Have you ever found yourself stranded without important pieces of your makeup collection? Sometimes you have to work with what you have, and no one knows that to be truer than I. I have found helpful tricks to making your makeup look flawless, even when you don't have all the things you think you need. Also, there are some tips for people who don't want to have to learn through trial and error.

*Disclaimer, use these tips as safely as possible and at your own discretion.

1. You lost your eyeliner brush..

One of the biggest trends in makeup right now is gel eyeliner and an important piece to having flawless eyeliner is having your eyeliner brush. I have lost my eyeliner brush on more then one occasion and sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. I checked my surroundings and found the perfect duplicate.

Tip: Take a new bobby pin and bend it into an "L" shape. Dip one end of the bobby pin in the eyeliner and use the other end as a handle. Use it carefully, but like you would a normal eyeliner brush. Believe it or not, I never have had a straighter line of eyeliner then I did when I used a bobby pin as a brush.

2. Your beauty blender creates harsh lines of foundation..

You can be going through your day minding your own business and realize a harsh line of foundation on a noticeable part of your face. Your beauty blender applies the foundation so heavily and with such full coverage, how do you fix this?

Tip: Dampen your beauty blender, it will make the foundation lighter, and it will apply more evenly. This doesn't mean soak your beauty blender under the faucet, because that can make it nearly impossible to get any coverage, just dampen it, and squeeze out the rest of the water. That should do the trick and help you control the foundation coverage you want that day.

3. You have oily skin and have tried everything..

Makeup obsessed people know how hard it can be to have a pretty makeup on your face and not have a mirror-like shine by the end of the day. There is only so much you can do to prevent shine, but it is possible! I have tried the most expensive products on the market and my trials led me back to some of the most affordable products out there.

Tip: First off you need to find a primer that feels "oil free." My favorite primer is Benefit's Pore Professional, you can get a trial size at Ulta for $10.00 and it is so worth the try. After trying every foundation that was supposed to save oily skin I have found that the least expensive product I have tried has been the one that is the most effective. L'Oreal's Infallible Pro Matte Foundation has left my face shine free for full work days without worrying about my face getting shiny. You can get this at Ulta also for $12.99.

4. If you have dry skin and want an affordable foundation that will give you dewy skin..

Tip: L'Oreal also makes a foundation called "True Match Lumi" that can be found at Ulta for $12.99. This foundation leaves your skin dewy and glowing and pretty much makes you look like a porcelain doll. If you have oily skin, stay away! If you have dry skin and are looking for a glow like finish foundation that is affordable, then this is the answer to your prayers.

5. You have run out of mascara...

Nothing is worse then your mascara starts to run dry and your eyelashes look awful as a result.

Tip: If you have your gel pot eyeliner take the wand out of the mascara and dip it into the gel eyeliner. Apply, as you would any other mascara. I wouldn't do this all of the time but for times where you need a quick fix, the eyeliner will double as mascara very well.

6. Your eyeshadow is expensive, but not applying with the pigment you want.

One of the most frustrating things in the world is when you get a brand new eyeshadow palette and it doesn't give the results that you expected.

Tip: Try using NYX's eyeshadow BASE, not primer. Apply the base to your eyes and watch any old, new, expensive, or cheap eyeshadow, pop and give you the results that you have wanted. You can get the eyeshadow base at Ulta for $5.99. This is one of my favorite finds.

Let me know what you think of these makeup tips and tricks! Let me know what your favorite products, tips, and tricks are also!