What’s your most unconventional beauty trick or tip? Share!
Dip a pencil eyeliner into a gel eyeliner to apply, rather than use a brush! Otherwise… wear whatever you want, regardless of whether it technically “flatters” you – because if it makes you happy when you wear it, that’s what matters!
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You know how people run their pencil liner quickly through a flame to smooth out the product? I do that with my gel liner when it somewhat dries out a little. It makes it really smooth and picks up product onto the brush much easier. I love doing it to create a very defined cat eye.
Try really thin artist brushes (like from Hobby Lobby or Michaels) for gel eyeliner. The thin brush makes it easier to control and I have yet to see makeup brushes come that thin. Plus they’re pretty inexpensive.
I do this! I love the very thin, short ones for detail work!
I bought UD’s Greed eye primer on sale, but didn’t like the gold. So I use one of the black 24/7 eyeliner pencils and smudge some of it into the primer, turning the gold to silver. Easy Alchemy!
Use eyeshadow for everything! LOL – is that unusual? Brows, highlighter, custom lip colours, eyeshadow can do it all!
Alternatively, use something sheer-able but sparkly like Chanel Fantasme on your collarbones when you’re going out for the night. It adds a fun, ethereal sparkle, and I always get lots of compliments! Fantasme works easily on my vampire skin because it doesn’t have any colour, but you could try any shimmery or sparkly eyeshadow!
i like to blend a tiny bit of matte orange lipstick into my concealer to make it peachier to better cover my crazy dark undereye circles. and using stridex pads to prevent razor burn/ingrown hairs after shaving.
I love wearing nude lipstick but I always seem to run out of nude lip liners!
using an eye-liner pencil in a nude shade like Rimmels Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Nude is a great alternative if you shade it out
Hey that’s a smart tip! I might give it a try. Also, I really like your ‘disclaimer’ at the end, you are so right, I live by that motto.
I don’t know how unconventional they are, but I have two: I burn the tip of the pencil eyeliner to soften it before I apply it (it stays on and smudges better); I use alcohol instead of toner to keep my face acne-free.
alcohol???? sorry but that is SO bad for your skin!!!
I’ve been using it for 20 years and it does nothing but help.
So I guess it is unconventional :))
Bravo! It works for you so that’s good enough! : )
true! 🙂
The pencil liner/gel liner trick has been a life saver! It makes wearing gel liner at least 100x easier.
I don’t know that I have any that I haven’t learned from somewhere/someone so I’m thinking they can’t be all that unconventional. There is the Goss tip of lining your eyes with your eyelash curler. I thought it was all too groody horrorshow Clockwork Orangesque for me personally.
If it is like “Clockwork Orange,” I might need to try it.
you go! 🙂
You mean you can’t get behind Malcolm Mc Dowell in the Singin’ in the Rain sequence? Vis-cer-al!!!! I saw that one in London + was reading the Burgess novel at the time, too. Esp. since my mother is gone + I never go to theatre films anymore, it’s a great, if horrifying memory for me. MM in CO would be my only inspiration to ever try false lashes + Wayne is my fantasy spiritual child. But I haven’t tried the curler trick, either. Do like the WG brushes I got + def will order more. Clockwork Orange was Antonin Artaud’s quote personified: “Theatre is like the bubonic plague.” It’s a perspective….
Haven’t grabbed any WG brushes. I almost did but stopped myself. I have a lot of Hakuhodo and instead of WG grabbed a couple of Chikuhodo to round out .. I needed Chikuhodo Z-10 (softer pencil brush) desperately and it is an Eureka brush for my fat lower lid and I love it for outer crease.
