Make the Most of Your Makeup with Multi-Use Products

Wouldn’t it be nice if—much like how your smartphone performs a multitude of functions, from monitoring your steps to tracking the weather to searching for makeup tips—there were a couple of products that had the power to primp all of your features at once and fit in your cosmetics bag? Good news: Some cosmetics are practically overachievers when it comes to multi-tasking. Dual-sided wands, lipsticks that double as blush…meet the “smart” products worthy of making it into your personal cargo space. 

Try this hack for adding some face colour. L’Oréal Paris Rouge Signature Lipstick may be the best liquid lipstick going, but—surprise!—it doubles as a cheek tint on the sly. To create a gorgeous—and on-trend—monochromatic flush on cheeks and lips, choose a pink lipstick from the range, such as L’Oréal Paris Rouge Signature Lipstick in I Savor. You already know how to apply lipstick. Just glide it on, using the pointed-tip applicator to define your Cupid’s bow. Here’s how to apply liquid lipstick as blush: Gently draw a tiny “X” (two quarter-inch lines) on the high point of the apple of your cheek using the applicator. Next, blend outward on all sides by dabbing with your index finger until the edges are seamless. Repeat on the other cheek. You can also use a small, flat top blush brush to blend your lipstick-turned-blush to give your skin an almost airbrush-like effect. Simply blend out your cream blush in an upwards motion along your cheekbones to give your skin a subtle hit of dewy colour.

While shades of L’Oréal Paris Rouge Signature Lipstick like I Savor and I Represent are perfect dupes for blush, you can get really creative and try a more neutral hue like I Tease to sculpt your cheekbones as contour. Simply dab a small amount on the back of your hand using the doe foot applicator and then grab your favourite contour or blush brush and pick up the product onto the bristles. Gently buff the liquid lipstick into the hollows of your cheekbones to add a more chiseled finish to your face. Expert tip: Always build the product up by applying small amounts at a time as it’s easier to add more colour than it is to take it away.

How about eyes? Many a professional makeup artist would choose a neutral eyeshadow quad as their desert-island beauty product, and it’s not hard to understand why. Aside from contouring your eyelids by using all four shades to make eyes stand out, did you know you can make virtually any eyeshadow into an intense eyeliner by wetting a stiff angled brush before dipping it into the pan? For maximum versatility, make sure there’s a good matte brown in your preferred palette, since you can use the darkest shade to groom your eyebrows as well. Try L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Luminous Ombrés in Absolute Taupe.

Mascara’s a must. You can extend the longevity of any mascara to waterproof-like lengths when you start with an eyelash primer, which acts like a “glue” to hold the inky pigment on top. Good thing this double-sided mascara came along: L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Superstar Mascara boasts a clever primer on one side of the wand. Flip it and the mascara side gives you a false lash extension effect, thanks to the tiny fibres implanted right in the formula. For best results, apply the primer and mascara one eye at a time before the primer dries.