beauty

'My skin has never looked better.' 36 women share their ultimate beauty hack.

With countless products, new trends, and differing pieces of advice, the world of beauty and skincare can be pretty overwhelming

So, when you find a beauty hack that becomes a staple in your routine, it truly is the best feeling.

For instance? On Mamamia's podcast You Beauty, Beauty and Health Editor Erin Docherty trialled TikTok's aluminium foil hair hack. It is said to help get rid of flyaways and de-frizz your hair, and after trialling it, Erin found it to be a very savvy tip indeed!

Watch: You Beauty Q&A. Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia.

With this in mind, we decided to ask our Mamamia audience for their all-time favourite beauty tips and skin tricks they have learnt over the years and continue to swear by.

Here's what 36 women had to say.

Eyes.

"I swear by eyelash extensions. They make me look 'put together' and when I take them off, I feel naked without them."

"I recommend using a wet eyeshadow brush and eyeshadow for eyeliner - you don't actually need to buy a bunch of liquid liners. They can be really expensive, plus they dry out quickly."

"My best tip is to apply a nude colour eye pencil on your lower lash line. It will make your eyes pop!"

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"I'm bad at applying an even line of winged eyeliner. So I always put the eyeliner on first (to the best of my ability), then use micellar water on a Q-Tip to swipe against the line and make it really sharp. Then I do the rest of my foundation/base!"

"If you end up with mascara under your eyes when applying it, wait for it to dry - it'll harden. Then scrape it off with an eyebrow brush. It won't ruin your makeup underneath, which is perfect."

"This is a classic but I always use my bronzer as my eyeshadow for everyday makeup. It complements the bronzer on the rest of my face and ties everything together. It's also a great hack when travelling, as it means packing less products - more room for shopping!"

"I use a bit of tape on the back of my hand a couple of times to make it less sticky, and then I put it under my eye up towards my eyebrow. With that on, I then do my eyeshadow and the tape ensures I get the perfect eyeshadow shape without any mess."

"While in the process of doing my makeup, I pop my mascara tube under my arm or in my bra to warm it up using my body heat. Then when it comes time to using my mascara, there are never any clumps!"

Brows. 

"I find it hard to find a good product for filling in the gaps of my black brows that looks natural. My best hack is to use a good quality dark brown eyeshadow and an angle brush to apply. Tidy with a tiny dab of concealer on another angle brush. This look always attracts compliments!"

"I use an old dried-up mascara as a brow brush. I wouldn't use it on my eyes anymore, but what's left in the product is perfect for giving my brows some colour and it gives the brow hairs some hold without being too cakey. Another hack I like is using soap brows - I buy the three pack of Pears soap from the supermarket and spray it with setting spray then use a spoolie to collect the product then use it to gel my brows up. Stays in place all day."

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Image: Canva. 

Skincare.

"Layering skincare in the right order has upped my skincare game. After listening to You Beauty, I discovered the best step-by-step routine: serums, eye cream, face oils, sunscreen, moisturiser. My skin has never looked better."

"Sunscreen is the best anti-ageing cream you can buy."

"Apply your serums on damp skin. Thank me later."

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"Leigh Campbell taught me my favourite lazy-girl skin tip: Don't bother with cleanser in the morning, just use micellar water with a cotton pad. I've been doing it ever since! It's quick and just as effective." 

"If you're introducing a new product, you can't flirt and expect to see results - you need to be in for a long-term commitment. I started using the same four products nightly over the course of a year, and it's seen my skin improve drastically in tone, texture and quality."

"Splashes of ice cold water on the face every morning and night results in brighter, smoother and firmer skin. I have been doing this for five years and it’s a winner."

"The only tip that I use daily is that when applying serums, I wait and take a couple minutes in between each one of my skincare steps to allow them to properly sink in."

Listen to You Beauty. Post continues after audio.

Lips.

"I swear by using pure lanolin products or a tub of simple Vaseline. You can get a big tub for a reasonable price at your local chemist and it works for many things - I use it for cuts, cracked nipples after breastfeeding and of course for my lips as a nourishing overnight treatment."

"I overline my top lip slightly but keep the bottom one as is - that way my lips look more pouty but not too over the top. And I line my lips in a colour that matches my natural lip tone."

"Use your lipstick as a blush or an eyeshadow. Works every time."

Face.

"Use a setting spray in between your 'layers' of makeup for the most natural look. For example, I'll spray it after cream products, powder products and at the end. Then gently push the spray in with a beauty blender - it will melt your makeup into your skin."

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"Don't bother with blotting pads - they are a waste of money. Just use some paper towel in the bathrooms instead and dab gently."

"I use a small bit of peachy colour corrector on the inner corner of my dark circles, before then applying a light/bright concealer. I will never again go without this, it's absolutely brilliant."

"I don't like using foundations which are marketed as a glowy product. I find they look oily on my skin. Instead, I add a really small amount of liquid highlighter to my chosen foundation and apply that to my face - that way I can control how much glow and shine works for my complexion."

"I can't believe it took me years to discover this, but I've recently started applying blush to my cheek bones instead of the apples of my cheeks and it really lifts my face and looks a lot more flattering."

"I will never ever just put foundation on my face. I need a base underneath like a moisturiser or primer to help it blend better and last longer without cracking."

"My four tips for an airbrush finish to my make-up every time: Begin with a good primer (Here's looking at you, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer!). Use a damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexions sponge for blending concealer into your base. Be sure to seal all cream products with powder/blush/bronzer. And invest in a great make-up setting spray to finish (I love the Urban Decay All-nighter)."

Hair.

"If you want to do a slick bun, spray your hair brush with hairspray and then brush your hair and slick it back. The hairsprayed brush will flatten out all the fly aways. Another flyaway trick is to use a toothbrush for slicking back any baby hairs."

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"After I kept getting super oily hair, my hairdresser told me to shampoo my hair twice instead of once. It really helped and I've been doing it ever since."

"Use a pea-sized amount of John Frieda Frizz Ease after you finishing blow-drying/straightening/curling. It's cheap, removes ALL frizz, and your hair will look really shiny."

"Dry your hair with a t-shirt. Towels can be really harsh and cause breakage on wet hair so use a t-shirt instead as it's much gentler!"

"Keep a mini hair brush in your handbag at all times - you'll be grateful you have it and use it more than you think."

Body.

"During winter my feet get really dry and cracked which isn't cute at all. I add a bit of Vaseline to the dry parts, put some socks on, and by morning they feel and look fabulous."

"I keep a bottle of my body moisturiser in the shower. I wait until my shower is finished and then I apply the moisturiser all over my body just before getting out of the shower, as it seems to apply far easier on wet skin."

"I add a bit of liquid highlighter to my body moisturiser and then apply it to my decolletage. I only really do this for a special event but every time I do it, my chest looks amazing." 

"When a dermatologist told me this, it blew my freaking mind: Apparently you're not supposed to spray perfume on your chest. The reason for this is that our skin is constantly exposed to harmful UV rays, so spraying perfume on your delicate little neck means the oil in the perfume can increase the damage. What I now do instead is spray onto non-exposed areas."

What is your best beauty hack? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Canva/Mamamia.

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