Twofers

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Step right up, come and get 'em! I've got two for one specials today. Twofers are one of my favorite things in the world aside from cotton candy and Ellen Degeneres, of course. As an emerging makeup artist, I have been trying to find some ways to show friends how to save money with the products they already have in their makeup bags. Some of these you might have already heard about, but I wanted to give you a list of my favorite makeup twofers.

1. Lipstick --> Blush. Let's say you spent the night at a friend's house last night and you also have brunch planned with a blind date the next day. You didn't think through your packing situation and it did not even cross your mind to bring your makeup. What can you do?? Blush is the little bit of color needed to brighten up your face. We already established you don't have blush so now what? Reach in your purse and pull out any lipstick. Tinted chapstick would work well too! Gently dab it on the apples of your cheeks and use your ring finger to dab, blending up and away like you normally would apply it. It will give you that dewy yet fresh look that your blind date will instantly notice.

2. Mascara --> Eyeliner. I don't always carry either of these in my purse but if I had to guess what makeup you did carry with you, I can bet mascara is one of them. I read about this trick in a magazine and I never would have thought of it on my own. Smudge mascara from its' wand on your hand. Grab a small angled eyeliner brush and rub that smudged area with the brush applying it to your lash line. It will create a smooth line as if you were using a pencil the whole time. I tried this for the first time a few weeks ago and I couldn't quite get the hang of smudging the mascara from the wand to my hand but it's possible with practice!

3. Moisturizer + Foundation --> Your very own BB Cream. If you remember from one of my last posts, I talked about applying less foundation in the summer. This is another alternative. Squirt the normal amount of moisturizer in your hand and add a tiny drop of your liquid foundation in that same hand. Rub together to get them properly mixed and all you have to do is apply it to your face. It will even your skin tone, moisturize your face, and still allow your face to breathe. Easy peazy!!

4. Lipstick --> Matte. I have been scared to try the matte lipstick look. I don't really know why either. Shiny lips are horrible for my huge pout so you would think I'd be all over the opposite effect. If you have already tried this look and love it, here is something that would save you money. Rather than buying matte lipstick, there is something you can do to make it matte on your own. Apply your lip liner and lipstick like normal. Blot the excess color and then gently dab translucent powder or even blush to your lips until they are the desired matte effect. Who knew?!

5. Brown sugar + Honey --> Exfoliator. This is one of the tricks that I am sure you've read before. There are probably some really good exfoliating products out on the market but they can tend to be on the pricey side. Rather than wasting spending your money on something you don't need, try mixing brown sugar and honey together, mix it until it becomes pasty, and apply to your face. It will buff away all of the dead skin leaving it smooth and radiant.

6. Cinnamon --> Lip plumper. This has to be the easiest AND coolest trick! Cinnamon oil is one of the most common ingredients with lip plumping products. Although the spice in your kitchen doesn't quite do the trick, finding it in your all-natural grocery stores will hardly put a dent in your wallet. And if you're lacking in the big lip department, I'd say this might be the one you try on this list!

There are a ton of more tricks out there especially some non-makeup related ones. I'd love to hear about your favorites! Do you have any similar to mine?