[tutorial] pressing eyeshadows
Hihihi I decided to write a post that is NOT a review for once, at least to just break up the monotony haha. Since I'm... pretty obsessed with pressing and repressing my makeup, I thought I'd just write a quick post about it.
What you need:
- 70% or 91% rubbing alcohol (I have it in an old Glossier serum bottle because of the dropper)
- Pressing binder (TKB MyMix Press Base or TKB MyMix Clear Pressing Base)
- Preservative (TKB Preservative Cap 5)
- Tissue/paper towel
- Mixing bowl (I used to use a spoon, now I use a large empty pigment jar)
- Mixing tool (Spatula is fine, I use some acne removal tools - 1 has a pointy end, 1 has a flat pointed end)
- Empty pans (round, square, size is all up to you)
- Pressing ribbon/tamping tool (if you want a pattern/even press - I don't use either)
If you are repressing a broken blush or shadow, you won't need a pressing base or preservative, since it should already have been included in the product originally.
I use
Portrait of Mai's pressing formula for loose indie shadows, which is 1/2 tsp of eyeshadow, two drops of pressing binder, and one drop of preservative. I just eyeball it lol.
Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Indecent
- Scrape out some pigment into the mixing bowl.
- Add alcohol until the pigment starts to form little balls. (if pressing loose pigments, also add your preservative and pressing base here). I took a picture a little bit early, but when it comes to matte formulas, I usually put a bit less alcohol than with shimmer formulas.
- Then scrape the product into the pan and spread it out as much as possible.
- Place tissue on the pan, and press using a flat object such as a book. Turning the pan upside down with the tissue on the bottom and pressing down with your hands also works.
UD Afterglow Highlight in Sin
I wanted to show the difference in repressing between a matte blush and a highlight. I find shimmer formulas to be much easier to press than matte formulas. I find that adding too much alcohol can actually negatively affect the pigmentation of matte shadows, so I like to err on the side of caution.
One UD afterglow highlighter filled two 36mm round pans. I kept one and gifted the other to a friend.
Pressed indie shadows - the pans aren't full, so I included a side shot so you could see. Some of these were minis, most were sample bags, and one was a full size.
Top, L-R: I think it is Dawn Eyes Northern Lights, Shiro Master of Whispers, Shiro Alpaca Picnic, Notoriously Morbid Goblet of Red, Shiro Alkahestry
Bottom row: Dawn Eyes Solemn Prince, Shiro No Men Like Me, Shiro I Loved a Maid, Femme Fatale Flowers from Flames, Shiro Good Looking Foreigner
These are some of my repressed shadows. I believe all are from Urban Decay electric palette, 1 UD single (lounge), BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes palette, with 2 from the Juvia's Place Zulu Palette.
This is what my 36mm palette looks like. Most of these came in original 36mm pans (Zulu, Sugarpill, Looxi, JD Glow). #6 is UD Indecent, and #13 is UD Sin.
- Sugarpill Love+, Juvia's Place (M) Calabar, Juvia's Place (M) Ada, Juvia's Place (Z) Pink, Looxi Valley Girl, UD Indecent, Looxi Stripped
- JD Glow Papaya, Sydney Grace Tiger Pigment, Juvia's Place (Z) Orange, BH Cosmetics (Foil Eyes) Mix, Juvia's Place (Z) Yellow, Urban Decay Sin, Juvia's Place (M) Dahia
- Looxi Voodoo, Juvia's Place (Z) Green, Juvia's Place (M) Mali, ABH Peacock/BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes Mix, Sugarpill Home Sweet Home, Juvia's Place (M) Zola, Juvia's Place (M) Dalia
- JD Glow Peacock, Juvia's Place (M) Chi, Juvia's Place (Z) Purple, Juvia's Place (M) Makeda, BH Cosmetics (Foil Eyes) Mix, Looxi Charmed, Sugarpill Tako
(M) stands for Masquerade palette, (Z) for Zulu palette
Anyways, hope this post helps you think a bit about how to salvage makeup that you've broken or mixing shadows/pressing loose pigments. I really prefer the use of pressed products compared to loose pigments, so I personally like pressing a lot.
[tutorial] pressing eyeshadows
Hihihi I decided to write a post that is NOT a review for once, at least to just break up the monotony haha. Since I'm... pretty obsessed with pressing and repressing my makeup, I thought I'd just write a quick post about it.
What you need:
- 70% or 91% rubbing alcohol (I have it in an old Glossier serum bottle because of the dropper)
- Pressing binder (TKB MyMix Press Base or TKB MyMix Clear Pressing Base)
- Preservative (TKB Preservative Cap 5)
- Tissue/paper towel
- Mixing bowl (I used to use a spoon, now I use a large empty pigment jar)
- Mixing tool (Spatula is fine, I use some acne removal tools - 1 has a pointy end, 1 has a flat pointed end)
- Empty pans (round, square, size is all up to you)
- Pressing ribbon/tamping tool (if you want a pattern/even press - I don't use either)
If you are repressing a broken blush or shadow, you won't need a pressing base or preservative, since it should already have been included in the product originally.
I use
Portrait of Mai's pressing formula for loose indie shadows, which is 1/2 tsp of eyeshadow, two drops of pressing binder, and one drop of preservative. I just eyeball it lol.
Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Indecent
- Scrape out some pigment into the mixing bowl.
- Add alcohol until the pigment starts to form little balls. (if pressing loose pigments, also add your preservative and pressing base here). I took a picture a little bit early, but when it comes to matte formulas, I usually put a bit less alcohol than with shimmer formulas.
- Then scrape the product into the pan and spread it out as much as possible.
