Recessionista tip 4

Making the Most of Lipstick Samples

I love samples. Love them. Samples are a great way of trying out a new shade or product without the hassle of crappy store lighting and the pressure of crappy store assistants telling you that you look great when you really look like a crack whore and they just want to make a sale.

But sometimes you just want to get a tiny bit more out of your samples before you splurge on a product. (I'm reminded of that scene in Friends with Money where Jen Aniston lines up like 10 jars of Lancome cream and Chanel lotion!)

Here is an easy way to prolong your lipstick samples:

What you need:

your samples

an empty container (I got this one at Daiso, but you can also find some at Sephora)
Vaseline. I'm sure you can also use any of your fav lipbalm
a lighter
a metal spoon
a spatula. I used a wooden tongue depressor that I cut into half

Use the spatula to scrape out all of the lipstick and put it on the spoon. (I mixed the two middle pinks)
Scrape out a little bit of vaseline and add it on to the spoon. Use less or more depending on how glossy you want the lipstick to be.
Hold the lighter under the spoon and hold it until the flame heats the spoon and the lipstick melts completely.
Pour the liquid lipstick into the container (warning: it's REALLY hot) and stir it with the spatula so that the color mixes evenly.
Let it cool completely. Might take a few minutes.

(tada!)

I think this is the perfect pink to ease myself into the whole 'bright lipstick' trend.