Advice squad: Readers share the best beauty tips they’ve ever received

by Heather Bouzan, 10-05-2007

WHENEVER WE need beauty advice, we go to the pros: our favorite hair gurus, spa owners, makeup artists, aestheticians. Their tips are usually spot-on; after all, they deal with split ends and monster zits for a living. But some of the best advice we’ve ever received has come from more unlikely sources: sisters, moms, celebrities, that friend who heard from her friend who heard from her great-aunt’s best friend’s mother-in-law. We asked a bevy of city folk about the best beauty advice they’ve ever received. Here are some of our favorite tips.

“I worked as a receptionist at a hair salon when I was in college. The owner always said to wash out conditioner using cool water rather than warm water to increase your hair’s shine and volume. She said, [just as] a hot shower relaxes your body, it does the same for your hair, leaving it limp and dull. I still try to stick to this. Plus, the final cool rinse always helps me to finally wake up in the morning.”

“Cetaphil! The BEST cleanser for facial skin — gentle and yummy-smelling. [And] Preparation H for your eyes! Swear to God, I read that Raquel Welch applied this stuff on her eye bags when she got older before every photo shoot!”

“My beauty advice is from my mother, who swears by egg yolks and mayo. This combination, when combed through hair and left in for a few hours, makes it so soft and seals your ends. As a woman of color who constantly has trouble finding hair products that are natural and made for thick, curly hair, this is my favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.”

“Heating up an eyelash curler with a blow dryer to enhance the curl! But be careful not to burn your eyelids!”

“Nivea cream. Nan Kempner swore by it and so do I.”

“I studied science at BU, and that involved course loads of nutrition and biology classes. Every female professor advised drinking plenty of water for health reasons and would add that it is good for your appearance as well. Tried and true. Drinking water gives clearer skin, bright eyes with no bags, healthier-looking nails and hair.”

“My mom swears by mixing sugar and hand lotion to exfoliate hands. She also tells me to splash cold water on my face 10 times in the morning to shrink pores, which she really does. It’s so damn cold and I get cranky in the morning, so I only do it once in awhile, but it does work.”

“Oatmeal mask.”

“Beauty can’t be forced. Go with your instincts, [and] trust your own sense of style with hair and makeup. You have to do what works for you.”

“My mother always told me to always go to bed with a clean face and to NEVER leave the house without lipstick and mascara. ‘You never know who you’ll run into,’ she said. ‘And think of how much prettier you look with makeup.’ ”

“A busy working mom I know told me to sprinkle baby powder (or cornstarch) into your hair when you can’t wash it — just fluff it up with a towel, and it soaks up the oil like crazy and leaves no residue. When being photographed, press your tongue behind your front teeth for a better-looking smile that’ll never show gaps, air, or cracks. If your fingernails are yellowed, soak them in fresh-squeezed lemon juice for half an hour.”

“My advice for curly or untamed hair that wants to be straight and healthy: deep-treat your hair by using a flat iron with Kérastase Oléo-Relax. My hair is super-damaged, but when I flat-iron it with this product, it gets a deep moisture treatment and turns from a frizzy lion’s mane into super-straight, soft, and silky hair.”

“Moisturize! That’s the best advice I’ve ever gotten. Makeup doesn’t stay or look good on a cracked, dry face! Also, I always use my finger to apply eyeshadow. I find that the oils in your hands help the color mix better with your eyelid than the brush can do. A brush [makes color look] too loose and powdery.”

“The best trick for tired or hungover eyes is some white eyeshadow along the lower lid. Makes you look all perky even when you want to go back to bed. I don’t buy expensive eye makeup remover. Unscented moisturizer works better, and I swear it makes my eyelashes more lush. For people with curly hair, the most important way to avoid frizz is to avoid touching it. Even though it’s really hard, I try not to touch until it’s dry (after putting product in). Dipping wet nails in ice-cold water (paradoxically) speeds up the drying process.”

“[Don’t dry] your hair with a towel — use a T-shirt or cotton pillowcase; it reduces frizz in a big way, especially if you are air-drying your hair. I swear by this.” “My mom used to have me put egg yolks on my face, as a mask, to clear up my skin. Works like a charm! I was the only teenager I knew who didn’t have wretched acne. Also, for curly-haired girls, here’s a good one: stop shampooing! Use a really thick conditioner every time you shower, but only shampoo one out of every four or five times. It keeps your curls from drying out and getting frizzy and icky.”

“I will tell you what my mom told me: the most important thing to do is moisturize, from forehead to neck. It keeps the skin tight and firm. The only other ‘trick’ I have, my neighborhood hairdresser taught me. This may be one that everyone knows, but the way she taught me to pluck my eyebrows is to line the pencil straight up from nose to brow and pluck outwards. Then the eyebrow is always lined up with the eye, and it is properly spaced.”

“Bend over when you’re trying on a new bra!”

“Here’s the advice. I read it in a magazine; I believe it was Glamour (puke, I know), but whatever. It was a piece on skin secrets, and they had dermatologists debunking myths about expensive cleansers, et cetera. Anyway, I always have breakouts during ‘that special time’ and in the summer, and it’s like my salicylic-acid spot-treatment stuff stops working. I was going to see if I should get something really expensive, but one of the dermatologists in this article said that you don’t need to even use a cleanser unless you’re removing makeup. The secret is to wash your face every day with nothing but a washcloth. You wet it with hot water to get it all steamy and press or rub it around your face to gently exfoliate the grime and lift out whiteheads, et cetera. I started doing it, and my skin’s never been better.”

“A: well-endowed ladies should sleep in a bra. B: wash your hair every other day.”

“I think my recent introduction to a ceramic straightening iron was the best [advice] I’ve gotten in recent memory. I haven’t gone near one since I seared my hair pretty badly with a metal straightening iron, circa 1990 or so. A girlfriend of mine made the introduction, and then I immediately purchased one myself. I use it every day now.”

“One can’t go wrong with lots and lots of mascara: clear to keep the eyebrows nicely in place, a thick lengthening one for eyelashes, and then a mini to get all those baby lashes in between. My roommate told me about this, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Fakes are always fabulous for weekend nights to add some fun, too!”

“If you’re really tired and want to brighten your eyes, line the inner part of your lower eyelid, the part closest to your eye, with a white eyeliner stick — but not a chalky one, a good one that’s subtle.”

“[My former ballet instructor], Mrs. Shanley, told me that exfoliating is the best thing you can do for your skin. She’s so right.”

“Use eye drops as the liquid instead of water [to moisten] dry, powder liner. Spray hairspray directly into hands and smooth over flyaways (as opposed to using a de-frizz gel). After shampooing and conditioning hair, blot — do not rub — your hair dry. Hair is at its most fragile when it’s wet, so gently pat or blot dry with a towel. Then use a detangler if needed before combing out wet hair. Also, begin combing the hair from the nape of the neck and work your way up versus starting at the roots.” @

[Illustrations by Dee D'Amico]

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