5 Makeup Hacks for the Budget Babe

Makeup is (almost) every girl’s guilty pleasure. From its wide range of brands to an even bigger variety of products to use, the wish list is endless! Because we don’t all have expandable wallets, here’s a cheat sheet on stretching every dollar.

Look fabulous without leaving a dent in your wallet? We’re sold! Browse through these suggestions and do-it-yourself ideas:

Eyeliner comes in many forms and the most common ones are the pencils. Purchase a pencil one as it looks great for underlining your lower lid. The best part? It doubles as gel liner! All you need to do is swipe it across a flame for a second (think: lighter or candle). Give it about 8 seconds to cool down, then run it across your eyelids. The consistency changes from a more solid feel to something that is creamy and easier to glide on.

Mascara is a miracle worker, especially for those with shorter lashes. The problem with it though, is that it tends to dry up easily and that can get pretty frustrating when it’s a fairly new one. Add a few drops of saline water, then mix it in. This liquidises the hardened mascara and makes it easy to apply again.

After drawing on eyebrows, it’s best to comb down stray hair that have a tendency to mess up your sleek look. To do this, use mascara to lightly push down the hair in place. This not only helps it stay in shape, but also fills in brows that are more sparse. Your second option is to use a clean mascara wand, spray it with a little hairspray, then brush your hair down. If you’re not a fan of the other alternatives, use Vaseline in the same wya. No more stray eyebrow hair to ruin your #flawlessface.

No time to wash your hair and running out of dry shampoo for a quick fix? Fret not, as baby powder not only works on your skin, it also doubles as a dry shampoo substitute. It helps soak up the excess grease and adds volume to your hair. If you have darker hair, make sure to use very little powder or alternatively, opt for cocoa-based powders. Good looking hair that smells great – why not!

Speaking of powder, it also works as a lipstick setter. if you don’t have a specific type of product to set your lip colour already, powder works great. The idea is to place a ply of tissue over your first layer of lipstick, then apply a light layer of loose powder over your lips with a brush. The tissue works as a mediator to ensure not too much is applied directly. Plus, it helps helps fill in lip crack gaps.