DIY: Repotting into an old eye shadow container

I cannot throw out anything cute. Polly Pocket pencil case from Kindergarten, tiny erasers from my 2nd grade back-to-school kit, a pen with a little crown that ran out of ink 3 months ago, an empty eye shadow container I'd used up 7 years ago, an old hamster that died of natural causes; all of these -- well, except for that last one, who we buried beside the duhat tree -- are still hidden in various drawers, pen holders, and piles of other more useful clutter, waiting for me to dig them up, briefly consider throwing them out, then put back in place, crammed between even more stuff that I can't throw out.

To justify all this hoarding, I refill these old containers. Travel-sized lotion and bath products are the easiest to justify keeping, since they often cost almost as much as the ones packaged the next size up. Pen bodies and eye shadow containers, are another thing, though, since it can take years of many failed attempts when things have to match up by the half-millimeter. (Thanks for discontinuing the refills of my multi-pen, Muji. Thanks a lot.)

Case in point: This eye shadow container from Skin Food that I got in 2008.

 How can you throw out something with all these cute golden curlicues?

So, inspired by a few depotting videos for universal makeup palettes, I dug this up and set out to give it new life.

1. Find a replacement/refill candidate. The first and hardest part is finding an adequate replacement. As I mentioned earlier, you have to have a size match for this to work. If you can't find an exact size twin, opt for something slightly smaller, then rely on the power or adhesives, gentle usage, and prayer. For round pans like this one, you can either measure across both pans for the pan diameter, measure around both pans with a piece of string, or pop the original pan out and eyeball it, like I did (not recommended)

2. Disembowelment. (Part of step 1 if you live irresponsibly, like I do.) Look for a poking-hole on the underside of the container. They're usually under the sticker. I poked my pan out with the pointy end of a comedone extractor (pic 1 above), but a paper clip, bobby pin, or your least favorite ballpen should work just fine.

 

If there isn't a poking-hole, you're going to have to resort to a little more violence, any maybe a little bit of torture with the help of a box cutter, blade, or ex-acto knife. I get the blade under a part of the pan and lift it up, away from the adhesive.

rusty bits optional

If the adhesive gives you a problem, you can try softening it by heating the underside with the help of a flat iron

Done! Now, don't scrape off that sticky mess; you're going to need it to stick the pan into the other container.

But if you're planning on sticking this into a universal palette, clean it off, of course. For the record: Etude House Look at My Eyes eye shadow pans are magnet-able.

3. Admire your brain surgery skills.

Now I can justify keeping this container for the past 7 years, and maybe even for the next 7.


P.S. Please don't use this for illegal activities / fraud. (Not like I'd be able to stop you, but at least tell them you got the idea from someone else? Who am I kidding - fraudsters would come up with this themselves)

P.P.S. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT. This could be a thing for people who use fake makeup for the "prestige": Get safe drugstore stuff (at least they're FDA-approved) and stick 'em into nice-looking containers while/before seeking help for their need to look riche. Please don't use fake makeup, because some of them have been found to contain rat droppings and lead.