Your favorite makeup tips...
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free skin care · Fri Jan 14, 2011 6:12 am

Wondering what little habits/tips/hints you might have regarding makeup use or skincare, that you could share with the rest of us...

Here's mine:

*In the winter, I run my tube of mascara under warm water before applying. It goes on smooth instead of clumpy and goopy from being cold.

*When I get to the bottom of my pump tube of foundation (I use NCN's Sheer Mineral Tint) and can't get any more to come out, (cap won't unscrew,) I snip off the other end and to get to the foundation clinging to the insides (at least 2-3 months worth!!) then seal it back up air tight with 2 small paper binder clips.

*This is not a new idea to most folks on here, but whenever I need a new eyeliner brush, I head to Michaels Craft store, and spend under $5 to get exactly the size I like.

free skin care · Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:14 pm

Great tips I have none for makeup.Does Michaels really sell eyeliner brush or its under a different name?

free skin care · Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:43 pm

Atiyya wrote:

Great tips I have none for makeup.Does Michaels really sell eyeliner brush or its under a different name?

No Atiyya...Michaels sells art supplies...so they sell paint brushes -- hundreds of them. All sizes, from teeny tiny, to big. I buy their smallest paint brush to apply my eyeliner since I like a very thin line. Cost is much less than if I bought a cosmetic eyeliner brush and quality is excellent.

free skin care · Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:38 pm

Great tips Mountaingirl! I particularly love the tip on brushes, as yes these can be quite expensive. I must go and check out my local craft shop.

Here's some of mine that may already be known but it's good for reference.

*When I come to the end of a tub of lipgloss and can no longer get anymore out, rather than cutting open the tube and making a mess trying to get the remaining product out. I will place the tube right side up with the lid on in a tub of boiling water that has cooled a little, wait for it to melt and run down, I will then cut the bottom off and tip the remaining into a little contain with a lid.
You can buy little screw top containers in craft stores cheaper than Beauty Stores that sell something similar. It will set again when it cools down or you can place into the fridge to speed things up and then I just use a lip brush to apply.

*If you have powdered eyeshadows that can make quite a mess and would rather these be set. You just use your Hair Straightener if you have one on low and place a little metal container on the iron and add the powdered eyeshadow. Give it a few minutes to melt then remove and pour into a pallet. This will set and you can use it much easier.

*If you have pump products that you can't get the remaining product out of, place right side up and place into a tub of boiling water that has cooled a little. Wait for it to melt and tip the remaining product into a little container, allow to cool and apply the lid. The product will set and be easier to use with no waste.

*Eyeliner pencils that are quite small and hard to use, you can remove the middle from the pencil by gently shaving of the wood around with a vegetable peeler, when you get get to the middle, place in a metal container and use your Straightener on low to melt the pencil and pour into a container with a lid, this will set and you can use it with a brush to apply to the eye's

free skin care · Sat Jan 15, 2011 4:29 pm

lol because i am often in Michaels and never came across makeup brushes lol
Thats a really good idea.

mountaingirl wrote:

Atiyya wrote:

Great tips I have none for makeup.Does Michaels really sell eyeliner brush or its under a different name?

No Atiyya...Michaels sells art supplies...so they sell paint brushes -- hundreds of them. All sizes, from teeny tiny, to big. I buy their smallest paint brush to apply my eyeliner since I like a very thin line. Cost is much less than if I bought a cosmetic eyeliner brush and quality is excellent.

free skin care · Sat Jan 15, 2011 6:05 pm

Divine Diva wrote:

Great tips Mountaingirl! I particularly love the tip on brushes, as yes these can be quite expensive. I must go and check out my local craft shop.

Here's some of mine that may already be known but it's good for reference.

*When I come to the end of a tub of lipgloss and can no longer get anymore out, rather than cutting open the tube and making a mess trying to get the remaining product out. I will place the tube right side up with the lid on in a tub of boiling water that has cooled a little, wait for it to melt and run down, I will then cut the bottom off and tip the remaining into a little contain with a lid.
You can buy little screw top containers in craft stores cheaper than Beauty Stores that sell something similar. It will set again when it cools down or you can place into the fridge to speed things up and then I just use a lip brush to apply.

*If you have powdered eyeshadows that can make quite a mess and would rather these be set. You just use your Hair Straightener if you have one on low and place a little metal container on the iron and add the powdered eyeshadow. Give it a few minutes to melt then remove and pour into a pallet. This will set and you can use it much easier.

*If you have pump products that you can't get the remaining product out of, place right side up and place into a tub of boiling water that has cooled a little. Wait for it to melt and tip the remaining product into a little container, allow to cool and apply the lid. The product will set and be easier to use with no waste.

