Beauty emergencies: How to fix a bad-everything day

We’ve all had them. No matter how well you maintain your beauty routine – and let’s face it, it can be erratic at times – nobody escapes a pre-party zit or hungover eyes. When I have a bad beauty day things go wrong, big style. My skin ages 10 years, my make-up only makes matters worse and my lips look as if I’ve spent two weeks in the Arctic. Forget bad hair days, this is a paper-bag day. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to rescue a seemingly hopeless situation. Here’s how to cope when everything goes wrong.

Tress Rx

Frizzy locks? Rub a bit of conditioner on your hands and work it through to the ends to eliminate flyaway strands. In a pinch, a drop of ordinary hand cream will do.
Limp and lank strands? Put on a headband so that it lifts hair up off the face. Spray with a volumizer; wait 10 minutes and then remove band.
Greasy hair? Rub antibacterial gel over your hands then rake your fingers through the hair before you brush and blast it dry. The high alcohol content dissolves build-up in case of a a one-off emergency.

The tired face

Skimped on sleep? Looking washed out has to be one of the most depressing beauty dilemmas. To counter, skip the full face of makeup. When you’re tired, blood is circulated away from the skin to boost the major organs. This means your usual make-up will be too dark and scary. Instead, go for moisturiser, eye drops, a light brushing of face powder, lip gloss and, if possible, a pair of sunglasses.

Baggy eyes

Still carrying around the baggage of last night? Drink as much water as you can to flush out toxins. Then, gently pat either aloe vera gel or a green clay mask on the area under the eyes to draw out remaining impurities. Or use witch hazel – it’s wonderful at removing toxins but make sure you dilute it. Use two parts water and one part witch hazel on a cotton-wool pad.

Panda eyes

Global makeup authority Bobbi Brown has the cure: always apply your eye cream before your concealer. It will help the delicate skin in that area stay hydrated and make concealer go on more smoothly. She also suggests choosing a concealer one shade lighter than your foundation. Apply to the under-eye area up to the lower lash line and, most importantly, on the innermost corner. This is the most recessed area of the face and the darkest in appearance.

Acne attack

If you notice a spot developing, wrap an ice cube in a thin handkerchief then gently massage it over the blemish for 10-second intervals. Repeat the movement 10 times: it calms down the swelling and reduces redness. Follow it up with a formulation that contains 2% salicylic acid plus concealer for on-the-spot camouflage.
 

Unkissable lips

A really quick fix for lips, especially when you’ve forgotten your lip balm, is olive oil. It’s a terrific moisturiser and you can find it just about everywhere. Rub it into your lips, elbows, feet or anywhere that needs a little TLC.

Stained teeth

If red wine and coffee have stained your teeth, avoid lipstick colours with orange, yellow or beige in the formulation. The key to making teeth look whiter is contrast. So, choose bright, true reds or reds with a blue base.

Nails not up to scratch

Get a little coconut oil or olive oil and mix it with salt and baking powder. Rub this mixture all over the hands, on the palms, up to the wrists and particularly on the nails. The oil acts as a moisturiser and the baking powder releases oxygen into the skin to plump out any fine lines and increase the circulation for healthier, luminous complexion. The salt acts as a gentle exfoliant for removing any dead skin and helps to ease the cuticles for more attractive nails.
Smelly, grungy feet

This one needs a 3-part solution:

Rather than removing chipped polish on your toes and starting again, it can be masked with a coat of darker colour. If you have a pearly eyeshadow that’s all broken up and is ready for the bin, break it down even further and mix it with a little moisturiser. Applying this to your feet will soften the skin and give you an instant sexy sheen. If you get smelly feet, crush fresh mint in a bowl of warm water. Submerging your feet will remove any unpleasant odours.

Streaky fake tan

Ah, the joys of the self-tan. For those who’ve been well and truly Tangoed, try these tips:
If it’s really disastrous, go swimming. Local pools are notorious for having lots of chlorine and this will bleach the tan and help it fade. If your hands are too dark, head for the kitchen and a cream cleanser. You’ll have a gleaming kitchen and your hands will have faded. But if it’s not too bad, just exfoliate really well and re-apply the tan. If you have darker knees and ankles, rub a little whitening toothpaste into the area using a circular motion. The toothpaste will gently exfoliate and the whitening agent will remove colour.