Erin Brockovich's latest campaign

Erin Brockovich, a US consumer health advocate whose life story was the basis for an Academy Award-winning film, has urged senators to pass a law to document disease clusters in the United States.
A disease cluster is an unusual number of health events, such as reports of cancer, grouped together in a time and location, according to the Centres for Disease Control.
Brockovich, who came to prominence investigating the prevalence of cancer cases in Hinkley, California, said she has become an informal reporting agency for those who worry that something in their immediate environment is a health hazard.
"Thousands of Americans contact me every month asking for help and telling me about unexplained diseases in their neighborhood or on their streets," Brockovich told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
She offered a map of the United States and Canada she said she put together by plotting these calls geographically, showing calls from almost every US state and several Canadian provinces.
"This is not a scientific sampling but simply a map of people who are reaching out to me for help because they are concerned that environmental pollution in their community has made them sick," Brockovich said.
Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the committee, co-sponsored a bill meant to increase coordination, transparency and accountability when federal agencies address potential disease clusters.
Boxer said US childhood cancer rates have increased by more than 20 per cent from 1975 through 2007, and that while the exact causes is not always known, "two often-discussed factors are genetics and environmental causes."
The bill, also co-sponsored by Senator Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican, is known as Trevor's Law, named for Trevor Schaefer, a 21-year-old survivor of brain cancer from Boise, Idaho.
Schaefer, who testified at the Senate hearing, and his family have created a foundation that has been fighting for better investigations into the causes of cancer clusters.
A study by the Natural Resources Defence Council and the National Disease Clusters Alliance reported 42 disease clusters in 13 US states, showing incidence of numerous types of cancer, birth defects and other chronic illnesses.
Julia Roberts won the Academy Award for best actress for her portrayal of Brockovich in the 2000 movie Erin Brockovich, which focused on the advocate's work as a paralegal with residents of Hinkley.

Demi Moore Named In Project Five Director List

Demi Moore - Actress Demi Moore joins Project Five for Breast Cancer cause. Demi Moore will join Alicia Keys, Jennifer Aniston, Patty Jenkins and an unnamed fifth person as Project Five to direct a short film about breast cancer for Lifetime TV.

The project intends to show the impact of cancer on people's lives says US Weekly.

“Our hope with Project Five is to entertain, inform and inspire dialogue, research and prevention. Otherwise, our goals are small,” Aniston said.

“We want these films to move people and empower those affected by breast cancer to stand tall through this challenge, which impacts all of our lives, no matter who we are.”

No air date has been set. Will you watch Demi Moore's Breast Cancer short film?

Jackie Chan Is Not Dead

Jackie Chan is not dead but is the latest celebrity to have fallen victim to an online death hoax.

"Jackie is alive and well," a message on the martial arts and action film star's official Facebook page said. "He did not suffer a heart attack and die, as was reported on many social networking sites and in online news reports. Jackie is fine and is busy preparing for the filming of his next movie."

The name of the film in question was not released. Chan, 56, recently starred in a 2010 movie reboot of "The Karate Kid" with actor Will Smith's son Jaden.

Chan is also known for his parts in the "Rush Hour" film series and the movie "Shanghai Noon" with Owen Wilson, who was himself the target of an online death hoax last year.

Chan was seen in a photo alongside Yuji Kumamaru, Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong. The picture, posted on his website, said the two met on Tuesday, March 29.

Does Maria Sharapova Have Her Mojo Back on the Court?

In 2008, few players had a brighter, more promising future in women's tennis than Maria Sharapova. She had already taken home two Grand Slam titles, at the U.S. Open in 2006 and Wimbledon in 2004, and would add an Australian Open title to her collection that season.

A lengthy run in the upper echelons of the WTA rankings seemed a foregone conclusion for the young Russian.

However, that potential appeared sidetracked by numerous injuries, most notably a serious rotator cuff tear that was found near the end of the 2008 season, and cost her a good chunk of time in 2009. Her world ranking slipped below the 100 mark, and many wondered if she would ever re-capture the spark that had made her one of tennis's dominant young players.