*Eyeliner pencils that are quite small and hard to use, you can remove the middle from the pencil by gently shaving of the wood around with a vegetable peeler, when you get get to the middle, place in a metal container and use your Straightener on low to melt the pencil and pour into a container with a lid, this will set and you can use it with a brush to apply to the eye's

Those are great idea's DD. My only concern is whether or not the heat "breaks down" the ingredients/chemicals in the product. I recently broke my NAR's Orgasim blush...it crumbled into a fine powder. Knew I couldn't ever carry it in my purse again and it was so messy, I ended up throwing it out. I love the idea of "reforming it" into a solid. I don't have a hair straightner..what else could I use if that happens?

free skin care · Sat Jan 15, 2011 6:58 pm

Hi Mountaingirl,

I've never had a problem with the products once I have heated them and there was an article that I read on this subject quite a few months ago. I will look back through my links to see if I book marked it and post it, as it explains this.

That has happened to me a few times and I too have thrown out the product much to my disgust at spending money on a product that I didn't get to finish!! That was when a friend said she read something about heating them down and placing into another container so you could continue to use them.

Some other great ways that you can do this is heating up a fry pan and removing from the heat and placing your pan in with the product to heat it so you can then place into another container. Also boiling water in a bowl, then add another bowl into this and adding the product and the hot water will melt it down.

Also I must stress that I don't leave my hair straightener turned on while I do this, I just heat it enough to be able to get the product to melt down and bind together so you can then set it into your compact,pallet or another container.

If I'm doing larger quantities I will use my electric fry pan, as this works better in way of space for my container. Smile

free skin care · Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:51 am

Mountaingirl, another way you can fix broken eyeshadows, blushes etc is the crush down the remaining product and add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the mix before you make it into a paste, leave for approx 10-20 minutes for some of the alcohol to evaporate,then apply a piece of chux or any absorbent kitchen cloth over the eyeshadow for approx 10-20 minutes before removing and allowing the newly formed eyeshadow etc to dry over night.

Another tip a friend told me for mineral pigments etc is to add a couple of drops of Jojoba Oil then mix and press into a pan for a creme eyeshadow or apply less oil for a drier consistency. I have yet to try this out with my mineral shadows, however I might try this tomorrow to see how I go. I will post back with my findings. I'm also wondering if this will work for non mineral eyeshadows etc?? I may try out this method also to see how it works.

If your not wanting to heat up your shadows etc you can try out the one with the Rubbing Alcohol added, however I haven't tried that method and I wasn't sure I wanted to add Alcohol to my shadows etc as I thought this may dry out my skin?? Not sure on this I must do some more research on the subject. Smile

free skin care · Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:10 am

Good heavens!! You ladies are an absolute fountain of information!! All very interesting.

free skin care · Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:11 am

DD - Ok...Great!... now I'm gonna be ready the next time I drop one of my powdered cosmetics! Wink

Thanks!

free skin care · Mon Jan 17, 2011 4:03 am

Wow, I don't think I have any tricks up my sleeve. I have tried multi use of makeup, by applying lipstick on my cheeks and that broke me out. Confused

free skin care · Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:48 am

A good way to apply lipstick is to use your finger -rub finger onto the lipstick and then dab on lips - keeps it more natural looking.

Also I like to use a light color powder (NARS albatross is perfect) or BeneFit chubby pencil in the corner of the eye to open up and brighten. A little underneath the eye works nicely also.

Lightly line the bow of the lips with Cargo reverseliner and then go over with a regular liner in the color of your lips (not darker) and then do lipstick trick above or use a soft gloss. This fills out the lip. I sometimes line the bottom lip too - center portion only to fill out.

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:28 am

Yes, I bought around 3 to 5 eyeliner type brushes from michaels for under 5....I used for lumigan application.Also I trimmed one of them down to make an extrmely tiny brush to apply just a hint of eyeliner.Another tip: when I am done w makeup I take a small brush and apply just a dot of white shadow on the upper lid just above the top of the iris...this is subtle but makes the eye open up...I also condition my eyebrows and eyelashes with olive oil..it helps to strengthen them and grow longer and keep from falling out.

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:32 am

Sheseido eyelasher curler...sometimes also I will use the white eyelasher from tweexerman...you heat first. Also I use that cheap mascara from maybelline...full n soft. I have tried the high end ones and keep going back to this one...

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:40 am

when you are bored or broke or both.....go into your closet where you keep a truckload of leftover cosmetics(yes we all have a bunch of makeup we stopped using or never used...thats why we are here).Take old lipsticks you havent used in a while and start blending your own,you can mix them together in a little pot...even melt together in the micro(be careful,just soften it)You can come up with new colors or a color even better than what you already have....for free.

