The scenario: You're way overdue for a haircut, but your schedule and budget won't exactly let that happen, so you take matters into your own hands and trim your bangs. Too bad you have no idea what you're doing.
The solution: Sims says to try "braiding them to the side or slicking them back with a strong gel." He recommends something like Got2b Glued Styling Gel, $5.49. You can also build up an arsenal of headbands and barrettes to keep them out of sight.
If you simply must have your forehead covered, he says wearing your bangs messy instead of straight and precise will make any unevenness less noticeable.
The scenario: Being the graceful woman that you are, you ran into the coffee table and nailed your shin.
The solution: Bosso says you can cover just about any bruise once you understand color correcting. She suggests picking up a palette like Make Up For Ever Palette #5, $36, it has a range of colors that'll hide any shade of bruise. Next, she says to figure out the dominant shade of your shiner and neutralize it with the opposite shade. So if it's red, use green, blue use yellow, etc. Then top that with a concealer that matches your skin tone and finish with powder. And next time, watch where you're walking, okay?
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The Disaster: Oily Hair with No Time to Shower
The scenario: A string of late nights and early mornings means you've had zero time to wash your hair, and like Jessica over there, it's starting to go beyond "grunge" and into plain ol' "greasy."
The solution: Meet your new best hair friend: dry shampoo. Sprinkle or spray some on your roots, massage it in and watch the grease disappear (try Klorane ECO Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, $18). If you're out of dry shampoo or don't own any, use baby powder, just make sure to really work it in so you don't have dusty-looking white roots.
And if you're out of both those things? Then make the grease look intentional by slicking all of your hair back into a sleek ponytail -- and maybe spritz some perfume over it to cover the smell. Or just add a hat like Ashlee Simpson (maybe she should have loaned it to Jessica).
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The Disaster: A Hair Color Mishap
The scenario: You're bored and decide to try that box of dye you've had under your sink for months. Unfortunately, you're left with a scary-looking mess.
The solution: If you absolutely hate your new color, wash it out asap with a clarifying shampoo or even dish soap. This should help fade it somewhat (shampoo multiple times if needed), but it needs to happen fast, before the color fully sets into your hair. If that doesn't work, then you'll have to head to a professional, because unfortunately, trying to repair bad color yourself will likely make matters worse.
In the future, heed this color advice:
1. Never go more than two shades lighter or darker than your current color at home, trust us, it will not end well.
2. Follow the directions on the box exactly, paying close attention to the time.
3. Have a friend help you apply the color so you get even coverage and apply the color in a timely manner.
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The Disaster: Chipped or Smudged Nails
The scenario: You splurge on a spa manicure and your nails look fab -- until you smudge them while putting on your seatbelt to drive home. Or maybe you make it past the smudge-window, but then get a chip like two days later.
The solution: Manicurist Fricke says the best solution is to have the polish with you (so BYO bottle to the nail salon next time). That way you can place a dot of polish on the smudged or chipped area, let it dry, then apply another coat over the entire nail to even it out.
If you don't have your polish but you do have a nail file, you can make a chip slightly less noticeable by filing away the chipped part of your nail (or at least some of it) and then even out the rest of your fingers.
With all the devastating natural disasters, oil spills, terrorist attacks, financial meltdowns and wars happening globally, it seems a bit hyperbolic to call something as trite as a chipped nail or a scissor-happy bang trim a disaster, right? Nonetheless, everything's relative and we don't want you to never be the victim of any type of beauty disaster (or whatever you want to call it).
In the realm of beauty, Murphy's Law definitely applies ("anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" and probably has gone wrong), but we just happen to have remedies for you courtesy of makeup artists Kimberley Bosso and Riku Campo, expert hairstylists Anthony Cristiano and Larry Sims and pro manicurist Beth Fricke. They'll help you plan ahead to prevent beauty blunders from happening as well as show you how to improvise in the moment when one does hit. Just stock your purse with the few essential survival beauty products they suggest and you'll look put-together (or put back together) in a snap -- think of these items as your beauty spare tire -- you'll need them in case you get a flat.
And to help you feel like you're not the only woman with pit stains, static-y hair and bleeding lipstick we thought we'd share photos of celebrity makeup mishaps and celebrity hairstyles gone wrong from stars that are otherwise fairly composed like Cameron Diaz, Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Eva Mendes, Hilary Duff, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Kate Hudson, Rosario Dawson, Lindsay Lohan, Courtney Love and Amy Winehouse (well, maybe the last three are an exception).
