My Depotting Experience: Photo & Tips!

I can admit it: I am an organization freak. I enjoy organizing my things, I enjoy nothing more than a clean desk/dresser/countertop. Clutter distracts me and drives me crazy! So when I saw an article in a magazine a few weeks back about depotting and creating your own makeup palette, I was extremely interested.

I quickly turned to the places all scholars look to for answers: Google and YouTube. Duh! I found a million depotting tutorials for all different brands. I have been looking at reviews for different palettes, namely Z-Palette and MAC palettes, for at least two months. After picking up a few new NYX trios last week and having them barely fit into my eyeshadow basket, I decided it was time to suck it up and commit to a palette. I ordered two Z-Palettes through LeCosmetique (free shipping $25+!). I chose a Large one to house most of my shadows and a Small for my dailies/travel purposes.

I decided to start depotting last night, before my palettes even arrived, just to see how difficult it was going to be. I chose an older Kat Von D palette of mine that I wouldn't be horribly upset about if my attempt went awry, because I've hit pan on half the shadows anyway. I did find a tutorial for it online that showed the inner casing of the palette popping out easily, but my palette wasn't constructed that way. I removed the top of the palette to make it easier to work with and peeled the stickers off of the back of the tray. Then, I used the candle method with a pair of my fiance's pliers to hold the tray safely. Once I could see the bottom of the tray starting to look soft and develop some lines in it, I moved the tray to over a paper towel and poked at the back with a knife.  When done correctly, each pan area was warm enough and pliable, so it wasn't much work to get them out.

Depotted Kat Von D Palette. Success!

After depotting my Kat Von D palette, I moved on to my MAC and Urban Decay singles. These were so easy! The MAC shadows popped right out of the casing with a nail file. Urban Decay singles were more difficult and just required more patience to wedge my tool in between the outer plastic and inner pod. Once popped out, I used the candle method again. These melted in 10 seconds or less, so keep an eye on them!

I knew from reading tutorials around the blogosphere that the pans would be hot after popping out, so I was very careful about gingerly popping them out and trying to "land" them softly. I used a pair of pliers to flip them right side up and didn't attempt to clean the glue off of the bottoms until I was certain they were cooled.

All in all, depotting was not as painful as I thought it would be! Here are my tips for anyone looking to try it out for themselves:

Depotting Tips:

• Try it with a shadow you aren't totally in love with, just in case it breaks. You can always fix the shadow with rubbing alcohol and a spoon/coin, but I find it heartbreaking anyway. Avoid the whole issue by using something you won't be upset over potentially shattering.
• Make sure the tool you use to separate the shadow from the larger packaging has a sturdy handle. The nail tool I used at first was from a cheap travel set and the plastic handle broke during use. Yikes! 
• If you are using the candle method, make sure you have a sturdy set of tongs or pliers with a handle that will stay cool. This protects you from getting burned.
• Keep an eye on the bottom of the shadow you are heating up. Not all packaging is the same thickness, so some shadows may be ready to go quicker than others.
• If you are working with a palette, concentrate on having the flame directly under one or two shadows at a time. I slowly circled between two shadows at a time with my Kat Von D palette and they both came out easily each time.
• Use something with a long handle to poke the shadows out from the back of the melted packaging. I know some people use thumbtacks, which is the perfect tool because it is sharp and will go through the melted plastic, but I wouldn't want my fingers that close to the hot plastic! I used a steak knife and it worked out fine.
• Set up a soft surface for your shadows to "land" on. One hand will be holding the shadow packaging, and your other hand will be poking the shadow out from the back. Unless you have an assistant, this means your shadow kind of falls. Set up a towel or something soft to minimize the impact.
• Have patience! :)

That's all the tips I have for now... I will certainly edit if I come up with more after my next round of depotting. My Z-Palettes arrived in the mail today and I can't wait to get home, slap magnets on the backs of my depotted shadows, and get them set up!

Have you depotted anything before? Do you love it or wish you left your shadows alone?

XO
Beauty Cents
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