1. Use eyeshadow as liner
No eyeliner? No problem: an eyeshadow can do the trick.
“Wet an eyeliner brush with water or setting spray, dip the wet brush into your eyeshadow, then line your eye as you would with traditional liner,” says makeup artist Dana Rae Ashburn-McKissock.
“For a softer effect, allow the wet shadow line to dry and lightly run a cotton swab along your lashline.”
2. Apply concealer in a triangle
Rather than dotting concealer under your eyes, apply it in an upside-down triangle shape to fully cover and brighten dark circles, then blend thoroughly.
3. Warm up your moisturiser
When smoothing on face or body moisturiser, warm it up by rubbing your fingers together before applying it directly to skin, recommends beauty writer Dori Price.
“This helps thin it out a bit so it sinks into your skin better for a more even application,” she says.
4. Turn lipstick into a stain
Put an end to smudging and fading by transforming your favourite lipstick shade (or a bolder one) into a lip stain.
“Apply a cream or liquid lipstick and leave it on for a minimum of 10 minutes,” advises Ashburn-McKissock.
“Then use a damp cotton round to lift some of the colour and follow that with a coat of lip balm for a hydrated, sheer look.”
5. Streamline your skincare
Cleanse and exfoliate at the same time by applying your face and body washes using skin brushes (there are specific tools available for both areas).
Or opt for 2-in-1 exfoliating cleanser formulas made with either physical exfoliants like jojoba beads or chemical exfoliants such as acids or enzymes.
6. DIY a tinted moisturiser
When you want a lighter-weight or more moisturising base, there’s no need to ditch your foundation — just turn it into tinted moisturizer.
“Put a penny-size amount of foundation and moisturiser in your palm and mix them,” says Ashburn-McKissock. Apply with your fingers or with a makeup brush as usual.
7. Curl lashes more than once
For fullness and length that lasts, don’t press just once with your eyelash curler. Instead, pulse a few times up the length of your lashes before applying mascara, then gently curl lashes at the base again once mascara is dry.
8. Shape and set brows
If you’re out of eyebrow gel or wax, try this DIY method to keep even the most unruly hairs in place.
“Apply a small amount of hair gel or hairspray to a clean spoolie brush [a brow brush] or toothbrush and comb your brows into place,” suggests Ashburn-McKissock.
Blend a thin line of light neutral eyeliner, eyeshadow or highlighter under arches to emphasise their shape.
And when it comes to removing stubborn mascara or eyeliner, use a spoolie brush to rub makeup remover between lashes before rinsing, says Sabina Wizemann, a chemist specialising in beauty products.
9. Do a speed mani
No lacquer (or drying time) needed to make nails look polished: try using a four-sided nail-buffing block.
“Start by filing nails with the side that has the roughest surface, then buff them with the other sides, which decrease in roughness as you go,” says Birnur Aral, a chemist specialising in beauty products.
“After the last side, the shine buffer, moisturise cuticles with oil and apply hand cream — your nails will look so good that they won’t even need nail polish.”
This article originally appeared in Good Housekeeping US.
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