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My young and beautiful friend texted me this morning, asking what to do about the dark circles around her eyes. I haven’t noticed them, but she is a new mom, so it’s possible that on some mornings she might see them. She was asking my advice on products because she was planning to go shopping later today, and I will tell myself that she asked me because of my stunning youthfulness. Of course.

I have a very low maintenance skin care routine for two reasons: 1) I am lazy, and 2) I am in denial about my aging. I’ve been using the same two moisturizers on my face forever. I buy them in the drugstore for a reasonable price, and I am very happy to recommend them: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream With Sunscreen for the day, and Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Night Moisturizer. On my lips I use Aquaphor Lip Repair. It’s a good thing I like these products (see reasons 1 & 2 above), but do they work? Only time will tell, but for now I think I’m doing okay. But because of reasons 1 & 2, I had no advice on taking care of circles under the eyes. It was time to do some research.

Any of us could easily spend lots of money on anti-aging products, and since we’re all afraid of looking old, a lot of us fall into the traps the marketers set out for us. But for almost anything you can buy, there’s a way to  make it yourself at home. You can scour the internet for DIY anti-aging treatments and you’ll find a lot of recipes with ingredients I know I never have on hand, and that I suspect most of you don’t, either. So I put together some notes on what I found on anti-aging skin treatments using simple things almost everyone has at home:

• Vitamin C brightens skin and can lighten up dark spots that come with aging and exposure to the sun. Make sure to get enough of it in your diet, but also apply it to your skin for maximum benefit. Mix equal parts cucumber juice and lemon juice and apply to your face with a cotton ball. Leave it on for about 15 minutes and then rinse off.
• Use honey to hydrate your skin. Smooth one teaspoon of honey over a clean face. Leave on for ten minutes and then rinse off. You’ll be amazed at how soft your face feels. Honey also has antibacterial properties that help with inflammation.
• Avocado is an excellent source of good fat, which is good for your heart, your brain, and your skin. I’m talking about eating it, but it also makes a really great face mask. Just mash it up and leave it on your face for a few minutes before rinsing it off.
• Yogurt does many wonderful things to your face. It brightens dull skin, and the lactic acid it contains smooths, exfoliates, and tightens pores.
• Oatmeal is another yummy food that’s good for you when you eat it, and also good for a facial because it cleanses and exfoliates.
• And finally- those dark circles. To get rid of dark circles under your eyes, chill two used tea bags in the refrigerator. I’ve seen so many versions of this tip recommending different kinds of tea that I don’t believe it matters what you use. Place one bag over each eye and leave them for 10 to 15 minutes, then wash your face. This is great because it also forces you to take a break- I don’t think there’s anything that you can do with tea bags over your eyes except relax.

There’s not much we can do about getting older. But we can try to look great at any age, and we can certainly do that without breaking the bank.