On old make-up, wipe off the lipstick or eye shadow with a tissue so there is a clean surface. Anything that dips into a tube, like lip-gloss, liquid eyeliner, or mascara cannot be cleaned. So toss those. If the cake of pressed powder, blush, or eye shadow has become hard from facial oils, scrape off the top layer of powder with a knife or the side of a spoon until there is a clean, powdery surface. To have make-up last longer and not get the oil slick on top, wash powder puffs and make-up brushes frequently. Cotton balls make fine powder puffs and are disposable.If you like loose powder but all you have is pressed, then scrape out the compact with a fork. Put the chunks on a saucer and mash with the back of a spoon. Add a tiny bit of talc or cornstarch and continue to smash and mash. Put in a clean jar.Try mixing colors. Put one color on your bottom lip and one on the top and blend. Try one color eye shadow on the brow bone and another in the crease.If you want to try a new shade of eye shadow but wonder what it will look like with your eye color or complexion, find the color in your kid's crayon box. Put a little baby oil on your eyelids and swipe on the color. If you powder over it the color will soften and may last all day. Usually this is just a temporary "try me."If you always wear a yellow based blush like coral and would like to try a blue-based color like wine, try the baby oil and crayon. If you want to see what darker brows would look like, use a crayon that you have sharpened. If the look is too harsh, dust on a little powder. Powder will soften and set too bright blush or eye shadow. If you don't have face powder, try talc or corn starch.Another crayon trick is to touch up the gray re-growth when you don't have time to get your hair tinted.
Glossy, juicy lips are sexy. If you have never tried lip-gloss and want to see if the wet look is for you, put on lipstick and slick on some Vaseline for a high gloss, Movie Star look. For a pouty look, dab it just on the center of your lips. It won't last because your color will smear, but it will give you an idea of plump lips.The newest look in lipstick and nail polish is matte. To mattify your lipstick, use the lipstick that you currently have. Put it on as you normally do. Blot. Dust on a little powder. Instant matte at no cost. Use all your current nail polishes. Just buy one bottle of polish mattifyer to swipe on after the polish is dry.If your nail polish has turned thick, do NOT thin it with polish remover. It will weaken the polish and cause it to chip more readily. Thin with alcohol.
Another powder trick is to apply mascara. Allow it to dry. Close your eyes and dust on powder. Flake off the excess with a clean, dry make up brush. Apply another layer of mascara. Allow to dry. Dust on powder. Continue until you have long, Movie Star lashes.Any dry make up can be applied anywhere. So if you have powdered eye shadow, try applying plum on your eyebrows. If you have brush-on eyebrow powder, use it as contouring to narrow your nose, create cheek hollows, or to minimize a double chin. Barely wet a small brush and swipe it across the dry cake of color. You will pick up an intense color that is great in the crease of the eyelid or as an eyeliner. The less water you have on the brush, the deeper the color will be.An eyebrow pencil can be used to define the crease in the eyelid then a powdered color can be applied over the pencil to set it.When using a brush-on cake of dry color, swirl the brush around the edge of the cake, close to the case. One reason that cake make-up wears out is that we dip the brush into the center of the cake. The well that we create has thin edges into the vortex. These thin edges crack and break off. Then everything falls apart and we throw away a ?used cake of color. By using the brush around the edge, the cake will wear down more evenly and last longer.
Do the same with pan-cake make-up, blush, or pressed powder. Swirl around the edge, near the compact to prevent creating a well in the center.When a bottle of make-up is empty, stand it up-side-down in a glass. You will get several more applications out of it. When your lipstick is worn down flat with the case, use a lipstick brush to dig out the last remnants. A fun trick that Hollywood Make-Up artists do so that they have many lipstick colors available without carrying endless tubes and so that they can see the colors instantly is to put the colors into a bobbin box. Go to the sewing department and buy a clear plastic bobbin case. It has little half circles in it. Scoop out lipstick into the half circles. This is a super way to use up the last of the dead tubes. When the half circles have lipstick in them, nuke the case of color for just a second in the microwave. Check it. Nuke until the lipsticks are melted. Watch carefully. Now you have a whole palate of colors to apply with your lip brush. You can create new colors by dipping in one then the next color.If you have little hairline wrinkles around your mouth, use a lip brush to outline your lips. Blot. Dust with powder. The powder will set the lip line so the color doesn't feather and bleed around your mouth. Then fill in the rest of the lips with lipstick.If you have nice smelling lotions that are old and have turned runny, use in the tub. Soak in the bathtub long enough for your skin to absorb water. Then pour in the pretty smelling lotion that you don't like to rub on. Swish in the water. When you come up out of the water, the "oil slick" from the lotion will cling to your body to scent and soften your skin. You will have "ring around the tub." But don't be in a hurry to clean it. The scent will make your bathroom smell nice.
Make soap last longer by using as a sachet. Take the wrappers off bars of soap. Tuck the soap into your undies drawers and amongst your sheets and towels. Let the soap harden. After a few months the excess moisture will evaporate from the soap. When you use it you will notice that you don't have the mushy soap mess that is usually in the soap dish. The soap will last lots longer. The fragrance in your clothes and linens is a FREE bonus.Toss the last slivers of soap in the water tank of your toilet. The soap will help keep your toilet clean. Or (from FlyLady) put your toilet brush in a container that will hold water. I use a flowerpot without a hole. Put in soap chips and some water. Your brush always has cleaner on it for a quick swish.If you have lavender sachets that have lost their scent, try crushing the lavender buds to release oil. If the oil has all evaporated, run the "dead" lavender down the garbage disposal with hot water running to make the kitchen smell nice.
FREE room fresheners: Keep a bowl of lemons in the kitchen. Run citrus peel down the garbage disposal. Simmer a pot of citrus peel, cinnamon sticks and cloves on the stove.Now that you have saved so much on your cosmetics you can treat yourself to a professional Day at the Spa.
