Everyday life can be quite stressful from time to time. Sometimes a freshly painted nail promptly breaks on the way to work even though you wanted to go out that evening, or the self-tanning lotion has left unsightly marks on your face on the day you have an important meeting at work. But true to the motto ‘A woman can hold her own’, help is close at hand in the form of some simple remedies!

Mara from Frag die Gurus explained in a previous blog post about how to care for your nails and make them look good. If a nail breaks or tears in the heat of the moment, often only a nail file can help. That’s when you realise that this is the day you’ve brought a different handbag along and the SOS nail kit is exactly where it can’t help you – at home. But a box of matches might just solve the problem! The rough surface used to light the matches is similar to that of a nail file and can smooth away small tears in the nail. If you’re one of those women who always has a plaster with her, it might also be worth trying an ‘Invisible Protection’ plaster from Elastoplast as a nail plaster. Snip a tiny piece off and apply it to the nail or the damaged cuticle, and there you go – you won’t be able to see it.

It’s still summer. Well, according to the calendar, anyway. But it’s not just during the colder, less sunny times of year that women like to reach for the self-tanning lotion. Exposure to direct sunshine, whether brief or prolonged, can irritate your skin and even permanently damage it if you don’t use the right protection. Self-tanning lotion is a good alternative if you want to avoid the sun without having to do without a healthy, sun-kissed glow. However, if you apply too much, it can cause a real beauty-related problem. Unsightly discolouration and marks on the face, throat, arms and décolleté mean that people can spot your fake tan a mile off, leaving you feeling anything but good. However, self-tanners only dye the top layer of skin. Problem areas can be returned to normal using a good peeling treatment, and the skin will look as well cared for as it did before. So there’s no reason to hide at home for a week after a self-tanning accident.

You need to get in and out of the shower quickly in the morning, but you really want to wear that new skirt to work or uni, so you shave your legs quickly. Next thing you know, you’ve cut yourself. Getting a tissue and sticking it on the wound is not the ideal way to deal with small shaving mishaps – neither for men who cut their faces while shaving, nor for women who do themselves a minor injury while shaving their legs. The material soaks up the blood and the cut just bleeds longer. It’s best to dab carefully and wait until the cut has closed itself, then put some antiseptic cream on it. An Invisible Protection plaster can also help in this instance, as it protects the cut against irritation and speeds up healing.

If last night was over in the early hours of the morning, the first place it shows is your eyes. Swollen eyes can be soothed quickly. Simply place a cotton wool pad soaked in cold coffee on each eye – this will quickly reduce the swelling. Alternatively, you can place two cold teaspoons on your closed eyelids. However, never place the cold metal in direct contact with the delicate skin around the eyes! Wrap the spoons in a paper tissue first.

So you see, there are plenty of potential beauty mishaps. But aren’t they just part and parcel of what makes us charming?

What kind of things have happened to you and how did you fix your beauty mishap? We look forward to reading your replies.