Basic Beauty Hacks You Need To Know

From the outside looking in, the makeup industry can seem very intimidating. Many people are still under the impression that the art of makeup is far too difficult to master and frankly, that’s far from the truth. Just like every other skill or hobby there is, practice makes perfect. Absolutely nothing is stopping you from becoming your own beauty guru, not only that but imagine the money you’d save from not having to go see a professional makeup artist every time you want your face beat because you can simply do it yourself!

Now, I am in no way saying don’t support your local MUAs, do so as much as possible. However, it is important to support the bank balance at the same time. If your daily lifestyle entails wearing makeup everyday then surely you should know a thing or two about applying it.

Whether you’re a beginner in the world of makeup or a pro looking to experiment with a new technique, today is your lucky day! I’m going to let you in on a few basic beauty hacks that are guaranteed to take your makeup game to the next level.

For a night out or any other special occasion it’s a given that you will consider wearing lipstick and as tempting as it is, many of us (myself included) opt for a clear gloss instead. This is often because the thought of reapplying your lipstick every so often when the color fades or starts to look tacky, not to mention the occasional smudging can be tedious. Lucky for you, you’re in the right place. The secret to longer lasting lipstick is a short and sweet, step by step method.

1.  First things first, exfoliate. Scrubbing away dry/flaky skin on your lips with either a lip scrub of your choice or soft bristled toothbrush will result in a smoother looking finish.
2.  Next up you will need to prime your lips. If you do not own a lip primer you can easily use waterproof concealer as a substitute. Implementing this step will ensure the color pastes efficiently to your lips.
3.  Apply lip liner around the perimeter of your lips to prevent lipstick from bleeding out onto your skin, thus ruining the desired lip shape.
4.  Time for color! Fill in the area of your lips with your lipstick.
5.  Lastly, set the color with a translucent powder using your finger of lipstick. and add a final coat of lipstick.

Filling in eyebrows can appear to be a tricky task, but with the right advice, and products you won’t break a sweat trying to do so.

•  Depending on your desired look, mascara, eye shadow, or eyeliner can be used to fill your eyebrows. For a subtle hint of color, stroke through your eyebrows gently with mascara (this will also tame your eyebrow hairs in place.)
•  You can use liquid eyeliner to fill in sparse areas in your brows. This is done by drawing short feathery strokes across the bare patches.
• Mix eye shadow with contact lens solution and fill in your brows for dramatic definition.

It goes without saying that the longer and thicker your eyelashes are, the better. Bold lashes accentuate the eyes in the best way possible. Follow this recipe for luxurious lashes to make your eyes pop:

1. You will need to curl your lashes with an eyelash curler and line up the lash hairs appropriately in order to open up your eyes for applying the mascara. (Heat up the eyelash curler with a lighter for a longer lasting curl.
2. Prime your eyelashes with an eyelash primer or by brushing through them with a small amount of Vaseline on a spoolie.
3. Add your first coat of mascara, making sure to apply it from root to tip.
4. Lightly coat your lashes with translucent powder using a Q-tip.
5.  Finally, add one last coat of mascara and voila!

While we’re on the topic of eyelashes, synthetic ones are all the rage these days and are becoming more and more popular by the day. False lashes vary in length and thickness, depending on the type of look you’re going for and applying them is as easy as just two steps!

1. Line up the false lashes along your lash line. If the extension is longer than your lash line, you will need to trim off the excess to avoid the edges sticking out and upwards thus making it look shabby.
2. Apply lash glue along the band of the eyelash extension. Wait about 30 seconds for the glue to get tacky before sticking it along your lash line.

N.B- Most false lashes are re-useable and in order to clean them for your next use, simply the lashes in micellar water. After this use a clean spoolie to brush out any remaining product and tweezers to pluck off any loose glue.