Homecoming: Looking Your Best

Homecoming approaches, and you've got your clothes all picked out. Here are a couple of tips for looking your best on your special night:

GUYS:

• Get a closer shave. Shower first, then step out, dry off and shave your face. The steam from the shower will help soften your beard and give you a closer shave.

• Make your hands look nice. Lather up your hands with soap and add a couple spoonfuls of sugar (yes! table sugar!). The soap will turn white - it's okay. Gently scrub your hands and rinse thoroughly. Follow up with some nice, non-scented lotion if you can find some. Clean under your fingernails and take a second to push back your cuticles.

• Red spots plaguing your complexion? Put a little Visine on your spots and leave them alone. It gets the red out! (PS: Don't use a scrub on your skin if you are acne-prone. It can make you break out more. Try a minty-smelling toner like Sea Breeze to help dry up oily spots.)

GIRLS:

• Go easy on the makeup. Try using cooler, more pink-y colors than normal for a more-formal look. White allover eye shadow and black eyeliner / mascara also take your makeup up a notch. Don't assume that caking on more color is better - it's not. And use a light touch with shimmer powders and lotions - subtle is better and more elegant.

• Start big. Sounds crazy, but style your hair to be bigger than you want it (not Texas big, just bigger). Hairstyles fall and flatten as you move around. To get a really great formal 'do, make it a little bigger than usual and by the time you get to the dance, it will look terrific. Don't trust us? Try a practice run - you'll be surprised. And wear a shirt that buttons while you do your hair, not a t-shirt! This will make it a lot easier to change into your dress without wrecking your hair.

• Try the sugar scrub (above) on your hands and heels, especially if you play sports. Be careful about putting lotion on your feet before the big event, though - lotion is slippery! Do that the night before and you'll wake up with softer feet that won't make you slide all over in your shoes. Make sure your nails (fingers and toes!) are clean, too.