4.12.2010

DIY Custom Makeup Palette & De-Potting Your Makeup

I love Z Palettes! They are magnetic palettes that are fully customizeable. All you have to do is de-pot your current makeup (eyeshadows/powders/blushes, ect.) and stick them in these palettes to downsize and organize your makeup collection. I am so glad I found these because they are super cute (hello zebra and pink!) and they have a see through top so you immediately know what's in them. They are reasonably priced at $20 for a large palette (shown above). If you are a makeup artist you can get a pro discount at LeCosmetique.com and get them for $17 each. They also come in a smaller size.
I love that you can take practically any brand of makeup, de-pot it, and stick it in. No more just buying MAC, stila or Make Up For Ever pots.

Confused about how to de-pot your makeup?? I can help.
There are 2 ways I de-pot. One is with a simple candle and one is with the oven. The method you choose to use should depend on the makeup packaging. MAC products are the easiest to de-pot and just require a candle and some simple tools to get the pan out effectively. Other brands are usually a lot harder to de-pot so you will typically need to melt the entire container to get the makeup pan out.  

EASY DE-POTTING METHOD
(for MAC and other brands where you can see a seam in the product casing that will easily allow you to get the pan out)
You will need:
A lighter, a candle, tweezers (not shown) and a teeny set of screwdrivers (for eyeglasses)
This is a MAC eyeshadow. See the "seam" in the packaging?
Stick a flat tipped screwdriver in that seam and pry the pot out. Be careful. Powders tend to crumble if you mess with them too forcefully.
Voila!
Now light a candle and hold the pot over it (use tweezers) until it burns a small hole through the bottom revealing the metal of the pan
Now flip the pot over and push it out with a screwdriver/pen/toothpick. It should drop out pretty easily. If not, hold it over the candle flame a bit longer.
There is usually some adhesive left over on the bottom of the pan. You can clean it off with Parian Spirit, Goof-Off or alcohol if you want. I just plop it into my palette, but before I do I label the bottom of the pan with a sharpie marker so I know what brand/color it is.
Now stick it in your palette!

Keep your empty MAC pots! You can return 6 of them to a MAC counter and get a free lipstick!!



OVEN DE-POTTING METHOD

You will need an oven, a baking sheet and tin foil for lining and an oven mit, a knife and some tweezers.
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Cover baking sheet with tin foil (Sorry no more pics!)
3. When oven reaches 350, place makeup item on sheet (for example, an NYX or L'oreal blush). If you want to de-pot more than one item, space them about 2 inches apart. Make sure the lid is OPEN away from the pan itself to avoid the container melting onto the makeup pan. If the packaging comes in a compact with a mirror, break the compact in half and throw away the mirror part so that the only thing left is the actual pan with the immovable plastic packaging around it.
4. Place baking sheet with items in oven for about 5 minutes and then check to see when the plastic packaging starts melting away from the pan.
5. When this happens, take out the baking sheet (with oven mit...duh!) and carefully use a knife to press the melting packaging away from the pan. Be careful it is HOT!!! Use tweezers too if necessary. The plastic packaging becomes pliable and the pan should come out fairly easily with some maneuvering. If not, place back in the oven until the packaging melts a little more and repeat.
6. Let pans cool on a paper towel before putting them in your palette. You can also remove the leftover adhesive and label them as stated above.

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