We all have a favorite beauty hack — those under-the-radar makeup tips that sound more like an old wives’ tale than a beauty miracle. Sure, your friend may have raised an eyebrow when you recommended the mayonnaise-as-a-hair-mask trick — but when it actually worked, she’s sworn by it ever since.
Whether we like to admit it, these are the solutions that keep up looking fabulous. What’s better? There are a ton of these tips-and-tricks that most of us have never even heard of. Here is a short (but sweet) list of beauty hacks to get you started:
Using a Highlighter to Enhance your Lips: There’s a fine line between full lips and a fish face. Ditch the thick lip liner and shiny gloss, and use a shimmery, pale highlighter instead. Trace the outer edge of the top lip with a highlighter (NARS Illuminator in Copacabana works great), concentrating at the Cupid’s bow and fading out toward the outer edges. Once you’re done, fill the lips with color to the edge of where the highlighter starts and BAM — you’re ready to smooch.
Contour with Brown Eyeliner: The concept of contouring — using a soft and blended product to create shadow and definition on the skin — has long been written off as too complicated for the average beauty junkie. WRONG. Rather than using the traditional powder methods, which often look caked on, try contouring with a brown eyeliner pencil (any brand from Lancôme to Cover Girl will work just fine). The method is simple: just take the eyeliner and draw two stripes under the cheekbone, near your ear. Then, rub the product in with your fingers, giving your cheeks a more defined look.
Use Rubbing Alcohol to Fix Broken Eyeshadow: Next time you drop your shadow palate on your bathroom floor, remember — all is not lost. All you need to do is saturate the compact with isopropyl alcohol, which is available at any beauty supply store. Then, take a clean paper towel and delicately press down onto the broken shadow (it works for blush and bronzer, too!) to soak up the alcohol, and let it dry. Once the alcohol evaporates, the product re-solidifies, and your shadow will be good as new!
Photo by: …love Maegan via Flickr
