My mom doesn’t own a ton of makeup. Most of the beauty products she currently has, are things I’ve bought her or things I bought myself, didn’t like, and handed down to her. That hasn’t always been the case, she complains. Before she had kids, she also had expensive taste, and would buy all of the high-end beauty brands a woman could find. Somehow, having three little girls made her makeup start to mysteriously disappear one by one. And, when her little girls, became teenagers, her makeup bag was completely empty. So, one trick I’ve seen her do countless times is to use her lipstick as blush on her freshly moisturized face. It’s a great substitute for cream blush, and gives your cheeks a soft, dewy flush. This is something I never tried until recently when I was asked at the last minute to attend an event after work, and only had tinted moisturizer and two lipstick tubes in my bag. I applied the moisturizer and used my finger to apply a few dabs of lipstick stain onto the apples of my cheeks. The result was a natural, sun-kissed flush. Although I wouldn’t recommend this trick for everyday use, it’s a great option for those of  you who don’t want to walk around with a bag full of cosmetics, or need to improvise when you are asked to go somewhere at the last-minute, as I was.

Here are the steps:

1. Moisturize – The color will be easier to apply and blend on skin that is hydrated.
2. Wash your hands – Make sure your hands are clean before swiping it over the lipstick.
3. Use your finger to obtain the color – Do not apply the lipstick directly onto your face to prevent contamination.
4. Dab a few spots onto the apples of your cheeks – You will have to use more or less depending on how rich the color is.
5. Blend – Blend the color onto your cheeks and outward, the same way you would apply cream blush.

Makeup tip: Want to know if you’ve applied too much blush? Stand in front of the mirror and squint. If you can still see the color, then you’ve applied too much.