Are you constantly juggling work, school, social life, and everything else? Does it feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done? Fear not, because we’ve got your back – your ultimate guide to navigating the whirlwind of modern life with grace, poise, and minimal effort.
Get ready to revolutionize your daily routine with these game-changing hacks tailored specifically for the ambitious girl who wants to achieve more while working smarter, not harder. We’ve scoured the globe and consulted the experts to compile this treasure trove of tips, tricks, and shortcuts that will empower you to conquer your day like never before.
Natural Skin Lightening
Everybody’s skin comes in all different textures and colors, and how your skin reacts to shaving is going to be different than someone else. Some people get dark skin under their arms after shaving, but this darkness can be lightened quite naturally.
A mixture of baking soda and lemon juice applied once a day, will begin to lighten the skin. Just keep up with the regimen for a couple of weeks, and you will see the results.
Tea And Puffy Eyes
Staying up all night and working long hours can really tire your eyes out. The skin under your eyes can get a bit puffy and go a bit of a purple shade. An obvious solution would be to sleep more, but for those on the go, some green tea bags wet in warm water can do wonders.
You don’t want the tea bags to burn you, so let them come to a lukewarm temperature. Then simply place them over your eyes and let the green tea work its magic. It is an anti-inflammatory, which means that any redness or puffiness should be gone after a few minutes.
Stinky Shoes
Shoes are in high-traffic areas. Sometimes, you wear socks with them; sometimes, you don’t. The days you decide to go sock-free can lead to some pretty stinky situations. There are lots of sprays you can purchase to keep shoes smelling fresh, but tea bags work just as well, and they are eco-friendly.
Tea bags possess the ability to absorb smells and imbue the shoe with a tea essence. To make sure your shoes don’t smell, place black tea bags inside of them and leave them there overnight. When you wake up in the morning, take a whiff of your nice-smelling shoes.
Highlight With A Flashlight
Some bathrooms have very poor lighting, which means applying makeup quickly is almost impossible. Luckily, cell phones tend to have flashlights built into them. If you’re handy, you can shine the flashlight at your face and blend your makeup with the other hand.
You should be able to create the perfect look and not look like you have clown paint on. Just make sure that you quickly blend things before you head out the door.
Erase Scuff Marks
Suede shoes have the unique ability to go with almost any outfit, but there’s just one problem with them. They scuff very easily, and those scuff marks can be pretty unsightly.
Nail files possess the special ability to both file your nails and buff away scuff marks on shoes. You don’t want to use the harsh sandpaper side of a file; instead, use the buffing side to buff out the mark simply. Your shoes will look as good as new!
Better Than Fake Lashes
Instead of going with overly fake-looking lashes, look into a mascara that gives you darker lashes or enhancers that can accentuate what you’ve got.
You can also try a product such as LashRejuv Eyelash Enhancer.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Toners can be quite expensive, and it can take time to find one that works with your skin. If you have been looking for one, consider trying apple cider vinegar. We don’t recommend putting straight vinegar on your skin.
Instead, mix a tablespoon or two with some water in a spray bottle. Then, apply it to your skin with a cotton pad before you put some moisturizer on. The astringent properties of the vinegar should help to clear up any breakouts and reduce sebum production.
The Coffee Bean Trick
Coffee beans don’t always need to be ground into coffee. Many women have a collection of makeup brushes that they need to store. If you have a drawer, you can store them flat, but it is better to store them standing upright.
If you have a circular glass or a square one, you can fill it with coffee beans. The makeup brushes can be placed in the container handle down, and the coffee beans will hold them up.
Smokey Eyes With Hashtags
Getting that perfect smoky eye can be hard. It takes the careful application of dark gray or black eyeshadow to achieve the look. There is a trick that aids in this process, and it’s known as the hashtag.
All you need to do is draw a ‘#’ on each eyelid with eyeliner and then carefully smudge the eyeliner over your eyelid. This will create a smokey look, and dabbing some glitter over the top will complete the overall look.
Get Rid Of Puffiness
While we sleep, our faces have a tendency to get puffy. This is a combination of genetics and how you sleep on a pillow. If your face is not elevated, then you tend to wake up with a puffier face than if you slept with two pillows.
