11 Ways To Save Broken And Old Makeup (And Keep It From Going To Waste)

1. Fix it! Face it, it happens to all of us… Our powder makeup drops to the ground. We sit there praying, please don’t let it be broken, and then you look at it only to have that ‘Whhhhyyyyyyyyyy?’ moment. As many of you know thanks to YouTube and makeup gurus, you can do fix it with rubbing alcohol, a spoon or a clean stick, and your broken powder. Pour just enough alcohol into the powder to turn it into a paste. Then stir, flatten, and let it sit overnight. Make sure the alcohol is 75% or higher because it will dry faster. The next day, your powder will be as good as new! Enjoy!

2. Make your own tinted lip gloss. Get those cute little travel jars from any drug store (the small ones that are specially made for lip glosses or small lotions). Grind up the broken powder until it is very fine. Add coconut oil (quarter teaspoon), cocoa butter (half teaspoon), and Vaseline (half teaspoon) to the jar and mix thoroughly. Then add the broken powder. Stir until the powder and the other ingredients are completely mixed together.

3. Make your own nail polish. Grind up the broken powder until it is very fine, and pour it into a jar of clear nail polish. Stir with a clean stick until well mixed. Paint your nails! (Side tip: to create unique colors, mix different broken powders together. This works great with broken eye shadows and blushes.)

4. Create your own setting powder (with a hint of shimmer). Using a half a cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of shimmery blush or flesh toned shimmer, pour ingredients into small jar, mix well, and voila! You have your own setting powder. Be gentle with the amount you apply to your makeup brush. This mixture can be heavy. Before applying to your face, dip the brush in the baking soda mixture and tap excess against jar. Apply gingerly. This works best on lighter skin tones. Darker skin tones may appear grey or appear chalky.

5. Make your own self tanner. Use unscented lotion (personally I like to use anything that is unscented, hypoallergenic, and preferably that has aloe), a foundation that is 1 to 2 shades darker than your skin tone (usually your summer foundation), and liquid concealer 1 shade darker than your usual color. Pour the contents into a bowl and blend well. Test the mixture on your hand to see how the color looks. When you are happy, pour the mixture back into a lotion bottle using a funnel to avoid a mess. This also works great on the legs as well as the face!

6. Create craft paint for the kids. By mixing Elmer’s glue, and some old blushes, eye shadows or glitter you will create fun craft paint!

7. Melt your lipstick! Have you ever bought a brand new lipstick and had it break off in one solid piece? The mortified face that comes from doing that is always pretty priceless. No worries, simply melt it, and pour the lipstick back into the tube. It looks brand new again! You can also try this with your old lipsticks. If you are into mixing and matching the colors, melt two together, stir, and pour. Let these cool overnight in your fridge. Who doesn’t love new lipstick?

8. Shimmer lotion (go on, relive the 90s.) Use a shimmering blush that is loose or a crushed blush, add a little bit of glitter, pour the mix into a bowl and add unscented lotion. Then add an essential oil of your choice for scent. Once the mixture is complete, pour it back into a lotion jar using a funnel. You will smell delightful and have beautiful dewy skin.

9. Brow brush. Stop throwing away your old mascara wands! Clean them thoroughly and reuse as a brow brush. (Side tip: dip wand in regular gel to create ‘brow’ gel).

10. Shimmering soap. Most arts and crafts stores sell unscented soaps. Melt down the soap, add cosmetic glitter to the melted soap, and then add your favorite essential oils to the mix. Pour into a mold, let it dry, and enjoy your new soap!

11. Heat it up. To salvage dried up lipsticks and mascaras, just place in a cup of hot water and reuse. Note: Be careful with mascaras. You should replace your mascara every three months. If you have had it for longer than this time, it is safe to say you should just get a new one for bacterial purposes. Trust me, your eyes are NOT worth the risk.