The use of cosmetics as body art has a long and storied history. Going back at least 6,000 years, the makeup our ancestors used spanned soot eyeliner, white lead skin lightener, hair removal creams composed of rat poison, arsenic to even out skin complexion, coal tar eyelash dyes, and mercury to help remove freckles.
Although we wouldn’t find most of these deadly additives in today’s makeup products, there are still quite a few toxic ingredients to be found in everyday cosmetics. The best way to avoid putting chemicals on your face is to make your own makeup – it’s easy, cost-effective, and you can rest assured that they are made with only the most wholesome and natural ingredients.
Skin:
Whether in liquid or powdered form, foundation is applied all over the face and so extra care should be taken when selecting a concealer. The nice thing about DIYing is knowing the exact ingredients that go into it as well as the ability to customize the hue to your skin tone. And be sure to take notes so you can quickly and easily reproduce the formulas that work best for you.
1. Loose Powder
Using arrowroot powder as the base, combine one or more of cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg to find a shade that matches your skin. You can also add a few drops of jojoba, olive, or almond oil and press it down to give it a more compact-like consistency.
2. Foundation with Sunscreen
A smooth and spreadable semi-liquid foundation, this recipe is enriched with vitamin E oil for all-round beautiful skin and zinc oxide as a natural mineral sunscreen. You’ll also need almond oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, and beeswax, as well as cocoa powder and cinnamon for color. The ingredients are first carefully weighed and then heated up on the stove using a double boiler. Mix well with a whisk, pour into a container, and allow it to cool completely before using.
3. Neutral Translucent
Helping to smooth out skin complexion without the heaviness of a foundation proper, this neutral translucent powder requires only three ingredients: corn starch, cocoa powder, and green clay.
4. Bronzer Lotion
For an all-natural sunless tan, bronzer will give you a nice healthy-looking glow without all the risks that come with basking in the sun. Simply combine cinnamon, cocoa powder, and corn starch in a bowl and slowly add and mix in your favorite organic lotion until you achieve a creamy texture.
5. Natural Blush
Emphasize those cheekbones with this homemade blush recipe that compliments any skin tone. You’ll need colorants like hibiscus, beet root, peach petal, cocoa, and arrowroot powders to mix and match for warm and lovely shades.
6. Makeup Setting Spray
Keep your makeup on your face – and off your clothes – with this moisturizing, antioxidant-rich makeup setting spray. Great for long days when you need your makeup to last well into the night, to make you’ll need aloe vera gel, witch hazel, purified water, and lavender essential oil. Mix well and transfer to a spray bottle, spritz your post-makeup job face, and allow to air dry.
7. Makeup Remover Pads
On the flip side, when you want to remove every last trace of makeup at day’s end, these homemade makeup remover pads will gently clean your face. Made with coconut oil, castile soap, distilled water, and an essential oil of your choice, organic cotton pads are kept moist and ready-to-use by storing them in a tightly sealed jar.
Lips:
Even today, trace amounts of lead have been found in many popular lipstick brands so making your own lip balm and lipstick could be a real life-saver…
8. Lip Stain
For just a dash of color, this reddish-pink lip stain is made with ingredients that will heal and condition your kisser: beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil, along with the wonderful antioxidants and phytochemicals found in beet root powder and hibiscus powder.
9. Lipstick
For bolder hues, this tutorial offers tinting instructions for red and brown tones in the classic roll up tube (which can be purchased here).
10. Lip Balm
A simple recipe of coconut oil, cocoa butter, almond oil, and beeswax, this balm will make your lips nice and glossy while keeping them super moisturized. Using lime essential oil for flavor, you can easily substitute (or combine) it with any essential oils to concoct a scent of your choosing.
Eyes:
Not only will making your own eye liner, mascara, and eye shadow ensure it’s free of questionable ingredients, making your own supply is also quite economical.
11. Eye Liner
A touch of activated charcoal makes for an excellent all-natural eye liner. Add a small amount of oil (jojoba, sweet almond, or avocado are great choices) to make a paste-like consistency. To apply, use a good-quality eye liner brush like this one.
12. Eye Shadow
Doubling as a blush as well, this natural eye shadow recipe makes room for experimentation with lots of different color combinations: cocoa (browns), ginger (yellows), turmeric (oranges), spirulina (greens), paprika (reds), and beet root (pinks). Use activated charcoal or arrow root powder to darken or lighten the shade.
13. Black & Brown Mascara
Considering that store-bought mascara ain’t cheap and has a shelf life of only three months, this homemade version is certainly a frugal way to go about darkening, thickening, and lengthening your eyelashes. This recipe is super simple: heat up coconut oil, aloe vera gel, and grated beeswax on the stovetop until melted, add in activated charcoal (for black) or cocoa powder (for brown) and mix well. Once it’s cooled a little, squeeze it into a mascara tube.
14. Mineral Mascara
Incorporating a different set of ingredients, this natural mascara tutorial uses black mineral powder to achieve a dark shade, bentonite clay to help it dry and harden, vegetable glycerin so it adheres to the lashes, aloe vera to keep it smooth, and lavender essential oil to give it a nice aroma.