It’s happened to us all: It’s 8 a.m. your makeup is Kardashian perfect and completely selfie-worthy. But after a long morning commute, a series of unexpected meetings, stress, spilled coffee and more stress later, it’s 2 p.m. and your makeup now resembles something from a low-budget Halloween movie.

With smudges, redness and creasing in tow, a mid-day makeup application is often a necessary evil. But let’s be real, you likely don’t have the time, patience or energy to completely re-do your entire look. On the flip side, applying more product on top of an already made up face can leave you feeling cakey, overdone and just plain uncomfortable. Thankfully, we recruited the help of celebrity makeup artist and butter London Global Colour Ambassador Katie Jane Hughes to help bring your makeup back to life.

Freshen Up Your Face

The face can be a big area of concern when re-doing makeup on the fly. Sweat, rain and other unsightly elements can be to blame for making your foundation, BB cream or concealer seem to vanish. Plus, throughout the day you’re likely touching your face, leaning on your knuckles and otherwise using your digits to destroy your makeup. If your skin sees creases or indents from your hands, try a little hydrating facial mist and gulp down a glass of water, says Hughes. “The hydration will help the skin become more neutral,” she explains of the quick skin-boosting trick.

If redness is a concern, Hughes suggests taking a damp sponge and dabbing it around the skin. “This will freshen the base makeup,” she explains. “You can then take that same sponge with your foundation and dab on the areas that need more coverage.” Tip:If applying more foundation or makeup products is a must for you, try pressing the product on only certain areas to avoid piling and caking.

But it’s not just your foundation that needs a little boost. Often times, as the day goes on, exhaustion sets in and concealer wears off. To hide afternoon dark circles, Hughes says you might actually need two products. “Many people need two different concealers but don’t know it,” she says. One concealer should be a peach shade—peach counteracts blue—used to even out the shadows that form under the eyes, and the other shade should be a similar color to your foundation, she explains. Apply the peach shade first by simply pressing the product on with your ring finger, then move on to the flesh-hued concealer. Although two products are used here, the simple combo of colors will hide any signs of fatigue and help your visage looking vibrant for the rest of the day.

Evaluate the Eyes

Nothing says you’re having a “rough day” quite like smudged eyeshadow. A little less-than-perfect shadow smudge can make your makeup look more lived in and a little grungy. Although that look might work wonders on Alexa Chung, for the rest of us, it tends to look sloppy. To quickly remove creases, Hughes suggests applying some cream shadow over the already-applied makeup. “You can then leave it or go over with powder shadow for more depth and staying power,” she adds.

A major cause of a mid-day makeup meltdown comes from eyeliner, eyeshadow’s even more rebellious younger sister. To figure out the best plan of attack for unruly liner, Hughes suggests looking at the way the liner is moved or smudged. “It may work just to add to it and create a more intense look,” she explains. (Think cat-eye or smudgy, smoky.) However, if your liner is simply not cooperating, dip a Q-Tip in some makeup remover and clean off the mistakes and then reapply as needed.

Mascara is the third component of eye makeup that can either make or break your look. If your mascara has clumped up, lost volume and curl and basically taken a beating throughout the day, you can actually revive your lashes fast—without washing off your old mascara. Reach for a lash primer to revitalize your peepers. Hughes suggests swiping on butter London Fit Lash Primer ($20) as it will re-wet the mascara, so you can add on another coat. We’re also fans of Urban Decay Mascara Resurrection ($16), which coats and separates lashes, making them appear as if you’ve applied fresh mascara. Finally, if you’re in a real tight spot, Hughes says opting for a different mascara formula altogether which can get the underlying mascara looking lively once again.

Know When to Start Fresh

Unfortunately, not everything can be saved with a quick makeup artist trick. Filled-in brows and a bold lip are two things Hughes says it’s best to just bite the bullet and start over with. “Take them off carefully with a makeup remover soaked Q-Tip, add a hint of concealer and reapply,” she says.

Although we can’t guarantee a completely meltdown-free day, we can guarantee that your makeup won’t be the cause of your stress.