Whenever I publish a post on a powdered cosmetic (like mineral makeup, blush, or eye shadow), questions about how to transform it into a pressed powder quickly follow. In the past I’ve tried mixing powdered cosmetics with high proof alcohol to turn them into a paste before packing them into compacts to dry, but that never worked the way way you’d hope (the colour and texture of the makeup would change, and it was prone to shattering). As I’ve been writing my book I’ve come across a better way to turn loose powders into pressed powders that are super creamy and don’t shatter if you look at them sideways, and I wanted to share!
You can do this with any relatively creamy cosmetic powder—mineral makeup, blush, bronzer, highlighter, and eye shadow are all great options. I’d stay away from drier powders, like setting powder, since those are designed to absorb excess oils and we’ll be adding oils as part of the pressing process. My book is packed with loads of new powdered cosmetic recipes that you can press, but there’s also plenty available here right now 🙂 You can also use loose cosmetics you’ve purchased.
I got my little pressing tool from Saffire Blue, and I’ve noticed TKB trading sells the exact same one.
To start with, you’ll need a binding powder: either magnesium stearate or zinc stearate. Both are salts of stearic acid: magnesium stearate being a magnesium salt, and zinc stearate being a zinc salt. Stearic acid is a fatty acid naturally found in fats like cocoa butter (USA / Canada) and beef tallow, so if the origin of the stearic acid matters to you, be sure to check with your supplier (I’ve yet to find either magnesium stearate or zinc stearate made with animal derived stearic acid). Magnesium Stearate gets a 1/10 on Skin Deep, and Zinc Stearate gets a 2/10, so they’re both safe to use.
Weigh out the makeup and the binding powder.
I’ve used magnesium stearate elsewhere on the blog for loads of cosmetics as it increases slip (makes things feel lovely going on) and adhesion (how long cosmetics stay on the skin). Used in larger quantities that creaminess it brings helps us pack the powder together and have it stay that way. Magnesium stearate and zinc stearate are the only two binding powders I have experience with, so I cannot comment on or suggest any alternatives. Out of the two I’m partial to magnesium stearate because it’s already so darn useful; if you’re planning on buying my book (which you totally should!) I promise you won’t regret having it on hand 🙂
Dropping in the [sv slug="jojoba-oil"]
For materials you’ll need a DIY only coffee grinder, some sort of a tamping/pressing tool (I purchased mine and looks like a quarter with a knob on it, but the back of a reasonably flat spoon will also work), and some jojoba oil (USA / Canada). And your compact, of course—mine is a lovely vintage one I got as a gift. If you don’t have a DIY coffee grinder you can smoosh everything together in a plastic sandwich bag instead, but if you’re keen on making your own makeup you really should pick up a coffee grinder for your DIYing!
Once the powder starts to pack onto the sides of your grinder and is crumbly when you stir it, it’s ready to press.
Now, to turn loose powders into pressed powders! You’ll need to combine 90% makeup powder with 10% binding powder (by weight). I used 9g of my mineral makeup and 1g magnesium stearate (0.31oz makeup & 0.03oz magnesium stearate). You’ll need more makeup than you think you will, it shrinks a lot when you start packing it down! My compact is approximately 5.8cm × 5cm (2¼” × 2″) and just a few millimetres deep, and I still didn’t quite fill it.
You’ll be amazed how much makeup you can cram into a tiny pressing dish! Here’s the first layer, scattered evenly around.
Combine the makeup and the binding powder in your coffee grinder and blend them together. Once that’s all uniform, add a few drops of jojoba oil (USA / Canada)—I used ~25 for the 10g of powders I was working with. Take care not to add too much oil or your makeup will get rather putty-like and won’t stick to itself, preferring the parchment instead. Blend the jojoba oil (USA / Canada) in, taking the time to stop the grinder and stir everything in the grinder around to make sure you’re getting an even blend. Once your powder looks a bit crumbly and chunky, sort of like biscuit dough, and it’s starting to pack down to the sides of the coffee grinder, you’re reading to start pressing.
Pressing away. The parchment helps keep the makeup from sticking to your pressing tool.
