The Dilemma: DIY sugar or salt body scrubs can be a bit messy, so to avoid having to slather on a grainy concoction, dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, suggests I try an even simpler DIY body scrub -- made of just orange peels. The acid and the vitamin C contained in the orange peel help even out skin tone and firm the skin's surface, Shamban tells me.
The DIY: Peel an orange and wrap the peels in a large piece of gauze or cheese cloth, she says, then rub it all over your skin in the shower.
The Verdict: While this DIY beauty project takes a little bit longer than simply using my go-to exfoliating body wash (I have to scrub my entire body with a small sack of orange peels), I can see the results before I even towel off. My skin isn't as soft as it would have been after my usual Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish, $65, but it is noticeably tighter and brighter.
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DIY Eye Cream: Potato Slices or Chamomile Tea Bags
The Dilemma: I often wake up with puffy bags under my eyes, and I've tried the cucumber slices and cold spoon trick to no avail. That's why I've stuck with Clinique All About Eyes, $50, for years.
The DIY: Shamban recommends two DIY eye solutions I've never heard of before: Potato slices and chamomile tea bags. The starch in potatoes acts as an anti-inflammatory, Shamban tells me, while the citric acid and phosphoric acid decreases under-eye puffiness.
The Verdict: I try the potato slices first. After cooling a raw potato in the fridge overnight, I slice two pieces and place them on my eyes for about 10 minutes. When I open my eyes, I can't believe what I see -- my bags are gone. My only complaint: I smell like potatoes all day.
So I move onto chamomile tea bags, which are just as soothing, minus the odor, says Shamban. I boil water and let two bags steep for 10 minutes. After the bags have cooled, I place each one on my eyes for about 10 minutes. The process takes a lot longer than swiping my eye cream, but my eyes definitely look less puffy once the tea bags come off.
The Dilemma: Since I normally use my body polish to soften my heels, I thought I'd try to replicate the sugar scrub for my feet.
The DIY: Shamban suggests an easy recipe from her book "Heal Your Skin." A pinch of sugar (to exfoliate), a tablespoon of lavender oil (which is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory) and a tablespoon of rosemary oil (which helps moisturize calloused skin).
The Verdict: The blend works just as well, if not better, than my go-to body polish. And I especially like how the lavender scent lasts into the next day -- a big plus when you are wearing flip-flops.
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DIY Body Lotion: Grapeseed Oil
The Dilemma: Out of all of the DIY beauty substitutes I tried, this body lotion swap is by far my favorite.
The DIY: I got the tip from Hollywood skin care guru Sonya Dakar (the woman who keeps Gwyneth Paltrow looking flawless). She suggests applying a small amount of grapeseed oil right after I get out of the shower, when my skin is still damp. This way the oil can trap in the moisture. Grapeseed oil is rich in antioxidants (which help prevent premature aging) and fatty acids (which nourish and smooth skin). Plus, because it's one of the lighter, thinner oils out there, you won't feel greasy.
The Verdict: I've been using this instead of my old moisturizer for a few weeks now and my skin has never felt softer. Here's a helpful hint if you're going to try this yourself: Remember that with oil, a little goes a long way.
I've spent too many hours glued to Pinterest, getting inspired by images of metal-studded denim shorts and ombre nail art -- only to spend many more hours ruining my favorite cut-offs with a glue gun. So, while there's a cool DIY beauty recipe that tempts me here and there, I've learned to just say no.
I'm all for natural beauty products. But creating a homemade hair mask can be a complete time suck compared to the two seconds it takes to simply twist open the one I keep in my shower. Plus, there usually aren't a gazillion reviews to tell me if the DIY recipe will be worth my while.
So color me shocked when my co-workers challenged me to find DIY beauty recipes even I could get into. And for me, that means ones that work as well as the brand name products I love so much. Their reasoning? If they could convince me, the biggest skeptic in the office, to find DIY recipes I love, then they'd be good enough for even the biggest beauty snob.
Before setting off on my DIY adventure, I decided to set a couple ground rules.
No 1: There would be no tricky recipes. I don't cook, so the instructions had to be simple -- four ingredients, tops.
No. 2: No recipes with a stench (think mayo hair mask). No matter how amazing someone claims the results are, I wasn't going to have my hair smelling like potato salad.
See if I survived this DIY beauty challenge -- and check out the recipes I'm still concocting at home.