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:19 am

lucyluc wrote:

when you are bored or broke or both.....go into your closet where you keep a truckload of leftover cosmetics(yes we all have a bunch of makeup we stopped using or never used...thats why we are here).Take old lipsticks you havent used in a while and start blending your own,you can mix them together in a little pot...even melt together in the micro(be careful,just soften it)You can come up with new colors or a color even better than what you already have....for free.

Oh boy...I can sink my lips into that tip!
Thanks~!!

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 3:42 pm

mountaingirl wrote:

Atiyya wrote:

Great tips I have none for makeup.Does Michaels really sell eyeliner brush or its under a different name?

No Atiyya...Michaels sells art supplies...so they sell paint brushes -- hundreds of them. All sizes, from teeny tiny, to big. I buy their smallest paint brush to apply my eyeliner since I like a very thin line. Cost is much less than if I bought a cosmetic eyeliner brush and quality is excellent.

Lol,
I posted that a long time ago and people were kind of disagreeing with me.
But the craft store is kind of far from me,but I did get 2 brushes that are really good at a dollar type store.
They are a brand name and the bristles are nylon..and great for eyeliner.

The brushes I see as eyeliner are all too thick and I hate them.
Nothing to do w price.

I also bought a awesome fan brush to use for my darker blushes!

I do wish I bought a second eyeliner brush as I almost broke mine by accident Sad

was trying to bend it a bit too much...oops.
also went back to the same store and they had no more of those ones (was masterstroke brand).

only issue I have is the handles are a bit too long on some brushes.

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 3:46 pm

mountaingirl wrote:

DD - Ok...Great!... now I'm gonna be ready the next time I drop one of my powdered cosmetics! Wink

Thanks!

I bought a blush online and the "eco packaging" was so bad that it was all crumbled by the time it got here.

Bought a jar at the dollar store and use that for storage...but sanitize first w soap, then alcohol.

-I also use alcohol wipes to cleanmy makeup brushes in a rush!.

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:07 pm

Regarding craft store purchases - I purchase a pencil called Charcoal White which I use underneath my nail tips to make them white. It works so much better than the cosmetic pencils sold for this purpose, and it's cheaper.

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:11 pm

mountaingirl wrote:

lucyluc wrote:

when you are bored or broke or both.....go into your closet where you keep a truckload of leftover cosmetics(yes we all have a bunch of makeup we stopped using or never used...thats why we are here).Take old lipsticks you havent used in a while and start blending your own,you can mix them together in a little pot...even melt together in the micro(be careful,just soften it)You can come up with new colors or a color even better than what you already have....for free.

Oh boy...I can sink my lips into that tip!
Thanks~!!

Me, too! Great tip, lucyluc!

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:36 pm

Keliu wrote:

Regarding craft store purchases - I purchase a pencil called Charcoal White which I use underneath my nail tips to make them white. It works so much better than the cosmetic pencils sold for this purpose, and it's cheaper.

I knew you were holding something back Keliu. Good one!

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:05 pm

mountaingirl wrote:

I knew you were holding something back Keliu. Good one!

I've been feeling so inadequate with all the wonderful knowledge being shared here - been racking my brains to come up with something - that's all I've got!

free skin care · Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:55 pm

Keliu wrote:

Regarding craft store purchases - I purchase a pencil called Charcoal White which I use underneath my nail tips to make them white. It works so much better than the cosmetic pencils sold for this purpose, and it's cheaper.

Great tip Keliu!! When you least expect it you always have something up your sleeve and you may be doing your makeup one day and then realize what a great idea/tip it is. Smile

free skin care · Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:39 pm

I love Laura Mercier. Her blush technique has helped me a lot. She says to dip the blush brush in to the product using the side of the brush, then swoosh on the cheeks in a circular motion using the side of the brush. Really works no matter what blush I use & has ended bad blush for me.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Beauty-Secrets-Ultimate-Flawless/dp/0743296311

free skin care · Fri Jan 21, 2011 3:33 pm

This tip comes courtesy of a friend. She purchased a Liquid Concealer that she found was way too runny. Every time she would try and squeeze a small amount out it would go everywhere, however she loved how the concealer looked on her skin etc so decided she would try and fix the problem.

This was her solution: She made up a mix using Gelatin (you can use powdered or the sheets) and made it not too runny not too thick, as she didn't want her concealer to set like a rock!!! After the mix had cooled down she added this to the concealer she had squeezed from the tube and poured it into a little glass jar with a lid. She placed this in the fridge to set ready for use. After it was set she was able to use a concealer brush to dip into the pot/jar and apply it this way without any mess.
It sets like a creme concealer, not runny but creamy and thick without being too set.

When she first told me what she had done I was a little sceptical that it would work, however she proved me wrong and it didn't effect the concealers performance in any way, shape or form. It just goes to show that with a little imagination,women can do anything. Smile

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