing else would, is how to get your hair to grow...crude oil scalp massages!!! I don't know how it works, but it does.

Quick note before I get into my beauty secrets: I joined this site a few years ago but didn't keep up my subscription & couldn't post. I just realized a little while ago that this site is now free. Hallelujah!! : )

Okay, now for my beauty secrets... At the ripe 'old' age of 43, I have come up with an inexpensive 3-product combination that has FINALLY addressed & improved my large pore/oily skin problem that I've been attempting to solve ever since puberty!

(Let me preface by saying that I've always washed my face in the shower in the mornings with Wal-Mart's inexpensive knock-off of Cetaphil's liquid face wash.)

The 1st product discovery that I've recently tried & found great improvement with has been witch hazel, generously applied with a cottonball or washcloth as soon as I get out of the shower. Once I began using this regularly, my pores downsized drastically & the occasional blemish has become non-existant.

Product #2 is generic Milk of Magnesia applied to the oily areas of my face before my foundation application.

Product #3 (this is the real killer, I can't believe how much difference this has made) is cornstarch dusted lightly over my face after my make-up application. (Only a light dusting, if I use too much it's noticeable in the creases by my nostrils.) In the months when I'm not getting alot of sun I use the cornstarch straight, in the summer months when my face is tanned, I'll mix the cornstarch 1/2 & 1/2 with my tinted loose face powder & dust it on.

I have used the Milk Of Magnesia for my oiliness for several years, but now that I've added the cornstarch it has basically solved my oil problem altogether!

After all of these years, I can now go a good 6+ hours without have to re-dust my face, whereas before I used this 3-product combination I would have large pores & an oily shine within 1 hour of fresh make-up application with straight powder.

At nighttime, I again (1) wash my face with the Cetaphil knock-off, (2) apply the witch hazel again, & (3) finish with a good layer of Oil Of Olay (inexpensive generic knock-off again) moisturizer.

The beauty of it is that they're all inexpensive ingredients that I normally have around the house anyways, and as crazy as they sound, they've actually WORKED for me! : )

My beauty secret is using cleansing cream/milk instead of water and face soap.

I can't remember the last time I actually washed my face.
Right before I go into the shower, I apply a thick layer of Kenzoki cleansing cream. While in the shower, I wash my hair and body without touchign my face. When I walk out of the shower, some of the cream has washed off, but the skin is still protected from the water. If a lot of it rinsed off, I apply more and massage, then I take a tissue and remove whatever is left and apply a moisturizing cream. My pores have never looked better. My skin doesn't dry out, it's softer and I never feel that tight feeling.
I have dry skin in the winter, so this helps a lot. It removes makeup really well too.
My face hardly ever gets water, because water has chloride and it dries out my skin. Sometimes when I apply a scrub or a mask, I use spring water.

I have a skin condition which causes my hands to crack and bleed all year long. Summer or winter! The creams and lotions are never that great, but Aquaphor is the only thing that works to prevent the cracking.
I used to have to call in sick to work because the palms of my hands were bleedign and hurting, but now it never gets worse than just cracking in the cuticles and redness.
I apply it generously to my hands every single night before bed, twice. I also use it after showering or doing dishes/cleaning. In between Aquaphor applications, I apply Eucering Original Moisturizing Lotion. It's greasy though.
I also love Bath and Body works rice and shea butter cream. It's very rich.

For the whole body... Every day when I shower I use a rich cleanser like Oil Of Olay for dry skin or Dove Nutrium body wash. I apply the body wash onto a pouf and rub it to create suds, then I squirt lavender baby oil all over the sudsy pouf, rub all over my skin as usual, and when I am done, I am clean and have a thin thin layer of baby oil all over my body. It is awesome for winter, and it leaves just enough to protect skin from cold. Best part, it really isn't greasy.

Another vote for Vaseline. I tried everything on the market for super dry skin. I spent my retirement money !
Still I could not wear nylons in winter. The flakes of skin off my legs would come through, sifted into a fine powder. How gross!
My nails wouldn't grow, but flaked off. And my cuticles and hands would crack and bleed as soon as fall got here.

