16 Makeup Hacks to Help You Get the Most Out of Your Products

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More Cheap Makeup

We’re breaking down our favorite makeup hacks!

makeup storage hacks using household goods hip2save

Get as many uses out of your products as possible!

To anyone who invests their hard-earned dollars in any beauty product, it would be a shame to not get the most out of them. We’re introducing you to simple makeup hacks, whether it’s clever ways to up your beauty game or how to help your favorite makeup last longer.

Some of these makeup hacks have onlinepletely saved my routine, and we’re pumped to share them with you. Let us know if you have any helpful hacks we can try, too!


Here are 16 makeup hacks to try out:


1. Use a toothbrush for your baby hair.

brushing baby hair with toothbrush

This is one I use on the reg! As someone with naturally curly hair, my flyaways and baby hairs are astronomical. 😵‍💫

The most helpful technique I’ve found is spraying a toothbrush with hair spray and onlinebing them back with it. It lasts all day, and is super precise!


2. Get the most out of your powder makeup by mixing it into some lotion when it’s almost gone.

hand holding empty powder makeup

If you’ve only got a small amount of shimmery powder left, mix the remnants into a moisturizer and store it in a reusable container. Then use the lotion on your legs, arms, and shoulders to give your skin a glowy effect. ✨

For colored powders, try mixing the powder with a bit of coconut oil to make a tinted lip balm or a cream blush!


3. Know the expiration dates on products to use them before they lose their potency.

expiration date on lotion

As great as is it to increase the longevity of your makeup and skincare, you should always make sure you’re not using expired products.

Check for the symbol with a number next to an “M” to know the shelf life in months of the product. It may not necessarily go bad after that time frame, though it may likely lose its effectiveness.


4. Fix broken makeup with alcohol.

before and after of pink makeup broken vs fixed

So your favorite palette dropped and now the pressed powder is broken — it happens! This makeup hack fix is as simple as adding a few drops of alcohol, mixing the powder, and letting it dry back into its form! No need to worry about tossing away the broken bits of makeup.

You can also transfer the pieces to a small jar and crush them up to use as a loose powder instead.


5. Store infrequently used skin care products in the fridge.

hand holding green bottle of face mask in front of fridge

There’s a bit of back and forth about what should and shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator. As a rule of thumb, skincare products you use every day or up to every few days can be stored at room temperature.

Products that aren’t used as frequently can be kept cool in the fridge to preserve their shelf life, which is especially helpful when they’re naturally formulated and have fewer preservatives.


6. Try using lipstick as a blush.

use lipstick as blush as a clever makeup hack

You can get a “liquid blush” from a lipstick of your choice. Although I’ve seen people put the lipstick all over blush areas before putting foundation on, simply putting a dash on your cheeks will do the trick.

The deeper the color, the less you have to use. Note that liquid lipsticks definitely won’t blend, so use regular ones! In the picture above, I’m using a Huda Beauty lipstick.

You could also apply liquid blush first followed by the rest of your makeup. That’s right, even before foundation! This way, if you have a powerful liquid blush, such as Rare beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, you’ll have a more subtle effect when foundation is layered over top.


7. Grab a lip-plumping product for an “at-home lip injection” effect!

woman holding Buxom lip plumper

Okay, there’s really no way to get at-home lip injections. However, there are so many lip-plumping products that do appear to have that “plumping” effect.

We have an entire post about which lip plumpers we do and don’t reonlinemend to help you get started! As a teaser, the Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Cream is one of our favorites!


8. Get a brow lift by using brow gel.

eyebrow gel

The brow lift look transforms your face, and it’s super flattering on pretty much everyone. I apply the Strong Hold Clear Brow Gel from Anastasia Beverly Hills (my forever favorite brow product!) and then add a few strokes of Milani’s Weekend Brow Pen in any areas where I don’t have as much hair. I Colour Pop brow gel if you’re looking for an inexpensive option.

Some people use brow wax and refer to a similar routine as “soap brows”, but personally I didn’t like that process. I have dark, thick eyebrows and found actual pieces of wax or “soap” literally in my eyebrows, and the hold wasn’t that impressive. If it works for you, go for it!


9. Revive dry mascara with contact solution or eye drops.

hand holding dropper bottle of eyedrops putting into purple mascara bottle

If you’ve got a tube of mascara that’s starting to clump or has dried out from a loose top, refresh it by squeezing a few drops of eye contact solution or eye drops into the tube. We reonlinemend this when your mascara dried up faster than expected, otherwise, mascara past its shelf life should be ditched.

To prevent future clumping, don’t pump the wand in and out of the tube — this motion introduces tons of air which speeds up the drying process.


10. Use your shimmery eye shadows as a highlight.

highlight on makeup pallet

If you have any sparkly eyeshadows, try putting a little on your cheekbones and see how well it works as a highlighter! I love also putting some on my cupid’s bow and nose.

My favorite makeup hacks are when you can use one product on multiple areas of the face. As you can see, I’ve hit pan on my favorite shade from this Anastasia Mini Soft Glam Palette because I use it all over! 😄


11. Cut your false lashes before applying.

false eyelash makeup hack with scissors

The length of a lash is going to fit differently in everyone’s eyes. The best way to measure the length is to put it on your eye and see how long it is. This will also increase the likely hood of the lashes staying on your eye and not falling off.

