Ten small changes to your routine that can make a big difference

It’s all too easy to get stuck in a beauty rut when you’re pressed for time. For most of us, working or studying means we don’t get to dedicate as much time as we’d like to trying out new beauty trends or investing time in ourselves. If you’ve been feeling a bit lacklustre recently, then we’ve got just the thing to perk you up.
Our top ten tips feature quick, simple and cost effective ways to boost your beauty routine and inject some oomph into your look. Read on to be inspired!

1). Blow dry your hair to the ‘wrong’ side

By this, we mean take a note of what way your parting usually falls, and blow out the hair on the opposite side. So if your hair naturally sweeps to the right, use a round brush and blow it out to the left instead. Once the hair is dry, flip it back over to its usual side and enjoy the added bounce! Drying your hair in this way means it won’t fall flat against your scalp, and will have loads more body and bounce. It’s a super small change to your beauty routine, but one that you’ll be glad you made.

2). Brush your eyebrows backwards

When you’re filling in your eyebrows, a kind of odd but very effective tip is to brush the hairs backwards before you fill them in. That way, you can easily see any sparse areas with less hair, and focus on filling in those patches first. When you’re done, brush your eyebrow hair back the usual direction, and you’ll have full, natural looking brows.

3). Line your water line and tight line

Adding a line of white eyeliner to both your water line (above your bottom eyelashes) and your tight line (below your top lash line) is a top trick that will make your eyes look much bigger. The white line creates an optical illusion and the whites of your eyes appear to go on for longer. Make white eyeliner a part of your daily beauty routine, and you’ll achieve a doe-eyed look in no time.

4). Spritz your perfume all over

To make your perfume last all day, you should be spraying it in more places than just your neck and wrists. The warmth from your skin helps the scent radiate, so focus on naturally warmer areas like the backs of your knees, the crease of your elbow and behind your ears. If you want an extra whoosh of fragrance, spritz a bit in your hair too. You’ll be smelling luscious all day long.

5). Make your lip liner work harder

We’re well versed in using lip liner to make your mouth look fuller, but did you know that filling in your lips with liner helps your lipstick stay on for longer? Instead of just lining the outside of your lips, swipe the product onto the surface of your lips as well. If you’re after a matte colour, you can stop there, or add a lipstick on top for a painted pout with staying power. The lip liner acts as a primer and stops your lipstick from spreading into the corners of your mouth and melting away.

6). Cheat cat-eye flicks

If your eyeliner game leaves a lot to be desired, then pick up your credit card. No, not to buy the services of a make-up professional (we wish), but to place on the outer corner of your eye. Line the card diagonally towards the end of your eyebrow, and use it as a ruler to draw a flick. When you remove the credit card, the hard work will all be done for you – just adjust the thickness of the line to suit your look. Feline flicks in an instant!

7). Give your skincare regime a boost

If you want to give your night time beauty routine a serious kick, then you need to introduce yourself to the world of serums. Serums are the secret to beautiful, supple skin that glows. Applying a serum before your usual moisturiser supercharges the product and allows a moisture-barrier to be created, ensuring that you wake up with oh-so soft skin. For night time, we’d recommend a rich, repairing serum, and for day wear, a lighter, moisturising one. After a few weeks use, you’ll notice your skin has a healthy glow – even without make-up.

8). Seal your make-up with an ice cube

This weird and wonderful trick is a handy, do-it-at-home one. If you’ve just applied lipstick and want it to last, rub an ice-cube over your mouth lightly to seal in the product. We’re not quite sure how it works, but it’s a tip that’s been handed down from generation to generation – and has been proven true. If you want your lippy to last into the early hours, then this is the tip for you.

9). Swap the bronzer for a contour powder

Most of us are guilty of using bronzer under our cheekbones to accentuate them, but the majority of bronzers contain warm pigments designed to mimic the sun’s effects on your skin. Bronzers with gold pigments should be applied to the places the sun naturally hits: the top of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, forehead and chin. To contour your face, you should be using a purpose-made contour powder, which is naturally cool toned to mimic shadow. Pop this under your cheekbones for a truly natural look.

10). Pat products into your skin

Many of us take the ‘slap it on’ approach when it comes to our make-up, rubbing in our foundation and concealer to make them absorb faster. All we’re really achieving when we’re doing this is spreading the product out further and making the coverage lighter. If you want your make-up to have maximum impact and staying power, you should be lightly tapping the product into your skin, not just rubbing it on top.

Hope you enjoy trying out these beauty tips, let us know if you have any more!

Stay beautiful!