Spoon a light layer across the bottom of your compact, doing your best to spread it evenly. Lay a small piece of parchment or wax paper down over the makeup and use your pressing tool to smoosh it down, starting gently and using more force as you go. You want to press the makeup in three or four thin layers, so start relatively slowly and add more makeup as it packs down, filling in holes and evening out thin spots. Once you’ve got all the makeup in the compact go over it again several times, as firmly as you can, paying special attention to corners and edges (you may need to use a sharp-tipped spoon to get into the corners if your pressing tool is round.
More layers of makeup!
And that’s it! I am so smitten with my pressed mineral makeup; it’s silky smooth and easily applies in thin layers with a kabuki brush (I have this one from Sigma and I love it). It’s definitely my go-to format for travel, and I’m so thrilled I’m able to use the beautiful antique compact on a daily basis. If you want to dress your powder up with a bit of a fancy topping texture you can do a final press with a piece of woven fabric for the woven look many shop-bought pressed powders come with 🙂
Your coffee grinder will be caked in makeup when you’re done, and that can be a pain to clean up. Ashlynn shared a grinder cleaning tip that’s easily the best way I’ve found to clean messes of this magnitude. Simply whir a tablespoon or two of rice through your grinder until it’s a fine powder. The rice will pick up the excess powder and oil, and after the dust settles all you have to do is dust it out!
My manuscript is due tomorrow (eep!), so I’ve been working hard on it for the last few weeks (hence the relative radio silence on comments and whatnot) and I’ll be working hard on it today. I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself when it’s done, but I’m beyond excited to share it with you guys. Once the manuscript is done it goes into design and then printing, so there’s still a good six months or so before it comes out, but manuscript submission marks the end of my biggest involvement in this process. EXCITING! I’ll be sure to let you know when I have information about pre-orders, availability, and all that other good stuff 🙂
Action shot! Whenever you work with fine powders you need to be sure you’re wearing a dust mask so you don’t inhale them.
OMG, Marie! This is too funny. I’ve been trying to press my (your) homemade mineral powder for the past four months. I’ve gone through SO much product (and maybe a few tears if we’re being honest). I could never prevent the alcohol method from cracking and my oil attempts were always way too hard. I reached out to TKB and they suggested Zinc Stearate as well. Still no luck. At this point I was resolved to just put down the pressing pans and wait *patiently* for your book.
Then, finally…literally YESTERDAY… Success!! I ended up using a combo of zinc and magnesium stearate and very little fractionated coconut oil. I really love the added slip from the FCO. Now that I’ve got my method down, I’ll go back to the jojoba and give that another go. Time to start searching the thrift stores for vintage compacts!
Thank you for all your awesome insight! You’re such an inspiration and I seriously can’t wait for the book!
Fantastic! What’s the rationale between the use of both stearates? How does that differ from just using one?
No rational at all! I just had both and I was trying to hedge my bet. They seem to be pretty similar to me. I ran out of magnesium stearate so I’m going to try just zinc next to see if I get the same result. I’ve been pressing like mad for the past week and totally neglecting work. It’s been fabulous! 🙂
Cool! I definitely make decisions the same way, so I get it 😛 I’ve pressed with both and I think the magnesium stearate yields creamier results, but that might just be me 🙂
I’ve been pressing like mad neglecting work as well!! Haha! So I’ve also been experimenting with both and each magnesium stearate and zinc stearate. Zinc stearate has been yielding a starchy texture while magnesium stearate is nice and creamy, so I’m happy I ordered 4oz of it and 1oz of zinc! I think a smal amount (about 5%) does help out with keeping it together. I did actually add 5% arrowroot to my blush before pressing and it turned out incredibly smooth and silky!
OOooh, now I’m determined to try a blend of the two as well… and to think I just put all my makeup materials away and reclaimed my kitchen 😛 OH WELL hahahaha.
Thank you for all your gifts!! You are amazingly talented, brilliant, kind, generous and beautiful!!! So excited to read that the book is almost done!! I will love the book but hope your blog continues since I feel that you are family now!
Thank you so much, Leslie! I certainly have no intentions of shutting down Humblebee & Me—in fact, I hope to grow it!
