Do you have any go-to products that do “double-duty”? Share!
I use MAC Brun/Espresso eyeshadows as eyeshadows as well as my brow color!
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NARS Laguna Bronzer – shadow and bronzer/contour! And even brows in a pinch!
My brow product is actually L’Oreal Infallible Continuous Cocoa Eyeshadow! It used to also be a go-to for creating a brownish smoky eye in conjunction with lighter bronzey tones, now just brows. Only other recent product that comes to mind is Nyx Barely There Eyeshadow (DC’d) as my once favorite face highlighter.
I use Urban Decay Sellout shadow as both eye shadow and highlighter/blush. I actually generally prefer it as the latter!
In a pinch, Dior Addict and Addict Extreme lipsticks serve as decent cream blushes, if I’ve got on emollient enough foundation or sunscreen. I wouldn’t try this on my skin when it’s very dry, though.
I use Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow (the shade by that name) to contour my nose and as as eyeshadow. I’m sure it could fill in for my Anastasia brow powder when that runs out too.
I do too! Sometimes I even use whatever is leftover on my angled brush of MAC’s fluidline Dipdown for brows also. I use MAC Fashion Fix or Omega for contouring from time to time and I’ll use bronzer or a blush for an eye contour, but not often.
sometimes i use lip pencils by themselves and sometimes i use them as lip liners to prevent my lipstick from bleeding.
Hahaha, yes! I like to put my products to work. My hardest working one is the BM 5-in-1 Advanced BB Cream Shadow in Linen — an eye primer, cream shadow, concealer, and supplemental SPF 15. I use brown shadow for my eyes and to set my brow products. My lipbalm has SPF15, and also converts lipsticks into glosses. In an emergency, I’ll also use my lipstick as a blush. Algenist Sublime Defense Moisturizer SPF 30 – it doesn’t moisturize at all, but it’s nice sunscreen for the T zone during summer time, mattifies other sunscreens, and acts as a face primer as well. My cream highlighters also convert powder blushes into cream blushes. All of my cream shadows double as bases for regular powder shadows, and the shimmery gold or beige ones can be used as highlighters.
An eyeshadow by Bobbi Brown called Espresso that I use to line, tightline, and as a shadow!
Bobbi Brown Blush in Tawny is so beautiful blush and I love used it on the eyes crease as well!
Brow powders double as matte eyeshadows and vice versa. Some shimmery eyeshadows work for highlighting the face as well, and more intense face highlighters work just as well to highlight in eye makeup 🙂
All theBalm luminizers are great cheek and eye colours – I like using Hot Mama as an eyeshadow too.
Mehron lip colours in Petal Pink and Natural I actually use more often for blush that as a lipstick, I think I ended up buying a backup of Petal Pink so I had one for lips and one for cheeks.
I often use whatever bronzer I’m slapping on as my crease color as well! Haha!
I have some gel eyeliners and powder eyeshadows that I use for my brows as well.
Same! I use Cork and Espresso as both. Also use a number of Mac lipsticks, either creme sheen or lustre as lipstick and cream blush; also Revlon lip butters as blush — all works great.
No, for some reason I really dislike using products for a purpose they weren’t meant for. Idk, it’s a weird mental thing I suppose 🙂
Similar to Christine, I will use MAC Charcoal Brown or Omega or Revlon Rich Sable eyeshadows for my brows, on those rare occasions when I do anything to my brows. I will also use bronzer for eyeshadow for a very natural crease contour. And I’ll sometimes put a very intense powder blush on my lips, mixed with some clear gloss.
Illamasqua heroine eyeshadow as contour
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Well, there’s not a lot you can do with a single product. Blush/eyeshadow, lipstick/blush, eyeliner/brow pencil… and that’s about it. At most, you can mix pigments and loose eyeshadows with clear gloss or nail polish to make your own colors.
It would be either bizarre or really cool if there was some kind of “universal product” you could apply all over your face, like a cream you could mix with some pigments to make eyeshadow, eyeliner, foundation, blush, and lipstick. It would be an “as seen on tv” product, obviously.
I use the shade “Shell” from the Lorac Pro To Go palette as an eye shadow and under eye highlighter.
I’ve used MUG Shimma Shimma eyeshadow as a face highlighter before, and I use bronzers as crease shades all the time. I’m pretty sure I used a lipstick as a cream blush before too.
I love using various bronzers and orange-y blushes as eye shadow. Makeup Geek’s Summer Fling blush and Bobbi Brown bronzer in Medium are perfect for this.
MAC Omega eyeshadow is my absolute favourite contour shade (I’ve also used it on my brows as well as the usual eyeshadowy type purposes).
