I thought I'd better give a run down of what happened when I attempted to press my mineral eye shadows with the binder I got from Aromatics and More.

I think its just me, but it was a tad messy. I covered my table with white paper and at the end of it, it was like a kid's art project, with smudges all over.

I pressed my entire Elegant Brown Quad and the Stonewashed Nudes Palette. And I can't decide if it was a good thing or not because aesthetics matter. I'm anal that way.

So what happened was: I used a binder from Aromatics and more. I knew I was supposed to achieve a sandy, clayish consistency. Not mud. Except, with each pot, it was a little different. So the end result is not pretty. I messed up 2 -- too muddy -- and I didn't pack the eyeshadows in properly, so after pressing, there's little gaps around the edges. Also, a full jar of SN eyeshadow can deliver 1/2 a pan (I'm using the kind you can buy from Starsmakeuphaven, that says "fits mac palettes").

On the bright side, the color payout for the Elegant Brown Quad wasn't compromised. Its still the same velvety finish and great color payout. I can't say the same for my Basalt, or Cream. Somehow, they're not as dark as they used to be.

According to Karen from Silk Naturals (my mineral make up fairy godmother), the binder I used "didn't have anything that evaporates in it. That makes it really hard for mattes especially- they never quite have the same "zing" after pressing."

(If you're not on the Silk Naturals forum, get on it!!)

So that's it. I think I'm done with my pressing experiment. And yes, I know, I should have just done 1 pot, but then, apart from the aesthetics and loss of color payout from Basalt & Cream, the rest are fine.

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