By Alexis Farah, Caro Verster and Zinhlezonka Zikalala; Photography by Pexels
So we’ve been doing it wrong all along…
There’s really no need to for you to waste your beauty products anymore. We all know they aren’t the cheapest of things to buy – that’s why we’re here to tell you how much you really need to get the job done.
Apparently, women waste about 10 to 20 percent of their skin-care products with overzealous application!? That’s a lot.
Size does matter, especially when it comes to the beauty product portions you use. Dab on too little and you won’t get the full benefit, while too much could mean blowing your budget. Follow our simple guide for figuring out how much to slap on.
Facial moisturiser
The right size: Two peanuts
Application tip: Moisturiser has the big responsibility of making your skin smooth. To apply it, wash your face, and while your skin is moist (not wet), massage on a peanut-size amount of moisturiser with glycerine. Use a second peanut-size portion to hydrate your neck. “When skin is damp, moisturiser seeps into the surface better. And glycerine traps moisture in your cells,” says Pam Ellwood, research and development director of Environ South Africa.
Foundation
The right size: A bottle cap
Application tip: To avoid that caked-on beauty-pageant look, pour a bottle-cap-size blob onto the back of your hand and use your finger to blend it across your forehead and nose. Dip your finger into the remaining foundation and run it over your cheeks and chin, smoothing over the edges of your jaw to blend the colour into your neck. Heat from your fingers will warm the product, helping it to glide across your skin better. “If you don’t like using your finger, try a foundation brush instead,” says Durban-based make-up artist Candice Drury.
Read More: These Are The Exact Hours Your Skin Looks Its Best – And Worst – Everyday
Sunblock
The right size: Three grapes
Application tip: “Divide your body into three sections, and use at least a grape-size amount of sunblock on each,” says Dr Ela Manga from the Woodlands Centre for Integrated Medicine in Gauteng. Rub the first blob onto your feet and legs, then squeeze out another grape-size portion to cover your torso and back. Use the last grape of sunscreen on your arms, neck and face. You can’t use too much, so if you’re tall or broad, slather on a few extra grapes’ worth of SPF. Reapply every two hours.
Eye cream
The right size: A pea
Application tip: Eye cream can be costly, so think green. Scoop out a pea-size amount and pat a quarter of the cream under your lower lashes from outer to inner corner. “This motion helps disperse the fluid that causes under-eye puffiness,” says Manga. Above your eye, the drainage runs in the opposite direction, so dab another quarter from crease to brow bone, going from inner to outer corner. Repeat on the other eye with the remaining half pea of eye cream.
Read More: 8 Ways Grapefruit Can Make Your Skin Seriously Glow!
Styling cream
The right size: For fine hair, a 20-cent piece; for thicker hair, two five-cent coins
Application tip: Styling cream is a slippery little sucker – use too much and you’ll look like a grease ball. Swipe about a 20-cent piece or two five cents’ worth of product (depending on hair texture) and spread it evenly on your palms. “Use your hands to blend the product through wet hair, starting five centimetres above your roots, then pull your hair into a ponytail and work the product down towards the ends,” says hair expert David Gillson from Carlton Hair International, Hyde Park. If you’re using it on dry hair, apply the cream to the top layer to control flyaways or to add polish to your style.
Shampoo
The right size: For long hair, one Oreo; for short hair, one Rolo
Application tip: It’s as easy to overdo it with shampoo as it is with chocolate. Rein yourself in by pouring either an Oreo or a Rolo amount (depending on the length of your hair) into your palm and applying the shampoo to your scalp. Rake it through your hair, stopping about halfway down your strands. “Most of the dirt and oil collects at your roots, so you don’t need a lot of the product on your more fragile ends,” Gillson says.
Under-eye concealer
The right size: A Tic Tac
Application tip: Just as a Tic Tac goes a long way towards masking bad breath, a Tic Tac-size dab of concealer is all you need to hide dark circles. Squirt a mint’s worth of liquid concealer onto your finger. “Using a small brush, dab three little dots under your lower lash line – one in the middle, and one at the inner and outer corners,” Drury says, then pat with your finger to blend the dots together. Smooth on another dot of concealer wherever blue peeks through. Dip an eye-shadow brush into loose translucent powder and use it to set the concealer. Repeat on the other eye.
Looking for more info on your skin? This is what’ll happen to your skin if you don’t moisturise — and six nasty things that happen to your skin when you exercise.
