Learning how to dress improves anyone’s appearance, regardless of size. Take a good look in the mirror and observe yourself. This is not an exercise in analyzing and weeping over your flaws. Just take a take a look. Are you larger on top or on bottom? Are you tall or short? Are you dark or fair? Could you use a new hairstyle? A new lipstick? A new shampoo or facewash?

The important thing is not to lose your mind and start obsessing over things. If you don’t like something, don’t cry – find a solution. Then move on.

- No sausage skins, no tents. Your clothes should fit you. This means you need appropriate sizes. No tears over these sizes either. The right sizes will make you look thinner, believe it or not. You’re using the Pink Patch, improving your diet and exercise – your sizes will go down. Your clothes shouldn’t create bulges, or completely obliterate your figure.

- Color me fabulous. Look at your skin, hair and eyes. What colors look best with them? Any color that brings out your eyes or shows off your skin is a winner. If you’re a brunette, add a touch of bright color when you wear black, whether it’s a scarf or a jacket or shoes. Feel free to experiment as well. Just do it before you buy anything.

- The other kind of scale. Have you ever noticed that sometimes if you wear a short jacket with a long dress, you look as though you’ve lost 5 lbs and grown 3 inches? Play with proportions. Sometimes just varying the color of your top and your skirt will do it.

Places to find great deals on decent – and sometimes fantastic – items are stores like Forever 21, Target and T.J. Maxx. Check out the secondhand stores in your area as well. They require some digging, but you’d be surprised at what you can find. Always investigate sales. But think before you buy. You always know when something’s right for you – because it makes you feel wonderful about yourself.

A facial moisturizer with SPF is essential; all-over sunscreens tend to feel thick and heavy on the face, but we’ve all heard by now that harmful UVA and UVB rays can damage the skin even in the wintertime, or on a cloudy day. Thus, when it comes to facial moisturizer, a gentle formula with SPF 15 or higher is your best bet year round.

Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion is a solid pick. It has SPF 30, whereas most daily facial moisturizers only have SPF 15. At about $10, it’s wallet-friendly as well. On the downside, some people may find this product a bit heavy; it goes on thick and has to be rubbed in thoroughly.

Aveeno Positively Ageless SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer is a good alternative for those in search of a lighter-weight product. Aveeno’s patented Active Photobarrier Complex provides broad-spectrum coverage and works to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

For those who are especially fair-skinned (or for anyone wants to play it safe), Cetaphil’s new UVA/UVB Defense SPF 50 provides the highest sun protection factor of any moisturizer designed specifically for the face. In addition to its broad-spectrum, long-wearing coverage, it absorbs quickly and leaves no residue.

Olay Complete Defense Daily UV Moisturizer SPF 30, Sensitive Skin is a light, non-greasy formula with aloe and green tea extract to reduce sun damage by fighting free radicals and reducing inflammation. Studies indicate that topical green tea polyphenols are likely to delay some signs of aging.

Men: still feeling squeamish about using a “women’s” moisturizer? Try Anthony Logistics for Men Facial Moisturizer SPF 15. The no-frills bottle is anything but girly, and the product contains bilberry, sugarcane, maple sugar, orange and lemon extracts to diminish fine lines and blotches, plus panthenol to retain moisture and vitamins A, C, D and E to nourish your skin.

First, you can set the mood by lighting candles, preferably a soy candle since they are earth friendly, natural, last longer, and emit significantly less soot. Next, lets gather some of the spa products you may want to enjoy. Here we reveal some of the secrets the spas keep from you:

Refreshing Face Massage
Most spa facials involve some kind of face massage to boost blood flow and help the products absorb better. The key ingredient in most of the products is a grape extract. “Grapes contain hydrating glucose and powerful antioxidants that fight skin-damaging free radicals” says Regine Berthelot, head aesthetician at Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, in NYC.

How to create your own:

• Take a warm shower to open up your pores

• Cut a chilled red or green grape in half

• Slide the flat side of the grape over your skin, starting between your brows and moving out toward your temples. Sweep up to your forehead, then down your nose and over your cheeks.

• Finally, you may want to follow up with a Revealing Mask, which tightens the appearance of pores and evens out your tone. Try Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Revealing Mask, $42.

Citrus Burst Pedi
So you have been hiding your feet behind those boots and socks, and it’s time you reveal those beauties. Icky callused skin and unkempt moisturizing have left your feet unbearable to show.

Here we reveal a bursting technique:

• Submerge your feet in a bowl of grapefruit, orange, or lemon juice (you can use one or a combo of all three) diluted with equal parts warm water

• After 5 minutes, slough your heels and the balls of your feet with a pumice stone

• Then massage your entire foot with an oil-based sugar scrub (MAKE YOUR OWN by combining ½ c. brown sugar and ½ c. olive oil)

• Rinse it off, and slather on a body or foot balm (Try Thymes Essentials AHA Foot Cream, $18. It contains exfoliating alpha hydroxyl acid and hydrating shea butter.)

