Sandie’s sticky question: Has anyone tried making a new lipstick out of the end bits of old ones? There is always quite a lot left inside the case and I have about 25 almost empty lipsticks that I keep meaning to do something with. Just not sure how to go about it!
Sarah Bellum Says:
Sandie, that’s a very interesting question! I kicked it around with the other Beauty Brains and we think trying to fix those sticks is probably a waste of time. Here are three reasons why:
1. Color calamity
Unless you have 25 tubes of the same color, you’re going to mix shades which might end up looking like baby poop.
2. Spoiled stick
Lipstick formulas are a mixed up waxes, oils and pigments. Since not all lipsticks use the same ingredients, when you mix different products from different brands you might end up with a lipstick that’s too soft, too hard, doesn’t spread right, or just plain falls apart.
3. Messy molding
If you’re like me you’ve got a couple of tubes of Clinique
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Maybe I’m too lazy for DIY cosmetics, but it doesn’t really make sense to salvage old lipsticks. But if you do decide to give it a try, write back and let us know how it turns out.
What do you think. Have you ever tried reworking lipstics? Or better yet, would you buy a special tool that let you redo your unused chunks of lipstick? Or, is it just not worth the hassle? Leave a comment and get lippy with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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I have tried to recycle old lipsticks and not only is it easy, the color came out terrific.
I had about 12 almost empty lipsticks of different colors, ranging from matt browns to neon pink. After picking off all the lipstick from the tube with a flat end toothpick, I microwaved it for a minute and quickly poured it into 3-4 empty lipgloss pot3. The resulting color was beautiful! unless you use a yellow or a green lipstick, the result would not be a baby poop color mix. But with the browns, red and pink pigments in my leftover lipsticks, the resulting color mix I got was a very beautiful glossy red with pin/rust undertones. I put it on using a lipbrush and it is just fabulous.
I have tried to recycle old lipsticks and not only is it easy, the color came out terrific.
I had about 12 almost empty lipsticks of different colors, ranging from matt browns to neon pink. After picking off all the lipstick from the tube with a flat end toothpick, I microwaved it for a minute and quickly poured it into 3-4 empty lipgloss pot3. The resulting color was beautiful! unless you use a yellow or a green lipstick, the result would not be a baby poop color mix. But with the browns, red and pink pigments in my leftover lipsticks, the resulting color mix I got was a very beautiful glossy red with pink/rust undertones. I put it on using a lipbrush and it is just fabulous.
i think there is nothing wrong with using old lipstick. i tried using my lipstick with lemon juice and it give a good gloss plus the taste is very pleasant.
All you have to do is use a lip brush to apply the stuff at the bottom of the tube.
I’ve melted old lipsticks together on several occasions and always got a great result. It is a great way to use up colors that are too orange-y or too pink, too light etc. Hopefully , you don’t have too many of them though… Anyway, I just melted over the stove, (i like the idea of the microwave even better, thanks)and poured into small containers, like lipgloss or cosmetic sample containers, eye creme containers etc. It does make up into a lot of containers if you have a stash of old lipsticks…It is a great way to recycle.
here is an easy tutorial for doing it: http://www.extra-muffins.com/hair/viewtopic.php?t=12930&highlight=lip
(great for those of us with out microwaves)
i’ve done it a few times and found it to be fun and easy. i’ve never had anything come out bad.
I used to recycle my old lipsticks by using an emptied multiple-lipstick holder (the kind that is in a compact form and holds maybe 10 to 12 different lipsticks or eye-shadows). I cleaned it out using rubbing alcohol. Then I used a very small container to place the gouged-out lipstick or lipsticks and put it into the microwave for just a few seconds. It comes out melted beautifully and all you have to do is pour the contents into one of the molds in your compact container. It takes time and tiny instruments that you need to clean assiduously, but I enjoyed it and had a container of many different colors that I could keep with me in my purse for touchups.
A couple of years ago I found a little compact at the Sephora store that was made just for the purpose of using up the lipstick ends. It has a mirror and place for a little lipstick brush. I still use it, especially for those expensive lipsticks. There is as much as 1/3 of the length of the lipstick hidden from use in the tube.
