Mixing Medium

[me_jelly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Hmm, it may be different with different brands, but it should be in the same type of bottle that you would find rubbing alcohol in (long, cylindrical pour bottle) - of course, the size will be a lot smaller

 

[me_jelly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Yes, the consistency is indeed water-like.

I've tried using the mixing medium various ways with pigments and found that the best way to get vibrant, intense color and even application is when you put a small drop of mixing medium on the back of your hand, dip you brush into it (both sides) so that the brush is damp (not wet) - if you find you put too much on the brush, swipe the brush on the back of your hand to get out the excess fluid - then dip your damp brush into your pigment jar and apply to your lid using a patting motion (no sweeping motion, that will cause uneven application and will decrease the intensity of color applied). Hope that helps!

 

[thelilprincess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

i took a picture of the bottle next to my new lipglass (so you can see it's a small bottle) look at my previous post in this thread (it's the one with the swatch example) - i explained where i found the glycerin in my drugstore.

 

[MACATTAK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelilprincess i took a picture of the bottle next to my new lipglass (so you can see it's a small bottle) look at my previous post in this thread (it's the one with the swatch example) - i explained where i found the glycerin in my drugstore.

You are heaven! Thank you sooo much for posting a pic! I didn't see anything like that at Walgreens, so I think I will be going to CVS...thank you again!!!

 

[MiCHiE]

On Walgreens' site, the bottle looks exactly the same, FYI....But, I would swear it was in a little green or brown glass bottle at one time. Not very sure.

 

[thelilprincess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACATTAK You are heaven! Thank you sooo much for posting a pic! I didn't see anything like that at Walgreens, so I think I will be going to CVS...thank you again!!!

you're welcome! believe me, i was walking around the drugstore at least 10 times looking for it, too. someone told me to look in the first aid stuff near the alcohol and hydrogen peroxide but it was several aisles away with the health and beauty.

 

[capspock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelilprincess 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.

If you use distilled water you can extend that shelf life a lot. I don't know exactly how much, but if you work at a pharmacy you can ask there and I'm sure they will know. Distilled water is very pure and used in cosmetic formulas. I'm sure you can find small bottles for sale in any regular pharmacy in the US, as we can here in Brazil.

 

[MsCuppyCakes]

Thanks everyone. I actually just bought MAC's mixing medium.

 

[MACATTAK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ♥MiCHiE♥ On Walgreens' site, the bottle looks exactly the same, FYI....But, I would swear it was in a little green or brown glass bottle at one time. Not very sure.

I did see it on the Walgreens site, but I didn't find it in the store. I just didn't want to have to pay shipping costs, because it is a lot for that bottle.

 

[thelilprincess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by capspock If you use distilled water you can extend that shelf life a lot. I don't know exactly how much, but if you work at a pharmacy you can ask there and I'm sure they will know. Distilled water is very pure and used in cosmetic formulas. I'm sure you can find small bottles for sale in any regular pharmacy in the US, as we can here in Brazil.

we do use distilled water when we compound prescriptions (and sterile water is also used in injectable prescriptions) - still 2-4 weeks shelf life depending on other ingredients. there are no preservatives in the distilled water so there is nothing in the homemade mixing medium to prevent any bacterial or fungal growth. that's why you shouldn't make it in a large batch. even as careful as you are about pouring a drop out onto the brush (and not dipping the brush into the mix), there's still possible aireborne particles/mircobes that can settle into the mix. when i compound stuff like creams, the maximum beyond use date is 6 months - less if the ingredients used expire before then. if the compound includes any water, the beyond use date is no more than 2-4 weeks, regardless if it's distilled or sterile water. i would say homemade mixing medium may be good for 4 weeks, so i'd recommend making it up every month.

working in the pharmacy, i've seen too many eye infections, so i rather take precautions to prevent myself from getting them.

 

[astronaut]

What's the advantage/difference of using a medium compared to just plain water?

 

[capspock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelilprincess we do use distilled water when we compound prescriptions (and sterile water is also used in injectable prescriptions) - still 2-4 weeks shelf life depending on other ingredients. there are no preservatives in the distilled water so there is nothing in the homemade mixing medium to prevent any bacterial or fungal growth. that's why you shouldn't make it in a large batch. even as careful as you are about pouring a drop out onto the brush (and not dipping the brush into the mix), there's still possible aireborne particles/mircobes that can settle into the mix. when i compound stuff like creams, the maximum beyond use date is 6 months - less if the ingredients used expire before then. if the compound includes any water, the beyond use date is no more than 2-4 weeks, regardless if it's distilled or sterile water. i would say homemade mixing medium may be good for 4 weeks, so i'd recommend making it up every month. working in the pharmacy, i've seen too many eye infections, so i rather take precautions to prevent myself from getting them.

Oh! I see, thanks for the explanation, it is always good to know a little more!

 

[passthatversace]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelilprincess we do use distilled water when we compound prescriptions (and sterile water is also used in injectable prescriptions) - still 2-4 weeks shelf life depending on other ingredients. there are no preservatives in the distilled water so there is nothing in the homemade mixing medium to prevent any bacterial or fungal growth. that's why you shouldn't make it in a large batch. even as careful as you are about pouring a drop out onto the brush (and not dipping the brush into the mix), there's still possible aireborne particles/mircobes that can settle into the mix. when i compound stuff like creams, the maximum beyond use date is 6 months - less if the ingredients used expire before then. if the compound includes any water, the beyond use date is no more than 2-4 weeks, regardless if it's distilled or sterile water. i would say homemade mixing medium may be good for 4 weeks, so i'd recommend making it up every month. working in the pharmacy, i've seen too many eye infections, so i rather take precautions to prevent myself from getting them.

Bleeeh, in that case, I guess I'd be better off splurging on a MAC Mixing Medium, just so I won't have to worry about potential infections or whatnot. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Feytr]

I tried the 3 parts water 1 part glycerin recipe today with my pigments and my shadows creased like crazy... Does this happen to anyone else? Also, my eyes were really irritated.

 

[NeonKitten]

i will totally have to mix some of this up! this totally saves me money. i was also wondering if anyone knew how to make homemade mixing agent for pressing piggies?

 

[TexasBelle]

For what it's worth:

My local Walgreen's didn't have any glycerin when I looked for it. I ended up asking about 4 different store employees, and NO ONE could find any, anywhere.

So I went to my local "health foods" store instead, where I found a rather large bottle of glycerin for a good price.

So . . . if anyone else out there has trouble finding glycerin at their drugstore, try a health foods/whole foods type of store instead.

 

[MiCHiE]

I got the same reaction from employees in CVS. I found it near the pharmacy in WalMart, though, for a dollar and some change.

 

[M.A.C. head.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feytr I tried the 3 parts water 1 part glycerin recipe today with my pigments and my shadows creased like crazy... Does this happen to anyone else? Also, my eyes were really irritated.

How did you use it?

I learned that it really only takes a smidgen of it to do the job. What I do is:

Put 2-3 drops onto a clean surface
Dab my brush into the mixing medium, very lightly
Apply to lid
Allow to dry a little
Apply shadow/pigment and whatnot

It spreads very easily across the entire lid. Using too much of it would probably cause major creasage.