I’m sure all of you have a makeup routine of your own but it’s good to know more options to try to get the most out of your favorite products. In any case, keeping tips in mind could help at some point and maybe one day when you’re bored, you can try on something new!
There are a variety of skin conditions so we have collected few tricks to hydrate your skin in the summer and lock in moisture in the winter. But for those of you who are a big fan of color, coverup, and contour, we’ve also prepared great tricks to try at home to make your makeup routine easier and fun.
1. Keep your lipstick on your lips
From lipstick stains on cups to smears and feathering caused by eating and drinking, it’s hard to get your lipstick to stay in place throughout the day. But here’s one hack you’ve probably never thought of:If you mix food coloring (let’s say red) together with a peel-off face mask (or even PVA glue – it’s safe!) and apply it carefully to your lips. Once it’s dry, you can peel it off and it leaves a stain behind that will stay in place all day but come off your a good makeup remover at night!
Check out Bustle’s tutorial here.
We promise this is less weird than it sounds. In fact, companies even make peel-off lipsticks – check out the #peelofflipstick hashtag on Instagram if you don’t believe us!
2. DIY brow stencil
If you fill in your brows, you know what a pain it is to get them to match. (No? Just me?)Maybe you’ve tried stencils you can buy in the store, but none of them match the shape of your face perfectly. (No, just me AGAIN?)Well, now you can make your own!
Using a marker, an X-Acto knife, and some transparency film (or any firm plastic that you can cut!), you just need to draw on your desired shape, cut it out, and it’s good to use over and over again!
The beauty of this trick if you can try it over and over again until you get it right – maybe during one of your self-care evenings when you’re watching binge-watching Netflix or even a girl’s night (just finish up with the sharp implements before you pour your second glass of wine!).
There’s a tutorial available from The Makeup Files here if you want some more guidance.
3. Apply mascara with your lash curler in place
There are lots of lash hacks out there because long, lush lashes are one of the best ways to look wide awake and put together in a matter of minutes. But those of us not wanting the maintenance of lash extensions or other false lashes need some help.One major problem for those of us with straight lashes is getting them to stay curled throughout the day. It doesn’t matter how long your lashes are if they stick out straight!
The makeup gurus at Cosmopolitan Magazine have a ton of lash hacks, but our favorite is to apply your first coat of mascara while your lashes are in your eyelash curler. That will help them hold the curl in place (but will require you to rinse it off after each application).
Genius!
4. Clean brushes with a strainer
If you’re getting breakouts for no good reason, the culprit could be the gunk that builds up in your makeup brushes, especially if you use them throughout the day on a dirty face (and who doesn’t need n mid-afternoon touch-up on oily skin?)While brush sprays promise to get them clean with minimal effort, that’s rarely the case, especially on big, poofy brushes where bacteria have lots of places to hide.
If it’s time to clean your brushes (and c’mon, you know it is), you can simply use antibacterial soap, but it’s also wise to invest in a cheap little strainer that allows you to really agitate those bristles. The strainer allows some to poke through and really scrubs them off.
See here for a run-down of the process and how well it works.
5. Perfect your winged eyeliner with tape
Perfecting the cat eye or winged eyeliner trick requires a lot of practice and skill – and frankly, some people never manage to do it freehand (so you’re not alone if you don’t have it down yet)!Next time you want to go for a dramatic look, try using tape as a guide – it doesn’t even have to be fancy tape. There’s no need to wing it when you have an easy tool in a nearby drawer!
6. Use olive oil to remove makeup in a pinch
Did you decide to try some dramatic makeup and run out of makeup remover on the same night? Don’t go to bed with that stuff still on your face!Simply head to the kitchen and grab your olive oil.
Dab some on a cotton pad and watch your eye makeup (or any other makeup for that matter) slide right off.
Many makeup removers are oil-based, which makes makeup melt away, so it’s a cheap easy trick to try when you can’t head to the store right away.
Check out Beauty Something for other olive oil hacks as well.
7. Create instant eyelids
Ever try a new eyeshadow only to have it end up right under your brow because your eyelids aren’t big enough?Frankly, it’s not a problem that needs fixing unless it bothers you, but a simple trick can save you the pain of the plastic surgery thousands of people undergo every year to get a bigger lid.
You can use a small piece of clear tape or a product like Instant Eye Lift to put a clear boundary between your lower and upper lids. It may not be the most comfortable option, but if you’re dying to try a smoky eye, this could be just the thing you need!
8. Contour your nose with tweezers
One Instagrammar found a genius way to apply initial contour lines to her nose by using tweezers.Simply run the instrument through your dark contouring powder, and run it down your nose. Then blend it out for a perfectly even look.
Her tutorial can be found here (she does her brows first – another great hack – so the nose trick is halfway through).
