So here is the makeup we wanted to fix. Two of these aren't broken but they are hard to use so if this worked, we were going to break those and make them more usable.
Messed up makeup.
Add alcohol.
Mash the makeup and alcohol together with your finger. It will get very very messy and you will probably lose a little bit of your makeup. You may need to add some more alcohol if the mixture is too dry. (If it looks like this picture, you will probably need to add more.)
This is what it looked like when it finally mixed completely together. The texture was like a light mousse.
As you can see this gets really messy.
All cleaned up.
This is what they all looked like when we got them all mixed together. Seems too good to be true!
When it all dried this is what they looked like.
Pros: The makeup is definitely usable again! Word.
Cons: The makeup randomly flakes off and when it dries, and it has little cracks all over.
So does Pinterest know everything? This is definitely a good quick fix if your broken makeup was almost brand new and you really can't bring yourself to replace it. This works much much better if your makeup was still full before it broke. If you only had a little bit left, you'd probably be better off just buying a new one. But this trick does wonders for people like us, who are on a strict budget!
What other Pinterest projects do you think we should try?
***UPDATE 2/29- So this has proven to not be such a great fix. The pink blush has already cracked again & it has not been dropped. We still think it's worth trying but you'll probably have to replace your broken make up after all. Boo :(
xo, Savannah
Wow what a great tip! I'm definitely going to try this!
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Glad you liked it, but we definitely can't take credit for the original idea as it is all over Pinterest :)
DeleteIs this Rubbing Alcohol? I feel like that can't be good for your skin, even if it's dried. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteIt is rubbing alcohol & the alcohol evaporates. So it's not left in the makeup. It's just a medium used to stick it back together however it doesn't really act like glue to keep it there.
DeleteAlso, my makeup (the pink one in the pictures) broke again. Not because I dropped it! It just... broke so, I can't actually say this is the greatest solution to fixing your broken makeup troubles.
ReplyDeleteI heard if you add a dab of your mosturizer it helps...
ReplyDeleteMight give that a whirl. Thanks for the tip.
DeleteWhat a nice tip, I have to try it, thx!
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Make sure you read our update at the bottom of this post. Hopefully it works out well for you.
DeleteI saw this too and thought it seemed odd too. So I just took the part of the typ that tells you to squeeze the shawdow/blush with a plastic something, like a bag or something. You can break it all even and then press it with the plastic. It totaly works ! I´ve done it many times, it always works. Plus you don´t have to add anything to it, risking to damage it somehow.
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Interesting. We might give this a whirl. Thanks!
DeleteYes! I was going to say this. Anytime my powders break I just smash them back in the pan and fix them. Just like that and they are the same formula and like they never broke. Don't add anything. You're correct!
DeleteHow about homemade decopage or colored chalkboard paint? Those are a couple others I see turn up quite a bit. And the science experiments for kids, with glowing soda bottles, exploding bags, stars in jars, etc...Thanks for testing some of these out for the rest of us! I pin more than I'll ever get around to, haha.
ReplyDeleteSavannah has tried the homemade Mod Podge & doesn't think it works as well. However, we could try something official & test it out for the blog. I love the idea of trying the chalkboard paint. Thanks for the ideas!
DeleteYou could also create custom mixed colours for eyeshadows too. I've also hand mixed my own lipsticks in old bobbin storage boxes.
ReplyDeleteLove this idea!!
DeleteWhat should be done is press the excess alcohol out by pressing it. I used a quarter (cleaned) tightly wrapped in cloth. Or you could use paper towel. It looks like you lose a lot of product this way but it helps pack the makeup down and reduces the chance of it cracking again. It makes a world of difference and I haven't had any problems with my makeup when doing it this way. Though, I also only did it with eyeshadow, blush possibly just has a different compound that doesnt work as well with this method :)
ReplyDeleteGood to know. Thanks!
DeleteKristina is right, you have to press it really hard, then it won't crack again. I also tried out some "frankening" with a cheap palette I would not have used anyways and it turned out great! (For those who don't know, frankening originally means mixing different nail polishes together to create a new colour-like Frankenstein who consisted of different...parts :)
ReplyDeleteI broke a compact of translucent powder that was brand new a few years back. The pressed powder broke in a million pieces :( I left the compact open and then accidentally spilled water on it. Then I thought it was ruined for sure. I tried to press it back together and left it open to dry. A few days later a miracle had happened, it was as good as new. I don't remember any cracking or flaking. Mine was sephora...good stuff. I hope this helps!
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I did this with blush and it worked perfectly and still is going strong. I am sorry yours broke again.
ReplyDeletePinterest is only as smart as the people pinning... but it's so much fun that it's worth a little let down ever now and again. :)
ReplyDeleteI think that the results vary based on the product in question. I have used this on Stila shadows and it works great, even long term. So don't count it out!
ReplyDeleteInstead of using rubbing alcohol, I have used hand sanitizer. It works great! I also used an old makeup brush to mix it together. Using the sanitizer gel and brush gives you a lot more control, which equals a lot less mess!
ReplyDeleteIve seen gurus do this on youtube but they pressed the makeup and I think missing out on that step is probably part of the reason this wasn't so successful for ya.
ReplyDeletehey darlings, there is something also called a mixing medium, it is just like the alcohol but has a small amount of oil in it. this will prevent the cracking. you can google, Makeup mixing medium. this also works with the mac pigments.
ReplyDeletegood luck!
ive done this before with a sephora eyeshadow that broke. the container was about the size of a dime, so when i went to fix it, i put a dime over the eyeshadow and put books on top of it so it would turn out like a pressed powder. i left the eyeshadow like that for about 2 hours, and it was perfect--no cracking or flaking.
ReplyDeleteIf you use a mason jar or thick glass tumbler along with a folded bounty paper towel you can press the liquid out. That has been the best method for me. You must fold the towel and only press with each side once, you may have to use two or three paper towels. It works really well that way and I have saved lots of Mac pallets that were discontinued!
ReplyDeleteI actually tried this on my own bronzer a while back (before I stumbled upon this blog) and it works excellently. It's been about 3 months and I use bronzer freuqently. It hasn't broken. It is also probably worth noting that you have to crush the makeup that is left into a fine powder, add the alcohol, and then smooth it over (I used a plastic spoon). It worked so well, I'm almost tempted to break my other makeup...
ReplyDeleteIt's also good if you want to mix a couple colors together to make a new one or a more subtle color add white!!
ReplyDeleteIt won't flake if you put an old t-shirt scrap over it while it's still wet and press hard on the mixture with something that will cover only the make-up container. (:
ReplyDeleteThis worked for me but I compacted it with a Kleenex over the makeup and used a quarter to push it down.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but I think it's flaking and not working so well because you aren't re-pressing it. When most people on pinterest or other sites do this they put the product in a sandwich bag and use a coin or something similar to the shape of the product container, from the outside of the bad, to re-press and pack down the product.
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm posting this late but I just randomly stumbled on to this. I am an avid makeup user and I have used this trick many times before. I can say with confidence that this works, you just have to make sure you crush up all the product before adding the alcohol. You also have to shape it to prevent the cracking. I'm not sure what you did to make it flake, but I can tell you that you have to add the right amount of alcohol to get a good consistency.
ReplyDeleteI think that is you press a paper towel over the makeup and alcohol mixture while it's still wet just to soak up the excess alcohol it prevents it from cracking after it dries, not sure if that's the trick to it but it seemed to work for me (sorta) (the makeup became kinda hard)
ReplyDelete