I have a few healthy preoccupations: Pomeranians, things that sparkle, everything makeup-related. But recently, when I was running low on my favorite eye shadow primer and started researching how to crack it open, I realized my preoccupation with getting every last drop of product had become a little, well, obsessive.

When I finally cracked it open and saw at least four more uses, it hit me: What other products am I tossing before they're spent? I turned to cosmetic chemist Donald Frey and makeup artist Jill McKay for tips on how to scrape every last drop, crumb and smear out of beauty product containers.

"On most jars, the opening is smaller than the widest diameter, so product gets stuck underneath the opening," says Los Angeles, Calif., cosmetic chemist Donald Frey. His fix is surprisingly simple: a long, thin spatula. (Makeup artist Jill McKay confirms that most makeup pros carry slender, silicone makeup spatulas in their brush rolls.) Frey says digging the last dregs from a tube or pot of skin care cream is worth the effort because, ounce for ounce, these creams tend to be the most expensive products in your arsenal.

You can buy inexpensive, reusable makeup spatulas (how cute is this Norpro Silicone Last Drop Spatula?) in beauty supply stores or online. Frey also recommends hoarding the plastic spatulas that come with high-end skin care products to get the best return on your investment. Or, if you're really thrifty, ask a friendly sales clerk at a makeup counter for a few of the freebie spatulas they use for sampling and in-store makeup applications.

There's nothing more annoying than pulling out your favorite lip gloss, seeing a ton of product caught around the edges and not being able to reach it with the wand. To get a few extra uses out of your gloss, McKay relies on this trick: Stick it in a mug of warm water for 10 minutes to loosen the gloss. When it's warmed up, the gloss will slide to the bottom of the tube so it's easier to reach with the wand. This also works on squeeze tube glosses. Drop 'em in warm water upside down and the gloss collects at the top of the tube. You maybe be able to eek out as many as three or four more applications.

If there's only enough product for one or two more uses, you'll have to be a bit more crafty. Pop off the rubber stopper at the top of the tube with tweezers or the sharp side of a pair of scissors. This stopper is also the barrier that keeps your gloss from leaking out of the tube, so don't toss it back into your makeup bag or purse. (Oops, too late? We can also help you remove makeup stains and clean up product explosions.)

If you've got lotion, foundation or some other variety of liquid gold stuck in a container with a dip tube pump (the kind that sucks product through a little tube), Frey says turn it upside and slam it like a ketchup bottle. It's not a sexy solution, so we recommend channeling a good 70s funk tune to add little rhythm to it. If all else fails, you can dig out the product with a small makeup brush or those handy little spatulas I told you about. Thinking of breaking off the nozzle to eek out any product stuck there? "It will be dried up and probably not worth it," says Frey.

Just add water. We've all been there -- you run some water into the bottle of shampoo, swish it around and voila another few days' worth. Not a great idea, especially for conditioner. Frey says if it doesn't foam, never add water to it. Not only does this dilute the effectiveness, you're also introducing microorganisms to the product, which can turn your conditioner into a dance party for bacteria. You can swirl a bit of water into your shampoo bottle to get the last dregs, but only if it's the last time you plan to use it.

If you want to get every last drop out of a squeeze-able container, turn it upside down and let gravity do the rest. When it starts sputtering out again (geez, you really want that last teaspoon of shampoo, huh?), cut through the middle of the packaging (be sure to keep it flipped upside down) and scoop out product with your hand. To keep it from drying out, you can use the bottom as a lid -- just squeeze the end and tuck it in.

For smaller squeezable tubes, like the ones made for concealers and eye shadow primers, fuggedabout the upside down trick (these products are too thick to slide) and go straight for the cut. McKay says you have a maximum of two days before the product starts dry out and spoil. Her fix? Slap some tape around the cut to keep air from spoiling the product.