For this post I've put together a list of a couple of little tips and tricks I've learnt that save time and money in my beauty regime. I will probably have to do a Part II post at some point because I've probably forgotten a few things, and I'm discovering new ones all the time, but for now here are a few little beauty cheats to keep you occupied. You probably already know at least a few of these, but if you don't then happy days!
- Remove stubborn nail varnish with foil and cotton wool. This is a particularly useful tip at the moment since glitter and special effect nail varnishes are all the rage, but if you've used them then you've probably realised by now that they are notoriously hard to remove. Instead of scrubbing away with cotton wool and nail varnish remover to no avail, simply soak a cotton wool pad in remover, wrap around the nail and wrap a piece of kitchen foil over the top, and wait five to ten minutes - even stubborn polish will slide right off.
- Remove every last trace of makeup with Vaseline. If you've got stubborn makeup that doesn't want to budge (waterproof mascara being the culprit that immediately springs to mind) then rub a little Vaseline onto a cotton wool pad and gently use it to remove makeup. It will remove every last trace of makeup. Make sure you use a cleanser afterwards because Vaseline is obviously greasy. I have a feeling I may have orinally heard this from my friend Natalie.
- Rescue gloopy nail varnishes with nail varnish remover. If your favourite polish is starting to get a little dried out, put a drop or two of nail varnish remover and shake it. If the nail varnish isn't too far gone, it will be back to normal.
- Recreate a fibre mascara with some loose powder. Apply one coat of mascara, then use an eyeshadow brush to dab a little loose powder onto the lashes before the first coat dries. Apply a second coat of mascara, and the powder will do the same job as a fibre mascara, lengthening adding volume to the lashes.
- Make a hair doughnut out of a sock. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but I've been doing it lately and it really works. Take an old sock (try to vaguely match it to your hair colour if possible), cur off the toe end, and roll it up into a doughnut shape. Use as you would a normal hair doughnut and secure with bobby pins.
- Create makeup storage out of rubbish. Yep! I buy way too much makeup and needed somewhere to keep it all, but dedicated makeup storage is very expensive for what it is. I have a gorgeous Ted Baker makeup box for the majority of my products, but wanted somwhere seperate for my lipsticks, eyeliners and makeup brushes as it took me ages to root through the box to find them all. For my brushes and pencils I use an old jam jar, which I have simply tied a piece of ribbon around to prettify. I pinched this idea from my housemate Anna, who in turn pinched it from Pinterest. The jar containing my pencils I keep inside the makeup box, but I keep the brushes out on the surface. I also discovered the other day that an upcycled Malteasers box makes the perfect lipstick container - use a bit of old wrapping paper or magazine to cover it and you've got a lovely makeshift box.
Do you know of any beauty hacks that I should include in a potential Part II? Click below to leave me a comment, it can be anonymous if you wish.
