I Can Make You Hot! (27 page)

Beware of buffets. Any buffet should come with a red flag warning you that it’s dangerous to approach. The buffet line is an invitation to overindulge, and most of the food is dripping in sauce. Not only that, but it’s probably been sitting out there for hours. Just think about that when you’re tempted; it may just kill your appetite.

If you choose to stay home, don’t eat as if you were a teenager at a sleepover. If your kids are having popcorn, eat a cup, not a bowl. Hungry isn’t hot and neither is a food coma.

Pamper yourself: Have a pedicure, wash your hair. It’s okay to want to take care of yourself. Put lotion on your feet and your hands before you go to bed. Put cream around your eyes. Try to do this every night, not just on Saturday.

One thing I love to do with my girls is a “girls’ night in.”

They give me a papaya or avocado mask because papaya is rich in vitamin A, it helps to firm your skin, and is a natural antiaging remedy. Papaya alone, or mixed with milk, helps to remove blemishes and dark spots, evens skin tone, and gives you a natural glow. Avocado also has a lot of vitamin A along with vitamin C and is also great for antiaging. It firms and smoothes the skin, and because of the oils it contains, it is a great moisturizer.

We feed our hair a “cocktail” made from a “recipe” I received from Kathleen Flynn-Hui, owner of Salon AKS in Manhattan:

Before you get in the shower, use a trick invented in ancient Egypt. Rub honey on your arms and legs, your neck and abdomen, then wait 10 or 15 minutes and rinse it off. You’ll be amazed how soft and smooth your skin feels.

Put cold and wet chamomile or lavender tea bags on your eyes when they’re puffy to shrink the blood vessels.

For Medium-Length Hair (Reduce or Increase the Quantities for Shorter or Longer Hair):

1 tablespoon sea salt

½ cup olive oil (If your hair is colored, oil it judiciously, because oil can sometimes lift the color.)

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup vodka (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Apply to the shaft of your hair, avoiding the scalp. Let the cocktail set for 20 minutes and then rinse.

Kathleen says:

The salt exfoliates the hair and removes build-up from product and toners.

Olive oil is one of nature’s best moisturizers. It protects hair from ongoing damage and plumps the cuticle.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice works to lighten the hair and create natural highlights.

The alcohol in vodka, when heated in the sun, will lighten your hair much like the lemon juice. Since we already have lemon juice, the vodka can be optional, but let’s be honest, it just makes the process more fun! You can even use some of those extra lemons to make a vodka lemonade to drink while your hair sets.

KKB’s Beauty Must-Haves

Airborne dietary supplements

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Cleansing Foam

Bobbi Brown Beach fragrance spray

Fresh Rose Face Mask

Fresh Sugar Hand Treatment

Jo Malone French Lime Blossom Cologne

Johnson’s baby lotion

Johnson’s baby oil gel

Kai Body Lotion

LaRoche-Posay Hydraphase skin rehydrater

Lavender flower water

Lavender oil

Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub

Rex Eme Cream

Yes to Carrots facial wipes

Zicam cold remedy

Zinc tablets, to prevent colds

Every single night I put lavender drops on my hands and rub my girls’ necks. I also hold my hands in front of the dogs’ noses and let them sniff. I spray my bed, my daughters’ beds, and the dogs’ beds with lavender. Then I make myself a soothing cup of lavender or chamomile tea. Lavender is soothing and relaxing and gets us all in the right frame of mind for a good, restful night’s sleep.

People are always asking me how I manage to wake up energized each day. (And, believe me, some days I’m more energized than others, just like everyone else.) I do have a few rules that seem to work for me:

Don’t eat too close to bedtime. (It actually takes an average of 3 to 4 hours for the food you’ve eaten to leave your stomach. When your body is working to digest your food, it’s not relaxing, so you may find it harder to fall asleep.)

Don’t drink too much water late in the evening.

Resolve all arguments before going to sleep.

Don’t watch scary movies or read scary books right before going to sleep—save them for the afternoon.