Work smarter, not harder. Beauty doesn't have to equal pain and you can look fabulous without spending valuable time and money. Here are 10 beauty hacks to make your makeup routine so much easier.
I used to be the type of person to spend hours putting myself together and doing my hair and makeup. Every. Single. Day. Now, I have other priorities on my plate and more important things to do. I still want to look good though; I just don’t want to spend a huge chunk of my day making it happen.
I set out on social media to pick up the latest and most practical beauty hacks to shave some time off my morning getting-ready routine. These hacks are tried and tested and held up to all-day wear.
Here are the top 10 beauty hacks you can use when you want to look good in record time. Work smarter, not harder.
1. Soap Brows
This picked up traction on social media months ago and it took me a while to get on board. It can take some fine-tuning to get it right, but it is a great technique to add shape and fullness to brows.
You’ll want to use a clear soap here and the brand is irrelevant. I used clear bar soap from Dollar Tree and it works just fine and lasts forever. You’ll also need a spooly brush for the application. You can buy one or just reuse and clean one you already have from a brow product or old tube of mascara.
Get the soap wet and let it sit for a couple of minutes so the soap gets kind of tacky. Take the spooly brush and run it through the soap, being mindful not to get too much on it, and then brush through brows.
Let the soap set into your brows in the shape you want them to be. Remember that once the soap dries, your brows will pretty much be stuck in whatever way you brushed them, so commit to a look.
Once brows are dry, there may be some soap residue left on brows or above brows on your skin. Take a damp Q-Tip and do some clean-up. Just go lightly so you don’t wash off the soap that’s holding your hairs in place.
Apply powder, gel, or whatever brow pencil you have just as you normally would and you have brows that last all day! Just use warm water to de-soap your brows when the day is done.
2. Heat Up Your Eyelash Curler
To be fair, they do totally make electric eyelash curlers that heat up on their own but that terrifies me. I’m sure it would be fine but wouldn’t it just be my luck that I would get the one that short circuits, melts my eyelashes, and causes permanent vision damage? Unlikely, but not impossible.
I prefer to heat up my eyelash curler with a hairdryer, that way I can control how hot it gets. This is a simple hack that helps lashes stay curled longer. I typically hold the hairdryer on my eyelash curler for about 20-30 seconds before clamping down on my natural lashes.
It’s worth noting I’ve never tried this technique on lash extensions or false lashes and I can’t promise they won’t melt or have some kind of weird reaction so try that at your own risk.
3. Glue Your False Eyelashes on at an Angle
This one took some effort. There’s a learning curve here. The idea is that by gluing the false lashes at an angle you’ll get the fox-eye look that is best made famous by supermodels like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid.
Don’t misinterpret this tip. While it does look great to glue them at an angle, you still won’t look exactly like Kendall Jenner or one of the Hadid sisters. I know, sad day.
The trick to this is to draw a line, like a wingtip, out from the corner of your outer eyelid. Glue the eyelash along this line as opposed to your natural line. Obviously, once it’s glued you’re going to have some empty space between the false lash and your natural lash line. Just color it in with black or brown eyeliner to blend them together.
Fox eye: Achieved.
4. Ice Bath After Foundation for Flawless Skin
I saw this on TikTok and was super skeptical. It seems incredibly counter-intuitive to dunk your fresh face of makeup into water. It makes sense that it would just wash off right? WRONG. I can’t explain the voodoo magic that is this beauty hack but it’s amazing.
The technique is to apply all your cream products before the ice bath. I’m talking primer, foundation, concealer, cream blushes, or bronzers. Once you have your base for your face on, go dip it into a bucket of ice water for about 30 seconds. I had to do it in two breaths because it was insanely cold.
Pat your face dry with a microfiber towel. DO. NOT. WIPE. YOUR. FACE. Pat it gently and witness the miracle that is your skin. It’ll look poreless. You can apply the rest of your makeup as you normally would on top like brows, eye shadow, lashes, powders, and lips.
My theory with this is that the cold water closes your pores, sucking the foundation and cream products into your skin. What you’re left with is a smooth finish. However, I did notice, after trying this a few days in a row, if I didn’t take the time to properly wash my face at night and really make sure I got the makeup out of my pores, I woke up with pimples galore the next day.
