11 extreme beauty MoneySavers – will you try them?

You've probably already seen beauty hacks such as using lipstick as blusher, mascara as makeshift eyeliner and using conditioner as shaving cream, but I've gone a bit further and looked at some extreme beauty MoneySavers, which are also eco-friendly. Some might seem like common sense, but hopefully at least a few will help your wallet and the planet, plus enable you to shop less often.

Some of these beauty tips and tricks will mean you spend less topping up your collection, and manage to use up as much product as possible instead of throwing it away – great if you can't find stock of your favourites. Throwing away something you haven't used is the same as throwing money away, after all.

Reuse old foundation to clean tarnished silver jewellery – and save about £5 on the cost of a silver polishing cloth

Many of us have accidentally bought a foundation that doesn't work for us, and been stuck with it as you can't return most make-up purchases. Don't chuck it though – it can be reused as silver polish.

Of course, if your jewellery is an antique or contains precious stones or softer inserts like jet, you'll either want to be extremely careful or fork out the £5-or-so for a silver cleaning cloth instead. That being said, if you've something like a pair of inexpensive earrings, or a ring you want to quickly clean, this'll do the job and work as an abrasive polish.

I usually reuse cotton I've used to take my make-up off (as it's already covered in foundation), and dab the old foundation on it before giving the jewellery a quick wipe. If it's really tarnished, you might need to repeat this more than once. This is a great trick my Mum taught me when I was a mini-MoneySaver – and now I'm teaching it to you. Here's a quick video of me giving it a go...

Downshift your make-up, skincare & perfume – save 50% or more

This is going to send some of you straight to Twitter to tell me I can pry your beloved Liz Earle cleanser or Pixi glycolic toner out of your cold, dead hands... but just wait a minute.

You can often save 50% or more buying a beauty 'dupe' instead – a lookalike product with similar (though likely not the same) ingredients, where often even the packaging has a striking resemblance to the expensive brand. Why not give downshifting a go? You can always go back to your brand once you've finished the dupe if you're not convinced.

Of course, before you swap any product, always read the packaging and check ingredients if you have any allergies or skin conditions.

Check out my beauty downshift challenge blog for more examples of the types of make-up and skincare you can downshift, and where to get the best 'dupes' readers have told us about.

I also recently spotted perfume dupes at Home Bargains where you can save up to 98% on branded perfume including a £2 Home Bargains dupe for £81 Chanel N°5.

Cut the cost of face wipes by 75%... by cutting face wipes

If you normally carry biodegradeable face wipes to avoid taking a liquid cleanser, they often come in a pack of 25 – or less if you're forking out for travel-size – which means the cost can add up. However, they're usually large enough to wipe off all your make-up, clean your face and possibly more – so why not rip or cut them into four pieces instead?

You'll take that pack of 25 to a pack of 100, enabling you to buy fewer packs, using less plastic and spending less money. It's important to note, if you do use these kinds of wipes, bin them after use and do not flush them down the toilet – they won't degrade and could even block your pipes. Remember, plumbers aren't cheap.

Of course, if you have space, decanting your usual cleanser and using reusable fabric make-up wipes is also an eco-MoneySaving option.

New. Reuse items that don't suit the skin on your face

Obviously you shouldn't reuse a product that you're allergic to, but if like me you have skin on the oilier (read: angrier!) side then you might've bought products such as SPF and moisturisers for your face that simply don't agree with it. What are you supposed to do with them?

As you can't usually return open items that don't suit, I've taken to using moisturisers and other skincare products such as serum as hand cream, and facial SPFs on my hands or arms instead of face. I've found it's a good way to use up items without losing the value of them by binning them, and once you've used them up you can recycle the packaging they came in too.

Sell your empty perfume bottles on eBay for about £5

Weird as it may sound, people do buy empty perfume bottles on eBay. Collectors, crafters and other enthusiasts who love to upcycle can reuse the old bottles, and you'll get a bit of money back, too – normally about a fiver. See our Flog your rubbish for cash guide for more information about what else you can sell, and our eBay selling guide for tips on selling online.

