Hot Tip: Find Your Earrings More Easily

Dixie

There has been many a morning when I am dressed and ready to walk out the door, except for my earrings. I dash into my room with my daughter toddler-marching behind me, and flip open the lip to my jewelry box to grab a pair of earrings to wear for the day. Almost instantly, I find the first one. Then I paw through my disorganized mish-mash of earrings for 5 minutes, frantically trying to find the second one. Sound familiar? Here is a solution to save you time and frustration...and possibly the destruction that is the result of a bored toddler waiting on you: fasten them together when you take them off at the end of the day. It's easy with studs - just put the back on the post of one then with the other post, stick it through the loop of one back and fasten.

With fish hook earrings, you will want to buy some plastic earring backs at the craft store. I wear these with all my fish-hook earrings since they seem to work themselves out during the day. Put the plastic back on one hook. With the other hook, find that little loop at the bottom, stick the end through and put the other plastic back on.

And there you have it. No more time wasted trying to find the mate to your earring.

Hot Tip: Blister Prevention!

Vee

Sandals giving you blisters? Try dabbing a little liquid bandage on the back of your ankle or toes to create a barrier that prevents blisters. You can also use an anti-blister stick (often found in the footcare department) to keep uncomfortable shoes from rubbing or to help break in new shoes.

Hot Tip: Save Your Razors, Part Deux

 Dixie

Every time I buy a new package of razors, my wallet screams. It's weird. I'll be standing there in the checkout line, buying my stuff, minding my own business; when the clerk swipes my package of razors over the scanner, my wallet begins howling like a banshee. It's embarrassing, really. So, to save myself embarrassment and fumbling explanations about the shrieking in my purse, I decided to give stropping a try. As defined by Merriam-Webster, stopping means to sharpen a razor on a strop (a leather band created for the purpose of sharpening the razor). However, Terry Pundiak developed a simpler way of extending the life of your disposable razors. Watch his brief video:



See? So easy! I've been using the same cartridge for 5 months with this technique and I've had no irritation due to a dull or corroded razor. So, do your wallet a favor - give this stropping technique a try.

(NB: Remember to keep your blades clean using MelBivDevoe's tip from last week!)

Hot Tip: Getting Deodorant Streaks Off Your Clothing

Dixie 

This tip comes to us today courtesy of my friend Samantha. Ever since I've been wearing deodorant, I've dealt with the same problem we all occasionally do - white steaks of deodorant on my shirt. Normally, I would remove the streaks by rubbing them with a slightly damp washcloth. It works very well, but it does leave your clothes a bit damp. One day at work Samantha noticed that I had a streak on the bottom of my shirt. She told me a better way to get rid of it - simply take another section of shirt, flip it inside out, and vigorously rub the deodorant streak. Violá! The white streak is gone and your shirt is dry.

Hot Tip: Save Your Razors

Mel Biv Devoe

Sick of your razor giving out long before it should? Especially when you use something like the Lemon Sugar Scrub when shaving? You can use vodka to prolong the life of your razor. Just wipe the razor down, then fill a cup with vodka and let the blades soak in between uses. The alcohol in the vodka kills germs, removes any soap or shaving cream buildup, and prevents rust. 

Just make sure you buy cheap vodka. A good vodka is a terrible thing to waste.

Hot Tip: Get Rid Of Clown Cheeks!

Vee

You: Used a heavy hand with your blush and now you have clown cheeks. Solution: Take a fluffy face brush and some translucent powder and blend, blend, blend! If you don't have translucent powder, you can use a compact, powder foundation or even a plain, clean brush.

Hot Tip: Sharper Idea For Avoiding Messes!

Vee

Via

Don't you hate it when you sharpen your eyeliner or lip pencil and the back pops off and gets shavings everywhere? 

Here's an easy fix: Wrap a rubber band or hair elastic around that baby and it'll keep the lid and the back securely in place. Ta-da!

Hot Tip: Blotting Papers For Cheap!

Pinky McLadybits via Lainey

You know those thin face blotter papers that cost a bunch of money for a little envelope of them? Toilet seat covers do the EXACT same thing. So, you can grab a few of those and cut them up & keep them with you to blot your face when it's getting greasy/shiny, or if you're super classy like Lainey, just pull one out of the package and use it as-is.

