The Ultimate Beauty Hack Thread: Share your tips and tricks!

[Anna2BT]

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a fresh face in the beauty scene, we could all use a tip or trick (or two) to help us navigate the world of beauty. So BIC, what are your best beauty “hacks”?

One of my favorite hacks is for hair – as someone who has colored hair year-round, (sorry, I just can’t resist a good balayage!) my hair is usually prone to dryness, especially at the ends. So when it comes to drying my hair post-shower, I actually don’t use a towel at all! To avoid friction from rubbing my hair on a towel, I gently squeeze out the water and let it air dry when I can. On days I feel like I need an extra boost with drying, I’ll use a soft t-shirt to gently dry my hair. Since using this method, my hair has been less frizzy, smoother, and I even feel it’s helped me with reducing split ends! 😊

What’s a beauty tip you love to use in your life? Share your knowledge in the thread below! Add all your hacks, tips, and tricks on anything beauty-related (aka makeup, fragrance, hair, skincare, nails, etc.). ✨

[WinglessOne]

Lipstick, my favorite beauty topic: 

People often ask how I get “perfect” lip lines with a bullet lipstick, especially since I usually don’t use a lip liner with them. 

1. Flip the bullet upside down for your bottom lip, so the pointy tip or chiseled edge lines up with your bottom lip line the same way it does with your upper lip line when rightside up. I used to think everyone did this, until I showed a coworker one day (who asked how I applied my lipstick) and realized some folks don’t flip the bullet for their bottom lip. 
   
   
2. Use a cotton swab to clean up mistakes. Do not try to use a finger unless you’ve done that for years and are a pro at it by now. 😄 Otherwise you’re guaranteed to smudge lipstick around your mouth. Seriously, just use a cotton swab. 
   
   
3. Or, you can use a lip brush. I use a MAC 316 lip brush to apply custom colors I mix using Danessa Myricks Colorfix shades. You can also use an eyeshadow brush (synthetic or goat hair, since those can handle creams; don’t even think about using a squirrel hair brush for this) that you’re already comfy with for creating defined lines or cut creases. 

Wear lip balm under lipstick, especially lipstick that’s not moisturizing on its own. Treat lip balm like skincare for your lips: apply it while your lips are damp (with water, not saliva) so it can seal in hydration. Y’all know my favorite lip balm is plain ol’ Aquaphor Ointment, but this should work for whatever balm keeps your lips moisturized for hours. 

Does lip balm seem too thick or emollient for lipstick to sit on? Give the balm time to settle into your skin. Then gently blot away excess balm with a tissue or the back of your hand. Lipstick should then apply over it just fine. 

Lip gloss or lipstick quickly disappears from the inside edges of your lips? Try applying a base coat of lip liner in a shade close to your natural lip color (ideally not a gel liner, though there might be one out there that works for this) to just that part of your lips, and then apply the lipstick/gloss over it. A grippy lip primer can also work. The idea here is to give the lipstick/gloss something to grab onto. This doesn't work for all misbehavers, but it's worth a try. 

If a lip gloss or liquid cream/satin lipstick gets all goopy between your lips, place a damp cotton swab along the inside of your lip and roll it along the goop, using very light pressure so you don’t remove non-goopy color. 

To make lipstick last longer on your lips, try the old setting powder trick: apply the lipstick, then put a tissue over your lips and dust a translucent setting powder onto your lips (through the tissue). I personally don't do this, but some folks swear by it. Eh, I tried it once and it did extend the wear time of a lipstick. 

My favorite way to extend lipstick wear time is a good lip primer. My favorite is MAC Prep + Prime Lip, but there are probably grippier primers out there. Note that cream and satin lipsticks generally aren't designed to be transfer-proof or survive a meal. It's best to have realistic expectations there. 

To avoid getting lipstick all over your chin during lunch or dinner, just use a napkin or tissue to blot your lipstick down to a stain before you eat. I always do this and never end a meal with my lipstick smeared around my face. 

