I'm sure this has happened to you: a careless sweep of your arm or the cord from your blowdryer sends your make-up to the floor, destroying a compact containing eyeshadow or blush or powder. Do you suck it up and toss the powdery mess into the garbage and buy a new one? Before you do that, consider this save.
Push the powdered pigments together and sprinkle a few drops of rubbing alcohol on them. Cover the pile with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing it into place. Let dry (alcohol evaporates quickly but wait at least thirty minutes to be on the safe side). Carefully remove the plastic and voila!
(Image: Abby Stone)
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I've done this before and it works well.
NICE, THANKS!
will it work for eye shadow, too?
yes.
I've tried this before (and got all excited) but soon found out that the "new" pressed powder is even more fragile than the original version :( And I did repack it really firmly!
Iiiiiinteresting!
Yay!! I will try this! Think of all the money I will save!!
You can also transplant it all into a new container for a "loose" version of your pressed powder or eyeshadow.
Or mix the broken eyeshadow with a mini tub of Vaseline to create lip gloss / shimmer rub, or into lotion for a little extra glitz.
I've done this before, and the "fixed" powder just wasn't the same... I let it dry for days before trying to use it again, and when I did try it again, it went on thick and cakey. I ended up tossing it anyway.
Totally have done this. The results were that it worked fine, application and product texture was fine for use, but the powder was very fragile. If this is going in a purse or makeup bag that will be jostled around, you may be better off getting a different container, transferring the product and just using it loose.