For most of my young life, I was spending time with my divorced mother (unheard of in the 60’s..and OMG she must be possessed by the devil) on weekends in the theatre. During the week she was busy bringing home the bacon working as a dental hygenist. So weekends she would drag my brother and I to the theatre (of the movie variety because surely we couldn’t afford the Theatre(pronounce with British Accent)–which we loved for the most part–but she didn’t limit our access to some really freaky scary sh*t which had a rather profound effect on my budding psyche. Yes, Clockwork Orange, Planet of the Apes, The Birds..and Alfred Hitchcock!..I could wax philosophic..I really could
Chik, you rule + take yourself seriously (make-up wise.) I would if i could afford them. WG is a cheaper entry point for those of us who can only dream of ~Hodos. The Birds! OMG, i think i was in the eighth grade + went with my parents (gasp.) Realized I was 2 levels below the socially mature. Carol Friedman (also eighth grader) was there with a boyfriend, yet, one who could DRIVE. I felt very infantalized. Thought it was a big joke until the conflagration at the gas station + then was terrified. I probably was scoffing, because I was so embarrassed to see a peer with a date who drove. As I recall, she had on some decent makeup + I hadn’t even covered my circles. Boy, was junior high a time to get embarrassed by things that would not matter a whit as an adult.
PS, try the olive oil. can’t hurt….
Oh man, slayed by your comment and laughing like a silly girl. I spent a lot of time oogling Tippi Hedren’s nails..that is peeking through my own fingers.
I sometimes use powders under liquids/cream. For example I’ll use ambient lighting powder (dim or radiant) or translucent powder under foundation or cream blush, sort of the same way some might use a primer or illuminator. I know you’re “technically” not supposed to but it works for me.
Wayne Goss has a tutorial on this technique. I’m going to have to give it a try.
Cutting up stripe lashes atthe band into 3 or 4 sections to make it easier to apply. I also find that helpful for stiff band lashes for wearing mostly.
I place my tube of slightly dried out mascara in a mug of hot water to loosen it up while I apply the rest of my face, by the end of it, the mascara is like new!
I think I’ll try that with a liquid liner…
i put it in my pochet so that it heats up from my body temperature.works really good
I sit on it.
What a great question!
Orange and yellow eyeshadow can actually be extremely flattering and subtle. They almost always have a sheer base so they don’t go on garishly. Instead they add warmth and brightness that’s surprisingly subtle compared to the pot. Plus they make blue eyes pop like woah.
Yellow shadow makes me look jaundiced… Sigh. Any tips?
Try pairing with a bright pink, orange, or even a red-/pink-toned purple. Also, boldly lining the eyes will create more of a “barrier” between the eye and color, making the shadow color more of an “accent”, as opposed to the dominant focus. The bold liner “trick” also helps with wearing red shadows, for those who find they make them look ill. Deep eggplant or navy liners work well for those who find a bold black line to be too harsh.
CANT WAIT TO TRY ALL OF THIS! I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing the bold liner. I just don’t like my lower lid with black very often because I have smaller eyes. OMG, I’m already thinking of pairing the Stila liner in Mint Julep with yellow shadow too… *_* THANKS!
Also using a white base under the yellow will give a truer tone and less looking like a stain on your skin.
Exactly I like to use the NYX JUMBO stick in MILKY WHITE.
GENIUS! THANKS!
I used to use an old dried up L’Oreal liquid felt tip pen to apply my gel eyeliner! It sounds strange, but it’s the only way I could get my flick super sharp.
I just thought about trying that last night! I have a LORAC liner that just ended up leaking out a while back (that’s another story altogether…), but from what I was able to use from it, I really liked the tip, and the look ot gave. I was planning to return it to Sephora, but I guess I forgot, and came upon it yesterday. I tried it with cake liner, and loved the result!
Glad to know I’m not the only one!! 🙂
I *always* keep a can of cheap hairspray (eg, AquaNet) on hand, as well as 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, to remove any makeup “mishaps” on clothing. For washable materials, I simply spray the spot with the hairspray, and launder as usual. There have been times I had to do the process a few times (however, check for stains *before* putting in the drier!), allowing item to air-dry in between. For dry clean-only items, dab-DO NOT RUB-the spot, several times if necessary, send to cleaners, and it’s good as new. I’ve even done this with white/ivory silk blouses that have gotten traces of foundation or red lipstick, mand they came out fine.
