Whether you’re a big movie star, an entrepreneur at a pitch meeting, a TV anchor or 5th grade teacher, when you’re on, you’re on in five, four, three… but oh, no, [insert crisis here]. With limited supplies and just a few seconds you can pull yourself together. Here’s how TV news anchors are able to scramble to nail a flawless, camera-ready finish 30 seconds before that next live shot.
Watch it on Good Day Philadelphia!
More hacks? Read on!
Gray hair and roots pining for a byline.
Spray hairspray onto roots. Next, dust on black or brown eyeshadow to temporarily camouflage those pesky gray hairs or overgrown roots. Added bonus? This will also give you more volumized TV-ready hair.
Flushed much?
Newbie reporter and hard hitting story just hit your desk? News journalists oftentimes apply foundation on their ears if they anticipate getting hot and red so they don’t scream nervousness on air.
Never let them see you sweat!
Tend to bead up with sweat on your hairline and upper lip? A thin coat of antiperspirant (not just the deodorant variety) applied with a foundation brush keeps reporters dry under pressure or cool during a summer outdoor live shot.
Oh no! Max, the puffy golden retriever from the pet adoption segment, has turned your black pants beige.
With no access to a lint roller, hairspray will do a trick. Spray onto a clean cloth and rub lightly over linty areas, the stickiness will pick up problematic lint and hair.
Rise and shine!?
In a pinch, use green room hand sanitizer to combat a shiny face. The ingredient that makes it work is a type of silicone you’d find in primers. Rub between your hands and pat it along your hairline and T-zone – or even glistening cleavage and allow to set for a minute.
Blemish break!
Red blemish still peeking through makeup? A few dabs of Visine will constrict blood vessels and dissipate redness in a flash and a crushed aspirin, even applied as a mask for just for two minutes, will reduce inflammation.
Deodorant debrief.
White marks all over your dark jacket? Gently rub the white-marked area of the fabric together (against itself) to remove all traces. Alternatively a white cotton sock or panty hose will work just as well, just no water and a paper towel!
Hair no! Unruly hair alert, and no hot tools available.
Hair gel and toothpaste share an ingredient, polymers. In a pinch, rub a pea size amount between your fingers to hold a hair section in place. White residue? Dab a tiny but of water for the white to instantly disappear. You’re live!
Sixty second clumpy mascara fix.
Your mascara is so clumpy it looks like you have three eyelashes… total. Gently rub a little Vaseline on your fingertips and run them across the length of your lashes to re-wet them. You can now reapply more mascara to separate lashes, without having to re-do your entire eye.
Dress disguise.
A hair tie or rubber band will help re-accentuate your curves, and because you’re looping it on your back and facing forward, no one will be the wiser.
Chip tricks.
An anchor’s hands can tell a story – but chipped polish can be a distraction. Perfume can remove nail lacquer in a pinch. Ethyl acetate, a solvent in perfume is also a key ingredient in non-acetone nail polish remover. Spritz on cotton pad, let it sit on top of the nail for one minute, then wipe.
Fresh out of false lashes?
Dip a cotton swap into baby powder and run it across lashes after the first coat of mascara, let dry, apply second coat. Anchors are able to achieve a longer and fuller look sans falsies. Same goes for lipstick application, a layer of powder between coats helps lipstick adhere to lips for hours.
White collar crime.
Apply shaving cream (not gel, work it into a cream before applying) to the area, let sit for a few minutes then wipe. It’ll lift even waterproof foundation!
Down to the wire loose button quick fix.
A twist tie from the green room’s candy or bread spread will do the trick. Remove the paper to reveal the thin wire inside – weave the wire through the front of the button holes and push it out through the back, then twist!
Break a leg! The anti-jiggle hack.
Walking onto and off set? During pageants and fashion shows hairspray is routinely sprayed all over body (legs and arms) to prevent jiggling when walking and this hack has been used to and from the newsroom green screen as well.
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