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Who says it’s expensive to be beautiful? No, not at all, that is if you only open your eyes and mind to the many possibilities around you. If you were more resourceful, you will find that beauty is actually all around us. Tester can help you on your quest to be beautiful without draining your pockets. Haven’t you noticed that the active ingredients of beauty products in the market are either plant or fruit extracts? Yes, it’s true. These extracts are given scientific names that sound so complicated on the label, but, in truth, they’re just your common tomato or carrot or garlic. In fairness to many beauty products in the market, however, these extracts from common fruits and vegetables are mixed with other ingredients and special solutions to maximize benefits and ensure effectivity.

How to achieve beauty on a shoestring budget? Let’s break down mixtures into compounds, and compounds to its simplest, purest form called substance. As we all know, when we put two substances together, it’s called a compound. Let’s get natural. Your veggies and fruits in the kitchen and in the fridge are not only best when eaten, but also when applied directly on the skin.

For serious cases of pimples or acne, extract the juice of calamansi and add a spoonful of pure honey. Every night, before going to bed, massage your face with this solution for a few minutes, then rinse. You can also apply pure calamansi juice for skin whitening, especially on dark elbows and underarms. Do this every day before taking a shower.

Another effective way of preventing pimples is using boiled guava leaves. You can use your trusted facial wash and then use the lukewarm water previously boiled with guava leaves to rinse. It is also good to take a bath using water boiled with guava leaves to speed up the healing of wounds, cuts, burns, and other skin problems.

Alum, better known as tawas, is famous for its deodorizing properties. That is why most of deodorants/antiperspirants contain alum as active ingredient. Aside from that, it can also help whiten the skin. But did you know that tawas could also be an effective exfoliant and microdermabrasion substitute? If you are on a tight budget, instead of going to the dermatologist, you can use powder tawas for dermabrasion. Here’s how to do it: Splash lukewarm water on your face. While your face is still wet, use the powder tawas to scrub your entire face. Be extra gentle when scrubbing your face, especially if you have sensitive skin. Massage your face for not more than a minute, then rinse with lukewarm water. If you don’t like the sticky feel of tawas, wash your face with your favorite facial cleanser. A word of caution: You should not do this every day. Every other day or once a week should be enough. Work in circular motions and avoid irritated areas.

Red plump tomatoes has lycopene that helps prevent cancer, not to mention loaded with vitamin C. Tomatoes hydrate the skin, making it soft and supple. Try mashing tomatoes, or put them inside the osterizer, until they turn into tomato juice. Then, apply the juice to smelly feet or underarms and let it stay for a few minutes, then take a shower. Better yet, apply it all over your body and relax in the bathtub. It’s a sure way to eliminate body odor. Drink tomato juice and your cheeks become rosy.

For dry skin, mash avocado to the rescue! Avocadoes are rich in natural oil and vitamin A, which acts as an antioxidant. Apply mashed avocado on your skin at least 15 minutes before taking a shower. Mashed banana, on the other hand, can also help moisturize the skin and, at the same time, prevents pimples. Massage mashed banana all over face, like what you would with facial scrub, for a few minutes and then rinse.

For fungal infection like an-an, those pesky white spots on your skin, there is a cheap solution. Just slice radish and rub gently on the affected area until skin fully absorbs its juice. Apply it morning and night.

Papaya is one fruit that comes to mind when we think of beautiful skin. No wonder papaya extracts are used in most soaps and facial cleansers. Its papaine content is used to achieve smoother and whiter skin. If you get allergies and rashes or when your skin becomes too dry every time you use your papaya soap, it must be too harsh for you, especially if you have sensitive skin. But that doesn’t mean you cannot use papaya anymore for skin whitening. Apply mashed papaya all over face or to areas that are rough and dry. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes, then rinse. You will notice, after washing, that your skin has become softer, smoother, and more radiant. You also have to eat papaya because it helps get rid of body toxins.

The coconut tree is touted as the “tree of life.” Why not when all its parts, from roots to the fruits, are useful? The coconut juice is refreshing and helps flush out body toxins. The juice is also good for those with urinary tract infection and gallstones. Moreover, the coconut oil, known as the “miracle oil,” is popular nowadays. Use it as hot oil treatment for the hair or moisturizer for the skin. Apply coconut oil on you hair and scalp and cover with shower cap. Let it stay for an hour or more, then shampoo. Or apply the oil all over your body minutes before taking a bath. It prevents moisture loss. You can also apply it on very dry skin as often as you want, as long as you don’t feel greasy. Better yet, leave it on your skin overnight and you’ll wake up to soft, very soft skin.

To have silky smooth skin, pour fresh milk into a cup and use a cotton ball to apply on your face and body. You can apply again and again for as long as you want. As soon as your skin drinks up the milk, you can take a bath.

You probably hate the bitter taste of ampalaya (bitter gourd) but not its health benefits. It is loaded with iron, which is good for the blood. Drinking water boiled with ampalaya leaves helps cure cough and colds and helps flush out phlegm. Since it is rich in iron, it can also make your skin rosy and radiant.

