How To Fix Broken Makeup At Home, According To Makeup Artists

The biggest makeup bummer we can think of is dropping an expensive product, or even worse, our entire makeup bag. If the drop does cause your makeup to shatter, all hope is not lost. In fact, fixing and restoring it to its prior state may be possible. How does one fix broken makeup, you might wonder? There are a couple of different ways, but it depends on what type of product is in need of resuscitation.

For help, we enlisted professional makeup artists, who shared how exactly they fix their broken products. Keep reading to learn how to restore broken and/or old makeup at home.

Meet the Experts

• Stevi Christine is a celebrity makeup artist based in Beverly Hills, California.
• Anton Khachaturian is a Los Angeles-based celebrity makeup artist.
• Shalini Vadhera is an award-winning global beauty entrepreneur, celebrity makeup artist, bestselling author, and founder of the Vadhera Collective.

How to Fix Broken Powders

The way in which you should fix broken powders depends on the extent of the breakage, says celebrity makeup artist, Stevi Christine. "If it's just a crack, I would tap the backside [of the packaging], making sure all the excess is broken is off, therefore not bleeding into the other colors in the palette," she says.

After that, try reaching for a makeup brush to smudge the shadow in, making sure it's pressed nicely into the packaging, in order to prevent new cracks from forming. "What you don't want is the shadow to keep breaking, creating more of a mess."

If the powder makeup is completely crumbled, break it up even further. Yes, we're serious. "If any powders break, whether it's a shadow, bronzer, etc., you can always break it up and put it into a container and use it as a loose powder," Christine says. Just pick up a small container from an art store and pop the loose powder inside.

For Full Pressed-Powder Restoration

"Fixing a broken powder product isn't as hard as you may think," celebrity makeup artist, Anton Khachaturian, says. "What I do is collect all the broken pieces and get as much of the product back into the original container as I can. Then, I grind it up as much as possible. This includes parts of the product that may not have broken. A toothpick is a good tool for this. The finer the product is, the better its chances of coming back to life." Finally, he says to add a few drops of rubbing alcohol—or maybe a few more if it's a larger product like a powder compact. "Put the drops over the top of the product and then smooth it out by hand or with a flat tool. A spoon can work well. It dries quickly, but I like to leave it alone for several hours to ensure it comes together properly," Khachaturian adds.

Byrdie Tip

You can also use filtered water or micellar water as a substitute for rubbing alcohol.

How to Fix Broken Lipsticks

Christine recommends sticking the broken lipstick in the freezer. This will help bond the broken pieces back together. If that doesn't work, "warm it up [try rolling the tube between your palms for heat], then with a tiny makeup spatula and push it into a small empty container," she advises. Again, you can find these at makeup or art stores. "I also microwave the lipsticks a little bit so they fully melt down into the container," she explains. But, if the packaging is metal, this is a no-go, so proceed with caution.

Khachaturian agrees with Christine that repurposing the broken part into a separate container is your best move. "Lipsticks can be a little tricky, as creams don't work the same way as powders," he says. "Get a little round sample or travel container that you can find at pretty much any drugstore or beauty supply and smush the broken part into that. You can also dig out the leftover lipstick from the inside of the tube and use that as well. A lip brush that collapses or that has a lid is a great tool to pair for this kind of scenario."

How to Fix Clumpy Mascara

Clumpy mascara is difficult to use and results in a less-than-ideal look on your lashes. While clumpy mascara may be a sign it's time for a new one, if yours is less than six months old, it may be worth trying these solutions before picking up a new one.

To revitalize a clumping mascara, you can start by boiling water. Place the entire closed mascara into the hot water. It should be completely submerged and should be left to sit for a few minutes. Carefully remove the mascara and allow it to cool down before checking to see if this quick fix was effective.

If your mascara is still clumpy, try dipping the wand into hot water and allowing it to sit for a few minutes. You can also add olive oil, eye drops, or contact solution to the mascara bottle to break up clumps in the formula.

How to Fix Broken Pencil Liners

Eyeliner and lip pencils are not the ideal formulas to break, but it's not impossible to fix. Shalini Vadhera, a celebrity makeup artist, suggests sticking the pencil or crayon into the refrigerator or a freezer to harden the consistency. "Then, go in and either re-sharpen it or use a brush to apply it until it gets down to the point where it needs to be sharpened again," she says.

If you have retractable pencils, go in with a very fine brush and either continue to use the product by dipping it in or pulling some of that product out. Even a pair of tweezers, if needed.

Byrdie Tip

Vadhera adds that the colder you keep your pencils, the longer they last. "I usually won't leave them in the car or hot environments," she says.

Identify Products Less Likely to Break

While it's just a fact of life that certain products are more breakable than others, Christine says it might be worth sussing out the weak from the durable, especially if you travel often. "Some products last longer in their containers," she says.

As for Khachaturian, he recommends keeping the product's packaging if you'll be traveling. "As much as I feel like a pack rat, I like to keep the boxes from some of my favorite palettes and products. This gives them a little bit of extra armor, especially when traveling," he says. "Another trick to keep your products from breaking is to pack them tightly. When they have too much room to move around, you risk them breaking. If they’re packed up nicely and can’t fly around, then they’ll be much safer." 

Not All Makeup Products Can Be Fixed

Some makeup products unfortunately can't be fixed. We know, it makes us just as sad, but it's a fact. "Most powder can be fixed but, there are some that can't," Khachaturian explains. "I would say anything that's in glass. If your foundation or something else that comes in a glass container breaks, I would definitely toss it. The last thing you want to do is exfoliate with little glass shards just to salvage some makeup."

FAQ

• What can I use to fix broken makeup?

  If your favorite powder has broken, grab a toothpick to break up the powder even more, then add a few drops of alcohol and use a spoon to flatten it out. Use what you have at home—no need to buy fancy tools to fix your makeup.

• How do you fix destroyed makeup?

  If your makeup in a glass container shatters, unfortunately, there is no fix as the formula has likely been tampered with tiny shards. However, if your favorite powder or lipstick is destroyed, you can simply move it to a new container or mix your powder with some alcohol to bring it back to life.

• How do you fix splitting makeup?

  If your favorite eyeshadow has split, use a makeup spatula to push the two sides back together and seal the crack by pressing with your finger or a spatula. If it's just two pieces that it's broken into, you may not need to use alcohol to fix it.

• How do you fix a broken makeup compact without rubbing alcohol?

  Water or micellar water can be used in place of rubbing alcohol to fix a broken makeup compact. Just note that this will decrease the shelf life of your compact because water or micellar water will cause the product to spoil much quicker.