8 Genius Life Hacks from Beauty Icons That Anyone Can Do

These days, it’s difficult to tell the difference between legit beauty tips and fake TikTok trends. With social media flooded with questionable life hacks, how do you know which one will truly change your daily routine? Take it straight from beauty girls. Your favorite celebrities, influencers, and editors have the best tips that are also often vetted by other professionals around them. Ready for some genius life hacks? Read on. 

No, really. Literally mark it. Rihanna — who is now a billionaire, so she must be doing something right — blocks her personal days on her calendar with “P” to achieve a work-life balance. She takes these personal days two to three days at a time, too. If you don’t have the luxury of taking frequent breaks, block a few hours on your daily calendar for personal time. If you’re going to be a billionaire someday, you must learn all the life hacks for balancing work and play.

Kylie Jenner, beauty icon and cosmetics mogul, swears by applying moisturizer using a brush. While there is an advantage to slathering it on with your fingers (warmth, absorption, massage), using a brush also has its benefits. That is, it helps prevent wrinkles by minimizing friction and tugging. Of course, you’ll probably have to use a brush that’s fit for a Kardashian. Ultimately, it all depends on what works for your skin and makes you feel good. 

What do Julia Roberts and your grandmother have in common? They can both attest to the many powers of good old-fashioned baking soda. Julia Roberts gets her megawatt smile by dumping the do-it-all powder on her toothbrush and using it to clean her pearly whites. However, this hack isn’t a suitable long-term solution, especially when you have so many whitening toothpaste brands available.

While baking soda is effective, it has downsides: it’s not enough to fight plaque, prevent cavities, and freshen breath. It can also damage your teeth's enamel. For clean, white teeth and fresh breath, use closeup Natural Smile Toothpaste with natural lemon and sea salt, which lifts stains without damaging your teeth. Flash your best teeth ever!

If Jessica Alba’s glowing red carpet looks are any indication, the woman knows a thing or two about makeup. To solve the issue of finding the perfect balance of coverage and sheerness, try out her foundation hack. Mix your foundation with a drop of face oil to create just enough coverage that’s sheer and dewy — not cakey. 

Let’s be honest: brassy hair does not exude class. You want shine, softness, and vibrant color. To keep your colored hair that way (especially if it’s bleached), try Laureen Uy’s life hacks. First, always use a purple shampoo like TRESemmé Pro-Color Series Blonde Brilliance Shampoo on bleached hair. This shampoo deposits violet pigments into your strands to keep them from getting brassy. Second, try leaving it on for one hour. According to the style icon, this keeps her colored hair in tip-top shape, saving her a salon visit.

Take it from a Miss Universe, it pays to have some quiet time. Pia Wurtzbach’s life hack is putting her phone on silent at night. “I put it away,” she says. “It’s important to know when to switch off. Your day should be a balance of work and me-time to avoid burning out.”

Of course, for the sake of safety, this may not be the best idea if you live alone. You’d want to be alerted if there was an emergency. As an alternative, you could schedule your messaging apps to go on mute after work hours to preserve your personal time. 

According to Harvard Health, connecting with people you love in real life influences long-term well-being as much as diet, sleep, and exercise. While not necessarily a life hack, actress Kathryn Bernardo swears by it and makes sure to make time for social interaction every day. “Practice self-love by sharing love,” she says. She recommends hanging out with friends and spending time with family to recharge.

It's always tempting to try trends out, but not all of them will work for you. Heart Evangelista discovered this the hard way when she caved to getting a boy cut when she was seven years old. This was when she realized that she loved having long hair and was committed to taking care of it. “I think that’s why I just kept my hair long and black. That has always been my look since the day I began working,” she says.

Here’s another life hack: You can keep split ends in check by applying a tiny amount of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to the ends of your hair. It can protect your hair against dryness and damage, just like it protects dry skin from irritation and further moisture loss.

Try out these life hacks from your favorite beauty icons to make your days (and beauty routines) better.