While it took her almost a year to fully regain her form, Sharapova has shown signs of life in late 2010 and the early portion of 2011. While her game is still inconsistent, when she's clicking, Maria shows a lethal serve, along with her trademark aggressive baseline play that makes her tough to beat.

While her Australian Open finish was a bit disappointing (losing in the fourth round), Sharapova's game looks to be rounding into form in recent weeks. She reached the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open, and has rolled into the quarterfinals at the Sony Ericsson Open this week in Key Biscane, Florida.

More importantly, Sharapova's ranking has risen five spots since the start of the season, as she's currently ranked 13th in the world, and will finish this week having returned to the top 10.

Maria's not back to full power yet; her game is still maddeningly inconsistent on occasion, and her service has had a tendency to get panicky at times. But at just 23 years old, she's just starting to hit her prime, and with the way things have gone recently, the future looks bright for the blonde bombshell once again.

For more tennis news, check out Maria Sharapova: Tennis Hottie Sharapova Is a Perfect 10 on and off the Court.

NATALIE Portman Oscar-winning role in Black Swan.

apparently used a body double for her Oscar-winning role in Black Swan.

The movie beauty bagged the Best Actress Academy Award for her turn as unstable dancer Nina in the film last month — but has since faced claims a body double was used for most of the complicated ballet dancing scenes.

American Ballet Theater dancer Sarah Lane recently told Entertainment Weekly, “Of the full body shots, I would say five per cent are Natalie… I do want people to know that you cannot absolutely become a professional ballet dancer in a year and a half no matter how hard you work. I’ve been doing this for 22 years.”

Now Fox Searchlight bosses have issued a statement to address the criticism.

“We were fortunate to have Sarah there to cover the more complicated dance sequences and we have nothing but praise for the hard work she did. However, Natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film,” said the statement.
Natalie Portman

Why Jimmer Fredette Won't Be Another Adam Morrison

Few players entering the 2011 NBA Draft are as polarizing among basketball fans as BYU guard Jimmer Fredette.

The senior captivated the nation with his incredible play, leading the Cougars to the Sweet 16 before falling to Florida.

Some think Fredette has the potential to be a bona fide star when he reaches the NBA, others see something a bit less favorable in his future.

In 2006, Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison entered the NBA Draft to much fanfare. The sharpshooting big man with the wispy moustache had averaged a remarkable 28.5 points per game his junior year, and shared National Player of the Year Honors with Duke forward J.J. Reddick.

His stock soared so much, he was picked third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats, but what followed was a disastrous five-year career punctuated by little playing time, ineffective play when he was on the court, and he quickly became one of the biggest busts in recent NBA history.

Many have attempted to compare Fredette, a fellow mid-major standout, to Morrison, who is currently a free agent. But, while Fredette may not wind up being the kind of superstar he was in college (in fact, that's highly unlikely), comparisons to Morrison are greatly exaggerated.

Fredette is a better athlete and shooter than Morrison, capable of creating his own scoring chances, with the range to knock down just about any shot he'd need to. He's big enough to take the punishment the NBA doles out, and he's a skilled ballhandler, someone who can create off the dribble. 

Fredette's court vision is excellent, and his scoring touch is superior to that of the Gonzaga standout. He moves well off the ball, and has enough skills that translate to the NBA game that he should be able to carve out quite a nice niche for someone who needs a spark plug asa sixth man.

I'm not saying he'll be a star, but let's not be so hasty to label Fredette as a professional bust just yet.

For more NBA news, check out NBA Draft 2011: Which March Madness Stars Will Declare for the Draft?

'Amazing' Britney Spears Fans Call Femme Fatale

It's Femme Fatale's arrival day and Britney Spears lovers couldn't be more excited to have the singer release her seventh studio album. When MTV News caught up with a number of her fans in San Francisco on Sunday, where Spears was taping her performance for "Good Morning America" — which airs Tuesday (March 29) — they revealed why they were looking forward to this new chapter in the pop star's dynamic career.

Camille Burgess explained, "We grew up listening to her songs and she will always be amazing." Her pal Stephanie Griffin added, "She's unstoppable!"