Vaseline EVERY NIGHT, after my bath, BEFORE drying off. Smoothing it over my bath-water-warmed skin, it melts into the skin, and seals in the moisture the bath left in the top layers of skin.

5 years now, and I haven't had one crack in the winter. Nary a flake. My feet are as soft as my newborn grandson's. My nails are resilient.
I don't sleep with sox on, or gloves, that would drive me nuts. You don't need them.
Also, I am not greasy. Just full of moisture.

And talk about a bargain! It takes a year to use a jar. I do spring for the baby powder scented. It smells nice.

Ditto on the Vaseline, I've been using it to remove my eye make-up (great for removing waterproof mascara) ever since I was a teenager. Have yet to see an eye wrinkle!

Here are some of my tips. I drink lots of water, moisturize and protect with sunscreen spf 15, exfoliate once to twice a week, take a really good multivitamin, exercise and eat tons of fruit and veggies. Watch the sugar and white flour. I'm almost 50!!! for products I use Neutrogena products, love the green bottle mascara Maybelline, and try to use as many natural products as possible. Vit E, jojoba, Vit C, B Complex, etc.

Wangshang, where do you get crude oil? Your comment about hair, or lack thereof, and crude oil was very interesting.

I'm new here, but I have to let you ladies in on this.... Maybeline in the pink and green bottle is great... but... if you put a layer of that on and then a layer of Loreal Voluminous (waterproof) mascara, you will be surprised. It not only looks great, but you can cry and not worry about it, AND you can use "regular" facial cleanser to take it off. :O)
Another thing that I found is OnlyOnefix.com. They sell colored contacts for people who don't really need them. I can't tell you how many compliments I receive. I have hazel eyes and I when I put the light green two toned kind in and wear them with Dark maroon shadow and light pink gloss. Looks soooo good together.

One more thing... Avon "Decrease", one of their "Anew" products, works wonderfully!!! It's kinda pricey @ 30.00 a bottle, but I have to say that, OMG... it's well worth it.

Nicki

i love the feel of my skin when i shave my legs--just don't have the time or patience to do it. what i do is that i use any hair removing lotion Nair, Veet whatever and i use those funny looking gloves to remove the lotion. the hair is removed in 1/4th of the time it takes to shave and you don't get cuts. they sell those gloves at dollar tree and places like that. oh! it is also an exfoliant-be sure to have lukewarm runnign water to rinse off your hands as you go..

Walk alot-good for your circulation and complexion.
Take Omega 3 oils.
I wash with Aveeno.
Drink tons of COLD water.
Use rosewater glycerin under my moisturizer.
I get compliments on my 45 year old skin.

I actally tried the feminine moisture product. Not the KY one but similar. I think it is mostly gycerine and has some vitamin E. Actually rather nice--moist, dewy, not greasy.

Living in the hot, humid South, makeup has a tough time staying on all day. On another board, someone suggested a light coating of Milk of Magnesia over moisturizer/under foundation or makeup. It really does help during times when makeup doesn't want to stay on.

I also love Creamy Vaseline as a moisturizer, especially around eyes. I also like to use regular Vaseline to remove makeup, and as a night-time moisturizer.

I do facial exercises in front of the mirror in the morning for at least 10 mins a day. During the process, I make all sorts of funny faces to ensure every part of my face is stretched. It's a good way to wake me up and laugh at myself. Anti stress! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Beauty Tips Articles

Malaysia...could you send us some pictures of how you do your facial exercises?

(just kidding LOL!)

Here is my number one beauty secret. No special regimens to follow, no calories to count, no products to buy:

Whenever anyone asks me how old I am, I simply add 18.

Now, for 48 1/2 (my real age), I happen to look good. But for 66??? I'm the most beautiful woman they ever saw. Twenty years from now, they'll still be talking about me. Trust me, they'll even believe you -- no one expects you to lie UP about your age. But hey, if I subtracted -- well, I look unbelievable for 66, very good for 48, but a little ragged for 30!

CAUTION: You MUST add a LOT of years for this to work. If you only add 5, they'll just believe you, and you'll be depressed.

