Make Your Own Makeup: Save Hundreds of Dollars Per Year!

I've been working on this one for a few months now to make sure I got them all correct first-hand before posting them.

All of the following makeup can be made naturally without many chemicals and for a fraction of the price of store bought brands. You can actually decrease toxins, boost antioxidants, and save hundreds of dollars per year! Almost all of these are my own creations that I have actually tried and I know for a fact work. The mascara is from a blog that I have found that I haven't tried yet, but hope to in the near future.

Most of these products are made with natural "food" type ingredients, so remember to make small amounts of each at a time. Larger amounts take longer to use, and bacteria can get in and destroy all your work!

1. Powder

2. Eye Shadow

3. Eye Liner

4. Mascara (I have another method I'm working on but haven't perfected yet.)

5. Blush

6. Lip Tint

7. Lip Gloss

Make Your Own Lip Tint Stain

I have been searching online for recipes on how to make your own lip stain, but most of them require refrigeration--no thanks! Other DIY "lip tints" end up just being colored lip gloss. To me, a lip tint is something that actually stains the lips for awhile, not just a few seconds.

Another issue is that most lip stains at the store cost upwards of $8. If I could make my own for pennies, and make it just as effective, why wouldn't I? I think I've come up with a great answer!

UPDATED RECIPE:

I have included my first recipe below this one, but since this is my current and most successful method, I'm putting it here at the top.

Combine 2-3pts. vodka, 1-2 pts. olive oil (or I've also been using castor and grape seed), and 1pt. food coloring in an empty lip stain tube. Voila! Perfect long-lasting, nourishing lip stain! (It will keep for several weeks bc of the vodka.) You can make straight red, orange, purple, and pink this way, but if you don't look good in pure colors, you can also mix colors to create nudes and earthier colors.

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OLDER RECIPE: (It still works, but the citric acid irritates my lips, so now I do the method above.)

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 a Kool-Aid powder packet.
2. Vodka, white vinegar, saline solution, or some other clear liquid that will kill germs for awhile. (I don't recommend rubbing alcohol, because that is poisonous if ingested. Also, if you have children under 21, skip the vodka. Even though it's not for drinking, kids aren't going to understand.)
3. An empty lip gloss container--the kind with a wand.

I used strawberry flavored Kool-Aid powder for a nice bright red color, but if you like more coral-y colors, add some lemonade powder. If you like more berry-colored lips, add more blue raspberry. If you like more nude-colored lips, start with red and add blue and yellow till the shade browns up a little.

Directions:

Basically, all you do is clean out your empty container, add some liquid, add about 1/2 a packet of powder, add some more liquid till the container is full, shake it, and you're done! For the directions with pictures, see below.

1. Get a clean lip gloss container

2. Get whatever Kool-Aid powders you think you will need. I used strawberry (straight red) for this experiment, but I have black cherry (red with a little blue) waiting on hand whenever I run out.

3. Add a bit of liquid to the container. (If you add the powder first, it all sticks to the bottom--this is experience talking!)

4. Add 1/2 the packet of powder. (This picture is actually of beet juice powder--an earlier failed attempt!)

5. Add some more liquid till the container is full.

6. Shake it up!

7. Put it on!

It lasts for hours and hours!

Tips:

1. The only drawback on this formula is that the citric acid in the Kool-Aid can sting a bit if your lips are very sensitive. Mine got over it after the first day or so of using it, but if yours don't, I suggest using straight up red food coloring with some kind of clear, sterilizing liquid. Citric acid is a preservative on its own, so that's why I use the Kool-Aid.

2. This formula also makes a nice stain for cheeks, but I can never get it to work without looking like a clown. If you want a powder blush, go here.

3. Lock it in place with lip balm!

For a complete list of makeup DIY, go here.

Make Your Own Blush

Making blush is as easy as making your own face powder. You start with any organic red powder and add cornstarch till it matches the blush of your skin. (I also added pearl powder by smashing up a pearl and putting it in!)

If you are more olive-toned (look best in off-white), add cinnamon, red tea powder, or powder that is cinnamon-colored.

If you are more blueish-toned (look best in white), add berry or beet powder or powder that is blueish pink.

Of course, you can mix blue tones with yellow tones if your tones are mixed.

Only make a little at a time and wash your brushes frequently as there are no preservatives in this recipe. Don't be scared by this advice! At least you are not putting harsh chemicals on your face! Some blogs say to add baking powder to help save it, but other blogs said the baking powder was too harsh on skin. I made the little travel-sized pot above with just cornstarch and beet juice powder, and it lasted me over a month without any problems.

For a complete list of makeup DIY, go here.

Make Your Own Eye Liner

I'm really excited about this one. You can make this with a visit to the drug store. All you need is activated charcoal powder applied with a thin, lightly moistened brush, if you like to use powder liner. If you use liquid liner, then add castor oil and saline solution.

Activated charcoal powder is in the section where you find antacids. It's been used for indigestion for centuries. I bought mine on eBay, though, because that way I could buy a whole bag. I shall never want for eye liner again as long as I live, probably. . .Castor oil can be found in the same section. Most of our grandparents were made to take castor oil for various ailments. Saline solution can be found in the eye care section, obviously.

Okay, so here's my reasoning for these ingredients. First of all, charcoal powder is a purifying agent that creates a very dense black pigment on skin. Castor oil is a strong hair follicle strengthener--it is in a lot of mascaras for this reason. Saline solution is safe if it gets in your eyes, obviously. Also, it is a preservative.

