If you feel like you’re spending too much on cosmetics, it might not be the brand names that are to blame. Some products can be used (and reused) in creative ways that will preserve them longer and cut down on your beauty bill. Go through your makeup up bag and take a look at some of these helpful tips. Keep your products longer, make your costs lower, and really make the most out of your purchases.
Keep Them Clean
Good hygienic practices can go a long way with your beauty and cosmetic products. When bacteria are introduced to these products, the formulas may break down. Pressed powders get clumpy, mascaras dry up, and body creams go bad. Follow these basic tips to keep your products as clean as possible and you’ll soon see the lifetimes are easily extended.
– Don’t touch. Use a brush, q-tip, sponge, cotton ball, or anything else handy to get products from a jar, tub, tube, or container. Touching them can transfer bacteria, dirt, germs, and oil from your hands into the product, leading to contamination and ruin. And of course, you must keep your makeup brushes clean for this to be effective.
– Keep it to yourself. Don’t share products with others, even family or trusted friends. More users means more opportunities for contamination. If you must, use clean brushes, sponges, or other transfering agents to get the product out of the container.
– Proper storage. Believe it or not, the bathroom is not a good place to store your makeup products. Germs spread more easily and humidity from the shower can also affect your products.
Maximize Usage
Some products can be hard to get at thanks to their packaging. For example, that last nub of lipstick might be tough to reach. In this case, using a Q-tip can help you reach every last bit of color. You can also use this trick to empty lip gloss pots, where product can get stuck around the edges.
Instead of tossing the broken bits of your eye shadow colors into the trash, try storing them in a small plastic jar. When shadows crumble or break while you’re using them, pick up the pieces and keep them. In no time, you’ll have wild mixes of shimmery shades that you can turn into a whole new color.
For mascara, good care can add a lot of life. When you’re applying mascara, don’t pump the brush back and forth into the tube. This allows air to get into your product and dry it out. Your mascara won’t last very long if you’re doing this every day. Instead, gently twist the brush as you pull it out. You’ll get a good distribution of mascara on the wand and you won’t force any air back into your product.
Creative Second Uses
Some products can be reused in creative ways that will save you money elsewhere. A recent Glamour article listed several such “reinventions” for your beauty products and cosmetics. Their suggestions include:
– Shimmer lotion. Take the last pieces of your bronzer and crush them up into a lightweight lotion. You’ll get a shimmery effect on your arms and legs.
– Shave lotion. If you’ve got lots of half-used hair conditioner bottles lying around, consider using them in a new way. Lather up your legs with it instead for a silky, smooth shaving cream.
– Wand magic. Take and clean old mascara wands, which can be reused to comb and groom eyebrows. You can also lightly mist them with hairspray to fight flyaway hairs.
References:
Cosmetic Agency. Tips to Keep Your Cosmetics Hygienic.
Glamour. Makeup Tips: 14 Sneaky Ways to Make Your Beauty Products Last Longer.
