Can I refill a vintage lipstick tube with a new lipstick bullet?

[Jillipede]

There are so many beautiful vintage or antique lipstick tubes on ebay etc. and I am wondering if anyone has ever found a way to put a new lipstick bullet inside. I am thinking of trying it in the following way:
1)Get a cheapie drugstore lipstick to practice with.
2)Freeze the lipstick to make it hard/firm
3) Gently pull the lipstick bullet (the product part) out of the new/modern case
4) insert it into the vintage case, secure by melting a bit of the lipstick either in the bottom or around the sides of where the bullet enters into the base..

For example, wouldn't it be fun to have something like this (not quite so expensive of course) and have your MAC lipstick bullet to swivel up out of it? http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-French-...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Do most of these old lipstick tubes/cases have a slide-up type bullet or a screw up type like modern lippies?

I hope this is all making some sense. I did a google seach in the board and didn't find anything on this topic. Thanks all! Jill

 

[KittyT]

Keep in mind that most modern lipsticks are larger than many older ones. The actual lipstick part of a modern one will likely not fit in an older case, but your method for attempting this sounds pretty solid. What's the harm in trying it, if you can pick up an old case for cheap?

 

[ShooShooBaby]

this would be really cool! the only vintage lipsticks i have are in tiny cases, though. i'm not sure if that was considered "full-size" or not.

you could probably do this with a modern case though... maybe buy a Besame lipstick, use it, and then put your favorite shade in it?

 

[KittyT]

you could probably do this with a modern case though... maybe buy a Besame lipstick, use it, and then put your favorite shade in it?

Besame cases are really small too. They're more like the size of vintage cases!

 

[ShooShooBaby]

ah, i've never bought from them so i didn't know! oh well [huh]

 

[Jillipede]

Thanks ladies!

Thanks for the replies! I didn't think about the size difference. I wish I could find a lipstick mold somehow. Any ideas on melting the lipstick into a smaller mold to fit the older tubes? What could be used as a mold? HMMM... If I could think of some type of hollow tube that I could use as a mold.. Maybe I will look into that somehow, finding a way to MAKE a mold...

 

[ShooShooBaby]

but then you need to worry about the properties changing. maybe. i know nothing about chemistry so i really have no clue! lol i've heard of people turning loose powder into pressed powder for vintage compacts though.

 

[Jillipede]

Did some more searching and may have found something

Looking online for lipstick molds and found something saying you could make your own mold by taking a wooden dowel of your chosen size, and wrapping the dowel round and round and on the bottom too with aluminum foil to make a reasonably sturdy tube from the foil. Remove the dowel from the foil and you will then have a tube to pour the melted lipstick into. When the lipstick has cooled, I suppose you could unwrap the foil and you'd have your custom sized lipstick bullet. I don't know if this is all worth trying but if I do I will post the results! If anyone has any other ideas on the topic I'd love to hear them!.. I just imagine it would be so fun to have a vanity full of vintage lipstick cases with new lipstick inside!

http://www.helium.com/items/784462-making-lipstick-difficult-think

I found yet another link where it looks like someone made a tube out of rolled parchment paper.. and did it
http://what.a.mess.tribe.net/thread/9b8cbf98-dd58-4710-a8e6-6a00445e8814

 

[NoirDame]

You absolutely could do this if you had a mold to make a new shape.

As a makeup artist, I need to condense my kit. I would cut the lipstick bullets into a divided pill box and nuke it in the microwave for about 10 secs (I don't think I have to say this, but don't put metal in the microwave). Once it is liquified, you could carefully pour it into a mould.

However, some of the lipstick compositions changed in the process....such as all the glitter falling to the bottom, or disruption of the frost. However, for vintage look mattes and cremes, I see no problem.

Let us know if you have success!

 

[Vintage Betty]

You also can try sample sizes; that might work well. I can tell you that just taking a normal lipstick and attempting to put it in the tube didn't work for me. I mangled it. [huh]

The freezing is a good idea; but would the wax in the lipstick change consistency as it defrosted in the case? Would it rust the case? Hmmmm....clever idea.....

 

[MissMissy]

I do know where you can get a good mold and an inexpensive mold but I'm not sure if the size would be correct on either one of them.

The good mold is currently out of stock, I believe it costs $250 (mold shown has 6 molds however the one you get has 12, they just haven't updated the photo)

http://www.wholesalecolors.com/inde...tp://74.50.13.21/index.php?page=2&category=18

The inexpensive mold is just over $11. This one won't break the bank and not such a disapointment if it doesn't work. (mold is located with the "equipment" items)

http://www.makingcosmetics.com/index1.html


There is good information on the first link as to how to use a mold. Good luck! Sounds like a fun experiment!

Missy

 

[Vivienne]

I was wondering about this exact thing, and I never thought about freezing it. XD It sounds like it would work alright. Things shrink slightly when they're cold (some physics thing I've forgotten since taking that class), though, so...

Hmm. The possibilities are endless.

 

[Joan]

Besame cases are really small too. They're more like the size of vintage cases!

Would the Besame lipstick bullet be the right size to transfer to a vintage case, then?

 

[Real Swell Gal]

If you use the dowel and parchment you would be able to get a dowel that is the right diameter for the case and the parchment would make a smoother bullet. Plus since I decorate cakes I can tell you that parchment paper will hold the liquid lipstick just fine.

So here is my idea.....
Take your dowel that fits the case and wrap the parchment around it taping it tightly. Slide it off and maybe stick it just around the outside of the the part that goes up and down? Make sure it's on there good. Then carefully pour your liquid lippy into the parchment and set it somewhere to cool.
Then if that works you should be able to peel the paper off and roll your lipstick up and down.
Maybe tap out the bubbles before it sets?

I don't know you'd just have to try it.

 

[Vintage Betty]

You are one smart lady. :eusa_clap

 

[Miss 1929]

Oh my...

i really want that lipstick tube...

 

[Real Swell Gal]

You are one smart lady. :eusa_clap

Who moi?

Only if it works!! LOL!

 

[Real Swell Gal]

i really want that lipstick tube...

Of course if you had 3 grand to spend on a lipstick tube you'd probably have the cash to have one fitted, no?

Why can't we be rich instead of gorgeous?

 

[miserabelle]

I would love to do this, I have a 1960s lipstick tube which is gorgeous, and after talking with Kitten Von Mew a little while back I'm on the look out for some 40s Max Factor lipsticks. I did just buy a Too Faced lipstick though and the whole thing is gorgeous: http://www.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/b1/a/AAAAAhe5Gc4AAAAAALGkSw.jpg
not sure if you can see it but it has this little crystal thing in the top that's pretty cool xxx x

 

[KittyT]

i've heard of people turning loose powder into pressed powder for vintage compacts though.

Yes, I've done it. It is messy, a pain in the butt, and the results are poor.

I dunno, all of this sounds like a hell of a lot of trouble for the vanity of using a vintage lipstick case.