You’re Going About Your Beauty Routine All Wrong! 5 Tips for Limp Hair, Eye Circles, and More

We love the techniques we’ve relied on to solve beauty bothers over the years, but none are without their drawbacks. To the rescue: easy, affordable — some even free! — beauty tips. Make these improvements to your anti-aging repertoire to boost the beautifying results.

The old technique: A face scrub. It removes skin-dulling impurities, but results fade fast. A scrub doesn’t get to the root of the problem, which is slowed circulation. So, do a face massage instead!

The technique: A massage increases circulation and blood flow to skin’s surface for a glow that lasts. Simply apply moisturizer, then starting at the center of the chin, sweep fingers in circular motions along the jawline, up to the cheeks, under the eyes, out to the ears, then along the forehead. Massage each area for one minute.

The old technique: All of us have been taught to spritz dry shampoo onto hair at the roots, because it absorbs volume-sapping excess oil. However, overuse can lead to buildup that weighs hair down, so locks end up looking lifeless instead. 

The tweak: When washing hair, condition it before shampooing. This way, hair gets the hydration it needs, but then shampoo rinses away any excess conditioning oils so strands won’t fall flat. As an added bonus, conditioner leaves a barrier over hair that shields it from the brittleness caused by shampoo’s detergents.

The old technique: Dotting concealer under your eyes only. This traditional beauty tip covers shadows, but it can also lighten the skin too much, drawing more unflattering attention to the area.

The tweak: Applying concealer in a shape that resembles a pair of glasses by making a circle around each eye, a line over the bridge of the nose, and a diagonal line from the “lenses” toward the temple on each side. Then, blend well with a makeup sponge. This creates a halo of brightness around the entire eye that helps shadows recede. Plus, it “pulls” eyes up for a lifted look. (Also, some women swear by this unique hack for eye circles.)