Think like an MUA! How to be product resourceful

Hi friends!

I think we’ve all been there. You buy or are gifted a beauty product that you never use for whatever reason. Perhaps you don’t know how to use it or you aren’t confident enough to use it. Perhaps you think it doesn’t work well enough for its intended purpose in the first place. It could be a really bright lipstick you thought you’d be bold enough to wear, or a highlighter that’s not the right tone for your skin, for example. Instead of giving it away or throwing it out, try to think like an MUA (makeup artist) would and be creative. Ask yourself: how else can I make use of this product in my routine? In which ways can this product be multi-functional? Think outside the box and get inspired!

That’s what this post is about; how to be product resourceful and utilize otherwise neglected items in different unique ways. Products don’t always have to be used for their intended purpose, or in the way they are marketed to you. If you watch enough MUA’s on Instagram or YouTube like I do, you pick up on that really quickly. They use lipsticks as cream blushes, bronzers as eyeshadows and brow pens as lip liners.

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I’ve always thought, makeup is meant to be fun. You’re constantly trying, testing and seeing what works. So let’s play and have some fun! There are so many different ways you can be product resourceful and creative with your makeup, but for sake of brevity I’m just going to show you 3 ways I use 6 different products. I’ve been absolutely loving these beauty concoctions recently, so I’m excited to show you! I hope they also inspire you!

EXAMPLE 1 – BALMY HIGHLIGHTER

In this example, I’m using a combination of the Wake Up Pen from Ohii Beauty in the shade Pearl, and the e.l.f. Cosmetics Highlighting Stick in Dewy. When I want a more balmy-textured highlighter to give my skin a more natural sheen, I reach for these two products.

The Wake Up Pen is primarily marketed as an under-eye illuminator; there’s a small bit of pearl infused into its thin, creamy formula. Its ability to highlight is the product’s secondary claim, but that’s the only way I personally use this product. I don’t understand it under the eyes. I love it dabbed lightly along my cheekbones and on the bridge of my nose. If you want more info on the Wake Up Pen, I wrote up an entire review last year.

 

The e.l.f. Cosmetics Highlighting Stick in Dewy is simply a clear balm. No shimmer, pearl or glitter of any kind. It gives you that quasi wet-looking effect on the skin.

So both products I like to use separately to highlight, but why not combine them together? I rub a generous amount of the e.l.f. Highlighting Stick on the back of my hand first, and then I mix a smaller amount of the Ohii Wake Up Pen with it. The e.l.f. gives me the texture I want, but the Ohii gives me that slight amount of pearl I like in a highlighter. You see the effect on my hand in the photo directly above. This will continue to stay dewy throughout the day but nothing too overly goopy.

EXAMPLE 2 – GLOSSY, EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTER

This is a very similar concept to the last example except with bolder, more editorial textures. I got the idea for this combo during my meeting with Heather Fink back in June, the CEO of The Sexiest Beauty. She pulled out her clear DSL Gloss and put it next to this small sample of shimmery highlighting powder from an indie brand called Moonplay Cosmetics.

Now I’m not normally a fan of loose powders of any kind; I just think they’re too fiddly for me. But when you combine a loose powder with a gloss, you can create an interesting texture with a bit of dimension. So I love combining these two products together and using it as a glossy, slightly shimmery highlighter on my cheekbones. I brush 1 to 2 swipes of the gloss on the back of my hand, and dip my pinky finger into the loose highlighting powder. I then just mix, as shown below.

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This combo is probably not for everyone, as it will stay tacky and a bit “wet” throughout the day. If you have long hair or are out on a really windy day, it may annoy you. But it really all depends on how much you apply. I take a very small amount and just pat it gently onto my skin to really blend it in. It doesn’t take much to get a glossy effect from this.

EXAMPLE 3 – CREAM BLUSH WITH A KICK

I absolutely love my Glossier Cloud Paint in the shade Dusk. Truly, truly a very multi-tasking product that can be used on both the cheeks and eyes. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a highly pigmented, yet highly blendable cream blush that has a lovely thin consistency. I heard that Glossier packages them as small paint tubes to encourage customers to mix them and blend different colors together.  I’m constantly resisting the temptation to buy this formula in every color that they offer to be honest! I think it’s that good.

Dusk is a neutral brown-peach kinda shade. It goes with almost any makeup look. But when I want to kick the color up the rear (so to speak), I add a dot of the S-Proof Matte Liquid Lipstick in Cha Cha from The Sexiest Beauty. Cha Cha is a hot coral-red shade that’s almost electric, so tread very lightly with it! It can definitely stain but when I use it in this capacity – mixing it with a creamy formula in a very small quantity – I don’t have a problem. I very rarely wear really bright or bold lipstick shades in my everyday life. I’m just not confident enough and brighter colors can be really unforgiving when it comes to getting your lip shape right. So I generally stay away from them on the lips, but using a bright shade as a mixer to really pep up other colors is an awesome way to be product resourceful.

 

Check out the difference between the shades in the photo directly above. Dusk goes from a neutral shade on the left, to what I’m calling a “soft-bright” with one drop of Cha Cha on the right. And this combo stays on and stays bright all day. The longevity is absolutely awesome!

Now it’s your turn! How are you product resourceful? What do you do with products that don’t get much use in your collection? I’d love to know!

xo, Erica

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