If you are suffering from dry, brittle, and falling hair, you can count on aloe vera to come to your rescue. All you have to do is cut aloe vera into pieces small enough to rub on your scalp. Let your scalp absorb the extract of aloe vera by massaging. After 30 minutes or so, shampoo off. You can do this every day, anytime convenient to you.

Do your long nails break easily like when, say, opening a can of juice? Your nails are probably weak. Don’t fret. Just get a clove of garlic. Rub the peeled garlic on each nail and let the garlic oil stay for at least 30 minutes. I know you don’t like the smell of garlic so it is recommended that you rub garlic in your nails before showering. By the way, garlic has antifungal properties, too.

If eye bags are bugging you, there is a simple remedy. Put cucumber inside the fridge and when it is cold, get two slices not too thin to place on both eyes. Let stay for as long as you want. You may also replace the old with new slices of cucumber for a more refreshing feeling. If it won’t be a hassle, make it an overnight regimen, so your eyes will feel and look fresh. This is recommended for those who stay up late at night.

Now you know that achieving beauty can also be inexpensive. So there should be no stopping you from staying beautiful. More of the best and the latest in beauty will be revealed in our next tête-à-tête.

Lose the weight without virtually doing anything.

1. Get a good night’s rest. According to a study from Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University, the less you snooze, the less leptin (a powerful hormone) your body is likely to produce. What’s that got to do with shedding pounds? Leptin helps promote weight loss in two ways: It discourages you from eating (by sending the message: “Hey stop munching — you’re full!” to your stomach) and it rouses you to expend energy. More evidence that sleep deprivation interferes with dropping pounds: The hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, is higher in people who don’t get enough zzz’s. If you don’t sleep soundly one night, try to squeeze in a nap the following day — the hormones are affected by how much shut-eye you get in a 24-hour period.)

2. Don’t store cookies and other treats in glass jars. If you keep fatty foods out of sight, it’ll be much easier to keep them off your mind. Experts at Cornell University determined that women ate more Hershey’s Kisses when the candies were on their desks than when they were in opaque containers or placed father away.

3. Get some sun. Your body needs sunlight to produce a very essential feel-good hormone called serotonin, which may lessen your cravings for sugar and other carbs. So when you start longing for sweets, go outside instead, even in the cold weather. It’s also a good idea to keep the drapes and shutters open during the day.

4. Turn off the radio. When a restaurant wants its customers to finish their food and go, it plays fast music — as quick as 120 to 130 beats per minute (which is the tempo used in most step classes). And for good reason: The speedier the tune, the faster (and the more) you’ll tend to eat. So before any meal, either switch off your stereo or put on a slow, soothing album.

5. Set your fork down after every bite. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send signals to the brain that it’s full. So when you eat too quickly, your body doesn’t have time to recognize that it’s satiated. The consequence: You consume a lot more. To slow down, you can also try switching to chopsticks (they make it much harder to eat huge bites). Or try this experiment in food appreciation: Using a 30-second timer, take a bite only when the bell rings. You’ll see how eating slowly will perk up your taste buds.

6. Leave the car behind. The numbers say it all: Your risk of obesity increases by six percent for every hour you spend in your car each day. Similarly, every mile you walk on a daily basis translates into an eight percent reduction in the risk of obesity. How to get the exercise in? When you’re on the phone, pace back and forth. To really knock off some calories, throw in a few lunges or squats. And when you’re watching TV, make sure you get up and move around the commercial breaks. Climb up and down a flight of stairs or speed-walk from one end of the house to the other. Going to the mall? Follow my shopping rule: no escalators, no elevators. Period.

7. Never skip a meal. Ever. Ignoring breakfast isn’t going to save big calories. Trust me. You’ll become so ravenous, you’ll likely gobble down whatever you can get your hands on at the following meal. The reasons: Physically, your blood sugar plummets, making you feel famished; emotionally, you may feel entitled to consume more. Plus, when you deprive yourself of food, your body thinks there isn’t a source of nourishment readily available. As a result, your metabolism moves at a snail’s pace. And we all know the slower your metabolism, the harder it’ll be to lose weight.

8. Lose the anger. If you don’t keep this emotion under control, it can make you fat. How? Getting riled raises levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in your body, and that increase can cause you to gain weight. Plus, research suggests that the angrier you get — and the more frequently you get angry — the more likely you’ll be to put on pounds around your waist. Hostility also ups your risks of cardiovascular problems. So the next time someone pushes your button, take ten breaths and ask yourself, “Is this really that big a deal?” Here’s a trick you can do: Close your eyes, slowly press your thumbs into your templates, and massage the frustrating moment away.

9. Flick on all the lights. The dimmer the room, the more you’ll eat. Why? One theory is that low lights make you feel more relaxed and less self-conscious. On the flip side, research suggests that the brighter your dining area, the less food you’ll likely consume. Consider adjusting the lighting in places where you eat most often.