Prepping for a beauty pageant can be a lot of hard work, but it doesn’t have to be painful. While you’re gathering your make-up, hair products and wardrobe for the competition, be sure to pack a few extras just in case you face a potential malfunction.

1.) A sewing kit and blanket pins.

Rips happen. The last thing you need is to waltz around on stage with a hole in your attire. Just break out the sewing kit, thread the needle and stitch it up. If you have a travel-sized sewing machine, even better. If you are pressed for time, just pin the hole together (from the inside) using blanket pins.

2.) An extra make-up bag.

If you’re the type to use your make-up a lot, you might be oblivious to when you’re running low. Don’t get stuck with an empty mascara tube. Everything that you have in your primary make-up bag should be packed in your second make-up bag: lipstick, concealer, mascara, eye liner, fake eyelashes, lip liner, etc.

3.) Lots and lots of hair pins.

Face it. Hair doesn’t always cooperate no matter how much hair spray you put on it. If you have a bang that needs to stay in place, or if you have a few fly-away hairs coming from your bun, pin it. If one of the tracks from your hair extensions is loose, pin it. Even if you don’t need the pins yourself, still bring some. One of your pageant sisters may need them.

4.) Extra stockings.

If you’re allowed to wear stockings in any phase of the competition, it is wise to bring two pairs. You could get a run in the first one, or may find a hole that you didn’t notice before.

5.) Back-up heels.

Now, this is like a one in a million sort of incident, but heels break. Without warning, one of your pageant heels can just snap. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of the game! Just make sure you have a second pair of heels on hand. Like the hair pins, still bring them, even if you don’t really need them. One of your pageant sisters may be the one who messes up her shoe.

These are just my ideas for an emergency pageant kit. Of course, you can always come up with your own emergency kit list. You know exactly what you need to compete. Just remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Raena, Editor-in-Chief