Right now I’m loving Kat Von D Metal Crush in Thunderstruck as a cheekbone highlighter as well as bathing in it (awesome eyeshadow is awesome).
Sugarpill Kitten Parade and Inglot 407 eyeshadows ‘ve used as blush as well. Also Sleeks Rose Gold blush I’ve used as eyeshadow.
Too Faced Semi-Sweet Butter Pecan and Yaby pearl paint in Snow eyeshadows I’ve used as highlighters on the face as well.
Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye palette i used as a face contour palette for my fair skin as well with the tfirst two warm and cool hilighter shade and the cool base shade.
Lipstick as blush
Bronzer as highlighter
MAC Paintpot as eyeshadow primer
Some eyeshadows look like they could double as bronzers.
MAC Paintpots make such good eyeshadow primers! I use Painterly so often as it’s like primer/concealer for my lids and keeps the fallout from products on top to a minimum.
I use my concealer to carve out my brows, under eye highlight, and to mute out discoloration on my eye lids.
I use eye shadow to contour my nose.
I use highlighters as eye shadow.
I use blush as eyeshadow.
NARS Laguna : bronzer/eyeshadow
The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer : highlighter/eyeshadow
Guerlain Meteorites Perles : subtle highlighter/all over finishing powder
I often think that working at product multi-tasking well is a mark of creativity and dedication to problem solving.
1: (Writing it out has me realize it’s quite unspeakably high maintenance but) I’m fond of using a combo of MAC Paint Pots for my brows: Camel Coat, Tailor Grey and Quite Natural. They double as eyeshadow bases, or eyeshadows on days that will end in a swim. 2: I am very fair in colouring and finding highlighters that are marketed as such can be a frustrating experience. I’ve often used some fair MUFE Iridescent and MAC eyeshadows in, say, Phloof! They are of course also useful as shadows. Especially handy when traveling 3: I’ve used lipstick as on-the-go cream blush, when I’m not carrying much. 4. I’ve use face serums that contain silicone and face oils as hair frizz smoothers when that’s what’s at hand in, say, a beach bag or overnight bag.
I often times use mascara as eyeshadow… although that’s mostly unintentional
I have such a large makeup collection that I don’t have any products that I specifically designate as “double duty”, but I do have products that I’ve bought for one purpose, and although it didn’t work out, I’ve found other uses for them. I have an Elizabeth Arden lip brush that came in a GWP that I hated for lips, but love as a crease brush. I bought a brown gel liner ages ago, but never used it, but now I do for brows. I’ve also been known to use lip & eye pencils interchangeably, but only in a pinch, or if I’m going for a more unconventional look. I also have a Sonia Kashuk angled liner brush that I find works best for brows. Finally, Revlon Pure Pearl eyeshadow as a face highlight, as I haven’t found one that is pale & cool-toned, but not pink and/or contains a golden sheen.
There is a shade in my Natural Eyes Palette from Too Faced that is an awesome highlighter for my cheekbones!
I use various eye shadows to fill in my brows. I like to do fun colored brows sometimes.
I also love to pat a little Sephora Girls Night Out shadow on top of matte red lipstick.
i use almost all of my eyeshadows as colored eyeliners. not as easy to apply as liquid or gel but it’s worth not having to go out and buy all the colors i want! i also use colourpop’s highlighter in wisp as an eyeshadow sometimes.
Resist Super-Light Daily Defense by Paula’s Choice has taken the place of my foundation primer, as well as being a great mattifier, sun protection, and light moisturizer. So you could say it does more like quadruple duty. Love it!
* I often use eyeshadows on my eyebrows, though the shadow itself varies. I frequently use colored shadows as powdered eyeliners or with a mixing medium as liquid liners.
*Naked Basics palette as a face palette: I can do my eyeshadow, eyeliner, eyebrows, face contouring and face highlighting with it. I pack it on trips to save space.
*Color Tattoos as eyeshadows, but mostly I use them as bases.
*Sleek Blush x 3 in Pink Sprint for blushes and I think they make great lip stains by themselves. Patted over lipstick, they give a pretty velvet finish.
* I use creamy eyepencils for lipliners, because I love “unconventional” colors. Sometimes I want a colored liner with those and not a clear one, so the edges look better. For example, L’oreal Silkissime in Green Ivy is perfect with Nyx Wicked in Trickery. It’s easy to get a spare navy, black, purple, etc. drugstore eyeliner to use on lips.
I wouldn’t call them “go-tos” but I’ve used blush for eyeshadow and vice versa; lipstick for cream blush and vice versa; highlighters for blush (if they’re too dark, they become a blush); bronzers for eyeshadows; eyeshadows for highlighters or contour shades and vice versa.