Two pillows allow your head to be raised above your body, and any water retention in your face will drain away while you sleep. If you only use one pillow, the water will stay in your face.
Soothe with Cabbage Leaves
Ever heard of wrapping your breasts in cabbage leaves? It might sound odd, but many women swear by this simple trick to soothe discomfort. If you’re dealing with breast tenderness or swelling, particularly during periods or breastfeeding, chilled cabbage leaves can be a natural way to get relief.
Just place clean, chilled cabbage leaves directly onto your breasts and relax for about an hour. It’s a quirky but effortless hack that can offer comfort on those days when you need a little extra TLC. Give it a try, and you might just wish you’d known about it sooner!
Dry Nails Quickly
Home manicures and pedicures have always been popular. They save you a lot of money, but one thing that’s a bit annoying is how long it takes nails to dry. A trick to drying freshly painted nails is not a blow dryer but actually a bowl of ice water.
Simply dipping your freshly painted nails into the water for a couple of minutes will cause the nail polish to harden. That way you don’t have to worry about accidentally scuffing them, while you wait for them to dry.
Natural Lip Mask
Once Fall comes, it is a lot harder to keep lips from getting chapped. Expensive lip balms work, but there is a cheap hack that works even better. Grab some honey, olive oil, sugar, and measure out a teaspoonful of each.
Mix them together, and then dab some of the paste on your lips. After about five minutes, the past can be wiped off and your lips should look and feel soft. Repeat this treatment whenever you find your lips getting chapped again.
Get the Most Out of Your Perfume
Selecting the right perfume is just part one of your efforts to smell great.
Although many of us were raised to do the “spray in the air, walk through the cloud” method, this just doesn’t cut it when compared to strategic applications like in the photo below.
Create A Thick Looking Bun
Not everyone is blessed with long thick hair, but that’s okay. To make the perfect bun, all you need is a sock and a pair of scissors. Grab an old tube sock, and cut the toe area off.
From there, you can roll the sock up until it appears to be a circle with a whole in the middle. Then it’s easy, you just place your ponytail through the hole in the sock, and wrap your hair around it until the sock is covered.
Better Cheekbones With a Spoon
A regular kitchen spoon may be the best contouring tool you’re likely to find.
Cup the apple of your cheek with it and angle it slightly downward, then use your brush to apply bronzer or contour below it. Keep doing so until you’ve blended the product in and voila!
Gua Sha
For those seeking an efficient way to brighten and rejuvenate the skin, the ancient Chinese technique of Gua Sha is your answer. With just a few glides of a specially shaped jade or rose quartz tool, you can improve circulation and reduce puffiness.
A brief session, repeating each stroke about five times, can offer a brighter complexion without spending hours at a spa. Gua Sha brings the spa-like experience to your home, saving both time and effort.
Magnetic Strips
Kitchens tend to have magnetic metal strips on the wall for hanging knives on. Bathrooms can have a similar magnetic strip hung for things like nail clippers, tweezers, and bobby pins.
These strips don’t need to be huge, and they are a great way to declutter your sink area, and free up some space for other products. It will also make it a lot easier to find the tool you want, if they are tidily hanging in front of you.
Prevent Creases In Leather Boots
Knee high leather boots are popular as soon as that first fall breeze floats through. However, storing leather boots, and avoiding creases which could age the leather is difficult. One hack that keeps leather looking brand new, is to place a section of a styrofoam noodle inside each one.
These pool noodles can easily be cut in fourths, and used to keep all of your boots looking sturdy, and ready to be worn.
Face Roller in Ice
Need a quick spa-like treatment without the time commitment? Try using a chilled face roller, a swift and invigorating addition to your skincare routine. Face rollers, often made of jade or rose quartz, can be chilled in ice for added tightening and de-puffing benefits.
Just a few upward and outward rolls on your face, and you’ll have a fresh, tightened look in minutes. It’s a time-saving, yet impactful way to give yourself that soothing spa treatment right at home.
Music And Clothes Pegs
Two things you would not expect to go together are clothes pegs, and headphones. A lot of people use Bluetooth headphones, but those who worry about losing these still stick to the corded earphones.
