Babushka's Beauty Secrets- Raisa Ruder & Susan Campos

Raisa Ruder has a Beverly Hills salon, but uses many of the recipes and tips she learned from her grandmother in the Ukraine. Her celebrity clients absolutely love them. She's joined forces with Susan Campos to write Babushka's Beauty Secrets.

"Why spend hundreds at a department store makeup counter when you can create it yourself for a fraction of the price?" The big plus for me when I heard about this book was the 'natural' element. Many of the 'beauty remedies' can be made from common ingredients you already have at home such as olive oil, green tea, honey, milk (and well...vodka!)

There are lots and lots of ideas from setting up your own home spa, to specific remedies for eyes, lips, hair, hands and feet and more. Here's a couple of ideas I thought were worth trying...

On the rare occasions I wear mascara, I use an eye makeup remover, but it is chemical based. Raisa suggests using a mixture of olive and canola oil. I'm going to give it a try. Dry hair? Lavender oil and coconut milk. Dark circles under your eyes? Mayo, lemon and hydrogen peroxide. Rough hands? Honey, lemon juice, almond oil and oatmeal.

Many of the recipes are for skin cream, face and body, using such food ingredients as yogurt, milk, sour cream and cottage cheese! It was easy to try some of the recipes as I already had most of the ingredients. And cheap! (And they worked!!)

There are many more tips, recipes and anecdotes and words of wisdom in this little volume - definitely lots more I'll try!

Read an excerpt of Babushka's Beauty Secrets.