A couple of weeks ago I was at the office and felt that telltale throbbing near my jawline. A growing sense of warmth. The beginnings of a little bump. A quick run to the ladies room confirmed my fears....a nascent zit had taken up residence on my face.

Of course, this was the day that I accidentally left my trusty concealer at home. (BECCA! I am nothing without you!) I rummaged through my makeup bag for a substitute, deciding on a rather unorthodox solution...MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. I assure you this is not something I'd normally carry around in my little touchup bag, but sometimes these items just find their way in!

Soft Ochre is kind of a stretch for my skin tone - it's very yellow and manages to somehow be paler than my actual skin - but it did the job in a pinch. I was able to make it through the rest of the day and the commute home without the eyes of coworkers or strangers drifting toward the offending spot.

This little MacGyver moment got me thinking about all the other times I'd repurposed various products in emergency situations. Some are well-established swap-outs that I'm sure you've used; others are a little more offbeat! Read on:

• Eyeliner pencil as lash tint (this took a while, and left my hands looking like those of a chimney sweep)


• Too-dark cream foundation to even out self-tanner mistakes


• Eyeshadow to fill in brows


• Conversely, brow powder as eyeshadow


• Pressed powder with a dot of moisturizer, used as concealer


• Cream blush as liptick


• Hand cream as hair de-frizzer


• And the old standby, of course, lipstick as blush

I've even heard tales of beauty editors using Ban antiperspirant to counteract bikini line irritation. And this list doesn't even count the various household items which can be used in your beauty routine - that's a whole 'nother post!

Which beauty products have you repurposed in a pinch? Share your stories in the comments!