Alternate Uses For Beauty Products

As someone who owns entirely too many beauty products, I always find myself with left overs of things I either liked but didn't love enough to use them up, or things I didn't like but couldn't return. There are also the things I liked but forgot about because I got another thing just like it that I liked slightly better and by the time I remembered the first thing, it was too late to use it or I forgot it again [it's a never ending cycle.]

Because of my constant surplus of stuff and my guilt about throwing things away because I'm broke, I find myself having to come up with creative ways to use up products. Some of these, I've discovered on my own, but most, I've collected from various magazines and blogs.

Conditioner= Shaving Cream
I've never [not once in my life] used up an entire bottle of conditioner on my hair. There are just too many other ones to try for me to patiently wait until the bottle runs out. Instead, when I'm done using a conditioner, I use it as a shaving cream. It moisturizes just as well, if not better than a regular shaving cream, and it makes my legs smell super nice.

Shampoo= Soap
Though shampoo tends to be something I do usually finish, sometimes I just don't like the way a particular one works with my hair. Instead of tossing it out, I just use it as hand soap. Also, because the majority of shampoos have some conditioners in them, it won't dry out your hands the way a regular soap can.

Lipstick= Cream Blush
Every girl knows this, it's almost too obvious. Clearly, it can only be done with certain shades of lipstick [I don't think you want purple blush.]

Concealer= Eye Shadow Primer
 I've read some makeup artists say that concealer won't work as a primer, but in my experience, it works just fine. And, Paula Begoun says it can be done, so it has to be true!

Baby Shampoo= Brush Cleaner
I don't actually buy baby shampoo to use on myself [as I'm no longer a baby :P] but I buy it specifically to clean my brushes because it's cheaper. Since the formula is milder than other shampoos and soaps, it's great to clean your brushes without ruining them and making them harsh.

Clear Nail Polish=Preserve Costume Jewelry
This is something else I don't actually use to begin with [because clear polish is so boring it makes me cry,] but i buy it for it's alternative use. Simply paint over the rhinestones on costume jewelry and it will hold them in place longer. Also, a clear coat on the inside of a ring will keep it from turning your finger green.

Mascara= Tame & Color Brows
This actually only works if you have dark hair like me, otherwise you'll end up with blonde hair and black eyebrows [which would only look good if paired with that purple lipstick as a blush.] When a mascara dries out and can't be used anymore, I run the wand lightly over my brows to give them a little color and tame them. The keyword here is LIGHTLY.

Eye Shadow/Pigments= Liner, Blush, Highlighter, Gloss
Eye shadows and more specifically loose pigments can be used for almost anything provided they're the right colors.
A light shadow can be used as a highlighter on the brow bone and cheek area.
A dark or bright shadow can be used as a liner when you want a more subtle look and not the harsh lines that traditional liners tend to leave.
Any shade that looks natural can be used a blush.
Mix a little bit of clear gloss with a loose pigment to create a shimmery lip shade.

What do you do with your old products?

Wet n Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner & H2O Proof Liquid Eyeliner Review

I was never into Wet N Wild in the past, I felt like their products left much to be desired.

However, ever since they redid their image, I cannot get enough of them. I've yet to try a single WNW product that I don't absolutely love.

I've recently become obsessed with eyeliners, so I've been on a hunt for the perfect liquid liner for weeks. I might have found it.

First up is Wet n Wild Mega Liner. This is absolutely amazing. I only bought the Turquoise color to test out and see if I liked it, and now that I have, I'm definitely buying the rest.

My favorite thing about this liner is that it's a brush. Felt tip liners always kind of annoy me, although I'm starting to try to give them a chance.

Although I love the color, I have to admit that it's not very turquoise, at least not my idea of what turquoise looks like. It's more green than blue, and has bits of gold in it.

The liner goes on smoothly and it dries almost instantly. I've found that two coats is all I need for it to show up completely. 

Next is H2O Proof Liquid Eyeliner. I know a lot of people cringe when they hear waterproof, but I'm definitely not one of them. If I could, I'd wear everything waterproof.

This liner is felt tip [ugh] but surprisingly easy to manage. The one thing that I found super odd was this little curve at the tip of the applicator. I cannot figure out if it's intentional or not, but I think it actually kind of helps me apply the liner better. 

This one I bought in Smoky, a dark charcoal [what charcoal isn't dark? lol.] The formula is a little watery, and I had to wait for it to dry before applying two more coats in order to get a somewhat darker line.

As you can see, the Smoky is still not dark and looks a little runny, but I think with a few more coats it would have been darker.

The Turquoise, on the other hand is super pigmented and beautiful

After rubbing the liners off for 15 seconds, this is what they looked like

The Turquoise faded a bit and even smudged over onto Smoky, but I don't think it was substantial.

Smoky did not fade at all. Not even a tiny bit.

After running my hand under water for a few seconds

Turquoise is almost all gone. Obviously not a waterproof liner.

But look at Smoky. I think it may have gotten darker! This is definitely waterproof and smudge proof.

Final Verdict: I LOVE these liners. Mega Liner is super pigmented and smooth, and H2O Proof is definitely what it says it is. I think I can live with having to apply the extra coats if it means that I can finally wear eyeliner to the beach. [yes, I want to wear eyeliner to the beach, that's totally normal]

Anyone tried the other colors for these?

Makeup Alley Reviews totally agree about the tattoo quality of H2O

Mini Hard Candy Haul

I finally decided to give the new Hard Candy line a try [I know I'm really late here.]

I bought four polishes and two eyeliners.

The polishes look awesome

From left to right: Envy, Mr. Wrong, Mr. Right, Rumor Mill.

- Envy is a dark green that looks beautiful in the bottle, I can't wait to try it.
- Mr. Right  looks like a basic navy blue, a color I have been dying to get.
- Rumor Mill looks black in the bottle but it's actually dark purple.
 I'll eventually wear all these and post up pictures.



 Mr. Wrong is so hard to describe I decided to just swatch it

It's like gunmetal with flecks of gold and a bit of purple. That's the best I can do. The pictures really don't do it justice, it's absolutely beautiful.
And they all come with the usual Hard Candy rings.

Next is Take Me Out Eyeliner in Chop Suey.

It's a pencil liner in a really bright turquoise. I'm excited to try this out since I've recently become obsessed with eyeliners.

They're called "Take Me Out" because they're shaped like chopsticks so you can use them to put up your hair. That's actually pretty awesome and useful for me because I'm always trying to hold up my hair with pens or random sticks.

Lastly is Walk The Line liquid eyeliner in Praline.

I love this color as I generally love all bronze makeup.

I really like that it's a brush applicator because I despise the felt tip ones; I always make a bigger mess with those than with the brush ones.

The liner goes on smooth and it dries very fast.








Overall, the products seem great for the price. I've read a few reviews on their other products and they seem to be very hit and miss, but these were all hits for me.