It happens to even the most careful among us.
Your favorite lipstick, which has solidified a spot more permanent in your handbag than your wallet, has somehow melted in the unseasonably warm weather, or lost its cap within your bag and broken. Mourning its loss is a common reaction—after all, it’s your signature—but rest assured, you can still save it.
With some careful crafting, cutting, or melting, you can restore the color not entirely to its former glory, but something that closely resembles it. Better yet, you can still make the most of your trademark hue without having to spring for another tube. Whether the product broke, melted, or succumbed to the bottom of your bag, we put together a helpful guide on how to redeem it. Read on to find out exactly how.
If Your Lipstick Melted
First things first, pop the lipstick into the freezer and let it set so that you can accurately assess the damage. If it more or less maintains its original shape, you should be able to use it as is. However, if it all ends up stuck to the cap, or morphs into something totally un-useable, you’ll have to repot the product. Remove (or scrape out) any product you can, then place it into a small container. Dig out the product hiding in the bottom of the tube, add it to the mix, and either crush or melt the lipstick down within its new space. You can use the metal spoon and candle combo to melt it, or simply place the container into the microwave for a few seconds.
If Your Lipstick Was Broken
Clean breaks can usually be repaired on the tube itself, leaving your bullet more or less the same—minus the contour of your lips you’ve worked so hard to impart on the lipstick. Start by gathering a tool to scrape (the opposite end of a pair of tweezers can work) and place some of the lipstick, as well as a hair dryer. Give the portion stuck in the tube a quick few seconds under the hair dryer, then press the broken end directly on top so that it sticks. If there are any weird gaps between the two, use the tool to scrape lipstick from the top of the product, and place it in between to patch it up. Blast the area for a few seconds with the hair dryer, sealing in your work, then allow the product to cool down.
If Your Lipstick Was Crushed
Start by assessing just how bad the crushed tube is. Did the product get smeared across the bottom of your handbag? Considering how questionable the depths of our own tend to be, most of the lipstick cozying up to the old gum wrappers and receipts might not be salvageable, but anything else remaining in the tube can be. If there is anything left of the stick, cut off the end marred by your belongings, and place the rest into a separate container. Continue removing lipstick from the bottom of the tube (there’s a ton hiding down there, you know), and add that to the container as well. Use either a hair dryer or your microwave to melt the product for about 45 seconds, then allow it to cool down. You can continue applying it with either a lip brush, or your finger.
This article originally appeared on InStyle.