Adventures in Re-Pressing

[Kim888]

So has anyone successfully re-pressed broken powder? My attempt did not end like the pictures online haha. So the wander beauty powder foundation is one of my faves but there must be something wrong with how they press it because when you get close to hitting pan it just collapses into pieces (has happened to be more than once and it’s mentioned in a lot of the reviews) . So I figured I’d give it a go ... 

Bought the alcohol, crunched it up, and then mixed it up and then pressed it down. Mine definitely does not look at smooth as the examples ...maybe I didn’t use enough alcohol? Or mix it well enough? It is pressed in there now and the texture is the same but it’s still pretty lumpy and not super secure ! 

[KatieBT]

Love this thread @Kim888 !

My friend has a shattered BECCA - Shimmering Skin Perfector® Pressed Highlighter and I will definitely share our experience here 🙂 

[Kim888]

@KatieBT yes definitely let us know how it goes !

[PenelopeBT]

I'm really impressed by how nicely you were able to re press your powder. Honestly, I can kind of work with a broken powder. Like if it's a broken powder highlighter, well now, I just have a loose highlighter. lol Or now, I have a loose eye shadow. But, wow, you did such a great job. <333

[fatimamummy]

I’m also curious to see how you all repress your powders so the product results remain unchanged. I pressed Ardency Inn eyeshadow once it pressed really well no lumps, smooth surface and all but some how the product changed. It doesn’t look same on the eyes as it did before repressing.

[tsavorite]

@Kim888 ,

This is a very helpful question and discussion!  Good to know!

[spadersgirl]

Just curious what percent alcohol you're using (if it's 70% or 91%). 
Also, for a smoother texture I would really concentrate on crushing the powder down more. It's more time consuming but I think you'll have even better results if you try that.
Also, just note I find mattes are trickier to press than shimmer products. Some of mine end up cracking if the formula is too dry. Or they seal up. 
I hope this is helpful! Great post idea!

[Kim888]

@spadersgirl I used 70% ..guessing it was supposed to be 90% 

[drrragon]

@Kim888 yup, agree with @RGbrown , more alcohol would help the powder become more uniform in texture so that when you press it, it becomes a solid block.  Also try to find something really rigid to press with.  For eyeshadows, I put a bit of paper towel on top, then press with a coin to make sure it's really packed in there.  Also, it's a hassle but re-pressing is easier if you can depot the metal pan from its original container.

After pressing, I usually let it sit for a day and then see if there's any alcohol scent remaining...that tells me if it's dried out or not.  If possible, you want to re-press it into a smaller pan so that it'll be less fragile -- when the product is new, it's probably around a 1/4 inch layer of powder, but if you've used a lot and re-press into the same pan, the layer is only 1/8 inch and will break more easily.

Now I hope noone freaks out or anything, but I recently depotted and re-pressed my Tom Ford Nude Dip quad into smaller Trish McEvoy eyeshadow pans (the pans fit perfectly into her custom palette).  I was tired of the bulky packaging and wanted something more streamlined.  

Here's an older re-pressing adventure where I took a NARS blush and pressed it into (another) Trish McEvoy empty pan.  I used the cap of a Lancome foundation to press a rose into the blush too. 🙂

[RebeccaBT]

@drrragon What a great idea! I have never thought of stamping! Love it.

Best,

Rebecca 

[spadersgirl]

I've always wished I could do cool imprints on my shadows. I don't know why I didn't think of this before! That's so smart and the result is beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[Kim888]

@drrragon @Thanks for the tips - I will keep that in mind next time !  It looks like yours came out great! 

[RGbrown]

@Kim888 

Looks like you could have used more alcohol...it should be somewhere between paste and liquid. Not super runny, but seeing chunks still on top, I think yours might have been too dry. 

I usually press mine with a paper towel or square of tp, something with a design imprinted in it for a little interest lol, using firm but gentle pressure (an oxymoron if ever there was one)

[Indy701]

This is helpful.  I tried it once and it didn’t work out too well either. I must have had it too dry.  

[Kim888]

@RGbrown @Oh wow that looks great!! Yeah mine was definitely not anywhere close to a paste 

[eshoe]

Oof looks like my attempts, @Kim888 😂 Hoping to hear some good suggestions here as well!