Yes! I use my liquid lipsticks for winged liner a lot! And I love Rituel de Fille’s red blush on the eyes, too. (See also eyeliners as lipliner and partially dried out mascara as brow tint.)
A few things, yeah. The most obvious is the Cargo stick blush that’s a 3-in-1 for lips, cheeks, and eyes. I have a dusky pink one and a rosy coral one.
As has already been mentioned, the Bare Minerals BB cream shadow serves as SPF 15, shadow base, and concealer. I have the Candlelit Peach and it actually does an excellent job of toning down the blue/purple underneath my eyes. If I’m in a rush, I’ll use just that for concealer and swipe a bit of my foundation over top.
Blush is the one I’ve used for years as a multi-tasker. Because I have 360 degree purple circles (mostly due to seasonal allergies, so I’m stuck with them), I like using a concealer on my mobile eyelid as well. This can give an oh-so-lovely reverse panda effect, if I’m not wearing much eye makeup. A tip I learned many years ago was to use the concealer, and then put a touch of whatever blush I’m wearing from lash line to crease. It ties the whole look together and gives me a pretty, polished look. Bronzer is the same.
Powder highlighters, I tend to also use on the browbone, and skip putting any shadow there.
I don’t do it anymore, but when I had very bright unnatural coloured hair, I occasionally would use a lip pencil or eye liner to do brows. And I’ve definitely used eye pencils as lip liners as well, again when I wanted a non-standard colour (although I also made sure I used a straw for any beverages and didn’t eat anything, just in case!).
And! Gel eyeliner – the kind in pots, like MAC Fluidline – as cream shadows. Copperthorne is gorgeous worn like that.
I have been using my lipsticks to use as blush when my blush stick ran out and actually I prefer it now, doubt I will ever buy blush again.
I’ve used MAC’s Taupe blush as a blush, contour, or eyeshadow depending on the occasion. I’ve also used various highlighters or bronzers as eyeshadow. Basically I will turn pretty much any powder product that is safe to use into eyeshadow if the occasion calls for it.
I hardly use dry shampoo for its intended purpose but I LOVE it for texture so my accordion headbands stay put. It’s also great as a mist to take the shine out of wigs for costuming, so they better resemble actual hair (since fiber that’s too shiny lights up under a camera flash and looks kind of icky). I also use UD’s Buck eyeshadow as my brow powder, and a red Maybelline lipliner solely to pencil in my brows when I cosplay Ariel, to match her fab red hair.
Hey, thanks for the tip about dry shampoo for toning down shiny wigs! I have a few friends who are going to be happy to hear about that. I appreciate it 🙂
On the rare occasion I fill in my brows, I use Faint from the UD Basics palette to do it.
MUFE Full Cover–it’s a concealer but I’ve used it as a full coverage foundation before.
I use my Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer as an eyeshadow in my crease as it seems to work for a lovely crease colour that’s rather natural-looking with my complexion. It’s really easy to blend which makes it even better for the crease!
I use Anastasia Brow Gel in clear to not only ‘groom’ my unruly brows but as a clear mascara to straighten out my overly curly eyelashes. I don’t know what ‘magic’ Anastasia puts in her brow gel but it’s the only one that doesn’t get gooey, flake, or make my eyebrows & eyelashes crunchy- and it doesn’t irritate my contact lenses.
Catrice eyeshadow in ‘Starlight Espresso’. Funny enough, I don’t use it as an eyeshadow (too chalky) but it is the perfect eyebrowshade for blondes and is my go-to contour shade!
What I use on my brow whenever I actually fill them in is the darkest (black) shade on the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette.
I use bronzers as a quick all-over lid colour.
I have a few products that are meant to do “double duty” – lip and cheek tints. Honestly it’s one of my fave things to wear on my lips. Always looks naturally healthy and I can add a clear gloss throughout the day. I love easy and “my lips but better” type products.
I used a color from Too Faced Natural palette, called “heaven” as a neutralizer for redness under eyes. It works a lot like the Bare Essentials “Well Rested” powder. I LOVE it.
Also, in the early 80s, I started using Clinique’s Touch Base shadows as an eye shadow base long before we were talking about shadow bases and every brand made one. They are still made and great – provide a soft shimmer on their own that stays. Only problem, is even though the snap shut [seemiling] tight, they dry out quickly.
Caudelie divine oil- for my face oil, hair oil and cuticles!
I use MAC 24 hour eye shadow primer on my eyebrows to make them look fuller and stand up. It works miracles.