Applying dry shampoo the night before, making lip stain out of beetroots and spraying bobby pins with hairspray are some of the top hair and beauty tips for 2016.
Online hair and beauty retailer Hairtrade.com have come up with the top 16 tricks that all beauty addicts should be doing in 2016, including tips on hairstyling, manicures and even how to wear perfume correctly.
Some of the pointers involve making the most out of your beauty products, like applying highlighter to your lips to make them stand out and white eyeshadow underneath coloured shadows to make colours pop.
Other more traditional beauty secrets also feature like sleeping on a silk pillowcase, conditioning and combing hair whilst wet and cleaning make up brushes regularly
Many of the tips are timesavers, such as applying eyeliner to your eyelash curlers and spraying bobby pins with hairspray.
Joanne Dodds, from Hairtrade.com, said: “2015 was the year of discovering beauty hacks, now 2016 is the year to get into the habit of putting them into your daily routine. These handy hints will not only make your life easier, but they will make the most out of your products and help you achieve those tricky looks without a make-up artist. By trying out just a few of these hacks, you should notice a considerable difference to your beauty regime.”
Here are the site’s top 16 hair and beauty tips for 2016
1. Petroleum jelly on pulse spots for perfume
The ointment in the jelly will hold the fragrance for longer. Apply to your wrists, neck, inside elbows, behind knees and on ankles and calves.
2. Apply baby powder to eyelashes
Accentuate long lashes by using baby powder on them. Using a cotton bud, apply baby powder to your top and bottom set of eyelashes. Once this is done, recoat the eyes with mascara for fuller looking lashes.
3. Double up your ponytail
One way to make your pony look longer and thicker is by splitting the hair in half. Tie half of your hair up in a normal half up, half down style. Instead of leaving hair loose, tie the remainder of the hair in a low ponytail. Tie the two parts of the pony together and it will appear a lot longer.
4. Silk pillowcases
Cotton cases can cause hair to break and frizz. Silk pillowcases reduce split ends and can also reduce annoying lines on your face in the morning.
5. Clean nails with distilled vinegar
Before applying your polish, clean your nails with a cotton bud soaked in a little distilled vinegar. The clean surface will help your manicure last.
6. Use a slanted eye shadow brush to clean up
If you’ve had some slip ups during your manicure, dip a slanted eye shadow brush into some nail polish remover for easy manoeuvring.
7. Create natural lip stains
Rose petals, beetroots or blackberries are notorious for staining clothes, so why not make that stain work for you on your lips? Try mixing natural ingredients with a sheer lip balm to create a natural colour that will last all day.
8. Avoid hot showers
It can be tempting to whack your shower temperature up full blast but this will damage your scalp and leave it flaky. Try to wash your hair in tepid water, especially in summer.
9. Condition and comb
If you’re prone to knotty hair, instead of wrestling with your brush after the shower, comb through your ends whilst still wet with conditioner in to get rid of all the tangles.
10. Curl from the middle not the ends of your hair
It will make your curls last longer. Hold for ten seconds, loosen the grip, and then pull downwards for a perfect tumbling curl.
11. Keep all brushes clean
Bacteria build up is never good on your make up brushes and your hairbrush as well. Make sure to clean your brushes once every two weeks. You can use regular shampoo and warm water.
12. Dot some highlighter onto your lips
Once you’ve applied your lipstick, try dabbing a little highlighter into the centre of your lips and cupid’s bow to make your pout stand out.
13. Line and curl at the same time
When curling your eyelashes, draw on your kohl to the topside of curler and press down closely to your lash line. You’ll be left with curled lashes and perfect eyeliner.
14. Use white eyeshadow or pencil as a base
If you’re rocking some coloured shadow, line your socket with white eyeshadow to make them pop. This works with nails too, just apply a base layer of white nail varnish then your brightly coloured top layer.
15. Spray bobby pins with hairspray
To save yourself constantly readjusting your bobby pins throughout the day, spritz them with hair spray or dry shampoo first so they’ll hold better.
16. Apply dry shampoo before bed
Tossing and turning in bed will help work the product in, elevating white patches to leave you waking up with voluminous grease free locks.
Main image above credit: FreeImages.com/roxana stan
