Depotting Tutorial: How To Depot MAC Single Eyeshadow Using Flat Iron

Hi everyone!

I’m really glad that you all love the Eyeshadow Tutorial for Asian Eyes series. There’ll definitely be more of such in the future!

Let’s move away from makeup application tutorials for a while because I’ve got a new set of tutorials for you!

Some of you may not have many eyeshadows (yet), some of you have A LOT. Some day in time the lot is going to spill all over the place, and when you need to deal with more than 3 colors at a time, it is a pain searching for them all over the place and opening the pots one by one.

To me, at least, it is a real hassle.

I bought the Z-palette some time ago but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to depot most of my single eyeshadows because:

1) The pots take up space

2) They are stacked up, so those at the bottom are often forgotten

3) I want to be able to see most of my eyeshadows at one glance

4) I want to bring one palette on a holiday, not individual pots of eyeshadows that I risk dropping on the floor when in a hurry. (But of course, you may argue that putting all your eggs in a basket may cause you to end up with none at all)

5) I need a reason to get another Z-palette. Hoho. (My current leopard print one is filled already! No more space!)

Tools needed for depotting eyeshadows:

Flat iron
Aluminium foil or wax paper
Push pin or thumb tack
A tool with a sharp and strong tip
Isopropyl Alcohol (70% is fine)
A dish (to pour the alcohol in)
Cotton buds
Cloth or towel
Magnet
Scissors
Sticker
Pen

I don’t use a knife like some beauty bloggers/vloggers recommend because I have a terrible fear of knives. Is there a name for this phobia? In place of a knife, I use a less threatening instrument – something you’d see in nail salons.

I also prefer not to use anything that involves flames as open fire exposes my health to unnecessary, unhealthy fumes. It’s not very safe - both to me and the product. Instead, I use a hair straightener for heat and also rubbing alcohol to melt glue.

For the first installment of the How To Depot Your Eyeshadows series, we’ll start with MAC single eyeshadows. You can certainly buy the pro palette refill pans to eliminate the hassle, but these are sold only at one place in Singapore – Ngee Ann City.

Alright! I'm gonna depot the MAC Stars 'N' Rockets Single Eyeshadow. I love this purplish-pink color. So very sweet and romantic!

5 Easy Steps to Depot MAC Eyeshadows:

Step 1: Separate the tray from the pot

See the gap?

Wedge the tool between the gap, carefully.

Have your flat iron turned on in the meantime so as to let it heat up and be ready for Step 2.

It should pop out easily.

Step 2: Melt the glue

The flat iron setup should have been done at the start, so that it has time to heat up while you were popping the tray out. I'm all for concurrent tasks.

Use a scissors or thong or anything that extends - to avoid getting your fingers burnt - to place the detached tray onto the aluminum foil.

And while it's baking, start on the next eyeshadow pot! Multi-tasking FTW! 😀

The new baby is MAC Free To Be, one of my favorite colors to apply on the Eye Contour Area.

Depending on the temperature of your flat iron, the time taken to melt the back of the plastic tray will vary. When melted, it will looked deformed, indicating that the glue has melted.

Step 3: Push the pan out from the tray

Push a thumb tack into the middle of the tray. If the metal does not easily detach itself from the plastic tray, DON'T FORCE. Severe consequences may result. Simply pop the item back between the prongs of the flat iron.

It usually is very easy to separate the MAC eyeshadow pan and tray though, and it should look like this.

Step 4: Clean the under side

This is where the dish comes into use. Pour the Isopropyl Alcohol into the dish and dip the cotton bud into it.

This step is essential in ensuring a clean, smooth, and flat surface for the magnet to stick on.

Step 5: Paste a magnet and name it

Cut out the magnet and write the name of the eyeshadow.

Or you could tear out the sticker on the back of the eyeshadow pot and paste it on top of the magnet.

There! Done! 😀

I prefer not using the original MAC sticker though coz the larger circle makes the magnet less strong.

Oh I unknowingly took a picture of another MAC eyeshadow instead, haha! MAC Gorgeous Gold is another favorite eyeshadow of mine. I love anything gold, seriously.