I use a small artist pallet knife that I had around to pull the lipstick out of the end, then just wipe it into the compartment and smooth it out.
Using the empty eye shadow compact is a great idea, too.
It sounds like to me the BB “advice” was solely about selling more product; I saw no genuine reasons there to not mix your own colors. Some of the best colors I’ve come up with, both in lipstick and nail polish, are the ones I’ve mixed together myself. A lot of times the shades being sold aren’t quite right but adding my own tints makes them perfect. In addition, I’m doing the environment a favor by not tossing one third of my lipstick in favor of excessive buying. Why do you suppose the colors (fads) change every season, the “must-have” colors change, according to the “fashion authorities”? Puhleeze, ladies, let’s go with a classic look like Audrey H. or Jackie K. rather than the fashion blunder of the moment mostly suited to the Britney S’s of the world.
Msmerlin, I agree with a lot of the things you say. Most of the packaging can be recycled but if you had tossed a tube of something like Lancome, you would be throwing away $8 worth of product.
I am annoyed by the color changes, also. I like the peach/pink/orange ranges and cannot always find what looks good with my complexion.
I strongly think that Animal Testing is wrong. If we wouldnt put our own Human Race in those kinds of situations, why do it to the Animal Population? The only case that Animal Testing MAY be right, is if the Animal is aready very hurt, or sick and whatever they may be doing, would help the animal in any way. But, if they have to hurt the animal in ANY way, it is Very wrong.
I say if you’re at the point where you are scraping out the lipstick from the bottom of the tube, then it’s time for a new lipstick! It’s great to be thrifty and all, but it’s so much more fun to use it as an excuse to try a new color or brand.
Jessica, was that meant for this subject or for another message string?
Cupcake, it sounds like someone else pays for your cosmetics. Those of us who pay for our own need to bring a balance between thrift and fun. Besides, we may like the color or brand we are taking out of the bottom of the tube, and it may not be available any more.
Another argument against recycling lipstick is that it does eventually go bad. By the time you end up with enough stubs to do anything useful with, unless you go through your lipstick super fast, they should probably be thrown away, anyway. Personally, I have enough shades that I use that no one tube has ever gotten to the point where I needed to dig it out before it’s smell or texture changed and I tossed it.
Being a mu artist,that is exactly what you should do. Use a stub of the lipstick put each stub in a separate compartment in a plastic palette like the ones MAC has for the lipmix palette or a Japonesque palette and stick it in the microwave and there you go. You can keep them separate, mix them together, whatever you like. Instant lipstick palette. Just give it the smell check every so often to make sure it hasn’t gone rancid, if so scrape that one out and put another fresher one in. That’s what we use.
What i’m doing ist that i mix some carmex,and a little bit of vaseline with a hideous pink almost unwereable lipgloss i got, and now i have a soft pink, glittery protective lipbalm!
I like to use a plastic pillcase in the microwave. That way I can use several different mixes to make a palette. Add a dab of chapstick and it’s extra moisturizing, but only microwave it for five or ten seconds at a time.
Being an avid reader, I’m actually quite surprised by this Beauty Brains article. I don’t find any of those reasons GOOD reasons not to ‘recycle’ lipsticks.
Messy molding? Scooping it out and putting it into a lip palette is not messy at all. Even for those who wish to melt them in a palette, it is hardly a messy job.
Color Calamity? You only get baby poop colored lipsticks when you mix say a deep brown with a pink and a red or something. Again, a silly reason not to experiment with mixing lippies.
the Spoiled Stick argument is more legit IMO, but unless the formulas are completely different (say a sheer moisturizing stick mixed with a stay-on matte) there isn’t much of a problem. And if hygiene is the big issue, do this when you get your NEW lipsticks instead of the old ones. To makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts down to the every day person, this is a common, safe, and most of all FUN practice!
@cupcakesarah: it depends on your perspective. To some and those who can afford it, buying a new lippie can be fun, but for others, getting crafty is even more fun, and all while saving $ and purse space by using palettes at the same time. Instead of only carrying one stick, I can have 8 in a small compact at my leisure. And custom colors! To each their own.
