r/Anticonsumption • u/Top_Economics5615 • 1d ago

Question/Advice? Makeup

Hello,

So as a late teenager/young adult I had this thing where I just collected eyeshadow pallets for the fun of it. I obviously didn’t realise how bad overconsumption is for the planet and it’s not something i’m proud of. However, as an adult I no longer really wear eyeshadow so I have a bunch of pallets in a drawer. Can’t sell or donate them as they have been used, but throwing them away just adds to landfill. Does anyone have any advice on what I could do with the eyeshadows? I want to break the pallets down so all the cardboard can be recycled but not sure what to do with the makeup itself. Any advice is so appreciated! I’m just trying to do my part in helping the planet, even with my past mistakes!

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u/queenmaryshair 1d ago

Hmmmm idk if it’s possible, but maybe you could use the makeup as a pigment and make paint with them? Basically grind them up and combine with an appropriate binder. For watercolor paint, many use gum Arabic as a binder

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u/_aaine_ 1d ago

I was going to say that if OP knows anyone into adult colouring, alot of people use eyeshadow to do backgrounds. It's much cheaper than pan pastels and looks just as nice.

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u/Top_Economics5615 1d ago

That’s such an excellent idea!

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u/infernalnb 13h ago

I am using some eyeshadow cream sticks that are old and given to me for art supplies, and if you are familiar with the makeup you are using it may be easier for you to use the makeup directly on a canvas board (regular stretched canvas would stretch and sag too much for finger blending I think) and use a spray clear coat to fix it into place, and optionally a more robust clear coat I only recommend the spray first so that anything brushed on doesn’t blend the makeup. As someone who has painted and done makeup I find it super fun to use makeup on canvas boards and I find it leads to more organic art for me as well!

You can also use them as you might use mica in many applications for adding color to certain crafts like resin, making paint as previously mentioned, adding some shimmer or color to air dry clay, altering the shade of preexisting paint, and if you have too much to do this yourself I’m sure you could find another artist who would work with it!