We now break from our previously scheduled program of irresponsible internet shopping to bring you a beauty tip. I never proffer beauty tips as I am neither qualified nor interested in anything but shoes. This is the exception.

I've spent a lot of money in my day attempting to keep my face, if not porcelain smooth, at least incapable of frightening small children. Imagine my delight when I realized that all that money was wasted. Yes, wasted. Because, apparently, all you need for a fresh-faced glow is a bottle of castor oil, a bottle of olive oil, and a wash cloth. All of which are far cheaper than your average Sephora trip.

Rubbing oil into your pores may seem counterintuitive. Or downright retarded. But my skin hasn't broken out once since I started this regime o' skincare and I've saved somewhere in the range of 50 bucks in pricey moisturizer.

Here's how it works: Rub generous amounts of castor oil into the blemish prone sections of your face. Rub generous amounts of olive oil everywhere else. Rinse a washcloth in hot water, squeeze it out and lay it on your face to let the warmth open your pours and allow the oil to penetrate. Repeat once or twice. Remove the oil with the wash cloth and splash your face with cold water. (Keep the wash cloths on a steady washing machine rotation to avoid rubbing yesterday's dirt into your pores.) Voila. No soap, no moisturizer - just oil. It's a remarkably good deep cleanser and gratifyingly cheap. I do use sunscreen in the morning and eye makeup remover when necessary, but nothing else.

At this rate, I'll be able to afford these in about two months.

Labels: skincare