We spend countless hours and dollars to doll ourselves up, but Mother Nature has given us women an all natural way to turn heads: S-E-X.

Sure, there’s a time and a place for perfectly applied eyeliner and not-a-strand-out-of-place hair. But really, what’s hotter than devil-may-care, mussed up bedhead and a swagger that just won’t quit? It’s time to channel your inner Brigitte Bardot, ladies!

Sex is the ultimate beauty enhancer. No product or procedure can beat getting down and dirty in making you even more gorgeous. Check out these eight reasons why.

1. Natural Makeup
Every morning, you apply makeup and by lunch, you already need a touch up! But if you spend 15 minutes a day doing the deed, your cheeks will naturally flush, your lips will have that perfect red pout and your skin will glow. Move over Sephora—sex is nature’s makeup! As YouDoc Dr. Michael Roizen, the Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic Roizen explains, during sex, “You get excited, and you vasodilate. [Just like] vasodilation happens in the male penis, which is swelling it with blood…well, the same thing is occurring in all your mucosal membranes [to give] you that ruddy look, that redness or that glow. It’s all the same phenomenon.” And, might we add, the sex effect lasts for hours.

2. Save Face
Even if you stay out of the sun, you still may be at risk for premature pruning. “Other than sun exposure, the major wrinkler of the skin is your arteries,” explain Roizen. “Whether you have a wrinkle in your heart, which is a heart attack, or a wrinkle in your skin, it’s the same process.” Good blood flow brings nutrients and oxygen to the skin, which staves off wrinkling. Guess what increases blood flow and makes your skin act younger? You guessed it—sex.

3. Sex Does a Body Good
We all know that the sexiest thing a woman can have is confidence. According to sexpert Mary Jo Rapini, M.Ed, L.P.C., knocking boots gives every woman a swagger. “When I ask men: ‘What is the most attractive thing about your woman?’ one of the top three things is always the way she moves.” After getting frisky, you walk with an even more feminine gait. Your head is held high, your hips swaying from side to side—in other words, you’re getting your strut on. That confidence just reels the men right back in, creating a perfect cycle of sex appeal.

4. Doing “It” is the Best Hair Do
Sex can also contribute to a healthy head of hair. Roizen points out: “Each hair follicle has a blood vessel to it, and your blood flow is a major determinate of both internal and external beauty.” More blood flow means you’re nourishing your hair. Plus, you know sliding around in your sheets gives your tresses that va-va-va voluminous sexy bedhead.

5. Don’t Worry, Be Happy
There is a reason wrinkles are called worry lines—but no amount of eye cream can put your mind at ease like the horizontal hula. “Sex is the best stress reliever,” says Rapini. Since orgasming is all about learning to relax and breathe, when you’re having sex regularly, the calming effects cumulate and you’ll enjoy long-term stress relief. Rapini points out: “The normal sex act itself takes between three and 20 minutes. That’s not very long, but it influences your whole day, it can even influence you for several days.” And that lack of tension will be all over your beautiful face!

6. Busting Out
During sex, you’ll have even more to show off. According to Dr. Roizen, during sex, “breasts enlarge 25 percent; nipple height increases a half inch.” You’ll be wowing your man sans Wonder Bra.

7. Sexercise
While it might be hard to motivate yourself to get to the gym, if you’re ready to spend some time on your back—or on all fours, or in a pretzel shape—sex can give you a great cardio workout. According to Roizen, “From an arterial standpoint, having sex is the equivalent of engaging in Zumba.” The more you do it, the more it does for your bod!

8. Fountain of Youth
If a woman has an average sex life, her real age can be two to eight years younger than the number on her driver’s license, notes Roizen. “You end up being functionally younger … it’s a consistent effect,” he says. It lowers your risk of the three major killers: heart disease, cancer and all others—which is really depression, suicide, mood changes and things that cause attitudinal changes.” If you keep getting frisky with your partner, you can both turn back the hands of time.

So, gorgeous, the next time someone asks you what your beauty secret is, you can tell her it’s your sex life. And how!