Beauty routines can be time-consuming and costly, that's why we believe everyone should have a few beauty hacks up their sleeve.
Today we're sharing the best beauty secrets that you need to know, including the proper way to apply perfume, why you should invest in a silk pillowcase and how to whiten your teeth at home.
Read on to start saving time and money on your beauty routine today!
Lip hacks
1. Fix broken lipstick
You're just about to head out the door and your lipstick snaps mid-application. Sound familiar? With this quick trick, your lipstick can live to see another day.
Take a lighter and gently melt the snapped edges. Reattach the pieces together and leave to set in the fridge.
TOP TIP: You can use this method to create an ombre lipstick. Cut two different lipsticks in half vertically and attach together.
2. Lip plumpers that actually work
Don't turn to cosmetic surgery. For plumper lips, all you have to do is stimulate blood flow to the area. To achieve this at home, you can rub peppermint or cinnamon essential oils on your lips.
TOP TIP: If you've not got any essential oils to hand, try stimulating blood flow by gently prodding your lips with a fork.
Eye treatments
3. How to use tea bags for puffy eyes
It's time to ditch the cucumbers. For an effective beauty treatment that will reduce puffy eyes, relax with some tea bags on your lids.
The best tea bags to use are green and herbal varieties, including lavender, fennel, and chamomile. Opt for organic tea so that you aren't putting any unnecessary chemicals in your eye area.
Follow these steps to feel refreshed:
- Steep the tea bags in boiling water as normal.
- Once cool, squeeze out any liquid.
- Place in the fridge for 20 minutes until cold.
- Pop on closed eyelids for 30 minutes.
4. Tweeze eyebrows without pain
Taming eyebrows can be a painful business. Grab an ice cube and run it under cold water for a few seconds so that it'll glide smoothly over your skin.
Slowly rub the cube over your brow area, covering any patches of hair that you intend to tweeze. The skin will be somewhat numbed by the cold cube. Tweeze brows as normal for an almost pain-free experience.
5. Revive eyeliner
A dry liquid eyeliner pen makes application so much trickier. Give your pen a new lease of life by removing the tip and replacing it upside down.
Alternatively, press the tip of the pen down onto a cotton wool pad to bring more of the product to the tip.
6. Fast swollen eyelid treatment
Puffy eyes can be a tell-tale sign of stress and tiredness. For instant relief, leave some spoons in the fridge or freezer. Smooth over puffy areas in upwards and outward motions.
7. How to fix dry mascara
Mascaras can dry up and run out pretty quickly. To make yours last longer, add a few drops of saline solution to the tube. You can also place the sealed tube in a cup of warm water to loosen the product inside.
Remember that you shouldn't use mascaras for longer than 3 months for hygiene reasons.
8. DIY eyebrow gel
Petroleum jelly is great for taming your brows. Just swipe a tiny amount through the hairs with a spoolie brush.
Skin hacks
9. Fake freckles
Freckles give the face a youthful appearance. Whether for a Halloween look or everyday wear, use a subtle brown shade of lip liner, brow pencil or eyeliner and apply a few dots around your nose and cheeks.
Henna can be used to achieve a more permanent effect, just be careful because it can turn orange!
10. Cheap blotting paper
If you're stuck in a pinch, combat oily skin using scraps of coffee filters or toilet seat protectors. They're perfect for absorbing oils, just make sure they've not been used!
11. Benefits of a silk pillowcase
Having a silk pillowcase on your bed won't just make you feel like royalty, it's the greatest beauty hack too. Some of the benefits include:
- Keeps skin hydrated
- Reduces wrinkles
- Keeps hair smooth - no more bed head!
- Reduces split ends
- Reduces acne
Sounds like a winner to us.
12. How to make perfume last longer
Given how expensive perfumes are, we want them to last the whole day. Apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to your neck and wrists before spritzing your perfume. It'll absorb the perfume and ensure that the fragrance sticks.
13. Alternatives to shaving foam
If you've run out of shaving cream, there are plenty of alternatives. Some of the ones we like to use are:
- Hair conditioner
- Coconut oil
- Baby oil
- Shea butter
Before you get started, check whether you should exfoliate before or after shaving.
14. Where to spray perfume to make it last longer
You might think that perfume application stops at your wrists and neck, but that's far from true.
To leave a little fragrance everywhere you go, don't forget to spritz:
- Your hair
- Behind your ears
- Inside your elbows
- Down your back
- Behind your knees
- On your belly button
That might sound like a bit of an overkill, but it's the proper way to do it!
15. Homemade underarm liners
If you find yourself sweating throughout the day, pop some pantyliners where sweat patches would normally form inside your clothes.
The liner will keep your clothing dry and you can always replace it throughout the day. As long as your top is thick enough, and not too short-sleeved, no one will be able to tell.
