Beauty Tips and Tricks: How to Repair Old, Broken or Dried Out Eye Makeup

Posted by Alexandra C. | Wednesday May 9, 201229 comments


Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar: 

You've just splurged and purchased yourself a fancy new blush, bronzer or powder foundation. The packaging is pristine, the compact is still smooth and it almost looks too good to use. Then again, you really, really, really want to play around with your new beauty toy so you go ahead and dip your brush in. Only, your hand isn't as steady as you thought it was. The compact rocks back and forth and then, to your horror, starts to fall to the ground. You scream, "nooooo!" but it doesn't help. The damage is done. Your new baby is broken into pieces. 

If you're a beauty junkie like me, there is nothing worse than this. 

However, I have excellent news for you: there is help! I came across this video which demonstrated how to repair cracked powders and I was thrilled. 

Here's what you need to get those crumbled bits back to perfection: 


Rubbing Alcohol (apparently vodka will also work for this but I prefer to use my vodka for other purposes
Cotton pad or cheesecloth 
Hard material (i.e. cardboard, or plastic) the size of your powder
Eye dropper
Orange stick 

How-To:

For a compact with a crack, you don't need to repair the entire powder. Make sure the cracks in the broken portion all line up. Simply use the eye dropper and put a few drops of the rubbing alcohol on the crack and let sink in. Then, gently press together with your fingers. 


If your compact is completely broken, you'll need to use an orange stick to crush the powder completely. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol until a paste forms. Mix and then place the cotton pad on the broken powder. Using a hard material, like a bottle cap or cardboard, press down firmly to reshape and flatten the powder. 

Now, besides broken powders the other worst thing in the world (strictly beauty speaking) is a dried out gel eyeliner. Waking up one morning to find that my coveted Stila liner was gone to a better place was an incredibly upsetting time for me. I threw mine out, but as it turns out, I shouldn't have. I found this trick to help revive dried out liner. 

Here's what you need: 
 
 
Eyedrops (not contact solution) 
Brush or orange stick (to mix) 
 
How-To: 

Add a few drops of the eye drop solution to your dried eyeliner and mix well. This should perk it right back up!  

Do you have any beauty tips and tricks to help solve those pesky little makeup problems? Leave a comment and let us know! 

 
 
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28 Comments

on May 09, 2012  Charmheart16  3,985 said:

Thanks for the tips. These are definitely very useful.

on May 09, 2012  LadyFlash  8,899 said:

Awesome! Really good to know especially when on a tight budget :)

on May 09, 2012  Bren  26,031 said:

I do have a cracked eyeshadow palate! I need to try this however I only have flavored vodka in the house wonder if that will work.

on May 09, 2012  lisa_amanda40  775 said:


Great tips, can't wait to try them out

on May 09, 2012  Becky  13,128 said:

I dropped one of my favourite UD shadow pots and it went from eyeshadow to pigment! Sigh... I need to try your steps and see if I can fix it somehow! The funny thing, I dropped it several years ago but I still kept it 'cuz I loved the colour so much, I was sure I would somehow be able to save it some day ;-)

on May 09, 2012  mamaluv  STAFF said:

Brilliant! I just dropped one of my favourite eyeshadow quads just the other day and will definitely have to try this.

on May 09, 2012  Aliza  14,011 said:

Awesome tips! I've never heard of being able to repair before!

on May 09, 2012  takoda  28,648 said:

Great tips Alex, I never would have thought of any of these on my own, or even thought to look and see if it could be done. Thanks!!

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