This is for the poster ROBIN who said she mixed her lipstick with lemon juice- PLEASE DON’T! It can spoil become contaminated and you might get really sick. It is better to melt it in the microwave or blend with other oils not acids like lemon juice. YUUUCK!
Jessica: I tend to agree with you. I think Sarah B was a bit flippant in her objections to reworking lipsticks. I’m guessing she was trying to make this feel newsy, but it wasn’t one of our best efforts. But hey, at least she found a topic that prompted a lot of conversation from our community.
Thanks for your comment!
We think that the amount of time spent on trying to remelt lipstick and force it to become a pretty tubular stick again should rather be spend smootching the lipstick off your lips…
in all seriousness though: why not work on something more lucrative or productive the hour you may spend plying chemist? Then you can go out and buy a new lipstick… and what’s better than a fresh new stick to enjoy?
i like recycling lipsticks. if lipbrushes are too fussy for you, try melting it into empty lipbalm/chapstick tubes. the container may not look as pretty but at least you get the most out of your lippies, especially if they are expensive.
For me how long I use a lipstick is determined by how much I love it. For most lipsticks I’m content to let them gather dust for an eventual toss out. But every once in a while you get that perfect shade… and the lip brush goes deep until every last spec is gone and you’re cursing yourself that you didn’t order more while it was still available!
I am from New Mexico and have never worn lipstick. I don’t think any of the “pretty” girls I know wear lipstick, but I do wear chap stick, gloss, and lip-liners, I have been told at different times in my life that I look like Cindy Crawford/Amanda Peat/Juliette Lewis/ and the girl from from “My so called life” who is best friends with Clair Danes?? But the women that I consider beautiful, are natural. Sunkissed, and windblown. Please don’t buy more lipstick unless it is made by a local merchant or comes from a fair trade market.
All women are beautiful
Just lick your lips and shake your hips and you’ll save lots of money.
If you are going to recycle your old lipstick make sure they are under 2 years old. Oils go rancid with time no matter what anti-oxidant the manufacture includes in their formula.
Make sure your container is sterile.
Make sure any utensils you use for this project is sterile. You do not want to introduce germs into your lipstick.
Remember this is going on your lips and
every time you lick your lips you are ingesting some of the product.
I disagree with the person who wrote ” reasons not to recycle lipstick” . I have recycled many lipsticks by melting and have found the perfect custom shade for me and have had no dreadful germ attacks so in my opinion go ahead and give it try. Ive had great luck with it. Also why should you throw away 1/3 of your lipsick thats left in the bottom. Thats just crazy.
I would love to whether or not there are any safety hazards associated with reheating lipstick that may not be overtly rancid, but not quite as fresh as it ought to be, either. In other words, will combining various lipstick bits cause the entire lot to go rancid quicker by virtue of the heat exposure or will it work the other way around: the preservatives in a few good tubes serve to “beef up” the shelf life, thereby slowing the degradation of the whole “batch”?
Secondly, I would like to know if making one’s own lipsticks from scratch or via recycling is legal. Reason: I found a kit at a store online that sold waxes, pigments and many other DIY cosmetic ingredients. However, the site, though I believe it was originating out of the US, had a disclaimer stating that the lipstick kit, in particular — consisting of molds, pigments, oil and waxes — could not be shipped to US addresses. What would be the reason for this? Is there some legal issue with “home cooking” product like this?
As for the question posed by The Beauty Brains as to why try this at all? Because women are always in search of the “Holy Grail” lipcolor. And they almost never find it in mass-manufactured brands, and if they do those colors tend to be discontinued rather quick so that women can’t count on replacing a favorite color over and over. The second answer? Because concocting a lipstick from scratch or scrap, whichever the case may be, is educational, fun and a great way to promote interest in science.
Keep in mind this wouldn’t necessarily have to involve a bunch of mismatched lipstick scrap, either. Many women will layer more than one shade to achieve that perfect mix. A pink that is too light + a peach that is too dark = Viola! A perfect, warm nude.