Hi Marie, love getting your special emails!! I have a question….I’ve heard several sources say that they do not grind the mica because it destroys the layered form of it, and makes it less luminous/reflective. I tend to agree…I’ve seen the difference! So when I’m gringing everything else, how/when do I incorporate the mica so it is thoroughly mixed? Because let’s face it, nothing blends as thoroughly as a blender. Most of the time I just say screw it, and add extra shimmer to make up for the loss, and blend the mica anyway. Do you have any better ways to blend in the mica? The only alternative I’ve heard is “smooshing it in a bag” which doesn’t seem so thorough. Thank you my dear!
Hey Mickey! I must admit, like you, I am generally not that fussed with a wee loss of sparkle 😛 Fortunately, micas are already pre-processed (so unlike oxides they don’t need to be ground up) and I find they stir into powders pretty well. You can try the baggie smoosh method, simply stir them in, or pop everything into a lidded container that’ll have a bit of air space and shake everything together.
Wow Marie look at you go! I’ve been hot on the trail of learning to press as well the last couple of weeks and I’m so close, but this really helped me a lot, thank you for sharing this right now! And thank you for including my tip! I hope it helps everyone out in their makeup cleanup! So exciting so see and hear about your progress!
I do have both magnesium and zinc stearate, and magnesium stearate is already in my mineral foundation blend. Would I still be adding the amount here that you did? Also, C-clamps or presses like the Wolfcraft quick action vice help A LOT with pressing since it requires so much pressure! Your wrists and thumbs will be thankful lol.
How funny! Perhaps spring is the season of pressed powders? ;P
I did not alter the amount of magnesium stearate added to the finished powder even though my base recipes already include it (though generally not in any large amounts). You probably could and should if you use a lot of magnesium stearate or you’ll end up with quite a creamy powder, which you may or may not want.
I might look into a clamp or two from Home Depot to help with pressing overnight; that travel palette I made for myself has rather crumbly edges now that I’m really banging it around 😛 It also looks filthy because it’s a black glitter palette from TKB and that glitter just seems to grab the powders like sandpaper.
Hey Ashlynn! Got a question for ya. You mentioned the Wolfcraft quick action vice might be a help; I was looking at those & was trying to figure out which one would work for compacts. Do you have one & if so, which do you use? Otherwise, I was thinking the mini one-hand clamps might work for pressing. I’ve never used one so what’s your thots on that? P.s. Thanx for the tip on cleaning out the coffee grinder! What a help!
Hi Abygale! I am waiting for mine to come in the mail! In the meantime, I have been using the press pack Tampering tool from TKB trading. I ended up super gluing two of the tiles together (I ordered additional tiles) to get a more even press. I found that the knob-top tamper tools don’t press the larger pans evenly, but works well for the 36mm pans and smaller. You can see the Wolfcraft in action on the LisaLise Blog!I have been chatting with her about the Wolfcraft vice and how it works and she really loves it! I haven’t tried the one hand clamps for fear of denting the bottom of the pan. If you try this, please let me know! I have been inspecting several C-clamps but none are to my liking. I am not sure the Wolfcraft will be big enough to press the larger 57-59mm pans… This is what I am using to press my foundation into. I am glad the trick helped you! It sure is a time saver!
I just got my “press pak” in the mail from TKB & am so excited to start my venture with “pressing powders!” Up till now I’ve only done loose mineral make-up. Thank U for sharing your “insights” too on Marie’s blog. I will check out LisaLise’s Blog on the Wolfcraft she is using — I had ordered the larger tamping tool (57mm), now after what you shared, I wish I would have gotten the smaller one, but I’ll give it a go anyway. I’ll probably have to use a spoon somewhere along the line (LOL). If I decide to try a hand press, I will let you know how it goes; in the meantime, “press on.” 😉
Ah very good! I hope it works well for you! Let us know how it goes! =D “press on”!
Can’t wait for your book! I know it will be amazing
Thanks so much, Lauren Ann! I can’t wait to see the final product 🙂
Congrats Marie for submitting your manuscript! This is so exciting! I can’t wait to buy it – you have been such an amazing source of all things DIY and I so look forward to your weekly posts. You are awesome 🙂
Thanks so much, Laura! I’m beyond stoked to hold the final product in my hands and share it with everybody 😀
Hello Marie, made your airbrushing powder into a pressed powder but think it’s just a little bit ferm (when it has settled down after an hour or two) do you have a tip to make it slightly creamier ? Followed your recipe to the letter for the two things 😉
Hmm. This usually happens if you add a bit too much liquid oil (the amount needed varies by recipe since some ingredients absorb more than others)—then you’ll end up with a powder that presses a bit too well and ends up a bit like concrete. You can try blitzing it back up in your makeup coffee grinder and try again with less muscle behind it.
