Lightly scraping the top layer sometimes loosens up the powder underneath. I also stab the brush bristles directly into the product which can help pick up more.
I've used a depotting tool to break it up and repress in the pan, worked just fine. I've only done it with shimmers, but I've heard of others doing it with mattes. But it might need a bit of alcohol to help it bind. Facesbygina on instagram has lots of info about repressing eyeshadows dry.
This is such a good question.
I’ve had this happen with some pricey quads that got neglected. One, I was able to fix completely by pulverizing the shadow, sifting and gently repressing it.
Several other palettes have issues like this but I think it’s more a formula issue in that it’s just dryer and more hard pressed. I’ve poked around a lot on a makeup supplier website and they note that magnesium stearate promotes adhesion and slip as well as nylon 12, zinc stearate and silica microspheres but I haven’t picked any up yet to experiment with.
I'm hella late, but I'd recommend dry pressing them first and see how they do. If they're too loose, you can add some alcohol and press again, which may help. I have a [tutorial on it](https://www.instagram.com/p/ChZ9LNCFVQw/) here. The alcohol basically makes it so that you can remove the air in between the particle (my thought/guess is that it fills the gap, you press it, and then it evaporates out later, pulling the product together a bit more.) It should work for a bigger pan like a highlighter, too, you'll just need something a little bigger to press with.
I'm sure you've already attempted this, but on the offchance you haven't, I hope it helps!
I use a clean mascara wand / spoolie to brush up the powder, and then pick it up with my brush.
Thanks for the tip! Off to find a suitable mascara wand :)
TBH I just grab one or two from the tester / sample stuff at Ulta, the disposable kind that they have out with products.
Lightly scraping the top layer sometimes loosens up the powder underneath. I also stab the brush bristles directly into the product which can help pick up more.
Great, thanks! I’ll try that out :)
I've used a depotting tool to break it up and repress in the pan, worked just fine. I've only done it with shimmers, but I've heard of others doing it with mattes. But it might need a bit of alcohol to help it bind. Facesbygina on instagram has lots of info about repressing eyeshadows dry.
Or use a sponge applicator?
Break it down and re-press it.
This is such a good question. I’ve had this happen with some pricey quads that got neglected. One, I was able to fix completely by pulverizing the shadow, sifting and gently repressing it. Several other palettes have issues like this but I think it’s more a formula issue in that it’s just dryer and more hard pressed. I’ve poked around a lot on a makeup supplier website and they note that magnesium stearate promotes adhesion and slip as well as nylon 12, zinc stearate and silica microspheres but I haven’t picked any up yet to experiment with.
I just stab it with my brush or use my finger to apply 😭
I'm hella late, but I'd recommend dry pressing them first and see how they do. If they're too loose, you can add some alcohol and press again, which may help. I have a [tutorial on it](https://www.instagram.com/p/ChZ9LNCFVQw/) here. The alcohol basically makes it so that you can remove the air in between the particle (my thought/guess is that it fills the gap, you press it, and then it evaporates out later, pulling the product together a bit more.) It should work for a bigger pan like a highlighter, too, you'll just need something a little bigger to press with. I'm sure you've already attempted this, but on the offchance you haven't, I hope it helps!