Skincare, my second favorite beauty topic: 

Always apply face and body moisturizer to damp (but not soaking wet) skin. This helps seal in hydration instead of dryness. 

In the morning, try using your sunscreen as a facial moisturizer. In other words, skip the AM moisturizer. This works well if your sunscreen contains at least one good moisturizing ingredient. It’s a good way to get into the habit of using sunscreen daily, it shortens your AM routine a bit, and it can save you some money. I do this in hot weather months, but during winter I definitely need to add moisturizer under my sunscreen. 

Be VERY careful about mixing foundation (or anything else) into your sunscreen. A sunscreen (be it chemical, mineral, or hybrid) is formulated a specific way so it can set up a protective barrier on the surface of your skin. When you mix extra stuff into a sunscreen, you tamper with its formula. This can reduce its ability to set up that barrier. If your sunscreen's label or product page says you can mix stuff into that product, then hey, go for it: that's the brand claiming it's safe to do. Otherwise, I advise against it. 

Retinoid/vitamin A newbies: if your tretinoin, adapalene, retinol, etc. is too irritating, apply it over your moisturizer. A moisturizer can act as a buffer; your skin will be hydrated and moisturized before you apply vitamin A; and yes, your retinoid will still work. The only moisturizers that have a chance of stopping vitamin A from penetrating skin are thick petrolatum-based balms (Vaseline, Aquaphor, CeraVe Healing Ointment, etc.). Heck, you can wash your face, apply moisturizer while your skin's damp, and then apply the rest of your skincare products, and they'll still work. 

[CynthieLu]

Omg Thank you for sharing @WinglessOne these are Auhmazing! tips ❤️‍🔥

[CookieGirl1]

Love all of your  lippie insight, @WinglessOne .

[Saradestin]

Wow! So many great tips @WinglessOne ! Thank you for sharing them with us! 

[Mellmars1185]

@WinglessOne Great tips! Why did I not think to turn the lipstick upside-down!?

[Nahnom]

@WinglessOne Lovely post.  😄👏

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @Nahnom ! My body skin is quite dry, so damp skin moisturizing is a must for me. I don’t even use fluffy terrycloth towels. I use those microfiber hair towels found at places like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc., and I just lightly dab my skin to remove drips of water; I don’t dry down my skin. This also makes laundry day more efficient: no bulky towels taking up washer/dryer space. 

I’m always impressed when someone can get a clean lipstick line on their bottom lip without flipping the bullet. If I do that, I have lots of cleanup afterward. 😂 That’s how I discovered flipping the bullet: sometime in 1990, I randomly tried it thinking “why not put the pointy edge along my bottom lip line” and hey, no cleanup needed! I can outline my bottom lip that way, then flip the bullet right side up to fill in. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne I've been wanting to look into a good lip primer.  Thanks for the rec - I put it on my Ulta Loves List.  I can buy it whenever I start wearing lipstick again...!

[WinglessOne]

@greeneyedgirl107  If you buy it, I hope it works well for you! 

[Cissy63]

@WinglessOne  I appreciate your tips especially about lipstick.  Mine disappears before I even get to the restaurant.  So I am going to try your tips. Thank you 😀

[WinglessOne]

@Cissy63  I hope at least one tip helps you! A lip primer can do wonders for lipstick that disappears quickly or bleeds/feathers a lot. As with face and eyeshadow primers, let the lip primer sit on your lips for a couple minutes to set up, and then apply lipstick. 

[alexasteph]

My favorite hack is pretty simple - use a clear brow setting gel to tame flyaways. If you already use one for your brows, it’s a good double duty product. I don’t, so I specifically buy it for my hair. It’s a white NYX tube… I don’t know exactly what it’s called but it’s cheap and it works hahaha. 

