If you’re like me, you want to lug as little back from your dorm to home as possible. However, sometimes this seems impossible – especially when things start running out. While I advise you to buy more snacks and drinks and other necessities if you need them, you don’t have to do the same with your beauty products. With a few substitutions, you can make the ends of your products last through that final week.
Problem: I only have enough nail polish to cover a few fingers
Don’t go buy a whole new bottle of nail polish if you don’t need it. To extend the life of your polish, one of two things can be done. If the polish is thick and not able to evenly coat your nails, add a drop or two of remover to the bottle and shake. This will thin up the polish and allow it to spread more easily. However, it does affect the lasting power. A second trick is to add a drop or two of top coat to your polish. This will mix with your polish to grant you some extra without affecting the color! The polish will be a bit sheerer, but for a quick fix that’s fine.
Problem: My favorite lip stain dried up
You can easily make a quick substitute for a lipstain using lip balm and lipstick. It does waste some product, so I wouldn’t do it all the time, but like all these tips it will work in a pinch. Put on a lipstick, preferably a darker one, and let it settle into your lips for about three minutes. Now swipe on the lip balm – this will pick up some product, but that’s fine because it’s what we want! After a minute or so, wipe off the lip balm. Tada! Perfectly hydrated and stained lips.
Problem: I’m out of anti-frizz cream
With the weather starting to warm up and become more humid, your hair is desperate for hydration and control. Without an anti-frizz cream, this may seem impossible. Never fear! Mix your favorite conditioner in a roughly 2:1 ratio of water to conditioner (more or less as you feel necessary). This will work as a substitute at any time. I like this trick for downsizing for travel as well.
Problem: The only razor blade I have is dull
It’s easy to get a few extra shaves out of a dull razor. They likely won’t be as precise as a fresh one, but again, if it’s all you have, why not? One of the main reason razors get dull is excess residue. Often times this is from shaving cream. Shaving cream is a soap. I’m going to let my inner chem nerd shine through. Soap is nonpolar, that’s why it isn’t dissolved by water. However, you can use other nonpolar substances to get rid of it (like dissolves like!). At home, I’d use a drop of olive oil or mineral oil. Any tanning oil or moisturizing oil you have works the same way. If you don’t have that here, a bit of body lotion will do the trick. As mentioned, water won’t dissolve these non polar substances. So to get the grease off, either use more soap and rinse the blade or use a bit of rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover (these work much faster). There you go! You’ve just earned another shave or two.
Problem: I’m out of moisturizer
This is one tip I would recommend doing even when you do have your favorite moisturizer around. Use
sunscreen! Just make sure it’s not too thick or chalky (some sunscreens leave a white residue). If you want your sunscreen to have a less dewy appearance, mix a little bit of face primer with it. If you do have just a little bit of moisturizer, put a smaller amount on than normal and then put primer over it – this will seal in the moisture to make the less product more efficient.
Problem: I have no more mascara
I guarantee you that there is still product in your mascara tube. It’s just probably stuck to the edges. Instead of scraping with your brush, roll the tube between your palms for a minute or two. This will warm up the tube and allow the product to free from the edges. This is a similar concept to how you would work with clay as a kid. The heat from your hands would loosen the bonds of the clay and allow it to be more malleable. The same applies to mascara or any liquid/semi-liquid product (liquid eyeliner, eye primer, etc)
Sources:
Amazon.com
Beauty.com