Tutorial! How to make your own eyeshadows!!!

I got a couple requests to do a tutorial on how I made my own eyeshadows with the Coastal Scents Mica Pigments. It is actually not difficult to do, and you can apply this technique to just about any loose shadows you have! So let's get started!

What you will need:

• Pigments and/or already pressed shadows (I have a couple palettes in the picture just in case I needed them. I didn't for this shadow, but this is a perfectly viable option if you don't have loose pigments or if you have eyeshadows you would like to mix)
• Isopropyl Alcohol - I use 91%, but anything will do
• Pure Glycerin (you don't need this if you are pressing MAC pigments, because they already contain a binder in the powder)
• A measuring cup/shot glass
• A measuring spoon. Mine is a 1/4 tsp.
• A mixing jar
• A mixing tool. I am using a cuticle pusher.
• An empty pan (mine had an eyeshadow I had previously made and was unhappy with, so I just recrushed it and sanitized the pan)
• Paper towels
• Parchment paper. I use this to protect my table, because parchment paper is nonabsorbent. This is optional, so if you don't have it, it's no big deal.
• A flat iron (if you are impatient, like me)
• A quarter to press the shadow
• Some kind of fabric or paper to press. You can use something textured it you want like a t-shirt, but I have just been using coffee filters.

• Measure out 3 parts alcohol to 1 part glycerin in your measuring cup. Mix it up and add a little bit to your eyeshadow pan (just enough to cover the bottom)
• Put together your mica mixture. I used what was left of the Inter Gold Sparks and Chocolate Mousse Mica powders, but for the most part the mixture was equal parts of the Illusion Luxury Gold and the Antique Silver, with a scoop of the Black Oxide to darken the mixture. It came out as a tarnished green with gold sparkle throughout.
• Scoop some of your mixture into your eyeshadow pan and mix it together. Repeat this process until you have filled the pan. Keep in mind that the alcohol you are using will eventually evaporate, so don't be afraid to really pack in the powder. Otherwise your pan will only be about half full when you press it.

• Mix until there are no clumps. You don't want the mixture to be too powdery or too runny. It should be kind of creamy.
• Once it's all mixed together, pick up the pan and drop it from about 1/2 an inch from your surface (as shown above). This will get rid of any air bubbles as well as flatten the top so it's nice and smooth.

• Now, you can set it aside to air dry if you want. But, I am impatient. So I speed up the drying time by placing it on a flat iron. I turn on the iron to about medium-high heat, place the pan on a piece of parchment paper, and lay it on the iron.
• As you can see above, the eyeshadow will start to rise into a dome shape, like a baked shadow (because that is essentially what you are doing). That is just the air created from the alcohol evaporating. After about a minute, take it off the heat, and do the dropping method I mentioned before (use the parchment paper while doing this, because the metal will be hot) to flatten it back out. Place it back on the heat for another minute or until it stops creating the dome.
• Let it cool for a minute or two, and then check to see if it is ready to press. It should be dry to the touch.
• Take your quarter and your pressing cloth/coffee filter (whatever you prefer) and carefully, but firmly, press down the shadow. This is to extract any excess moisture as well as to completely bind the powder together. Work the quarter around all the edges so you don't have an obvious coin mark.

And you are done! You now have a brand new eyeshadow! As you can see from the swatch, the pigmentation is excellent. This is a gorgeous pewter green shade that I think will be very flattering!

Let me know if you think you might try this out. It's a lot of fun, and it's a creative way to refresh your makeup.