Break out the office supplies and kitchen utensils, because improving your morning makeup routine is about to get a lot easier. Some of the things you have lying around the house can provide the perfect solution for some of the most common beauty problems. We've collected 10 of our favorites.
1. Eliminate Acne with a Pepto Bismol Face Mask
There are countless at-home remedies for clearing up acne breakouts—but no matter what you try, it's nearly impossible to get rid of those unsightly bumps immediately. When you're in need of a quick fix, try improving your skin and hiding your zits with a splash of Pepto-Bismol.
This popular pink stomach soother can take your face from acne-ridden to smooth and clear in just 10 minutes. Its medicinal qualities are exactly what make it such a powerful beauty tool. Pepto-Bismol contains salicylic acid, the same ingredient as expensive acne-curing creams and masks. Additionally, the bubblegum-colored liquid offers aspirin and beta hydroxy acid, both of which reduce inflammation—minimizing the redness of any leftover acne.
Use a makeup brush to apply Pepto-Bismol onto to any particularly troublesome spots on your skin. Don't dilute or mix it with any other solution; just let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, rinse or wipe it off carefully—leaving any trace of the mask will give your skin a pink tint.
2. Curl Your Eyelashes with a Spoon
Before you lean in to perfect your eye makeup in the bathroom mirror, head into the kitchen and grab a spoon. This utensil can give your lashes a boost in just seconds.
Place the spoon against your eyelid right at the lash line, with the curve resting on your skin. Once the spoon is in place, press a finger against your lashes and pull the spoon upwards in a quick, flicking motion.
The move should be similar to curling ribbon—twist your wrist and slide the spoon against your lashes while placing pressure on them with your finger. To cover all of your lashes, you may need to repeat the maneuver two to three times on each lid.
3. Slather on Some Mayo to Heal Split Ends
Mayonnaise might not be the healthiest condiment for sandwiches, but it does offer hair a host of benefits. Instead of rubbing expensive hair products into your scalp, try a few spoonfuls of mayo.
As an oil-based product, mayo is loaded with the ideal ingredients to make your hair shiny and smooth. Oil will give your locks added shine, while smoothing out any flyaways and tough tangles.
You apply a "mayo mask" to your hair either mid-shower when it's damp, or any time it's dry. You can use as much or as little as you like: simply apply the desired amount as you would any other hair product.
Once finished, wrap your hair around your head and cover it with a shower cap. After it's had a chance to sit for a few minutes, remove the cap and rinse. If your hair is facing a more serious split-ends problem, leave the mayo on your hair for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Apply Eyeliner Easily with Scotch Tape Guidelines
Solve your shaky eyeliner woes by creating a guideline out of scotch tape. Simply stick a piece of tape wherever you want your eyeliner to go.
If you like to keep your liner straight and simple, place the tape along the outer edge of your eye. If you prefer to extend the color beyond the corner of your eye, stick it beyond the corner of your eye so your pencil or brush has a longer line to follow. The goal is to create a line that your pencil or gel pen can glide against to create a smooth, straight line.
Once your tape is in place, go ahead and take your liner to your eyelid. Let the liner follow the tape line, drawing right against the edge of the tape. As soon as you're done, peel the tape off and admire your perfectly precise lines!
5. Keep Mascara at Bay with a Business Card
Business cards can help you make a good first impression in more than one way: they offer the perfect solution for those who face the daily struggle of shaky mascara application. Rather than staring into the mirror, eyes and mouth stretched open in an effort to apply the perfect swipe of mascara, grab one of your extra business cards.
Lightly hold one of your business cards at the base of your eyelid, where your lashes meet the lid. Draw the shape of your eye on the card, and cut along that line. Use the card to pull your eyelid up a tiny bit, and swipe on your mascara of choice, letting any excess hit the card. When you're done with the upper lashes, simply swap the card's position and hold it beneath your lowers.
This trick allows you to easily apply mascara without the worry of making a mistake that's difficult to fix. You'll be ready to face the world—without unsightly mascara streaks surrounding your eyes.
6. Take a Toothbrush to Your Skin
In recent years, face washing has upped its ante with a rise in the use of vibrating brushes. Instead of paying for a pricey vibrating brush, reach into your medicine cabinet for a toothbrush.
If you're anything like me, you have a stash of spare toothbrushes hiding in your bathroom anyway. Break one out and give your face the spa treatment by using it in place of a pricey cleanser. Toothbrush bristles provide the exact same features as fancier brushes; it just takes a little more effort to achieve results.
If you have a spare electric toothbrush (or an extra head you can swap out your mouth one for), you can even get the exact same vibrating and spinning action.
Apply your favorite face wash as usual, but instead of scrubbing away with your fingers, use that toothbrush. Gently scrub your skin in small circles, or turn on your electric version and let it do the work. With the toothbrush method, you'll reap the benefits of clearer, smoother skin without paying a price.
7. Use Tea Bags to Heal Razor Burn
Tea can do wonders for your energy, offering a shot of caffeine that's nearly equal to coffee, but its benefits can extend to your skin as well.
The next time you're about to toss out a wet tea bag, consider reusing it. Damp tea bags can heal razor burn better than any lotion. After soaking the pouch of herbs for a minute or two in hot water, lay them against your skin in any spot your razor went rogue. The tea will cool the hot, painful bumps and soothe the area.
Any tea will do, but you don't have to get fancy. Look for cheap, plain black tea—this type offers the greatest amount of tannic acid, which is perfect for calming painful rashes in addition to healing razor burn.
8. Vaseline Can Help Your Perfume Stick Around
You might already apply petroleum jelly to your feet before breaking in a new pair of shoes. While this slick solution is great at preventing shoe-on-skin friction, it can also keep you smelling like a bed of roses all day.
Rub on a tiny dab of Vaseline, or any brand of petroleum jelly, on your skin before spraying perfume. Once your skin has absorbed most of the goop, spritz your signature scent on those spots. The oils that make up Vaseline will grab onto the scented molecules and hold them against your skin, slowing the evaporation process.
9. Quickly Clean Your Hair with Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are a scented wonder when it comes to laundry, and they can work that same magic on your hair during particularly dry weather.
Discovering your hair is full of static is annoying, to say the least. Prevent it from clinging to your skin and shocking you by rubbing a dryer sheet over your strands. A quick once-over will stop even the most static-friendly ponytail from causing problems.
As an added bonus, you'll also refresh your 'do, as the dryer sheet's scent will leave a little trace of freshness behind.
10. Help Makeup Slide Off with Olive Oil
Tired of fighting to remove your waterproof makeup each night? Stop putting your skin through the torture of repeated scrubbing and use olive oil instead.
Though applying olive oil onto your already oily and dirty face might sound counterintuitive, using olive oil instead of water will give you a little more of a glow. Water and chemically-based cleansers strip our sensitive skin, drying it out in the process. Olive oil, on the other hand, dissolves the gross, dirty oil hanging out on your face—and this dissolving power is enough to break down tough products like waterproof eyeliner and mascara.
Forget turning on your bathroom faucet; instead, open your kitchen cabinet and fill your hands with olive oil. Once you're finished giving your face a gentle scrub with the oil, rinse it off—and watch your makeup disappear down the drain.
Change Up Your Beautification Routine
Don't stop improving your beauty routine by simply swapping out pricey products for household alternatives. You can improve the quality and remove the toxicity of your favorite makeup products by exchanging them for food-based remedies that are easy to mix up in the kitchen.
Cover image (facial mask) via Shutterstock
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