Many women would be happy to have some economical means to combine their favorite “sets” of colors into a single stick to obtain a “custom color” or “signature look”. As for whether the result of such experimentation would yield a shade akin to “baby poop”, perhaps I’m overly optimistic but anyone who has mixed paints in school or took an art class is perfectly capable of determining that if you mix every color on the color wheel, you’ll end up with a muddy brown. If, however, you mix complementary colors, such mistakes are not inevitable. Unless lipstick manufacturers begin making funky blue, black and yellow lipcolors popular, the basic shades of lipstick are essentially limited to “warm” and “cool” colors. Providing one avoids mixing oranges and purples, baby poop tones can be avoided. However, let it be known that even a “baby poop brown” shade may not deter some women. Some women are in search of the perfect brown “nude” lipstick and would not perceive such an outcome in a negative light.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFO
One of the things you do NOT want to do is put non-microwavable plastic in the microwave. That means that unless your lipstick receptacle/pallet/pot was specifically designed for microwave use and has a label stating as much, it probably won’t stand up to the heat. Sure, it might look okay, but that’s not the point. Heated plastics, which are made from petro-chemicals, are a huge cause of toxicity in our environment and diets. Some forms of plastic, sadly much of the type used in baby bottles, sports bottles and the like in the US, have been outlawed in Canada and the EU. The FDA is slow to act on these matters so you really need to self-educate on these subjects.
If the lipstick melts and the plastic heats from the inside out as microwaves are known to do, expect some “fusing” between the molecules in the plastic and the lipstick. In other words, you are introducing plastic byproducts into your lipstick. Of course, you can’t use a metal lipstick tube or gloss tin in the microwave, either. Consequently, the safest way to do this is to heat up the lipsticks using hot water or the stove method. This is because microwave energy infiltrates plastic differently than other heat sources. Whatever the method, however, if the plastic disfigures, don’t “consume” the contents, whether you’re talking reconstituted lipcolor or food.
Lmao at the responder that told us to lick our lips and
shake our hips. I like the pallet idea sans microwave.
I have mixed old lipsticks with lip balm and nuked it and then funneled it back into the lipbalm tube. Makes it easy to use either swiping on or you can use a lip brush to apply. Trying to mold it to form a stick and reinsert into a traditional lipstick tube would be pointless, but I find the lipbalm tube is easier to transport and use than a pot and I love that the lipbal has sunscreen in it too!
I am watching Shark Tank and a deal was just struk with the shark pannelists and an inventor to market and sell a do it yourself lipstick recycle mold that works with heat! Now you can recycle your old lipsticks. I just read the pattent on line, and it is great.
VS
Someone has made a lipstick mold. I saw it on Shark Tank (it’s a show about inventors). I’m trying to find it now. I just can’t remember the name of it.
I don’t see why there are people on here acting like recycling lipstick is a bad idea or an odd thing to consider. Why not use up all the lipstick there is and feel good about not wasting any of it? Why not have fun making your own lipstick? I find these things enjoyable. I am always using up products I don’t care for by mixing them with other things so that I don’t just trash them and feel guilty buying something new. I love buying new things of course, but it isn’t realistic to go buy a new lippie every time you don’t LOVE the one you last bought for whatever reason. I would have way too many going in the trash and be spending way too much money. I think as long as you are using a container that is safe for the microwave, you are using a lippie that is still good (which is common sense–we aren’t children trying to make a new lippie out of spoiled old lipstick–we can tell if it has gone bad), and you are doing it the easy way (who tries to mold a melted lippie back into a lipstick shape without a kit?), then why the heck not? Otherwise, send me the money so I can go buy a new lippie or two since you think this is such a weird thing to do. And makeup of any sort is fun, why would you (certain people on here) say that we shouldn’t wear lipstick? It can look as natural as we want it to (lick your lips, shake your hips, balogna) LOL! Sorry if I sound aggitated, just got on a rampage reading all the silly comments people were leaving when obviously the main conversation piece is ‘How to make your own lippie out of old lipsticks and be successful?’. I think it is a great idea and I want to try it!!