Have you ever been on a trip in another country or far away from civilization -where there is no access to a drugstore or just any kind of store/pharmacy – all because you’ve left some of your essential beauty/skincare items at home? I know for me, that’s happened so many times I’ve lost count. You can create lists, heck even recount everything you could possibly need to make sure you’ve got everything packed but it still ends up happening. And that’s ok! I find that in these moments, it brings me back to planet earth.
There have been many moments like these in my life where I’ve encountered memory loss as it relates to being prepared – you know packing your luggage for travel – or camping!
OR it’s been a difficult month and there just isn’t the budget/money to buy some of the out-of-box, name-brand items. A lot of the hacks I mention below are extremely affordable and serve multiple purposes so you get more for your money. I also find that the less ingredients in a skincare or beauty product, the better. Unless we’re talking about Korean skincare – which we will in a few weeks! 🙂 But here are a few (money-saving) hacks/alternatives I’ve discovered along the way:
1Make your own setting spray: Grab a cup of cold water from the sink and dip your fingers into it and flick the water into your face. Do it a few times as you would with your setting spray. If you’re able to get your hands on a spray bottle, rinse it out and use that! You can also add a very small size amount of your translucent or foundation powder to the spray – make sure to mix it before flickering yourself with water! And do this with your eyes closed – always!
2 DIY Mascara: use a eyebrow brush or a small brush you would use for your eyes (e.g. to apply eyeshadow, etc.) an dab it in a little water then run it through your eyeliner for the color to grab on, then gently look down and just glide it over your lashes – you need to do this meticulously as you would if you were creating a wing!
3 Using a bottle of water and toilet paper as hygiene wipes: Okay, now we’re all human and I know some of us just have to go, especially when you’re en route somewhere either on a road-trip, train station, or somewhere remote (like if you’re camping) – sometimes you can’t wait nor do you want to as that’s very uncomfortable – just so you can go Number 2. If you feel dirty, designate a bottle of water and tissues with you, and create wet wipes in the restroom of where you are! Especially for me being Asian, it’s customary to wash after bathroom. I imagine now, with flushable wipes, a lot of people feel the same! However, sometimes you can’t buy flushable wipes because you’re not in the airport (where there is virtually everything you need on the go!) but somewhere along route to your destination such as a truck stop, etc. Either way this is helpful to know if you don’t already!
4 Matte lipstick Hack: Use a blusher and or a translucent powder (either baby powder or setting powder) and dab on your lips after applying the lipstick shade that isn’t matte (you know the one you’re stuck with?) – Works every time.
5 Heal Dry Skin Overnight: Every dermatologist will have this in their office and splurge you with free samples of this product. AQUAPHOR. I live by this product and go through so many tubes. It’s a great healing ointment for almost anything. The best and fastest way to heal dry skin or even a scab is by applying this on your skin. Aquaphor is dermatologist recommended x 10. Aquaphor works with all types of skins (combination, oily, dry, normal, acne prone, etc!) which is why it’s one of the safest products to use. I personally don’t like vaseline as it can feel like a layer of formaldehyde on your skin. Aquaphor is a bit lighter and has a better absorption rate into the skin.
6 Use Aquaphor as a lip gloss: You can easily use this as a lip gloss as well. Dab any kind of pink, red, or color you have with you, mix it in with a small half dab of Aquaphor, and apply! Also another thing to keep in mind, any tube of Aquaphor can be used nearly everywhere, where it’s the big jar, big tube, or even the small tube that specifies for dry lips. Which brings me to my next tip!
7 Heal peeling and overgrown cuticles: Aquaphor! Yes that’s right, best way to push down cuticles (if yours tends to grow like weeds as mine does) is to push them down in the shower – you will notice that overtime you probably won’t need to get them laced at your manicure sessions as much! It’ll naturally lessen your cuticle issue overtime. Afterwards, apply a small dab of aquaphor to help with dryness.
8 Heal a painful red pimple: maybe many of you know this hack, it was featured on Tyra Banks a long time ago yet I’ve long since used this method to resolve the redness in a fresh pimple, at least so it’s not getting all the attention! Toothpaste! Apply a small amount of toothpaste onto the redding pimple – personally for me I would keep this on for about 15-20 minutes then wipe it off as it’s not good to sleep with it on overnight, at least for me (I have combination skin).
9 DIY Deodorant: Ever run out of deodorant or just forget to bring it? Well here are a few things you can use to supplement the smell in the interim till you can locate a shop or store to purchase your go-to deodorant item.
- If possible, any kind of essential oil, preferably -> lemongrass
- Coconut oil
- Baking soda or cornstarch
- Fresh squeezed lemon
Any of the above ingredients can be used temporarily to relieve the smell or odor you might get from lack of deodorant; can be used with a cloth to dab/glide it onto your skin.
These are just a few things I’ve found my way around when times were tough for me and even some I still use when times are not tough because they’re just so good! You save more money and consume less as far as being green is concerned! Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Macgyver Beauty Edition as there is more! 🙂
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