16. Apply deodorant before bed
Who knew? Even applying deodorant has its own secrets! If you're applying deodorant in the morning or straight after a shower, you're doing it wrong.
The best way to use deodorant is to shower in the evening, wait until your skin is completely dry and then apply the deodorant before bed.
You shouldn't sweat much at night, which will give the deodorant time to work its magic. Antiperspirants work by plugging up the sweat glands, but if the sweat glands are already damp from water or sweat, it's not going to be able to work properly.
17. How to avoid inner thigh chafing
Is there anything worse than chafing? Don't let yourself suffer. After a shower, dry your thighs completely and then apply deodorant to the inner thighs. You should notice a significant reduction in chafing.
18. Self-tan back applicator
There's always that one spot you can't quite reach when fake tanning or applying sun creams. If you don't have someone who can help you out, squirt the product onto a large, rectangular piece of clingfilm.
Wrap it around your back and move it side to side - use the same motion you'd use to dry yourself with a towel.
Hand & foot care tips
19. Moisturise feet overnight
Moisturising dry, sore feet has never been so easy, you can do it in your sleep! Before going to bed, slather on foot cream. Put a pair of fluffy socks on and go to bed. You'll wake up with beautifully soft feet.
20. Remove nail polish in seconds
Make your own nail polish remover sponge at home. Take a small glass jar and place a piece of sponge inside. Pour in nail polish remover until the sponge is saturated. You'll be able to dip your finger into the sponge and remove nail polish in an instant.
NOTE: Make sure that the jar is sealed correctly to stop the solution from leaking or drying out.
Quick beauty fixes
21. How to get the last of your foundation out of the bottle
Trying to reduce your waste can be a real pain when packaging seems as if it's designed to hold back 1/3 of the product!
To get the last bit of foundation out of a bottle, take a straw and cut it in half vertically. Use it to scrape out the remaining product. If you don't plan on using the remaining product right away, decant it into a small, clean pot.
22. DIY teeth whitening
To remove surface stains on teeth, brush with a mixture of equal parts toothpaste and baking soda. Do this for 2 minutes, making sure to rinse all of it off of your teeth afterwards. Continue this routine twice a week for a month.
It might be a good idea to take before and after pictures to see if you can spot the difference. If you don't notice a change, the staining on your teeth could be further below the surface. You should see your dentist if you wish to have this removed.
WARNING: Using baking soda could wear down the enamel, because of its abrasive nature.
23. 2-in-1 eyeliner
Don't waste your money buying different formulas of eyeliner. You can easily change the consistency of a normal eyeliner by heating the pointy tip of the pencil with a lighter.
24. Fix a pressed powder
A smashed powder, be it a pricey highlighter or an eyeshadow palette, can be a very sad sight. Don't worry - you might still be able to recover it.
If your powder is still in the container and has not been contaminated, you can have a go at repressing it. Here's how:
- Break up the powder completely until there are no whole pieces left.
- Begin adding drops of rubbing alcohol to the powder. The amount you add will depend on how much product you're repressing. It's best to go for less is more, as you can always add more, but you can't take it away.
- Use a toothpick to mix the powder with the rubbing alcohol.
- Place a piece of clingfilm over the top of the powder. This will keep the eyeshadow hygienic for the next step.
- Use either your finger or a coin to smooth and press the powder back into the pan. Pack it down as much as you can.
- Leave the powder to dry out overnight. The rubbing alcohol will completely evaporate and you'll be left with the pressed powder.
- If there is any mess on the packaging, clean up the compact using makeup remover and cotton buds.
25. Stop makeup from breaking
Powders are most likely to break during travel. Luckily, there's an easy hack to prevent them from smashing. Take some cotton wool pads and use them to pack out your palettes and compacts.
If the makeup does get dropped during travel, it shouldn't break. If it does break, it will be held in place and you can repress it at a later date.
26. How to whiten your nails
Yellow fingernails are unsightly, but they are easy to fix with a whitening toothpaste.
Apply a small amount of toothpaste to each fingernail and rub it in with a nail brush. Leave the toothpaste on the nails for at least 5 minutes. If you want, you can wrap each finger in tin foil so that you don't get toothpaste on anything else.
Rinse your nails with warm water and repeat every other day until your nails have improved.
TOP TIP: If you don't have a nail brush, an old toothbrush will do the trick.
Do you know any other beauty hacks? Get in touch with us in the comments section below.
If you don't have time to wash your hair then you can use baby powder just comb your hair then sprinkle the baby powder evenly, massage gently into your scalp with your fingers and gently brush your hair x Ps make sure that the powder is fully absorbed or you will have grey roots :0)
That's a wonderful tip, Gill!