Okay, that's how I look AMAZING -- for 66. But I do look good for 48, too, and a lot younger than that (for a lot of the same reasons that previous posters said, too -- read on). Recently a security agent (a very young one, too, not an old one!) almost didn't let me on a plane because she refused to believe that my passport, with the birthdate of 1957, could be mine. So there! :-)

Here is what makes people not believe I'm 48:

SUNSCREEN. 365 days a year, rain, snow, or shine, on my face and neck at least. I don't even go out to get the paper without it. Haven't had a new line on my face since I started being religious about this over 10 years ago. I know heredity helps, but come on, we know the sun is a HUGE culprit. I use the Neutrogena sensitive skin physical blocker because anything with chemicals makes me get a rash on my eyelids. (It's getting hard to find makeup without it, too.) I just use it like moisturizer.

I also think keeping my skin clean with gentle products helps a lot. I have been using Neutrogena for over 30 years, so I'm sticking with it. I use their gentle cleansing cream and their copper-infused eye cream and night cream. I never, never, never go to bed with makeup on.

Stand and sit up straight. I didn't realize that my posture had worsened over the years, but it had. What a difference that makes.

Re: mascara -- I always used Cover Girl's washable waterproof mascara. Great product. And I know the Maybelline favorite is really good. But I recently discovered two absolutely terrific ones you might consider for a treat: Dior Show -- like false lashes in a bottle -- which I use all the time now, and "Bad Gal Lash" by Benefit: very long without looking weird. My daughter bought that one, and I'm going to invest, too.

Never skimp on eyeglasses. I am a really stingy shopper for everything else, but when it comes to glasses, I buy the frames that look the best on me (not the cutest frames, the most flattering ones, although they are usually cool anyway), price be damned. I mean, you are wearing this every day, ON YOUR FACE. No matter what your dream frames cost, I guarantee it's not more than you'd spend on a couple of good outfits, and you're going to wear them a LOT more than any dress or suit. I am about to spend a ridiculous amount of money tomorrow on new frames, and I'm confident I'm doing the right thing. The ones I bought 3 1/2 years ago (do the math -- it was my 45th birthday gift) were similarly exorbitant for a little twist of metal. But I still get compliments on them every single day, even from strangers. Make sure they FIT you -- that your eyes are right in the middle of each lens, and the edges of the frame are right for the shape and size of your face and eyebrows. Don't just look at what your eye doctor has. Go someplace where they really know what they are doing and have incredible choices (I am lucky to have a super place in my city) and let them suggest things.

And the most important, sine qua non beauty tip of all:

SMILE.

that was a great reply, gellchom!

if there was a 'hall of fame' for responses, yours would be in it! excellent secrets. thank you.

I really admire all the creativity here. I have tried just about everything on my skin and the recent baby birth, breastfeeding, Los Angeles winter dryness and 40 year old skin are not doing well. I went to Chanel last night and spent a fortune on their stuff. I would rather not spend tons of money but I have seriously tried just about everything - even stuff from Home Shopping. Does ANYONE else need to spend more to get more?

Gellchom is right about smiling. I always thought I looked sort of "neutral" when I was not smiling until I had a picture taken that way. What a shock! I look mean and grouchy unless I am smiling.

I don't really think this is a beauty secret but it's really convenient. When travelling, make your own facial washes to take with you. Grab some white paper towels (one for each application that you'll need). Thoroughly wet the towel and then add some of your facial cleanser. Manipulate the towel slightly, as if you were washing out a garment, to create a lather. Fold the towel. Repeat for each one, then place them all in a zip lock bag. When you're ready to use one just add a little warm water. Saves room in your overnight bag, there's no extra weight from the bottle and no chance of a messy leak.

lisb, great idea; I'll try that when we go to europe and I try to pack light.

Numerous people have commented on my "glow" in the last year or so. Also, people have commented on "how great you look in that color" (any color!). This is all due to Loreal Sublime self-tanner. Seriously! I have dark hair and eyes and very, very fair skin that doesn't tan at all. I rarely got these comments until I started using this self-tanner on my face. It really does give me a healthy glow, and I don't need to use any foundation when I've used self-tanner.

