One of the benefits of being a girl is all the primping and glam-ing we get to do. With all we do to look our best—manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing, tanning; hair–cuts, color and styles; gym memberships (and/or Spanx) —looking our best can be extremely pricey.
Beauty guru’s and industry experts have developed some “beauty hacks” and ideas designed to save you money and time if you find yourself in a pinch.
Beauty hacks designed to preserve your coins:
1. Milk of Magnesia (MoM) as an oil-controlling makeup primer.
That’s right—put the laxative and antacid on your face. Beauty guru’s and enthusiasts have been using this trick on YouTube for several years and now industry experts are weighing in on its usefulness. According to Lasaundra Lasker—an aesthetician and skin therapist for Ulta Beauty—this actually works and it reduces the appearance of large pours.
However, some skin care experts do caution against using this particular hack as part of your everyday routine. Dermatologist, Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald, warns that repeated use of MoM could cause acne or even trigger an allergic reaction for those with sensitive skin.
“Your skin’s pH balance is a little acidic or neutral and Milk of Magnesia is at a basic pH. That could mess with your skin’s ability to hold water and it could cause you all kinds of problems,” Fitzgerald says.
Dr. Joshua Zeichner, who is a practicing dermatologist in New York City echoes Fitzgeralds cautionary remarks, saying that this product can be used as an inexpensive alternative but only occasionally.
“True makeup primers are engineered to do their job,” he says. “While Milk of Magnesia can serve a similar purpose when applied topically on your face, I would recommend using it only when you are in a jam, rather than for regular use.”
2. Use powder to make any lipstick matte.
Matte lips are all the rage right now. But before you go out and buy a whole new collection of matte lipsticks and neglect your old favorites—beauty specialist suggest using this trick.
You simple apply your lipstick normally. Then place a tissue over your lips and dust them with a translucent powder. Voila! You’ve created long wearing matte lipstick without spending a dime.
3. DIY gel eyeliner.
Turn a .99 cent kohl eyeliner pencil into a fancy gel liner by simply melting the tip with a lighter. The result is a long lasting, rich more pigmented eyeliner with the gel consistency and effect.
In order to create the perfect canvas suitable for matte lipstick, you need to create a smooth foundation. Lip scrubs gentle exfoliate the lips and add moisture. But instead of going out and dropping between $6 and $25 on a lip scrub you can make your very own at home. All you need is a few key ingredients:
• Brown Sugar—Exfoliator
• Organic Honey—Natural healing properties and an antiseptic
• Organic Oil—we suggest coconut or olive oil but any oil will work
5. Use mascara as eyeliner
Run out of eyeliner? Create your own with quick trick. Take a small brush and scoop the mascara off of the wand and apply it as eyeliner. It’s safe for use on the eyes (obviously) it will stay all day and if you use a waterproof brand your mascara and eyeliner will stay put all day. This is a great hack for those on a budget looking to maximize their dollar. You can use one product for two purposes—which leads to our final hack of the day…
6. Use one product for multiple purposes
This by far, is my favorite and most used beauty hack. Ladies, how many times have we gone to the store to purchase makeup and get it home only to find out it’s the wrong shade, consistency or just doesn’t work as intended?
Instead of throwing it out, get creative. A foundation that is too light becomes a concealer, one that is two dark becomes a contour. Or even better—mix one that is too light with one that is too dark and create your own perfect shade. Shimmer eye shadows double as highlighters, bronzers are great for deepening the crease of the eye. Pressed powders are easily turned into loose powders and loose powders can become pressed. Create your own lipstick colors my layering and mixing multiple colors together. The possibilities are endless.
True beauty comes from the inside and with a little creativity and ingenuity you can be gorgeous from the inside out without going broke.
Have A Question? Ask Jessica!
-
Jessica: Hi, I'm Jessica, the Consumer Press AI, can I help you with a consumer question?
