As a college student I had to support myself. That meant working the library during the day and moonlighting as a waitress at night. During the holidays I’d pick up seasonal shifts at Bath and Body Works. I worked hard for the money, but still found I had very little to spare. So that meant sacrificing and surviving.

Makeup was a frivolous thing to buy so I cut corners wherever I could. To this day I am still finding ways to make my beauty products work just as hard for the money, so here are a few tricks to get the most out of what you have.

*Out of eyeliner? Don’t want to spend extra on it? No problem! Use a small angled brush and get it wet. Dip it in your favorite darker eyeshadow to create the defined line.

*Keep your eyebrows tame with hair spray. Spritz a little on your finger tips and wipe across your brows. Use a comb or, even better, put an old mascara brush to work. Run the brush from an empty mascara tube through the wash and then use it to comb out lashes and brows. (This is my secret to separating clumpy lashes!)

*Palmer’s Cocoa Butter is a miracle worker. The balm does overtime as a great lip balm and blemish healer. You can even use it to tame flyways. Warm a pea sized amount in your finger tips and lightly run your fingers through the frizz.

*Vaseline is a great emergency gloss. In fact, it is great in the winter and should be a hydrating ritual before bed.

*Have some Visine and a red spot? Put them together and you won’t! OTC cortisone cream and toothpaste also works as a blemish bomb.

*Instead of expensive eye creams, fight puffiness with chilled tablespoons. Make sure you don’t freeze these as temps dropping too low can damage skin.