Nitara is a mother of two lovely daughters. She loves taking care of their skin. Nitara prefers only organic bath scrubs for her daughters so that they do not face problems later in their lives. She works from home and loves cooking. Her daughters prefer food prepared by their mom too.

However, Nitara does not get time to take care of her skin. While balancing all of these roles, she often forgets that time is running out and she needs to attend to her health. And as and when the festive season approaches, she knocks on the door of salons and asks them to make her look good.

Yes, they reply the same thing as you mumbled. ‘It is difficult to look good instantly.’ It takes time, right.

I can completely relate to Nitara. With so many things to do and just 24 hours in hand, it becomes difficult to look good instantly. I plan for making lifestyle changes before the festive season. However, I do not realize the fact that the time flies. The festival is just round the corner and the time to make changes is long gone.

In order to look good, you need to eat good, exercise and take ample rest. The current lifestyle makes this almost impossible. But, you should learn to sneak in skin-care in your routine and make healthy lifestyle a compulsion rather than an option. Now, what if I give you a 10-day routine so that you do not have to do anything but follow this to light up your face? Interesting it sounds, isn’t it!

Day 1 – What You Eat and Drink

By eating well, I do not mean eat everything that comes to your sight. If you desire to look good in just 10 days, you need to pay close attention to what you eat and drink. Yes, just in a matter of a week, your skin will start glowing if you make sure having a balanced diet and enough water to support it.

Water – If you feel that your skin seems to be dull and lifeless, then drink 8 glasses of water a day. Water acts like an elixir for your skin. The secret of most of the people with good skin is just water.

Detox Drinks – You can even opt for detox drinks to bring out the best in your skin. Plan to drink warm water with honey and lemon in the morning. Prepare homemade fruit based detox waters and drink it throughout the day.

Green Tea – You can even drink green tea once or twice a day. It will hydrate the skin due to the presence of flavonoids in it.

Diet – Eat more of fresh fruits and salads. Citrus fruits can become best friends of your skin. Chuck refined flour for at least 10 days. However, I prefer chucking it for good. Instead, eat whole grains. They are good for healthy and skin as well. Relish a piece of dark chocolate daily. It is full of anti-oxidants good for the skin.

Quit Fast Food – Yes, it is not only bad for health but skin as well. When you consume oily food, the skin bears the brunt. It is one of the common reasons of breakout and dull skin.

Alcohol – Hard drinks are the enemies of skin. Do not even think of them in these 10 days. Drinking and smoking have an immediate effect on your eyes. They lead to dull and lifeless skin as well.

If you eat and drink well throughout the 10 days, nothing can stop you from having a glowing skin. Team it up with other things that I am going to mention and you would definitely be a showstopper this festive season.

Day 2 – Physical and Mental Exercise

Exercising has dual benefits. It helps you get in shape and even makes your skin look good. This is because exercising helps flush out toxins from the body, resulting in positive skin benefits. There are so many things that you could do for exercising your body.

Walk – The most simple of all is walking. Walk for at least an hour every day. Choose to walk early in the morning, before the hustle and bustle of office goers begin. Pollution is almost nil at that time and even fresh air lightens up your skin and mood.

Posture – While walking, take care of your posture. Walking straight will make you look leaner and keep fit as well. Stay active throughout the day.

Yoga – Opt for simple exercises like climbing the stairs, jumping jacks, hula hoops and others. You can even opt for yoga. It is good for both mind and health. Do Pranayama or breathing exercises. They are very good for the skin glow.

Basking in the Sun – Take some time out after the sun rises. Sit under the sun for some time to get natural dose of Vitamin D. It helps boost circulation.

Puzzles – Solve some puzzles regularly. It keeps your mind active. Learn how to solve Sudoku, Kakuro and such other puzzles. They are quite interesting as well.

Day 3 – Sleep and Rest

You might be wondering that why am I asking you to exercise and rest in the same post. Actually, the key is maintaining a balance. While exercise is important, rest is too. Make sure that you take ample rest to let your body reorganize the brain.

When rest, you automatically keep dark circles around the eyes at bay. While taking a nap, your body helps reduce the chances of heart ailments. It even repairs the old cells. Your stamina increases and when wake up, you are in a happy space. However, make sure that your sleep schedule is regular and not erratic. Fixed sleep schedule is quite necessary, both for your body and skin.

Day 4 – Beauty at Home

CTM is very necessary for your skin. Cleaning the skin regularly, twice a day, makes sure that there are no breakouts. For this, you need to establish good skincare habits. While there are different products available for washing face and body, I still prefer homemade ones, especially for the face. The skin here is very delicate.

Home Remedies – I prefer using a mixture of raw milk, gram flour, turmeric and a couple of drops of lemon juice. You can replace raw milk with curd too. Make this a habit and notice a change in the texture of skin. When you want a pink glow, dry some rose petals and apply to your skin along with raw milk. I bet that your skin will blush. Using dried orange peels and fresh papaya peels on the skin are equally good. You can even rub potato slices to get rid of blemishes or tan.

Sunscreen – Do not underestimate the power of sunscreen. You should apply sunscreen lotion even if you stay indoors, let alone on cloudy days. UV rays do much damage to your skin and results in dark spots. Apply a good quality sunscreen lotion liberally over your skin before stepping out. Make use of umbrellas too.

Exfoliate – In these 10 days, exfoliate your skin 4-5 times. For exfoliating, use home-made scrubs by mixing half a cup of coconut oil with two tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Make sure to wash your face before applying this. Do this before taking a bath for good results. Exfoliating helps you get clear, fair and blemish-free skin. It even removes dead skin cells.

