10 Common Beauty Emergencies and How to Save the Day

Beauty emergencies happen. A lot. Usually they're not too serious, but when one happens, it can be enough to get your day off to a bad start, unnerve you for an interview, or make you self-conscious for a first date. Here are my top ten common beauty emergencies and some tried and true remedies to help.

Imagine this: You're rushing off to an interview, and you trip, catching your high heel on the hem of your dress or pants. Suddenly, you realize you have a ripped hem and no time to sew. The fix is easy. if you don't have time for needle and thread, you have three options: the first, is called stitch witchery. It looks like basting tape and you place it between the folds of the fabric and iron on low heat. The stitch witchery will bind the fabric together with no sewing involved. Of course, if you're on the go, you may not have time - or the materials - for that. You could always pin it in place with a few small safety pins (just make sure the pins don't show!). If you're really desperate, grab that roll of duct tape you threw in the trunk of your car. One small piece in the right place should keep your hem where it's supposed to be until you have time to get it fixed. Just don't wash it that way!

If you're hem is fine but your hosiery has gotten a run, you can stop it in its tracks. Dab on a dot of clear nail polish or spritz it with a little aerosol hair spray. Try not to overstress the area until you can get into a new pair.

Maybe you've got a pimple and you realize you have no blemish cream on hand. Don't panic- you can dab a little bit of toothpaste right on the blemish (the paste kind, not the gel) to dry out the pus. Or, dig around your medicine cabinet for an aspirin. Crush it and mix it with a little bit of water, and apply as a paste to the blemish. Aspirin is a form of salicylic acid- a common blemish reducer. Or, to reduce inflammation, apply a dab of hydracortizone cream and leave on overnight. Your pimple will be smaller in the morning.

Some days, we wake up and find our blowout has gone greasy and there's no time to wash and blow dry again. Never fear - help is near! Dry shampoo is your best option, but if that doesn't work, you can sprinkle a tiny bit of baby powder at your roots and gently brush or comb out. Don't over do it or you'll turn grey before your time. In a real pinch, aerosol hair spray also does a pretty good job of soaking up excess oil.

Then again, if too much party - or allergies, have got you down, you can lessen those puffy eyes by holding a spoon that's been chilled in the freezer to the inflamed area. Yes, it's cold. It also works. If you can't take the chill, dab on a bit of Preparation H to take down the swelling a take care of that beauty emergency.

If your beauty emergency is dry skin, you can easily create your own skin exfoliant. Just mix some plain old white granulated table sugar with a few tablespoons of olive oil and rub on in the shower. Rinse with plain water and you'll have soft, smooth skin. If you need to treat cellulite, too, you can mix in some cooled, caffeinated coffee grounds. The scent will help wake you up and get you on the ball for your day.

Olive oil is great for your hair, too, especially if your beauty emergency is that you ran out of your favorite hair conditioner. Just warm up a quarter cup or so of olive oil (don't make it too hot and make sure you don't get burned! ) and apply it to towel dried or dry hair. Allow the oil to soak in well. Rinse with cool water and you'll love the way your hair feels.

Some beauty emergencies happen after the beauty parlor. It's very common for women to be a little bit red after getting waxed at the salon. You can soothe the area with a little bit of aloe or use plain milk. The lactic acid in milk will help take the irritation - and the redness right out. Just make sure to wash and sanitize your hands before touching freshly waxed skin so you don't cause infection or you'll have a different kind of emergency.

A very common beauty emergency - especially in the late afternoon - is shiny, oily skin. If you don't have face powder or facial blotters, you can still get rid of the shine. Just use a napkin, a paper towel, or tissue paper (make sure it's clean!) to blot up that excess oil. The cheaper, more paper-y products work the best and you can see just how much oil your pulling off your face.

We all know how important shoes are to the outfit, but scuffs can happen at inopportune times, leaving you with a real beauty crisis. Black shoes are a no-brainer. Just grab a black Sharpie and cover up those scuffs or marks. It's quick, easy, and will make them much less noticeable.