Little Blog of Beauty Tricks

Here are 18 simple and cheap beauty tricks to spice up your look and get gorgeous skin!

Makeup Tricks:
1. When using a liquid foundation, pour a small amount of it onto the back of your hand, then dip your foundation brush into it by pressing the brush into your hand. This will warm the foundation, making it blend in with your skin better.

NYX single eyeshadow in White Pearl

2. I always put a shimmery light shadow on the inner corner of my eyes, no matter what kind of makeup look I'm doing. It brings more light into your eyes, so they look brighter.

3. Use a stippling brush (I got one from eyeslipsface.com for $3) instead of a regular blush brush when applying a powder blush. It diffuses the color and makes it look really natural.

4. Before you start your makeup routine, put on some light lip balm. By the time you're done and ready to put on lipstick, it should have been absorbed into the skin, so your lipstick will go on smoother.

5. Find the best blush color for you by pinching your cheek while your face is clean. The color that pops up is the color that will look most natural on your skin tone.

6. The best mascara formula for you depends on what you want your eyelashes to look like. If you have short lashes and want length, look for a wet formula. If you have thinner lashes and want volume, go for a dry formula, since the wet formula will make your lashes clump together. If you're blond, brown mascara will look the most natural. If you're brunette, go with black.

7. Mix 1/3 of a packet of Crystal Light with a scoop of vaseline for homemade lip stain that lasts for hours, looks natural, and tastes amazing. I put mine in an old contact case so I can carry two shades at once.

TBD's lipstick trick

8. Got this from The Beauty Department: for long-lasting lip color, apply a layer of lipstick, blot with a tissue, dust with powder (I've found that my silica powder works best), then apply a second layer. It will last for hours without feathering and fading.

9. If you're prone to oil and shine, try setting your makeup with a loose silica powder, like Elf's Studio High Definition Powder. It keeps you shine-free for longer and kind of airbrushes your face. However, if you're using flash photography it can make your face look washed out, so opt for a powder without silica for photo ops.

10. Eyeliner can make your eyes look completely different. If you want them to look more wide set, make the line thicker on the outside half of your eye. For closer eyes, line the inner V of your eye. For elongated eyes, make a cat eye. For Rounder eyes, make the line a little thicker at the center of your eye, then taper it closer to the lash line as you go to the outer corner. For sleepy puppy dog eyes, make the liner thickest at the outer edge, and extend it out a little past the outer corner and slightly downward.

Skincare:
1. Mix baking soda with your body wash or face wash to exfoliate your skin. Baking soda is great for acne-prone skin, and is super cheap for a whole box!

2. For some extra glow, apply a little bit of olive oil or another essential or dry oil to your shoulders, elbows, knees, and along your colar bones and down the center of your chest (in a T shape) before you apply your regular lotion.

3. For a flawless sunless tan, apply a thick lotion to your elbows and knees, and around your ankles. It will act as a barrier to the drier areas of your skin, so it doesn't turn orange. Also, exfoliate (perhaps with some baking soda?) before you apply any formula of sunless tanner, so it absorbs into the newer layers of skin cells, not the layer that gets sloughed off.

4. I probably don't have to tell you this, but you should wear sunscreen whenever you're going to be out in the sun for longer than 30 minutes. It's actually good to get some unprotected sun exposure to get a good dose of vitamin D, but after that 30 minutes, the UV rays are just going to cause damage to your skin cells' DNA, which can lead to cancer and premature aging. Sunscreen may be a little pricey, but it's always cheaper than doctors' visits later.

This little guy is ~$1

5. For really dry skin, apply a layer of vaseline to dry patches before you go to bed. You can also slather vaseline on your feet and wear socks to bed, and you'll have super-soft feet when you wake up.

6. If you have oily skin and no oil absorbing sheets, use 1 layer of toilet paper or a torn off piece of a toilet seat cover (obviously one that hasn't been used) before you reach for the pressed powder. It will absorb excess oil without packing on more makeup.

7. For a brighter, healthier-looking complexion without expensive creams, eat a variety of highly pigmented fruits and vegetables. A study done in the UK showed that women who ate colorful fruits and veggies had a brighter complexion that their control group. Include leafy greens, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, berries, watermelon, and other bright foods in your diet to add some pep to your skin.

8. I've found that a few weeks after I started taking an omega-3 supplement, my skin looks and feels healthier, and my weak nails are stronger. Studies suggest that a fatty acid in omega-3's called EPA acts as both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory, fighting free radicals and damage caused by injury to tissues, like UV exposure and high blood pressure. Omega-3's aren't just good for your skin. They support brain functioning and cardiovascular health as well, and are even used as a cholesterol medication! Sometimes people can have a fishy aftertaste from the pills, but you can get an enteric-coated pill that makes this less likely.


Hope these tips help you out! Happy experimenting!