Giving yourself a professional-looking beauty makeover can be as simple as looking around your house. Whether it’s in your bathroom or your laundry room, all sorts of products already in your home can be re-purposed to easily and quickly help you create this season’s on-trend looks from head to toe. Here are some tips to get you started.
* Starting from the top … no time for a shower? Grab a dryer sheet from your laundry room and rub it on your head to tame fly-aways while giving your hair a fresh scent. A dime-sized amount of hand or body lotion will also do the trick if you rub it lightly onto problem spots.
* Q-tips cotton swabs can be used for creating a variety of on-trend beauty looks and are an easy and hygienic alternative to expensive makeup brushes. For special occasions, opt for metallic bronzy, gold tones on top of dark smoky eyes and bold lips. After applying your eye shadow and lipstick, use the cotton swab to dab loose pigment in a bronzy shade onto the inner corners of your eyes and in the center of your lips. The subtle hints of gold will balance each other while giving you an immediate glammed up look.
* Give those cotton swabs double duty for a manicure worth showing off. First, rub toothpaste on your nails to remove stains and add shine before using remover on the nail plate. Whether it’s applying a bold, seasonal color or a nail art design, the next step is up to you. Celebrity nail technician Kimmie Kyees, whose clients include today’s hottest pop stars and actresses, has a variety of tips for creating unique, DIY nail art, starting with having the right tools on hand. “Not all cotton swabs are created equal so I always make sure I have plenty of Q-tips Precision Tips,” says Kyees. “They are the best quality with 100 percent cotton and the pointed ends are perfect for precise application. I use one end to apply or create a cool design and the other for cuticle clean-up, they are genius!”
One of the easiest and most current trends is negative space. Apply a coat of bold, stylish nail polish such as oxblood to your nails. While nails are still semi-wet and tacky, dip the pointed end of your cotton swab in remover and precisely remove a section of the polish to create empty, negative space on the nail plate. A favorite is the “inverted V-shaped mani” with empty space in the shape of a “V” at the bottom of the nail, or you can come up with your own design, such as horizontal lines or a moon. Make sure to apply a thin layer of a clear top coat to seal the manicure in place.
* Keep your perfect pout in place. Hold a tissue over your lips and lightly dust translucent powder over the tissue. This will help the color last from day to night.
* Lipstick can equal blush. When you’re in a bind, rub some lipstick between your fingers to warm it up, then lightly smooth onto your cheeks in an upward motion. Voila, rosy cheeks that perfectly complement your lips. Make sure you don’t apply the color too low or under the cheekbones. Place the color just a bit higher than you might think so it runs across the tops of your cheekbones and fades into your skin about an inch from your hairline.
For more beauty ideas, including nail art tips and designs from celebrity nail technician Kimmie Kyees, visit facebook.com/qtips and follow @qtips.