To keep the cord from getting snarled, a decorative clothespin can be used to keep everything in its place. Just wind the cord up, and place the earphones through the groove. Your headphones will never get tangled again!
Rubber Bands And Stuck Lids
This old trick has been used for any kind of lid that gets stuck in the kitchen, especially jam jars. However, a rubber band wrapped around the lid of a nail polish can get the lid unstuck in seconds. Usually, nail polish will have dried under the lid, which causes it to stick.
The rubber band allows you to get a firmer grip on the lid, and twist it enough to break the dried polish off.
Argon Oil
Want salon-quality hair without the time-consuming treatments? Argan Oil, sourced from the Moroccan Argan tree, is your go-to solution for luscious locks in a jiffy. Packed with nutrients like vitamin E and fatty acids, just a few drops can transform your hair.
Warm the oil in your palms, massage from root to tip, and leave it in as a quick 30-minute deep conditioning treatment. Wash it out with your regular shampoo, and you’re done! In this brief yet potent process, your hair will emerge nourished, shiny, and frizz-free, giving you that sleek salon look without spending hours at the stylist.
All-In-One
Hair straighteners have a lot of uses. Some of these, you may not have thought about before. Did you know that your hair straightener can be used to iron your clothes?
After you have done your hair for the day, if you notice a wrinkle in your shirt or skirt, you can quickly use your hair straightener to get rid of the wrinkle. Simply run the straightener over the wrinkled area; voila, you’re all set for the day.
How To Keep Eyelashes On
If you’re applying false eyelashes, keeping them on may be the most difficult job of your evening. Here’s a helpful tip, though: use a bobby pin to apply eyelash glue before fastening your falsies in place.
Bobby pins have small, rounded ends that are perfect for accurate application and avoiding unsightly globs.
Ribbons
Everybody has a lot of technology that comes with cords. All of these cords tend to get jumbled up together, until they are needed. To avoid getting your cords mixed up, consider purchasing a few sections of ribbon in different colors.
The ribbon can be used to tie up the cords and keep them from getting tangled. Each color of the ribbon can correspond to a specific device as well. That keeps everything from getting misplaced.
The Key Hack
Most of us have a lot of keys that we need to keep track of. One is for the front door; another is for a bike lock, the office door, and the list goes on. It can be tough to know which key is which, and when you’re in a hurry, it can be a bit annoying to have to try all of the keys until you find the right one.
Nail polish can help you tell your keys apart. Simply paint the top of each key a different color, and you will never be confused again.
Use Silicone Sponges for Application
Instead of using an absorbent sponge for face makeup application, try a silicone sponge since it won’t soak up your facial products or oil.
They are also easy to clean, which saves you time and gets you ready and out the door faster than ever!
Keep Unruly Brows in Check
It can be hard to fill in your eyebrows when you have unruly hairs that are just begging to be plucked. The solution is to use your colorless lip balm to hold your stubborn hair in place.
In addition, if your lip balm has vitamin E, it will help encourage your eyebrows to grow.
Hidden Power Bars
Wherever a television is hooked up or a computer, there will be a lot of cords that need to be plugged into a power bar. Power bars themselves aren’t exactly the most modern looking, and seeing a bunch of cords can ruin the design of a room.
Using a decorative box with a hole cut out of the side to allow the cords to run through can hide the power bar and make a room look chic again.
Lighten Up
How many times have you gone out somewhere and found that the lighting matches the bright bulbs of your bathroom? Fairly ever, right? So why do we judge our makeup according to those standards?
After you do your makeup, try to go somewhere that replicates the lighting of where you will be and give yourself a second look.
Not Just For Cleaning
Brooms are one of those cleaning tools every household needs, but the older bristled brooms can be used for a major makeup hack. The bristled broom head can be removed and placed on your vanity.
From there, you can place your makeup brushes, eyeliner, and even scissors inside the bristles. They are strong enough that they will hold everything upright and provide a cool rustic look to your bathroom. People will wonder where you thrift such a neat piece.
