HOW TO PRESS A LOOSE MAC PIGMENT USING VODKA NOT RUBBING ALCOHOL

I bought the loose pigment 'Tan' from MAC quite a while ago after falling in love with the sold out limited edition shade 'Sweet Heat' from a recent collection and realising that this was the closest dupe. I wanted it in pan form so that I could use it in a palette as it is much less messy than having it loose as it literally goes everywhere (I ended up with a gold glittery camera after photographing and filming this tutorial!). I hadn't previously pressed an eyeshadow before and was unsure what liquid to use for it as any tutorial I had came across said to use rubbing alcohol which as far as I know isn't avaliable in the UK. I asked in many different pharmacies and most people thought I was meaning white spirit (which definitely isn't suitable for the eye area). After extensive research I decided on using vodka as it is a pure and once most of it evaporates, hardly any residue is left and any that does is safe for the eye area. If you decide to use a different fluid, please make sure it is safe for the eye area before using it!

How to press a loose eyeshadow steps (I have done a video tutorial too which you can watch below)

Put some loose eyeshadow into an egg cup- if you are using a MAC loose pigment, about a third of the pot will do, meaning you will get three eyeshadows from just one pot

Add a very small amount of vodka and mix until there are no lumps and it is a smooth, thick paste

Scoop this mixture into your empty metal pan and spread out to all of the edges

Place a muslin cloth or piece of kitchen roll over the eyeshadow and use a 2p coin to press down on it to make sure it is compacted

Leave this to dry overnight and then pop into your eyeshadow palette

For my metal pan, I used a Natural Collection eyeshadow from Boots and removed the eyeshadow from inside it before lifting out the pan. Depending on how much glue is used to stick it to the pot, you may need to use a candle to melt the glue before lifting it out. The Natural Collection empty pans are the perfect size to fit in a MAC palette (I had to use a bit of force to push it into my palette- simply replace the cloth and 2p coin and push down to get it into the palette. If you want to keep the crushed up Natural Collection eyeshadow, this can be reused by putting it into a clear nail polish to turn it into a personalised DIY coloured nail polish!

I filmed this DIY tutorial as a video too which you can watch below if the step by step photos aren't clear enough for you. It is very easy to do but make sure you don't use too much liquid and ensure you leave it to dry for long enough to get the best results!