How to make your beauty products last 30% longer with these genius hacks

Let’s state the obvious: we all want to make our beauty products last longer. Especially those die-hard favourites that are so good you want to be buried with a bottle so you can still use it in the afterlife. Maybe it’s the blusher that’s a pick-me-up when you’re bouncing on an emotional see-saw or the foundation that’s such a good shade match you mourn reaching the bottom of each bottle. 

At a wild guess, you’ve also probably experienced the frustration that comes with not being able to reach the bottom of your lipstick because the tube is only big enough for a baby’s fingers. Cue wrestling with a Q-Tip/knife/tweezers to scoop out the last dregs for a few extra wears. 

Sound familiar? Well, a new study by The Daily Mail has revealed that you could be throwing away a third of your makeup without realising it due to user unfriendly packaging. On the subject of lipstick, it found that you stand to lose a quarter of the bullet in conventional twist-up tubes, which is no insignificant amount. What makes that statistic even more startling, is that the beauty industry is currently at pains to reduce the estimated 120 billion units of packaging it produces each year. 

Whether you’re in money-saving mode, or you simply want to make your beauty products last longer for fear of not being able to get a replacement, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re getting the most from the products you already have. 

Below, the best hacks for how to give your beauty products an extra lease of life and use every last drop.

Extend the life of your base with TikTok’s foundation in water hack                                             

Use the stem of the pump to scrape the sides of your foundation bottle (you’ll be surprised how much product you can collect). Then add the drops to a glass of water that’s a quarter full. Swirl together with your makeup brush and apply the wet beads of foundation for a fashionably dewy skin look. Alternatively, add a few pumps of face lotion to your near empty foundation bottle; shake to create a creamy tinted moisturiser.

Buy a paint tube wringer

You can find these in any arts and crafts store. Simply roll the tube around the wringer to squeeze out every last drop of toothpaste, hand cream, body lotion and even shampoo at lightening speed. L’Occitane has brought out its very own The Magic Key, which works on the same premise for aluminium tubes.

Get your product ratios right 

According, Michael Lendon, creative director at Aveda UK, you can make your styling products last longer by “tying your hair in a ponytail,” he says. “The circumference of the base is how much product you should use each time.” 

Revive lumpy nail polish

When your favourite nail polish becomes hard and gloopy, all you need are a couple of drops of nail thinner to restore its liquid consistency.

Rub Vaseline on your wrists to stop your fragrance fading

Perfume needs both heat and moisture to work. During the winter months, it’s harder to smell a scent as the evaporation of a perfume is slower and less diffusive. If your skin skews dry, dab a thin layer of Vaseline or moisturiser on your wrists to lock in the scent. “Fragrance seems to evaporate quickest from dryer skin,” says Sarah Rotheram, CEO of Miller Harris. “So using a body lotion or creme, depending on your preference, will impact the longevity of your fragrance and extend its life. If there is a matching body lotion and bath line, use this too, as it will help to build layers of fragrance on the skin, making it last longer.”

Use sellotape to fix pressed powder

The oils from your skin can cause hardpan – when a waxy layer settles over the top of your pressed powder or blush. Press sellotape over the top of the powder until it disappears.

Add saline solution to your mascara

We all have a favourite mascara that gives us lashes so fluttery we can see them in our peripheral vision. If yours starts to get clumpy or feels like it’s drying out, add a few drops of saline solution into the tube and mix with your brush. The shot of extra moisture will extend its shelf life. That said, if the product is out of date, toss it immediately to avoid a possible eye infection.

Place your bottles in a cup of warm water when you’re running low

Whether it’s mascara, foundation or concealer, the heat will loosen and soften any product residue that is wedged along the sides of the bottle. 

Keep kohl eyeliners in the fridge for 10 minutes before sharpening

It’s easy to reduce kohl eyeliner to a stump. One of the biggest culprits is running a sharpener over the tip multiple times in a bid to draw a pin-thin line. “Cold temperatures in the fridge stop the tip from crumbling and create a sharper point,” say makeup artists Sam and Nicola Chapman.

Remove the ring from your lip gloss

When new, this ring on the opening of your lip gloss wipes off excess product as you pull out the wand. If you’re running low, pop it off with your fingernail to make it easier to swipe more gloss from the bottom of the tube. 

Use a foam cleanser before serum

“A foam cleanser will half the amount of serum you need,” says Nausheen Qureshi, biochemist and founder of Elequra Skincare. “This is because the foam clears any oils from your skin ensuring the serums can penetrate the skin. Plus, pH activating products, like the Elequra Boosting pH Mist, will help actives absorb twice as fast and therefore require less product.”

Use a spatula to scrape lipstick out of the tube

Rather than toss the plastic spatula that came with your pot of moisturiser, use it to scoop the last bit of lipstick from the base. Then try this TikTok hack: clean out an old eyeshadow palette and press the colour into the empty slots.

Mix powder blush with Vaseline to make a tinted lip balm

If the unthinkable happens and you accidentally smash your favourite blush, don’t bin it in. Instead, grind it down to a loose powder and mix the shade with Vaseline to create a customised, tinted lip balm. Store it in a small container designed for travel-size minis.

Focus your shampoo on the scalp

“There is no need to rub shampoo into the lengths and ends of your hair – any suds that run down through them will be enough to remove dirt and product,” says Anabel Kingsley, Philip Kingsley Brand President and Consultant Trichologist.

Use fingers to apply liquid makeup

One of the biggest debates among makeup artists is whether sponges, brushes or fingers are best for blending. While the verdict is still out in terms of their respective results, there’s a surefire winner when it comes to preserving your product. Sponges and brush bristles both absorb makeup in order to distribute it over the skin, but this also means that a certain amount of residue is left on each applicator. Over time, this can add up to a significant amount of product that you could otherwise have used on your skin. Fingers, on the other hand, won’t absorb any formula and are easy to clean.

Do the hair care maths

As for the exact amount of shampoo and conditioner that you need? “For fine to normal hair density, use a 5p-sized amount of shampoo and conditioner if your hair is short; for medium length hair it will be a 10p-sized amount, and those with long hair will need a 50p-sized amount to be able to thoroughly cleanse the hair,” says Michael Shaun Corby, Global Creative Director for Living Proof. “For thicker hair types you will need double the amount of shampoo and conditioner purely because of the density of the hair. Coarse hair needs the same amount of shampoo as fine hair types – but double the conditioner. It tends to be more brittle and, because of its curves, the cuticles are raised so it’s more susceptible to frizz.”

Downsize your skincare routine when you’re at home

Your skin’s needs change depending on your daily environment and exposure to different aggressors like pollution. “It’s really important to note that you don’t need your full skincare arsenal every day when you’re at home,” says Nausheen. “Save your cleanser for once a day and use smaller amounts. You are probably not wearing as much makeup and have less exposure to pollution, so there’s less to remove on your skin.”

Rethink your storage

If you’re a fan of active ingredients like retinol and Vitamin C, it’s wise to keep your skincare products out of direct sunlight. “Unfortunately pure ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a highly unstable molecule, which reacts easily with air and light and therefore oxidises quickly, making it ineffective,” explains Nausheen, who’s a fan of encapsulated vitamin C. Take the same precautions with your perfume. “Sunlight hitting the bottle damages the fragrance over time, altering the odour and destroying top notes,” explains Sarah. “It is best to keep your fragrances in a cool dark place.”