There's a certain kind of frustration that arises when you're almost done with a liquid lipstick and can't quite reach the very last bit of product lodged in the tube. It always seems to stay stuck to the sides or the very bottom — no matter how many times I've tried, it's impossible to get all the creamy, pigmented formula out. But with this Instagrammer's genius hack, I may have finally found a solution.
Kai, who goes by @empties.likemysoul on Instagram, shared a video of how she cleans out her liquid lipstick tube to the platform. Her account is largely dedicated to little hacks like this that are focused on getting the most out of beauty products. For this one, she used two products — a knife and the Spatty — to create this super soothing video.
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With the knife, she popped out the inner chamber located at the very top of a Colourpop Cosmetics liquid lipstick. She followed up by slowly twirling the Splatty, a multipurpose spatula that helps remove hard-to-reach product, inside the tube to sweep up all the lipstick. The tool looks like a very tiny version of a baking spatula. All that was left was a completely empty liquid lipstick tube.
Kai's hacks are all about helping to reduce waste and ensuring that every last bit of beauty products goes to use. She has broken down her unused pressed powders and mixed them in with her everyday loose powders. She has even taken apart eye shadow palettes to reconstruct her own. We'll be watching to see more of Kai's waste-reducing hacks in the future.
When you finally find the most perfect shade of lipstick, it feels like winning the makeup lottery. Of course you want to get as much use out of it as possible, so what do you do when you've worn the stick down to an unusable nub? Try this handy little trick and you’ll never have to toss precious color again.
Step 1: Cut one fuzzy end off a Q-tip, then use that freshly trimmed end to scoop the remaining lipstick out of the tube and into a small, empty container.
Step 2: Point a hair dryer on low at the container to slowly melt the lipstick, being sure to keep the dryer at least ten inches away. (We want smooth, melty lipstick, not a burned mess.)
Step 3: Stir and even out the lipstick with the remaining fuzzy end of your Q-tip.
Step 4: Place the container in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes and voilà! You can now use a lip brush to apply your favorite color up until the very last swipe.