To prepare for my palette, I decided to start to de-pot my MAC eyeshadows. I thought this would also be a great opportunity to write up another tutorial.
What You Need:
- Scissors
- Magnets (I bought two sheets of magnet - 8.5" x 11" sheets - at Wal-Mart)
- Tweezers
- A tea-light candle
- A Pearing Knife
- A MAC Eye Shadow Pot
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
- Ensure you are working in a well-ventilated area. You are going to be melting plastic, which is a stinky business. You will smell fumes and burning plastic.
- Make sure the space you are working on is free of fire hazards. You will be working with an open flame.
- If you have long hair, tie your hair back so it does not fall into the candle flame.
- Have a fire extinguisher nearby. In the event something goes wrong, you need to make sure you are safe.
What To Do:
1. Pick up your MAC Eye Shadow and open it. Look at the area on the pot where the shadow opens from. You should see a line where the tray the Eye Shadow pan sits in fits into the pot. Stick the tip of your Knife in, and slowly wiggle it until the tray pops out of the pot:
2. Light your Tea-Light Candle. Using your Tweezers, pick up the plastic Eye Shadow pan at the side, and hold it 1.5" above the candle flame:
You want to gradually melt the centre of the plastic pan, so that a melted indent appears. This shouldn't take longer than a minute.
3. Holding opposing sides of the plastic pan in one hand with your Thumb and Index finger and the Knife in the other hand, push the tip of your Knife into the melted bottom of the plastic pan. If you've melted the pan well enough, the metal Eye Shadow pan should start to lift from the plastic pan. If the metal pan doesn't lift, melt the plastic pan a bit more. If the metal pan does lift, slip the Knife underneath the lifted portion to remove the metal pan completely from plastic one:
4. With the metal pan balancing on your Knife, flip it onto it's face on your work surface (the pan should be upside down - glue side up). You may need something to help un-stick the Knife from the back of the metal pan - the glue will be hot and sticky. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGERS - the pan will be hot and you will get burned.
5. Pick up the Eye Shadow pot, holding the lid. Heat up the bottom of the pot (label side) above the candle flame, about 1.5" above the flame. Move the bottom of the pot in small circles over the flame, so the sticker loosens evenly. You shouldn't need to do this for more than a minute. You will know your label is loose enough when it starts to bubble up and lift off of the bottom of the pot. Using your Tweezers, slowly peel the label from the bottom of the pot; if you have heated it well enough, the label should come off smoothly and won't tear.
6. Using the Tweezers, place the label on the bottom of your eyeshadow pan. Smooth the label into place using your finger. The glue on both the label and pan should help it adhere.
7. Cut a Magnet and adhere it to the bottom of the pan (most craft magnets are peel-and-stick). I usually cut a square that is as long as the pan is wide, and stick it just below the Eye Shadow name and Type.
8. Fit the pan into your palette. You're done!
NOTE: You may be able to return your empty Eye Shadow pot to your local MAC store as part of the Back 2 MAC program. But, to be sure, contact your store to find out what their policy is before you make a trip in. Some stores require a metal pan to be in the pot, otherwise they will not accept it.
I apologize for the lack of photos for the last few steps in the tutorial - my camera died!
If you are unclear about these directions or want to find a no-heat method of de-potting MAC Eye Shadows, you can find loads of helpful videos on YouTube.
Good Luck!
