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Quick Fixes for Broken Beauty Favorites

02/11/14 | Amazon Prime, Beauty, Chanel, DIY, Sephora, stila

Every once in a while one of your favorite, go-to beauty products break. In the past I have tried to get the remainder of the product out and if it did not work then I simply tossed them.  Over Christmas break two of my beauty favorites broke in the same week – my favorite highlight eyeshadow and my go-to perfume.  I brought both to Sephora, the place I purchased them, and the sales assistant said there was nothing they could do.

I then decided to turn to my DIY Pinerest board and see if I could find any fixes. Nope.  I then decided to search online and within five minutes I found two fixes, one for each.  What did we do before Google?  The first easy fix I found was for my broken eyeshadow.   I followed the step by step instructions of Erica’s YouTube video, but hey, who has five minutes to watch a video?  I have broken it out into eight simple steps. I am not an expert DIY-er, I firmly plant my feet in the novice section and even I could do this!

How to Fix a Broken or Cracked Eyeshadow Infographic
Steps to Fix a Broken Eyeshadow:   

(1)  Collect Your Tools:  You will need the broken eyeshadow, a makeup brush with a rounded end, and some rubbing alcohol. Not pictured – you need papertowels and I ended up needing a spatula as well.

(2) Gather as much of the crushed eyeshadow as you can into the pan

(3) Use the back end of the makeup brush to completely crush all of the shadow so it is entirely powder.

(4) Pour the alcohol into the cap and then into the eyeshadow – you only need few drops!

(5) Use the makeup brush again swirl the alcohol around and create a thick paste.  (I had so much product on the brush that I used a spatula to transfer as much as possible back into the pan).

(6) [not shown]  Drop the pan many times on a hard surface to level out the surface of the eyeshadow paste

(7) After waiting one hour use a paper towel to firmly pack down the eyeshadow into the pan

(8) Wait one full day for the remainder of the alcohol to absorb

(9) Enjoy your new eyeshadow!

My next broken beauty favorite was actually much more difficult.  When my bottle of  decided to take a dive off my vanity my first though was please don’t shatter! Well, it did not but it dislodged the little stray/pump thing that allows you to get the perfume from the bottom of the bottle.  Like I mentioned before, the ladies Sephora said there was nothing they could do but they did offer to sell me a new one.

Since this perfume is NOT cheap I was determined to find a way to fix it and when I saw someone post a Wiki answer that they transferred theirs into a vintage bottle I knew that was my solution.  I ordered a Glass Perfume Bottle with Spray Atomizer from Amazon and set about the transfer.

Broken Perfume Bottle
Broken Perfume Bottle

Honestly, breaking open a perfume bottle was much harder than I would have imagined. For some reason I was under the impression I might have just been able unscrew it or something?  Wrong.  It took a knife, a pair of pliers, and a great deal of strength to get that top off.  In my efforts I actually broke the glass taking off the top.

Broken Perfume Bottle
Broken Perfume Bottle

Well there you go, two easy fixes for broken beauty favorites! 

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Comments

  1. ElleSees.blogspot.com says

    February 13, 2014 at 12:38 am

    i have an old post on this! ya should’ve checked me out first! πŸ˜‰ glad it worked out for ya.

    • Kelly says

      February 13, 2014 at 12:35 pm

      Goodness, I wish I would have known! I should have figured though, you are the queen of beauty!

  2. Jamie says

    February 12, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    wow, these are some great beauty fix advice! thank you! xo
    Jamie
    http://www.candystilettos.com

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:26 pm

      Thanks Jamie!

  3. Michael says

    February 12, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    Nice job! Atomizers and much facier and prettier anyway!

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:25 pm

      I agree, I have a blast using it – I feel so fancy!

  4. Lubka Christova says

    February 12, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    That’s a great post with tips. I normally end up throwing away broken shadows and perfumes. Thanks a lot for sharing πŸ™‚

    Lu. http://www.balgarka.co.uk

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:25 pm

      You are welcome Lubka!

  5. Charnele Michel says

    February 12, 2014 at 8:06 am

    I never knew alcohol could fix broken eye shadow ! Thanks for the tips

    xo,
    ChaChaTheFashionGenius.com

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:25 pm

      Absolutely!

  6. Jenna says

    February 12, 2014 at 7:58 am

    Amazing! I will be using eyeshadow one. I crack mine so often!

    Jenna || Jennafifi.co.uk

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:25 pm

      I am glad I could help!

  7. natalie says

    February 12, 2014 at 5:24 am

    this will be a life saver for the day i crack my eye shadows!!!
    great post
    x

    http://anoddgirl.blogspot.com.au

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:25 pm

      For me it happened sooner than I would have thought, whoops!

  8. Rekha Monger says

    February 12, 2014 at 12:22 am

    Such great ideas/….I’ve been meaning to fix my broken eye shadow. This post came right on time. Thanks so much.

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:24 pm

      Absolutely!

  9. Rachel says

    February 11, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    this post was intense. seriously, the eye shadow fixing? mind. blown.

    rachel

    thegystofthings.blog.com

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:24 pm

      Haha, that is what I thought, thanks Rachel!

  10. Kiri Yanchenko says

    February 11, 2014 at 11:29 pm

    These are really great ideas!!
    Kiri
    http://www.fashionblender.com.au
    http://www.facebook.com/FashionBlender

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:23 pm

      Thanks Kiri, I am glad you agree!

