Stand life were a movie we would always have the perfect eyeliner line, impeccable nail polish, lipstick that wouldn’t smudge and pimples would have the good sense not to appear at the least opportune moments.
But IRL you have to be ready for anything, just like the boy scouts.
YOU WAKE UP WITH A PIMPLE
How many times before going to bed have you lingered in front of the mirror and complimented yourself because your skincare routine has finally worked and you have almost immaculate skin? Too bad it always happens like this: every time things seem to work properly, he arrives, the cursed pimple, which rises triumphantly in particularly painful and above all visible points like a beacon in the night.
How to fix it: It would be good and right to always have patches for pimples at hand, transparent patches enriched with salicylic acid, which help you remove inflammation and protect the pimple from the temptation to touch and torture it. They are also perfect for disguising it perfectly under make-up, which makes them real must-haves.
How to prevent: Predicting the pimple is really difficult, but having serums or cleansers at home that contain salicylic acid, which help purify: they are useful not only if you suffer from acne, but also in case of sporadic episodes.
SELF-TANNER STAINS
Wanted to tone you up or shed some winter dullness and found yourself patchy or stained on your hands? It happens even to the best. The self-tanner, on the face and body, should never, NEVER be applied without first scrubbing and removing dead cells, because in the most chapped areas, a greater quantity of product tends to deposit, therefore the result is uneven.
How to fix it: If you feel particularly rich, apply a vitamin C-based serum (preferably highly concentrated) on the affected areas and massage vigorously: vitamin C has a lightning action. Alternatively, you can try home remedies, such as citric acid. To be exact, all you need is lemon juice: soak some gauze and leave it to rest on the stain for at least an hour, then rub. The gauze has a gentle exfoliating action and should be able to remove most of the stain. If that’s not enough, step into the shower and scrub. You can also combine lemon juice and baking soda, a particularly suitable solution if you have stained your hands and cuticles. The whitening action is also effective on the nails. However, the solution that guarantees the result is the self-tan remover, a product that you should always have on hand, whether you are an expert in self-tanning or a novice because accidents happen to even the best.
How to prevent: Always scrub before applying the product to any part of the face and body, preferably the day before and not the day itself. Always wear gloves on purpose when you put on your self-tanner, and preferably a latex one too, so you’re really sure you don’t go through anything. Don’t touch anything and don’t get dressed again before you’re sure the product is dry: better to wait five minutes longer than to end up with ruined clothes and patches.
YOUR HAIR IS DIRTY AND YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASH IT
We often go to bed at night thinking that the hair will last one more day, but it happens that we wake up in the morning to discover that the sebum has taken possession of the roots. Or we just woke up late and don’t have time to shower, it depends on your habits. But the result doesn’t change: your hair is dirty and you can’t go out.
How to fix it: The quickest and most effective solution is dry shampoo, both in powder and spray form. Apply it while you’re wearing makeup, so it absorbs excess oil in the meantime. Then massage it and brush it off and the crease lasts a day longer, actually, it could be even better. Don’t have dry shampoo? Never mind, talcum powder has the same absorbent action.
What if you don’t have either of them at home? And then it’s time to show off a bun or a very high and very tight tail. In short, pick up your hair. They’ll probably yell “we haven’t been washed,” but at least resolve the situation in style.
How to prevent: No, this cannot be prevented, so find the remedy that best suits your needs and means.
THE LIPSTICK THAT MIGRATES
The matte lipsticks that we loved so much are not having a particularly happy moment, abandoned in favor of creamy, shimmery, and lipgloss finishes, which however do not have the same grip on the lips. Getting used to the risk of drooling again could happen in the least pleasant way, risking finding color on the face or, in horror, on the teeth.
How to fix it: Always keep cotton swabs and concealer close at hand, with the first you eliminate the drool, and with the second you make everything uniform.
How to prevent: Maybe lately you’ve forgotten the old tissue paper and loose powder method to fix, even if it penalizes the shine of the lipstick a little. The pencil is a must, because it helps to delimit the edges and makes it more difficult (but not impossible) for the product to migrate, especially if it is very creamy. The last tip helps prevent smudging on your teeth, it’s not an elegant gesture, but deep down you’re in the privacy of your bathroom. Put a finger in your mouth and wrap your lips around it in a fish shape, then pull it out with a firm gesture: the excess product that would have ended up on your teeth is now on your finger and you should be safe.
CROOKED OR ASYMMETRICAL EYELINER
There are bad days even for those who are able to apply eyeliner with their eyes closed, so for all mere mortals the mistake is always taken into account: too-marked thickness or a crooked and asymmetrical tail.
How to fix it: A trick before starting is not to do the base before applying the eyeliner, especially if you use an eye primer and/or a waterproof eyeliner, which makes correction a little more difficult, because they are made to last. In this case, you need a thin-tipped cotton swab soaked in two-phase make-up remover and correct the mistake, but if you’re not in a hurry, delete everything and start from scratch.
How to prevent: Just open TikTok to find a method to outline eyeliner with precision. Scotch tape, teaspoon, eyeliner cap, stencils or special applicators: experiment until you find a fail-safe method.
CHIPPED NAIL POLISH
Nothing screams sloppiness like chipped nail polish, especially when it’s a bright color like red, but it’s a calculated risk whenever we choose to manicure with regular nail polish, whether it’s applied by the beautician and even more so if we do it at home, where we can’t make it as subtle as the pros do.
How to fix it: First of all it depends on where and when it happens and luck almost never makes it happen when you are at home with the manicure kit. If you don’t have a mignon bag and can carry a small cosmetic bag with you, save space for a nail file, nail polish of the color you wear, and a quick-drying top coat. File the surface of the nail with the chipped polish – you don’t need to remove it completely, just flatten the remaining one until the top layer is opaque – then apply some polish where it’s chipped, wait for it to dry and blend another layer, this time covering the entire nail. Finally, apply the top coat and you should be good to go until your next manicure.
How to prevent: Try a gel or semi-permanent, but in this case, the problem would be regrowth, which you could cover with nail polish of the same color anyway. It’s up to you to choose the lesser of evils. If you do your manicure at home the only way to try and prevent disaster is to never forget your top coat, making sure you seal it in as well as possible.
YOU’VE GONE TOO FAR PLUCKING YOUR EYEBROWS
How to fix it: Did you get carried away and create a hole between your eyebrows? Hoping you’ve simply plucked a hair in the wrong place, the only remedy is the eyebrow pencil, with a hard and thin lead, to fill in the empty space. And wait patiently for it to grow back.
How to prevent: To avoid getting carried away, draw guidelines every time you need to thin or tidy up your eyebrows and double-check the origin and path of each hair before pulling it out. The (almost) definitive solution? Microblading or dermopigmentation and forget about it.
