There’s a difference between wanting to look your best and wanting to take literally hours to look your best. You shouldn’t have to spend all day trying to perfect your eyeliner. So take a look at these tips, meant for you ladies who want to look great, but save time and effort doing it.
Fix Too Dark Foundation
You know that feeling when you’re caught between two foundations? They’re the same brand, and maybe, to the naked eye, they’re even the same color. There’s a slight difference between the way each blends on your skin, though, with one looking a bit more subtle than the other.
You take it home and put it on, only to realize that, alas, it’s still too dark. Don’t panic, you don’t have to go around looking like you have a less-than-perfect spray tan. If you just combine a little moisturizer with your foundation, that can actually make it a bit lighter!
Three is the Magic Number
With contouring, there’s a ton of tips and tricks out there for how to make sure your face is perfectly on point. If you’re in a rush though, just trace from above your brow, to underneath your eye, and along your jawline, in the shape of the number three.
Line Using Your Curler
Your curler doesn’t have to be used just for your lashes. Try using your eyeliner to draw a line along the part that will crimp the top of your lashes. This way, the liner will transfer from the curler to your eyelid.
Cards for All
You’ve probably heard that you can use business or ID cards to help with evening your eyeshadow distribution or even to help ensure a straight line with your liner. Did you know that you can also use it for mascara?
Place the card behind your lashes and swipe up against it so the excess mascara lands on the card, not your lids.
Glitter Cover-Ups
If your bottom cuticle is ruining the aesthetic of your manicure, you can cover it up with some glitter polish. Ombre is still in, so Cosmopolitan suggests going for that sort of vibe. The same is true when your tips might be flaking away, just add some glitter and make it look like you were aiming for a revamped French all along.
Warm Up Your Mascara
Mascara works better when it’s warmed up, and a quick way to do this is to let it rest in your bra for a bit before you go ahead and use it, because, you know, body heat.
Tee vs. Towel
Towel-drying your hair might seem like a time saver, but really, it’s a time drainer. Use a t-shirt instead for significantly better absorption.
Match Foundation to Your Tan
If a darker foundation is exactly what you were looking for, because you’ve spent all month lying in the sun, just mix it with some bronzing powder.
Eyeshadow Works for Hair Too
Are you showing more of your scalp and not enough of your lustrous locks? Don’t worry, take some eye shadow that matches the color of your hair and brush it along your part to create the perfect illusion.
Band-Aids Can Help Your Nails Too
If you have some of those classic Band-Aids laying around with the tiny holes in them, try putting them over your already dry nails, and paint over the holes for a polka-dot look.
White Goes Pop
Did you know that white eyeliner can be used for more than just making your eyes look bigger or helping them to pop a bit? (That works by putting it on your waterline, for the record.)
It can also help to make your lips look a bit fuller, which we all know is a big concern amongst today’s women. Just put some light liner—you can probably stick to pencil liner for this—in the center of that pout you’ve got, and it will create the illusion that there’s more to your lips.
Bonus: swiping some white liner on your eyes (either the entire lid or just where you line it) can help any shadows or other liners you use to really make an impression.
Low on Sleep? Stock up on Highlighter
Apply your highlighter to the right places (the center of your forehead, the top of your nose, and the apples of your cheeks) so that you can look ready to go, no matter how little sleep you got the night before.
Hide Split-Ends
If you’re saving your money, and not ready to get another cut just yet, but you can’t help but cringe at your split-ends, hair oil might be your answer, according to Cosmopolitan. It can hide your split-ends from the judgmental eyes of others.
Master the Smokey Eye
Was there ever a time when the smoky eye was not regarded as the ultimate makeup look? Well, probably not since the 21st century got underway at least. Funnily enough though, there are still so many of us who have trouble perfecting this signature look.
That stops here! Just take “an eye crayon … and draw on a couple of criss-cross lines over the outer corner of your eyes.” Blend it with a brush meant for eyeshadow, and you’re done.
fFix Mascara
Is your mascara less than fabulous right now? Well, just take some contact solution, put a few drops in your mascara bottle, and mix it.
Highlight Differently
You don’t have to always use a typical makeup highlighter. Instead, you can go natural, and use an oil, like jojoba, according to Cali of DePasquale The Spa. Just put it on the same spots where you would your traditional highlighter and you should be all set.
Make Your Hair Smell Great
Is the perfume you spray on your body just not cutting it? Well if you want to stand out, then maybe add a little something extra to your hair.
You can just take a brush, spray some perfume on there, and the sweet scent will transfer onto your locks. Be sure that you don’t spray it right onto your hair though, because “the alcohol in the formula can dry [it] out.”
Easy Clean
Rather than choosing not to clean off all your makeup because you’re feeling exhausted or lazy after it’s been one of those days, just keep some makeup-removing wipes next to your bed.
Dry Shampoo Reliance
If you have a full schedule and even a shower is too much to squeeze in for the day, you your appearance doesn’t have to reflect your exhaustion.
Just use some dry shampoo; it’s an incredibly quick way to make your hair look presentable, at least until you have time to give your hair a really thorough scrub.
Cope with Less than Perfect Bangs
Do you spend half your time loving your bangs and the other half of the time wanting to chop them off? Well if they’re being incredibly stubborn, refusing to work for you, and you’re not in the mood to deal with the annoyance, there is a solution.
You can use them to your advantage by “[working] them into a style, like a headband braid or a boho twist.” It’s easier to achieve some sense of flair this way too, rather than just settling for putting some bobby pins in to keep them out of your face.
Double Up on Shower Caps
Did you know that if your hair is prone to frizzing in humid conditions, showering with two shower caps could actually help keep the effects of the humidity at bay?
Ice Water
Before your next D.I.Y. manicure, set out some ice water. If you’re in a rush (or you’re just really impatient when it comes to waiting for your nails to dry, because you have things that need to get done), you’ll only need to let the polish dry for a couple of minutes. Then just place your fingers in the water and it will help to “harden your polish the rest of the way.”
Turn Glossy Polish Matte
Have you ever wondered if there was a way that you could change your glossy, clear polish to matte? Well there is a way. All it takes is the addition of some corn starch. If you add it to your clear polish, the result should be closer to matte.