Make a mess of your mascara? Douse yourself with too much perfume? Smudge your nail polish? Before you stress out over a beauty blunder, check out these quick fixes:
Mascara Mess
Too much mascara is a big beauty blunder; it tends to clump and make eyes uncomfortable, not to mention unsightly. Poorly applied mascara is also notorious for smearing and making you look as if you just woke up from a wild night out parting or, more likely, that you were up all night caring for a sick toddler. In any case, you can easily fix this by making sure your mascara is new (experts say to replace every three months). The older the tube, the more dried up and clumpy it will become.
Always apply one coat at a time and let it dry completely before adding another layer. Use an eyelash comb to gently remove any clumps. Opt for quick-dry and waterproof mascaras.
If you have smeared your mascara, wait a moment for it to dry and it should “crumb and roll off your skin,” says Kristofer Buckle, celebrity makeup artist. Dampen a cotton swap and carefully hold it over the smear and remove.
Greasy Mop
If you’ve applied too much oil-based hair product and your ‘do becomes a greasy mess, reach for household staples such as baby powder or cornstarch; even translucent face powder will work. Apply a small amount to the palms of your hands and rub your hands together; then work your hands through your hair, starting at your roots. An alcohol-based hair spray can help, too, because it will soak up the oil.
If your hair is feeling sticky from too much hairspray or gel, spritz it with water to dilute the styling product’s hold and give your hair a quick blow-dry to re-style.
The easiest way to fix your hair is to pull it into a ponytail or a chic high bun. A big headband, scarf, or hat can also do wonders!
Too Much Perfume
Sometimes you don’t even realize that you’ve done it, but if you can still smell your own perfume a half hour after putting it on, you likely are wearing too much. To remove excess perfume, rinse off area with water, apply a non-scented lotion, or take a walk outside. The fresh air will help eliminate the overpowering scent.
To avoid dousing yourself in the future, spray perfume in front of you and then walk through it, or hold the bottle at least 3-5 inches away from your body before spraying and stick to two quick spritzes and always avoid your clothing.
You’re Blushing
When in doubt, all the experts say that when applying blush, blending is the answer. You want to avoid stripes or any other obvious edges to the pigment. And if you find that you’ve applied too much blush, dip a makeup sponge in foundation and buff the color down to a more natural hue. Another fast fix is to use a little translucent powder or gold highlighter; making your cheeks dewy and toning down the rosiness.
Next time, be sure to tap excess powder blush off your brush so that your first stroke is lighter, and then build up from there if you need to.
Nailed
There is nothing more annoying than messing up your fresh manicure. Of course you can remove the polish completely and start from scratch with your base coat, first layer, then second layer of polish – another 10 minutes (because you need to allow the polish to dry sufficiently between coats) or, if you are impatient like me, the pros actually recommend pressing the smudged nail tip on the top side of your tongue and smooth out the polish in the appropriate direction. Sounds weird, I know, but it totally works! “The combination of saliva and a little pressure on the nail bed can soften and redistribute color,” explains celebrity manicurist Elle.
What beauty blunder tips can you share?
Photo credit: MaCaEs
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