Hand Helpers- DIY Manicures

The next time you are at the salon pampering yourself with a mani-pedi, rest easy because your bill won't ultimately read "$51,000."  That is the price of the world's most expensive manicure known as the 'Iced Manicure' done by Cherish Angula's team of nail specialists. As one might glean from the name, the manicure involves some serious 'ice' studded into each nail-- 10 carat diamonds to be exact.  Bornrich.com sums it up by exclaiming "This luxurious treatment is surely the definition of frivolous!"

Yes-we are going to have to agree.

Even though you probably aren't going to spend the equivalent of a down payment on a house at the nail salon in this lifetime, you don't even have to shell out $30-$50 each week to keep your fingers looking fresh all summer long. This at-home manicure treatment adapted from Donna Perillo, the owner of Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa in New York City, utilizes items already laying around your house.

DIY Facial Mist and Toner

If you're like me, you can't win with your skin.

Your T-zone gets oily, and when you use cleansers for oily skin you dry out the rest of your face. The weather starts to get colder, and your skin loses moisture. So, you slather on moisturizer and half way through the day you are pulling out oil absorbing sheets and counting down the hours when you can finally wash your face and start this aggravating cycle over once more.

Rosewater controls oil secretion and fights acne

Instead of purchasing $30 facial mists and toners, consider making your own. It's simple to do and can restore, tone, and hydrate your skin in one spritz giving you a dewy glow. Plus making it yourself with items that are already in your kitchen ensures that you don't have to deal with skin irritants like parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, or dyes.

Keep Skin Beautiful

All though it's the end of the summer, the sun's rays can still penetrate through the clouds. In fact, there is still a chance of developing skin cancer even in the winter.

Here at The Thrifty Scholar we understand that there is a great deal of information regarding skin safety, and some of it can be confusing so we broke it down for you by answering some of the questions readers submitted.

Skip the Hairdresser: Color Hair at Home Part 1

A trip to the hairdresser for a cut and color can easily cost over $100, especially if you get roped into buying their special products for resisting color fading. In contrast, at-home coloring kits are available at drugstores from $5-$20 and manufacturers often provide coupons for these products. 

Style icon Rhianna frequently dyes her hair vibrant shades of red

You are probably coloring your hair to hide greys, or to adjust the shade due to sun damage or a change in seasons. Coloring your hair at home is a good decision for minor color changes. It not only saves you money, it gives you more control over the results; you are selecting a dye with a chemical strength appropriate for your hair, you are taking care to make sure the application is thorough, and you are controlling the exact amount of time the dye remains on your hair.

[Disclaimer: If you are considering drastically changing your hair color (going from black to blonde) or have been previously color-treating your hair, you might want to seek a professional’s assistance because then you can blame someone else if it turns out horrible J]  

Staying Gorgeous on a Budget

When it comes to beauty and skincare, it’s hard to justify skimping on quality products. Your face is the first thing people see, and you want it to look healthy and glowing. In order to provide a cheaper product, some make-up brands will use cheaper quality ingredients, which might cause sensitive skin to react negatively. However, using make-up every day can rack up hundreds of dollars in cosmetic purchases. 

One way to reduce costs, is to keep your existing make-up in good condition, and to make it last as long as possible. A good rule of thumb, is to remember that liquid based products (ex: liquid foundation) can breed bacteria after some time, so these products tend not to last as long as powder and petroleum based products (concealer, mineral foundation, lip balm).

Thus, an eyeliner pencil can last quite a long time with regular sharpening, but if you are wetting the tip with water or saliva, then it will significantly reduce the quality of the product. Not to mention, do you really want spit lining the waterline of your eye?

Beauty Products Running Out?

If your looking for less expensive alternatives to some of your beauty products, an article in Fitness Magazine April 2010 issue had some beauty experts suggested the first 3, and inspired me to add in some of my own as well!

• Hair Mousse: Shaving cream has the same frothy texture as mousse and leaves hair silky an voluminous. Borrow the husbands' can when he's not looking, rake a golf-ball size blob through damp strands, then blow-dry.  Gillette Foamy Shaving Cream 2oz $1.29.
• Face Cleanser: Plain yogurt is packed with lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that's a gentle exfoliant and moisturizer. Massage a spoonful onto dry skin, leave on for 1 minute, then rinse off with warm water. 
• Hair texturizer: Deodorant is pliable, and tacky. Swipe a few strokes on your palms, then rub your hands through your layers and the ends of your hair.  Dove Invisible Solid 0.5 oz $0.99.
•  Body Scrub: Sea Salt or Sugar will exfoliate your skin and is safe to use for all skin types. Mix a spoonful into the body wash you are using. 
• Under-eye concealer: A Cold Spoon or cold cucumber slices will cool down the puffiness of tired eyes. Press the curved side of a cold spoon (you can keep one in the freezer for this purpose) under each eye for about 1 minute.
• Make-up Remover: Mineral Oil, also known as Baby oil, will remove make-up and leave your skin moisturized. Dab some onto a cotton pad and hold it onto your eyelid for 10 seconds. Wipe across face and eyes. Make sure to avoid getting cotton fibers in eyes.