Just because some of your favorite internet beauty gurus have makeup cases that can rival the shelves at Sephora (hey, we all have our vices, right?), doesn’t mean you necessarily have to blow your mortgage on a lipstick. If you’re on a budget or have a stash of items in your kit that you can’t seem to find a use for, check out this quick guide to help you get more usage out of what you have.

1. Eyeshadow as blush. Not getting much usage out of some of your bright eyeshadows? Use them as a blush instead. Brighter colors like peach, orange, red, and pink look beautiful on the cheeks but if you need to tone it down, give it a dusting of loose powder. And just because it’s marketed as an eyeshadow, doesn’t mean you can only use it as an eyeshadow.

2. Eyeshadow as eye liner and vice versa. You can also use your eyeshadows as liner by using a eyeliner brush. It’s perfect for adding pops of color as well as making your shadows work double time. Then have your liners clock in some OT by using them in conjunction with a dense eyeshadow brush to create anything from a smoky eye to a simple wash of color on the eyes. Another thing? Eyeliner can also work as a great eyeshadow base.

3. Lipstick as creme blush. If you tried to go bold with this season’s new orange and you want to add more mileage to your tube, try rubbing a bit into your cheeks with your fingers for a lovely cream flush. Works with your red and pink lipsticks, too. Tone it down with a dusting of loose (or pressed) powder.

4. Use water to intensify your eyeshadows. If you bought a shadow (especially one from the drugstore) that doesn’t seem to stay put or looks a bit dull, try using a bit of water to apply it to help intensify the color. It also helps to make your shadow last longer.

5. Make lip color combos with your gloss, lipstick, and lip pencils. If there’s frosty lipstick in your stash that you cannot wear alone, try using a lip pencil (dark brown, red, and deep burgundy are good staples to have for darker skin tones; pink, beige, and light brown for lighter skin tones) and a touch of gloss to make it more wearable. You can actually have unlimited options with very few products (anyone remember permutations from math class? lol).

Now let’s hear how you make the most out of your makeup!

~Danielle