  11. Angela Keeley-White says

    February 11, 2014 at 11:22 pm

    These are such great tips!!!! i’ll definitely use the one for the eye shadow πŸ™‚

    xo,
    Angela

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:23 pm

      Thanks Angela, you should really try it out!

  12. Emma says

    February 11, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    Ok wow! Love this post

    With A City Dream

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:23 pm

      Thanks Emma!

  13. jackie jade says

    February 11, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    oooh good tips! and i love chanel chance – my fave perfume ever (and yeah, definitely not cheap!)

    • Kelly says

      February 12, 2014 at 11:23 pm

      Me too! Some people say it is to juvenile but I disagree!

  14. Kacie's Kloset says

    February 11, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    Great tips! I need to use the eyeshadow trick!

    http://kacieskloset.blogspot.com/

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:35 pm

      It was so easy, thanks Kacie!

  15. Jessica says

    February 11, 2014 at 5:46 pm

    Great ideas! Thanks for sharing. It is so easy to break eyeshadow!

    Jessica @ Sunny Days and Starry
    Nights

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:35 pm

      I am so glad you agree – I do it more often than I am willing to admit!

  16. Clever Girl Reviews says

    February 11, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    Great idea about the perfume!
    http://www.clevergirlreviews.com

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:36 pm

      Thanks so much Erin!

      • Clever Girl Reviews says

        February 12, 2014 at 2:40 am

        No problem, perfume is one of my passions! Luckily, I’ve never had a broken bottle personally.
        http://www.clevergirlreviews.com

  17. svetlana says

    February 11, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    Thats a great idea, thank you!

    I am such a lucky person that most eyeshadows of me really fall down and break into thousand pieces πŸ˜€

    HUgs

    Svetlana from Lavender Star

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:36 pm

      Thanks Svetlana, I am glad you agree!

  18. Alexa says

    February 11, 2014 at 3:50 pm

    I am SO glad you posted this! I just bought new makeup, and the same day I dropped it. So frustrating! Thanks so much!

    http://www.writteninthemidst.blogspot.com

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:36 pm

      We are in the same boat, good luck Alexa!

  19. nancy @ adore to adorn says

    February 11, 2014 at 3:49 pm

    such smart fixes. I didn’t know about the broken perfume beauty idea. That’s genius. =)

    xo,
    nancy

    http://www.adoretoadorn.com

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:40 pm

      Thanks Nancy, I am glad I could help!

  20. Brittany conners says

    February 11, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    I’ve tried the eye shadow trick before and it works so well. I figured it would be an epic fail but fortunatley it wasn’t πŸ™‚ BTW Chance is my fav , I would’ve freaked while I watched it slowly fall of the vanity lol

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:41 pm

      I am so glad we are on the same page, Brittany!

  21. Sarah C says

    February 11, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    Great tips, especially the eyeshadow one!

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:41 pm

      Thanks Sarah!

  22. Sheila says

    February 11, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    Great tips!! I heard that Stila Kitten shadow is notorious on breaking/shattering like that. Great fix though!

    xo – Sheila
    http://www.sheislovelyblog.com

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:42 pm

      I heard that too today from a couple of readers – it makes me feel so much better!

  23. Amanda Elizabeth says

    February 11, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    I cannot begin to tell you how many bronzers I have broken when they have taken tumbles off my bathroom sink…I’m so glad to know that pinterest link I pinned actually works πŸ˜‰

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:42 pm

      It does indeed!

  24. Cydney says

    February 11, 2014 at 11:50 am

    These are amazing tips! I’m constantly dropping my makeup bag and needing to repair things! Thanks for sharing! And thank you for stopping by my blog yesterday! XO

    Simply Cydney

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:42 pm

      Thanks Cydney, I’m happy to have you!

  25. Sharon says

    February 11, 2014 at 11:50 am

    Definitely going to do this the next time an eyeshadow breaks on me!

    -Sharon
    The Tiny Heart
    Target Giveaway!

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:44 pm

      You should and let me know how it works!

  26. Misty, Handbags + Handguns says

    February 11, 2014 at 11:06 am

    I need to try the eye shadow trick. I have a thing of bronzer that’s all broken too. πŸ™

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:44 pm

      I bet it will work on that too!

  27. Always Maylee says

    February 11, 2014 at 10:44 am

    I love the eyeshadow tip because that happens to me all the time!

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:44 pm

      Thanks Yi-Chia!

  28. Rachel says

    February 11, 2014 at 10:41 am

    This is super helpful because this happens to me every-so-often

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:45 pm

      Thanks Rachel! I always learn so much from your blog I am glad I was able to share something!

  29. Niki Caron says

    February 11, 2014 at 10:20 am

    My Stila eyeshadows are constantly falling apart! They’re such beautiful eye shadows and they’re so soft and easy to blend on the eye, but they are always breaking up on me! This is great advice and I will definitely try it!

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      The best part is, it is still soft and blenadable post-fix!

  30. Maya says

    February 11, 2014 at 8:57 am

    Wow really great idea with the eye shadow!

    Great post!

    http://myfashionfoodstyle.blogspot.co.il/

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks Maya!

  31. Pamela Shea says

    February 11, 2014 at 8:33 am

    Great tips…will it work for broken blush as well?

    • Kelly says

      February 11, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      I would bet it does, just be sure not to use too much alcohol!

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog founded in 2012.Β  After six years of living in London I am back in New York with my husband and two littles!Β 

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