Creative Ways to Repurpose & Extend Your Makeup Products

There is no such thing as too much make-up.

I was going through my makeup recently, where I found so many lipsticks, eye shadows and eye liners.All of them were inching towards expiration. Most of them I purchased in flights of fancy and barely used. Guilt took over. It happens to the best of us.

The solution is to use makeup for multiple things. It makes you feel virtuous when you buy more makeup.

There are many advantages of being careful in using your makeup

• You can use up all your stash of makeup .Ta da no wastage .Now you can treat yourself by trying out newer brands.
• Eco friendly Diva. You are doing your part by ensuring that you don’t waste things .Less waste means less garbage.
• You can try and buy more makeup since you used up all your previous stuff.Lucky you!

How to turn your makeup into multi-purpose products

1. Lipstick:

Use as a cream blush .Swipe it on for that rosy glow (Here’s looking at you bright reds!)

2. Blush:

Brush it onto your eye lids for a pretty pink romantic look. Use it for contouring, if it’s dark.You can also mix blush with lipbalms / vaseline for a brighter lipcolour.

3. Eye shadow:

Wow, a genie in your pocket.

• That drab brown eye shadow will make a great contouring powder, what about that sparkly champagne color?
• A great highlighter!
• Pinks can be blush!
• Use eye-shadows as eye liner(aka kareenakaapor)
• Neutral shadows can fill in any thinning areas in your brows

4. Bronzer :

Sculpt your legs to make your legs look thin and long by applying some bronzer strategically on calves and thighs.

5. Mascara:

It makes for great shoe polish! Really! Just dab some on the shoe and polish with a piece of tissue or cloth. Great for spot cleaning! Colored mascara also makes great, trendy hair mascara!

6. Moisturizer:

Moisturizers are really batting for you .You can use your lotions or creams for makeup removal .Tame those pesky flyway frizzy hairs by slicking on a drop or two of moisturizer.They are also perfect for airport security check issues. Once, I was traveling from New Jersey (USA) to Miami and I got stuck in the security check as I was wearing golden bangles which were too tight.I tried hard to remove them but they were too obstinate.The Officer was getting impatient and I knew that I was heading to a “Pat down”. The eureka moment for me was when i used the cream i was carrying to grease my wrists and the bangles slipped off. Thank God for creams!

7. Boroline:

An all-rounder! Boroline is an antiseptic. so make sure you toss one in your travel bag.It heals chapped skin and lips and is good for babies too. Have you ever had a panty line rash due to sweat and sanitary pad use? You can banish the rash by rubbing boroline where your thighs meet and say goodbye to the rash.

8. Deo Stick:

Use deo sticks to slick the insides of your new shoes to avoid blisters later on . I had a perfect pair of shoes for the party but I was scared that I would end up with blisters. I rubbed my deo stick ( the gel kind) around the back of my new shoes and voila – I danced the night away with my prince charming

9. Talc:

I have often seen ads where girls swipe on powder and get a natural glow.So ,I decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised at the results .. Apply a little powder like ponds dream-flower for a fresh and oil free look. As usual always patch test before putting stuff on your face .

For information on when to discard makeup refer to chuck it .

The best part is that dumping a few multi-purpose items in your bag will ensure a glammed up avatar with just a few dabs. Enjoy!