There are so many beauty products out there to help us bring out our favourite features (or hide the less flattering ones if that’s the case). But sometimes when you’re running late for a meeting, or just wanted a few extra moments in bed, you just don’t have time to go through your full beauty routine. Our shortcuts tell you how to make the most of your products when you’re short on time, what to use, and what products you can forego:
1. Don’t worry about trying to make everything look good. Choose either your eyes or your lips, and play one of them up rather than both.
2. By applying a little foundation to your lips, you lip colour will stay put all day long.
3. If you don’t have time to walk around the house with starfish hands, dip your nails into icy water once you have finished painting them – they will dry faster
4. Fix a broken lipstick by using a lighter to melt the bottom of the broken piece. Reattach it to the stick, hold in place for a minute and then put in the fridge for an hour.
5. Don’t be precious. Rather than fumbling around with makeup brushes, use fingertips to apply cream eye shadow, blush or foundation.
6. If you have dark bags under your eyes, don’t wear mascara on your lower lashes. It will only create a shadow and emphasise tired eyes.
7. The trick to perfecting a faux glow is to only apply bronzer where the sun hits. So, sweep it across the cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, the tip of the chin and temples.
8. To avoid getting clumping lashes, roll your mascara brush over a tissue before applying. Just make sure you only do one full rotation or you won’t have enough mascara left to create big, beautiful lashes.
9. To tidy up smudged eye shadow or liner, dab a cotton bud in moisturiser and wipe under your eyes.
10. To wake up tired eyes, use a white eye pencil on the inside rim.
11. Before plucking your brows, hold a warm cloth to them for 30 seconds. This softens the hair follicle so that the hairs glide out more easily.
12. Once you’ve applied two coats of nail polish, quickly sweep the brush in a horizontal stroke across the very tip of the nail. This little trick will help stop nails from chipping.
13. Tame misbehaving baby hairs around the hairline by spraying an old toothbrush with hairspray and combing into place.
14. For lashes that stay curled longer, use your hair dryer to heat up an eyelash curler. Wait until it cools down slightly (but is still warm) and then clamp down on your lashes.
15. If you need to run out the door and your hair is still wet, head to the kitchen and grab some paper towels! They’ll soaks up more water than a bath towel, drying your locks faster.
16. Apply a little moisturiser to your thighs and bottom to prevent pesky static electricity that makes your clothes cling.
17. For heavy-duty hydration, apply a hair treatment, pop on a shower cap and blast your head with a hairdryer – the heat will help the product penetrate deeply.
18. A pea-sized drop of baby oil makes for a handy hair serum.
19. Run out of shaving gel? Just use conditioner instead!
20. Dropping your favourite bronzer and seeing it shatter into a million pieces doesn’t mean you have to toss it in the bin. Simply mix it with your moisturiser for a bronzing, body cream.
21. If don’t have time to wash your hair, take a big makeup brush and dab it in baking soda, arrowroot powder or face/baby powder. Tap it once to remove any excess and then apply along your roots to help soak up any extra oil.
22. Soften rough feet in your sleep! Before you hit the sack, wash your tootsies, slather them with body cream and then put on cotton socks to lock the moisturiser in.
23. Coconut oil makes a nifty makeup remover. Just scoop out a little from the jar, rub it between your fingers to warm it up, smooth over your skin and then wipe off with a dry cotton pad. Just make sure you don’t get any in your eyes.
24. To use your mascara as a cream eyeliner, grab some product from the wand with an angled brush and drag it along the lash line.
25. Try and avoid scheduling a waxing appointment within three days of the start of your period, as skin tends to be extra sensitive then.
26. Fix a streaky tan by sweeping a cotton ball that has been soaked in lemon juice over the patchy areas. The citric acid from the lemon will act as a natural lightener and gently exfoliate overly tanned skin cells.
27. For frizz-free hair, sleep on a silk pillowcase.
28. Cut down on the number of products in your arsenal by using a two-in-one lip and cheek colour or multitasking BB Cream that can act as a primer, tinted moisturiser, anti-ageing serum, pimple treatment and sunscreen.
29. Create your own leave-in conditioner by pouring regular conditioner and water into a spray bottle. One part conditioner to three parts water is the perfect formula!
30. To make any lip colour matte, apply your lipstick, dust over it with loose translucent powder and press one-ply tissue to your lip. This also makes your lippie stay all day!
Oooh going to try tip number 4 on a couple of broken lippies! Little miss 4 has bitten a couple whilst sneaking them to have abit of a play with them