5 Common Makeup Mistakes and How to Fix Them

February 15, 2016 @ 3:45 PM

by: Erin Lukas

Beauty blunders happen to the best of us, and usually at the most inconvenient times, like when you’ve slept through your alarm and you’re in a mad dash to get to work, you’re applying touch-ups in the back of a cab en route to a date, or you’re trying a new product out. Since we’re usually strapped for time, when a mistake happens, taking everything off and restarting with a blank canvas is often not a realistic option.

Ahead, we have six hacks for common makeup mishaps we experience all too often. Whether you brought the wrong foundation shade home, or you got glitter all over your face, there are quick and simple ways to reverse these makeup woes—we promise.

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1. The Foundation You Bought Is Too Dark

We’ve all been there: The foundation you swatched on your wrist in the makeup aisle doesn’t match once you’re home and applying it under your bathroom lights and now you’re stuck with a full bottle of a color that’s too dark. Salvage it by sheering it out by mixing the product with a bit of lightweight moisturizer like Simple Protecting Light Moisturizer SPF 15 ($10; target.com), and apply it using a blender for even coverage.
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2. Uneven Eyeliner

An uneven cat-eye happens to the best of us, even if we’ve spent countless hours practicing with liquid liner. To quickly correct a heavy hand without having to completely start over, use Sephora Collection’s pre-moistened Targeted Eye Remover Swabs ($7; sephora.com) to precisely remove excess liner.
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3. Overshot Nail Polish

Despite your best efforts, sometimes a DIY manicure ends up looking a little sloppy, with your red polish making its way onto the skin around your nail beds. A simple way to clean it up is dabbing a Q-tip into your nail polish remover, like Deborah Lippman The Stripper Hydrating Nail Lacquer Remover ($19; bloomingdales.com), and erasing the excess polish.
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4. Flaky Lipstick

Even if you go out of your way to regularly exfoliate your lips, your favorite matte lipstick may dry them out and accentuate it. The next time you apply your go-to bullet and are faced with flakiness, dab your lips with a colorless balm like Caudalie Lip Conditioner ($12; sephora.com) to moisturize your pout and soften up flakes.
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5. Your Glittery Eyeshadow Fell All Over Your Face

You finally dared to try the glittery eye shadow you bought on a whim and have created the perfect shimmery smoky eye only to discover that glitter particles have fallen all under your eyes. Take your moisturizer like Laniege Water Bank Moisture Cream ($32; target.com) and apply it over the unwanted glitter. Then press a dampened sponge over it to lift the glitter from the skin without messing up the rest of your makeup.