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• Conditioners are highly moisturising and silky, they can be used for shaving too if you run out of shaving gel. Although conditioners don’t foam like shaving gels, they are emollient and create a friction-free shave while leaving your legs soft and silky. Make sure you rinse the conditioner off after you’re done.



• Got baking soda in the cupboards (bi-carb soda not baking powder)? Mix a teaspoon up with your favourite face wash or shower gel and buff away. Baking soda is fine enough to use as an exfoliant. However, if you have super sensitive skin on the face, reserve this exfoliation for the body instead.



• Olive oil in the pantry is great for eating and cooking but it can also be used as a conditioner. Olive oil’s super emollient properties are great for dry, damaged hair cuticles. After you’ve washed and conditioned your hair, warm half a teaspoon of olive oil between your hands and run through the ends where it’s the driest. Do not put olive oil on the scalp as we already have oils there, it’s the ends that receive the least oil so if you don’t want a greasy scalp, keep the olive oil on the ends of your tresses. Then dry and style as usual.



• Do you have frizzy hair or some fly-away static in your hair but ran out of hair spray or anti-frizz serum? Dab a small amount of moisturiser onto your hands, rub together and run through frizzy hair (or just the around the stray fly-away hairs) to smooth them down. It works a treat and doesn’t feel greasy or heavy like anti-frizz serums as long as you didn’t put too much moisturiser on.



• Want a tinted moisturiser without spending the money? If you have a moisturising lotion at home and a foundation you normally use, by mixing 50% lotion and 50% of the foundation together, you’ll get a tinted moisturiser! Instant mild coverage and skin moisturiser all rolled into one.



• Want an instant eye bag compressor? Don’t use ice as the temperature will shock the skin. Instead, pop a stainless steel spoon into the fridge for 30 minutes, then take it out and gently press against your lower eye lids. Out of cucumber slices, potato slices and tea bags, cold spoons seem to work the fastest and the best.



• Just ate garlic or seafood at a restaurant but can’t get hold of any mint or chewing gum? The cute little sprig of parsley on the plate isn’t just for finishing the dish; it doubles as Mother Nature’s chewing gum (so to speak). Chew it and the chlorophyll will freshen your breath.



• Sugar in the pantry can double as a scrub. Pour some granules of it into your palm, mix it with your favourite cleanser and use it to buff those rough, dry areas like elbows, knees and ankles. Remember, sugar crystals are sharp so please use it on your body, not the face.



• Cooking oil (that hasn't been used) can be used as massage oil. Oil is oil, they are the same compound. Massage oil is slightly different because they have fragrance in it. So cooking oil can be used as a cheap massage oil (fragrance it with your favourite essential oil).



• Pink or peach eyeshadow can be used as a blush. They're made from similar ingredients so they’re fine to use on the cheeks.



• Itchy skin can be remedied by putting oat bran or plain instant oats (make sure there's no fruit pieces or sugar in it) into a warm bath and soak yourself in it. Oat relieves the skin and is anti-inflammatory.

• If you find that makeup brushes are too expensive, go check out some arts and crafts stores or stationary shops. The artists paint brushes they offer are usually slightly cheaper than makeup brushes but with a bigger variety. Worried they’re not the same thing? Don’t fret, the brushes are normally made by the same company that does the makeup brushes. The shapes of the tips are similar and even the bristles are made from the same materials. The only difference is the handle, artists paint brushes are longer and thinner.



• Bronzers, finishing powders and compact powders can double as eyeshadows and blush. Even blushers can be used as eyeshadows. Just remember, don’t go into reverse and use black, grey or brown eyeshadow as blush or bronzer! Most formulas for bronzers, blushes and compact powders are very similar so as long as the colour is suitable, these items can be used for two purposes.



• Do you have almost finished pieces of your favourite lipstick but want a lipgloss version of the same colour? Buy a clear lipgloss or get some petroleum jelly and mix that together with the pieces of lipstick in a small pot. It can be stored in one of those tiny travel jars you can get from the drug store or the chemist. You can even mix two different lipstick colours together to get a different shade.



• If you can find matte (not shiny or glittery in any way) pale yellow eyeshadows, that can be used as an under-eye colour corrector powder. Rather than spending money on those colour corrector powders and compacts, the same result can be achieved with eyeshadows that are pale yellow and matte. Apply it with a soft brush after some concealer under the eye to set it. If you find shiny or glittery eyeshadows (which most are these days), don’t use it as the shine will highlight the under-eye area rather than take focus from it.



• Need a dramatic look with a liquid eye liner but it’s not on hand? Any black or dark brown or dark grey eyeshadow powder will work if you have a thin, flat brush to use (make sure the bristles are short - not long - so you get more steady control). Wet the brush tip and brush against the eyeshadow until you get some colour on the tips. Hold against the eye lash line and slowly draw across the lid. Repeat if you need more colour. Wipe mistakes with a Q-tip or cotton bud.



• Nail polish drying out or running low? Your favourite nail polish can be extended by adding some acetone-free nail polish remover.



• Want a tinted moisturiser without spending the money? If you have a moisturising lotion at home and a foundation you normally use, by mixing 50% lotion and 50% of the foundation together, you’ll get a tinted moisturiser! Instant mild coverage and skin moisturiser all rolled into one.

• Have to head out but don’t have enough time to wash your greasy hair? If you have corn starch or talcum powder, dust a small amount of it into your palms, tip your head and hair upside down then run the powder into your hair. Make sure you do this in the bathroom as you don’t want powder specks on the carpet. Brush hair with a fine tooth comb until any signs of the powder has settled within the hair. Voila, hair that looks washed and non-greasy!



• Hair feels flat by the end of the day? At work but don’t have hair spray or hair dryers to boost some volume? Always carry a fine tooth comb with you so you can “tease” the hair near the roots to give it volume without hair spray or hair dryers. To tease hair, lift the top layer of hair and clip it up on top of the head. With the hair underneath, lift a few strands away from the scalp and with the comb, brush the hair backwards gently! Do this close to the roots of the hair and a bit beyond. The ends of your hair do not need teasing so only focus near the top. Once you’ve teased that layer all around the head, unclip the very top layer that was pinned up and use your fingers to brush through and shape it. At this point your hair should have good volume so don’t use the comb to brush it down or you’ll flatten your hair.



• Need to get a fake tan quickly but don’t have time? Buy a dark foundation two or three shades darker than your skin and mix it up with a moisturising lotion. Rub onto areas of skin to be exposed.



• Need to shave your legs but the shaving gel just ran out? Use your conditioner! Conditioners are highly moisturising and silky, they can be used for shaving too. Although conditioners don’t foam like shaving gels, they are emollient and create a friction-free shave while leaving your legs soft and silky. Make sure you rinse the conditioner off after you’re done.

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