How to reuse 10 beauty products that you happen to hate

Even the most careful and budget-conscious of beauty lovers has given into an impulse buy at least once in our life. Whether because of a super sale price or irresistibly cute packaging, the instant gratification from making an unplanned purchase quickly fades away when we realize that we got the wrong foundation shade, an eyeshadow palette full of chalky formulas, or a much-hyped about skin care product that works great for everyone else but breaks us out. 

Aside from the disappointment of not having a new product to play with, we feel hinayang over having forked the money for a dud purchase, especially if the item was expensive! Before chucking it into the trash or giving it to someone who can use it (after sanitizing the item, of course), consider trying these hacks to turn your #fail beauty buys into winning ones!

Eyeshadow that doesn’t work

If an eyeshadow shade doesn’t flatter your skin tone or has too much fallout that makes it difficult to work with, use it to create eye-catching nails instead! Crush some of the pigment or scrape the top. Try to make the powder as refined as possible to ensure the pigment distributes evenly and doesn’t create a lumpy texture. Mix the eyeshadow powder with either a clear polish or a top coat and ta-dah: a new polish color! You can add more shadow to make the color more opaque, or mix in other-colored shadows to customize a different shade. This can actually work using any powder product so the next time you want a new nail color, bring out your sucky palettes and design your own color instead! 

Foundation in the wrong shade

No matter how many times we read about how to properly buy foundation, whether in-store or online, mishaps still occur and leave us stuck with a product that’s too light or too dark for our skin tone. This can actually work to your advantage! Use too-dark shades to subtly contour your face; if it has the same undertone as your skin, it will look a lot more natural and almost undetectable! On the flip side, light foundation can be applied to your forehead, nose bridge, and cheekbones for a matte, barely-there highlighting effect that makes your skin look brighter. Even though the shades are already designed to be skin-like, make sure to always blend well. 

Thick eyeliner brushes

As a monolid, I actually favor thick eyeliner brush tips because it covers a large area with in a single stroke but it’s an entirely different story for double or hooded lids, or anyone who prefers a more discreet line. The shape makes it difficult to draw thin and precise lines, which are non-negotiable for mastering looks like the cat eye. It works well as a lip brush though! The hairs may be packed a little more densely than your usual lip brush but it allows you to pack more pigment in while keeping your lip lines clean and crisp. You can also use this to carefully blend out a gradient lip!

Unflattering lipstick shade

Lip trends come and go, making our vanity pile high with bullet and tubes we’ve only used once. If they’re already expired, chuck them without hesitation. If they’re still okay though, it’s a good idea to make the most of your purchase by doubling it as blush! Lipsticks have the similar consistency to cream blushes, and brown lipsticks with neutral undertones can also be used for contouring. Doubt that it’ll work? Colors can register differently on lips and cheeks, so it’s at least worth trying out before making the final decision to get rid of it.

Too drying lip tint

Water tints are notorious for being drying on the lips but the watery consistency and staining formula would also be perfect for faking a natural flush. Apply in small amounts and carefully build up to your desired effect so you don’t turn too red. Pro tip: It’s the best cheek option for withstanding oil, sweat, and face touching!

Cheap and heavy moisturizers

We opt to change our skin care routines when hot summers make certain products uncomfortable to use. Even if you have dry skin, rich moisturizers can create too much of a barrier that keeps your skin from cooling off efficiently. The moisturizing factor works just as well for the rest of your body though! Slather it wherever you want, after all, it’s cheap. For heavy but very potent moisturizers that are much too expensive to slather on your legs, use them as an eye cream instead.

Lip balms that fail to deliver

It sucks when a product you buy fails to do the one job it’s supposedly designed to do. Unfortunately, product duds do happen and you may be stuck with several tubes of worthless balm. Or are they? Lip balms that fail to meet our standards are great as travel-friendly cuticle creams! The heavy texture keeps them intact after application but do keep them off your palms so you don’t grease up everything you touch.

White cast in your oil control powder

Oil control powders are heaven-sent for oily skinned gals but just as we carefully choose sunscreen formulas, it’s best to immediately check if the product leaves a white cast. If it does, then you’ve found yourself a new dry shampoo! Use a small amount at a time and work it in your hair to instantly refresh your no ligo locks. 

Chunky glittery highlights

Highlighters are tricky products that can either beautify the skin, or emphasize any and all skin imperfections if used incorrectly. Chunky glitters are particularly challenging (and messy) to use so apply it as body highlight instead! Put it on your collarbone, arms, and legs - they can make you slimmer and move those points higher! Plus since our bodies don’t have dilated pores as our faces do, you can definitely dare to make do with chunky highlights.

The facial wash that broke you out

After trying out a popular high pH cleanser a few times, I experienced the worst breakout of my life! Even though it worked well for many others, my skin just found it too harsh and got irritated. It did a thorough job of cleaning makeup off though so I’ve relegated it for cleaning my makeup brushes. This may depend on the kind of facial wash you want to ditch but most are usually able to clean brushes well. My tools have stayed in good condition this way!

What beauty products have failed to meet your standards so far? Do you have another tips and tricks for using them instead of just throwing them out? Share your stories with us!