The Pampered Pantry

By Shelly Ballestero
Licensed Esthetician

CBN.com – Sitting at the table enjoying a fresh brewed cup of coffee, I hear my husband entering the kitchen. He whispers “good morning,” and sneaks a kiss…when suddenly, in a slightly louder voice (and spitting coffee grounds from under his words), “What is on your face?!?”

“Well, honey, you told me to slow down on the spending, so I decided to turn our kitchen into the ‘Pampered Pantry.’ Doesn’t my coffee mask taste, I mean, look great? Well, the results will be, and it didn’t cost you a penny.”

You may think, “How crazy is that?” However, it’s possible to turn your kitchen into a spa. Here are some home remedies that can help your overall appearance. Open the fridge, and let the beauty treatments begin.

Would you believe that applying warm, used coffee grounds on your face will tighten up your skin? Leave on for one minute, and then rinse clean. The caffeine in the coffee stimulates your skin. With the remaining grounds, hop into an empty tub, rub all over skin, wait 10 minutes, fill the tub with warm water, and take a coffee-bath break. Your thighs will thank you for the smooth appearance of tightened skin. After you get out of the tub, use one teaspoon of real lemon juice in one cup of water, saturate a cotton ball, and apply on your face. This will remove any residue and shrink pores.

Another mask choice is plain yogurt. To tighten pores and cleanse skin, spread plain yogurt over your face, wait 20 minutes, and then rinse clean with lukewarm water.

Can’t get rid of those nasty blackheads? Try Elmer’s Glue-All. Spread a thin layer with paint brush (avoid eye area) and let dry for 15 minutes. Then gently peel it off, exfoliating a thin layer of skin and removing blackheads.

How about some ‘Pantry’ ideas for eliminating dark circles, making pimples disappear, and having clean hair (without washing). Elements for these spa treatments can be found in the baby aisle of your grocery store! If you have college-age kids, your husband may really lose his cool if he sees you bringing home some of these items.

Pick up some Gerber bananas, Balmex diaper rash cream, and Pampers lavender baby wipes. Women are all about multi-tasking, so if you have a baby, and he has a rash (and you have a pimple), here’s a simple solution. Put Balmex rash cream on his tush, and then dab some on your blemish. The zinc in the cream heals, dries, and takes the red out of both problems. Then use the baby wipes on the roots of your hair for an instant hair revival. Finally, spread the contents of a 6 oz. jar of bananas over clean skin under your eyes, wait 10 minutes, then rinse clean. The potassium will help eliminate dark circles.

Are your nails looking yellow? Dissolve two Efferdent tablets in a bowl of water. Then soak your fingernails in the solution for five minutes. Your nails will come out whiter. Polish your nails with ChapStick. Dab on and buff!

Now, let’s sum it up:
A day at the spa - $200
A day at the ‘Pampered Pantry’ - $5
Your husband NOT yelling when the credit card bill comes in - PRICELESS!

This article first appeared in Lifestyle Magazine.

Shelly Ballestero is a licensed esthetician, make-up artist, beauty editor of Lifestyle Magazine, and author. Shelly has studied under Emmy Award winner Eve Pearl, head make-up artist for ABC's The View. In addition, Shelly is one of the make-up experts for Jane Iredale cosmetics and participates in the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa conference. Shelly and her husband, Angelo, a worship pastor, live in Windermere, Florida, with their two children. (Photo of Shelly courtesy of Katie Meehan, www.phfocus.com.)