9. Q-Tip your lipstick
No matter how good your lipstick applicator is, the corners if your mouth can still be tough to get right.One way to avoid coloring outside the lines is to bite down on a Q-Tip as you apply your lip color. This keeps you from getting too far into the crease and getting those little clown lines in the corner of your mouth that only feather out throughout the day.
10. Hack your makeup brush
Haven’t invested in a full set of makeup brushes? It’s no wonder – they get expensive!But sometimes you just need the smooth application of a contour brush. If that’s the case and you’ve just invested in a blush or kabuki brush (the most popular types), try using a bobby pin to create a new shape temporarily.
11. Double the life of your foundation
It’s so frustrating to get towards the end of a bottle of foundation or concealer and not be able to get the last bits out.On days when you just need some light coverage, try adding a facial moisturizer to your concealer bottle, shaking it up, and creating your own tinted moisturizer!
It won’t pack quite the punch of your original foundation, but there are plenty of times you don’t need all that coverage. You could even use sunscreen instead for a day at the beach and some SPF protection!
12. Beet juice lipstick
If you’ve ever cooked with beets, you know those things will stain your whole life. Well, now you can put the stain where you want it by creating your own beet-colored lip stain!Follow this tutorial that involves heating the beet juice and adding beeswax and glycerin, then enjoy a lip stain that stays in place all day.
13. DIY cooling spray
Love the idea of a pretty spray bottle to freshen you up in the middle of the day but don’t feel like investing in yet another pricey item?1/4 cup of witch hazel combined with 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel and a few drops of essential oils makes for a great and super-cheap DIY substitute at a fraction of the cost.
For the oils, use scents like peppermint to pep you up during the day and lavender to chill you out at night.
Click here for more info.
14. Fix broken lipstick
It’s so annoying when you twist your lipstick a little too hard and end up breaking it off. But you never have to throw away good lipstick again!Instead, repair it by smoothing out the broken edges of both pieces, then using a match or a lighter to heat the lipstick remaining in the tube and (carefully!) the base of the broken off piece, then twist them back together, heat the seams, and voila! All fixed!
You can see a video of the maneuver here.
15. Condition your lashes with Vaseline
Vaseline is a great way to keep chapped skin moisturized, but you can also use it to keep your lashes healthy too.While there’s no evidence that petroleum jelly will help your lashes grow longer (though some people swear by it), it can help them appear longer and plumper, especially on no makeup days. And it can also help them stay in place if they like to go wonky.
Buy a separate spoolie to give it a try!
16. Contour your lips with liner
Make your lips look plumper naturally by using a lip liner to contour them.Start by marking your cupid’s bow with an “X,” then line your bottom lip and add lines as shown in the photo. Not only will this give you a more precocious pout, but it’ll also keep you from getting the dreaded lip line all around your lips if your lipstick wears off.
17. Revive your liquid liner
Have you ever run out of liquid liner halfway through your makeup routine or noticed it drying up at just the wrong time?It turns out you haven’t been using all the product inside all these years!
Grab some tweezers and pull the liner tip out of the tube. Turn it around and reinsert. The other side should still have some product and be ready to go until you can get to the store to buy a new one (and you can whittle it down with a blade if it doesn’t have a tip).
If that’s not a possibility, simply soak it in some warm water for a few minutes and see if you can get one more use of out of it. There’s more information here.
18. Get the most out of your lipstick
Are you annoyed by how much makeup product is left in the tube or container but hard to get out? When it comes to a tube of lipstick, it’s always good to have a little jar or contact lens case nearby to store extra.Just take a Q-tip or other implement, scoop out every last bit from the original packaging, and store it in a different container. You’ll need to dab it on with your finger or a lipstick brush, but there’s probably at least a few days or a week left of lipstick in there that you would have otherwise thrown away!
You can also recycle old containers from samples if you want to be really sustainable!
19. Use a straw to dig out the last of your foundation or concealer
You get so much more bang for your buck when you scrape out your makeup tubes instead of tossing them away when the pump stops spitting out product.A great trick for getting that last of your investment out of the bottom of a foundation or moisturizer bottle is to cut the bottom of a straw in half lengthwise and use it to scrape all around the inside of the tube.
There’s a video here if you want to see it in action.
20. Prep your eyelash curler so it lines while curling
Running some liquid liner over the top of your eyelash curler will deposit liner right where you need it.You might have to practice a few times before you get the hang of it, so don’t do it for the first time when you need to rush out the door.
But once you have this trick down, it’ll save you plenty of time! See instructions here.
21. Heat your eyelash curler
Be careful with this one because you don’t want to burn your delicate eyelid!But if you heat up your eyelash curler with your blowdryer (or even some hot water) right before curling your lashes, the heat will make the curl stay longer.
Just make sure you touch it with your finger before putting it anywhere near your eye. You want it warm, not hot!