Sarah explained that Spears' spirit is why fans will certainly scoop up copies of the singer's latest, which features production from Dr. Luke and Max Martin, as well as collaborations with artists like will.i.am. "Britney's back but she sealed the deal ... everything!" she gushed. "She's feisty! She never gives up!"

Femme Fatale is a nonstop party album, complete with sexy beats, Britney's signature cooing singing style and lots of references to wanting to get busy with hot dudes. "I've heard a couple of songs and I have to say it's definitely amazing ... She knows what she's doing," Thomas explained. "And I think she's definitely going to have some surprises up her sleeve this next album ... The entertainment power she has, the way she flaunts herself onstage, she's not afraid to be different. It's inspiring to me."

Randi mirrors Thomas' feelings on why fans have stuck with the singer through her ups and downs and are just as excited as ever for this latest release. "Why do we love her? She's awesome," said Randi. "She's an influence on everything. No matter what she does she's always going to be sexy."

No 2011 Increase Expected In Social Security

The official word isn't expected until Friday when the Social Security Administration announces whether there will be a cost-of-living adjustment for 2011. But those who've crunched the numbers say there just hasn't been enough inflation to justify a bump in benefits.

The last time there was an inflation adjustment was in 2009: Social Security beneficiaries got a higher-than-normal 5.8% increase because of a temporary spike in energy prices in the third quarter of 2008.

Soon after, however, energy prices plummeted. Then the bottom fell out of the economy and by the third quarter of 2009 overall price levels had fallen 2.1% from the same period a year earlier. That meant no increase in 2010 Social Security benefit checks.

This year, there has been some inflation, but prices still are lower than they were in the third quarter of 2008  and that's the quarter that counts. By law, the Social Security Administration is required to track inflation

using the most recent third quarter that led to an adjustment. So the 2011 decision will be based on the change in inflation between the third quarter of 2008 and the third quarter of 2010.

"[There has been] an increase [in prices] relative to 2009, but it's still below the 2008 level, so no COLA again," said Donald Marron, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO in August said it expects beneficiaries will not receive a COLA in 2011, and will receive only a 0.4% increase for 2012.

If the CBO is right, that would mean a monthly Social Security retirement check of $1,170 the average among current retirees as of June would be the same next year, and rise by about 5 bucks in 2012.

More recently, the finance and economics blog Calculated Risk looked at the COLA formula and came to the same conclusion for 2011. But it also noted that even though retirees may go two years without an increase, "those receiving benefits are still ahead because of the huge increase [they got in 2009]."

There's a bit of bright news for high-income earners still working for the Man: If there is no COLA for 2011, that also means there would be no increase in the amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax, which is currently assessed on the first $106,800 of a person's wages.

Even if the inflation math is correct, the idea of another year without a pay hike isn't likely to be popular with the nearly 58 million people who receive Social Security retirement, disability or supplemental income benefits, particularly those who may face higher Medicare premiums.

Last year, it wasn't popular news either. There was a failed push to offer $250 payments to Social Security recipients to compensate for the lack of a COLA and to serve as economic stimulus. Such a move would have cost roughly $14 billion.

But critics of the extra payments pointed out that Social Security benefits are intended to maintain purchasing power -- which by the inflation measures used they have. And, they noted, benefits don't decline when prices decline, which happened in 2009.

