Beauty hacks are hilarious because mostly these failed experiments are brought to us courtesy of Pintrest. I think most people have this weird fascination with all of the grandiose things you can do, or make, on that damn website. The truth of the matter is that most of the alternative methods/products on the website is unattainable by most people. But yet we still visit it for hacks, recipes, fashion and DIY tips for the home.
To save you the time of browsing through a lot of hacks, here are the 5 I have tried and they actually kinda work. *Please note that I am not a professional crafty person and that the results, while achievable, still require more work upfront. There is no real order here as far as easiest to hardest.*
Hack #1: BB Cream
BB Cream is the slightly less expensive cousin of foundation/primer. It is great because most of the time BB Cream is a mixture of lotion, primer and foundation. So rather than piling on all three you can simply use one product (not counting sunscreen).Summer is one season where the BB Cream is most wanted simply because it sits lighter on the skin. Or people with great skin and need less coverage than with a medium or full coverage foundation. But BB Cream, while still not as expensive as foundation and primer, is still spendy on a product you may or may not need. Here is your hack: don't buy it, make it. Yes, you read that correctly (and may already know this hack) make your own BB Cream. Simply take your foundation, primer and face lotion and combine it. By customizing this hack, you can have greater control on the coverage and the color. Pale one day and bronze the next? Change the amount of foundation added.
Hack #2: Concealer
Ok...this beauty hack is on the weird side. Wait, let me try again. It is an outside of the box hack. There are a lot of hacks coming that are pretty weird. This one is just "re-purposing" Concealer is used in two ways. It covers up imperfections such as zits, scars or dark shadows and it is used to add highlight to an area. This hack is designed more for the first purpose of covering up imperfections. If you run out of concealer and have a zit from Hell, simply take some of the leftover foundation that crusts up around your pump, lid or dropper. Don't even act like you don't have some! It's just a fact of life, much like the toothpaste junk. Take a dab and apply. Easy peazy!
Hack #3: Applicator for foundation (and concealer and highlighter and whatever else you need to apply onto your face!)
This is one hack that you are going to think is absolute whack, but bear with me. There are lots of ways you can apply makeup on your skin. You can use a brush, a beauty blender, a sponge, a cushion and even your fingers. But did you know you can use a boobie cutlet? You know. The chicken cutlet looking bra insert that you use to make the ladies fluffier and more perky. It's silicone feeling addition to bras that give us the va-va-va voom we want.
Yep...that little squishy thing. You use that in place of a brush, sponge, beauty blender or your fingers. Here is why it works: it doesn't absorb foundation like your other applicators which results in less foundation etc being used. It does come with a few downfalls. The first is that it feels like a dick slapping you in the face if you get too vigorous. It also takes some practice and getting the right rhythm and application technique down just right. Once you do that then you are golden. This hack can make blending seamless. I don't recommend this for powder though. The silicon pad will pick up powder easily but it picks up too much. So skip its use for powder, and eye shadow...oh and also eye linger, mascara and don't use it on your eyebrows. I mean you can use it but that is really going to take Wizarding Level 12 to get it on properly.
Hack #4: Using a fork as a contour stencil
Remember when you were a kid and you would try to suspend a spoon from the tip of your nose? Well now you get to play around with a fork! With contouring all the rage, and it doesn't look like it is stopping any time soon, perfecting your nose can be a little problematic. You get it right one time and the other attempts fail. You wind up with a nose that looks like you had a botched nose job. Not attractive! Here is a short cut. Place a fork on your nose and line up the fork with your nostrils and the center of your nose.
Hack #5 Spoon for cut crease
So the new makeup trend is the cut crease. I'm not talking about you getting into your crease and blending so it flows seamlessly. That is a cut crease but not what I'm talking about, even though I guess it still applies regardless. I'm rambling, let me go on. The crisp cut crease helps those who have mature, hooded or eyes that have a bit of extra skin or droop. This is a method for making your eyes look larger and giving you a dramatic pop. Here is what I'm talking about:
See that line...that is a cut crease and let me tell you...it is gorgeous. The artistic beauty that you can attain with makeup, a brush and a spoon is pretty sweet. Now this isn't a look for everyday unless you want it every day to which I say...Hell ya! The one thing this absolutely teaches us is how easy we can change the structural look of the eye. So the spoon technique is this:
Bonus Hack!
Congratulations you have reached the bonus level. You've made it through some basic makeup hacks and now you can rest. But you need to take off that makeup before you do so and here is one more hack for the road.
DIY Makeup Remover Wipes
I always advocate thoroughly removing your makeup each night. It is important to clean your skin. The better care you afford your skin, the better complexion. There is no one right way to go about it though. I love my Makeup Eraser and then a quick cleanser some nights. Other nights I do the full facial, exfoliate, mask and then moisturize. And occasionally I am just beat and want to grab a makeup wipe. This is especially true when I've messed up my makeup and need to redo quickly.
I've seen packages of makeup wipes sell for more than $30 and that is absolutely outrageous. If your disposable makeup wipe costs more than .25 each...you are getting ripped off. No if's and's or but's. You don't need to go out and buy them if you are using them at home. Now if you want to keep a pack in your car or purse then find a reasonably priced set. My local Asian market sells a huge variety for about $3.00 for an entire container and they come in a variety of scents.
For home use....make your own! Making your own makeup remover wipes puts you in charge of what goes on your face. A manufacturer can tell it is cruelty free, vegan, no preservatives, natural, organic etc but you really don't know that for sure. So skip the guessing game and make some yourself. You will need a small Tupperware bowl with a lid, a roll of heavy duty paper towels that are soft, a large, sharp knife, baby shampoo, a little bit of lotion and some water. That's it.
Your bowl needs to be able to fit half the paper towel roll. You saw the paper towels in half and place them in the bowl. In a separate bowl mix water, lotion and baby shampoo. You don't want it overly soapy, you just need it to gently cleanse. Test out the fluid on the back of your skin. If it wipes off well without any soapy or lotion residue then you have the right mixture.
Add enough water to come up maybe 1/4 of the way, place the lid on and shake...shake...shake. You want to get the paper towels wet but not overly saturated. Drain the remaining water until there is only a slight amount at the bottom of the bowl. That's it. Cap and set aside for later use. I store some of the liquid in a bottle to wet the wipes as needed.
So there you go! Some simple but unexpectedly useful beauty hacks. If you have a hack and want to share it...let me know!
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