Two fabulously fun ways to recycle your old mascara brush

A quick backgrounder on the origins of this story. This all started when a beauty-obsessed buddy bemoaned having to part with a perfectly good rollerball applicator when she had emptied out the accompanying eye cream ...

Mother of mascara! That right there was our "Aha!" moment: We realised there was something to be said about the gratification to be had from repurposing cosmetic collaterals.

Here's how not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, if you will, starting with one of our favourite grooming gadgets, the spiffy spoolie end of your mascara wand.

1. USE TO ENHANCE EYEBROWS

For days when you can't be arsed with a full-blown brow prep, a clean mascara brush works great for spiffing up on the go. (Caveat: This trick admittedly works best if you're already genetically gifted with some hairs on your brow patch.)

Starting from the inner corners, brush upwards along the first half of your arch, using the bristles of your wand to create a lifted effect; fix hairs in place with some petroleum jelly or clear lip balm.

From the highest point of your arch, brush downwards until you reach the tail end of your eyebrow; daub on the same sealant and you're good to go.

What you're doing is essentially combing your hairs in the "right" direction, before tamping them down with a damp darkening agent. The result of this two-step technique is a supremely soft, uber-natural take on the bold brow trend. Genius, if we say so ourselves.

2. USE TO CLEAN UP CUTICLES

This cuticle conditioning tip is way cool. In lieu of skin-stripping solutions and blunt mutilation by way of clippers, consider enlisting the services of a lash wand instead: So much kinder and gentler to your nail bed.

What you do is to swipe a spoolie (dip the tip in Vitamin E for a beautifying boost, if you prefer) across the edges of your nails; repeat as necessary. In this instance, the manual action of the bristles serves to dislodge dead skin and other bits and bobs from your nails, giving you a cleaner canvas with as little trauma to your talons as possible.

Pretty neat, yes. The next time your tube of mascara runs out, ditch the bottle and chuck the wand into a bowl of soapy water; rinse out the morning after and stash it together with the rest of your beauty tools. Apologies in advance for encouraging hoarding behaviour!

Make Up For Ever Eyelash Brush #272, $20 each, is available from June 2014 at all Sephora stores and the Make Up For Ever Pro Loft at 36 Armenian Street, #02-06. For more information, visit www.makeupforever.com.sg and follow Make Up For Ever Singapore on Facebook and YouTube.

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