Steaming – My mother recommends me steaming for several skin problems I narrate her. This is because she says steaming helps open the skin pores of the face. It even removes dirt, grime, grease and pollution that your face encounters on a daily basis. Alternatively, you can even use towel dipped in hot water after squeezing it properly. Cover your face with it for ten minutes.

Toning – Toning regularly helps remove bacteria and dirt from your skin. It even helps reduce dark spots or scars.

Moisturizing – Set up a routine to moisturize after a bath and also, before going to bed. The before- bedtime moisturizing works quite well as your skin will be undisturbed for the next 6 hours at the least. Choose a moisturizer that works well for different parts of your body. For instance, your feet require a thick foot cream while your face requires a light one.

Change Pillowcase – What are you talking about? How come this thing is included in beauty remedies! You will be surprised to know that your skin might face a problem if you do not change the pillowcase weekly. The oil from your hair trickles down to your pillow case and it sticks to the face, resulting in skin breakouts. Ewww!!!

Day 5 – Keep the Stress at Bay

Festive season for some is the scariest of all. They are bogged down by expectations and are not able to meet them. Such things take a toll on health and skin. This season, learn to keep stress away consciously.

Take a break from preparations and relax. Call your friends over for some detox drinks instead of coffee and discus the latest issue of cosmopolitan. Yes,you can do this. Do not take heed to people who cultivate negative thoughts or scare you. If possible, opt for a spa. Meditation is a very good thing if you know. Or better, learn to meditate and let your skin show how you feel.

Day 6 – The Cleaning Drive

A cleaning drive is going on at your house, right. You are cleaning your skin, the accumulated fat and even some kitchen ingredients by applying it on your skin. How about cleaning your wardrobe? Yep, it will not only make you feel good but also give you some exercise.

Before the festive season shopping, opt for cleaning your wardrobe. Try out different dresses that you haven’t wore in a while. This might pleasantly surprise you as some old dresses still fit you. Instead of buying new ones, you can mix and match the old ones. Yesteryear fashion trends keep on coming back. You might have some old outfits that have made a comeback. Mix and match with new-age accessories and voila!

Here’s a show stealer. However, make sure that the outfit you try is a proper fit. Do not wear oversized or tight fit garments. They make you look dull. In this cleaning drive, if you find something that you are never going to wear, please donate it to the needy ones. Someone somewhere might be waiting for such kind of clothes but might not be able to afford it.

Day 7 – The Cleaning Drive Again

Now, here I am talking about unwanted hair. Guys, it is time to go for a beard shave or trimming, whatever the style trends permit! Get a good haircut, people. Do not opt for completely new styles.

This is because you might end up with a wrong one just before the festive season. Whenever you want to try something new, get it done in off seasons, when there are no weddings or special occasions. Women, it is time for getting waxing and threading done as well. The correct shape of eyebrows will make you feel confident and beautiful at the same time. Choose an expert for getting your eyebrows shaped.

Face Packs – Opt for a facial or apply a face pack on day 7. You can make use of honey and milk powder along with lemon juice for your skin. Choose a pack depending upon your skin type. I like coco powder mixed with honey for my skin. You can opt for tomatoes, gram flour, wheat flour, rice flour, almond powder, walnut or apricot powder, coffee, yogurt, fruits, etc. Ask an expert how to use them for your skin type.

Smile – Exfoliate your lips and whiten your teeth. Smile is the best outfit you are going to wear this season. It is the key to look good instantly. No matter what you wear and how you look, there is nothing important than a good smile. Use lemon rinds and baking soda for whitening your teeth. The inside of banana peels too works well. You can even visit a dentist for professional cleaning.

Day 8 – Yayy! It’s the Trial Day

It has to be. If there is no trial day in your schedule, then you are in for a last-minute surprise, whether a pleasant one or an awful one, it’s still undecided. To save embarrassment or hassles, fit in a trial before the actual day.

On such a day, I take out the dress that I am going to wear. Also, keep the fitting lingerie aside. Try it in front of the mirror. Apply make-up and even wear the accessories. Try different hair styles that will look good on you. I keep all the required things for the right look together, segregated in different pouches.

This helps me save time on the final day. I even make sure that the outfit is ironed. The footwear is clean and sparkling. Ready the bag that you are going to carry. Add make-up hacks, tiny perfume bottles, hankies, a bottle of water and other important things in that bag. This activity is very necessary, especially if you have kids.

Day 9 – Dance it Out

Special occasions are quite daunting and demanding at times. For the last one week, you have been trying hard to look good, eat well and even exercise. Amid these things, you might feel stressed at times.

In fact, one of the points even mentions that. Now, the special occasion is just a couple of days away. Everything is ready on your part. You have made sure that you look pretty and handsome (for guys) on that day.

The next step is to put on some foot tapping numbers and switch on the loudspeaker as well. Call your friends over or just dance alone. Dancing will help you forget the pressure of looking good on that day.

Dancing helps build confidence and even helps reduce calories too. It helps boost your mood too. Your skin benefits as dancing helps flush out toxins and even repairs the cells. It keeps skin breakouts at bay by improving blood circulation.

Day 10 – Celebration Time

It is time to reward yourself for all the hard work you did for the past 10 days. Stick to this routine if you have noticed a positive difference in yourself. It is time to immerse in the festive mood and make the most of it.

Do not get bogged down by others – what are they wearing or how are they celebrating the festival. It is on you to set new trends. Stay confident and most importantly, smile. By the way, you look ravishing!