Your Kitchen Freezer May Be Your Crumbling Eyeliner Pencil's Savior
Your makeup bag is a collection of favored products and amazing additions that help boost your confidence and give you those perfected looks. Whenever one of these coveted items falls victim to breakage or damage, it can be a massive buzz kill, especially for your wallet. Makeup isn't always cheap, and having to replace products after only a few uses (or before their time) can be frustrating. One of the biggest beauty blunders people have to deal with is a broken or crumbling eyeliner. When you're getting ready, finding your pencil without a tip or in disrepair might put a damper on your day, but there might just be a hack to help out.
These days, there are makeup tricks for almost any issue. If your mascara is underperforming, you can find tips from TikTokkers on how to get length and volume with a flick of the wrist, and if your cat eye isn't quite the cat's meow, there's a trick for that, too. Thanks to social media and the internet, it can be a cinch to find a way to salvage your favorite makeup products — and your eyeliner is no exception. If you're tired of pulling off the lid and finding only a crumbled mess instead of a sharpened liner, try this hack to save it and get back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Pop it in the freezer
If your eyeliner goes from giving you stiletto sharp lines to flakey smudges, chances are the formula is either dried out, or has been compromised. According to Leaf, most eyeliners can last for about three years if stored properly and kept in a room temperature space, but sometimes outside elements cause them to crumble sooner. If your liner is relatively new or you feel it still has some life in the kohl, pop it in your freezer for 15 minutes. Lab Muffin Beauty Science explains that the majority of makeup contains water, and when you place a product in extremely cold temperatures, the water molecules reshape and change.
When it comes to dry or flakey eyeliner, this can be a good thing. Not only will this trick revive the liner, but it will also give you a flawless application after you take it out of the freezer. The tip will solidify and become firm once again, and you will be back to having a sharp tool that will give you the cleanest lines. No need to have a mini meltdown or panic attack; just pop it in with your ice creams and frozen veggies, sip a coffee, then get back to business.
Cool tips for freezing your liners
This clever trick also works on lip liners, which can become loose in the tip from time to time. If your lip liner has seen better days, throw it in the freezer and let the cold temp do its work. Such low temperatures can diminish bacteria and germs, which is always a bonus for anything you apply to your eyes or lips (via ABC News). It's not ideal or recommended to leave either of these products in the fridge or freezer full time, as it can be detrimental for the ingredients if they are exposed to the cold for too long.
It's a well-known fact that placing your jeans in the freezer can help rid them of grime and bacteria, so why wouldn't the same be true for your liners? Instead of dropping a bunch of cash on a new tool, just try this simple hack and watch your favorites come back as good as new. If they continue to crumble regularly, it might be time to consider a replacement, but many items just need a little TLC and a cold plunge to regenerate. Hey, if it works for the body, why can't it work for your favorite makeup pieces?