Pressing Pigment Troubles

CantAffordMAC

CantAffordMAC

Well-known member
(I put this here because I figured it was the best place for people to see it and reply)

Ugh. I bought all these empty tins to press my pigments. Well, first let me start off by saying they aren't real pigments. I think that may be the problem.

I tried pressing Fyrinnae shadows with 70% isopropyl alcohol, stirred it up, then placed it on wax paper on my flat iron to bake. It began boiling, so I took it off. Then I let it air dry for like 7 hours, and I went to touch it, and it crumbled.

Okay, so I tried pressing my Maybelline Roller Color shadows (you just pop off the little roller ball and pour the pigment) So i did that, and tried to bake it, and it boiled. So I took it off and let it air dry. From what I can tell, they seem to look pretty good....I'm just scared to take a brush to them in case they crumble.

I tried these True Color pigments I got from the NYC hair show...These are a bitch to try and press. They crumbled easily. Last but not least, I broke up some Cover Girl shadows I had and pressed them (so I could carry them in my palette) and it worked fine. They seem to be nice and hard so far.

Is pigment pressing reserved for MAC pigments only? is there anything I can do at all to stop my pigments from boiling when I put them on the flat iron (they were on the lowest setting)? I need help!! I was so excited to do this, because I have some of the most unique and gorgeous pigments but I never use them because they are messy.

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gigglegirl

gigglegirl

Well-known member
I don't bake mine at all. I had tried with one and it didn't come out so well. What I do is mix the pigment (this is all I can comment on) with the 70% alcohol, tap the tin so it levels out and let it airdry overnight. Then I press it in the morning. Now I find they are just naturally crumbly once you start using them (definitely not the hardness you get from a regular MAC e/s). For me its more convenient than opening all the little jars.
 
CantAffordMAC

CantAffordMAC

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by gigglegirl
I don't bake mine at all. I had tried with one and it didn't come out so well. What I do is mix the pigment (this is all I can comment on) with the 70% alcohol, tap the tin so it levels out and let it airdry overnight. Then I press it in the morning. Now I find they are just naturally crumbly once you start using them (definitely not the hardness you get from a regular MAC e/s). For me its more convenient than opening all the little jars.

Well thats basically what I've been doing. And I received a pressed MAC pigment as a gift from someone on specktra, and it is softer, but not like this. I literally touched my finger to my shadow after I pressed it, and the whole pan crumbled apart.

It would be a lot more convenient to not open all the jars and spill stuff, and have it fall all over your face. I bought 2 palettes and 30 empty tins for pressing. And now its like...
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And I can only imagine if I have a palette full of self-pressed pigments and God forbid something happens to the palette. I'll have a big 15 color mess in there. lol

And another question: Could it be I'm using too much alcohol? I add like 7 drops, and mix and then I hardly have any pigment left. So I fill it with more alcohol and mix it again. Then its finally smooth and nice looking but its really liquidy and I'll try to move the pan and the liquid is just really full and I have to be super careful
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Love Always Ivy

Love Always Ivy

Well-known member
theyre not just for MAC shadows, ive pressed MUFE star powders and BE shadows.

when you press pigments, youre supposed to keep adding pigment until its like a cake batter consistency then gently tap it down to be even. its not supposed to be liquidy. it sounds like youre not putting enough pigment in.
if theyre still too soft, you are probably not pressing it long enough. you should dry it over night and try c-clamping it super tight for a few hours.
 
CantAffordMAC

CantAffordMAC

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Love Always Ivy
theyre not just for MAC shadows, ive pressed MUFE star powders and BE shadows.

when you press pigments, youre supposed to keep adding pigment until its like a cake batter consistency then gently tap it down to be even. its not supposed to be liquidy. it sounds like youre not putting enough pigment in.
if theyre still too soft, you are probably not pressing it long enough. you should dry it over night and try c-clamping it super tight for a few hours.

well I did that. I added some pigment, then added alcohol and stirred. Then added more pigment and just kept repeating. Sometimes it'd be really liquidy, but some of them were a cake batter consistency (those were ones that came out better). I let most of them air dry overnight and then clamped in the morning with jeans and a quarter. Where on earth can you find a c-clamp?
 
MACATTAK

MACATTAK

Well-known member
You can find a c-clamp at a hardware store, or possibly at a store like Big Lots (in the hardware section). They are about $3.00-$5.00 depending on size.
 
gigglegirl

gigglegirl

Well-known member
I think if you add too much alcohol (which is what I seem to do) you have to expect that the alcohol will evaporate, thus leaving a lot of dead space in between the product and then it will crumble. Try using less alcohol--it may take more work to make sure its smooth but then there should be less shrinkage once evaporated. I found the day after pressing solidified it much more than when I just let them air dry and put them in a palette.
 
sharkbytes

sharkbytes

Well-known member
I've never had a problem pressing pigments, and I followed a tutorial I found on youtube (and i wish i could remember her name!) but all I do is add 70% isopropyl alcohol, and like everyone said above, until a cakebatter consistency. This should take about 1tsp of pigment.

Then I take a hair dryer and heat it up for about 5 minutes at a time for 15 minutes. Then press with jeans and a quarter, and allow to dry overnight.

I've done Accent Red, Cocomotion, Copperized, Melon and Violet with absolutely no probs--the result was a gorgeous pressed eyeshadow. Hope this helps
 
CantAffordMAC

CantAffordMAC

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by velvet
i also found this through MUA, i think im going to try it with my mineral shadows
Fyrinnae

Don't waste your money, it sucks. I tried using it with one of my fyrinnae shadows, and it didn't work at all. at least now I have a cute little $4 dropper to keep my alcohol in
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