Hello all! Today marks the first of a series of posts called “Hot Off the Presses”, which will document my adventures in hand-pressing my own eyeshadows. Each post will include a macro shot of the pan, an arm swatch in natural light, and details on what pigment/powder I used. Here are today’s three eyeshadows.
Want to see how to make them yourself?
First and foremost, it’s important to thank Chelle of Make Up Your Mind, who introduced me to pressing your own eyeshadows. I had heard her talk about it before, but I didn’t know that when she said “hand pressed”, she meant by her OWN hands, and not pressed by the brand. Up until this point, I had been buying loose eyeshadows, but rarely used them because it made such a mess. But those days are over thanks to Chelle’s fantastic, and easy to follow tutorial, How To: Press Pigments. And bonus shout-out to Chelle for giving my swatch photo tips!
The only thing I should add, if you are planning on pressing your own shadows, is that if you are using MAC pigments, you can follow Chelle’s tutorial exactly. However, if you are using loose shadow, like from NYX, E.L.F., or any other brand where you aren’t sure (honestly, I do this every time it isn’t a MAC pigment), you’ll want to add a single drop of glycerine, in addition to your rubbing alcohol. If you don’t use the glycerine, the shadow will dry back into its powdery state.
Okay, public service announcement over (seriously, that glycerine stuff is MAGIQUE). Let’s take a deeper look at the shadows I pressed.
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| MAC – ‘Tan’ |
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| NYX – ‘Rust Pearl’ |
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| The Body Shop – ‘Radiant Graphite’ |
I am officially obsessed with pressing my own shadows. To the point where I am going out and stocking up on supplies, so I can make my own palette. It makes me feel crafty, and all DIY-esque. Many more freshly pressed shadows to come, so until next time, toodles! – Shawna