Pictorial - Depotting MAC Eye Shadows and Palette Alteraton

Hello all! Todays post will cover the nifty little trick that is de-potting, which I'm sure many of you will try for yourselves at some point, especially if like me you had numerous single pot eyeshadows rolling around make up bags and vanity table drawers! What annoyed me was if I was looking for a particular colour I could be rummaging for ten minutes, and rooting around a bag full of plain black pots when your in a hurry can get a bit tedious! What I decided was my best option was to de-pot all my single eye shadows and alter my 15 palette to a 26.

From this

To This

As you can see from the first picture, my palette alone was in dire need of some TLC! I managed to knock it off my bed, and much to my horror numerous eyeshadows were broken and shattered!
I recently watched a video on the Youtube channel Dazzledust25, which is run by Amy from makeupandbeauty.ie, where she reviewed her MAC neutrals palette. Check it out here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MhYBRgDg7Q&feature=plcp definitely worth checking this video out, some great everyday colours to be noted here.The most interesting part for me was seeing how to fit 26 single eye shadow pans (or 8 blush pans) in perfectly, after removing the 15 pan holder. Fitting that number of shadows into one palette will seriously de-clutter any makeup bag! 

• To begin, you must remove any eye shadows in the palette. Using a long, thin knife, I inserted it under where the insert meets the base of the palette. Wiggle the blade to loosen the insert.
• You will need to use quiet a bit of force to remove the insert, so I suggest getting someone to help you if you are under 18. Pull hard upwards on the plastic insert to pull out. This took me a few attempts to get a feel for the force needed, so be patient. Your palette will then look like this: 

• Tools you will need to de-pot eyeshadows: a pliers/tongs, a thin blade, a lighter/candle. 
• Select the eye shadow you wish to de-pot, I chose Saffron from the Surf Baby collection as the black insert contrats well against the white outer case to show you your starting point. 
• Take a thin blade, again be extremely careful whatever tools you choose! It's not worth loosing the tip of your finger over a few pots of eye shadow! :-) Open the pot, and wedge the blade in right where you can see the join of the insert and the outer case. 

• Wiggle the blade a little, see if you can push it in more. Once you feel resistance, start to prise the blade upwards, while wiggling the blade! You will probably hear it click or pop a few times before it comes out so don't worry. Once it clicks out you are left with the outer case, separate from the insert which holds the pan.

• Now to remove the all important pan. Using a pliers or tongs, hold the black insert and using a lighter or the flame of a candle slowly begin to melt the underside of the plastic. What you are trying to do here is melt the glue so that the pan can slip out easily from the holder. Again, be patient here as hot plastic or metal can really burn! You can see in the image below that a ring will start to form as you melt the plastic.

• Burn for about 20-30 seconds or until the plastic is bubbling. Then turning the pan over, using the blade from earlier push through the middle of the melted plastic until the pan safely pops out. Once the metal has cooled you can pull off any residual glue stuck on the pan. 

My favourite kind of "pots and pans"!

• Finally, I used a sanitizing spray and some cotton pads to clean the inside and outside of my palette and the bottoms of the pans before refilling the palette. All in all it took me about an hour as it was my first time to de-pot, next time will definitely be easier. 

The finished result!

Have you any de-potting tips or tricks you would like to share? Please comment with any info, love to try new methods!

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Daytime look tutorial

The first look I chose for a tutorial had to be a daytime look as it is the most versatile and natural, accentuating features and adding natural glow! Feeling Summery due to the 20.5 degree celsius weather I wanted to keep the look light and fresh, however I did add a flick of eyeliner for a little more dramatic effect. Apologies for photos, my camera charger is currently MIA so I used my ipod to take all pictures, they may not be the best quality. Hopefully my charger will soon turn up and next time I can do a video tutorial! Here goes!


It is always important to to start by cleansing and prepping skin properly, as if your skin hasn't been properly pampered before a makeup application you will have trouble blending and working products into your skin. You want a clean well moisturized base to achieve an even finish on your look. This is especially important for those of you who may have particularly oily or dry skin.


1. After cleansing, toning, and moisturising I waited four to five minutes to allow my moisturiser to fully soak in. For those of you who have dry skin/patches it may be advisable for you to apply foundation onto your face while your moisturiser is still damp feeling as it should help your blending of the foundation.


