Over the years of religiously reading tips from various fashion magazines and talking to other women at work and School, I have retained a lot of useful information. The following are unanswered questions and tips I find to be unique, quick and easy ways to make girls lives just a little easier.

Make up:

- Foundation lasts six months to one year, or if it starts to smell weird or the colour separates.

- Acne cleansers should all have expiry dates on the bottle and be sure not to use the product if it is expired because it can cause more breakouts to your skin.

- Cream blush or cream eye shadow should last one-to-two years or if it looks dry and smells funny.

- Eyeliner lasts six months-to-one year or if there are white spots on the lead.

- Powder or powder blush lasts one-to-two years or if it looks glazed or hardened.

- Lipstick lasts one-to-two years or if colour changes and smells.

- Mascara lasts one-to-two months or if it has a funny odour and clumps.

- Make-up brushes last up to 10 years or if hairs/bristles start falling out. Wash brush once every two weeks, you'll be surprised how much make-up is stuck deep in your brush.

- Fragrances last up to eight years unless smell or colour changes. Keep bottle out of any type of light for it can alter the notes (certain ingredients).

Short cuts

- If you don't feel like wearing make-up, then try Vaseline on your lashes.

- If you don't feel like plucking your eyebrows then keep them in place with hair gel.

- If you don't have a lot time to blow dry your hair, then quickly do the top layer only of your hair.

- If you think your pores are too big, then put your face cream in the fridge as the coolness shrinks your pores.

Unanswered beauty questions

How come nails get those little white spots?
It is not due to calcium deficiency, but damage (like shutting your finger in a door) done to your nail several months before when the new cells are forming.

Why does the camera add 10 pounds?
The lens doesn't have two eyes like we do to create depth perception and perspective, so it spreads the image like a pancake. Tip: stand with your face and body at a slight angle, instead of straight on.

When applying mascara why do we open our mouths?
An open-wide mouth makes your eyes do the same, so you are less likely to blink as the wand comes at you.

Is shaving your thighs bad or make the hair thicker?
No, shaving your thighs is not bad at all. Shaving your thighs does not make new hair grown in thicker, it is impossible for two hairs to grow out of one hair follicle or magically new hair holes to appear. Plus the hair on your thighs grow back slower than hair on your lower leg.

I hope the following tips that I have collected over the years, which are all answered by professionals, are helpful enough to pass on from one girl to the next.