22. Repair your compact with rubbing alcohol
Don’t trash your compact powder just because you dropped it. First of all, if you have a big brush and the right container, you can always crush it up further and turn it into loose powder.But if you need to keep it in your handbag or use a pad to or puff to apply it, then simply gather up the pieces in the original container, crush them up completely, then add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the compact, and let it soak in.
Then, use the back of a spoon to rub and smooth down the makeup back into its original shape and let dry.
Specific instructions are here.
23. Lay off the lash glue by using a bobby pin
If you love your false lashes or have a special event when you need a bit more oompf, make sure you’re careful about how you apply your lash glue.Applying it straight from the tube often results in too much glue getting on the lashes and if you’ve ever experienced that sticky nightmare, you certainly don’t want to repeat it.
Instead, apply glue from the tube onto a bobby pin, which you can then drag across the edge. This helps you apply less glue more evenly and avoiding pasty looking eyelids.
24. Avoid lipstick teeth with the finger trick
Bold lipsticks are in, but it’s so embarrassing to head to the bathroom only to discover you’ve had some on your teeth all night.The best way to avoid this is to get off some of the lipstick that gets on your inner lip during application.
After you apply your lipstick, simply stick your clean finger in your mouth, purse your lips lightly, and pull it out. That’ll get off the excess lipstick from the inside of your lips that would normally end up on your teeth.
25. Make your mascara last longer
It’s a good idea to replace mascara every three months to avoid bacteria growth that can cause eye infections.But if you find your product drying up before it’s time, the best way to extend its life is to add a few drops of saline contact solution to the tube and shake it up.
It’s just the right texture to bring your mascara back to life. But add only a little at a time to avoid creating runny mascara!
26. Seal in your lip color with powder
A tried and true trick to getting lip color to stay longer involves simply taking a tissue or square of toilet paper (shake it out first to get rid of that “dust”) to your freshly painted lips and then dusting over it with some setting powder.This seals in a bottom layer of color that should stay in place throughout the day.
You can then add a bit more color or a gloss to get back that shine – unless you were going for a matte look to begin with.
27. Don’t let hot showers dry out your skin
It’s not the sexiest look, but if you slap on a face mask during your shower, especially in winter when you might need a warm one, you can protect the sensitive skin in your face from getting dried out.While you might think shower humidity is enough to keep your skin supple, hot showers often do result in dry flaky skin.
28. Use concealer to tidy up lipstick
Did you color outside the lines on the last step of your makeup routine?It happens to the best of us.
If you’re not keen on the idea of getting out the makeup remover and possibly taking off some of your foundation along with a lipstick smear, you might just reach for a small brush and some concealer to tidy up those lip lines.
If you’re using a liquid lipstick, try dabbing it first and then waiting for it to dry before covering it up, lest you smear it even more.
29. Use baby powder on lashes to make them look plumper
A layer of baby powder in between coats of mascara is a tried and true way to add a plumping layer to thin lashes.Just be careful to apply a little at a time and really separate those lashes so you don’t end up with cakey clumps or mascara that flakes off.
Click here for a how-to.
30. Color correct using red and green
If you’ve ever seen a professional color correcting palatte, you’ve probably noticed some colors that you wouldn’t dream of putting on your face, like orangey-red or green.But color correction is all about applying colors on the opposite ends of the color wheel to neutralize skin tone.
That means green will cover up red blemishes and an orangey tone will help you cover up the dark circles under your eyes. Just remember that you’ll have to blend it all out so you don’t end up looking like a Christmas tree!
31. Clean small brushes with bar soap
Your little brushes can get an easy weekly clean if you just take the time to wet them and scrub them over some bar soap at night when you wash your face.Give them the night to dry and you’ve got a bacteria-free brush ready to go in the morning!
32. Make your liquid liner more liquid
This trick works for a tube of liquid liner (the kind that comes with a brush) or mascara.If you notice your product drying out and it’s not yet time to replace it, consider dunking the tube in a cup of warm water before applying it. This will make it glide on easier.
33. Double the life of your makeup sponges
Some makeup sponges are larger than they need to be. By simply cutting them in half not only do you have better control over their blending abilities, but you also create a second back-up blender.You can even revive an older blender but cutting it in half and using the newly exposed inside to do your blending.
34. Turn a pencil liner into liquid liner
Pencil liners are great because they give you a nice thin line, but they can also be tough on your delicate eyelids.Instead of stabbing yourself with a sharp pencil, try heating it up with a match or lighter first (just for a few seconds) and watch it go on smooth without that unpleasant poking feeling.
35. Make your eyes pop with highlighter
Depending on your skin color, you can find a light highlighter crayon to line the area in the corner of your eye and under your brows to make your eyes pop.Just make sure to blend it in or apply lightly.
