How to Prepare Pressed Powder
The Necessary Ingredients and Tools
- Base powder mix (container of white powder at the top of the pic)- Binder (the purse-sized spray bottle)
- Cosmetic pigments (pre-mixed colors in the small containers)
- Small sifter
- Small bowls
- Pans (in which to press your color)
- Measuring and stirring implements
- Wax paper (in generous amounts so you can both cover your work surface and have pieces to work on and discard)
Tip: Don't try to do everything in one session. Preparing base powder and binder can be done in a one session. Mixing color pigments is another session. (When I start mixing colors, I invariably enter a time warp and suddenly discover 3 hours will have somehow mysteriously disappeared in the wink of an eye).
Preparing the Color
Mix base powder with your desired color and sift together several times until the color is even. The proportion of base powder to color is dependent upon the components of the base powder you are using. (see below for a link to other posts on base powder). For this blush color, I used 40% base powder to 60% color.
Even though the sifted color looks a far cry from the original tone, introducing binder to the mix will make a bit of magic happen and this blush color is going to regain most of its original strength (see bottommost pan in the pic at the bottom of this post for the final result).
Binding it all Together
Some use silicones as binders, but I prefer plant-based products and make a mixture of jojoba and fractionated coconut oil with E-vitamin as an antioxidant. I normally make enough for several pans of color so I have binder 'at the ready' for spontaneous powder-pressing occasions (Springtime is usually full of these). A spray bottle is the ideal vehicle for delivering a light, even layer of oil.Tip: Make a healthy amount of everything for your very first portion and expect to use a bit of time experimenting with the binder-to-powder ratio to get the texture right. You may very well need to throw some product out along the way. However, if you keep notes, it will be a piece of cake to recreate the perfect proportions. For example: it took me 4 tries (in a previous session) to find that this particular pan size requires one and a half spritz of binder per pan.
Adding Binder
Start with a sheet-size wax paper. The binder is sprayed directly onto the paper first, then the powder is transferred to the paper. If you do it the other way around, you risk spreading your newly mixed color all over your workspace and yourself (can you tell I speak from experience?)Working in the Binder
Working the oil into the powder is best done with a stiff spatula. Pull and drag it along the paper (kind of like buttering a piece of bread), scrape the color together and keep 'buttering' for 3-4 minutes.
Testing For Press-Readiness
Scrape the mixture together on the paper. Press down on it with the spatula. When it readily hangs together in large-ish lumps, it's ready for pressing. If it just as easily breaks up again, you have achieved the perfect binder-to-powder ratio.Tip: Don't be tempted to press before you can feel and see that the binder is evenly and completely distributed. Your pressed powder will reward you by staying in the pan and behaving ever so nicely – even if you accidentally drop it.
After Pressing
Here are the 4 pressed pans I did for my face-sculpting, skin-tone palette. The end result is pictured at the beginning of this post.You Can Totally Do This Too!
Despite this detailed (and hopefully not too daunting) description, it took a total of an hour to create this palette of 4 colors.
The Final Question
"But how are they to use, Lise?" I hear you asking.
They go on like a dream, feel like silk, have great staying power, are easily removed, and look like a million – they're pure pleasure! Now, go make your own, and have fun with it!
They go on like a dream, feel like silk, have great staying power, are easily removed, and look like a million – they're pure pleasure! Now, go make your own, and have fun with it!
More Make-up Fun
To see how I press eyeshadow, please visit this post.
To read a bit about base powders and mixing a powder foundation, please visit this post.
To read a bit about base powders and mixing a powder foundation, please visit this post.
Comments
I LOVE the idea of a completely plant-based, more natural liquid binder, with out silicones- this is the first one I've seen and would love to follow your recipe!
Patti.
The proportions can be played with to your liking, but I started with a 50/50 mix of the jojoba and fractionated coconut oil and played a bit with the proportions until i found what I liked best. The e-vitamin is added as a rancidity retardant - a drop or 2 to 50ml. Use the mixture within a year.
Supplies: Check the links on the right menu. I am in Europe and these are all in Europe, but if you are in the US, check out Rose Mountain Herbs or (I think it's called) Voyager for supplies. Best of luck with it and please do let me know how it works out for you!