Refills for Vintage Compacts

[Lauren]

Putting new makeup in old compacts?

Hello,

I recently got an old unused vintage compact from Ebay complete with the lipstick at the side. Just wondering, do you ladies know of how or if it's even possible to put new makeup into these, especailly the lipstick? Thanks a bunch!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I make my own powder using baby powder, a pink loose powder by Ben Nye, and rubbing alcohol--just mix the baby powder with the pink until you reach the desired color, add enough alcohol to form a paste, and then press the paste into the compact. Let it dry overnight and there you have it--your own custom powder in a vintage compact!

You can also depot new blushes and eye shadows, as well as new pressed powder compacts. For example, I take my MAC shadows, pop out the plastic portion that contains the metal pan, and heat it over a candle until the glue melts. Flip the pan upside down, and using a pen to press the pot down on a towel, use a knife or nail file to pull it upward. This releases the metal pan, allowing you to put it in to a new container (and get your Back2MAC free lipstick sooner) You can use a magnet to keep the metal pan secure in a metal compact.

As for lipstick, I would imagine that you could scoop it out, melt it, pour it into the new lipstick bullet, and let it solidify in the fridge. Years ago, when women would buy one fancy powder compact and lipstick bullet, makeup companies produced and sold replacement lipsticks. They don't do this anymore (at least that I've seen) but in reading some 1940s beauty articles, the new lipsticks were not as stable in the old container, and would become messy!

Also, you can simply use loose powder in a compact if you have a protective screen to keep it contained. All of my 1930s-40s compacts came with a screen, and I have used them with both loose powder, and my custom pressed powder.

 

[Lauren]

Wow! What great tips! I'm a little worried about melting lipstick, but I guess it's worth a shot. Thanks a bunch!

 

[Vanessa]

Great topic, Lauren. I was just studying my new compact, trying to figure this out.
Does anyone have any resources or ideas about replacing the sifters or powder puffs? Or any experience in fabricating new ones?

 

[Raffles]

I'm a little worried about melting lipstick, but I guess it's worth a shot.

I find it easier and less wasteful to just warm it till it's soft and then press it in with a blunt object. I did have some old casting moulds for lipstick in the workshop somewhere.

 

[dollfaced]

I wanted to say that all my mac and revlon lipsticks are in vintage tubes because what i do is take a piece of toilet paper a very small piece rap it around that base of a brand knew lipstick and slowly pull it up then press it into you own vintage tube this always works for me but the lipstick has to be brand new if it's old it never works i end up with a ruined lipstick! Jitterbug your pressed powder idea works great thanks for sharing that with us i tryed it on several compacts and rouge pots it worked out great!!!!

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Wow, this is great information. I have a few empty compacts that I use just for the mirror, and because I like to carry them around, especially when dressing vintage. I was wondering how I could get some of my make-up into them. Your ideas for doing just that are excellent. I'm gonna give it a try. I especially like the idea of making my own face powder.

 

[Ccc]

Good Ideas!

My cousin left me a small shoe box filled with older compacts, including some with the attached lipstick holder. I was able to salvage quite a few, but I did clean and disinfect them very thoroughly. I did not want to contaminate my lipstick with old left-over product.

 

[Rosie]

Great topic, Lauren. I was just studying my new compact, trying to figure this out.
Does anyone have any resources or ideas about replacing the sifters or powder puffs? Or any experience in fabricating new ones?

You can get sifters from a beauty supply store, just cut to size. The modern puffs that I've seen don't fit into my vintage compacts. I just washed and use the one that came with the compact. Though I'll bet a dollar someone is selling these items on ebay.

 

[Tourbillion]

You can get lipstick molds here:

http://www.makingcosmetics.com/store/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d137.html

I haven't gotten around to this yet, but someday.

I have put powder in a compact though, press it in with the back of a spoon. I added a little essential oil blended with grapeseed oil to moisten.

It is easy to put meltable stuff in a compact. Just warm it up in a little beaker in the microwave (don't burn it!!!) and pour.

 

[Naama]

I wanted to say that all my mac and revlon lipsticks are in vintage tubes because what i do is take a piece of toilet paper a very small piece rap it around that base of a brand knew lipstick and slowly pull it up then press it into you own vintage tube this always works for me but the lipstick has to be brand new if it's old it never works i end up with a ruined lipstick! Jitterbug your pressed powder idea works great thanks for sharing that with us i tryed it on several compacts and rouge pots it worked out great!!!!

Really? Because to mee it looks like my vintage tube is too narrow to put a MAC lipstick in it [huh]

Naama

 

[Ccc]

I've received a couple of vintage compacts, one is Coty and the other is very old, art deco, I'd think. Anyway, how would you refill these for use? Loose powder wouldn't work, and while I have not contacted Coty to see if they have a refill available, I'll have to think of something else.

Thanks for your ideas!

 

[DancingSweetie]

My sweetie gave me a new old stock Elgin compact a couple of years ago. I couldn't find any kind of refills for it so I just put in loose powder. I found another compact at a thrift store very similar to mine in really bad shape but it had a piece of netting inside, so I use that netting to keep the loose powder from spilling out so much. It is still a little messy but I love it anyways. I wish I had a digital camera so I could post a picture.

 

[GOK]

Can you not remove the pan from a modern face powder compact and put it into the vintage one? Also, I'm pretty sure that most of the larger cosmetics houses do refills, so it might be worth doing an online search or some good old fashioned leg work.

ETA: Check out this thread for some tips:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=4787

 

[DancingSweetie]

My compact looks exactly like this one on the inside. The place to put a refill is very shallow, and I haven't come across anything yet.

 

[GOK]

Mine's similar to that but roundish. I'll see if I can find a pic...

Here we go:

I've had it for a while now but not used it yet. I'd prefer to have a dark green and silver one, so I guess I'm hanging on to see if one comes up. I am a numpty really!

 

[RetroModelSari]

At Besam?© Cosmetic they have refill-pans. Maybe you can ask them for their size to see if they¬¥d fit in your compact.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

At Besam?© Cosmetic they have refill-pans. Maybe you can ask them for their size to see if they¬¥d fit in your compact.

That's a really good idea, and an added bonus is you'll get a really good powder.

I followed the advice from some of the ladies posted on the other thread, if memory serves me correct (it's highly possible that I'm wrong) the one time I filled one of my compacts I took a bit of baby powder with water and made a paste and put it in one of my compacts that had a removable tin. I tinted it with a loose face powder that I had from Besame. It worked well, but the color/tint needed some work. Now that I think about it, it seems that just mixing drops of water into a loose facepowder and making a paste out of it might do the trick. Just pack it really tight and let it dry in the open air.
Denise, where are you??? You are the compact expert, we need your help

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Denise, where are you??? You are the compact expert, we need your help

Bah...I only have internet during the day now....so sorry for not being faster about this.

I have read (not tried it yet though) that you can also mix loose powder into a paste with some rubbing alcohol, which then dries off and leaves you just a firm powder cake.

I just tend to stick loose powder in, but most of my compacts have screens and I am just really careful with those that done have screens and metal covers.....and it works

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I have read (not tried it yet though) that you can also mix loose powder into a paste with some rubbing alcohol, which then dries off and leaves you just a firm powder cake.

It does work (and you can use alcohol to repair crumbled eye shadows and blush, too.) Because I am so pale, I mix baby powder with a pink powder that Ben Nye makes. I have also used Airspun mixed with alcohol with the same end result. This pressed powder is softer than one you would by ready made, but it serves the purpose well and allows you to customize your perfect shade