Hi Marie,
I’ve been reading your blog for years, and creating items based on your recipes. I really want to make the mineral foundations and concealers, however they all seem to have titanium dioxide in them. As this was recently classified as potentially carcinogenic to humans, I don’t want to take any chances… Are there any substitutes to this? Thank you!
Hey Sarah! I’ve written an FAQ on this 🙂
In reference to pressing the powders – if you have a silicone or plastic disc that fits the right size pan use a sandwich press to compress the powder in layers. Basically you are squeezing the air out of the particles to make it pressed. Works a treat. You can also use a spreader clamp – get these cheap at the hardware store – get amazing pressing power from these.
Thanks, Sarah!
Thanks so much! I love the results from making my loose mineral powder into pressed- my only issue is that i think the jojoba oil clogs my pores. I get little bumps- is there another oil that will work also, like hemp or grapeseed? Please let me know what you think!
I’d probably recommend fractionated coconut oil as good alternative—it also has a nice, long shelf life like jojoba. You could also try isopropyl myristate.
I absolutely love your articles! I’ve struggled with pressed powders, especially matte eyeshadows forever. I’m excited to use your method to grow my Etsy business. I also signed up to pre-order your book. Congrats 🙂
Thanks, Jennifer! Happy making 😀 DIY makeup FTW!
This is so useful! Quick question, is zinc oxide a good substitute for titanium dioxide? Like in liquid foundations and things, if I mix it in thoroughly. I am concerned about the cancer risks of titanium dioxide. (or is there another substitute you know of)
Thanks so much!
-Kathryn
Hey Kathryn! It’s not at all—read this and this for more information. The concerns about TD are really not relevant to normal human use; the study everybody references was in rats, and was for extended, high-dose exposure to micronized TD, which I never use or call for. Hope that helps!
Okay, thanks so much! I am going to add titanium dioxide to my crafting cabinet soon! yay!:)
Awesome! I think you will love it 🙂 Just be sure to get a dust mask—not just for it, but for all fine powders—we don’t want any of them in our lungs!
Absolutely! I have masks for my mineral makeup making 🙂 I have the lighter doctor ones and the hard core dust mask types (which are not the most comfortable lol). Thanks for the reminder! I preordered your books and am ecstatic for it to arrive and the book plate too!!
Awesome! Thank you so much for pre-order, too—it’s hugely appreciated! 😀
Hi! I pressed my mineral blush this morning but if just don’t dry…It stays like a cream. Maybe because of the jojoba oil? I don’t know what to do! Does it usually take long to completely dry? Thank you! I LOVE your website, I’ve tried many of your recipes and they all turned great 🙂
Hey Zoe! It sounds like you may’ve used too much oil this go around; try using less next time 🙂 It shouldn’t need to dry at all. Your new cream blush should still be lovely to use, though! Happy making and thanks for DIYing with me 🙂
Yes Marie, I really love it! Making mistakes is a good way to discover some new recipes. I just received your book Make It Up, I ordered it last week – it is simply amazing! Can’t wait to make my own makeup from A to Z. It’s so exciting,I just want to try everything, I don’t even know where to start! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences -Xx-
Thank you so much! Have fun making makeup 🙂 I still fall in love with DIY liquid foundation every time I make a new batch—swoon!
I cannot get either calcium carbonate or boron nitride, is there any substitute?
TIA
I’m assuming you’re talking about Make it Up, not this blog post? I wrote an article on substitutes for Make it Up here 🙂
Hi Marie!
