Pressed Mineral Makeup

Mineral makeup often arrives loose, in a small plastic jar. The lack of additives and fillers don’t hold it together, except for an occasional clump. It also doesn’t tend to flow through a shaker quite as smoothly (as brands containing additives), for the same reasons.

All of that is great news for the skin and the environment. But if you don’t have a steady hand, not so much for your countertops. I like eye shadow to be contained in a jar, and applied with a brush. My mother-in-law has other ideas. She called and said, “Christi, this mineral makeup stuff is all over my bathroom! Isn’t there something better?”

Well, yes there is. If you really like mineral makeup, but don’t like loose power, try pressed palettes. Pressed shadows are made from the same minerals as loose mineral eye shadows. But treated with a solution to make the minerals stick together. Sarah Waller, at Sweet Libertine, offers eye shadow pallets in different color combinations and sizes.

The pallets come in a magnetic pan. So you can change them out. Or replace them one at a time. Sarah uses pans that are interchangeable with MAC cosmetics pallets. So if you already have one, you could order just the shadows.

Thirty-two total colors are available from Sweet Libertine. But don’t get too excited about the glitters unless you don’t mind them being loose. They cannot be pressed.

I tried the pressed shadows for a week. They have a very similar feel to loose mineral eye shadows. The powder comes off on a brush very freely. And the first time I used them I ended up having too much and having to tap the brush off. I also did end up with some of it on my countertop. But after the initial application, I was prepared for the shadow to come off freely, and didn’t overdo it the next time.

I especially like the Thai Silk eye shadow, and use it as a liner. It is a hard to find shade. And that appeals to me.

There’s a sale going on, just in time for the holidays. And if you like her, you could even tell your mother-in-law.