I'm a new member, but I have a question. I have a terrible acne problem. I have tried a number of products that my doctor has recommended (hydrocortozone and the like) and they didnt seem to work very well. I have tried vaseline, olive oil, and bag balm, as well as other commercial moisturizers. I use Pears soap. Its the simplist soap I can find. All of these products work for a while and then I break out again. I try to wash my face every night but its not yet a habbit. I dont tend to wear alot of makeup because I'm just to lazy to put that much effort into prettifying myself when my eyes arn't even open. ( I am NOT a morning person) I tend to use a lot of home remedies as I like to know exactly what is in the products. If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

Whatever the cause of the acne, some mitigating factors include accumulation of dead skin cells and bacteria in the pores, to which the skin then reacts to. So you want to prevent both.

Use cleansers with salicylic acid or glycolic acid, and masks with bentonite clay. Bentonite draws impurities out of your pores naturally - it's been used for thousands of years. Stay the heck away from those moisturizers!

There are no "home remedies" I know that work for acne. Regular soap is useless. Soap emulsifies the shallow layer of grime off your face but does nothing to clean out the pores.

Doctors will tend to give you retinol-based treatments, which can be irritating, and either oral or topical antibiotics which help with the bacterial element.

If you aren't washing your face at night you are pretty much welcoming more breakouts. Please do it! I would also change my pillowcase every night.

Good luck!

thank you for the advice. i'll give it a shot and see what happens.

Years ago, when I would lay in the sun, I didn't worry about wrinkles. My only saving grace was that I used TONS of moisturizer so I think I have broke even. Back then, I wore Noxema at night, I didn't have a big sister to show me the ins and outs of make up, so I didn't wear much.
I swear by Vaseline also. In high school,I started to use it to grease the valves on my french horn and discovered it was a great lip gloss too.
In the shower,I use a mild soap at night to remove makeup and a simple wash cloth with nothing on it in the morning just to wake me up. How dirty can your face get at night?
I been going to the dermatologist for about 17 years now and he has had me on retinol-based products.
I'm outside alot - sunscreen and sunglasses are a must.
I take my makeup more serious now that I'm in more of a PR position and work with alot of guys who look like they are off the cover of 'GQ'. They keep me on my toes.
Hand cream and gloves sometimes at night.
I also read Paula Begoun's book - 'Don't Go to The Cosmetics Counter Without Me' It's a great read with helpful information.
Don't forget your neck and chest area. I see alot of 'face lifted women' blow it all by having a 'turkey neck'
My mom's skin was amazing. In her 70's she had barely a wrinkle. She had lost alot of weight and Her skin was very thin and gaunt with some sagging, but no wrinkles or turkey neck. I should be so lucky.
Now, If I could just have my Dad's beatiful white hair...

Nice post, Momcat. I like Paula's site also. There is a lot of good informtion there. I like "Drugstore Doubles" report in which she recommends drugstore products. I don't like to buy cosmetics at the dept. stores as they are too expensive. Paula has $3 shipping through the end of this month. (cosmeticscop.com) I've ordered some of her products. They seemed quite nice, but I thought the quantity was smallish.

This was a great post...thought i would bring it back up.

I am outside riding most days...I always wear long sleeves, even at 100plus. sunglasses and sunscreen. Hats, sometimes, I can't find a hat that will stay on and it irritates me!

xooxo
duck

OK, I must chime in with a pet peeve here! "A healthy glow" was mentioned above. How I wish folks would stop referring to a tan as "a healthy glow"! It's a precancerous condition, and anything but healthy!

(Kathleen, I'm not snarking at you -- I know you used the phrase in connection with self-tanner and since it makes you look nice, then that's great! It's just that I've heard it so often during my life, in reference to real tanning, and I've accumulated enough sun damage in my early/young adult years that I now cringe whenever anyone says that "getting a little sun" is healthy!)

/rant

Well not a beauty secret per se but it works! Vicks vapo rub for hemmorroids! Sounds wierd but when I had my oldest son I had hemmies the size of golf balls and a nurse's aide told me to use Vicks! IT WORKED great! Just thought if you put Preparation H on the face then why not tell ya about Vicks for your butt!

