So you’ve mastered the basics, but here are a few beauty tips and storage hacks to add to your arsenal.
Card Tricks
You know the saying ‘Your brows are sisters, not twins?’ Brows may be different, but you should still try to create balance. And all it takes is a nifty card and a little eyeshadow. Intrigued? Here’s how you can achieve it. Once you’ve applied your foundation, create the general shape of your brows. Grab a card (or piece of paper), and hold it to your forehead. Make sure to hold it level with the edge touching the front of your brow. Then dust some light shadow to the front of your brows – once you’ve created a solid foundation, follow it with a brow pencil.
Powdered lashes
Be honest, you’ve always wanted fuller, fluffier lashes. Our secret: translucent powder. After you have coated your lashes with a generous flick of mascara, dust them with a soft layer of loose powder – this will make them look thicker and oh-so luscious. Follow with a second wash of the mascara wand to conceal the powder. And ta-da! Voluminous lashes. You can thank us later.
Soapy Brows
While the soapy-brow trend isn’t something new (nor groundbreaking), we feel that this underrated hack deserves an honourable mention. The idea is to use a dry bar of soap (not wet, that would be a disaster) with a dampened spoolie for a brushed-up, fluffy effect. Since it acts like a wax, it can be used in place of brow gel, which saves you money too.
Mascara, revived
There’s no doubt, we all have our favourites. And mascara is no exception. So if your old faithful is looking a little clumpy, add a few drops of a saline solution to it and give it a thorough swirl with the applicator. By doing this you not only add moisture to the formula, but you’ll also extend its shelf life. It also comes in handy if you didn’t add mascara to your cart the last time you were making a beauty purchase.
On the ledge of glory
At this moment, you probably have more make-up and skincare products than counter space, right? Here’s a quick fix: use a photo-frame ledge. They come in varying sizes (and prices) and can be easily mounted in rows against the wall – if you are a renter, you can use a heavy-duty command strip. Once up, you can display all your lovely potions, creams and perfumes, freeing up space for more important things such as your toothbrush.
Stains are us
We can all agree the combination of a satin lipstick and a face mask is not pretty at all. And while there’s really no telling when we’ll be rid of those germ barriers, turning your heroed lipstick into a lip stain seems like a better option than having it smudged and smeared all over your face. So apply your favourite lipstick to your lips and leave it on for a solid 10 minutes (or more). Then blot it with a wet cotton round to remove it, and apply a little dab of lip balm for a moisturised, stained look.
Squeaky clean
Yes, we are going to ask the dreaded question: When last did you clean your make-up brushes? We know it’s a really tedious task, but using clean brushes will do wonders for your skin. So clean them regularly to remove bacteria and dead skin cells and cakes of make-up that remain. Mix a tablespoon each of dish soap and vinegar to one cup of water. Give brushes a generous swirl, rinse and leave to dry on a towel.
Words: Dylon Phillips | Photography: Unsplash