36. Keep those blenders clean
Those little plastic Easter eggs come in handy all year round to store your beauty blenders!Don’t simply stick them in your makeup drawer where they can get all sort of gunk on them that you don’t want to rub into your face later. Store them somewhere airtight and be sure to rinse them out every now and then too to avoid breakouts.
37. Check your lighting
Did you ever think your makeup looked great only to catch your reflection in a mirror later under different light and wonder what went wrong?Double-check your makeup job in either natural light or with your phone flashlight before heading out the door. This will let you know if there are any areas you didn’t blend properly or missed altogether so you don’t get any surprises later.
38. Use eyeshadow to cover thinning hair
If you’ve pulled your hair back into the perfect ponytail or finally gotten your updo just right only to notice that you can see some scalp, there’s an easy trick to cover it up and make your hair look fuller.Simply grab an eyeshadow in the brown or auburn family (depending on your hair color) and use a brush to dab it over the area.
This won’t solve all thinning hair problems, but it’s a great trick when you need some quick coverage.
39. Keep your active ingredients active
While you don’t need to refrigerate all of your skin care products (unless your bathroom gets really hot and humid), there are some that benefit from a bit of cold to keep active ingredients active.Refrigerating natural products is a good idea as well since those tend to actual spoil (think products from lines like Juice Beauty).
Finally, refrigerating things like eye creams might be a good idea since the extra cooling sensation can help reduce any puffiness you may experience first thing in the morning.
Just make sure you keep those lids tight if you’re going to put your cosmetics near your food!
40. Protect your hairline in summer
The last place you want a sunburn is on your scalp, so next time you’re shopping for cosmetics, you might want to grab some powdered sunscreen for your hairline, especially if you’re a fan of a severe hair part.If you have dark hair, mix in some eyeshadow to tint it the right color before you apply.
41. Know how to layer your skin care
If you like to collect skin care products, it’s important to know how to layer them for optimal effect.Basically, you want to go from thinnest to thickest, applying things like liquid toners, then thicker serums before applying your moisturizer, which tends to be creamy.
And you should wait a few minutes between layers to give them a chance to sink in.
42. Apply outwards
If you want your face to look fresh and lifted, apply products like foundations and powders outward and upward.This will give you a lifted look instead of allowing product to gather and sink into the lines in the middle of your face.
43. Keep track of your expiration dates
It’s easy to lose track of how old products are, especially if you have a big collection.But not only do active ingredients expire, but old products also tend to accumulate bacteria, especially if they have applicators that you stick back in the tube after each use. Even products that you touch with your fingers every day can be a bit gross after a few months unless you’re diligent about cleaning them.
While some products have an expiration date on the tube, it’s often hard to see. Others simply print it on the box that you throw away immediately. And some don’t give you much info at all, so you may just want to write the date you purchased it on the tube.
It’s a great trick for making quick decisions when it’s time to clean out your makeup cabinet.
44. Use a spoon to get your eyeshadow perfect
We’ve heard of using cold spoons under your eyes to get rid of puffiness, but maybe you should just keep a spoon with your makeup all the time since they seem to have so many uses.This video gives quite a few, but we really like this method of getting the right angle for your eyeshadow by tracing the outside of a spoon.
45. Line your brows before filling
The perfect brow starts from the bottom. Use your brow liner first before you start filling in your brows and trace a straight line in your desired shape.While you might like a severe brow with nary a stray hair to be seen, brows tend to look more natural when you don’t outline them entirely. The bottom is where you want the straightest line – the top allows you some more leeway to embrace your natural shape.
46. Exfoliate lips for perfect lipstick application
No matter how good your application technique is, your lips won’t look good unless they’re moisturized and free of dead skin.Using a lip balm and exfoliating nightlight with a toothbrush is a great way to keep them from getting dry and flaky, which allows your lipstick to settle into lines.
47. Use a toothbrush to smooth strays
It might just be worth getting a whole pack of toothbrushes for beauty hacks.You’re not going to want to use the same brush you use on your teeth for this trick!
If you experience flyaways or broken hairs at your hairline or part, spray some hairspray on a toothbrush and gently brush them into place. The packed bristles will help keep your hair looking sleek.
48. Know where to put your product
A simple map is a great tool for beginners wanting to learn the tricks of contouring. For example, there are some places you never want to put dark powder, no matter how well you blend it.This pic is a great start for those who want to know where to put highlighter and where to start with your darker contour powder.
49. Define your decollete
If you’re wearing a high drama gown that exposes your chest and want a defined look on your decollete, try using this contouring trick.Just be careful when you give people a hug or else your makeup trick is going to ruin the night of anyone wearing black!
50. Line in white to make your eyes pop
Very few of us think to buy a white eyeliner, but it’s a great trick for making your eyes look wider, especially if you use it on your bottom lid.You can also apply it to the corner of your eye, though you’ll need to do some blending.
Next time you’re at the store, grab a cheap one and see what a different it makes!