Just a few of things you can do with Q-tips Precision Tips…
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Oh, the uses you’ll find for these tapered swabs!
photos: we heart this
Sometimes it’s the simple things that make me happy. Take Q-tips for an example. When I first moved out on my own and had to stock my bathroom, I was on a budget and fooled by no-name doppelganger swabs. I quickly learned that saving a few cents was not worth the price of an inferior swab.
The generic brands just didn’t offer the same quality of my trusty Q-tips. The tips were made of synthetic fibers instead of cotton and frayed or unraveled before I even used them, while the plastic handles bent and felt awkward to use. For an item I use every day, I was happy to pay a teeny bit more for the best quality. Today, the peeps behind Q-tips have made me even happier with Precision Tips, the latest take on their classic swabs.
While I use Q-tips (and only Q-tips) to clean around my ears, I also reach for them for any number of uses – when applying makeup, working on craft projects and even for teeny-tiny cleaning jobs. The only drawback? Sometimes, the rounded tip is just not fine enough. But thanks to the new Precision Tip swabs ($3.19, 170 count) I now have a Q-tip for every occasion!
Touted as the “ultimate home and beauty tool” this update on my favorite swab features tapered tips at both ends and was designed for touch-ups and getting into small spaces. And just like the classic Q-tips, these swabs are made with 100% cotton tips and boast a nice, flexible stick.
Since I laid my hands on a box of Precision Tips I’ve found oodles of uses for them around the house, particularly while at my vanity. Not too surprising for a beauty blogger, huh?
For starters, they make for a great little eye shadow brush, especially when going for a smoky eye look. Use them wet or dry to smudge shadows and liners along the lash line.
They’re also perfect for use with eye shadows palettes that lack defined separation between the colors or offer just a teeny tiny sliver of pigment. Use these fine tipped Q-tips to reach only the color you want without mixing the shades together. And since they are disposable, you can use a fresh tip every time without worrying about muddling shades in the palette.
Another purpose for these disposable, fresh tips? Pimple hiding. Use Q-tips Precision Tips to dab concealer over blemishes, instead of reaching for a (most likely dirty) makeup brush or using your (most likely dirty) fingertips. You can also use them when spot treating pimples, applying the medicated treatment right on the blemish without drying out the surrounding area.
Without fail, whenever I apply a coat of mascara, I blink too soon and wind up with tiny black spots around my eyes. Use the fine tip Q-tip, dipped in eye makeup remover, to wipe away mascara smudges without messing up your artfully applied “face”.
Precision Tips are also a god-send for the at-home manicurist. I use these swabs to get into the cuticle to remove nail polish; sometimes those crevices can be hard get clean. And since I’m a sloppy manicurist, these come in handy for a clean, precise line.
And Q-tips Precision Tips can be used for non-beauty related purposes too. They’re great for use in arts and crafts, when you need a perfectly placed drop of glue or paint. And clean-aholics will find plenty of uses as the fine tips can fit into any number of small places: from the spaces between computer keys and the remote control to the edges of your condiment bottles.
They also do a fine job of cleaning adorable Pit Bull ears…
…and even fit into the face folds of Boston Terriers!
we heartsters – do you love Q-tips too? What uses do you have in mind for the new Precision Tips?
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For Halloween I was a doll with button eyes. At first I tried to put white dots on top of the black to make the holes, but it just wasn’t working. I found out that if I put makeup remover on a pointed q-tip and spun the tip gently on part of my eyelid, I could remove little circles of makeup, making my button eyes look great!
Not surprised that these came to the rescue in the making of a Halloween costume @daintynymph! Your doll with button eyes costume sounds so cute – hope you had a fabulous Halloween. And thanks for your comment!
I’ve been using regular Q-tips for eye makeup application and cleanup for my entire life, so I am very excited about your post, @tyna ! You’re so right about the shoddy faux Q-tips and their bendy plastic handles– I only made that mistake once. Can’t wait to track down Precision Tips and give them a try.
And those doggie pics are too cute!
Real, brand-name Q-Tips are the way to go. I also tried knock-offs, and was sorely disappointed. A box lasts me forever, so even though it’s more expensive, I feel like it’s a good value.
True story: About a month ago I thought that I had gotten half of my 99-cent store swab fuzz stuck in my ear. I spent a week paranoid that I was going to go deaf in that ear based upon the stories I read on the Internet while trying to figure out how to get it out. (Always a bad idea, btw.) Never have I cursed myself so much for going the cheap route. Get the real deal, save yourself some unnecessary agony!
I have to ask Heather – how DID you get it out?
I use Qtips for everything under the sun! They are great for cleaning kitty cat’s ears and even detailing my car!
I read once in Real Simple that you could use Qtips to clean your toilet (around the place where the lid fastens to the bowl). And I thought ridiculous! You have too much time on your hands if you do that. Then…I did it. And now…I do it every time I clean my toilet! You’d be amazed and disgusted how much germs and dirt remain on that area, even AFTER you clean it. Bleuch.
Toilet cleaning aside, Precision Tips are amazing to use for beauty. I love them for eye makeup removal. As the name suggests, totally precise instead of just rubbing the makeup all over your face.
I also love them to clean up your lipstick, anywhere your product may have strayed out the lines.
I don’t know if I can go make to rounded tips again!
@stef – I’m torn between being completing disgusted at the thought of getting in that close to clean the nooks and crannies of the toilet and being completely impressed with your level of attention to detail!
I accept your disgust and admiration.
It either fell out on its own or is slowly rotting in there. Hoping for the best! :)