A “hack” is a colloquialism that means any quick and clever solution to a problem.
Everyone loves a good hack. Each one of us, at some point, has wished for a quick fix for the many annoying little problems we encounter daily.
People who are not very familiar with makeup might not know that makeup application is an art form in its own right and requires the utmost time and precision.
It is an entire process, with several carefully executed steps, leading to a radiating final look. Even the slightest amount of callousness in a single step can wreck the entire process, and may force one to wipe their face clean and begin again from scratch.
Not only is this extremely annoying and inconvenient, it wastes a lot of time and expensive product. Anyone who uses makeup knows the pain of wasting good quality product, which DOES NOT come lightly on the pocketbook.
Millions of women around the world often find themselves in a quandary when they are running late for a birthday party, a meeting or a date and rush through applying their makeup, only to end up with clumpy eyelashes, smudged eyeliner or an unsatisfying final look.
Here are 10 genius beauty hacks every woman should know to avoid such dreaded situations.
1. Use a Business Card to Prevent Smudgy Eyelids
You want voluminous, thick and stunning eyelashes for the social event you have planned for the evening.
Yet, every time you try to get that perfect coat of mascara going over your top lashes, you end up with mascara all over your eyelids.
This may have happened to you so often you have simply stopped trying to get your lashes thick and full all the way up, coating just the “safe” bottom areas and leaving the tips.
Well, business cards to the rescue!
Place the edge of the business card on the bottom of your lid where your eyelashes begin.
Using the edge of the business card, pull your eyelashes up. This will make the tips of your eyelashes perk up and level with the surface of the card, blocking the mascara wand’s contact with your eyelids.
Apply the mascara generously, allowing the extra product to smear on the card.
You can use the same trick on your bottom lashes. Pull your lower lid down with the edge of the card and apply that mascara all over the length of your lashes without fear!
2. Use a Toothbrush for Better Looking Lips
Dry, chapped and flaky lips are a common problem, especially during the dry winter months. Every woman suffers an occasional case of rough, moisture-craving lips that no amount of lip smacking seems to cure.
The situation gets worse when you’re getting ready for a social event or a business meeting and you just can’t get your lipstick on right.
It accentuates the cracks in your lips and can irritate the skin. Matte lipsticks especially make the dryness appear starker, while a glossy lip shade manages to conceal it under its shine.
Here’s a quick fix:
Dampen a toothbrush with water.
Apply a little coconut oil on your lips.
Gently exfoliate your lips with the toothbrush for 2 to 3 minutes.
Rinse your lips with warm water.
Apply a lip balm (optional).
Apply lipstick.
3. Brighten Up Any Eye Shadow with White Eyeliner
Some days, you might just want to let your personality shine and wear an upbeat color of eye shadow to work or a lunch date.
However, looking at your uninspiring palette of shadows might banish this mini-aspiration to the ground, and before you know it, you are sporting the same understated shade of blue or metallic.
It’s the look you usually prefer, but some days just call for a dash of radiance.
Here’s how you can brighten up your eyes without splurging on another palette:
Apply white eyeliner to your entire eyelid.
Apply the eye shadow in the color of your choice.
You will notice the difference right away.
4. Fix Greasy Hair with Baby Powder
You must have all had those mornings where you turned off your alarm clock only to wake up 15 minutes before you absolutely had to leave for work.
This leaves no time to step in the shower, shampoo and blow dry the greasy hair you’ve been putting off washing for a day or two now!
Some of you might go for a dry shampoo. While dry shampoo works for many people, it doesn’t for others, as it often leaves the scalp dry and irritated.
Here is a quick home remedy for combating greasy hair and saving money you would have spent buying bottles of dry shampoo:
Put some baby powder on your palms.
Using both palms, sprinkle it onto the top of your head.
Using your fingertips, gently rub the powder onto your scalp.
Repeat this process to cover all the greasy areas of your scalp.
The powder is a great oil-absorbing agent. Place a towel on your shoulders to avoid powdery clothes.