Julia Stiles

Already critically acclaimed for a number of youthful film roles, it's just a matter of time before fresh-faced blonde Julia Stiles reaches the height of heights as a new tier of adult talent starts hitting the screen. Born Julia O'Hara Stiles on March 28, 1981, in New York City, she is of Irish, Italian and English stock. The outgoing daughter of an elementary school teacher (father) and a Greenwich Village artist (mother), she is the eldest of three children. Encouraged to take modern dance lessons at an early age, she was introduced to Shakespeare and theater as well. At age 11, she made her debut as a child actress with the experimental off-Broadway La MaMa Theatre. Her passion grew and by the next year was performing professionally and working in commercials. A bright, precocious student, she was seriously considered for the child vampire role of Claudia in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) but lost out in the end to Kirsten Dunst. She continued training at New York's Professional Children's School and, at 15, made her cinematic bow with I Love You, I Love You Not (1996) with Claire Danes. Next featured as the daughter of Harrison Ford in The Devil's Own (1997), her breakout role came on TV with the hard-hitting mini-movie Before Women Had Wings (1997) (TV), which was produced by Oprah Winfrey and dealt with child abuse. As Ellie Christianson in Wicked (1998), Julia demonstrated a more evil side to her budding versatility. Her wish to play Shakespeare was granted threefold with her participation in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), which was based on the Bard's "The Taming of The Shrew" and won her the Chicago Film Critics Award as the volatile teen Kat; an updated version of Hamlet (2000) which paired her Ophelia with Ethan Hawke; and another updated version of "Othello" entitled O (2001), which had her high school character of Desi (Desdemona) involved in a mixed romantic relationship with African-American Mekhi Phifer. The violent-edged film was made in 1998 but not released until three years later due to the tragic Colorado student shootings at Columbine High School. In addition, Julia later portrayed Viola off-Broadway in a Shakespeare-in-the-Park production of "Twelfth Night" in 2002. She temporarily interrupted her career after deciding to enroll at Columbia University in 2000, majoring in English. Moving into mainstream roles by the millennium, she co-starred with the popular Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity (2002) and its sequel, appeared opposite Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile (2003) and won offbeat notice in the title role of Carolina (2003/I) with Shirley MacLaine and Randy Quaid as the granddaughter of an eccentric who tries to find happiness and love in Hollywood. Most recently she returned from Iceland where she filmed A Little Trip to Heaven (2005). Unable to find that one role to put her over the top, this lovely actress continues to engage movie audiences with a potent range of characters in the meantime.

Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis is being careful about her rumored romance with Justin Timberlake. Insiders reveal that the “Black Swan” actress is slowing things down with the “Sexy Back” singer because she doesn’t want to be labled as a “home wrecker.”

Justin ended his relationship with Jessica Biel after falling for Mila as the two filmed and promoted their new movie “Friends with Benefits.” But Kunis, who just a few months back confirmed that she had broken up with her boyfriend of 8 years Macaulay Culkin, doesn’t want things to move fast … at least right now.

    “She doesn’t want to be seen as a home wrecker,” a source told Britain’s Now magazine. “She’s into monogamy so she ended it with Macaulay because she was attracted to Justin. But she doesn’t want to be another one of his conquests, so she’s asked for space. Justin agrees they should wait a while out of respect for Jessica.”

Everyone already knows Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake are more than simply “friends with benefits” at this point. So they might as well go on ahead and make it official

Mila Kunis was born in Chernivtsi in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1991, when she was seven years old. Kunis is Jewish and has cited antisemitism in the former Soviet Union as one of several reasons for her family's move to the U.S. Her mother, Elvira, is a physics teacher and drug store manager, and her father, Mark Kunis, is a mechanical engineer and cab company executive. She has an older brother, Michael.

Kunis has stated that a lottery system allowed her family to make the move: "It took about five years. If you got chosen the first time around, you went to Moscow, where there was another lottery, and you maybe got chosen again. Then you could come to the States." On her second day in Los Angeles, she was enrolled at Rosewood Elementary School not knowing a word of English. "I blocked out second grade," she says. "I don’t remember, but my mom tells me that I came home and cried every day. I wasn’t that traumatized. It was just a shock."Kunis added: "I didn't understand the culture. I didn't understand the people. I didn't understand the language. My first sentence of my essay to get into college was like, 'Imagine being blind and deaf at age seven.' And that's kind of what it felt like moving to the States."

In Los Angeles, she attended Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School. She was mostly taught by an on-set tutor for her high school years while filming That '70s Show.When not on the set, she attended Fairfax High School, where she graduated in 2001.She briefly attended UCLA and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

alexandra daddario

 Alexandra Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress, known to film audiences as Annabeth Chase in the 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Daddario was also in The Squid and the Whale, All My Children, The Babysitters, The Attic, The Hottest State, White Collar and Bereavement.Daddario was born in New York City, New York and was raised on the Upper East Side;[2] her parents are lawyers.[3]She wanted to be an actress when she was a child but her first television role did not come about until she was 16 years old, when she booked the role of victimized teen Laurie Lewis on All My Children. At the same time, she was a sophomore attending a traditional girls school in New York. "I was finishing my sophomore year of high school at the Brearley School in New York," Daddario said. "I would not have been able to continue my education there."Daddario co-starred with Logan Lerman and Brandon T. Jackson in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the fantasy-adventure movie directed by Chris Columbus, which was released on February 12, 2010. Columbus and Craig Titley adapted the screenplay from The Lightning Thief, the first book of Rick Riordan's best-selling teens' series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Daddario plays Annabeth Chase. In 2011, she co-starred in the Farrelly Bros' latest comedy, Hall Pass.

