7 Makeup Products I Use Wrong — Beauty Hacks.

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Who says there’s only one way to use a makeup product?

Today I have seven makeup products that I use wrong — on purpose, of course! These are items that I  didn’t like, but also didn’t want to waste. (Or in one case, I like the product so much I wanted to expand its usefulness so I’d like it even more.)

For products that I found uninspiring and mildly irritating, I am please to announce that I have discovered some new uses, or “beauty hacks,” if you will.

Makeup is meant to be creative, and there really are no rules. I have seen liquid lipstick used as eyeliner, eyeshadows used as lip colors, and so on. I hope these inspire you to create your own beauty hacks out of those awkward products we all have kicking around.

If you’d like to see 7 products from hell, (minus one,) transform into 7 product wonders of the world, keep reading!

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N30

I do think this product is a great concept. Who wouldn’t want to magically transform a mismatched foundation into the perfect shade, or give any product the perfect amount of coverage?

Sadly, I just couldn’t figure out what I should mix the drops with. I tried an array of at least 10 moisturizers, primers, and other foundations, but nothing seemed quite right. The mixture always ended up looking unbearably greasy on my skin, and it slid around no matter what I set it with. After a while, I decided that my skin just didn’t like this stuff, so I stopped using it.

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops >> Purchase at Sephora

Beauty hacks #1 – Use Cover FX Drops as a super spot concealer

One day, I sprung a horrific breakout. None of my concealers covered it, so I decided to give this one more shot. I took a tiny drop on a tiny brush and placed it on the blemish, over my existing concealer. The coverage is like undiluted house paint, and it surprisingly stays put all day with a dusting of powder over top.

I use this product all the time as a heavy-duty concealer for small areas, and I never mix it with anything.

Wet n Wild Coloricon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana

I bought this product because I’d heard it makes for a nice highlighter. I tried using it as a highlighter, but I found the color payoff lacking. This sat unused for a while, until one day when I went on an overnight trip, and I brought this as my highlight to force myself to use it.

I actually ended up forgetting a setting powder, probably because the makeup-loving half of me was mad at the practical half of me for insisting that I use a product I dislike. If you have oily skin, you know the tragedy of my situation. This was the closest thing I had to a skin-toned setting powder, so I used it to set my under-eye concealer and the areas where I typically get oily.

Wet n Wild Coloricon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana >> Purchase on Amazon

Beauty hacks #2 – Use Reserve Your Cabana as a healthy glow setting powder

The powder did not make me a look like a disco ball; in fact I had a really nice all-over glow going on. I actually stayed matte for hours without looking too dry and flat.

I continue to use it as a setting powder for my t-zone, and I have also found that it serves as a great touch-up powder. It takes away greasy shine and replaces it with a luminous glow, so you look like your usual glowing self rather than a powdery slab of drywall.

What’s with all the home-building references today…?

Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette

This is the one product that I didn’t initially hate. On the contrary, I love it so much I wanted to find more ways to use it so I could love it some more!

With contouring being all the rage, practically every brand out there is coming out with a contour kit. I wanted to buy one, but seriously, the options are overwhelming. Many of them come with a bunch of colors, and I knew I’d only use my one or two favorites. Since most would go untouched, it didn’t make sense to me to buy a whole palette.

One day, I was blending Primal onto my hooded eye in an attempt to make my crease recede. Then I thought, “Hey, this looks wonderfully shadowy… Maybe I should shadow myself a new bone structure…”

Yup, that’s what my inner monologue sounds like.

Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Palette >> Purchase at Sephora

Beauty hacks #3 – Contour your face the same way your contour your eyes

Try using Primal as a cheek and nose contour color for a really sculpted look; it’s the perfect blend of gray and brown. It isn’t so gray that it makes you look like you’re got a beard, or so brown that it looks dirty. I haven’t yet looked if Primal is sold individually, but I sure hope it is, because it is forever going to be my contour of choice.

Skone Cosmetics Eyeliner in Plum

I received this eyeliner in an Ipsy bag, and I knew after one look that it would be a no-go. Now, I love purple eyeliners, as I think they really bring out my brown eyes, but this purple-pink is just an atrocious shade for the eyes.