2. Firstly I used Garnier 2 in 1 Tinted Eye Roll on in 02 Fair mixed with a little Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02 (mixed because I am running low on concealer, funds are a little low sadly!) I used a Sephora Concealer Brush to blend this under my eye, and into the inner corner. The pinky tones of concealers are for counteracting the bluey/purple tones that come through as dark circles as the skin around your eyes is so much finer than the rest of your face. I used whatever product was left on the brush just on my brow bone for a subtle highlight.

3. As my foundation I used Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC25 as I prefer a full coverage foundation.

A great alternative for daywear or for anyone who likes a lighter finish foundation would be Bobbi Brown Skin Base Foundation. I find my own skin too oily for this one to last, but for those closer to "normal" skin this could be perfect, (ever noticed how "normal" skin is actually the most "ab-normal" ah to be one of the lucky few :) It's a really fluid foundation, easy to use, but for me lacks that extra coverage and staying power.

To apply my foundation I first used a Mac 190 paddle brush, and to achieve a smoother finish, I buffed the foundation in using a Mac 188 stippling brush.
These brushes are perfect for giving your foundation that flawless finish as the layered bristles gently buff the makeup into your skin. Another advantage is that they can be used with many different kinds of makeup, be it liquid, cream, or powder.

 4. Next to fill in my brows I used an Inglot Brow Pencil in 506. I then went over this with Mac Matte Powder Blush in Harmony and to do this I used a hard angle Inglot 17tl brush. I them brushed them through to make sure there were no harsh lines, I mean nobody needs to really know the extent to which you like to draw your brows on or improve on their shape! Another excellent tool which I have yet to try myself is a brow gel. Much like a mascara brush head, but a clear gel to set brows and hold hairs in place.

The swatches here are the wrong way around I am afraid, rookie mistake! The left one is the Inglot pencil and the one on the right is Mac Harmony.

5. Next I used Mac Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder (which is translucent, although you can get coloured ones) to set my concealer, foundation and brows. We don't want anything slipping out of place after all this hard work do we?! I applied this first across my forehead, then down the bridge of my nose, after putting more product on the brush I applied under my eyes and in the creases of my nose and a small but on my chin. This is generally enough for me, but those of you who have very oily skin may need quiet a bit of product all over.

Loose setting powders are ideal for those who need to be able to depend on their makeup to stay put. It creates a sort of "seal", while soaking up excess oils, and should lessen the need for touch ups throughout the day. I used my Sephora Powder Brush which has super soft bristles and a big head making application easy and quick. Be sure to press these powders well onto skin to ensure it will set your makeup. A little can also go a long way, we don't wanna end up looking too matte and pasty!










6. Moving onto the eyes next, a neutral shade should be applied all over the lid for a even matte base. I used Mac Young Thing from the Devoted Poppy: 6 Classic Eyes Palette, which to my knowledge isn't available anymore, but any non shimmer off white or light sandy colour should do. It is the top right shadow in the picture, I tried to swatch but it's so light it wasn't coming out in the photo.

Next I used a Mac 217 blending brush to work Mac Matte Blush in Harmony from the outer third of my eyelid and into the crease, working just up to brow bone. I used this colour with a heavy hand as it is subtle. To make the colour a little more dense at the outer edge I used a touch of Benefit Eye Liner Shadow from the Big Beautiful Eyes Contour Kit. 

These neutral and warm browns are very easy to come across, and a lot of high street brands offer trio palettes and quads which will have all you need to create a look like this. Take for example Maybelline Expert Wear quads, in Natural Smokes, Plum Smokes, or Chai Latte. 

As it was a daytime look, I wanted to keep the overall colour light a fresh so I mixed Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Slink with the highlight colour from the Benefit pallete above. To apply this I used a Fluff Brush from Sephora which is a short, bristle dome headed brush perfect for application of colour. I worked these colours from the inner corner up to my crease and blended again with the Mac 217 for a seamless blend of colour. I also used these two colours as my brow highlight.

7. To add extra definition and intensity I used Inglot Eyeliner Gel in 77 (black) and a Mac 210 fine point brush to apply. Starting gently at the inner corner, using short strokes, until you are confident enough to line your whole lid in one swoop! Some day :) follow as close to the lashes as possible, remember the harder you press the thicker the line will come out, so that part is really up to you. I gradually made a thicker line at the outer edge.