5. Use Translucent Powder for Longer-Lasting Lipstick
A common challenge many women face is getting your lipstick to stay on longer. It just doesn’t happen. Furthermore, if you’re occasionally drinking and eating while at an event, your lipstick will fade even faster.
A simple trick can give you a long-lasting shade of lipstick and save you the trouble of escaping to the ladies’ room every other minute, or the embarrassment of applying and reapplying lipstick in public.
Here’s what you can do:
Apply a lipliner, the same shade as your lipstick, all over your lips.
Apply your lipstick.
Place a tissue or blotting paper over your lips.
Dip a makeup brush in some translucent powder, and dab it over the tissue onto your lips.
You will get a more matted finish on your lips and your lipstick will stay on longer!
6. Warm Up Your Eyelash Curler for a Lasting Curl
Many women use an eyelash curler to enhance the look of their lashes. Curled eyelashes do look fantastic, and with the right makeup, they are all the embellishment you need to be a true showstopper!
However, the extra curl rarely lasts long, and by the time the evening begins to kick off, you are back to a limp set of lashes.
Here’s how you can get long-lasting curly eyelashes:
Warm up your eyelash curler with a blow dryer for 5 to 8 seconds.
Curl your eyelashes.
Just as the heat from a hair straighter keeps your hair straight for hours, the heat emanating from the eyelash curler will lock the eyelashes in a curled position longer.
Make sure you DO NOT overheat the curler. Keep the blow dryer at a reasonable distance when heating the curler.
7. Revive Old Mascara with Saline Solution
We’ve all been there – the mascara bottle you bought has gone flaky and dry. You are having trouble just getting it onto the wand, let alone applying it on your eyelashes.
The little bit of product that does get onto the wand and on your lashes looks horribly clumpy and rough.
Here’s what you can do:
Add a few drops of saline solution (contact lens liquid) to your mascara bottle.
Shake it gently and apply the now-liquid mascara onto your lashes.
Alternatively, you can place your mascara bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, or as long as the water remains warm, to loosen the liquid and make it easier to apply.
8. Use a Spoon to Achieve the Perfect Winged Eyeliner
You might have undergone a trillion trial-and-error sessions attempting the perfect winged eyeliner. A winged eyeliner instantly jazzes up your eyes – perfect for those who are into edgy fashion.
Yes, trying to achieve this look can be a downright pain in the neck, especially if you are pressed for time. However, it is totally easy to master with the assistance of a simple household spoon!
With the front of the spoon facing toward your face, align the handle with your lower eyelashes.
Adjust the handle to angle it according to how steep you want your eyeliner wing.
Start drawing black eyeliner in a line along the handle from the outermost corner of your eye. Make the wing as long as you want.
Adjust the handle again, and put it along the tip of the line you just drew and cover two-thirds of your eyelid in a perfect triangle.
Draw a line along the handle with eyeliner again.
Fill in the triangle with the liquid liner for the perfect wing.
9. Reduce Eye Puffiness with Green Tea Bags
You might wake up and notice the bags under your eyes are especially horrid today.
You were really counting on making a statement at the big business meeting you had today and needed to look your presentable best. You have no time to cover them up with makeup, so what do you do?
This genius beauty hack is a quick fix you can use to reduce puffiness from your eyes when you are short on time.
Drink some green tea – always a fantastically healthy start to your day!
Take 2 used green tea bags, rinse them under water, and refrigerate them for 10 minutes, or until they are cold.
Apply them under each eye for 5-10 minutes.
10. Make Your Perfume Last All Night with a Chap Stick
A good perfume scent is the ultimate style statement. But for those who have a body odor problem, it is more than that.
A wonderfully done up face, a stylish outfit and top-of-the-line accessories fail to salvage the impression of an individual who downright smells bad.
While deodorant will conceal body odor to some extent, a strong scent will completely mask it.
Here’s what you can do to make sure your perfume stays on longer:
Roll a chap stick onto the crucial areas – your wrists, sides of your neck, underneath your elbows and the backs of your knees.
Spray perfume over the areas.
The chap stick will act as a base for the perfume to cling to, allowing you to smell like your favorite brand as long as the party lasts.