5 Thrifty Tips For Radiant Skin

By Author: Mel Joelle
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These days everyone's wallet is feeling a little lighter. But less money in our purses doesn't mean that our skin needs to suffer! Here are five simple and, more importantly, affordable ways to keep your skin radiant on any budget.

1) Live a healthy lifestyle! You can't expect your skin to be beautiful and luminous if you're not taking care of yourself. First off, you should start with a well balanced diet. You know that old saying, you are what you eat? It definitely applies here. A poor diet is reflected on our skin. It's also important to drink six to eight glasses of water every day. This will keep your skin nice and hydrated. Hydrated skin is more malleable and thus less likely to wrinkle.

Another important key to a healthy lifestyle—and healthier skin—is making sure you get the proper amount of sleep. Your body needs seven to eight hours of sleep every night. If you're not getting enough, the tell-tale signs will pop up: dark circles and bags.

Other lifestyle tips to ensure a glowing complexion include exercising regularly, smoking and drinking less (or not at all!), and avoiding sun ...
... exposure. While some people think baking in the sun (or in a tanning bed) gives them a healthy glow, it actually causes much more harm than good. The damage caused by ultraviolet rays can't be reversed. Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause a variety of issues, from skin cancer to premature aging. There's nothing sexy about that. So remember, if you want to look like a bronzed goddess, reach for the bronzer and self-tanners but stay out of the sun!

2) Stick to a skin care routine. This can make a huge difference. Develop a routine for your specific skin type. Is your skin sensitive? Oily? Dry? A combination? Each type has different needs. What may work best on one type can be the absolute worst for another type. It's important to know your skin and to use what works best for it. This does not mean buying ridiculously priced systems or $50 jars of eye cream. Many times products you can find in the drugstore work just as well.

So what steps does everyone need in a great skin care routine? First, it's important to wash your skin daily. Ideally, it should be washed when you wake up in the morning and then again before you go to bed. For people with very dry skin, once a day may be better. It's most important to cleanse at night. This way, you're getting rid of all of the makeup, dirt and oil that your skin has been exposed to throughout the course of the day. You should also gently exfoliate your skin twice a week. This will get rid of any dead skin cells or flakes and instantly make your complexion a little more radiant. Finally, moisture, moisture, moisture! You should always apply a moisturizer after washing your skin. This will keep it soft and supple—and fight off wrinkles.

3) Take out the trash. You should go to your beauty supplies the second you're done reading this article and check them out. Anything that's more than a year old should be thrown out immediately! Old products will do your skin no good! Bacteria can begin to grow, especially in containers that you constantly dip your fingers into, which can irritate your skin. They can even cause infection.

4) No touching! Since we're on the subject of bacteria, it should be pointed out that constantly touching your skin accomplishes nothing but exposing it to all of the germs your hands have come in contact with. This will result in the farthest thing from radiant skin. Also, do not pop your zits! All that pushing and poking causes inflammation and can also lead to scarring!

5) Try homemade remedies. For a little extra dose of radiance at hardly any cost, you can whip up a spa quality concoction at home. Mashed strawberries and honey, for example, are a great way to give your complexion a boost. The enzymes from the strawberries help get rid of dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, while the honey hydrates. You'll feel as if you've had star treatment by spending hardly any money.

You can have beautiful, radiant skin on any budget. Just stick to the tips outlined here and all your friends will be wondering how you managed to scrape up the extra money for spa treatments!
Click here to read the rest of Tips for Skin Care. If you enjoyed this article, you also might like our other stories about Makeup for Ethnic Women.