Celebrity kitchen-cupboard beauty remedies

Beauty tips for - almost - free!

They might have the money to splash thousands on miracle face creams and anti-aging fads but Hollywood\'s leading ladies are finding the recipe to looking good doesn\'t have to cost a fortune. From long-lasting youthful looks to quick fix remedies, many stars have found that some of the best beauty secrets are found in their kitchen cupboards.

Whether it\'s a savoury or sweet, a spoon or even a matchstick - there\'s little that can\'t be put to good use. So before you throw away the dregs from your wine bottle, follow in the footsteps of the A-list for the best budget beauty busters around.

Cameron Diaz\'s top tip

Secret beauty ingredient: Powdered milk.

Star tip: Bubbly Charlie Angel\'s star Cameron has had her fair share of bad skin days but is said to be a devotee of natural remedies to aid her lifelong battle against spots. The sexy star uses powdered milk as a gentle but effective exfoliant on her acne-prone skin.

DIY: Use two teaspoons of powdered milk and gently rub in a circular motion all over a damp face and neck. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

You could also try mixing 2 egg yolks, 1 cup of olive oil and 1 large banana together. Apply to the face and neck and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water.

Teri Hatcher\'s wine secrets

Secret beauty ingredient: Wine.

Star tip: She says, ‘In terms of taking care of yourself, I recommend a number of things that I do myself; from something as simple as taking a hot bath at night after the kids are in bed, to a trick that I know and love: if you haven\'t been able to finish a bottle of wine, instead of throwing it away, put it in your bathtub.

Wine has a natural skin softener and exfoliant in it, and it just makes you feel luxurious. And it has that coupon-esque, ‘I didn\'t waste anything,\' recycling feel to it. It\'s a really great, tiny little trick to take care of yourself.\'

J-Lo\'s beauty tip

Secret ingredient: Vaseline.

Star tip: Her tip is a practical one, ‘You can use Vaseline for everything! To take off makeup, moisturize your knees and elbows.\'

Also: Vaseline is a great universal fixer for all dry skin problems. Try applying a thick layer to dry cracked feet at night, put a pure cotton pair of socks over the top and in the morning your feet will be babysoft and smooth.

Catherine Zeta Jones\' secret

Secret beauty ingredient: Honey and strawberries.

Star tip: Catherine reveals that she enhances her pearly white teeth by brushing with strawberries. ‘I was told it is a natural teeth whitener, and it really works for me. And anyway, strawberries taste better than most toothpastes.\' The star also swears by honey as a pure skin treatment to enhance her flawless complexion.

DIY:  Mix 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of honey, half a teaspoon of olive oil and a few drops of rosewater and apply as a beauty mask to hydrate and nourish dry skin. Honey will heal and moisturise skin and promote dead skin cell regrowth.

Jennifer Aniston beauty tip

Secret beauty ingredient: Water.

Star tip: Jen\'s love life may be complicated but her top beauty tip is simple and, best of all, free. ‘I drink loads of water - water, water, water! The one thing I notice in my skin is, if I stop drinking water, I dehydrate badly and get crêpey. Water is important.\' Bizarrely the actress has also been known to use a matchstick as eyeliner in times of desperation and even shares her unusual beauty tip with Friends co-star Courteney Cox Arquette.

DIY: Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day for proper hydration.

Julia Roberts\' beauty advice

Secret beauty ingredient: Olive oil.

Star tip:  Julia has a top tip for busy mums everywhere. When a date with the manicurist is out of the question, the Pretty Woman star does it herself by soaking her nails in olive oil for ten minutes every week. Olive oil will moisturise nails without weakening them, and will soften your cuticles too. It is also good for preventing annoying ‘hang nails\' that are caused by dry skin.

DIY: Add a few drops of olive oil to a bowl of warm water and soak hands for at least ten minutes. Remove and dry.

Nicole Kidman\'s hair tip

Secret beauty ingredient: Cranberry juice.

Star tip:  She rinses her hair in cranberry juice to bring out her gorgeous red highlights.

DIY:  For amazing highlights, take 1 cup of cranberry juice, half a cup of rose hips and rose petals, 1 tbsp of orange peel, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 5 bags of raspberry tea, half a cup of pomegranate arils. Heat cranberry juice and add other ingredients. Simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Apply to clean dry hair and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

Cindy Crawford\'s beauty secret

Secret beauty ingredient: Milk and water.

Star tip: Supermodel Cindy should know a thing or two about being beautiful. Despite admitting that she has had surgery the sexy supermodel has been known to spray her beautiful face with a mixture of whole milk and water in order to hydrate her skin throughout the day.

DIY: Mix half a cup of milk with 2 cups of water in a spritzer bottle and apply to face and décolleté periodically throughout the day.

Jennifer Love Hewitt\'s tip

Secret beauty ingredient: Toothpaste and coffee.

Star tip: One of Hollywood\'s hottest women, Jennifer swears by toothpaste (applied overnight to the blemish) to heal pimples. She also keeps the shine in her hair by rinsing with coffee ‘You make a pot of coffee, let it cool - that\'s important - then you simply put it on your hair,\' she says.

DIY: After shampooing, rinse hair with 8 cups of cooled coffee. Do not rinse out. This will enhance brunette tones and add shine.

Hot tips from Hollywood kitchens

Gwyneth Paltrow maintains that water is the most purifying beauty remedy available.

Demi Moore uses castor oil as a deep conditioning treatment to keep her lustrous mane in tip top glossy condition.

Angelina Jolie maintains that the best things in life are free. ‘I have a pretty simple outlook. The main things are getting enough sleep and drinking lots of water. If you do that and exercise, it keeps your hair and skin clear and healthy.\'

More Hollywood beauty tips

Gisele Bundchen adds a pinch of spice to her food, kick-starting her metabolism and helping to keep her fantastic figure in top shape.

Drew Barrymore perks up her lashes by running a spoon under them and holding it against her lids for a few seconds.

Mariah Carey dabs a spot of peppermint extract on her lips to give her luscious pout some extra clout.

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