Beauty Tips

• If you have oily or pimple-prone skin, your pillowcase could be your worst enemy. Oil and dirt collect on it and rub on your skin, so change the case a couple times a week.

• Have pimples on your chin or jawline? Could be all that talking on the phone! Really! Pressure and bacteria from the phone receiver can irritate your skin. The solution: Don't press it against your face and clean the receiver daily with astringent. Or swap to a blue-tooth device.

• Suds your skin using small, upward, circular motions. Pulling it downward damages your skin's elasticity. 

• To ease the ouch of tweezing, dab teething gel on your brow area with a cotton-swab before you pluck.

• To prevent little bumps after plucking your brows, wipe the area with astringent or witch hazel.

• To hide a really red pimple, tone down the red by using a green cover-up, and like many people I recommend using Physician's Formula.

• Once you've covered up that zit, be delicate when applying foundation. Pat it over your blemish; don't rub. 

• When putting on eyeliner, look downward into a mirror. This makes your lid flatten out so it's easier to draw a straight line. 

• To still look good at midday, freshen up your foundation, lightly spritz your skin with water, then re-blend with a dry makeup sponge. 

• Just 'cause you get a free brush with your blush doesn't mean it's your best bet. A makeup brush with a pencil-length handle makes blush application way easier. 


• OK: Here's another one for germ-phobic chicas. Dip a clean orangewood stick into your foundation bottle instead of using your finger. Toss the stick after each application to keep the bottled makeup sanitary.

• For light hold with no goop factor, spritz wet hair with hairspray, then dry and style.

• Boost a deep-conditioning treatment by wrapping your hair in aluminum foil.

• When choosing a blowdryer, remember: The higher the wattage, the faster it'll dry your hair.

• Remove product buildup from brushes (except natural bristle ones) by soaking 'em in warm water plus a few drops of white vinegar.

• When drying your hair, hold the dryer at least eight to 10 inches from your hair. When styling, hold your dryer four to six inches from your hair. 


• Double your rinse time: If it takes two minutes to rinse all the shampoo outta your hair, spend double that time--like, four minutes--rinsing out the conditioner.

• If you have thick hair, take a tip from the pros and divide your hair in sections, then work on drying just one section at a time.

•  Don't weight your hair down by conditioning strands that don't need it! Work conditioner through the ends only--and avoid the roots.

• Tangled tresses? Gently comb through your hair after applying conditioner.

• Always aim the air from your blowdryer down the length of your hair. Directing the air upward roughs up your hair's outer cuticle, cutting down on that great natural shine.

• To help your style stay put, switch your blowdryer to cool as you finish each section.

• Swipe nails with a nail polish remover-soaked cotton ball before you apply polish. This'll remove any oil residue and make the polish you apply last longer.

• Don't shake that polish bottle--it causes air bubbles, which can ruin your manicure. Roll it between your palms instead!

• Wouldn't it bum you out if you ruined your new paint job before it even dried? Wait three to five minutes after applying your last coat of polish before spraying your nails with quick-dry.

• Don't use your nails as tools--dial the phone with a pencil; use your knuckle to flip light switches; open soda cans with a spoon.

• No time for a manicure? Run a white nail pencil under the tips of your nails for a quickie French manicure effect.