You can also use tissue paper, like the kind used for gift bags, or Kleenex to blot the oil from your face.

Hot Tip: Make the Most of Your Mascara

Dixie

As you may know, I am always on the search for the Holy Grail of mascaras. The longer my search goes on, the more I start to think that I will never find my dream mascara that volumizes and lengthens without clumping, flaking, or running. However, whatever mascara I happen to be experimenting with or settling on until I find The One, there are a few things I do to make the most out of each application.

A theater friend in college told me that the easiest way to plump up your lashes is to apply mascara on the tops of your lashes. Sounds a little difficult, but once you've done it a couple of times, it becomes second nature.

First, curl your lashes and apply your mascara on the undersides starting at the very base of the lashes, as usual. This will help the lashes hold their curl. Next, close your eye very slightly and hold the mascara over the ends of your lashes, top side. Then, open your eyes all the way, dragging your lashes across the brush. Finally, separate your lashes using a metal lash comb. The tines on plastic lash combs are too close together to separate, metal lash combs are far more effective. Sephora and Sonia Kashuk both have excellent combs. And viola! More well-defined lashes.

Hot Tip: Puffy Eyes? Fake a Well-Rested Face!

Dixie and Vee

Ladies, we all have those nights - you drink too much, eat salty foods, or cry over Doctor Who (not that I've done that before, certainly never more than once. Ahem.) The next morning you wake up, you look like crap, and everybody at work asks, "Are you okay?" So, how do you avoid all of that? The answer: Fake it! Here's how:

First, drink a big glass of water and a cup of tea or coffee. The fluid and the caffeine will get to work while you're busy faking a good night's sleep and good, clean living.

Hot Tip: What to Do with that Leftover Apricot Scrub

This scrub don't get no love from...we!

If you've been playing along at home, you know that I am on a personal mission to get you to ditch your apricot facial scrub. In my first post on the topic, I explained why it's bad for your skin. Hopefully either that post or the second one convinced you to put down the apricot facial scrub and find one less damaging to your delicate skin.

But if you are like me, you couldn't bring yourself to actually throw it away, and wondered what the heck you were going to do with whatever amount of scrub you had leftover. Luckily for me (and now you) my friend, Marie, volunteered a perfect solution. So here's your hot tip:

Use it as a scrub for your feet.

Perfect, n'est-ce pas?

So, when your feet start to get a bit rough (this happens to me in the summer), grab your old apricot facial scrub, and give your feet the spa treatment.

Now your face and feet will thank you.

Contributer: Tamatha

Hot Tip: Don't Crack Up, Hot Lips!

 

Flaky lips freaking you out?

Try this DIY lip scrub at home or at the office.
 

In the palm of your hand, mix 1 tbsp (or 1 packet) of sugar. Add a dollop of honey and mix. Lean over a sink and apply the mixture to your lips, rubbing in circles. 

Use the leftover scrub on your hands, then rinse off. Apply chapstick to your lips and lotion to your hands and you'll be kissably soft.

Contributer: Vee

Hot Tip: Fallout Eyeshadow Fix!

Fallout Eyeshadow Fix! 

Love a sultry smokey eye, but end up looking like a raccoon from eyeshadow fallout?

Tip 1: Be sure to tap your eyeshadow brush before swiping on your lid to esure no excess will fall.

Tip 2: Take a fluffy powder puff or sponge and pat a thick layer of loose translucent powder under your eyes and on your cheekbones before you sweep on your eyeshadow. Apply shadow as usual and simply brush excess loose powder off when you are done. The powder will create a barrier to keep eyeshadow from smearing on your skin and giving you dark circles. Finish with eyeliner and mascara.

Contributer: Vee

Hot Tip! If there can be only one...

We've all been there - product ran out, the bags are overstuffed, "I'm in a remote vacation place and nothing is familiar"! Shaving cream, face lotion, dry skin, rashes, hard sandal-foot, deodorant, hair conditioner, hangnails - you name the product needed and we've either lost it, never had it or never wanted it - until we did.

Our good friend Joanna has recommended coconut oil as the perfect multiple choice product - a cure all for the travel weary - even if traveling to your bathroom on a Monday is as much as you can muster.

