We’re not going to beat around the bush here - we’ve got beauty hacks and we’re sharing them with you. Like the art of storytelling, we’ve passed these secrets on to our relatives, friends, co-workers; whispered over coffee or while huddling in the back corner of a local Sephora. We never thought we’d post them online to be read by all; but, the thing is, we’ve grown close to you over the past year and it’s just in our personalities to want to share these nice things with you. We recently sat down at the Sunday Forever HQ and collected our most tried and true beauty hacks in hopes that maybe - just maybe - you’ll share some of your beauty hacks with us (in the comments below or on Instagram). And, pay it forward! Hacks aren’t for hoarding, they’re for sharing. So read on and share away!
EYELASHES THAT LOOK LIKE THEY’VE BEEN PERMED
First of all, get yourself a good eyelash curler and learn how to use it. We recommend the Surratt Beauty Relevée Lash Curler. Once that’s done, you’re ready for the eyelash perm hack, which includes blasting your eyelash curler with your hair dryer on medium heat for approximately 5 seconds before curling them (please test your eyelash curler with your finger first to make sure you do NOT burn your eye!). The result is the curl that lasts all day long. In fact, we’ve been known to skip mascara because the curl alone does the trick.
FIGHTING THE FLAKE OF RETIN-A
Retin-A. We (kind of) have a love/hate relationship with Retin-A. We love how repeated use helps keep wrinkles at bay but, we hate the flaky skin it leaves in its wake. At its worst, it makes it impossible to apply foundation evenly without ending up with a crinkled and patchy paint job. That’s until we began adding a dollop of plant-derived squalane and moisturizer into our foundation, which helps negate any flaky, dull patches of skin we’ve acquired from Retin-A use and leaves our skin baby smooth. You can also add squalane into your foundation if you’re chasing that added glow.
A FOUNDATION FOR ALL SEASONS
During the winter, a medium to full-coverage foundation is perfect for putting some life back into sallow skin. But, once the seasons change, that full-coverage foundation can be too aggressive for the New York heat and humidity. You may not want to bench your favorite foundation (it will be expired by the time next winter rolls around anyway) so, instead, modify it. Turn any full-coverage foundation into a tinted moisturizer by mixing it with equal parts of your favorite day moisturizer. Apply it with fingers or with a beauty sponge (sometimes a brush can make application a bit streaky) and you’ve just saved yourself some money and formulated the perfect summer foundation.
LIPSTICK PLAYS THE ROLE OF BLUSH
It isn’t discussed nearly enough but a monochromatic makeup look is chic, minimal and far from boring. The easiest way to incorporate a monochromatic look into your beauty routine is to use the same lipstick on your lips and cheeks. It ties the look together and keeps your makeup bag light. After applying lipstick directly from the bullet, smudge and press it into the lips to get that imperfect, lived-in look. After this is done, take what’s left and dot it onto the cheeks. Placement really depends on your facial structure but we like to apply it a bit higher than normal. Instead of placing the color on the apples of the cheeks, dab it on the cheek bone which puts a little distance between the lip and cheek color.
LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER & DARK CIRCLES
A few years back, everyone was putting orange-red lipstick on their dark circles to cancel out those little blue half moons that haunt us even after a blissful eight hours of sleep (i.e. they are usually hereditary or have nothing to do with sleep). And while orange does cancel out blue, who can be bothered to tackle color theory at 6AM? Instead, apply a pearly pink highlighter under the eyes BEFORE applying concealer. The pearly highlighter brings light into the hollows of the dark circles and creates the optical illusion of lifting hollow to the nearly the level as the orbital bone. The trick is using the right type of highlighter - no powders and absolutely no chunky glitters are allowed. Look for highlighters with a pearl finish. We don’t encourage buying more products but we really like Benefit Cosmetics High Beam Liquid Face Highlighter for this hack. Get a sample the next time you’re makeup shopping and try it out before you commit to buying another highlighter then try it out! We think you’ll really love the effect of this look.
THE SMUDGED, BLURRED LIP COLOR YOU ALREADY OWN
The hunt for a blurred lip look that didn’t scream Liquid Lip / Instagram Makeup was long and arduous but, finally, we triumphed and we’ve been loving this soft-focus, ethereal look ever since. And the best part is, you probably already own everything you need to get the look. Use a flat, dense eye brush (like this one in), dip it into your favorite matte blush and tap it onto your lips. You can use a precise lip brush dipped in the blush to create the outline first if you’re afraid of things getting out of control. Finish off the look with a matte lip balm so as not to add any shine.
Want more beauty hacks? Check out some of our favorite ways to double up on beauty products here.
Catherine Spinley is the Editorial Director at The Sunday Issue as well as a freelance writer and sometimes-photographer. When not stalking other people’s dogs or yelling at people who refuse to walk up the left side of the escalator, she works in the beauty industry and practices yoga. You can read about her at worepaint.com and @spinderella1110.