The present invention provides novel "patch in a bottle" technology in which a fluid composition, e.g., an aerosol spray, is applied onto a surface as a fluid, but then dries to form a covering element, such as a patch, having a tack free outer surface covering an underlying adhesive that helps adhere the patch to the substrate. The fluid compositions have a unique chemical formulation that allows such composite patches to form in situ. Specifically, the fluid compositions include a tacky component, such as an adhesive, and a film-forming, non-tacky component. The non-tacky and tacky components are selected to be immiscible with each other so that the components undergo phase separation as the fluid composition dries.