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Thrifty Makeup Tips - Tips for
Stretching Your Makeup's Life
ByFaith Lawless, About.com
See More
About:
* lip
gloss
* mascara
*
foundation makeup
* toss out makeup
Things can be tough at times, which can
make it difficult to keep purchasing your favorite makeup
items when the cosmetic companies suggest. Well, your makeup
can last longer than you realize, plus there are ways to save
money by not tossing the leftovers in the trash.
• Lipstick can be used up to 2 years,
as long as it doesn't smell or look funny. So when you are
down to the very bottom of your tube and only have that little
nub left, don't toss it out. Instead scrape it into a
container for later. A great container to use is an empty lip
gloss or single eyeshadow pot, just as long as you clean it
first.
So what's the best way to scrape your
lipstick tube clean? Simply take a Q-tip and remove the cotton
from the end. Once all traces of cotton are removed you can
use it to scrape the remaining lipstick from the tube and
place it in the empty pot for later. If you want to get really
creative, you could mix different shades to make your own,
once you blend them together.
• Lip gloss works the same way as
lipstick and will last up to 2 years. There really isn't a
great way to scrape and conserve lip gloss, but what would you
do if you ran out of it? If you want a to make your own color
of lip glass, take a clean an empty lip gloss pot, add a
little petroleum jelly, and then add a little of your leftover
lipstick that you have scraped. If it doesn't blend together
well you can put it in a microwave safe container and heat it
up for a few seconds. Just make sure you don't overheat it,
and don't apply it unless you check the temperature first.
• Pressed face powder will normally
last for one year or longer. Quite often you can't get all of
the powder out of your compact because the powder is stuck in
the corners or breaks apart, which makes it hard to carry in
your purse. There is no big save for this problem, so you will
have to buy a new pressed powder, but you can save the
leftover powder in a container and use it as a loose powder at
home.
You can purchase a small travel-size
container from any store, just as long as it has an open mouth
top so you can reach the powder with your brush, or you can
use a small storage container cup. It doesn't matter what you
use as long as the container has a lid to keep the powder
inside. In order to make the pressed powder usable, make sure
you crush it so is similar to the consistency of loose
powder.
• Concealer, depending on the
formulation, can last around 8 months. If you are using a
stick concealer that looks like a lipstick tube, you can
scrape the leftover concealer into a clean container, just as
you can with your lipstick. Squeeze-tube concealers and other
concealers where you cannot get into the container will be
very difficult to save any remaining product, unless you
perform surgery on the package and that could be very
messy.
Instead, if you are using a concealer
that cannot be opened to scrape and you are in need of a
concealer, simply use the semi-dried foundation makeup that
collects around the cap of your foundation bottle.
• Blush can last around a year before
you need a new one. If you have a favorite powder blush that
you use almost daily, try the same trick mentioned before
about the pressed face powder. Put any remaining breakage and
crumbs into a container, crush to make it easier to use, and
then store it with a lid for later use. If you are using a
cream blush and it is in a pot container, you can scrape the
sides by using the Q-tip method mentioned in the lipstick
area, smooth it out evenly, and continue to use it until
completely finished. Just make sure to keep the pot for future
storage uses.
• Mascara should be tossed every 6
months, since it is worn so close to your eyes. The thing
about mascara is that there really is no way to scrape out
mascara for later without it drying out. So how can you
conserve on mascara? Well, most companies will try to tell you
to ditch you mascara every 3 months, when you can actually
keep it for 6. Another tip is not to pump your mascara because
this gets air into the container, which will make it dry out
faster and flake while on your lashes. A final tip is if you
buy department store brands, don't be afraid to ask for
mascara samples while you are there. Most cosmetic companies
will have samples of mascara for you to try, and the sample
tube can last for 1-2 months. But if that tactic fails, then
look for gift time because many gifts with purchase have a
mascara sample
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