In addition to my regular skincare routine I put on a mask once or twice a week. Since I was 12 my mom's been making me put on home-made masks made from fruits, veggies, milk, oats and what-have-you. When I was in school I'd come home and rub a slice of potato or tomato on my face. And sleep with a mask of lemon and milk on.

Since then I've learnt a lot of great combinations for masks that are easy to make and easier to apply. Sometimes on a Friday I'll do a maskathon- apply one mask after another, leaving my skin looking fresh and glowy.

Here are a few I recommend. All have the same instructions- apply, let dry, wash off with water. Simple. Just remember to really massage these into your skin for all the goodness to seep in. Moisturize after.

• Honey + Lemon: Exfoliates, removes tan, lightens blemishes, hydrates, makes skin glow.
• Lemon + Milk: Reduces hyperpigmentation {those dark marks of extremely tanned skin on certain areas of your face}, reduces blemishes, smoothes and brightens skin. Note: You can leave this on overnight and wash off in the morning.
• Yogurt + Honey: Moisturizes and makes skin glow. Great for dry skin.
• Cucumber Juice + Rose Water: Soothes inflamed skin or acne. Good for sunburn.
• Mashed Banana: Moisturizes, anti-aging.
• Oats + Tomato Juice: Reduces dark spots, blackheads and acne marks.
• Potato Juice: Excellent for reducing hyperpigmentation. Add a few drops of lemon to increase whitening properties.
• Cabbage Juice: Apply in the undereye area to reduce dark circles.

Fuller's Earth:
If you can get a hold of a packet of fuller's earth, which is basically a clay mask, here are the combinations for different skin types:

Combination skin:
Milk/ Lemon/ Honey.

Dry skin:
Milk Cream/ Olive Oil.

Oily skin:
Strawberry Pulp/ Yogurt.

Normal skin:
Rose Water.

All you need to do is mix the Fuller's Earth powder with whatever's mentioned above. You can even mix more than one ingredient in it if you're feeling adventurous.

If you have any questions, feel free to post on my facebook page. If you'd like to share mask recipes or home-made skin solutions you love, comment below.

I've gotten so used to wearing these masks {I'm typing this while I have a honey-lemon mask on} that once my family was at a picnic while we were kids and my mom was slicing tomatoes. My brother immediately piped up, "Don't give that to Shabana, she'll rub it on her face." Ha. xxx