It’s a weird shade between pink and purple that gives you the dreaded eye-infection look. As if the color isn’t bad enough, the pencil itself is not very opaque, so the end result looks even more like a misfortune than a deliberate color placement.

Skone Pretty Eyes Plum Purple Smooth Automatic Eyeliner >> Purchase on Amazon

Beauty hacks #4 – Mix up your makeup pencils

Conveniently enough, I was in need of a purplish lipliner to go with my new obsession with purple lipsticks. So I started using this as a lipliner, and so far it is working well. Since the pigment isn’t super strong, it blends in to my lip color well, and the waxiness holds creamy product in place.

Pencil products can be used interchangeably on the eyes, lips, brows, and cheeks. I say, as long as you like the formula and color for a particular use, go for it!

E.l.f. Instant Lift Brow Pencil in Taupe

I really don’t know what was going through my head when I decided to purchase Taupe. Obviously, I am not taupe, but that’s not the point. I have been prowling for new brow products, especially budget-friendly ones from the drugstore. So I purchased this.

The swatch you see above is just one swipe of the pencil on my arm. As you can see, it is a very chubby line– not perfect for precisely defining and reshaping brows.

E.l.f. Instant Lift Brow Pencil >> Purchase at Elfcosmetics.com

Beauty hacks #5 – Create an easy smudgy eye with bad brow products

Not wanting to waste, I decided to try this product as a smudgy eye pencil for those no-muss-no-fuss makeup days. I’ll use this along my top and bottom lash lines for some natural definition that requires little smudging, because, well, it’s pretty smudgy as it is.

Since it is just a couple of shades darker than my skin tone, it creates a natural looking shadow that highlights my eyes without looking like I’m going overboard for just a quick trip to the grocery store.

Milani Brow Fix Brow Kit in Medium

Again with the light brow products… Having never tried out a brow powder before, I went for it. I didn’t like it. I felt like it was too much effort to build up the color when I can get the same look in one swipe with a pencil.

A couple of days later, I was using an all-shimmery eyeshadow palette, and I forgot to bring out some matte shades to complete the look. My eyes landed on this little thing, looking all lonely on my vanity right where I left it when I decided I didn’t like it.

Milani Brow Fix Kit in Medium >> Purchase on Amazon

Beauty hacks #6 – Brow powders make great eyeshadows

I now use these brow powders as convenient matte eyeshadows. The colors are smooth and pigmented, and so much better than any other matte eyeshadow from the drugstore. These make perfect blending colors, or you could even just use the trio alone for a simple look.

If you are looking for great quality, inexpensive matte blending shadows from the drugstore, I highly recommend trying this.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara

I am very lucky to have naturally full and curled lashes, so when I use a mascara, I expect it to make my already big lashes look like falsies. This one just didn’t do anything. It didn’t do anything necessarily bad, like make my lashes clump, but it didn’t them look any more pronounced either.

Because it wasn’t my favorite, it got thrown into my to-go makeup bag as the mascara I’ll use if I absolutely need one, which sounds ridiculous, like, who ever really needs mascara?

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara >> Purchase at Sephora

Beauty hacks #7 – Lightweight mascara for a mid-day lash pick-me-up

I’ve discovered that thanks to the lack of volume Smashbox offers on its own, it is perfect for a mid-day pick-me-up when my lashes start drooping. This mascara perks them right back up without adding too much more product.

Keep a mascara that you think doesn’t do anything for you in your on-the-go makeup bag. This way, it’s super easy to lift your sagging lashes without making them look all clumpy and gunky.

Sometimes your makeup surprises you.

I hope you found some inspiration to repurpose your non-favorites into perhaps your new holy-grail I use it wrong with pride product!

That’s all for today!

Like this post? Check out this one too >> My Favorite Spring & Summer Makeup

If you find this post informative, helpful, or just plain entertaining, tell me about it in the comments. And don’t forget, sharing is caring. Share this post!

Till next time. ♥︎

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FTC- This post is not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned. I purchase all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.