To create the flick/wing, look closely at where your bottom eye waterline finishes and starts to curve up, and follow it. This is the line you want to follow so as to not end up making your eyes look they are drooping downward or flat! Pick that line upwards, imagine you are going to continue it out to where your eyebrow ends. Getting this right takes much practice, as will deciding how thick or thin the eyeliner suits your eye. Practice is the key here and when you do get it bang on you feel like a champ! So keep trying!

8. I next applied Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Liner Pencil in 011 Sable Brown which is a lovely chocolatey brown on my waterline and my under eye line. I prefer a brown liner underneath eyes for daywear as it is much more subtle, and if you are a green eyed girlie like me then the two will complement each other very well! I love the Rimmel kohl pencils, they blend and smudge really well which makes them perfect for evening wear too when creating smokey effects.






















9. On my bottom lashes I applied Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara in black. I always do my bottom lashes first, as they will dry slightly quicker, then I generally move onto blusher etc, and come back when they are dry and curl my upper lashes and apply mascara there then. I absolutely hate when eyelashes stick together with wet mascara!


10. To contour my cheeks a little I again used Mac Harmony Blush just under my cheekbones, blended out to the ear, slightly also on my temples and under my jawline. To do this I used a soft dome headed Sephora Contour Brush. Contouring is also a fine art which takes practice, so be very light handed until you get the hang of it. One of the best Youtube tutorials I have seen on contouring and highlighting is from Petrilude, check it out here  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqCDhUsVwFw

As I was feeling so summery, I decided against a typical champagne/shimmer highlight and opted for a bronze alternative. I chose Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst (even the name is dreamy!) which is a compact shimmer powder wheel infusing a pink, and three variant goldish-browns, designed to be swirled all together and dusted over wherever you want a boost of bronze glowing colour! I used my large head Sephora Powder Brush as above to apply this. I dusted this right across the apples of my cheeks to my cheekbones and upwards, a little across my hairline on my forehead, and down the bridge of my nose. With such dense shimmer in this product it is easy to get a little heavy handed, so always remember with any product it's easy to put more on, but not so easy to take it off.

To finish off my cheeks I used my favourite blush! Mac Mineralize Blush in Utterly Game which is a gorgeous peachy/coral tone. I used a Mac 129 to apply just on the apples of my cheeks. I find with my yellow toned skin that the peach tones suit me better, I find pink blushers sometimes wash me out. A nice bright coral is always gorgeous for summer warmth, especially if you are using a cream formula blush which will hold that fresh dewy look better than a powder.


11. To finish the look I settled on two lipglosses, because one just wasn't enough! I used Mac Plushglass in Ample Pink all over my lips and Mac Lipglass in Underage on the middle of my bottom lip and on my cupid's bow to (hopefully!) make my lips look a little fuller!

So there we have it, just over ten steps to a simple daytime makeup! This look here, perhaps minus the gel liner, would be my daily makeup routine and only takes me about 12 minutes.
Let me know your favourite daytime/summery products?!

May 2012 - Favorite Product

Maybelline - The Colossal Volume Express Mascara - Cat Eyes

This mascara definitely deserves it's place as my (first!) favorite product of the month. I love trying new mascaras, and with so many on the market I think a girl can never have too many! I find myself reaching for this one daily when doing my own makeup which is always a good sign! The concave curve on the brush, combined with it's length make it (almost) perfect for sweeping all lashes upwards in one stroke. For a more dramatic effect you can focus the brush separately on the three sections of your eyelashes, inner, middle, and outer corner. For me personally, I think you can never have too many layers of mascara on, and I think that this one from the "Cat Eyes Collection" is a great all rounder. It can be used softly for those who prefer a more subtle approach to their peepers: 

Daytime look

Or for fellow mascara junkies like me, you will find it builds and layers really well also.

Heavier application

Honestly, I don't think it really hits the 7x more volume like they say in the advert, but hey, do they ever? :) Overall a great high street mascara. 

Price: 12.39

Size: 9.5ml

Rating: 4.5/5, I really can't fault it. Some minor drop-down and flaking, but after many hours of wear.

Would I purchase again? Most def!

Comparison shot