7 clever beauty tricks every woman should know

We love making life easier for you – whether it’s by showing you how to instantly widen and brighten your eyes, helping you figure out the perfect mani-pedi combo, or by shedding some light on some nifty beauty tips and tricks you can try.

Today we present you with seven of the smartest beauty tricks (or hacks, if you will) that will most likely change your life. And please, feel free to pass on to your friends and claim the wisdom as your own.

Reuse your mascara wand

So your favourite, expensive mascara has bitten the dust and it needs to be binned? Well make sure you hold onto that wand, especially if you can’t afford to splurge on the replacement. Soak the wand in an antibacterial formula overnight. Then, use an old toothbrush to scrub the mascara off the brush and run it under running water until the brush is completely clean. Once it’s dry, spray with some brush cleaner (like Artiste Brush Cleaner) and leave it to dry again. You can now use your favourite mascara brush on a new more budget-friendly mascara.

Prevent compact breakage

If you’ve suffered the pain of a broken pressed powder or blush, then this trick will change your life. When carrying your compact around (whether in your bag or when you’re travelling), make sure you place some cotton wool in between the product and the lid. This will help cushion the product and keep it safe from any breakages.

Save your broken eyeshadows

On the topic of broken powders, if you’ve dropped your favourite eyeshadow and it’s a mess, don’t throw it out just yet. Smash whatever you have left into a fine powder and put it back in its packaging. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the powder and mix it in until you’ve created a paste. Smooth it out and leave it to set. Viola – eyeshadow saved!

The easiest smoky eye ever

Do you struggle to create a sultry smoky eye? Here’s what you can do to make the process sooo much easier.
Draw a slanted hashtag at the outer corner of your eye (going towards your eye crease and nose, not away from them) with an eye pencil colour of your choice. Make sure the formula is creamy and will smudge. The hashtag should cover about a third to a half of your lid. Now blend the hastag with a smudger or with a blending brush and try and blend the colour across your whole lid. You could also try this trick with a pigmented eyeshadow (applied with an angled brush). This is truly the definition of #smokyeye.

Don’t struggle to remover glitter polish

There isn’t a woman on this planet who hasn’t struggled to remove every speck of glitter from her nails. So instead of sitting there for hours and wasting a gazillion cotton pads, try this trick:
Pour some PVA glue into a small bowl (or clean nail polish bottle if you have), and apply a coat of it to each of your nails with a brush. Wait for it to dry (it’ll turn clear) and paint with your glitter polish. When you’re ready to remove, just grab a wooden cuticle stick (like Cutex Cuticle Sticks) and peel the polish off. Once you’ve done this, you might want to apply a bit of Revitanail Keratin Strengthening Serum onto each nail to ensure they stay in tip-top shape.

Add volume to lashes

Wish your lashes had a bit more volume? Just grab a little translucent powder (or even baby powder if you’d like) and your lashes are as good as plumped. After applying your first coat of mascara, dip a Swisspers Cotton Tip into your powder and coat both the tops and bottoms of your lashes with the powder. Don’t be frightened if they look a little grey – that’s meant to happen. Then, apply another coat of mascara. Your lashes will look thicker, longer and more voluminous. 

Perfect under-eye concealer

If you dot your concealer under your eyes, you’re doing it wrong. Well, you’re just not getting the best results. Instead, try applying your concealer in a triangle. Imagine the base of the triangle is under your lash line and the side is down the length of your nose. Fill in the triangle and blend well. This will help prevent your concealer from looking like a half moon under your eyes and will help brighten your entire face.   

Illustration credit: Rikki Markson
Follow Rikki on instagram @rikkimarkson

Have you heard any of these make-up tricks before? What’s the best make-up trick you’ve ever learned?