How to Press Loose Pigments

Hello!!! Yes, it has been way too long since I have posted. Life has been crazy between work, holiday parties, holiday planning, family events, and trying to spend quality time with the hubby.

Ok, I admit, I also spent quite a few nights watching sappy Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime. What can I say? I love them! I love the holidays and I love romantic comedy movies, so it's the best of both worlds!

Anyhow, I recently did an experiment in pressing a loose pigment in to an empty shadow pan. I had heard about this being done and I wanted to try it for myself. I used regular rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl Alcohol 70%), the pigment, an empty shadow pan (this was an old MAC shadow I finished so I cleaned out the pan), a spatula (a toothpick is a good substitute), and a paper towel on the surface.

Step 1: Pour a little bit of the pigment in to the shadow pan.

Step 2: Pour a small amount of the alcohol into the cap of the alcohol bottle, and then pour from the cap in to the shadow pan. Mix the pigment powder and the alcohol with the spatula.

Step 3: I accidentally poured too much alcohol in the pan so I ended up taking a small piece of paper towel and dipped the corner in to the pan to absorb some of the alcohol.

Step 4: Add the remainder of the pigment in to the pan.

Step 5: Mix the pigment and the alcohol.

Step 6: After mixing, use the spatula to gently push the mixture in the pan so that it is even, and there is not a pig mountain of product on one side of the pan. Then, gently tap the pan against the counter or swirl in around very gently. Leave the pressed pigment alone for a few minutes. Due to gravity, the mixture will automatically smooth itself out so that the surface is even.

Step 7: Leave the pressed pigment out on a shelf or counter for about an hour to let all of the alcohol evaporate. Ta-da! You now have a no-mess pigment that is as easy to use as a regular eyeshadow!

After pressing the pigment, I was curious as to whether the pigmentation would be different that the powdered version. So I swatched the pressed pigment against the leftover powder pigment that was on the lid of the pigment container.

L-R: Loose Pigment, Pressed Pigment

As you can see, the pressed pigment has a more intense color! I was pretty amazed. I love that I can now use my pigment without dealing with the mess of a loose powder AND the pressed version is more pigmented! What's not to love!