Pressing Bare Minerals colors.

Jul 24, 2013

Jo S.

I hope I'm in the right comm - I think this qualifies as a Storage question... :)

I used to really love Bare Minerals makeup and bought a lot of their colors (mostly eyes; some blushes; some others). I'm not using them these days mostly because the loose texture annoys me, so I was thinking I'd press them and use them out of a palette.

I've watched a few videos online and got the gist of it (get some dimethicone, get it into a lumpy texture, press it into the pan, repeat as needed) and have ordered the basics online and am waiting to get started, but my main question is...

Any big tips for a newbie? Is there any one specific video or tutorial (not vid, necessarily) that you would recommend I read/watch and adhere to 100% to get the best results? I'm seeing varying degrees of use of alcohol and methods and I'd really prefer to not risk any of these colors.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! :)

Jul 29, 2013

Melanie V.

I use the tkb binder with a touch of argan oil, and I use 91% iso alcohol instead of 70 because it sets faster.

Jul 29, 2013

Amanda P.

I think it's a cool idea. I have tons of their pots too. They've lasted me years! I actually love the loose powder. I do the swirl n tap in the cap thing and they blend amazingly. I'd be afraid to ruin them tho. Are you using the same lil pot to press them in?

Jul 30, 2013

Jo S.

Thanks Melanie. I got some pure Dimethicone from my husband, who works with it in his lab, so I'm going to use that with some 91% alcohol to purify my materials.

Amanda, I'm planning on pressing them into pans that will fit into a Z palette (I found a bunch on ebay) and doing the blending in a shot glass or something similar. I'll do one (a color I'm not a huge fan of, probably) and let it set over a day or so and see how it works, and then if I like the result, I'll do the rest. I just really like the idea of having them all in one palette (or two, I have a lot of colors) and seeing them all in front of me when I use them. I really don't like using them loose and I probably have hundreds of dollars worth of product, so the idea of not using them seems like a huge waste.

Jul 30, 2013

Melanie V.

I also use a textured paper towel as a pressing ribbon.

Jul 30, 2013

Melanie V.

Also try to add the alcohol a drop at a time, until the pigments are more like wet sand rather than liquidy.

Jul 30, 2013

Jo S.

Melanie, did you mean the dimethicone? I thought you were only meant to use the alcohol to clean the materials but the dimethicone was the binder material.