Dryer Sheet for Hair Static
Long-haired girls are well aware of how annoying static can be. The more you brush your hair, the more it starts to fly. Dryer sheets are an incredible hack for you to dill with it. Stick one on top of your hairbrush and brush your hair normally.
They are designed to remove static from clothes in the dryer; therefore, they will also absorb the static from your hair, a natural fiber.
Covering Up Age Spots and Dark Spots
Age spots and dark spots on legs can be a source of insecurity for many people. Fortunately, with the right products and techniques, it’s easy to cover these imperfections and create a smooth, even-toned appearance. Here’s how to do it:
1. Exfoliate regularly to remove dead skin cells, making the spots appear more prominent. Moisturize to help your skin look healthy and smooth.
2. Look for a full-coverage concealer that matches your skin tone. Choose one that has a creamy texture, which will blend easily over the skin.
3. Squeeze a small amount onto your finger and dot it onto each spot. Blend the product into your skin using a beauty sponge, starting from the center of each spot and working your way out.
4. To help the concealer stay in place, set it with a light dusting of translucent powder, focusing on the areas where you applied the concealer.
5. If you want extra coverage, you can apply body makeup over the top of the concealer. Look for a product formulated specifically for the legs, which will help smooth and even out the skin tone.
6. To give your legs a subtle glow, finish with a luminize body oil or lotion. This will help to reflect light and make your legs look youthful and radiant.
Bobby Pin Box
Bobby pins are one of those hair accessories that end up in the strangest places. You will find them on the floor, in the bathroom, under your sofa cushions, and a ton of other spots. To avoid misplacing them, you can easily turn a TicTac box into a bobby pin holder.
The box is the exact same size as a bobby pin, which makes it easy to slide a bobby pin through the hole in the top of the box or tap out a bobby pin for later.
Clever Whitening Trick
One way to continue to look youthful and healthy is to sport a nice set of pearly white teeth.
Products such as Best Brite Smile are perfect for helping you achieve these goals.
The Bejeweled Bottle Holder
Lots of people like to hold on to fancy-looking bottles, and now there is a great use for them! Pop bottles and beer bottles that are tall and skinny are the perfect shapes to hold bangle bracelets.
They easily loop over the top and stack so that you can see each and every one of them. Not only does this show off your bangle collection, but it makes it easy to find the one you want.
Take Advantage of Samples
It’s easy to settle into a routine and use your favorite beauty products throughout your younger years, but once you start to age a bit, they may not work for you like they used to.
When that happens, instead of wasting money on products that may not work for you, look into free sample programs online or in stores that will allow you to try them before you buy!
Mist Yourself With Vaseline
Vaseline, or petroleum jelly as it is known in some places, has a lot of neat uses. It can be used to moisturize dry lips, make teeth shine when you smile, and preserve the scent of perfume.
A slick of vaseline on your neck or behind your ears, and then a spritz of perfume on top, will make the scent cling to you for hours. The vaseline grabs on to the smell, and keeps it fresher for longer.
Color Me Correct
You might think that red lipstick can only be used when you’re going out, but it has a much more unique use. Color corrector is used to get rid of red spots and make your face look more uniform.
Red lipstick dabbed under your eyes can actually have the same effect. The red shade will help to cover up dark circles, and a bit of skin matched concealer over top will finish the process off.
No More Smudged Mascara
Putting mascara on takes time, you need to carefully stroke it on, and do your best to avoid smudges. When it comes to putting it on your lower lid, you might want to grab a spoon and place the rounded side under your lashes.
This will elevate them and make it easier to put mascara on. It will also avoid smudging it under your eye.
Two Masks Are Better Than One
One facial mask may work fine, but combining two or more masks gives you the advantage of being able to target different parts of your face with different treatments.
It may look a little strange when you’re applying it, but it’s best to use an oatmeal mask on red areas, moisturizing masks on dry areas, and charcoal or clay for oily parts.
The Old Mascara Hack
Sometimes, tubes of mascara can dry out, but that doesn’t mean the product has expired. If this happens, you can grab some eye drops and squeeze 2 to 3 drops into the tube.
The eye drops will remoisten the mascara, and you should be able to spread it on your eyelashes again. The eye drops are meant for eyes, so they will not create an irritation when mixed with the mascara.
