30 Ideas for Repurposing Makeup

Here are some ideas that I've heard often, and a few I've come up with myself, for getting use out of either products you don't like, or the remnants of ones you do.

1. Too-dark foundations/concealers as contour.
2. Too-light foundations/concealers as highlight.
3. #1 & #2 mixed together.
4. Liquid or powder foundation/concealer mixed with moisturiser for tinted moisturiser. Or add more coverage.
5. Bronzer as eyeshadow.
6. Liquid highlighter mixed with foundation or body lotion for extra glow.
7. Pencil eyeliner as a gel eyeliner brush. You can play with using different shades of pencil for fun, too.
8. Pencil/cream eyeliner as a long-lasting eyeshadow base.
9. Gel or pencil liner for brows.
10. Crappy cream eyeshadow as a sticky eyeshadow base.
11. Clean liquid liner brush for nail art.
12. Mascara with a liner brush as liquid eyeliner.
13. Clean mascara wand as a brow spoolie.
14. Clean mascara wand as a pipe cleaner.
15. Brow powder as eyeshadow or contour.
16. Brow product or eyeshadow for the hairline.
17. Loose or broken powder eyeshadow mixed with nail polish/top coat for a new shade.
18. Red/pink loose or powder eyeshadow (or blush) for the lipstick setting powder trick. Note: You may want to ensure that your eyeshadow or blush is lip-safe.
19. Eyeshadow or blush on top of, or mixed with, lip product for a new shade. Again, check that they're lip-safe.
20. Eyeshadow with setting spray as liner.
21. Bright eyeshadow over a dark liner for wearability.
22. Bright eyeliner under a dark/neutral eyeshadow for wearability.
23. Neutral eyeshadow as bronzer or contour.
24. Eyeshadow as brow powder.
25. Drying-out liquid eyeliner pen as brow tint.
26. Lipstick as cream blush.
27. Lipstick leftovers that can no longer be applied from the bullet melted with a lip balm to make a tinted balm. Or, use just a little lipstick to make a clear balm that's a little more fun in the container.
28. Sticky lip gloss as a lipstick (or blush/eyeshadow, from #15) primer.
29. Lip balm leftovers mixed with sugar for a lip scrub.
30. Lip balm to clean up smudged eye makeup.

Additionally, both makeup and art brushes can be repurposed:

• Flat foundation brush to apply face masks
• Flat eyeshadow brush to contour smaller areas
• Eyeshadow blending brush to apply highlighter lightly
• Angled eyeliner brush for brows
• Lip brush to apply concealer, or vice versea

What I wore to the end of the world - featuring Geek Chic Cosmetics

Happy Mayan end of the world! Hope you enjoyed many a bottle of La Fin Du Monde!

Yesterday, the eve of the apocalypse, I was going to go to Wedidit's world's-end concert at Echoplex. Due to some poor planning, I ended up sitting in the office until past midnight, playing Civ5 and being alone. But that's not relevant...

Having just received my Geek Chic Cosmetics order the night before (finally!), I decided that was a fitting time to try out my sample of the 'Stay Indoors' eyeshadow from their Geeks vs. Zombies collection--just in case the universe were to spontaneously erupt at midnight, in my arbitrary time zone.

Here's the aforementioned shadow:

Geek Chic Cosmetics - Stay Indoors, sample container. A very dark navy/charcoal.

As you can see, it's quite glittery. At first, I thought that maybe glitter was not a good choice in a survival situation. But glitter reflects light, and according to some interpretations/variations (Alan Wake, etc.) of the generic zombie premise, zombies are susceptible to light--right?
Or maybe that's the vampire apocalypse... I don't even know anymore, dude.

And of course it had to be a zombie apocalypse. What else am I going to do with all this zombie apocalypse gear and specifically-tailored survival-fantasy mental preparation I have?

Here's what I did for my eyes--a dark smokey eye punctuated by glitter:

1. Applied Urban Decay Cream Eyeshadow in Asphalt to my lids:
   
   Oh man. This definitely reminded me why I don't touch that tube, ever. It's far too much of a glitter-bomb to use more than one or two times a year (and that time is a sparkle party). Asphalt, compared to the other shades, is also very difficult to work with, as it doesn't apply evenly--a problem compounded by the product somehow managing to dry up during my time away from it.


2. Filled in my eyebrows with Wet 'n' Wild's ColorIcon pencil in Mink Brown, with the help of an angled brush.


3. Applied Geek Chic Cosmetics' eyeshadow in Stay Indoors.


4. Blended in the second (taupe) and third (grey) shades from the NYX Trio Eyeshadow in Rock and Roll at the edges, to fix my poor blending of the less-forgiving Stay Indoors shadow.


5. Applied black gel eyeliner (Wet 'n' Wild MegaEyes Creme Eyeliner) to the top and bottom lash lines. I applied using the e.l.f. Studio Small Precision Brush, as angled 'brush' that comes with the Wet 'n' Wild liner is rubbish for its given purpose.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Used a black eyeshadow to set, and create a gradient leading into, the liner.


7. Wiped off the gel liner brush, to apply e.l.f.'s cream liner in Ivory--to the waterline and inner corners. You want to blind your zombies with your shimmery whites--You'll be slightly less delectable when they can't see their dish!


8. Used a light shimmery highlight on the browbone.


9. Curl lashes and apply mascara. When you're out of traditional weapons, you can still attempt close combat with your spiky eyelashes!

By the way: The photos don't really do justice in showing how abominably glittery this came out. Even at my office--where I can usually waltz in seven hours after everyone else has arrived, trouser-less and with blood slathered all over my face for foundation, with few fucks given--my boss commented, 'Wow, you have some crazy eye make-up'. And he's a bit crazy himself.

For the lips, I used Urban Decay's lipstick in Oil Slick--a sheer black/grey with a little glitter--over lip stain and neutral lip liner. I applied concealer outside my lips to make them appear smaller and more cleanly defined.

For the face, I used Revlon ColorStay foundation, set with Physician's Formula mineral powder. Instead of using blush, I contoured lightly with a matte bronzer (MUA one-quid bronzer, shade 3). You want a cold killer's tight-clenched jawline, not the illusion of awkward sustained sexual excitement!

Clothing: Basic, functional, comfortable.
T-shirt with zombie cheat sheet, in case you forget how to keep yourself alive. Thick jeans with pockets to hold essentials. Athletic socks and work boots for comfortable fleeing. Polyurethane jacket (for easy wiping-off of likely-infectious blood, and/or other bodily fluids).

Going to a fancier apocalyptic reception? See higher-fashion ideas here.

Until the next world's-end scenario!