Oh! Here is one my mom used too. She would save her black tea bags and use them on her under eyes to help with lines and puffiness. I eventually just got her a bottle of fresh Kombucha Antioxidant Facial Treatment Essence to all over face benefits and to save time (she’d just sit at the kitchen table holding tea bags under her eyes for half an hour!). Maybe someone can figure out a better way to make it work for them! 

[LindaMarie3]

Bedhead has an amazing balm stick that is excellent for flyaways.

[Saradestin]

Thank you for sharing your tips @alexasteph !

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Anna2BT Applying eyeliner can be hard for beginners if you have shakiness.  So, try this with a full length mirror that you can get up close to:

-Lean you elbow against the mirror while you apply the eyeliner to stabilize yourself.

[makeupjunkie65]

My best hack is similar to @Anna2BT , since I have dry wavy color treated hair I only use a microfiber towel after shampooing and never ever ever would I rub the towel vigorously against my head but very gentle squeezes to remove excess water while praying 🙏 to the hair goddess for less frizz!! Also if you love a conditioner you can put a small amount in a spray bottle add water and shake really well and you have a leave in conditioner. And The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane 1 oz/ 30 mL  oil is fantastic on wet hair and dry both! Helps ease the frizz and doesn’t weight down your hair.

[Ispend2much6]

@Anna2BT  The only tip that comes to mind is using a regular conditioner/hair mask as a leave-in conditioner after shampooing.  I particularly like doing this on the ends of my very dry hair.

I'm going to try this soon with Drunk Elephant Silkamino ™ Mega-Moisturizing Masker 7 oz / 210 mL  because I love the vanilla scent so much!

[SportyGirly125]

@Anna2BT Here are some of mine:

Cutting up a strip lash into smaller pieces makes it easier to apply for beginners.

Using a lash applicator or tweezers helps if you have a hard time applying lashes with your fingers.

Qtips are helpful to clean up lipstick around the lip and brow powder around the brow area

Spraying a setting spray into your makeup sponge acts like a primer and can help makeup last longer.  Same goes with spraying it on your eyeshadow brush and then dipping into shadow.

For my dry combo skin I like to use 2 different primers for my face.  A matte primer for my t zone and a blur primer for everywhere else.  Same goes for my powders.

For extra hydration (for my dry combo skin) when applying makeup spray your sponge with a hydrating mist and then dip the sponge into your foundation on a tray.

Custom mix your own foundation by mixing a few different shades together if you have a hard time finding a perfect match.

Concealers can always be used as contour or bronzer if darker than your foundation color.  Also they can be used as highlighter if lighter than your foundation color.

For extra hydration mixing a beauty oil/face cream into your foundation will add extra hydration to your skin.

Layering a perfume over a body cream makes the scent last longer.  Also, applying body cream after the shower helps your skin stay hydrated and keeps the scent lasting longer than putting it on dry skin.

Using a brow brush like Zoeva 22 is a great way to apply concealer to clean up any eye shadow or mistakes you have made.

Applying setting powder under the eyes will help makeup eyeshadow fallout easier to clean up. 

Instead of applying concealer under the eye area, apply it only where need it like around the nose, inner corner of the eyes and outer corner of the eyes and under cheek area to create lift.

Use a press and roll motion if you have oily skin to lock in powder.  A powder puff works great for this like the one from Ben Nye.

To create a wing liner use tape or a business card at the outer edge of your eyes as guidance.

If you have a hard time with liner draw little dots and then connect them.

Storing eye products into a pencil case makes it easier to see what you have and looks cute too.

[Saradestin]

Great tips @SportyGirly125 ! I have been using most and love them! 

[Ispend2much6]

@SportyGirly125  That's a great list!  Does the face primer alter the eye shadows when applied to your shadow brushes (for example, do the shadows get hard, crumbly, etc.)  Do you have a favorite one you use for that purpose?  Thanks!

[SportyGirly125]

@Ispend2much6 @I haven’t noticed it altering the shadows but I always wipe down my eye palettes after use and wash my brushes after I use them. Favorites are Morphe setting spray and MAC Fix+