I've been reading on other forums about OCM (The Oil Cleansing Method) and have tried it the last two nights. Wow my skin (combo/oil/acne pron) feels fabulous. Many, many people on these other forums that have serious acne are raving about this. See my other post about OCM (don't know how to do links) and check it out, it uses oil to clean oil and gets DEEP into the pores. Also jojoba is the closest oil (natural) to your skins own sebum and works fabulous as a moisturizer. I've used it at night and usually I wake up oily but not when using jojoba. Just my two cents.

ditty-if I ever get hemmorroids I'll keep your post in mind! LOL!

A product called "Udderly Smooth" is great for rough,cracked heels. It's cheap & can be found at CVS. After my shower I apply to my heals & feet then put on a pair of socks. Even my Husband started using it after all the heels in his socks wore out.

Hi all, this is my first post in this forum. Thanks for the great tips.

One I haven't seen mentioned yet is a shower filter. It filters the chlorine out of the water and leaves my hair and skin much softer. It also keeps my hair from getting that brassy look. I have thin skin that feels dry easily, and in the winter I don't get that tight feeling, itchy skin that I used to get.

The only downside is that the shower filters have to be replaced at least every 3 months.

I am a 67 year old chap and have been shaving since 14. I have massaged SAVLON into my face every day since then . It has softened my skin , helped with the occaisonal cut , and kept the skin round my eyes supple. It also helps keep acne away. Best thing I ever did and I will carry on : my wife thinks it is fabulous , and no cream , balm or after shave can touch it. Tell your husband or boyfriend ,great value !!!!!!!!

I wish that Savlon was available in the US. I guess I could buy it off of Amazon.

This is a great thread, it's so old though, probably most of the products suggested have been discontinued...HA!

My best beauty SECRET is something I just heard about a few months ago and have been doing it ever since. While watching an older (62) youtuber (what exactly do you call these people?) she was speaking of beauty tricks and she told us that years ago, she heard a plastic surgeon say that if women would do this exercise daily, they would never need a face lift. So of course I started do this since I'm in my fifties now. What you do is make a face as if you are smiling as big as you can possibly smile, teeth together but lips apart, you tighten your neck and raise your eyebrows. Do this for 15 seconds, release and do again 10 times a day. Since I have been doing this exercise, I have noticed a remarkable change in my saggy jawline. I have also noticed that my eye lids aren't as saggy either. I will continue to do this forever! I'm sold!

arkansas girl said:While watching an older (62) youtuber (what exactly do you call these people?)

They are called "beauty gurus".

I don't believe this lady would be a beauty guru though. She is Little Poet, you could look her up and decide if she would be a beauty guru?

My daughter has rosacea. I read an article about a natural remedy to clear it up. Apple Cider vinegar, take a teaspoon daily in a glass of water. Or, mix the vinegar in a small glass of water and apply to your skin. She didn't drink the vinegar/water mix but she did apply it to her face. It cleared up the rosacea breakout very quickly. My sister recently had her first bout with rosacea and she used the apple cider vinegar also, and hers cleared up as well. Now they both use it a few times a week to prevent another breakout and neither has had another rosacea breakout. It has to be the real, natural organic apple cider vinegar, with the "mother" in the bottle, not the Heinz type. Don't try it with other types of vinegar, there is something special about the apple cider kind and the others won't work. Aside from using it for rosacea, apple cider vinegar is great as a skin toner, and has many other health benefits. A plus - no side effects as there can be with medications, and its cheap too!

Iam702, for the topical mixture of ACV and water, how strong do you mix it? Are you saying that you just use one teaspoon to a cup of water? My husband has been suffering from rosacea for a few years now, I'd love for this to work for him. It seems like he's tried EVERYTHING and nothing is helping!

Instead of buying blush, use a dab of lipstick you have.

Mix 1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar with 1 cup water to use as clarifying shampoo, then follow with your usual conditioner.

If you are trying to grow your eyelashes, use castor oil. I took a mascara brush from a mascara I no longer use, washed it clean and used it to apply to my lashes daily (mostly at night before I go to bed) and it helps them grow! It can also be used for the brows.