I wear mostly black clothing, and “fall-out” from face powders, and deodorant residue can be a problem. I simply buff it out with an old pair of nylons (or, you can pick up a pair-or pack of knee-highs at a dollar store), and the spots come right off.
This isn’t completely “unconventional”, but don’t get stuck on “HG” brushes, and don’t write off any brushes because you found the “perfect” one. Like brushes, not all products are created the same. While one brush may work on 99% of your stash, and one brush doesn’t work that well with those, you may find that the “crappy” brush works wonders with that “horrible” product that just sits at the bottom of your drawer. You may find what becomes your most-loved product!
Finally, primers aren’t only for oily skin. Those with dry skin can also reap benefits. My dry skin just sucks the moisture from any foundations, causing anythin I apply on top of it to fade, as well. The same applies to eye products. I don’t have issues with creasing, but if the powder products have nothing tomgrab onto, they just disappear. Even applying a white concealer stick will help.
I like applying creamy pencil liner with an angled liner brush for a softer look. You just load the brush with the product by running it over the tip of the pencil a few times. It’s so pretty!
!Yes! I do this all the time. I find better control by fully loading an angle brush right off the pencil tip than with the pencil itself. Great also if your lids have a bit of uneven texture..no skips and starts.
I guess it could be applying pencil eyeliner with a pointed q-tip! I just rub the pencil on the tip a few times to transfer the color, and I can get a nice sharp cat eye with the pointed Q-tip. I usually do this when I weared color eyeliner, I like to put on the color eyeliner a bit thicker and then a very thin line of black liquid liner close to my upper lash line, it’s a nice and simple way to add a pop of color to a neutral eye when I’m wearing bright lips.
I comb out my lashes when they clump after applying mascara (when the mascara’s still wet) with an old mascara wand I cleaned off. This way I don’t have to pay for a lash fan brush. :p
And you have more options of which brush shape you want! It seems all lash brushes aremall pretty much the same…
I remove my eye makeup with a cotton ball dipped in olive oil. Works fantastic – even on waterproof mascara and 24 hr maybelline color tatoo shadows. The best part is that my 45 year old eyelashes are GROWING again!!!
mine isn’t really unconventional at all, but it was when I started doing it several years ago – I apply white/light sparkly eyeshadow with a small brush on the inner corners of my eyes. I know most people are so over it now, but I have very deep set eyes and adding that bit of light reflectiveness helps keep my eyes from looking quite so much like skull eyes
The only unconventional thing I do (it’s supposed to be a no-no), is I will use facial scrubs WITH MY CLARISONIC. My face is soft as babies skin after. I don’t do this every day, but at least 3 x week and then slather on my serums etc.
I spray hairspray on a spoolie to set my eyebrows. It’s cheaper than eyebrow gel.
I do the same at night to retrain some hairs that have grown in downwards due to improper plucking in the past.
Great question SheDaisy!
Use mousse or hairspray on a spoolie or brow brush to keep your eyebrows from straying instead of a brow gel. It will last much longer and is cheaper.
I use diluted apple cider vinegar as a toner on my face a few times a week, and have noticed a great improvement in my skin after I started doing this – including much fewer breakouts. It does something to improve the ph balance of your skin, according to what I’ve read.
Instead of using a lip brush, I use the cap of a lip or eyeliner or even the tip of the lip brush handle to apply lipstick from a palette or tube. It applies the product smoothly and evenly. I just wipe it down when done. I also use the remainder of the mascara left on the brush to fill in my brows. I’m not a fan of brows that are too ‘done’, but I like to fill in my sparse ones for a polished look. Whenever I try to draw them in I look silly.
I couldn’t do that trick with the mascara. I’d look pretty scary. I use taupe (a very light brown) on my brows. Lucky you that you can! Great time saving move!
I never add extra mascara to the wand. I make sure that most of it gets on my lashes before doing the brows. My lashes and brows are black and anything lighter than that looks off. Drawing them in, no matter how lighthanded I am looks too contrived and fake. The little bit of product left on the wand is just enough to give me a more polished look. The only other product that works for me is Urban Decay’s Stray – a deep brownish black liner that I use when I have extra time to play around (that is hardly ever).
