10 ways to teach old make-up products new tricks

Mamamia’s Site Manager, Lana writes: “If you are anything like me you have a lot of half used make-up lying around the bathroom, or in my case the bathroom, the bedroom, the handbag, the car and the kitchen cupboard.

I keep meaning to use the stuff but I never do and instead I keep buying new things instead, which is not good.  And so I am going to stop,  I am going to give it new life… like a magic beauty fairy.  And you can too…

1. You can make your own lip gloss and cream eyeshadow using your old powders . Yes you can.  Just crush broken or old eyeshadow to make a loose powder and then mix this powder with Vaseline and heat for 10 seconds in the microwave.  Or you could also just add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to your cracked powders. Mix up the nude pink, or brown colours for lip gloss and use brighter colours for your new creamy eyeshadow.
2. Add  some of your old powdered eyeshadow to your moisturizer to get a slightly tinted moisturizer suitable for every day.

3. You can also create your own lip gloss by melting the ends of your favourite lipsticks together with some Vaseline . Put it in a tiny little container (like one reserved for contact lenses or medication) and you have a little pot of gloss to take on the run.
4. What about perfume?  Combine the final drops of your favourite perfume with an unscented body cream to make a hydrating perfumed lotion. If you have a perfume that is too strong for you, you can also add it to an unscented body lotion – it will soften the scent.
5. Now I know that you want a mascara declumper and like me, you may have a couple of old mascaras lying around. Don’t throw away those wands, rather wash them with shampoo and soak them in alcohol and then you can use them to groom your eyebrows or as an excellent mascara declumper.
6. Shampoo that’s not doing its thing – voila,  you now have bubble bath.
7. Have foundation lying around that is too dark ? Mix into your moisturizer and you have an instant bronzer.
8. If you have a body scrub that is just too harsh or you just not right – convert it into a hand scrub that you can keep in the kitchen so that you use on your hands after you wash the dishes.  You will have guaranteed  super soft hands.
9. If you have mistakenly bought a lipstick that is too bright use it as a cream blush and if it is still too bright slop on some moisturizer first and then try again, if it’s still too much, use some mineral makeup over it to soften.
10. You know that old hair spray lying around that has gone all heavy and sticky? Spray it on your hair when it is wet and use it as a styling aid. You wont need to do the full on spritz at the end because your damp hair will diffuse the strength and you’ll end up with a light hold.

And if you have some Vaseline lying around watch this!”

What do you do with your old beauty products?  Do you have any back to life secrets that you can share?