- Place tissue on the pan, and press using a flat object such as a book. Turning the pan upside down with the tissue on the bottom and pressing down with your hands also works.
UD Afterglow Highlight in Sin
I wanted to show the difference in repressing between a matte blush and a highlight. I find shimmer formulas to be much easier to press than matte formulas. I find that adding too much alcohol can actually negatively affect the pigmentation of matte shadows, so I like to err on the side of caution.
One UD afterglow highlighter filled two 36mm round pans. I kept one and gifted the other to a friend.
Pressed indie shadows - the pans aren't full, so I included a side shot so you could see. Some of these were minis, most were sample bags, and one was a full size.
Top, L-R: I think it is Dawn Eyes Northern Lights, Shiro Master of Whispers, Shiro Alpaca Picnic, Notoriously Morbid Goblet of Red, Shiro Alkahestry
Bottom row: Dawn Eyes Solemn Prince, Shiro No Men Like Me, Shiro I Loved a Maid, Femme Fatale Flowers from Flames, Shiro Good Looking Foreigner
These are some of my repressed shadows. I believe all are from Urban Decay electric palette, 1 UD single (lounge), BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes palette, with 2 from the Juvia's Place Zulu Palette.
This is what my 36mm palette looks like. Most of these came in original 36mm pans (Zulu, Sugarpill, Looxi, JD Glow). #6 is UD Indecent, and #13 is UD Sin.
- Sugarpill Love+, Juvia's Place (M) Calabar, Juvia's Place (M) Ada, Juvia's Place (Z) Pink, Looxi Valley Girl, UD Indecent, Looxi Stripped
- JD Glow Papaya, Sydney Grace Tiger Pigment, Juvia's Place (Z) Orange, BH Cosmetics (Foil Eyes) Mix, Juvia's Place (Z) Yellow, Urban Decay Sin, Juvia's Place (M) Dahia
- Looxi Voodoo, Juvia's Place (Z) Green, Juvia's Place (M) Mali, ABH Peacock/BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes Mix, Sugarpill Home Sweet Home, Juvia's Place (M) Zola, Juvia's Place (M) Dalia
- JD Glow Peacock, Juvia's Place (M) Chi, Juvia's Place (Z) Purple, Juvia's Place (M) Makeda, BH Cosmetics (Foil Eyes) Mix, Looxi Charmed, Sugarpill Tako
(M) stands for Masquerade palette, (Z) for Zulu palette
Anyways, hope this post helps you think a bit about how to salvage makeup that you've broken or mixing shadows/pressing loose pigments. I really prefer the use of pressed products compared to loose pigments, so I personally like pressing a lot.
hi there! welcome to my blog~ here I'll be documenting miscellaneous adventures, from reviews to music discoveries, to favorite fashion looks! hope you enjoy :^)
profile;
i'm em.
currently living in the U.S.
chinese-American. i can speak mandarin semi-fluently~
statistics;
skin color: light/pale
skin type: dry/sensitive
eye color: dark brown
hair color:black/deep brown
hair type/style: thick, slightly wavy. long, with bangs.
height: 170cm/5'7"
clothing size: US: M. CHN: M-XXL
rambles;
i enjoy music in general, the smell of old books, the smell of new books, cracking the spine of a new book open, hilarious things, things that make me cry from sheer emotion, sad fics and dramas, cheesy dramas, baggy sweaters, pretty pictures, having that moment of inspiration before writing a story and being satisfied with the outcome, sleeping, running on no sleep, ice cream cake for birthdays, putting up my christmas tree by myself, cool lemonade, rainy cold days, drizzles on your face, action movies, unlimited amounts of piping! hot noodles and dumplings and wontons, minimalistic furniture, laughing at friends who are shorter than me, having deep conversations with strangers, muted colors, going through color pallets at diy stores, choosing yarn and looking through projects, drinking bubble tea, going to froyo stores, that moment when I finally draw something the way I imagined it, baking tasty sweets, cute stuffed plush toys, the smell of the ocean, fruit, good wuxia drams, some anime, the feeling of collapsing on the mattress after a long day, baggy sweaters, ice cream cake for birthdays, the tranquility of night, pretty pictures, cute cellphone charms, the tranquility of night, funny japanese emoticons, when everything is organized, when everything is disorganized, when my clothes match and don’t make me look like an overgrown middle schooler, when I actually don’t expect a plot twist, when I can’t predict what will happen next, overgrown kittens, energetic puppies, and being able to choose when to laugh.
tv shows;
射雕英雄传, 神雕侠侣, 倚天屠龙记, 笑傲江湖, 纪晓岚, 后宫甄嬛传, 步步惊心, steven universe, gravity falls, sherlock, fresh off the boat, reply 1988, death note, fate/zero, code geass, another, madoka, snk, tokyo ghoul, magi, fma:b, avatar the last airbender, gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun
music;
bastille, coldplay, one republic, imagine dragons, old maroon 5, jhameel, old bigbang, winner, mamamoo, akmu, lee hi, epik high, 10cm, geeks, standing egg, f(x), lim kim, re:plus, jj lin, jay chou, wang leehom, a-lin, foster the people, empire the sun, two door cinema club, gowe
movies;
slumdog millionaire, alice in wonderland, inception, spirited away, howl’s moving castle, princess mononoke, narnia, coraline, pirates of the caribbean, chronicle, up, tangled, hp, el fauno del laberinto
books;
lord of the rings/the hobbit, agatha christie poirot novels, harry potter (1-4), asoiaf, pride and prejudice, catcher in the rye, a tree grows in brooklyn, to kill a mockingbird, animal farm, narnia, the book thief, lord of the flies, anne of green gables,pjo, inkheart