Sucker Punch

"Sucker Punch" is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what's real and what is imaginary. She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to survive. Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls-the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung)-to band together and try to escape a terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac) and Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino), before the mysterious High Roller (Jon Hamm) comes for Babydoll. Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. Together, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their unbelievable journey-if they succeed-will set them free.. -- (C) Warner Bros

Lady Gaga Hits 9Million Followers On Twitter

Lady Gaga has become the first person to amass 9 million followers on social networking site Twitter.
Lady Gaga, who is currently at number 1 in the Billboard charts for the sixth consecutive week with single 'Born this Way', is officially the most followed celebrity on the site, with Justin Bieber following her in second. She has also broken the record for the most online singles sold and has had to date over 1 billion views on Youtube. To reward her fans for Born This Way's success, Gaga announced on Twitter that she would be releasing a 'country road' reinterpretation of the single, which was posted up Friday on the video site.

The singer has recently been focusing her efforts on fundraising for the Japanese Tsunami & Earthquake relief fund. She has already raised over 1.5 million dollars for the victims of this month's disaster. Like fellow pop star Gwen Stefani, Gaga has contributed her design prowess to the project, designing a Japan-inspired 'Prayer Bracelet' which is available from her website. She will also contribute to the 'Songs For Japan' album, which includes artists such as Eminem, Cee-lo Green and KINGS OF LEON.

Will Ferrell Makes His Office Debut

Will Ferrell - Actor Will Ferrell is set to make his debut on "The Office" on April 14th.When The Office returns on April 14th, Will Ferrell will join the cast until the season finale which is Steve Carrell's final episode.According to Hispanic Business,In the most recent episode of the series, Michael Scott and Holly Flax finally got engaged -- but also revealed that they were moving to Colorado to care for her aging father.Cue Steve Carrell's exit from the show and Will Ferrell's entrance as the replacement.How do you think Will Ferrell will do on "The Office

Gwen Stefani Donates $1 Million To Japanese Earthquake Relief

Following in the footsteps of Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, Gwen Stefani has pledged to donate $1 million to earthquake-relief efforts in Japan.

The No Doubt singer and solo star announced on Wednesday that she had written a major check to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake-Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund to help with recovery efforts in the devastated nation."I've been inspired by Japan for many years and have a true love, appreciation and respect for the Japanese people and their culture," Stefani said in a statement posted on the No Doubt website. "The disaster in Japan is beyond heartbreaking, and I want to do anything I can to help. I would never be able to make a gesture like this without the love and support of all the fans over all these years."Stefani, who also is a clothing designer, is asking her fans to get in on the action as well, by pledging to unveil a limited-edition Harajuku Lovers T-shirt from her L.A.M.B. clothing line on No Doubt's website, with all proceeds from sales going to help the relief efforts.In addition, a charity auction will be announced next week that will offer the chance to join Stefani at a special fundraiser in Los Angeles. She also encouraged her fans to donate directly to Save the Children if they want to get involved.Internet sensation Rebecca Black, who announced on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Tuesday that she's giving proceeds from her "Friday" single to Japan relief, also is donating profits from the sales of an "It's Friday" T-shirt to the American Red Cross' efforts in the stricken country.Other artists who've stepped up to aid the people of Japan include Hanson, Ne-Yo, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.For more information on what you can do to help with earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan head to MTV Act, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood was born on September 7, 1987, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father is Ira David Wood III, and her mother is Sara Lynn Moore. She has two older brothers: Dana, a musician, and Ira David Wood IV. Evan and her brothers sometimes performed at Theatre In The Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, where her father is the executive director and founder of the theatre... See full bio »
Born:Evan Rachael Wood
September 7, 1987 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Sandra Bullock And Renee Zellweger New BFF's

