Fixing Broken Beauty Products

It can be very frustrating to buy a beauty product, such as hairspray or lotion, only to have it break as soon as you get it, so you can't spray the spray or pump the lotion.

But on The Early Show Tuesday, Kris Connell of Real Simple magazine offered solutions for situations like that, as well as ways to keep them from happening to begin with.

Clogged Hairspray

This is about when you just get that little drizzle of hair spray, instead of the right amount of product coming out. It can also be when it comes out in a funky direction, as if you're aiming wrong. Or, maybe it's not coming out at all, or it's dripping out. Why does that happen? Because there's a little bit of resin stuck in there. Resin is part of the makeup of the hair spray, and can stick to the hole and jam it up.

Solution: Hold the nozzle under warm running water, then wipe it with a tissue or scrape out the residue with a toothpick.

If you want to prevent this, hold it under warm water every time you use it. Also, leave the cap on.

Jammed Lotion

The similar situation with lotion is when you aren't able to push the pump down at all to get any lotion out. You don't know whether it's clogged or the whole pump is somehow defective.

Solution: If it's a clump, hold it under hot water and again, use a toothpick to dig out the blockage in the hole. If the pump itself is broken, you could always pour the lotion into a different bottle. You could also try to return it, and most stores that have good customer service will take it back, though if you're halfway through, they may not.

To keep it from becoming clogged again, wipe away the excess that tends to sit at the tip after each use.

Broken Lipstick

This usually happens in warm temperatures: Lipstick can melt, or even snap off.

Solution: Mash it back into the tube. Yes, this means you won't be able to raise it up and down as before, but you can use a lip brush to apply it. If it's really a mess, you could scoop out what's left in your lipstick tube and put it into a lip gloss pot. When you do this, you want to use a blow-dryer to melt it into place in the new pot, then let it set. Then you can use a lip brush or even your finger to apply it.

If you know your lipstick has been in hot temps and you want to prevent this, you can chill it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Shattered Powder

This one is kind of like locking your keys in the car. You know it the second it happens, but by then it's too late. This happens from being bumped or dropped, because the actual compacted makeup is very thin and delicate.

Solution: It sounds weird, but add a little rubbing alcohol to it and use a butter knife to smooth it back into shape, then let it dry. But if it's so shattered that the damage really can't be fixed, you're probably better off just crushing it all up and putting it into a little bag or jar. Now you can use a brush and apply is like loose powder, etc. And if you do decide to do this, really crush it all up, because it's better to be completely crushed than to have some chunks.

To prevent this, you can actually give it a little cushion, by putting a cotton ball inside the compact. That's great to do when you're traveling.

Nail Polish Won't Open

We've all seen this happen in nail salons, and the reason it does is because nail polish is literally like glue. If it clumps around the top, it will dry hard, like glue, and prevent you from being able to open the bottle easily.

Solution: The first thing you can try is a jar gripper, rubber bands or even a rubber glove. If they don't help you get a better grip to open the bottle, try running it in hot water to loosen the dried polish. To prevent this, wipe the rim of the bottle with a tissue and nail polish remover after each use.