how to fix a broken eyeshadow

Header: Credit: Shutterstock It can happen so quickly: you're getting ready at the mirror when you drop your favourite eyeshadow. All you can do is watch as it smashes into a powdery mess, right in front of your shadow-less eyes. If you love make-up, you'll know there's nothing quite as heart-breaking as opening your make-up bag to find your must-have eyeshadow cracked and crumbled to dust. Screen Shot 2015-09-25 at 09.57.08 Frustratingly, these little beauty disasters always seem to happen at the worst time. It's the day of that important job interview, you're late and rushing for the train or you're about to head out on a hot date and suddenly, you turn clumsy. Oops. Now that highly-pigmented powder is nothing but a waste. Before you throw that poor palette in the bin, wipe away those tears - we've got a trusty DIY trick to make that powder compact as good as new.

What You'll Need:

Screen Shot 2015-09-25 at 09.37.19 Surgical Spirit (You can get this from a chemist) An Empty Spray Bottle Plastic Wrap (to keep your hands clean and avoid staining your fingertips)

How to Do It:

Collect all of the broken pieces of makeup and put it all in the original container. Screen Shot 2015-09-25 at 09.37.14 Place your plastic wrap over the make up, then smooth and then using a pen or pencil, crush everything up into tiny pieces, including the parts that may not have broken. The plastic helps at this stage to keep the eyeshadow from flying all over the place and staining your carpets. Screen Shot 2015-09-25 at 09.37.24 Either fill your empty spray bottle with surgical spirit and spray it all over your eyeshadow or use a pipette to drop it on. Do this until the surgical spirit is completely soaked in. Now you can use your fingertip or something flat to smooth over your eyeshadow so it becomes nice and flat. Grab a small make up brush and perfect the edges so it looks shiny new. Screen Shot 2015-09-25 at 09.37.37 When your makeup is all perfectly smooth leave it to dry – it's best to leave it overnight. The next day the surgical spirit will have all dried out, restoring your makeup to its former glory. Whether they're just cracked or shattered to bits, this easy fix can be used to rescue bronzers, blushers and face powders too. Now there's no need to go out and replace the entire contents of your make-up bag, no matter how many cosmetic catastrophes come your way. Photocredit: The Beauty Department