Every time I watch the news, I feel my shoulders tighten and the lines on my face get deeper, says Clarky Davis, The Debt Diva. If you are feeling the same, take time to relax and pamper yourself without increasing your money woes.

Davis has some great ideas for women to be beautiful without spending a ton of money. All of these products can be found at a local pharmacy or discount retailer.

1. Do your own manicures and pedicures. There are cheap nail kits and polishes to help and offer variety.

2. Use facial creams, masks and scrubs instead of hitting the spa for expensive facials.

3. Keep a coarse body scrub in your shower. This is a quick, easy way to renew your skin and make your body extremely soft.

4. Use the at home waxing/removal kits.

5. Extend the time between hair appointments by using color-treated shampoos and conditioners.

6. Refresh and strengthen your hair with conditioning kits or hot oil treatments.

7. Use teeth whitening kits or toothpastes. These run anywhere from $10 to $40, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared what your dentist would charge.

8. Keep your body moisturized with lotion. There are a ton of different moisture levels, scents and colors (if you want to be specific).

9. Vaseline can be used for many frugal purposes. Rub it on your feet and wear socks to bed for overnight moisture. Use it as lip balm for dry lips. If your face is dry, use a small amount as a moisturizer.

10. Save money by eliminating the tanning bed. Try an at home bronzer, spray, or tanning kit for quick color. (P.S. These are getting easier to use.)

11. Update your makeup for a new fresh look. There are all kinds of lash extending mascaras, lip-plumping lipsticks and great color-stay products to reduce the amount of reapplications during the day.

12. Buy a sound machine or small water fountain to set a relaxing mood in your house. These start at about $10 and go up from there.

13. Check out all the latest anti-aging lotions, makeup and exfoliates.

14. One of the easiest ways to save on future beauty treatments is to remember your sunscreen. This will reduce wrinkle, sun spots and the chance of skin cancer.

15. Dye or highlight your own hair. There are a ton of colors at your disposal with step-by-step directions.

16. Remove cellulite with an old pageant trick: rub hemorrhoid cream on your thighs, wrap them in cellophane and sleep in a pair of panty hose.

17. Buy a self massage chair, foot spa, or back massager. These are priced anywhere from $10 to whatever you can afford with your budget.

18. Make your own beauty products!

19. After a bad day, create your own spa. Find your favorite, relaxing CD, aromatherapy candles, add a little olive oil to your bath for moisture, then sit back and relax.

20. Have a Pretty Party at your house with your friends who are also trying to save money on beauty products and procedures. It can be hard to paint your own nails, dye your own hair, or especially wax your own eyebrows. This will also give you more choices of polishes and lotions.

We’d love to hear your suggestions, as well!

This post brought to you by redtagcrazy.com where you’ll find one sought-after fashion label at a time up to 80% off. Get an instant $5 to spend on anything you want courtesy of eBeautyDaily.

Photo credit: laura-s

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Here are four simple recipes using a combination of chocolate and Epsom Salt guaranteed to satisfy your chocolate craving this Valentine’s Day. These recipes are easy to make, easy to afford and contain easy to find ingredients that you probably already have at home. Plus, it’s the perfect way to set the mood for a romantic evening at home with your loved one.

Coco Loco Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom Salt
1 cup sea salt
3 tsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. oil (almond, olive, sunflower or other good quality oil)

Combine dry ingredients and mix. Add the vanilla extract and oil. Mix until oil is completely blended in. Store in an airtight container.

Mint Chocolate Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom Salt
2-3 tsp. cocoa powder

½ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rough chopped

5 drops of peppermint essential oil (optional)

Add together the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the peppermint oil if desired and mix again.

Chocolate Almond Truffle Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom Salt

1 cup powdered milk
2 tbs. of almond oil
2-3 tsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional for extra fragrance)

In a clean, dry bowl, add together the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the almond oil and almond extract (if desired) and mix very well again. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Body Polish

2 cups Epsom Salt

¼ cup petroleum jelly

1 tsp. cocoa powder

3-4 drops of pure chocolate extract

Mix together Epsom Salt and petroleum jelly. Add cocoa powder and extract. Use the mixture to gently scrub away dry skin patches. Rinse in the shower with warm water.

Image: Epsom Salt Council

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I remember all through my younger years (and possibly to be repeated this year), I’d hook up with my mom at around 4 am, get coffee to go, and hit whatever random sale was tickling our fancy – and often leave disappointed.

Whether or not it is a worthwhile excursion is not my right to say – but I can help you be prepared when you get there!

I have eight $5 gift cards to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - perfect to help you through any of your early morning shopping excursions this holiday shopping season. During a recent press trip to LA, I had my first experience at this chain and it is….out of this world! Better than even a certain Seattle chain. (Try their Swiss Mocha…trust me.)

Is this about beauty? Absolutely. We all look a lot better when we are well-caffeinated! But coffee doesn’t just wake you up. It has tons of great uses for beauty mavens:

1 – Rubbing coffee grounds on our hands helps deodorize them from various cooking scents. (Um, onions, garlic, etc? Gone!)

2 – Adds luster to hair! If you make a strong brew of your favorite bean (espresso is even better) and allow to cool before rubbing it onto dry hair, it will look more lustrous than you’ve ever seen it!

3 – It also is great as an exfoliant, body scrub, and cellulite buster!

