Do you like to think outside the box when it comes to beauty products? Sometimes I like to play around with my makeup and skincare products, and used them for something else other than their main purpose.
Click through and check out which products from my stash are secretly living a double life.
Product: Whitening Lightning Blonde Brow Bar To Go
Original Purpose: To fill in your eyebrows.
Alternate Purpose: Eyeshadow – transition colour
I stopped using Whitening Lightning’s Blonde Brow Bar To Go to fill in my eyebrows after I discovered the Too Faced Brow Envy Kit. But I didn’t want to just toss out the Brow Bar To Go. I tried using the brown and blonde shadows as eyeshadows, and they worked fantastically. In fact, they are my go-to transition colours, when I’m looking for something universal to blend into my crease.
Product: Proclaim Super Bond Professional Formula Hair Glue, Dark
Original Purpose: Hair Glue
Alternate Purpose: Easy nail art clean-up
Have you ever seen those 15 second nail art tutorials on instagram where they apply that pink stuff to the skin around their nails? It catches the nail polish that goes on your skin (like when you are doing a gradient with a makeup sponge), so you can pull off the glue with all the mess right before applying your topcoat. Well this hair glue is a good alternative. It may smell a bit funky, but it still does the job. Just paint some on the skin surrounding your nail and cuticles, wait for it to dry, paint your nails however you like, and take the dried glue off at the end – and there you have it, a clean mani! This product is sold at Sally Beauty – I prefer the blackones as opposed to the white because the white dries clear, and it can be hard to see where you applied it, once dry.
Product: Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Original Purpose: Anti-Crease Eyeshadow Primer
Alternate Purpose: Under Eye Concealer Base
I have had such a hard time with under-eye concealer as of late. I put it on in the morning, and it looks great. Then I take a close look in the mirror in the afternoon, and I see that my concealer has settled and creased in the fine lines under my eye – UGH! Now I apply Too Faced Shadow Insurance to my under eye before applying my concealer. Although it doesn’t completely do away with ALL the crease-age, it definitely makes a difference.
Product: Pure Ice Clear Nail Polish
Original Purpose: Nail Polish Top Coat
Alternate Purpose: Stopping cheap rings from turning your finger green
It all stared when I got a ring from Forever 21. It was perfect – inexpensive, beautiful, and comfortable to wear. Except for the fact that it turned my finger green. Don’t you hate when that happens? Instead of caving and forking out the money to buy a higher quality ring, I pulled out the clear top coat. I painted the inside of the ring, and let it dry. As long as there has been the layer of clear nail polish on the inside of the ring, my finger has remained green-less. Note – if you wear your ring quite frequently, you may want to re-apply the polish every so often, as the topcoat will probably wear off. I would also not recommend doing this on any expensive or irreplaceable jewelry, as I don’t know how the polish reacts with all types of metals.
Product: Zinc Oxide
Original Use: Diaper Rash Cream
Alternate Use: Zit Treatment
I’ve been doing this trick for years. Any time you have a breakout, I use zinc oxide as a spot treatment. Apply a pea sized amount on top of the zit (you want to use quite the dollop, and make sure that the zit is completely covered), and let it sit there for a few hours. If you are staying in for the day, I suggest leaving it on all day. Take the cream off before bed, and clean your face as you normally do. I find that the zinc oxide helps dry out the blemish and greatly reduces the size and redness.
Product: The Body Shop Color Crush Eyeshadow ‘Golden Girl’
Original Purpose: Eyeshadow
Alternate Purpose: Highlighter
I cannot stop using this eyeshadow! While I love using Becca’s ‘Champagne Pop’ and ‘Opal’ as a highlighter, sometimes I go for a more sunkissed makeup look, which calls for a more golden highlight. I would describe this eyeshadow as a slightly golden, pastel yellow, with a hint of shimmer. I lightly apply The Body Shop’s ‘Golden Girl’ eyeshadow to the tops of my cheeks and to my browbone, and it makes for a subtle but beautiful and sunny glow.
Product: MAC ‘Coquette’
Original Purpose: Eyeshadow
Alternate Purpose: Filling in your eyebrows
I know, I know, at the top of this post I mentioned an eyebrow product that works better as a shadow, and now I’m posting about a shadow that works better as an eyebrow product – I stand by my decision. If you have gone blonde, but your brows are still dark, MAC’s ‘Coquette’ is great to use to fill in your brows and even out your tone, especially if you are a beginner at the brow game. It is a cool grey-toned taupe, which is exactly what I needed when I first started filling in my brows. Anything that has red tones in it will make my brows and my hair look orange-y, which is a no-no for me. And although I mentioned how I love my Too Faced Brow Kit, sometimes I don’t have enough time to do the whole eyebrow sha-bang,and that’s where ‘Coquette’ saves the day – a quick fill in to any patchy areas and I’m good to go.
Product: Flexitol Heel Balm
Original Use: Cracked Heel Treatment
Alternate Use: Super Moisturiser
Before I started taking care of my skin and exfoliating, I had this annoying issue with flaky skin, especially in the area between my eyebrows. I couldn’t even apply foundation because it wouldn’t cling to my skin – it would just flake off and turn red. Then I started exfoliating my skin, and applying a small amount of Flexitol Heel Balm to the skin in between my eyebrows. Every 3 days I would massage the teeniest amount of the cream into the skin before bedtime, and after about a week and a half, the flakiness was gone. Now any time I find any dry patches on my face, it’s Flexitol to the rescue!
Product: Maybelline Color Whisper ‘I Crave Coral’
Original Use: Lipstick
Alternate Use: Cream Blush
Sometimes I need a flush of coral to put on my cheeks, and none of my powder blushes will do. No problem! Take Maybelline’s Color Whisper in ‘I Crave Coral’ and lightly dab on 4 spots onto each cheek. Blend with your fingers, and voila! It’s super easy – you don’t even have to be ultra-precise with your finger blending, because the color is subtle enough to not look like too much colour, but it is still bold enough to show up on your cheeks. The formula is a light, non-greasy gel, so it doesn’t make your cheeks sticky. It’s a real winner! I don’t know if this specific colour is made anymore, but this formula works so well, you can do this trick with any Color Sensational lip product of your choosing.
That’s all for today. Do you have any beauty secrets you’d like to share with me? Let me know in the comments below, and until next time, toodle-ooo! – Shawna