Is this an everyday thing? Due to the cold temperature, the slight hassle of adding an extra step to a makeup routine, and the possibility of a breakout; probably not. But when you need your makeup to look great and last all day, this is a must.
5. Tweezer and Mascara Crimp to Define Lower Lashes
Do you know what pairs great with a dramatic set of false lashes on top? Dramatic crimped lashes on the bottom.
This is a relatively easy and straightforward beauty hack. Just apply mascara to the bottom lashes and before they dry, take a pair of tweezers and crimp lashes in about 3-5 spots along your bottom lash line to achieve a more defined look.
Fair warning: This is a dramatic effect and looks best with a full face of makeup to match. Definitely not an everyday look unless you’re really trying to go bold.
6. Shave Baby Hairs Off Your Face with a Micro Razor
This is called dermaplaning. It’s the act of removing fine hair from the face with a micro razor. Shaving your face is not just for men anymore; ladies listen up.
You can find micro razors at any beauty supply store, online, or at a local pharmacy. Wash your face thoroughly and while your skin is still wet, move in a downward motion with the razor starting from the top of your face and moving down. You can also use a lightweight shave gel or cream for this.
Obviously, avoid your eyes and brows and take special care around your mouth and jawline so you don’t accidentally cut yourself.
By removing small, fine hairs from your face, makeup will look smoother and have a more velvety complexion that won’t catch on hairs. This is especially great when taking photos as the glare can easily capture hairs on film.
7. Ice Facial
If you jumped on the trend awhile back to get jade and rose quartz rollers for your face serums and put them in the freezer, this is kind of the same thing. It’s like a popsicle you rub on your face. It shrinks pores, tightens skin, and can relieve redness or swelling due to acne or mild skin irritation.
There are legitimate ice facial molds that you can buy to hop onto this beauty hack bandwagon but you can also just use a regular ol’ popsicle stick and tray. Get creative and add in essential oils, herbs, or floral notes to add a bit of pizazz and extra perks for your skin.
This is especially pleasant in the summer when the weather is hot and skin is sticky and sweaty. Heatwave + ice facial = bliss.
8. Use Tape for Sharp Eyeshadow Angles
Struggling to get a sharp, crisp line when you do a dramatic eye shadow look? Never again. Simply tape down where you want your edges to be and apply your eye shadow as usual. When you’re done, peel off the tape to reveal a clean line.
It does look absolutely ridiculous when the tape is on and it’s best to use this technique before applying any foundation, concealer, or powder as the tape will inevitably take off some of that product. In other words, using this in combination with the ice bath technique wouldn’t really work without sacrificing either the smooth, satin finish of your foundation or ruining your eyeshadow.
This is also a great technique when trying to get a perfect winged liner. Best used with powder but gels and liquids can be easily done for those with moderate makeup experience.
9. Use Floss to Tame Flyaways
Sure, you can use your hands, but flossing your head is so much more fun. This is a great hack when doing sleek, slicked-back ponytails and buns. After you’ve applied copious amounts of hair gel and hair spray to slick everything back, take a long piece of floss and smooth out stray hairs and flyaways from front to back.
Eco-Friendly Tip: Save the piece of floss and use it for regular flyaway maintenance instead of getting a new piece every time.
10. Drain Your Face!
There are lymph channels throughout your entire face. Due to common colds and congestion, allergies, alcohol, stress, or various other reasons, these lymph channels can clog up with fluid and mucus and become puffy and stuffed up.
You can do a self-massage technique with either your hands, a gua sha tool, smooth stone or a spoon, but the benefits will be the same. Work through your lymph channels and drain excess fluid and watch your face literally change shape.
This is great to do when you feel a little sick, have had a boozy night the night before, or just want to do it regularly to help obtain a sharper jawline and to smooth and tighten skin.
Pro Tip: Get a hot towel and lay it over your face for a few minutes first. The heat and compression will help loosen up fluids in your face and make it easier for things to drain.
Follow the patterns in the photo to the right or click on the video below and follow along to drain your face of excess fluid.
Looking good can be a major confidence booster and help keep self-esteem levels high. It doesn’t have to take all day to look good and these beauty hacks are sure to put you on the fast track to a beautiful day.
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