DIY: Fix Your Broken/Cracked/Shattered Powder Blushes

All of us makeup junkies, at one point has broken or cracked or worse, shattered our powder blushes (or powder, or eyeshadow). Either it fell on the floor while you were in a hurry applying makeup (happened to me), your daughter or niece played with it and when you told her to put it down or give it back to you, she threw it at you and it landed on the floor with a sickening thud or crashing sound (happened to me), or it just cracked inside your bag because God knows why (happened to me). The last scenario was the most painful of all. It was just inside my bag - at least I hoped I could blame someone that time, but sadly, there's no one to point my fingers at.

When our powder makeup breaks, our hearts get broken too. Right?

But don't fret, because it can be fixed. Yes, it can be fixed!

My DIYd Illamasqua Hussy

Illamasqua Hussy after complete drying

Smoothness of the Hussy (Right) compared to Lover (Left)

Some just choose to remove it from the pan and powderize (?) it then put in a makeup jar, but what if the compact is just too cute or too perfect to let go, say it's NARS, or in my case Illamasqua. I wouldn't wanna throw away the compact. I just couldn't.

I wish I had the cracked blush photos but I didn't get the chance to snap one. Next time I get some blushes or powders broken, I'll make sure to take a photo, hehehe. :)

Anyway, to DIY Fix or Restore your cracked powders/blushes, here are the things you will need.

A few drops of isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol, so long as it's 70% up. In my case I used 70% isopropyl alcohol.

A butter knife or a Popsicle stick. I used the butter knife to crack the blush and the Popsicle stick to smooth it out.

A piece of cloth. Make sure it's clean and smooth. I used a ripped old T-shirt.

Any object that you can use as a shaper. (?) If your blush is rectangle, look for a rectangle object of course. In my case, I used a wooden block. It's best if your shaper is the same size as that of your blush pan.

Here's how I did it.

1. I cracked the blush even more (believe me it's really horrifying, hahaha), using the butter knife until it turned into powder.

2. Afterwards, I put a few drops of isopropyl alcohol on the now powder blush and tried to mix it all together with the Popsicle stick. It will form a sticky gunk. Make sure you put just enough alcohol or you'll end up soaking it.

3. I let it dry for a while. It will dry faster than you think. Remember you used alcohol. It evaporates real fast. Smooth it out with a Popsicle stick as it dries.

4. I took my old ripped T-shirt and wrapped the wooden block in it. I then started pressing this firmly into the pan to push the blush down and smooth its surface. This will take some patience and time.

5. When I finally got to my desired surface smoothness, I stopped pressing, and cleaned the compact for any excess blush.

6. I wasn't able to create new hetchmarks, but some can, just choose a good fabric with which you can transfer the fabric marks to the blush.

7. I let it air dry in the shelf for 48-72 hours, away from dust and dirt.

The finished product was not that superb but at least I was able to put the blush back into the pan and into the cute compact. I could still notice some broken lines but I think I did a good job. I was able to use the blush again and there's really no change in its color or whatsoever. After all, most blushes/powders use alcohol as one of their ingredients so I guess that's okay. :)

Do you also repair broken/cracked/shattered makeup?