I tested Katharine Hepburn's all-natural facial scrub and here's what happened

It's almost impossible to watch an old, black-and-white Katharine Hepburn picture without wanting to bottle her beauty and wear it around your neck in hopes of absorbing its essence. Of course, the titan of Old Hollywood is remembered for so much more: racking up a record number of Best Actress nominations topped only by Meryl Streep, winning four of those Oscars for films like Morning Glory and On Golden Pond, immortalizing the Mid-Atlantic drawl that's become the model for anyone attempting to act as though they're from the 1930s, and redefining celebrity fashion with her trailblazing penchant for pants. Still, whenever I see her onscreen I have to resist the urge to scream, "Look at that skin!"

See what I mean?

Folklore has it that one of the ways Hepburn kept her face looking flawless was with an all-natural, exfoliating facial scrub that combines lemon juice, sugar and water. The vitamin C and citric acid-rich lemon juice helps to increase collagen production, in turn reducing the appearance of wrinkles, minimize redness and hyperpigmentation, brighten and even protect the skin from harmful UV rays. Sugar, on the other hand, is high in glycolic acid (who knew!), which works to hydrate, smooth and even the skin, while its grains work to exfoliate dry patches. Hepburn is said to have cemented her scrub with a splash of ice water, which, according to celebrity facialist Ole Henriksen, can "dramatically improve circulation in the skin for that healthy glow we all want." So, in attempt get myself a piece of Kate's age-defying radiance, I decided to whip together the mixture, and try it out myself.

If you want to create this scrub at home too, here's what you'll need:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp warm water

Here's how to do it:

1. Mix lemon juice, sugar and warm water together in a small bowl.
2. Massage mixture evenly onto a freshly washed face, paying careful attention to any dry spots.
3. Rinse with lukewarm water, until scrub is fully removed.
4. Splash face with icy water.

The best part about this DIY facial scrub is that the ingredients are all incredibly accessible, cheap and come together quickly. A far stray from store-bought beauty products, it was so nice to put something on my face that I could actually pronounce all the ingredients to! I had lemons and sugar on hand so I was able to prep the mixture in seconds. The measurements above will give you a mixture that's fairly thin; if you prefer something a little more dense, or are fresh off a vacay and really need to wipe away some dead skin, reduce the amount of lemon juice or opt for a coarser sugar.

As someone with extremely fussy and dry skin, I was a little nervous about about the mixture causing irritation (after a harrowing incident with a store-bought carrot astringent that created a bright red crater across my entire chin, I take exactly zero chances with natural remedies or products that don't have "FOR SENSITIVE SKIN" plastered on them). While I did start to feel tingles of the lemon and sugar getting to work right away, the scrub didn't leave my skin feeling aggravated — only fresh and smooth as advertised.

The only (minor) disappointment of this homemade treatment was that I found that it left my face feeling tight after use, similar to the way the residue from a store-bought scrub or cleanser makes my skin feel. Part of this is almost certainly due to the cold January weather that's currently engulfing us, but I had hoped the hydrating qualities of the lemon juice and sugar would help to combat it better.

All in all, I found this DIY scrub to be the perfect alternative to pricey products from the drug store, and a real saviour at a time of year when dryness is unavoidable. And while I'll still probably seethe with jealousy whenever I get a glimpse of Hepburn's shining face in an old movie, I'll definitely keep reaching for her homemade facial scrub any time my skin needs a little boost.