Sandra Bullock - Oscar winning actress Sandra Bullock and Renee Zellweger new BFF's? Not quite, but Sandra is reportedly offering Renee a shoulder to cry on.
 We reported late last week that Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper called it quits.
According to People magazine, Renee has been spending some post-breakup time in New York and visited Bullock over the weekend at Sandra's downtown Manhattan apartment.
As for how Zellweger is doing since her split from Cooper, a source close to the actress tells PEOPLE, "She's really good. She's going out with friends and she's moving on."
A photo of Zellweger standing at the entrance to Bullock's apartment was posted on the website of the UK newspaper the Daily Mail, which reported that Bullock is currently living in New York with her son Louis while she shoots her new film "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." The movie also stars Tom Hanks and hits theaters in 2012.
What kind of advice do you think Sandra Bullock is giving to Renee Zellweger?

Danica Patrick Unhappy After Bristol (NASCAR) Wreck

Danica Patrick is giving NASCAR a serious run this year. A wreck involving Ryan Truex last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway didn't help Danica Patrick in the Nationwide Series points chase.

DIY Face Masks 11 One-Ingredient

 We’re making healthy skin even easier for you with one-ingredient, all-natural, DIY facials made from common supplies you can easily find right in the refrigerator shelf or kitchen cabinet. Raiding your pantry is also a great way to save money and cut back on food waste and packaging.

If you want pretty and healthy skin, don’t skimp on the bare-bone basics. Be sure to always drink lots of water and wear sunscreen moisturizer.

1. Honey -- A humectant, honey, attracts and retains moisture, so it's great for anyone who wants to combat dry skin. Use a cloth damp with warm water and pat skin to open pores. Smear honey onto skin and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, then pat skin with a cloth dampened in cold water to close pores.

2. Raw egg yolk -- Egg yolks are high in vitamin A, a common ingredient in acne-fighting products. Spread on face and neck and leave on skin for 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

3. Raw egg white -- You'll get a lifting effect as the protein in egg whites dries on your skin. Beat egg white until frothy and spread on face. Wait until it dries and rinse off with warm water.

4. Grapes -- They contain powerful antioxidants, called polyphenols, which help combat aging. Cut one grape in half and rub lightly all over face.

5. Banana -- Bananas are one of the most nourishing fruits available because they contain magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, iodine, folic acid, and vitamins A, B, and E, all of which benefit the skin. Mash one overripe banana and spread onto face. Rinse off after 15 to 30 minutes with warm water.

6. Plain yogurt -- Yogurt contains alpha-hydroxy acids, including lactic acid, which are commonly used to help reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles. It's also rich in B-complex vitamins, including B-5, or panthothenic acid, which is commonly used to promote skin healing. Apply on face after cleansing and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Apple cider vinegar -- It has a tonic action that promotes blood circulation in the small capillaries that irrigate the skin. It's also antiseptic, preventing the proliferation of bacteria, viruses, or yeast that trigger infection. Dilute apple cider vinegar with two parts water and apply over face with a cotton ball as a toner after washing face every day and every night.

8. Olive oil -- Olive oil is a source of squalene, a natural moisturizer used in many cosmetics. Natural antioxidants found in olive oil include A and E vitamins, as well as some polyphenols. Dab on lips at bedtime if chapped or leave on face overnight. It can also be used to de-frizz hair.

9. Avocado -- The fruit is rich in vitamins, A, C, E, iron, potassium, niacin, and pantothenic acid and its natural emollients. Mash avocado, then leave on skin for 10 minutes. You can also use it to strengthen and condition your hair.

10. Baking soda -- This pantry staple has a gentle abrasive action. Use as an exfoliant for face by adding to your regular cleanser. It also helps neutralize skin's pH.

11. Milk -- Seriously? Yes, seriously. Like yogurt, it contains lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid that is often used to revitalize skin. Swab on face with cotton ball, leave on until your skin feels tight. Rinse off with warm water. Your skin will feel super-soft afterwards.