Believe it or not, there absolutely is such a thing as a miracle potion for a myriad of beauty concerns from weight management and weight loss, to beautiful hair, nails and skin, etc. So, what is this miracle potion? It is the all natural, zero calorie, zero fat, zero trans fat, all purifying, thirst quenching and absolutely refreshing…. H20. And all it takes to achieve the benefits that water has to offer is eight to ten 8 oz. glasses a day.   

For those of you thinking “I’m not a water drinker”, “I hate the taste of water” or “it’s boring”, rest assured there are a large variety of natural juice flavored waters available now. These flavored waters have a much better taste than a diluted juice or fruit flavored drink without the high calorie and sugar content. One of my personal favorites is Tropicana’s Fruit Squeeze, which comes in a variety of flavors and is comparable in price to bottled water. Drink up, and start feeling and seeing the difference.

Skin Care Regimen
Your daily skin care regimen should actually begin at night. Night time is the most important time to take care of your skin. It’s also a great time to de-stress and prepare yourself for the most important step in beauty: a good night’s sleep.  

Daily Night Time Ritual
Step One: CLEANSE
Keep your routines simple and basic. If you have dry skin, use a cream-based product that leaves residual emollients. For normal to oily skin, use a gentle bar soap. I recommend Oil of Olay, Dove or Neutrogena. Never use a deodorant soap. Deodorants mean added chemicals that can be harsh on your skin. Enlist natural make-up removers such as sweet almond oil (which also promotes eyelash re-growth).

Step Two: TONE
Nothing does a better job for removing residue, oil and built-up make-up and moisturizer than a lemon.  Save yourself both time and money and cut yourself some lemons. Lemon juice is the main and essential ingredient of some of the best most expensive toners on the market. Witch hazel, rose water and liquid boric acid are also effective and inexpensive toners. These natural toning agents can be easily applied with either a spray bottle or saturated cotton ball, and as with all toners, no rinsing is required.

Step Three: REJUVENATE
Prior to moisturizing, simply rub an ice cube in circular motions all around your face and upwards on your neck. This is one of the very best ways to rejuvenate your skin. This shockingly simple addition to your routine will dampen and form a thin film on the skin which, in turn, will act as a moisture trap for the moisturizer. It also aids in the prevention of blemishes and/or possible breakouts.

Step Four: MOISTURIZE
Moisturizing your skin is an essential step that can get very expensive and very confusing. Again, keep it simple. When shopping for moisturizers look for the following: lipids (listed as ceramides, cerebrosides or sphingo lipids); essential fatty acids (listed as sunflower oil, grape seed oil and primrose oil); and (most important) sunscreen. Once you’ve found your moisturizing base, head to the vitamin aisle and grab yourself a bottle of the highest potency Vitamin E capsules. You may even find an easier solution in Vitamin E oil. Add this miracle additive to your favorite moisturizer.

Daily Morning Ritual
Step One: CLEANSE
Keep your morning cleansing routine simple by reactivating your prior night’s routine with a simple splash of warm water or milk. Milk contains lactic acid which provides a natural acid treatment. Instead of chemical acids, substitute natural acids in your cleansing routine like crushed tomatoes, lemon juice, pineapple juice or orange pulp.  

Step Two: REJUVENATE (repeat Step Three above)
You are now ready for make-up application! For best results in keeping an all-day fresh make-up look, as a final touch lightly spray your face with rose water after your make-up has been applied.

Weekly Ritual (or as needed, but don’t overdo)
There seems to be a push by advertisers and fashion editors to exfoliate.  They push exfoliating tools, scrubs and facial masks as a vital part of the beauty ritual. There is about 40% truth and 60% marketing in this, so let’s get straight to the facts. Exfoliating is absolutely important and an essential part of achieving a healthy and youthful glow.  But exfoliating should not be done on a daily basis; daily exfoliating can be harmful to the skin and may also lead to scarring, blotching and drying. Daily masks can also be harmful. They can dry out your skin, giving you a dry and older-looking complexion.

When exfoliating and masking, stick to a weekly regiment and look for mild abrasives and clays. Natural exfoliants include almond oil, Vitamin E oil or olive oil with raw sugar. These make for a great facial exfoliant. For an invigorating all-over body exfoliant, substitute the raw sugar with sea salt. Natural masks can be easily made from oatmeal, honey and avocado. Above all, keep it simple and go natural before chemical.