Your favourite lipstick has been discontinued, or you’re on your way to make an important presentation and have just passed by a mirror and noticed your bangs are in disarray -- what to do? Don’t panic. Here's some advice from two makeup pros from Page One Management, an agency in Toronto, on how you can smoothly handle baffling beauty situations.
Beauty Emergency: Your Lipstick Breaks
Solution: "Empty lipstick into a small pot -- pill containers are excellent for this," says Cody Alain. "They come with multiple compartments so you can easily carry your favourite shades everywhere." Then, microwave on low for 15 seconds or until the product has melted so it lies flat. Then all you need to do is apply with lip brush, he says. "This is also a great way for using up the [lipstick] at the bottom of the tube," says Alain.
Full story continues below slideshow.
Makeup Mistakes: Expert Tips To Handle Beauty Emergencies (PHOTOS)
Beauty Emergency: Your Favourite Lipstick Of All-Time Is Being Discontinued
Solution: Favourite lipsticks get discontinued often as makeup lines keep up to date with trends, says makeup artist Ashley Gesner. She suggests taking your tube into a beauty advisor and having them help you match it up with a colour that is similar. "You may have to mix a couple [shades] to get the results, but there is usually something similar," she says. Alain also advises you start looking for a replacement ASAP. "You can't match the colour without a reference," he says.
Beauty Emergency: You've Worn Your New Foundation A Few Days And Realize You Bought The Wrong Shade
Solution: Makeup stores will often allow you to exchange or return foundations within 30 days, says Gesner. And if they're being difficult, "most stores will let you return slightly used cosmetics if you've had an allergic reaction, wink, wink," says Alain. If for some reason you can't get to the store to exchange it, not all is lost. You can keep the lighter shade for the winter time when you're paler and a too-dark foundation for when you have a tan in the summer. Another two ideas for adjusting the colours? "Go with the lighter shade and add bronzer to darken it in the summer," says Gesner. "And for a darker foundation, mix it with moisturizer in your hand before applying."
To help avoid ending up with the wrong shade going forward, she also recommends getting a makeup artist to colour match you when buying. "You can also ask for a sample to try it out for a couple weeks to see how your skin reacts and to verify the colour in natural sunlight," she says.
Beauty Emergency: You’ve Done All Of Your Makeup And Realize The Dewy Skin Look You Were Going For Just Looks Greasy
Solution: You don’t have to wash off all your makeup and start over again from scratch. Just take some translucent powder on your temples, around the nose, under the eyes and along the jawline, says Alain. And to pull off a dewy look in the summer, Gesner recommends using a powder with a sheen (as you’ll get longer wear out of it in the humidity).
Beauty emergency: You're Out And About And Your Hair’s Gone All Frizzy
Solution: "Add a bit of gloss or balm and gently run through the hair to add some weight," says Alain. "But if it's beyond repair, use a hair tie and four bobby pins to create a chic top knot." Gesner suggests keeping a small tube of a hair product that contains silicon in your handbag so you're always ready to tackle the on-the-go cases of hair frizzies.
Beauty emergency: You're Out For The Day And Your Bangs Are Going Every Which Way Except The Way You Want Them To
Solution: "Bangs are tricky. They generally need heat to be tamed. Try putting on a fabric headband at the base of your bangs and wear for 10 minutes," he says. He also suggests using the hand dryer in the bathroom while using one hand to press them down gently. "You may get a couple looks from people, but it'll work," he says.
Gesner suggests applying a bit of product that provides hold to get them to behave, but notes getting bangs to behave starts with a good cut. "Make sure the stylist cuts them into a triangle pie shape going far enough back that the weight and hair direction will naturally fall into place," she says.
Beauty emergency: You’ve Dropped And Shattered A Powder Palette.
Solution: Put the product into a small container, says Gesner. "Remember, though, the particles are not as small and jet milled as an actual loose powder so the application is not the same," she says. Alain says you can grind up the bigger bits using the rounded end of something (for example, a hairbrush). "Then dab your brush on the inside of the lid of the container to distribute product evenly on the brush," he says.