Lipstick over lipgloss, or lipstick over tinted lipbalm.
Heavy moisturizing, then let it sit a few minutes before applying makeup.
Mixing foundation with moisturizer and/or serum before applying.
Using a full coverage foundation as a concealer.
To remove my eye makeup, I just use some Vaseline, and it almost works like a cleansing balm, and you can see the product breaking down. Then, I just wipe it away, and wash my face with cleanser.
It rarely happens, but if I have a makeup mishap such as mascara on my face, I wait for it to dry. After it is dry, I roll a q-tip over it lightly. This method removes the undesired part (ie mascara), but leaves the rest of the makeup unharmed underneath it. It is the only way I fix mistakes!
I put my oil-control mineral setting powder underneath my mineral powder foundation instead of over it. It keeps the oil under control much better, and still sets the makeup. If I really need to I can do another light coat over the foundation. I also put concealer over my foundation instead of under it. I find it sticks better.
Similar to your tip, Christine, I use a spent Liquid Eyeliner Pen and instead of a gel eyeliner, I’ve been using black eyeshadow for lining my eyes. Easy to remove too at the end of the day:)
It’s not that unconventional I guess, but I always apply eyeliner starting from the outer corner, then work my way towards the inner corner in short strokes. I have a lot more control doing that and my lines are thinner and crisper, even though the “rule” says you should do it from inner to outer corner.
I use a small, flat, paintbrush ($3 at Michael’s) to apply foundation to my face before blending it out with a buffing brush. Any flat concealer brush works. I squeeze/ pump the amount of foundation I want onto the back of my hand, then dip into it using the smaller flat brush and stripe it on the areas I need the most coverage. I find that this gives me the most even base possible.
I use the lighter side of Anastasia’s Brow Powder Duo in Med. Brown to contour my nose. I apply it in a “V’ shape where my nose joins my brow-bone to give my face depth and dimension. Then I take whatever is left on the brush down the sides of my nose. The shade and is perfect.
I apply a pore-filler (Clarins Instant Smooth/ Dr. Brandt Pore Refiner/ L’Oreal Miracle Blur) to the areas where my pores are larger and more obvious, then I gently press a blotting sheet to those areas. It instantly mattes down my skin and makes my complexion look perfectly smooth and poreless. Finally, I set my face with a small amount of shine-control powder to make the effect last.
These methods may not be totally unconventional, but they are what I do nearly every day and find to be less seen/ talked-about. 🙂
The one I do the most is either use HD powder or rub my finger over Mallys poreless face defender and pat it over any lipstick for matte lips. I also mix a colored conceAler with a clear primer to make a diy color correcting primer…I could go on and on…I’m like makeup MacGyver.
Against clumpy or dry mascara I put a couple of drops of argan oil into my mascara tube. The oil also keeps my eyelashes nourished and is said to help lashes grow.
Before I wash my hair I put some coconut oil on the strands. I then wash my scalp and when I rinse the shampoo also washes out the oil. This really helps protecting and cleaning my oily scalp, dry ends hair.
Instead of using a corrector to cover hyper hyperpigmentation & dark spots, use an orange lipstick. I keep one MAC Morange for my lips and another for my face!
Since Morange doesn’t flatter me as a lip color, I will try to use it as a color corrector. I will de-pot it and add the tube to my Back to MAC stash. Good tip.
I don’t know how unconventional is my trick but it works like heaven for me. I remove my make up by washing my face with a Dove soap bar, as simple as that. I wet my whole face, eyes included, and then I rub my hands with Dove soap bar until I have a rich foam and then I rub my face with my hands, eyes included and I rinse my face with plenty of water and dry it with a kitchen paper towel, so I don’t get any threads or cotton particles on my skin as when using a fabric towel. It does work fantastically and removes all my make up, even mascara, and I get a smooth and crispy clean skin.
I use Rimmel taupe pencil to fill my brows.
The color is perfect, it is not expensive and long lasting.