Say what you will about the debacles that this past year has brought us, but you have to admit that 2016 has given us some gems despite it all. From the Gilmore Girls revival (we’ve already re-watched it twice) to Chrissy Teigen’s Halloween fashion show with baby Luna, we can’t help but reminisce on the good times, even if they were few and far between. Of course, our beauty-obsessed brains agree. We reviewed the last year and realized that for every WTF beauty moment on Instagram, there was a “Whoa, that’s kind of genius!” moment too. Here are just a few of our favorite Instagram beauty hacks from 2016.
Hair
1. Faux Long Pony: A little trickery can help you score a fuller ponytail. Simply stack two separate ponies on top of each other for added length and volume. Boom.
2. Instant Root Volume: Fake fuller roots with some clever zig-zag combing skills to make everyone think you have magically voluminous roots. Who knew zigzagging could be so impactful?!
3. Faux Hairline: Achieve Kim Kardashian West-level hairline when you fill in your sparse spots with matte eyeshadow. This may seem like a lot, but for special occasions this move is clutch.
4. Lob Hack: Girls with layers can rock a faux bob (or lob) to test drive short hair before committing to a full-on chop. Hide longer strands in a low bun and roll it up in toward your scalp. Secure with bobby pins.
5. Hair Diffuser Hack: Lost your diffuser? Not a problem, thanks to Instagram. MacGyver one in seconds by poking a few holes into a styrofoam cup. Who knew?!?
Makeup
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6. Eyeliner Hack: Use the edge of a spoon to master the smoothest transition between your eyeshadow and eyeliner that you ever did see. This trick is perfect if you want to play with color blocking.
7. Dried Makeup Hack: Talk about good ’til the last drop. Bring dried-out stick makeup back to life by warming it up with a flame.
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8. Last Bit of Mascara Hack: All good things must come to an end, but we refuse to say goodbye to our tube of DiorShow before we have to. This trick will help you use the very last bit. Revive drying mascara with a few eye drops or drops of contact solution.
View this post on Instagramby @buzzfeednifty #huck #beautyhack #cosmetics
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9. Powder Rehab Hack: Dropped your beloved powder blush? It’s the *WORST.* We’ve all been there. Put your powdered makeup back together with just a few drops of rubbing alcohol.
10. Smokey Eye Save: Secure sticky notes under your eyes before doing a heavy eye look to catch fallout and keep your under-eye concealer intact.
Tools
11. Derma Roller Double Duty: Get more use from your derma roller by rolling them over lips to plump them.
12. Makeup Brush Cleaning Hack: Why buy expensive products when you have the answer right at home? Use a hot water bottle as a washboard for your makeup brushes and you’ll cut down on cleaning time.
13. One Brush, Two Ways: Fake a fan brush with just a bobby pin — perfect for traveling! Minds. Blown.
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14. Instant Silisponge: If you can’t get your hands on the always-sold-out Silisponge, give your silicone bra inserts a go instead. (No, seriously.)
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15. Beauty Blender Fix: If your beauty blender is looking ragged, stained and cracked, don’t toss it out just yet. Give it a second life when you snip off the top layer to reveal a fresh new layer that works like new.
Looking for even more beauty hacks? Visit us on Pinterest!
(Featured photo via Huda Beauty)
