With the stresses of school, lack of sleep and drastic changesin weather, many students have found themselves slacking off onpersonal beautification. Complexions are turning dull, eyes looktired well beyond their years, and the skin that covers us isturning dry and flaky.

A trip to your favorite spa would surely fix these beautyblunders, but our measly student finances do not allow us to spend$500 on seaweed and shea butter.

So what are we to do?

The first step toward making ourselves look great is feelinggreat from the inside out. Take a pen and paper, and write downfive things that you absolutely love about yourself. If you havetrouble with this, ask a friend or relative to write down a fewthings they love about you. Read this list whenever you feel down.That feeling of pride and self-worth automatically gives your skinthe glow it craves. No spa and no amount of money can buy you thelook of confidence, and trust me when I say it is a look that willnever go out of style!

Second, try and maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine.The nutrients we get from fruits, vegetables, whole grains,proteins and dairy products give our skin, hair and nails propernourishment. Also, you should drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. Tryto exercise for thirty minutes a day, even if that means walkingaround the mall!

Lack of sleep and an overwhelming amount of stress decreasesblood flow to the skin, resulting in a washed-out appearance. Theharsh winds that blow throughout campus are reason to blame foryour dry skin and chapped lips.

For your face, make sure that you cleanse, tone, and moisturizetwice a day. Once a week, you should exfoliate and use a mask. Onlyuse products that are appropriate for your skin type.

For the delicate skin around your eyes, de-puffing, de-circlingand de-stressing can all be done with one simple thing ‘- atea bag. The active ingredient in tea is polyphenol, which reducesswelling. To use, wet the tea bags and place them in therefrigerator for a few minutes. Then, place the bags on youreyelids for ten to fifteen minutes.

For luscious lips, try using a good lip balm that combinesvitamin E with sunscreen. Some good choices are ChapstickMedicated, Kiehl’s Lip Balm with SPF 15, or the much pricierLa Mer The Lip Balm. Do not use a lip protector made of 100 percentpetroleum, for it will only retain the moisture already in yourlips, rather than replenish the moisture lost during thisseason.

Moisturizing and exfoliating are essential for a soft and silkybody. While in the shower, use a sponge or washcloth to remove thedead skin cells from the surface of your body, or use a body washthat has scrubbing beads. A few of my favorites are St. IvesApricot Exfoliating and Moisturizing Body Wash, Dove ExfoliatingBody Wash, and Ahava Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash.

After showering and while your skin is still damp, apply aheavy-duty moisturizer. There are new lotions that have sheen tothem; this gives tired skin a revitalized look. Some great choicesare Vaseline Intensive Care, Nivea Silky Shimmer Lotion, andNeutrogena Norwegian Formula.

If you anticipate being outdoors for longer than fifteenminutes, use sunscreen. And for those of you who are frequentlyvisit a tanning salon, stop now! Tanning causes dry skin, darkbrown marks, wrinkles, premature aging and skin cancer! Tanned skinis certainly not worth dying over.

Those of us that aren’t blessed with naturally dark skincan still increase our bronze ability. The best self-tanners areBobbi Brown Sunless Tanning Gel, Clarins Tinted Self Tanning FaceCream SPF 15, and Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Foam.

For more beauty and fashion advice, e-mail Jessica [email protected].