I always cut a little off so the lash doesn’t bother or fall into my eye. Make sure you cut the end of the lash strip as opposed to the inner corner of the strip as it will look the most natural when you cut the longer side.

If you’re looking for a lash reonlinemendation, for a drug store brand I love Ardell lashes (pictured above) and Huda lashes for a “luxury” brand.


12. Curl your lashes before and after you apply falsies.

woman holding eyelash curler

Before and after applying false eyelashes, make sure you use an eyelash curler on them. Not only does it merge your real lashes with the fake ones, but it also shapes them to look more realistic and pop. Skipping falsies? Curling your eyelashes at the base of the lash and mid-way will create a stunning curl even when you’re just opting for mascara.


13. Buy a pack of mascara brushes for tons of uses!

clean mascara brush

Having a pack of clean mascara brushes, or spoolies, can be super useful. These tightly wound wand bristles are great for brushing eyebrows, and I’ve even used them to brush and clean my eyelashes after wearing makeup. Plus, you can get a pack of 50 on Amazon for less than $4!

This also works for taming flyaways similar to the toothbrush hack in #1, but I find the size of a toothbrush is more suitable for baby hair than these clean mascara brushes. Another makeup hack is to add some castor oil to these brushes to nourish your brows and lashes.


14. Return empty MAC makeup containers for a FREE lipstick.

drawer with mac makeup

If you’re a MAC Cosmetics junkie, your loyalty will be rewarded! Once you save up 6 MAC primary packaging containers, you can return them via mail and receive a FREE tube of lipstick, lip gloss, or single eyeshadow of your choice! This incentive is thanks to their Back to MAC program as part of their onlinemitment to the environment.


15. Use your powder products after your liquid ones.

woman applying face powder makeup hack

If you’re doing a full face of makeup, always put things like liquid concealer, contour, and foundation on first. Your powder products will be applied after. This way, your powder will lock in your liquid products, and you’ll avoid looking cakey.


16. Extend your blowout and get healthier-looking hair with a silk pillowcase.

silk pillows on a bed

According to this silk bedding blog, silk pillowcases keep your face healthy, help your skin retain moisture, reduce your chemical exposure, are naturally hypoallergenic, reduce split ends, and there are so many more benefits!

Plus, they’re easy to care for since they can be machine washed! Check out these budget-friendly silk pillowcases on Amazon that we love!


These are the very best dry shampoos that our team and readers love!


About the writer:

Kaitlyn has a Bachelor's Degree from St. John's University with 2 years of writing experience for LinkedIn, Celeb Magazine, and other various publications.


Join The Discussion

onlinements 18

  1. Wink

    Thanks excellent tips.

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      You’re so welonlinee! Glad you enjoyed the post!

  2. Stormy

    In reference to #2 listed, I mix my foundation with the tanner that I love (NuSkin) about twice weekly. I also try to remember to mix with the tinted moisturizer reonlinemended by my dermatologist. I’ve found that she desires spf 30 and many moisturizers are only spf 15. Anyhow, just my two cents!

    • natie

      Thanks for your tips. I totally going to use them

  3. jennifer

    I’ve tried and tried sleeping on a satin pillow case and I really don’t like that slippery texture. I wish I could, I’m sure I would have better looking hair.

    • Lori

      Same here. And it gets hot! Everyone tells me that satin pillowcases stay cool but not for me.

      • MeRiv

        Try a 100% silk pillow case, I believe the satin ones are polyester which is like sleeping on plastic 😉

  4. Jackie

    If your mascara is dried out, it might be time to replace it. Opened mascara should really be tossed after 3 months.

    • Rae

      Mine dries out fairly quickly. I use a lot of mascara though so using eye drops in it helps it last a bit longer. I buy 1 or 2 mascara per month.

  5. natie

    These are great. Thank you

    • Jennifer (Hip Sidekick)

      You are very welonlinee, natie!

  6. Holly E

    OMG thank you. I had to throw out my favorite bronzer because I dropped it and it broke. I wish I knew about the alcohol tip.
    Thanks
    Holly

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      You’re SO welonlinee! Glad these tips were helpful!

  7. Allison

    If I have a full coverage matte foundation and want a more luminous look, I’ll mix some Mac strobe cream (LOreal has one too) to get a dewy look

  8. Sherly Ferr

    Perfectly pent subject material, Really enjoyed looking at.

  9. rebecca

    If you have an eye cream that has gotten old and it’s not all the way used up, or you tried it for a couple weeks and don’t really like it for eyes, you can use it on your neck or cuticles as a moisturizer at night to use it up.
    Also, tiny little spatulas are great for when your moisturizer/eye cream/liquid makeup/lipstick is at the end of the bottle and you are having trouble getting the rest out. I had a lipstick run out, so i scooped out the rest (the part below the base) and mixed it in a pot of lip balm to make a tinted gloss.

    • Jessica (Hip Sidekick)

      Great suggestions, rebecca! Thanks so much for taking the time to share some hacks that work for you! 💞

  10. Mary

    What is a good matte make up to hide wrinkles

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