Now, I’m not saying that those of you who win coffee should necessarily wear it (that would be somewhat of a waste when it tastes so delicious!), but it’s a great option for the multi-taskers within us all.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf exists at hundreds of locations worldwide and the gift cards will be good at all locations – but also for purchases online. To have your chance to win one of the eight gift cards, help me out with one of MY missions of the week:

1 -  – In your comment, tell us your favorite crazy Black Friday shopping memory!

Deadline to enter is December 19 (my birthday!). You are allowed to enter up to once per day. Good luck!

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1. Beat an egg yolk until frothy
2. Mash in 1/2 of an avocado until well blended
3. Apply to your clean face and neck
4. Allow to set for 30 minutes
5. Rinse with cool water

For oily skin, use the white of an egg instead of the yolk, plus a teaspoon of lemon juice. It will leave your face refreshed and smooth.

Do you use any homemade beauty treatments? Leave your comments here and tell us all about them.

Photo credit: sxc.hu

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I keep it by the tub, and use it on my wet body before I dry off. It leaves you totally smooth and very nice and moisturized without being greasy (after a very few minutes anyway). This new line of products from Vaseline have other ingredients besides their classic petroleum jelly, these are absolutely not just repackaged vaseline. They are not expensive, and totally worth a try.

I have the classic Vaseline all over my house. Tubs of it. Everywhere! There are a zillion uses for it, and did you know half of those zillion are beauty related! Here are 50 uses for Vaseline that are totally beauty related (and one very special one at the end that is not), so while you’re out trying the new and wonderful products, grab (another) tub of the classic Vaseline – I know you can put it to good use!

Here are the top 5 uses:

1. Put a coat on your eyelashes before you go to bed. Lots of people swear by this – and say it will make your lashes grow longer and thicker over time.

2. Put a coat of vaseline on your feet at night, cover them with socks and wake up to softer feet – every day!

3. Put vaseline on your elbows every day – they will stay soft!

4. Put Vaseline on your cuticles several times a day for softer and better looking cuticles every day.

5. Put Vaseline on chapped lips

Read the rest of the 50 Uses for Vaseline.

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I am hearing that people are putting aspirin in the miracle whip, and then putting it on their face. Does anyone know what the benefits of aspirin are?

I have read a lot about the aspirin mask over the last year, but I have not tried it myself – after all, who has aspirin laying around in the age of Tylenol and Advil? Well, my mom does, I think, but until I get to the “aspirin a day” age, I don’t. But perhaps I will spring and buy some in the name of great beauty.

Aspirin (or acetylsalicylic acid) is a beta hydroxy acid, and therefore is an exfoliant similar to many that you will find in skin creams. The benefits of using an aspirin mask are: reduction of oil production, drys up blemishes, exfoliates the skin. To make a basic aspirin mask you either dissolve or crush up plain, uncoated aspirin (the cheaper the better – yeah!) in a teaspoon of water (you can use honey as well – it stays on your face a little easier) to make up a paste. Spread it on your face and leave it on for 20 minutes up to an hour, then wash it off.

So back to the original question about putting an aspirin in with your Miracle Whip – to me, the Miracle Whip facial is pretty strong. My skin is somewhat sensitive, and I wouldn’t necessarily think that adding more acid to it would be a good thing for everyone. My advice, if you really want to try it, is to do a patch test on your inner arm, or on one small area of your face first. Or just stay on the safe side and do them separately. I will test this out after my next trip to the drug store and will let you know. In the meantime, if you have tried either the aspirin mask or the Miracle Whip/aspirin combo – please let me know your experiences!

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I have done the Miracle Whip facial now for the 3rd time, and I swear my skin is looking a ton better – those pesky clogged pores are going away! Last night I got a little more brave around the eyes and put it a little bit closer, and did have to walk around to keep my eyes from tearing for about the first 10 minutes, but no problems at all – and no breakouts at all. My skin is looking better than it has in awhile! I’m not giving up my coffee yet!
Anyone else tried this yet?

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[Edit: I am doing and documenting the Miracle Whip facial in the comments, so be sure and see how it's going, or how it went!]

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Garlic is one of my favorite flavors. I have been doing a bit of research on it for my wellness group, and ran across this great sounding recipe for a garlic facial at MakeYourCosmetics.com:

Ingredients:
1 small clove garlic
2 tablespoons boiling distilled water
3 mashed strawberries, tops removed
2 tablespoons ground oats
1 tablespoon polenta
1 teaspoon plain yogurt
2 drops tea tree essential oil

Find the rest of the instructions here , but basically, you press the garlic, soak it in the boiling water for 30 minutes, strain it and add the liquid to the rest of the ingredients. Scrub your face, and then leave the mixture on for 10 minutes, then rinse off.

Garlic is great for your skin due to its antiseptic qualities and oily and acne prone skin would benefit the most from this treatment, although it would be good for any skin type. Strawberries contain natural alpha and beta hydroxy acids, and are a whole lot less expensive than a jar of cream or a trip to the dermatologist for an AHA peel!

Garlic photo from FoodSubs

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At DeseretNews.com there are several great options for some really yummy sounding homemade body products. This Chocolate Lip Gloss is SO gonna be in my beauty bag by tonight! And how about making an assortment of them using some of the variety of different colored chips at the store and giving them as a really nifty gift? Not to mention how good this could be for those of us who need a chocolate fix, but don’t need a chocolate fix…..

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