No Eyeliner? Try Mascara!
A lot of the best makeup tips revolve around the fact that in life, you don’t always have what you need when you need it.
If you run out of eyeliner at an inopportune time, tip a brush into your mascara and use thin lines to paint along your lashes.
Carefully Contoured Lips
Instead of going for a matte look, try to contour your lips for extra fullness. This helps make you look younger because as you age, your lips naturally thin out.
The key to this is to line your lips just outside of your natural lip line.
Quickly Remove Eye Bags
Eye bags and general puffiness are not only likely to make you look older, but they give that uncomplimentary “worn out” look, too.
Avoid this issue by applying products like Instantly Ageless to the bags under your eyes.
Give Your Braids More Volume
If braided hairstyles tend to make your hair thin and lifeless, why not use this helpful trick?
Use an extra toothbrush to run along the side of your links, going against the direction of your hair. This will add volume, even as you wear your hair in braids.
It’s All in the Foundation
As you get older, you may want to get away from your favorite foundation shade and start to go with a brighter, more yellow-based foundation.
This is especially true as you age past 50 when golden tones will be much more flattering than reds, pinks, or neutral tones.
Keep Your Polish From Chipping
If you’ve had problems with your nail polish chipping (and who hasn’t?), try this before you paint your nails.
First, use nail polish remover on your bare nails, which helps to strip away natural oils from your nails that can hurt adhesion. Then, paint your nails by going horizontally on the tips, then vertically.
Never Forget Sunblock
Sunblock with a high SPF is the single best way to keep your skin looking youthful as you age.
Try an eye cream with an SPF rating of at least 15 to ward off sun-aided crow’s feet, and always use a lip balm that has an SPF, too.
Get Curly Hair With A T-Shirt
Drying your hair with a towel is efficient, but if you have curly hair, it might damage the curls. When you wash your hair, pat it dry with a towel and then roll it into a t-shirt.
The fabric will allow the hair to breathe, and the curls will begin to take shape as they air dry. Using a good curl cream will also help.
Hold On To Your Straws
Whenever you get a fountain pop from a restaurant, you get a plastic straw. You don’t want to throw the straws away; they are very bad for the environment. Instead, hold onto your straws and use them to separate your necklaces.
Simply adding a segment of straw will keep necklaces from getting tangled up in your jewelry box. Now, that’s easy!
Magnetize Your Makeup
Magnets are pretty wondrous things. They can stick spice to your fridge, and if you’re very creative, they can be used for makeup too. Purchase a magnetized board, add a chic frame, and then stick magnets onto the bottom of your compacts and eyeshadows.
This creates a magnetic makeup board, which saves space and looks really cool at the same time.
The DIY Scheduler
Sometimes, you don’t need a fancy calendar or scheduler to know where and when you need to be places. A strand of string, multicolored paper, and some cute clothespins are all it takes to create an adorable and personalized scheduler.
It’s easy to grab a piece of paper, and write down an upcoming activity for the week. You will always know where you need to be with one of these.
A Nest Of Wires
Us ladies love to use hair straighteners, blow dryers, and curling irons. All the wires for these can get tangled up with each other, which can be a tad on the frustrating side.
To avoid having to untangle your blow dryer from your hair straightener before a big night out, simply add some hooks to the side of your bathroom vanity. These hooks will give you the space you need to hang up all of your hair-styling electronics. They will never be tangled again!
Keep Lipstick Fresh
Most lipsticks like to say they last 24 hours, but we all know that’s not the truth. At some point during the day, you will need to reapply your color of choice. To make your lipstick last longer, carry some translucent powder in your purse.
Simply brushing a thin coat of the stuff on your lips will make your lipstick color stay vibrant for longer.
Get Those Beachy Waves
Victoria’s Secret models always seem to have the perfect hair. You might think they just throw their hair up in a messy bun, and voila, their hair is perfect. They actually spend hours in hair and makeup to look that good.
To achieve that perfect beachy hair look, you should braid your hair in sections, twist it, and set it with a hair straightener. Once your hair has been in braids for a couple of hours, remove them. Your hair will be in full beach mode.
