My beauty tips and hints

Sarah at If the shoe fits... inspired me with her Elle's tips & tricks post to write this... Most of these are nothing revolutionary, but I hope there will be at least one you didn't know before! Ok, let's get right to it :)

1. Never forget to moisturize your skin; this includes lips too! Even if your skin is very oily, like mine, stripping it time and again of its natural lipid layer will cause it to produce even more sebum, which in turn can lead to breakouts. As for the lips, chapped pout can ruin even the best make-up look.

2. Exfoliate your lips using a damp washcloth. No need to spend money on expensive lip exfoliating creams, a damp washcloth will do the job even faster and better! Make sure it's made of quite a rough material, muslin won't work ;) I've also tried exfoliating with a toothbrush, but this didn't work out for me.

3. Use aspirin mask to exfoliate your face. The cheapest solution ever, and it really works! I'd recommend it especially for combination to oily skin, as it is a bit drying. Some people claim it can help with acne too; I haven't really observed that effect, but it certainly makes your skin feel baby smooth :)

4. Introduce something unexpected to your make-up routine. Use your lipstick as a blusher, try the favorite bronzer as a crease color, use lightish eyeshadow as a cheek highlight, or get more of your brushes by using them for a different purpose then usually. For instance, I love my big, fluffy powder brush for bronzer, and my favorite concealer brush ever is in fact a fine eyeshadow brush!

5. Apply your falsies with tweezers. Hold a strip of eyelashes in the center, put them in the right place, and then push the ends to the skin with your tweezers. It's super easy!

6. Put a bit of highlighting eyeshadow or light, soft pencil on your cupid bow, just above the lips. It will pronounce your pout even further!

7. Drink water to get rid of the toxins in your body.

8. Black liner on top and bottom lashline as well as on the waterline closes the eyes. For a subtle definiton, try tightlining (eyeliner on the upper waterline), or try using different colors: brown is great for blue and green eyes, navy blue, deep green or purple looks amazing on girls with brown or hazel eyes.

9. Try to custom mix your lipstick. Take 2 or even 3 different lip products and mix them on your hand for a new and unique shade - no need to buy another lippie! Plus, you'll feel like an artist :)

10. Use clear mascara/ brow gel to tame those flyaways. I took this little trick from Ford models YouTube channel; it's especially important if you're going to have photos of you taken.