The Beauty Spot is Zoe Scheltema’s weekly column that dissects the world of beauty and fashion. This week she trawls her Instagram feed to uncover some tips from the weird and wonderful world of “makeup hacks.”
When used correctly, Instagram can be a one stop encyclopedia for all things. There is potentially no end to the knowledge to which you can gain by trawling through the screeds of information, dogs videos, and pictures of smoothies on there.
It is also a great source for the infamous ‘beauty hack’, a tip or trick that will make your beauty life that little bit easier. They’re weird and they’re wonderful – here is a curated list of some of the best – and the worst.
Plump your lips:
Kylie’s inspired us all, and luckily you don’t need to go to your local aesthetician to get bigger lips, instead just add some peppermint oil to your lip gloss and boom, Kylie Jenner in the house.
Cat litter chaos:
You’ve probably heard of clay masks being great for your skin. If you’re finding it too hard to get your hands on some, you can use cat litter instead as it’s often made from betonite clay. Just mix it with some water and slather on your face. Fine.
Kim Kardashian’s boob trick:
Kim Kardashian has devised a physics-defying trick that means you can hike your boobs up near the sky without going under the knife. All you need to do is go down to your local Bunnings, get some gaffer tape, and you are ready for the red carpet.
Beer as a hair mask:
Throw a pint of beer over your head next time you’re out – the proteins in the drink help to repair split ends and frizz.
Don’t be alarmed, but many people swear by this one. Using haemerrhoid cream under your eyes can apparently reduce dark circles, as the main ingredient reduces blood vessels.
Seems counter-intuitive, but brushing your teeth with activated charcoal (i.e powdered charcoal) makes them whiter if you do it often enough. Pretty.
Exfoliate your smooch:
Dry lips are the bane of girls and teenage boys alike. Just like the ad for Smint, “no smooth lip, no kiss.” Brush your lips with a clean mascara wand or, controversially, your toothbrush.
Get your eyeliner straight:
It’s sort of crack up how much grief eyeliner causes your everyday person. It’s not the easiest of tasks, but boy does it look lovely when it’s done right.
Here’s a cheeky hack for those of you with the jitters and the not so steady hands – use cellotape or a credit card to apply your eyeliner straight.
Know where to place your brows:
There is no greater sin on this earth than having shite eyebrows. Here’s a handy trick for all of you that want to properly align those facial caterpillars.
Find your true arch using a brush (or anything resembling a stick) – line it up against your nose for the beginning of the brow, your pupil for the middle, and your nose plus the end of your brow for, well, the end.
Fake your abs:
This is the best thing ever. You will never, ever, ever have to go to the gym ever again.
Just paint fake tan on your tum like this here video, and you will be cut forever and a day.
Cool down a little bit:
If you’re feeling a bit hot around the gills then bust out the ice – it can make your under-eye bags calm down. If you bung it in with a bowl of water and chuck your hands in there, it can dry your nail polish very fast. Efficiency.
Get the perfect smudge:
This is one that I have been using for years (seasoned pro alert, sorry). Heat up your pencil eyeliner with a lighter to make it softer and easier to apply or apply in a more smudgy way. Just make sure you let it cool down a little before you whack it on your eyes.
#eyes:
Apparently if you draw a hashtag in the corner of your eye and then smudge it out, it creates the perfect smokey eye. It’s handy and it’s topical.
Clean up the glitter easier:
We were all inspired by Lady Gaga’s glitter eyes at the Super Bowl but, if you have never attempted this look before, you won’t know the utter hell of trying to get rogue glitter off your face.
Hack: grab some cellotape, and pat that across your face to pick up all the little pesky pieces.
Faux thick hair:
Here’s one for fashionistas and balding men alike. Grab some eyeshadow (same colour as your hair would help in this instance) and run it along your parting to make your hair appear thicker.
Conceal your dark circles properly for once:
It’s very 90’s to just chuck some concealer under your eyes in a classic semi-circle. The latest hack it to apply it like a triangle and then blend it out, to cover maximum darkness and make your face look lifted.