Creative Earring Containers
Statement earrings are one of those accessories that ties an entire outfit together. Have you ever sorted through your jewelry only to find that one of the earrings in your favorite pair is missing?
To avoid this, choose a shoe box that you are no longer using. Then, punch some holes into the top of the lid for your earrings. You can safely secure them all to the lid and store them in your closet for later. Crisis averted.
A Festive Manicure
The holiday season always calls for some sparkly nails. If you have some metallic-colored nail polish, like gold, silver or green and some sparkly ones, you have everything you need for a manicure.
Simply paint your nails the base color of your choice, like a nice green, and then coat the tips of your nails with the sparkly nail polish. This will make your nails look like they’re ornaments waiting to be placed on a Christmas tree.
Get Rid Of Greasy Hair
Everyone knows about the wonders of dry shampoo, but did you know that you can basically make your own? Baby powder isn’t just for chaffed skin; it can actually be used like dry shampoo.
If your roots are looking a bit shiny, simply sprinkle some baby powder into your hand. From there, gently pat it into your part and your roots. It will get rid of that greasy shine, and make you smell baby fresh!
The Shower Cap Secret
When you start packing for a trip, you always need to pack at least one or two extra pairs of shoes. These shoes can be a bit on the dirty side, if you have been wearing them outside. To avoid having to scrub them clean, just take a shower cap from your bathroom.
Place the shoes inside the cap, with the sole facing down. Any dirt that is on them, will get caught in the cap, and stay off of your neatly packed clothes.
Shine On
Jewelry can show some wear and tear over time. Silver needs to be polished, and sometimes crystals can look a bit dull. One way to ensure that your jewelry always shines is to add a coat of clear nail polish.
Clear nail polish makes nails shine, so it makes sense that it would make jewelry shine, too. Just add a top coat, and your jewelry will be good to go for the year.
The Purse Hanger
Finding room in your closet for all of your clothes, accessories, and shoes can be a tall order. To make a bit of space, consider hanging your purses in your closet. We don’t mean on hooks though.
Take some shower curtain rings and place them on one of the clothing bars in your closet. Each ring can be used to hang a purse, which leaves a lot more room for your other accessories, like shoes.
No More Smelly Runners
A kitchen hack that can be adapted for smelly shoes is baking soda. If you have a smelly fridge, an open container of baking soda will work to absorb the smell. Running shoes can smell a bit after having sweaty feet inside of them.
To eliminate the smell, wrap a small amount of baking soda in some tissue. Place the tissue in the shoes, and by the next morning, the smell should be gone.
Band-Aid Manicure
This might sound like a manicure that hurts, but we assure you that it doesn’t! Getting a cool polka dot pattern on your nails takes time, but not if you use a band-aid. Place the polka dot part of the band-aid on your base coat once it has dried.
Then slick on the color of polka dots you want. Once that is done, peel the band-aid off and take a look at your slick polka dots.
Stain Away
Makeup and red wine leave some of the worst stains on clothing. However, there is a special hack that will get rid of most of these. Shaving cream has stain-remover properties when used correctly.
Spray a dollop of cream on whatever stain you have, and let it settle on the stain overnight. Run the stained garment through the wash the next day, and the stain should be gone.
Fuzz And Pilling
Woolen sweaters and fleece tend to get a lot of fuzz build-up or pilling around the arms. You might think that the sweater or fleece is unfixable, but getting rid of fuzz and pilling is incredibly easy. All you need to do is grab a fine-toothed comb and simply sweep it over the areas with fuzz and pilling.
The comb will pick up all of the pieces and leave the sweater or fleece looking brand new. This hack shouldn’t take more than five minutes, which means you can be out the door and ready for work in record time.
Heat-Induced Eyelash Curls
There are a lot of mascaras that aim to make your eyelashes curl, but there is one tried and true trick that actually makes them curl. Instead of wearing fake eyelashes, grab your eyelash curler and your blow dryer. Turn the blow dryer heat up to high, and blast some air on the open eyelash curler.
This will turn the curler into a type of hot roller. Then, you can use the hot eyelash curler to curl your lashes. The heat will make them retain this shape for longer, and a slick of mascara will help to lock it in.