28 different uses of cotton swab to make your life easier

The flexible cotton-tipped rod is an indispensable personal hygiene item throughout the home. Created in 1922 to help clean the ears, the stems have gained other uses in almost one hundred years of existence. Given people's creativity, the cotton swab was becoming useful in makeup, cleaning, to save space in your bag, among other purposes.

If you want to make flexible rods a more useful item in your life, check below for a list of the various uses of the swab:

Uses of cotton swab in makeup

The flexible stem, by its composition and shape, is a great tool to help with makeup. With the help of makeup artist Paty Nossig, we have listed some of the uses of cotton swab in makeup.


1. Replace brushes: The cotton swab can be used as a brush in many situations, such as smudging a eyeshadow or applying lipstick, as the makeup artist explains. "We can't use flexible rods to make skin, contours, or even blush because they are large regions with less pigment concentration, but for small regions like eyes, eyebrows and mouth we can use it."

2. Leave the perfect outline: It is no easy task to make a perfect outline and to help correct possible mistakes, use the cotton swab along with a makeup remover or concealer to erase the errors.

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3. Tidy up eyelash mask dirt: When using eyelash mask it is common to get the eyelid dirty. To clean, use the flexible rods. If you take some of the shade out, you can also use the cotton swab to touch it up.

4. Avoid lipstick stains: Flexible stems are useful for applying lipstick, correcting application errors, and even aiding fixation by preventing lipstick from dripping and smearing. Paty Nossig teaches that applying a little translucent or concealer powder with a cotton swab around your mouth helps keep the lipstick in place without it leaving the place.

5. Add lash volume: deposit, with the help of the stems, translucent powder on your eyelashes between eyelash mask applications to give them more volume.


6. Outline small areas of the face: The cotton swab is an ally when contouring small areas such as the nose and mouth. "I use the flexible rods to apply the concealer on the nose to thin it and on the upper and lower mouth to increase the lips", details the makeup artist.

7. Take off eye makeup: It is always quite complicated to remove makeup at the root of the eyelashes. To help, use the stems for this purpose by dipping them in makeup remover or a moisturizer, which can also be helpful for removing waterproof makeup.

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8. Necklace false eyelashes: Use the cotton swab to apply false eyelash glue and make it easy to apply to the eyes.

9. Make eyes smoky: loosen some of the cotton from the ends of the stems, turning them into a cotton candy. Then apply your eyeshadow preferably and make a perfect smoky eye.

10. Smudge the eyeliner: The flexible shafts also serve to blur the eyeliner stroke, creating a less marked makeup and degrading the eyes.

11. Fill the eyebrow: The swab can also be used to fill and shape the eyebrow, as stated by the makeup artist. Thread the stems into your product for your favorite eyebrow and then outline the eyebrow using the cotton swab.

12. Find the cheekbones: If you have difficulty finding your cheekbones to contour, use the flexible rods to help you find the exact place for the application. Position one end of the cotton swab at the corner of your mouth and tilt the other towards your ears, leaving it below the bone of your apples, so you will have the perfect outline to outline it.

13. Take your favorite shadows: swab your favorite shadows and take them wherever you go without taking up too much space in your bag. When you want to use it, simply wipe the stems on your eyelids.

Uses of cotton swab in cleaning

14. Clean the computer keyboard: Remove dirt and excess dust from your keyboard by using the cotton swab and a specific cleaning product. Flexible rods are great for cleaning keyboard spans where dirt accumulates the most.

15. Clean Cabinet Spans: Use the flexible rods to clean any cabinet space that accumulates dust and is difficult to access for cleaning.

16. Wipe off excess self-tanner: If you use self-tanning you know that they usually accumulate in some parts of the body, such as finger gaps. Use the cotton swab to eliminate this excess and thus prevent the self-tanner from staining your skin.

17. Clean dryer lint: Dryers accumulate broken hair, which can impair its functioning. To clean, use the flexible rods as they make it possible to clean narrow and hard to reach places.

Uses of cotton swab in body care

18. Touch up the hair root: If you didn't have time to dye your hair root, use the cotton swab to apply a little shade of the color of your hair where you intend to hide it.

19. Eliminate Hair Dye: While you wait for the dye to work on your hair, use the flexible stems to clean around the face where there is dye, preventing the dye from drying out and making it harder to remove during dyeing.

20. Eliminate Pimples: with two stems and hot water squeeze the pimple that is bothering you. Remembering that squeezing pimples can leave scars on your skin.

21. Cream the pimples: Use the cotton swab to apply cream only to the pimples, without having to spread it all over your face.

22. Get fragrant all day: Spray your favorite scent on a flexible rod, store it in a bag and apply throughout the day to always feel fragrant.

23. Use for hair removal: If you want to shave only a specific place and want to wax accurately, use the cotton swab to spread it and shave only that place.

24. Soften Dark Circles: Apply eye cream to two cotton buds and place them in the freezer. The next morning, wipe the dark circles under your eyes to soften the puffiness under your eyes.

Uses of the nail swab

25. Eliminate smudged enamel: You don't have to bother putting cotton on the tip of the toothpick to remove the smudges of nail polish. Use a flexible nail polish for this purpose and get your nails perfect.

26. Moisturize the cuticles: wipe the swab with moisturizing oil or some cuticle-specific product and apply on the nail for hydrated cuticles and well-groomed hands.

Uses of cotton swab in daily life

27. Fix a zipper: If your zipper is stuck, use the flexible rods along with shampoo to help fix the zipper and slide it open and close.

28. Restore a Worn Leather Shoe: Use a specific leather cleaner along with the cotton swab to restore your leather shoe. The stems help to apply the product in the spans of the shoe, leaving it in perfect condition.

There are many uses of cotton swab in your daily life and in your life, so always have the flexible rod of your choice and discover new uses for this essential tool in your home.

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