Beauty Quick Fixes

No matter how good you look, things can happen. Maybe you have a broken nail, or your self-tan came out a little streaky.

On The Early Show Tuesday, Kris Connell, of Real Simple magazine (www.realsimple.com), shared some quick fixes any woman can fit into her beauty routine.

She also had some great time-savers for your beauty routine.

Most women spend too much time playing the waiting game: waiting in long lines at the post office, waiting for the cable guy, or even waiting for bosses to offer raises, unsolicited!

You probably also spend too much time sitting tight while you wait for elements of your beauty routine to be completed. Imagine all the things you could do in the time it takes for nail polish to dry, pillow parks on your face to fade, or a bad self-tan to lighten up

Luckily, says Connell, there are ways to speed up these processes. Turns out, good things come to those who don't wait!

DRY NAIL POLISH

Duck your hands in a bowl of ice-cold water. The cold water free-dries polish, sealing and hardening it quickly. Allow nails to air-dry for two-minutes, then submerge in ice-cold water for three minutes, which is enough time for polish to harden completely.

Another option: Blast nails with cold air from a hair dryer between coats. This helps the layer of color to dry as you go.

Quick tip: Old nail polish can take forever to dry, since time can turn polish gooey and thick. Toss bottles when the polish begins to change color or separate. At that point, the lacquer has probably thickened and become unstable.

Tip from a Real Simple reader: Use dryer sheets to take off nail polish. It's faster and more effective than cotton balls, since they're slightly more abrasive.

REPAIR TORN NAIL

Patch it with a tea bag. Nails can tear for many reasons: They're weak, they're soft; they've been soaking in water for too long, which softens them further. Whatever the cause, cut a tiny piece of paper from a tea bag (it should be big enough to cover the entire tear), apply a bead of nail glue to the paper (Krazy Glue works in a pinch), then press it on top of the tear. Allow the glue to dry, then gently file the top of the paper so it's smooth and flush with the nail. Finish with a layer of base coat, two coats of polish, and a topcoat.

Quick tip: Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes or using cleaning products. Water and chemicals can weaken nails and make them more likely to tear.

FIX A STREAKY SELF TAN

Sweep a cotton ball soaked in 100 percent lemon juice over streaky areas. Citric acid from the lemon is a natural skin lightener and exfoliator. It smoothes away unevenly applied tanner by sloughing overly tanned skin cells.

Another option: Massage plain baking soda onto damp skin with small, gentle circular motions. Like lemon juice, baking soda will slough off freshly dyed cells and real un-tanned skin underneath.

Quick tip: Cut your self-tanner with moisturizer. Mix equal parts of each in your palm and blend them together before applying. The diluted tanner will give you a more natural color.

DEPUFF EYES

Wrap a bag of frozen vegetables in a thin towel and place it over your eyes for ten minutes. The cold of the bag stimulates circulation under the eyes, which helps bring down swelling. Peas and corn are best, because they easily conform to the contours of the face.

A soft wash cloth soaked in chamomile tea will have the same effect, since chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties.

If you know you'll be drinking lots of alcohol, be sure to drink lots of water. You'll be less likely to puff out the next morning.

Quick tip: If you know you'll be drinking alcohol or eating salty foods, be sure to drink lots of water. You'll be less likely to puff out the next morning.

PREVENT "BED HEAD"

To avoid bed head and creases on your face, sleep on a silk pillow. It's comfortable, and it keeps straight hair smooth and won't frizz or flatten natural curls.

SMOOTH AWAY PILLOW CREASES ON YOUR FACE

Splash warm water on your skin, then massage in a moisturizer. Skin cells contain fluid that acts as a cushion to keep the skin plump. When you're lying with your face smushed into a pillow for eight hours, that fluid seeps out of the cells and is absorbed by your body. This leads to creases. Once you get out of bed, skin cells will gradually plump up with fluid. The warm water speeds this along by enhancing blood flow to the area, and moisturizer re-hydrates it. Massaging the moisturizer in helps to smooth creases away manually.

Quick tip: Sleep on a smooth -fitting satin pillow case instead of a cotton one. Satin won't bunch up under the skin, so you may be spared morning creases.