Make anything last longer
With so much economic uncertainty these days you may find yourself scrutinizing how you spend you extra dollars. Rather than cutting out the little luxuries use these tips to make your purchases last longer.
Make your pantyhose last longer
- Wash your pantyhose before you wear them. Fill Add liquid starch to the water to toughen up the fibers and reduces runs. After they’re dry put them into a plastic bag and into the freezer over night.
- Buy the correct size. If they’re too big, they’ll bag and snag easily. If they’re too small, they’ll pull and tear.
- Take your hose off when you get home and wash them out immediately. Rotate to give them extra life.
- Buy stronger pantyhose. Black, navy and dark brown tights look just as nice as hose. You may want to avoid the lighter shades as they look very heavy on.
Make your foundation last longer
- Wait about 10 minutes after applying moisturizer. If you don’t allow the moisturizer to absorb into the skin, your foundation will wear off in a matter of hours.
- Use a makeup primer. Foundation Primers extend your makeup application by hours!
- ALWAYS use a powder to set the foundation.
- Blot your makeup throughout the day to remove excess oil. If you do not have a makeup blotting sheet tissue will do the job.
Make your mascara last longer
- Choose mascara that has a thin brush. This ensures the opening to the tube will be small and less air will get in. When air enters the tube, it dries out the mascara.
- Avoid pumping the mascara wand too vigorously during use. This allows air to get into the tube.
- Add a drop of water to the tube of dry mascara if necessary. It’s not a great idea, but in an emergency, you will be able to get more out of the tube by using this trick.
Make your eye makeup last longer
- Use water proof eye make up
- You need to give a base coat of foundation and powder for the eye makeup to adhere to. These will double the staying power of your eye shadow.
- Use an eye makeup primer. Eye Primers extend your makeup application by hours! Read more about makeup primers here.
- Liquid eye liner has 4 times the staying power than pencil eye liners.
Make your manicure last longer
- Keep nails short. Long nails are more prone to chipping and breaking than short ones.
- Keep your cuticles groomed. Apply a drop of oil to the cuticle and gently pushing them back with a wooden tool.
- Apply polish to nails that have been cleaned with a cotton swab dipped in nail-polish remover. Any oil or lotion left on the nail bed will prevent polish from bonding to the nail — and cause peeling in a day or two.
- Apply a base coat to give colored polish something to stick to so it lasts longer.
- Apply polish in thin coats. Wipe one side of the nailbrush against the neck of the bottle to ensure excess polish is removed. Then sweep the brush up the length of the nail in thin coats. Thick coats of polish bubble and peel.
- Allow polish to dry between coats. Manicure experts say that giving polish some time to dry before applying a1 second coat allows the first coat to form a better bond to the nail. The second coat will then bond to the first.
- Toss old polish. Old nail polish changes consistency and becomes thick and gloppy. That means it won’t have the staying power of newer polish. If you can’t bear to toss your favorite old bottle, add a bit of polish thinner (not remover) to make it smoother.
- Keep your hands dry. Immersing your hands in water for too long can cause polish to lift off the nail, shortening the life of your manicure. Use rubber gloves when you’re washing dishes, and keep showers to a quick 10-15 minutes.
- Apply topcoat daily. It’s the number-one way to ensure your manicure lasts. Sweep on a protective topcoat daily to increase your nail polish’s staying power.
- Make acrylic nails last longer by applying another coat of polish every three days and not pushing cuticles back. Prolong the life of acrylic nails by keeping nail beds well oiled with insight from an experienced nail technician in this free video on nail care.
Make your pedicure last longer
- My pedicure can last more than a month without obvious chips because I always opt for a light pink.
- Avoid wearing socks or close-toed shoes for at least two days after the pedicure.
- One of the quickest ways to destroy a pedicure is exposing it to chemicals, such as chlorine. If it can be helped, avoid going for a swim in a chlorinated pool if you’ve just gotten a pedicure.
- A bottle of polish that is the same color as the one on your toes. Doing a little touch up here and there can keep your pedicure looking fresh, even after a few weeks.
Make your lipstick last all day
- Line your lips with a lipstick pencil
- Fill them in with the lip pencil to give your lipstick a base to adhere to
- By applying foundation before lip liner and lipstick, you will achieve a longer, lasting coverage
- Brush on the color with a tiny lip brush to keep the lips contoured.
- Drink through a straw!
Make your flowers last
- Put your vase through the dishwasher to remove dust and bacteria that can contaminate the water
- Cut the ends more than once. Trimming at an angle every three days under lukewarm water will make it easier for the stems to absorb the water and keep the stem hydrated.
- Stick them in the refrigerator to keep the blooms vibrant.
Make your candle last longer
- Place in the freezer before lighting it! By freezing the candle, the wax becomes colder and hardens, taking longer to melt.
- Keep the wick trimmed to ¼ of an inch. Wicks that are allowed to get larger than ¼ of an inch tend to burn faster.
- Avoid drafts! Burning candles in drafty areas can cause uneven burning and excessive smoking. Not to mention that your candle will burn faster. If you notice the flame of the candle flickering in any direction other than straight up, there is a draft.
- To make pillar candles last longer burn the candle until you have a well in the middle that is big enough to accept a tea candle. Trim the wick of the large candle so that lies flat, and insert your votive or tea-light. Then when the votive or tea-light burns down, it can be replaced inexpensively.
- After the wick is gone put on a candle warmer.
