It’s that time of year again: Prom season.  And no matter how many months in advance you’ve prepared for this night, there might be a last minute emergency or something you can do to be more prepared. But not to worry, here are 10 Prom hacks and tips that every girl needs to know:

1. Use shaving cream to get out makeup stains from your dress

No matter how careful you really think you are, the slightest part of your dress may get a smudge of makeup on it while your slipping on your dress. Not to worry, just take some shaving cream, put a dab of it on the stained area, and scrub it right away.                                                                                                                                                

2. Break in new shoes by wearing thick socks and blow dry them on the tight spots

Don’t want to walk around in your heels for hours at a time to break them in? Just slip on a thick pair of socks, put on your shoes, and take a hair dryer and blow dry over the tight spots for about 20-30 seconds. Make sure you don’t burn your feet and after, take a quick walk around the room to loosen them up.  

3. For new slippery shoes, rub sandpaper on the bottom for a better grip                               

To avoid slipping and falling on the dance floor, rub sandpaper or a nail file across the bottom of you shoes. It will increase the friction and decrease the chance of you face planting in front of everyone.

4. Use this skin care routine for beautiful acne free skin (not a 100% guarantee)  

First, in the weeks leading up to prom, start drinking lots of water. Water can flush toxins out of your body and keep your face clear. Aim for 6 to 8 cups of water per day. Next, make sure you are cleansing your face once to twice per day with an acne cleanser. Finish your facial routine by applying moisturizer and spot treating any acne breakouts. Finally, you can pamper yourself with a DIY face mask. Combine honey, oatmeal, baking soda and lemon juice together and then apply that to your face to reduce acne flare ups.

5. Fix staticky hair with dryer sheets

Don’t want to show up to prom with your hair going in 7 different directions? You can fix your staticky hair with dryer sheets. Just take a dryer sheet and gently rub it against your hair to get rid of the statickyness.

6. Last minute pimple? Put toothpaste or dissolved aspirin in water on it overnight to dry it out and reduce redness

Getting a big, huge pimple before a big night is the worst! Your first instinct might be to pop it, but whatever you do, DO NOT pop it! Instead, put a dab toothpaste on your pimple or take 2 aspirin pills, dissolve them in water, and apply that to your pimple. This will dry out your pimple (decreasing its size) and reduce its redness (making it less noticeable).

7. To have a long lasting perfume smell, put Vaseline wherever you spray your perfume (wrists, behind the ear, elbow crease)    

Don’t you hate it when you spray perfume and then a few hours later, the scent is practically gone? Well, if you put some vaseline/petroleum jelly where you want to spray the perfume, the perfume will stick to the surface more and you will have a longer lasting smell.  

8. Hairspray your bobby pins for a stronger hold and to keep them in place

Bobby pins can be life savers, but when they do not hold very well and do not stay in place, they are pretty pointless. Before you put them in your hair, spray hairspray or dry shampoo on them so they hold in place stronger and so your hairdo doesn’t get messed up due to a loose bobby pin.

9. Practice your hair and makeup about a week before to make sure it’s the right look

You definitely do not want to wait for the day of prom to test out new hairstyles or try a new, unique makeup look you’ve never tried before. Practice what you want to do for your hair and makeup before the day of (maybe a week before), so you know if you are able to even do it and if it looks good. There’s no harm in a little practice.

10. Don’t stress too much and enjoy your night!

Prom is a once (or twice) in a lifetime experience that you will never forget. Make sure you do not stress too much over the little things and just focus on having a fun night with all of your friends. Your night will probably not go 100% as planned, but as long as you can say you had a good time, that’s all that matters. Hopefully these life hacks and tips simplified your night and made it a little more enjoyable.