The Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) is one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. From the gorgeous gowns to the sky-high stilettos, stars step onto the red carpet in their most glamorous garb. But as any bride or prom queen can tell you, even beauty and wardrobe disasters happen on your big nights. To prevent any cases of lipstick-ridden teeth or smudged eyeliner, Bruce Grayson, Oscars Makeup Department Head and Olay Celebrity Makeup Artist, hangs backstage at the Academy Awards, touching up the stars before and after they hit the stage. We grabbed a few minutes with Grayson to see what emergency beauty fixes he uses to keep celebrities looking camera-ready throughout the night.

What's your best eye-brightening trick for a star who's been out too late the night before?

Bruce Grayson: Start off by using an eye cream that reduces puffiness and firms the skin under the eyes. My secret weapon is the Olay Total Effects Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush, because it helps brighten up the under-eye area, camouflages any darkness, and has Olay anti-aging ingredients to fight fine lines and wrinkles. So it's a makeup product, but it's also a great skin-care product too.

After you cover up the shadowy areas, curl your lashes—there's nothing like a set of droopy lashes to make you look extra tired! I love kohl pencils, because they disguise red rims really well. Choose a pencil in either taupe or coffee (not black) and smudge it out a bit with a Q-tip.

How do you fix clumpy mascara?

BG: Nothing is more annoying than blinking before your mascara has dried and ending up with it around your eyes. Go to a beauty-supply store and buy a pack of disposable mascara wands—they sell curved ones, fuzzy ones, etc. I spritz Evian water on the wand and run it gently over the top and underneath of the lashes to comb them out and get rid of any excess.

What's the best way to cover a zit?

BG: First, you need to wash your face. It's really important to clean blemished skin before you apply makeup, because the last thing you want to do is trap more bacteria on the area. After that, use a waxy concealer like Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer. Don't just dot it on top of the blemish, but bring out the excess color about 1/16 of an inch beyond the blemished area. This will help it blend in more evenly with your skin, rather than having a floating dot on your face.

How can I prevent my lipstick from bleeding?

BG: Get a clear wax pencil like MAC Brow Finisher and draw it over the lip line around the circumference of your lips. Pat the area with your finger, and apply your lipstick. This will prevent your lipstick from running outside your lip line.

How can I avoid applying too much blush or bronzer?

BG: First, you need to make sure you get all the excess color off your brush. To avoid overloading my brush, I dip it into a loose translucent powder before dabbing it into a blush or bronzer. This will prevent it from picking up too much product, plus the combination of powders will deliver a more blendable result. My favorite brush for blush and bronzer is the MAC Duo Fibre Brush.

Click here for more big-night-out beauty secrets from Grayson, then take our poll below! Don't forget to follow along with our Twitter conversation this Sunday starting at 6 p.m.—we'll be tweeting the best and worst style and beauty moments from the red carpet.

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