Quick Question and hopefully a solution. So I buy a particular mineral foundation brand which I would love to press based on your concept. So in the ingredient list of the brand I use, it already has magnesium stearate ( fourth ingredient since zinc, titanium, and mica are the first three). If I buy zinc stearate, how much do you think I would have to add to it? Th brand I get has 30 grams volume and 10 grams of net weight. Also, is there anything you recommend to add as an ingredient to prevent mineral makeup from separating?I have noticed that mineral makeup tends to separate really bad on me. I hate by the mid day it looks like it has been sitting my face and moving around which looks horrible and cakey! Thanks! Nina
I’m afraid I really can’t offer much without the precise composition of the product. You can definitely add until you get the right feel, but you will need to experiment to get there. I’ve never experienced separation with my recipe, but again… you aren’t using my recipe, so I really don’t know. Sorry!
I have purchased your book and it is just wonderful. I was just wondering do you have any suggestions on a base and pressing matte shadows? I used the base from the book but it cracked and got that hard oily top that some shadows get. The base works great for all other types of eyeshadows and has by far been the best base. Thanks so much.
It sounds like you may want to try reducing the amount of oil you’re using while pressing. Are you using a pressing machine? If you’ve got WAY more force than I did your pressing results will also vary. Can you clarify what you are doing to create a “matte” shadow that is so different? My guess is that you’re only using pigments (no micas) to create the colour blends for the individual shadows, but I want to be sure 🙂
Yes I am not using micas only oxides and ultramarines. I did play around with it a little more and I think I might have found a good formula. No more cracking. I am also now using a clamp to set it overnight. Only issue I am having now is I feel that the eyeshadows feel kind of dry. The color is pigmented and the wear is quite long just wish it was a bit more luxurious feeling. Also when I press my mica based eyeshadows they seem to be really powdery. I get so much powder and I’m barely touching my brush to it. Any suggestions?Thanks so much for responding your insight has helped immensely
I’ve started shifting my ratios with the base—1 part base, 1 part mica, and perhaps a touch of supplementary oxide. I typically do 1/4 tsp each base and mica, and then ~1/64tsp oxide if I want to deepen the colour. That mix presses quite well with added magnesium stearate and jojoba oil.
If you want to increase creaminess but not decrease wear time you might look at incorporating some cyclomethicone; it’s quite volatile so it shouldn’t negatively impact wear time, but it will make things more rich and slippy for application 🙂
Hi Marie. Any chance you will do a video on pressing makeup? I know (at least in my searching) YouTube seriously lacks any really quality ones. I love the blog and book but definitely find the videos to be an added level of learning. YouTube in general seems to lack quality cosmetic making tutorials. Anyhow, just a thought/wish . Thanks for all you do!
I don’t, but I’ll add it to the list 🙂 Great suggestion!
I’d love to know where you got your dust mask from in the picture here? I bought one from a hardware store and I absolutely hate wearing it as I can barely see over the nose part and the one you are wearing looks like you have clear vision with it. It would have to be somewhere I could order online from as I live in the UK. Many thanks!
Mine was a gift, so I’m afraid I’m not sure where it came from—probably Canadian Home Depot? I know some have the filter out front and some come out to the sides like this—I’d guess the side option would be better for not obstructing vision? Perhaps try visiting a hardware store so you can try the different models on?
Hi AB,
Not sure if this reply is too late, but I only just came across it. I also live in the UK and I just bought a very similar looking mask from Screwfix. It’s specifically for fine powders, I’ve found it very comfortable to work in and it cost about £20. Well worth it! I was using disposable masks before, which didn’t really work. If it helps, I can supply details for you.
Hi Marie, I have a question about wearing dust masks while formulating with powders. It just doesn’t make sense why I would want to merrily dust it on my face when I had to use a mask to make it? What are your thoughts?
There’s a couple things at play here:
1) When it’s in a coffee grinder it is getting whirred up very aggressively, so large amounts will become airborne whenever you open the coffee grinder (especially if you whip the lid off as soon as you turn the grinder off).
2) It hasn’t yet been weighed down with the addition of liquid oils.
The risk is associated with inhalation of large amounts of airborne powers. When the product is done it is weighed down with the addition of liquid oils (so it’s unlikely to float up to your airways and then be inhaled and make it all the way down into your lungs), and we aren’t blowing it all into the air by whirring it around thousands of times a minute with fine blades.
Hi! I followed this recipe and my pressed powders turned out fantastic! I used a little coconut oil as well as the jojoba and chose magnesium stearate instead of zinc. Thank you so much for your help!