Raid your kitchen for cheap beauty supplies – for example, make lip balm from kitchen oils

Chances are, you'll already have some kitchen supplies that can perform double-duty as edibles and spreadables to make easy DIY face masks and more. If you've not got sensitive skin or allergies, you can try a few things from your kitchen if you've run out of things such as lip balm or body moisturiser.

Ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, honey and oats can be used as they are, or mixed together to use as moisturisers, hair masks, face masks or even lip balms. My favourite homemade lip balm is a few spoonfuls of coconut oil with a couple drops of peppermint oil – super easy.

It's not empty until it's empty – hacks to squeeze the last product out of packaging

If you've ever tried to squeeze the last bit of hand cream or toothpaste out of a tube, you'll know the pain of this one. But have you ever tried using the tines of a fork to help you out? Simply pass the end of the tube between the tines – or your fingers – and then fold up the end and secure with a kitchen clip or an office clip and you'll be able to get more for your money. Of course, you can also carefully cut them open to get every last drop of product out, but the fork and clip method leaves the tube looking tidier and still sealed if you're worried about mess.

For metal tubes, head to the kitchen and try rolling them with a rolling pin. With this method the metal tube usually holds the shape by itself, so you won't need a clip.

If you think your hand or face cream in a small tube (as in the video below) is empty, cut the end off and you'll likely find product left inside. If there's enough for more than one day, simply slide the end back onto the tube to avoid it drying out, or add your clip back on if you've used the above trick.

See MSE Sarah's 44 MoneySaving household hacks for more tips and tricks like this.

New. Sheet mask hacks – including get two from one, and reusable alternatives

Sheet masks have increased in popularity with K-beauty (Korean beauty) products becoming so mainstream you can even buy them for 69p in Home Bargains – but they can be much pricier and wasteful. If you've used a sheet mask, you'll probably know that there's always serum or product left in the bag after use, but what can you do?

Firstly, don't reuse a disposable sheet mask – you'll run the risk of adding bacteria back to your face which ruins the point of a lot of face masks. Try patting it into your skin, or clipping the bag closed and keeping it in the fridge to use the next day. MoneySavers have also suggested adding a 'dry' disposable sheet mask (about £10 for 100 at Amazon) into the package to absorb the rest of the serum, and getting two masks for one.

You can also cut larger sheet masks in half, or down into smaller pieces if you only want to do your forehead, for example. Make sure you seal up the bag, store in the fridge and use the rest the next day to avoid them spoiling.

If you're not a fan of the waste of disposable masks, a reusable fabric (about £10 at Etsy) or silicone mask (from £5 at Amazon) could be the answer. You can choose which serums to use – Revolution's vegan serums (normally about £8) and Aldi's 'Specialbuy' serum dupes (normally about £5) are popular, but you can pick any and simply wash the reusable mask afterwards. 

Of course, you can try something you already have, such as cotton rounds or a flannel, and dip them into any leftover serum to save you buying anything new.

Let hot water or gravity do the work for you – how to get more from packaging you can't squeeze

MSE Molly's top tip is to place your (sealed) mascara or foundation container in warm water for a few seconds to loosen it up. If your mascara brand has an expiry (usually a few months after opening) it could harbour harmful bacteria, so be sure to only use this trick to get the last out of an unexpired tube for safety.

For foundation, or shampoo/conditioner, you can also let gravity do the work for you. Place the nearly-empty bottle over a mini or travel-size bottle or container and let it sit somewhere it won't be disturbed. Come back later, and you'll have a clean bottle to recycle, and a travel bottle full to use or keep for travel or the gym.

Finally... what's the weirdest way I've reused old make-up?

What are your favourite MoneySaving beauty hacks to get the most out of your make-up? Let me know on Twitter.