Makeup is the great equalizer, especially if a woman knows what sheâs doing and how to use it to her advantage. No one wants to look like a clown. Some are late bloomers and came to the makeup party later. Other have been semi-pro makeup artists their whole life. No matter the case, we can all use genius makeup hacks to save us both time and money.
The bottom line is this: all women deserve to feel beautiful. Whether a womanâs chosen beauty guru is a vlogger on YouTube or a 12-year-old contouring savant on TikTok, we should all be able to love the skin weâre in without spending hours in the mirror applying makeup or spending an exorbitant amount of money to purchase products. Makeup may be an art form, but luckily for us, it can be learned. Here are awesome makeup hacks that every woman needs in her life.
Use White Eyeliner to Make Eye Shadow Pop
To make eye shadow more vibrant, use a white eyeliner to cover the entire lid. Blend it and then place the eye shadow right on top of it. Voila! Now we can use less eye shadow to get that rich color we were looking for and really make our already lovely eyes stand out.
Use Lipstick as a Blush
Why buy two separate products when one will work double duty? Just dab a couple of dots of lipstick onto the apples of the cheeks. Next, gently rub in the lipstick for a fresh glow. An added benefit? Cheeks will look naturally radiant in that "We just woke up like this" way and it's very forgiving.
Rubbing Alcohol to the Eye Shadow Rescue
Broke an eye shadow? Not all is lost. To repair a broken pressed powder, just break it completely down into fine pieces using a clean metal spoon. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the eye shadow until it becomes a paste-like consistency. Press it back into the pan and smooth the surface, let it dry for a couple minutes then, cover with tissue. Press the powder with the fingers. Leave it overnight and it should work in the morning.
Hairspray for the Perfect Brows
Use a quick spray on the spoolie with hairspray and brush across brows. Brush the brows into shape and let dry. Just make sure to keep the stream of the stray away from eyes, obviously. Big, bold and tamed brows, here we come!
Eyeliner Pencil Transformation
Many women find a traditional eyeliner pencil isn't very smooth and fluid when applying, but the eyeliner pencil gets heated with a lighter for a second, it really boosts its consistency. Just to be clear: we're not saying to set the pencil on fire, just place the pencil tip above the flame to heat it up and be sure to give it time to cool before applying.
Baby Powder as Dry Shampoo
Loose baby powder — or even face powder — works as dry shampoo in a pinch. Brunettes should take the extra step of making sure to flip their head over and sprinkle the powder so they donât end up look like Mrs. Doubtfire. And don't forget to make sure to blend the powder in well.
Blush = Highlighter
Using a favorite blush, highlight the face at the temple, brow bones and cheekbones. It makes for the perfect natural blush and means it's one less product to buy and take up room in everyone's already cluttered makeup drawer. Anything that saves space and money is a major win-win!
Define the Cupidâs Bow With an X
A quick way to define the cupidâs bow in the middle of our lips is to create an âxâ that lines up the natural lip line with the lip liner. Fill in the bottom three sections of the âXâ with lipstick and continue applying as usual. Voila! Full, beautiful — and even — lips
Vaseline as Foot Lotion
Stubborn dry feet can be difficult to soften. There's one simple trick that will soften them right up, though and it's super affordable and everyone probably already has it in their medicine cabinet: Vaseline. Lather the bottoms of feet with Vaseline and then cover feet with white cotton socks for super soft feet in the morning.
Tape = Flawless Winged Eyeliner
Not everyone has Kylie Jenner's expert-level makeup skills for the perfect winged eyeliner. Some of us are just lucky enough to make a straight line — that's why we love this hack so much. For a flawless winged liner look, simply use a small piece of scotch tape. Line up the tape and go for it.
Vaseline as a Brow Tamer
Everyone's experienced a case of stray eyebrow hairs driving them crazy. Well, worry no more. Just a small dab of petroleum jelly can tame unruly eyebrows. Gently apply a small amount of Vaseline to the brows and smooth into place. Done and done.
Use a Brush Handle as a Contour Guide
Roll the makeup brush handle right below the cheekbone to locate the right angle to contour the face. Then, dust some bronzer right below it with the contouring brush, then blend to soften. See, we don't all need to be the Kim Kardashians of the world to get contouring down pat.
Make Lipstick Matte With Powder
Want a matte look? Make any lipstick a perfect matte by placing a piece of tissue paper over the lips and pressing translucent powder over the tissue. Voila, instant matte. This also means there's no reason to toss out all the high gloss lipsticks one may be over.
Plump Lashes With Translucent Powder
Want thick, lush lashes? Dust a little translucent powder on lashes between applying coats of mascara for instantly plumped up lashes for a major va-va-voom effect. Who needs eyelash curlers and serums when we can just use what we already have?
Lip Balm as Highlighter
Who knew that the tube of lip balm that's rolling around in the bottom of everyone's purse was such a multitasking wonder? For instance, a little bit of lip balm dabbed on the cheekbones can act as a natural highlighter? Simply make quick swipes on each cheek and then gently rub it in for a glowing highlight.
Mascara as Eyeliner
Very carefully use the tip of the mascara applicator and gently smudge the line for a smoky eye look. One product, two uses – awesome, right? Just make sure not to be heavy-handed or there'll be raccoon eyes, which probably isn't the look most people are going for.
Mascara as Root Touch-Up
Gray hairs popping out at the root and unable to get to the salon? Just open up that mascara and do an at-home root job. Gently swipe the mascara brush starting at the root and out about an inch. Let dry. Repeat as needed. Sure, it's not perfect, but when we're in a real pinch, it'll do.
Hand Lotion as Hair Wax
Yes, really. If it's one of those days where our hair just refuses to cooperate and is all wild and out of control, fret not. Simply take a pea-size amount of hand lotion and tame those flyaways in less time than it'll take us to look up "best hair products for flyaways" on Google.
Bronzer as Eyeshadow
Bronzer with a shimmer or highlighter in it makes the perfect glowy eye shadow for summer. Apply gently with a shadow brush, or even with a finger. It's a way to up the bronzy factor that everyone seems to want in the warmer months.
Heat Eyelash Curlers for Maximum Effect
Just like a curling iron for hair, heating up an eyelash curler with a blow dryer before using it will help eyelashes take — and keep — the curl better. Simply blast the curler with a blow dryer for 10 seconds then make sure to let the curler cool to avoid eye injury.