I was wondering how long they last? Do they go bad? And should I be adding any preservatives? Additionally, do you know what the implications of adding melted cocoa butter, instead of the jojoba oil would be? As I was hoping to give the pressed powder a nice scent. If you think this would negatively impact the pressed powder, what would you suggest in regard to making it smell nice?
Thank you so much for your help, and you’re amazing at what you do!
I’m so glad! Pressed powders typically last about a year, but that can vary with the pressing oil (longer short life oil = longer shelf life for the pressed powder & vice versa). You could add a broad spectrum preservative, but I opt not to and simply keep everything dry—if I want to wet line with an eyeshadow I remove some from the palette, get that wet, and discard any leftovers.
I would think you might need to work a bit faster with cocoa butter, especially if your workspace is cool, but it should work! It has a nice long shelf life, so that shouldn’t be impacted.
Happy making!
Just wanted to let you know – got your book. Absolutely amaziing! And now I need to do pressed powders. Another great idea. Thanks Marie!
Thank you so much, Laurie! I really appreciate your support and kind words 🙂
Hi there, are they any alternative item for powder binder?
There definitely are; whether they are available to home crafters is another matter. These two are the only two I have experimented with.
Hi! When you talk about adding drops of jojoba oil and say ~25 for 10 g, you mean 25 drops, I guess? Do you use a dropper or just pour from the bottle what seems a drop? My pressed powder turned so hard, so just try to understand where I messed !
Good morning Annie!
Yup! You got it! Approximately 25 drops for 10g of powder. Marie at one point explained that she uses a resuses a pipette for most of her carrier oils. She wraps an elastic band around her carrier oil bottle, and tucks the pipette in the band so it stays with just that carrier oil. Don’t forget to mix it well in the coffee grinder. She has some tricks about how to blend jojoba oil and powders in her book!
Hi Marie, just want to ask if I can substitute zinc stearate with magnesium myristate. Thank you!!
You can try it, though magnesium myristate is not typically recommended as a pressing binding agent 🙂 Let me know how it goes if you do!
Hi Marie, would you recommend using some isopropyl alcohol just lightly sprayed over each layer of loose powder just before you press it? It might add some moisture that won’t impact the consistency or texture of the final product, but will help with smoother press, thank you for a simple way to press loose powders!
That shouldn’t be necessary; I’ve found trying to press makeup with IPA usually doesn’t give the greatest end texture, though I haven’t tried combining IPA and this method. Let me know if you try it!
I also read that in some pressed powders isopropyl myristate is used to improve the texture, which was interesting, but I will give it a try and see how it turns out!
I’ve been trying it in a foundation and loving it! Please let me know how your powders turn out 🙂
I don’t have magnesium stearate, but I do have SERICITE PREMIUM MICA – COSMETIC FILLER (Mica, Lauroyl Lysine) from Voyageur. https://www.voyageursoapandcandle.com/products/sericite-premium-mica-cosmetic-filler
Do you think Sericite premium mica would work instead?
You can try it, but if that sericite mica is similar to regular sericite mica (and I suspect it is) I don’t think it will work well—it isn’t creamy and doesn’t have the stick that Magnesium Stearate does. Happy making!
I just read this post (thank you very much!) & wondered about the smell. I originally tried another trick of mixing isopropyl alcohol, jojoba oil & mineral powder & it formed really well, was perfect for travel. But it smelled really rancid. Brushes were clean, new bottle of jojoba. Would the alcohol have done this? I would love to try your recommendation with the magnesium stearate but I’m a bit nervous now because of my previous experience. Any advice? Thank you!
So VERY excited to make both pressed and cream make-ups for gifts this Christmas. I LOVED your idea of using vintage compacts to hold the make-up…so I’ve gone a bit eBay crazy with them. Any suggestions on how to clean & sanitize them for use?
Hey Angie! I’m already envious of your vintage compact collection 🙂 I’ve had good luck using high proof rubbing alcohol… if you can get it. Isododecane is also a fantastic solvent for stubborn and highly pigmented cosmetics! Please share some photos if you get a chance 😀
Thanks for the ideas, Marie! I will happily show pics once I get ’em all clean and happy…love my flea market finds much better when they are shined and prettied-up!