Diving straight in on this one. Call me geeky, but when I look at a makeup product or tool, I love to try and think of two or three ways in which I can use it. Just because a makeup brush has ‘eyeshadow crease’ written on it doesn’t mean you can’t use it to buff in concealer, or use it to blend in a highlighter. By doubling or trebling up on your use of products and/or tools, you can save time and money on your makeup kit.
Here’s my five favourite products to double/treble up on.
What it’s sold as – a buffing/blending eyeshadow brush
What I double it up as – a buffing/blending cream concealer under the eye area
This small but mighty brush is a staple in my pro and personal kits (yes, I have more than one of these...) It’s described as a buffing/blending eyeshadow brush (of which it does the job beautifully) but I also find it brilliant for blending in concealer under the eye area, due to the fact that it’s small enough to fit into the inner corner of the eye and under the lower lashes. A personal favourite from a brand I love and trust.
What it’s sold as – a lightweight, easily blendable foundation
What I double it up as – concealer
It might feel weird or excessive to think of a whole foundation bottle as a concealer, but this foundation is so beautifully versatile, I’ll use this in a lighter shade as a concealer and build the coverage until I’m happy with the result. Yes, concealers are different to foundation, providing heavier, more concentrated cover but the amazing coverage of this product makes it easy to double up for a gorgeous, natural finish.
What it’s sold as – a moisturiser that boosts the look of dull skin
What I double it up as – cream highlighter
Oh I ADORE this product! It was one of the first products I bought for my pro kit! This is an intense serum/primer that can be used alone, under or mixed with foundation to give skin a gorgeous luminated glow. But I also love to use it as a cream highlighter on the cheekbones, inner corners of the eye, just under the eyebrow, collar bone, shins, everywhere I want to give a bit of a glow! This is a brilliant all year round product which gives a gorgeous glow in summer and a glowy boost in winter!
What it’s sold as – a radiant blush stick
What I double it up as – cream eyeshadow
What I treble it up as – a lip tint over a lip balm
I have used these for cheeks, lips and eyes on beauty editorial photoshoots when I’ve wanted to get a really beautiful, natural streamlined look that looks effortless. This stick is so versatile it makes me sigh with utter happiness! It can be applied directly onto the skin, taken off with a spatula and mixed with highlighter, dabbed with a brush and buffed onto the skin…so many ways, so much fun! A brilliant value for money product too for the amount of work it can put in. A firm favourite.
What it’s sold as – a rich mascara that separates lashes from root to tip
What I double it up as – eyebrow gel
What I treble it up as – taming flyaway hairs
If you don’t own a clear mascara – then now is the time to buy one! Probably one of the most versatile (and oh-so-very-reasonably-priced) items to add to your makeup bag! As well as giving you a ‘no makeup-makeup look’, this is brilliant for giving instant texture to your eyebrows if you don’t want to use a coloured brow product. And as for taming flyaway hairs, this has been a godsend for giving me a much sleeker looking ponytail!