Old Fashioned Beauty Treatments:

Beauty is as much about indulging ourselves, relaxing and being in the moment as it is about products and expense. True beauty is brought out by the inner peace we discover when we take a moment out of the everyday to restore our bodies as well as our souls. Below are some lovely little natural indulgences to bring out the beauty in you - body and soul. They use nothing but natural ingredients, are cheap, effective and have been used by generations of beautiful women. Ahhhhh....perfect for body and soul rejouvination on these chilly winter evenings....

Tip one:  A cup full of powdered milk in your warm winter bath will give you all the benifits of lactic acid in milk - remember cleopatra !! Dont forget to add candles, essential oil and a good book for the appropriate amount of relaxation !!

Tip Two: Use 1/2 cup of olive oil with two tablespoons of honey to create a luxurious hair mask. Heat the ingredients on low (dont let it get toooooo hot), add a drop of essential oil for fragrence and apply to your hair. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and relax with a great vintage magazine and a cup of your favourite hot tipple for 20 minutes. Wash your hair with your usual products afterwoods.

Tip Three: Combine two tablespoons of olive oil, honey and one egg yolk and pat liberally all over your face for a super moisturising face mask. Relax for 20 minutes listening to your favourite peacful music (I can reccomend Barbara Lynn, Norah Jones or Alison Krause) then rinse with warm water.

Tip Four: "Some say that a face pack acts on the complexion like a glass of champagne on the spirits!" Mash a quantity of strawberrys then liberally apply to your face and neck, cover your eyes with circles of cucumber, and relax to romantic music (I reccomend the 'Amelie' soundtrack, or one of ABC classical FM's 'Swoon' CD's) for a good 15 minutes. Rinse your face with luke warm water and dry.

Tip Five: Facial Steaming for clear luminous skin. Use this remedy to moisturise your skin if it has become chapped and wind bitten by our cold winter days. Use chopped orange blossom, marigold or crushed fennel in 5 cups of boiling water. Cover your head with a towl, close your eyes and place your face over the mixture, let the steam circulate for 5 minutes while you take the oportunity to meditate on the beautiful things in your life, the amazing qualities you posess and the wonderful feeling of moist air against your skin. Rinse your face with warm water, dry and use your favourite mositurising cream to finish.

So ladies (and men who are so inclined !!) you now have my permission to indulge yourself whenever possible - not that you need my permission to do so of course !! Just make sure you take time out to relax and de-stress from the pressures of life - a little beauty indulgence once a week is not a luxury, but a nesessity for every hard working modern woman with old fashioned glamour in her heart !