by BR Tabatha
Things we love at BRHQ: multi-tasking tools. Beauty hacks. Anything that makes life easier.
With that in mind, we've put our collective heads together to come up with six basic beauty tools that will make your life infinitely* better! Tools that don't cost the earth, tools that are easily available, tools that you may already have on hand but haven't realised their worth.
So, what do you need to get your hands on now in order to live your best** life? Read on...
Sectioning Clips
When it comes to gussying up your hair, a sectioning clip is a must. I've tried bobby pins in the past, and they just don't do the job. The other reason I love my sectioning clips? If I'm doing a box dye, they do a great job of holding my towel together around my shoulders while I wait for the hair colour to do its thing. Stops the towel flashing off, stops me accidentally flashing the neighbours as I roam about my house. Stops a whole load of hassle.
Hair Turban
Tired of wrangling a big old bath towel around your head every time you wash your hair, only to have it fall off five minutes later, leaving sopping wet hair slapping at your bare back or dampening your just-put-on clothing? A hair turban is a must. Not only are they small, and quick to dry compared to a bath sheet, they stay in place and do a brilliant job of sucking up moisture.
Silk Sleeping Bag Liner
Sea to Summit Premium Silk Liner
Hear us out... We're not trying to be extra bougie, or suggest that sleeping in a silk bag will keep wrinkles at bay or somehow make your body extra hydrated (although being a breathable natural fibre, sleeping in silk might help keep breakouts at bay and help soothe irritated skin), BUT if you're a self-tanner a silk liner is a must. Simply slap on your self-tan, hop into your liner, go to sleep and know that you won't wake up to stained bedsheets! Genius!
Gua Sha Stone
We are all about the beauty tools at BRHQ, and anything that promises to depuff a face is a fave. Having tried all manner of massage tools, the gua sha stone has quickly become a favourite. Not only can you get into all the nooks and crannies, ensuring a full-face massage, it's also delightfully cooling and soothing on a hot day, it's brilliant for using when you need to scratch a itch but don't want to put your grimy fingers on your face, and it works a treat for helping ease those inbetween the eye headaches.
Tweezers
Billion Dollar Brows Eyebrow Tweezers
Now, I'm not saying you didn't know you needed brow tweezers. I know very few people who don't own a pair for doing their brows, but it's their other uses that we need them for. Stray nose hairs, the random hairs that emerge over our bodies as we grow older, those wiry, thick pubic-looking hairs that don't grow in public-facing areas. They need plucking, and sometimes pincered fingers and a decent yank will not do the trick. On top of that... you can use tweezers to help hold false eyelashes, the edge can be handy when trying to get that perfecteyeliner flick, or if you drop something and it rolls into an itty bitty space that your fingers can't get to, tweezersy can become the digit you never knew you needed. Brow tweezers... so much more than meets the eye.
Body Mitt and/or Brush
The Bath Shop Bath Mitt Waffle
Not so much a hack, but a really good thing to have on hand when you're wanting to give yourself a full-body treat. Hand mitts or body brushes will stimulate the lymphatic system, slough off dead skin cells, leave your skin glowing, make your skin more receptive to any lotions you pop on afterwards, not to mention work to improve the appearace of cellulite and keratosis pilaris. A must in any beauty's bathroom.
Makeup Remover Cloth
Having used cotton rounds and cotton buds and flannels and my hands to remove my makeup in the past, I can safely say that a makeup remover towel changed my life. While you can use it with just water to remove makeup, which I tend to do if I feel my usual cleanser hasn't done the trick, it's also great for when makeup goes wrong. Eyeshadow a bust? A little micellar on the towel will help remove it without ruining the rest of your makeup. Eyeliner wonky? Grab your towel, curl it around your finger and use the edge to sort it out. Best of all, afterwards you just whack the towel in the wash and it's good to go once more. Good for the enviroment and good for your face - what's not to love?
So, do tell... what beauty tools rock your world? Which do double duty? What beauty tool hacks do you have to share? We'd love to know, so get chatting below!
* Exaggeration may have been employed in this statement. Results may vary.
** Again, hyperbole is at play. I blame the rain and cabin fever.
Since I have polycyclic I have to have tweezers because I need to pull almost every night.