Some people recommend the use of lemon to lighten/whiten skin, however, I have received the following warning from Angela Fealy -

A word of warning about using lemons/lemon skin to whiten skin: I developed psoriasis on my elbows after trying out the old wives' remedy for whitening elbows, and I haven't been able to get rid of it. Not only my elbows suffered though, it started to appear in smaller spots every now and again - so be really careful.

Spray perfume in front of you and walk through it so that it is evenly distributed over your body.

Lauren Archer.

Your face will look more "balanced" if the tones of your blusher match those of your lipstick.  If you are wearing an ordinary medium weight or better still, a sheer lipstick, apply your lipstick before your blusher and use your fingertips to dap a little of the colour from your lips onto the apple of your cheek.  Blend well!  If the colour is too strong, dust a layer of powder over your cheeks.  Remember to touch up your lipstick again afterwards.  This does not work with strong colours or lip glosses

 Emma Taverner.

If you are a smoker or use nail varnish regularly and get stained fingernails simply rub your fingernails in the flesh of a lemon, its sticky but the lemon juice will make fingernails clean and bright.

Naomi Marshall

Lots of natural exfoliators currently on sale feature sea salt, great for some but not for those with broken/sensitive skin or eczema, so I make my own , I take a handful of brown sugar (pick any granule size to suit) in to the shower with me and massage into wet skin, you could also mix it with baby oil. The sugar wont sting like sea salt it doesn't feel sticky and your skin will feel amazingly smooth and not irritated.

Naomi Marshall

Put a thin coat of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) onto your lips, blot with a tissue then apply your usual lipstick over the top;  blot with tissue again.  You will be left with a sheer, natural version of your favourite lip colour and moisturised lips.

 Emma Taverner.

If you are going somewhere special and want to shrink the bags under your eyes use haemorrhoid cream, it really works (says Maureen Saunders)

As I would imagine this cream has drying properties I am not sure how good it is for the delicate skin around the eyes - I would not recommend this be used on a regular basis!

If you have straight eyelashes that need a bit of a curve, heat your eyelash curlers with a hairdryer for a few seconds before using to curl your lashes.

WARNING - be careful not to heat the curlers too much as this could be painful

 Georgine Wyatt.

After applying nail varnish rinse in cold water to harden and dry the nail varnish.

 Annah Jo West

Weight Loss - Combine 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon honey in an 8 ounce glass of unsweetened grapefruit juice.  Drink 1 glass before each meal as an appetite suppressant.

Angela Kern.

Emma Taverner has kindly pointed out that the calorific content of the above is approximately 150 calories.  If this is taken three times a day, seven days a week this would add 3150 calories to your basic intake each week.  She suggests a better option may be a large glass of iced water with a squeeze of lemon juice.  Drink one large glass fifteen minutes before every meal and you will feel "full" much faster.

Leave your beauty products in the fridge, that way they will work better.

Wash you face before you exercise, otherwise the pores will get clogged.

Rub pieces of fresh lemon on your teeth to remove the stains (not sure what effect this has on the enamel though!)

WARNING - I have just been contacted by Helen Patterson who advises that a few doses of neat lemon juice and you will be through the enamel to dentine (the sensitive bit) and this also makes the teeth more porous so they will stain more easily.

Freeze lip liner in the fridge for 15 minutes before you sharpen it.

If you are in a hurry and your lipstick is not quite the colour you wanted it to be, dab on a little concealer and run your lips together and it will be different (may still not be the colour you wanted but at least it will be different!)

 Jana.

If you suffer from blackheads, boil a pot of water and sit in front of it for ten minutes, then put toothpaste* on them and sit for another ten minutes.  Wash off.

Dab a little toothpaste* on skin blemishes and most will be gone by the next day.

Charlotte Emily has told us never use toothpaste on spots as it simply dries out the outer layer of skin, making the problem even more obvious.

WARNING - I have received another warning about the use of toothpaste on skin -

Anabell contacted me as follows - 

"While reading your website I noticed the toothpaste remedy for blemishes.  My experience was not as pleasant as the one posted.  I severely burned my face on the areas which I applied the paste.  It looked as if someone had put out a cigarette on these spots.  I needed to seek medical attention and was put on antibiotics both oral and topical.  Just wanted to comment - not a great experience perhaps that can be prevented for anyone else."

I am no chemist/scientist but am wondering if this reaction is caused by the fact that some modern toothpastes contain a bleaching agent to keep teeth white. - June 

After you wash you face, rub an ice cube over it to close pores, then apply moisturiser.

If you run out of shaving cream, you can also use conditioner to do the job.

For a really close shave, try Vaseline (not great for the razor, but it's worth it every once in a while.

For puffy eyes, put 2 tablespoons in the freezer to chill and then place over the eyes for a pick me up.

For dry and/or calloused feet, apply Vaseline and then put socks on overnight while sleeping.

Run out of hair gel - as a last resort you can use Vaseline.

Use aloe vera to fade age spots.

Body Scrub - Take 3 tablespoons of sea salt, 1/2 cup of almond oil and  mix with water to make a paste.  Do not shave legs before or after using.

All these tips have been sent to us by Tia Williams 

When applying liquid makeup, wet face all over first.  Then apply makeup.  It will go on streak free and you have much more control over the colour that way.  This way you don't have patches of makeup in placed you don't want it.

Cynthia

Unruly eyebrows, rather than plucking, comb them with Vaseline and an eyebrow comb.  This makes them thinner, neater and darker.

Bekki May

 Rebecca Giacosie.

I must be honest I am a little nervous with this one as I am not sure if there are any ingredients in a fabric conditioner that would be harmful to your scalp.  Apparently Julie has come to no harm but the risk is yours.

(it works really well according to Julie Mathews that is)

This is actually an old hairdressers secret and will not harm your hair, although obviously this is not intended for everyday use. Many hairdressers actually recommend this if you have extensions as it is kinder and softer to hair then the average conditioner.

Steve