Mixing Medium

[MsCuppyCakes]

I seem to recall someone mentioning finding a mixing medium at Sally's. Does anyone know the name of this stuff? TIA

 

[capspock]

I don't know about that but I do know about a recipe for a homemade mixing medium that work as fine as MAC's:

-3 parts water (I use distilled water)
-1 part glycerin

Combine. Both can be found in any drugstore or pharmacy.

 

[BinkysBaby]

I don't know about finding it at Sally's.

 

[me_jelly]

I agree with capspock...I use all of my mac pigments wet and instead of purchasing the pricy mixing medium from mac, I make my own using the 1 part glycerin (which you can purhcase near the first air section of any drugstore) and 3 part water. Mix the bottle you put the glycerin/water in and voila, you got your own mixing medium - and it works just as well as the mac mixing medium (i've tested both)

 

[CaraAmericana]

ok wait....

is it?

3 parts water or glycerin
1 part water or glycerin

 

[semtexgirl]

I have one from Bare Escentuals - picked it up when I got my Retro Eye kit. It works really well, comes in a little eye drops style bottle so you can control the amount of product you use (ie waste less).

 

[Hilly]

I love mac mixing medium....but will try and make the homeade version!

 

[msmack]

i will definatly mix up this lil concoction when my bottle is empty... i believe its only 1 part glycerin/3 parts water

 

[me_jelly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaraAmericana ok wait.... is it? 3 parts water or glycerin 1 part water or glycerin

I edited my post - my bad - typo!

it's 1 part glycerin and 3 part water (not the other way around, since then it'd be too sticky on the lid)

 

[MsCuppyCakes]

Thanks! Silly question - what's a part equivalent to tsp/tbsp? TIA

 

[mzreyes]

I think its just, if you put 3 tsps of water, then you have to put 1 tsp of glyc. I don't think a "part" is really a measuring unti. Just make sure things are propotional.

 

[me_jelly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsCuppyCakes Thanks! Silly question - what's a part equivalent to tsp/tbsp? TIA

the "part" just means a ratio

i.e if you want to use 3tsp water, then use 1tsp glycerin

i.e. if you use 3tbsp, then add 1tbsp glycerin to the water

 

[Amaranth]

Also, if you're having a hard time figuring out what exactly you can put this homemade mixing medium into (I was thinking eyedropper, but I couldn't find one that wasn't somewhat expensive for some reason...sounds odd, I know, but I didn't feel like spending $10 on an eyedropper bottle), you can get those travel bottles at MAC. They only cost $2.50 CAN and they'll look all authentic

. The bottle shape and style is the same as the mixing medium bottles, only a bit smaller.

 

[capspock]

Sorry I didn't see the following questions earlier, but they have been already answered, yes, part just means ratio... I used that so we don't have to worry about converting measurements. Not all countries use the american units so this makes everything easier for everyone (or so I thought, LOL).

 

[urbanlilyfairy]

ok I have a few questions about mixing medium dupe ..I made this with the 3 parts water to 1 part glycerin .. But since I have never tried or seen or felt mixing medium I don't know if the consistency is correct .. Is it supposed to be pretty watery ?

also how do you all use the mixing medium ..well I know it's used with pigments ..but how do you mix them and apply them? Like do you dip brush in medium or wet it with medium and then grab pigment on brush ..or do you mix both on your hand or on something else ? ..I'm just confused on how to use it lol ..I hope I don't sound like a moron ..Im just new to pigments and mixing medium heh.

Any tips on mixing pigments and medium would be most helpful.

 

[MiCHiE]

Yes, it's watery. Make sure you shake it before using it. As for the use, you can swipe some on your lid and place pigment on top or dab your brush in it and then onto the pigments.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtexgirl I have one from Bare Escentuals - picked it up when I got my Retro Eye kit. It works really well, comes in a little eye drops style bottle so you can control the amount of product you use (ie waste less).

If you're talking about Weather Everything, which comes with the little wells to mix, it's definitely not a mixing medium, it's a sealant, which would be a little too solid/sticky to use all over the lid.

 

[capspock]

Urbanlilyfairy:

I like to mix it on the back of my hand when I am going to use only tiny bits on my lids, or for larger quantities, I mix it on some container's lid or small sample container. In the first case, I use only one or two drops. It would be very helpful if you can put the mix in a dropper container, and shake it everytime before use. Just damp your brush with the mix (yes, it is very watery), don't wet too much.

 

[thelilprincess]

after reading about homemade mixing medium, i found the pure glycerin at my local drugstore (i didn't find it in the aisle with the witch hazel and rubbing alcohol - aka first aid aisle - instead, i found it in the cleansers/cosmetic section near the bottles of vitamin E oil)

here's the results of my homemade mixing medium using my Vanilla Pigment and Tan Pigment.


i consider buying the 1/2 oz dropper bottle from Japonesque....but thought about how much of this stuff will i use up - probably not much since a lot of people say a bottle of the real MAC mixing medium lasts a long time. plus, working in a pharmacy, i know that when i compound a prescription and it contains water, the shelf life is 2-4 weeks only depending on the other ingredients. the pure glycerin has no preservatives listed...but even so, you don't know how effective it is once you add the water unless you look it up under USP or do a lab test on it. so, i decided just to mix a small amount in a sample MAC jar - perfect, it's small enough i'll probably use it up in a few weeks and can make up a fresh batch. here's a picture of it next to a quarter so you can visualize the size.

 

[MACATTAK]

Can anyone tell me what the bottle will look like for the glycerin...I looked today at Walgreens & couldn't find it. I didn't even know what type of bottle/container I was looking for, so that made it even worse.