10 makeup and styling tricks
While it's true that real beauty comes from the inside, this doesn't mean we can't spend a little time sprucing ourselves up once in a while. That's why we've come up with 10 makeup and styling tips that you can use in day-to-day life, at work or for your next party...
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1. Cleaning your hairbrush with shaving foam
To prevent hair, skin particles, grease, and dust from accumulating in your brush in the first place, you should remove any hairs from it after every use. But if your plastic brushes already have a thick rug of hair trapped between the bristles, simply spray some shaving foam onto them. After leaving the foam to work its magic for 10 minutes, rinse off the brush under running warm water.
2. "Baking method" makeup tip
To make sure your makeup stays in place for the entire day, first apply some concealer under your eyes, on your chin, and below your cheekbones. After waiting for 10 minutes, dab on some transparent powder and leave this for another 10 minutes.
But why is this called the "baking method"? Well, your body's warmth helps combine the powder with the concealer. To finish, you can remove any excess powder with a makeup brush.
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3. Make your own environmentally-friendly mascara
To create your own mascara without any harmful substances, mix 1½ teaspoons of aloe vera gel with 1½ teaspoons of vitamin E oil in a small pot and heat the two ingredients until they become runny. Next, stir in some activated charcoal to give the cosmetic product its black color. Take the pot from the heat and pour the mascara into a small screw-top bottle.
4. Treatment for calluses
Grind five acetylsalicylic acid headache tablets (e.g. Aspirin) into a powder and mix it with some water and lemon juice. Apply the paste to a cotton pad, place it on the affected area on your foot, and wrap it with food wrap so that the pad can't slip out of place and you can wear it overnight.
Repeat this process until your foot is free of the callus. The acid in the lemon and Aspirin tablets removes the dead skin cells that form the callus.
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5. Linseed hair setting lotion
As an alternative to the hair products in supermarkets, you can make your own hair setting lotion using linseeds. To do so, first soak the linseeds in water overnight. Next, heat them up in a pot with water and bring the mixture to a boil. The makeup of the seed's shell will soon make the mixture foamy in consistency.
Pour the contents of the pot through a sieve into a glass. Add some essential oils to give it a pleasant smell and some citric acid to preserve the lotion.
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6. Beautiful curls
Give your natural curls some extra bounce by wrapping them in an old t-shirt overnight. To do this, lay out a t-shirt on the bed and place your freshly-washed, still damp hair on top of it above your head — your head should be at the bottom of the t-shirt while the tips of your hair are at the collar.
Tie the bottom corners of the t-shirt together at the back of your head. Then, fold the top of the t-shirt back over your hair towards your neck, then bring the sleeves around to the front of your head and knot them over your forehead. If you wear this headscarf to bed, you'll wake up the next morning with beautiful curls.
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7. Dental floss for the perfect eyeliner
For the perfect finish, use a dental floss stick to help you apply the black eyeliner. Paint the dental floss with eyeliner, then press it against the skin at the corner of your eye leaving two lines that form a thin triangle. Then fill in the triangle with eyeliner.
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8. Rescuing broken cake makeup with vodka
To repair broken cake makeup, first break it up even more finely and then add a few drops of alcohol to it (vodka is the best solution). Next, place a paper towel on top and press the powder with a smooth object to get the repaired cake makeup back into shape and absorb any excess alcohol.
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9. Dryer sheet for combating charged hair
Statically charged hair is a nightmare. To prevent this problem, press a dryer sheet through the bristles on your brush so that it stays in place. Now you can brush your hair as you usually would without worrying about your hair standing up, as the dryer sheet counteracts the static charge.
10. Keeping lipstick off your teeth
Prevent lipstick stains on your teeth by making an O with your mouth, sticking your index finger inside your mouth and taking it back out after you've applied the lipstick.
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Whether it's making your own cosmetic products or applying makeup without any blemishes, these tips will make you a styling pro. Give them a try!