By Laura Salas
instyle
Cracked in the pan. Shattered in the palette. When you drop $20+ on an eyeshadow that breaks, what do you do? Work around it, trying to apply fragments of packed pigment and messy dust? Or do you just trash it?
You should always fix it. Spritz rubbing alcohol liberally on your broken shadow, wrap a tissue around a coin roughly the size of your pot or pan, and press hard for at least 30 seconds. Let it dry, and you’re back in business.
elinevenlent
Most fancy primers contain similar ingredients. They also typically carry hefty price tags. If you can move past brand identity and focus on results (smoother, calmer skin) you can get awesome multipurpose primer on the cheap.
Nivea’s post-shave balm for men costs around five bucks and is a cult classic hidden in the kits of pros everywhere. Another unexpected choice for a poreless, even-toned base? Monistat, a well-known personal anti-chafing gel. It’s a silicone-based gel that’s pretty similar to a lot of primers out there.
rosannadavidsonnutrition
Here’s yet another reason why blending goes wrong. A lot of the time, we aren’t using a brush specifically designated for the job. That’s right; the brush you apply the makeup with isn’t necessarily the brush you use to blend it. This just spreads the product on in areas where you didn’t actually put it. It also tends to create a heavier layer than you need.
For more precise application and expert blending, keep a clean brush on hand to blend. Lay down the product with one brush, and immediately pick up the other to buff it out. The makeup stays exactly on the area you intended, and isn’t dragged out during blending.
