What is the hard film on my powder?
The phenomenon of a hard film layer on your pressed powder is called Hardpan.
This is when your pressed powder randomly stops working. Like, it was fine yesterday but for some reason, today, it’s impossible to pick up any powder on the brush, and it even looks a little dirty or wet on the surface.
How Does Hardpan happen
Hardpan occurs when the oil from your skin transfers onto the powder. This creates a thin, hardened film on the top layer of your pressed powder, which makes it impossible to get to the soft powder underneath. This happens to all pressed powders, regardless of how much you spent on it, but don't worry, we will show you how to prevent it and how to fix the hardpan if it does happen.
How to prevent hardpan from happening
The oil from your skin can be transferred through your brush, applicator or your fingers, so if you've been using your fingers to apply your makeup, it's always good practice to wash your hands prior to application. Not only will this remove excess oils from your fingers, but it will also remove bacteria. Learn why finger application can be a superior makeup application method.
You should also get into the habit of washing your makeup brushes and applicators regularly (video: how to wash your makeup brush.) The oil from your skin transfers to your brush which can then be transferred to your powders.
Washing your tools once a week can help mitigate the hard film layer from forming on your pressed powders.
How to fix hardpan / How to remove the film layer from your powder
Ok, so maybe some of your powders are already suffering from hardpan and you need a quick and easy fix. Well, It’s actually way easier than you’d think.
Most people just throw away the powder, assuming it’s defective, but as long as you have some scotch tape laying around, you can save your $40 powder and return it to day 1 newness.
- Take a piece of regular tape and press it gently over the hardened section of the powder
- Lift the tape up to reveal the fresh powder underneath
- Repeat until the impacted layer has been removed
Check out this quick video showing you how to remove the hard film from a powder product.
That's literally all you need to do. RIP to all the pressed powders that have been thrown out prematurely :(
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