Now that we have revealed some of the secrets, we hope you indulge yourself to a nice day at your very own Spa at the comfort of your home. By cutting back on unnecessary expenses, you can still treat your body, mind, and soul with these homemade remedies.

Hope you enjoy!

Any spa secrets of your own? Please share! Just leave a comment below.

Sun Smart
Exposing your eyes to the sun can cause more harm than good. Cumulative sun damage can cause raccoon circles and darkening around your eyes. Prevent these problems by applying a broad-spectrum SPF that won’t sting your eyes. Neturogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion is a fave of ours! ($9.99)

Potato Slices
Potatoes have a skin-lightening enzyme called catecholase. Cut a potato into two thin slices and leave these slices on your eyes for 10 minutes so the juice can seep into the skin. This will fade your rings temporarily. Perform this routine twice a week to even out your tone.

Secret Makeup Tip!
The secret to covering up circles is a yellow or peach based concealer in a shade slightly darker than you would normally use to neutralize the purple skin. Apply this concealer with a brush for precise coverage. Try DuWop Circle Block, $28.

There are two main reasons for dark circles; either inherited or life-style related. Inherited factors include allergies and pigmentation, which leads to dark discoloration of skin. Some people may just have very thin skin underneath the eyes, making blood vessels show more clearly.  Another inherited factor could be simply having deeply set eyes, which in turn leads to shadows underneath the eyes that appear to be dark circles. Lifestyle factors include lack of sleep and damage caused by sun exposure.
No matter what factors are causing your dark circles and puffy eyes, there are ways to conceal them.
Here are some tips to try to remove the puff:

Caffeine
When caffeine is applied topically, it tightens up the skin. Place cool, moist black tea bags on your eyes for 5 minutes or you can simply use an eye cream that contains caffeine.

Change in Diet
Salty foods can lead to swelling anywhere and everywhere. Watch your sodium intake, limiting it 2,300 milligrams a day with even less being better. Also, enrich your body with vitamin B-rich foods, like spinach, which may reduce bloating, according to registered dietician Lisa Drayer, author of The Beauty Diet.

Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is a natural astringent; Makeup Pro Shalini Vadhera says “soak a pad in witch hazel and place it on your eyes for 5 minutes.”3 This might be a stretch, but it works!

Hemmorhoid Cream
Yep, I said it. It sounds distasteful and nasty, but its main ingredient – phenylephrine – constricts blood vessels and shrinks under eye tissue, says Audrey Kunin, founder of Dermadoctor. Apply a little bit to the puffy area, but be careful not to get it in the eyes.

Cold Spoons
Place cold metal spoons on your eyes for a few minutes to tighten up the skin before you apply makeup, says Kate Somerville, aesthetician in LA. You can also use a bag of frozen peas; this will contour to the shape of your face.

Don’t forget to hydrate
Alcohol can contribute to swelling and puffiness, even under your eyes. Drink water before going out, try to stick to one cocktail, and drink water after a night out to minimize the visible damage, as well as save yourself from a severe hangover.

Secret Makeup Tip!
A great solution to hide the puffiness is to draw attention away from your under-eye area. Define your upper lids with liner, and then apply several coats of mascara. One of my favorites: Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express® Mascara and be sure to prime the lids beforehand for a longer look.

1. Choose a concealer with a yellowish tone in order to counteract the blueish / purplish hue under your eyes. Products with a built-in brush-tip applicator will aid in your precision. (Try Almay Bright Eyes Eye Base and Concealer).

2. Before your makeup, apply a generous helping of rich, eye-friendly moisturizer directly to the space between your lower lashes and your cheekbones. (Burt’s Bees Evening Primrose Overnight Cream works especially well for this purpose). The idea is to moisturize the area beforehand so that your under-eye concealer blends in easily for smooth, natural-looking coverage.

3. Sweep a small amount of concealer directly onto the darkest part of your under-eye circles (for example, the inner corners and the inverted, arch-shaped recesses just above the cheekbones). Go easy on the outer corners or “crow’s feet” area, as applying too much concealer here can create and/or accentuate the look of wrinkles. Do not simply smear concealer all over the under-eye region; this will result in an all-over, relative lightening – in other words, the darkest parts will still be the darkest parts. Instead, you want to match the darkest areas to the rest of your skin in order to make them disappear.

4. Carefully blend the concealer into the moisturizer base by dabbing / patting it with your fingertip. (Do not rub it in or wipe it across.) Continue this process until the darkest parts of your under-eye circles match the rest of your skin.

Note: There is no need to “set” with powder. In fact, you should avoid this area altogether in applying powder to the rest of your face, so as to prevent cakiness.

The result? A brighter, perkier, more rested look that will compliment your eye makeup and keep those dark circles from stealing the show