If you want to repurpose your broken shadow, mix a little shadow with Vaseline for a pigmented gloss. When I tried this, the sheen ended up being somewhere between a lip gloss and a lipstick. I'd recommend this if you want to create a custom color or wear a crazy hue (like blue, green, or black) for the night -- it beats purchasing an entire tube of lipstick you'll only wear a few times. You can also use clear lip balm if you don't have Vaseline, but Vaseline is definitely the cheapest route. You can get a travel-sized container at the drugstore for around two bucks. Oh, and for those who are worried about eating eye shadow: I used a very pigmented eye shadow from MAC so I didn't need to use much product for a concentrated color. I checked the ingredients to make sure they were safe for the lips -- none are any more dangerous than the ingredients used in most lipsticks.

While some of my research suggests using baby oil to create a "wet look" eye shadow, I found it collected in my eye lid crease almost immediately. But if you're trying to create a high-fashion look for a photo shoot or other quickie event, it'll work in a pinch. Check out this DIY tutorial to see for yourself.

If you want to completely scrap your eye shadow, you can turn it into nail polish just by adding clear nail polish to the powder. I recommend mixing the polish and the shadow outside of the bottle and storing it in an airtight container, so you don't use an entire bottle of clear nail polish on one eye shadow color. We tried mixing our own polishes over at Beauty Riot -- click to see what crazy colors we came up with.

Problem: The nail polish color that you just have to have on your toes right now is locked away in a bottle that won't budge.

Solution: Rubber Band

If you're having trouble opening a nail polish bottle, wrap rubber bands around the top for a better grip. If this doesn't loosen it, try dabbing some nail polish remover around the brush handle.

Problem: I've never gotten to the bottom of a nail polish bottle, so my nail polish collection just keeps growing over the years. The only time I throw a bottle away is when it becomes clumpy and coagulated, making it impossible to smoothly lacquer over my nails.

Solution: Nail Polish Thinner/Remover

The next time your favorite nail polish goes all cottage cheese on you, try adding nail polish thinner. You can pick it up at Sally Beauty Supply for $4.29.

The quick fix? Add in a little nail polish remover. Keep in mind that the high water content of the remover will cause polish to separate over a long period of time, but if you're planning on tossing it soon anyway, it's a good temporary solution.