When you’re still experimenting to find the best makeup products for you, all that trial-and-error can get expensive. It can take a while to put together a complete collection of your favorites, so it helps to get the most out of what you have. There are surprising uses for your makeup that can make every beauty product multi-purpose. It helps when you don’t have to buy so much, so you can save up for the brands you love.
Lip Gloss
You’ll find endless uses for this wonder product, but beware—it can get sticky while you’re experimenting. You can use gloss instead of brow gel, to get all those little hairs going in the right direction. The same technique will slick back the little baby hairs on your forehead, too. You might prefer lip gloss along your cheekbones instead of highlighter, for a dewy glow that won’t look iridescent in the daylight. If you add a little tint to your lip gloss, you won’t need to carry an additional lipstick in your purse. You can even eliminate the need for lip balm by adding healing ingredients to your gloss; try natural oils like coconut or sweet almond. And don’t forget that, in a pinch, you can use lip gloss instead of cuticle cream on dry hands.
Eye Shadow Palette
The bigger the palette, the more versatility you’ll have, but even a four-color compact that fits in your purse will fulfill endless needs. The shimmery shade not only highlights your lids, but the top of your eyebrows, your cheekbones, and the middle of your lips. A matte lighter neutral might be the best concealer you’ve found yet. Contouring kits are optional when you have neutral eye shadows that can do the same thing. A darker shade can fill in and shape your eyebrows. Copper shades are built-in bronzers. And you can even create eyeliner by applying eye shadow with a thin, wet brush.
Blush
If you haven’t tried a three-in-one color stick yet, you can get the same effect with any blush. It’s meant to mimic a healthy flush, so you can dab cream blush on your eyelids for color, or in the crease to add depth and make your eyes look bigger. Powder blush works the same way, if you use a smaller brush. Blush blended into balm or lip gloss might turn it into your new go-to lipstick. A slightly darker shade that you might just use in summer will serve as a subtle contour under your cheekbones or around your hairline. And if you like to get creative with your manicures, you can add blush to clear nail polish to customize a new shade, or crush it to powder and apply it on top of wet nail polish for a matte—or even three-dimensional—effect.
Your friends may have more surprising uses for your makeup, so get together and compare notes on how you can make your beauty buys go a long way.