This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSD chapter.
The age old question of all college students-“Do they take dining dollars?” In fact, this question has become second nature to most. As students, we are constantly looking for ways to navigate around the absurd notion of using “real” money and taking advantage of the dining dollar system in any way we know how. With that in mind, here are a few ideas on how to expand the benefits of the dining dollar to create a glowing complexion (which, due to midterms, can be another concern of most students) that won’t (hypothetically) cost a dime, or at least a real one.
1) Banana Face Mask
What You Need: ½ ripe, mashed banana (easily found in any dining hall or market) and 2 teaspoons of honey (which you can sometimes find for free next to coffee stands).
Simply mix the two together to get a mask to tighten large pores, smooth out the skin and even skin tone. The banana has an abundance of potassium to hydrate dry skin and vitamin A to help reduce acne scars and blemishes while the honey acts as an antibacterial agent to bring clear skin!
2) Oatmeal Face Mask
What You Need: ½ cup of cooked oatmeal (make sure to hit the dining halls early to get the oatmeal!), 1 tomato (take advantage of the salad bar to get healthy skin!).
Making sure that the tomato has been seeded, skinned and finely chopped or mashed, mix the two together to combat any stress breakouts.
3) Yogurt Face Mask
What You Need: 1 teaspoon of yogurt (make sure to use a plain, unflavored yogurt from the parfait bar), 2 strawberries, 1 teaspoon of honey
As tempting as this recipe sounds to eat, it’s even better for your skin! The strawberries are full of vitamin C to help with brightening skin tone while yogurt and honey acts as an antibacterial to enhance skin clarity.
4) Mayonnaise Face Mask
What You Need: ½ cup of mayonnaise (you can typically get this for free next to any deli station!).
That’s right—mayonnaise is a great face mask to exfoliate, tighten and smooth the complexion. Because it consists of amazing ingredients like egg yolks, vinegar and soybean oil, it’s perfect for getting the benefits of a high end mask without breaking the bank!
5) Chocolate Face Mask
What You Need: ¼ of a pure chocolate bar from a market-that takes dining dollars of course- (no Twix or Kit Kat here!) ½ apple, ½ banana, 2 strawberries, ½ cup of watermelon (all which can be easily found in any dining hall!).
Cut up all the fruit and mash them together, try to avoid seeds and skin if possible! Take the chocolate and melt in a microwave with a little bit of water, combine the two mixtures together (while sneaking a little taste). Not only does the mask smell (and taste) amazing, but the benefits of chocolate can tone and re-energize the skin and even doubles as a mood booster!
Make sure to cleanse your skin before applying each face mask and leave each one on for 20 minutes! Hopefully this gives you an excuse for a spa night in without having to spend a dollar!