We've also heard tell that coconut oil contains some antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal properties that can possibly help with various fungi and skin infections. But like we said - it's a luxurious all-in-one that smells like summer - of course we want to make it a daily thing!

A real tweezer pleaser!

Does your skin break out in white bumps after you wax, tweeze or thread? Here's a trick that will keep your skin smooth.

Wipe your skin before AND after with a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel or hydrogen peroxide. The antiseptic properties will keep your open pores from getting infected with bacteria and it won't sting the way alcohol will.

Brighten your skin and your mood!

Dull skin giving you a headache? Try an aspirin scrub. Take 2-3 uncoated aspirin (the generic kind work just great) and put them in a small container. Add a few drops of water and let them dissolve into a powder.

Mix with your favorite facewash and you've got an instant scrub that will leave your face smooth. We recommend using this in the shower so you don't get aspirin in your hair as it can be tough to wash out.

Bumpy Bikini Lines Begone!

We're going to be very honest here - there is nothing more appalling before a day at the beach than looking downwards at your beach-ready bod (or while putting on your brave face, as is the case with your Editors) and seeing two strips of bumpy red spots at the top of your inner thighs.

It's the worst. Having ingrown hairs and/or red irritated skin post-shave is absolutely unnerving - if you're supposed to be wearing clean underwear at all times, in case of opportunity or emergency, how then do you deal with these little event-ruiners that will require a fumbly, awkward discussion should you happen to get into one of those situations?

Never fear - we have an old stri...'exotic dancer' trick-of-the-trade for you: immediately post shave, pat dry and run some anti-antiperspirant along the newly-shaved skin. It can't be deodorant - antiperspirant does it. We're prone to awful looking bumps, and this worked immediately.

We're never looking back, and further - we're sort of contemplating if it isn't too late to learn some other tricks that have to do with shimmying?

Hot Tips! Shoo flyaways, don't bother me!

Say good bye to the sultry, moist, humid days of summer...those lovely days of frizz and funk that no straightening iron can handle! Enter - the dry, brittle winter weather that statics up your hair until you'd rather just head over to the local Science Centre and grab onto that sparkly ball, because at least you'll look in control of your hair just once this year.

Never fear! Nepoleanita has a great reminder for those of you with flyaways, frizzes and other hair related futzes - your average dryer sheet smoothed over your perfect 'do will do far more than any other product to really, truly take that static outta your attic, and stick that fringe back to where it should begin.

Take a few of them along - doesn't hurt to have a shoe and purse freshener along while you cultivate your coif!

Hot Tip - Home Coloring 'Halo' Prevention

Nothing is worse than the utter defeat you can sometimes feel at the prospect of coloring your hair at home. Those patient, hand-drawn ladies never get sore arms, never near-asphyxiate from the smell, and never ever run far past the allotted 20 minutes application time that threatens to turn your 'new look' into Bride of Frankenstein.

No matter what they do to try to improve your home-made experience, they never seem to anticipate the utter quagmire your bathroom - and yes YOU - can become while in the midst of your panicky, stinky gloopdown.

But lighten up!

Kolby reminds us that it's all in the preparation - and even if you don't magically achieve the perfect color - at least your forehead doesn't have to look like it's dirty, or like you've become allergic to having hair!

Lay a swipe of vaseline or other petroleum jelly product along your hairline to prevent the drip-down effect from creating a permanent hippie headband on your face - and know that things will look brighter the next time around!

Hot Tip: SOOTHING CARE Chafing Relief POWDER-GEL

Chub Rub. A dread warm weather bedevilment and summer dress wrecking scourge. You know what we're talking about - when your thighs rub together in the summertime because of the heat, and the beautiful skirt you're wearing becomes a chore you won't soon repeat?

We know the feeling.

Lucky for us, when Vee shared the secret of Monistat Chafing Relief PowderGel, we jumped on the advice and stampeded Target. The reviews across the board were glowing - after applying some Soothing Care Chafing Relief to our inner thighs, we said goodbye (and good riddance!) to our Chub Rub!


Find out more here:
http://www.monistat.com/soothing-care-powder-gel