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Celebrities have the time to devote themselves to their health and fitness routines, and the money to buy the most expensive creams and unguents available, yet many of them swear by skincare routines that involve ingredients that can be found in the pantry. From almond oil to avocados, some of the stars’ most unusual, yet best-loved, treatments can be whipped up at the kitchen sink.
Acne Treatments
Actress and former model Cameron Diaz has fought a well-publicised battle with acne. Yet, despite the vast array of expensive face creams and ointments available, she is said to be a devotee of using powdered milk as an exfoliant – apparently, if rubbed over damp skin, it acts as a gentle but effective facial scrub. Tyra Banks also suffers from acne breakouts but she makes a paste from baking soda and water to zap the zits, whereas Jennifer Love Hewitt prefers to apply toothpaste to a pimple to reduce the blemish as she sleeps. Brown sugar is one of the gentlest exfoliants to be found in the kitchen and, mixed with honey to form a paste, is the type of fix used by Hayden Panettiere when her skin needs a little extra TLC.
Face Masks
Audrina Partridge, star of MTV’s The Hills, makes a pumpkin, honey and milk paste to load her skin with vitamins and nutrients – mixing two teaspoons of cooked pumpkin, half a teaspoon of honey and a quarter teaspoon of milk to make a fine paste, she leaves the mask on for 15 minutes before rinsing it off with cold water. Award winners Catherine Zeta Jones and Julia Roberts also use honey, both slathering it on their faces to reduce dryness and enhance their complexions, whereas singer Katy Perry prefers to apply face masks consisting of almond oil and egg whites to firm her skin and stave off wrinkles. Model Chanel Iman’s beauty secret is an apple and honey mash that she leaves to dry before washing off, Beyonce has extolled the virtues of using raw strawberries to ‘scrub’ her face of excess oils, and Victoria Beckham is rumoured to be a big fan of overnight avocado facials to keep her skin in top condition
Skin Therapies
Teri Hatcher, no longer a Desperate Housewife, goes the waste-not route by tipping any leftover wine into her bath tub. A natural skin softener and gentle exfoliant, she swears that this trick is a top tip for luxurious skin. Jennifer Lopez, however, expounds the practical benefits of Vaseline – as a universal fix for all dry skin issues, she uses it to take off makeup and keep her knees and elbows baby smooth. Catherine Zeta Jones’ pure honey facial can be used to promote dead skin regrowth and hydrate and heal damaged skin by the simple addition of an egg, some olive oil and a few drops of rosewater, although both Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie swear by the simple yet effective routine of drinking lots of water to properly hydrate the whole body, keeping hair and skin clear and healthy.
Beauty Secrets
Mariah Carey uses a dab of peppermint extract on her lips to give her pout a boost, and Jennifer Aniston makes a paste of sugar and water to make her smile soft and sensual. Model Miranda Kerr puts cucumber slices all over her face so that the juice can absorb the impurities, whilst supermodel Cindy Crawford mixes whole milk and water in a spritzer bottle so that she can mist her face and décolletage throughout the day, ensuring that she too enjoys a luminous, well-
hydrated complexion.