Your beauty routine is your personal ritual. But, whether you spend five or 50 minutes putting yourself together, these 15 tips and tricks are sure to make your mornings easier while saving you money too. Here’s to looking better, with less time and effort required.
Eyes
- DIY gel eyeliner
Trick: buy a cheap kohl pencil eyeliner from a pharmacy. Using a lighter or candle, hold the tip of the pencil eyeliner under the flame for one second. Let the pencil cool for 15 seconds and voila, you now have a soft, intense smudge eyeliner.
2. Make the most of your mascara
Trick: if your mascara dries out, don’t throw it out. Boil some water and pour it into a mug before placing your mascara in it with the formula end in the water. Allow to sit for five minutes before removing. Your mascara will be liquid and smooth again.
3. Don’t bin the brush
Tip: expensive mascaras usually cost more due to the brush design, not the actual mascara. Once you’ve finished your high-end mascara, wash the brush and reuse it with a cheaper brand’s formula.
4. Longer lashes
Tip: use baby powder to get longer lashes without wearing fake eyelashes. Using a cotton bud dipped in baby powder, run across your lashes, focusing on the tips, before applying mascara. The mascara will attach to the powder giving you a fuller, longer look – top tip!
5. Ditch dark circles
Tip: to better reduce bags under the eye, apply concealer in a triangle shape towards your cheek rather than in a circle.
6. Make eye shadow pop
Trick: to make your eye shadow more vibrant, cover your entire eyelid with white eyeliner or eye shadow first then apply your normal colour. The colour will appear far more vibrant on top of the white base.
Mouth
7. Make your lipstick last
Trick: set your lipstick so that it stays on for longer by holding a tissue over your lips then lightly dusting translucent power over the top.
8. Keep lipstick off your teeth
Trick: avoid lipstick stained teeth by putting your finger between your closed lips and pulling it out once you have applied your lipstick. This way your finger will remove any excess lipstick, saving your teeth – and your embarrassment!
9. Perfect your bow
Tip: to accentuate and even your cupid’s bow, use a white eyeliner to draw a little v shape after you have applied your lipstick.
Hair
10. Frizz fix
Tip: towels can cause friction leading to tangles and split ends. Dry your hair using a T-shirt instead of a towel for curls without the frizz.
11. Make the most of dry shampoo
Trick: dry shampoo should actually be used the night before you need it. This way it has time to soak up excess oil, eliminating any white powder patches. You’ll also get more volume this way.
Nails
12. Pack more punch
Tip: for a more vibrant nail colour apply a white base coat first. This gives the colour more opacity so it looks much closer to the colour in the bottle.
13. Fix your French
Trick: to perfect your French manicure or touch it up, use a rubber band. Place the rubber band tight around your nail leaving the tip free to paint.
Get more bang for your buck
14. Cut open your face product and make-up tubes and scoop them into a plastic pot instead. This avoids any product by sticking to the sides of the tube and being wasted.
15. Apply perfume behind your ear or knee, at the base of your throat or inside your wrist or elbow to ensure the scent lasts all day.
What are your make-up money-saving tips? Why not share them in the comments section below?
Also read: Which red lipstick is right for you?
