How To: Press Mineral Eyeshadows

Tools:

• Loose mineral eyeshadow (I am using a eyeshadow from PrettyAddictions.com)
• Empty eyeshadow pan
• Spoon or something to transfer the rubbing alcohol from the bottle to the pan (to avoid major spillage)
• Clean bobby pin or something small to mix with
• Rubbing alcohol (The higher the percentage, the quicker it evaporates. I used 70% because that is what I had at my house but you can use higher or lower, it really doesn't matter.)
• Glycerin (I got this at Rite Aid for $5 USD. This was the smallest bottle they had but I definitely did not need anywhere close to this amount. However, glycerin is good for skin repair so you can use a drop or two to moisturize your hands and body.)
• A coin equal to the size of the eyeshadow pan. I used a quarter (not pictured above).
• A palette or somewhere to store your pressed eyeshadow.
• I also spread out paper towels on the hard surface I was using because this can get messy.

Steps:

1. Sanitize the tools you are using with the rubbing alcohol.

2. Add a couple drops of rubbing alcohol to the eyeshadow pan. Make sure it is enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

3. Add 1 drop of glycerin.

4. Transfer some eyeshadow into the eyeshadow pan and mix.

5. Keep adding more eyeshadow and mixing. Add more rubbing alcohol to make it easier to mix. Don't be afraid if you add "too much" alcohol because it evaporates. When your pan is halfway filled, you can add another drop of gylcerin and the rest of your eyeshadow until the pan is almost completely filled. 

6. When you are done adding your eyeshadow, drop the pan at short distances onto a hard surface. This will cause the eyeshadow to even out in the pan. You will notice a lot of the moisture will rise to the top. 

7. Leave the eyeshadow pan out to dry. You can leave it out overnight to dry completely or wait a few hours until it is dry to the touch.

8. When the eyeshadow is dry, place a paper towel or a cloth over the eyeshadow pan (on a hard surface). Place a quarter over the paper towel and press into the eyeshadow firmly. This causes the eyeshadow to become compact and also allows for you to soak up any extra moisture that may be left over. The eyeshadow is only safe to use after all the moisture has left the eyeshadow, so if your paper towel is moist after pressing, wait a few hours before using the eyeshadow on your eyes!

9. The empty palette that I purchased was already magnetized, so I didn't need to do the extra step in adding a magnetic strip to the back of the pan. I peeled off the sticker from the jar that the eyeshadow came in and pasted it onto the back of the eyeshadow pan. 

10. Place eyeshadow pan in a palette or somewhere safe for storage. 

I hope you all enjoyed this "How To" blog post. This is just my method of pressing eyeshadows. There are tons of different ways but this is the way that works for me. If you try this, let me know if it works for you!