Basically you just mix these three ingredients into a plastic baggie, cut a small hole in one corner, squeeze it into a clean liner container and you are done. But if you want pictures:

1. Put a little charcoal powder into one corner of a plastic baggie.

2. Add some castor oil and saline solution till you have a liquid-y paste.

3. Mash it around gently till the three ingredients are mixed together.

4. Squeeze them all down so they are concentrated into the corner.

5. Cut a small hole in the corner.

6. Very carefully, squeeze it into the container.

7. Shake it up.

8. Put it on.

Tips:

1. If you choose to add castor oil, the formula will take longer to dry. In other words, if you want a fast-drying formula, skip the castor oil. However, it will still eventually dry even if castor oil is added, and as I said before, castor oil is good for your eyelashes. 

2. It lasts just as long as regular eye liner, but unlike most liquid eye liners I have tried, this formula won't flake off! After wearing it all day, all I notice is that my eyes are a little smokier come evening, but the definition is still there. It even adds a little black pigment when washed off, meaning you can skip a day if you want! 

3. You could make eye liner in colors if you wanted to experiment with cocoa powder, green tea powder, acai powder, etc. Be careful if you use organic powders, though, that your formula doesn't spoil. You may even experiment with food coloring, but I'm not sure if that will irritate your eyes, so don't quote me on that one.

4. This formula can even double as an eyelash darkener. It's not going to make your eyelashes any thicker or longer the way mascara would, but if you just want a subtle look, this will work.

For a complete list of makeup DIY, go here.

Make Your Own Eye Shadow

There are probably other ways to make your own eye shadow, but I wanted something that was not just pretty but good for my skin. All I do is break open vitamin/herb supplements and add pearl powder! Really easy!

The ones I use are Gingko Biloba and Acai. I have the Gingko on-hand because I take it daily to help with circulation. I also have the Acai on-hand because I used to take it thinking it would make me look like the girl in the magazine who took it, but. . .it didn't do a thing! You can use whatever natural powder you want. Experiment! My friend, Bethany, told me that a woman on "The Doctors" TV show had used green tea powder. I really want to try that one!

Gingko happens to be a nice tannish color, and acai is purple. Either would look great on its own, but I mixed them together and created a sort of pinkish, smoky color. I also added pearl powder for shimmer. (How to make pearl powder: Buy a bag of it on eBay. . .or smash one!)

Fun Facts and Tips:

1. It lasts for several hours, even through a day of work and a work out later. There is some noticeable creasing, but that's normal. I just spread it out with my finger when that happens.

2. I like knowing that my eye shadow is good for my skin and not just something clogging my pores for no reason.

3. When I wash it off, I get a little exfoliation action.

4. Apply it with a clean brush and not your fingers.

5. Make it using only one or two supplements at a time. That should last you for up to a few months.

For a complete list of make up DIY, go here.

Make Your Own Anti-Aging Shimmery Face Powder

I thought making face powder would be something esoteric and mysterious, but as it turns out, you only need two ingredients: corn starch and cocoa powder. If you are light skinned, start with corn starch and add cocoa till you get your color. If you are dark skinned, start with cocoa and add corn starch.

The End.

However, if you want the advantage of anti-aging and shimmer, add these ingredients: cinnamon, gingko biloba (all you do is open a supplement pill and dump it in), and pearl powder. You can actually use any spice/plant powder that is tannish/brownish/shiny and is skin-beneficial, but I used these three because of their cell-renewal and antioxidant properties, and because I already had them at my house. It's like giving yourself a non-pore-clogging, sun-protecting, day-long facial!



You can buy pearl powder from eBay. It's under $10 for 100g (which is going to last you several years), or you can do what I did: Wrap a pearl in tin foil. . .and HIT IT WITH A HAMMER!

I put some of the pearl powder in my face powder, some in my eye shadow, and some in my blush. I got the idea for pearl powder because some of my BB cream from South Korea has pearl powder in it, and I love it. Pearls are organic, right? It makes your skin really shimmery.

Fun Facts and Tips:

1. Pearl powder has long been heralded in Eastern medicine as an anti-aging, sun-blocking protectant to skin. Some people even take it internally as a supplement.

2. As I said in the makeup homepage, make sure to make only a small amount at a time and clean your brushes very regularly. You can prolong the life of your powder by adding baking soda, but that can be harsh if you have sensitive skin. It's up to you! I made the small jar in the first picture with no baking soda, and that lasted a month with no problems.

3. Corn starch is a super strong oil absorber (the main ingredient in "CornSilk" powder, in fact) and cocoa is a great antioxidant and natural sun protectant. Using these two ingredients alone sets my makeup all day without constant dabbing--even better than my store-bought mineral powder!

4. You can make a small jar for about a penny, and you can be sure it fits your skin tone!

5. Here's the one drawback: If your face gets wet or sweaty, the cocoa in the powder will turn brown. Therefore, if you want to make a cheaper version of powder that you can work-out in, I suggest buying some regular powder or bronzer makeup a few shades darker than your skin tone and adding corn starch to it to stretch the formula out. It's not all-natural, but it is a far cheaper method of doing makeup.

For a complete list of make up DIY, go here.

The Elastic Free Men's Boxer

This next innovation is brought to you by the following epiphany:

Men get cranky for three reasons.

1. They are tired.

2. They are hungry.

3. They hate the elastic on their underwear.

These boxers correct a third of those reasons.

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Fashion for Sale

Very kind people who have been following my blog have said that I need to start my own fashion line. I'm not sure if this is the Holy Spirit or if they are just being nice. Either way, this is me "putting out the fleece" as it were:

Click Here to go to my store: My Online Clothing Shop

They all vary slightly in size. Measurements are on my store website above. 

Here are the pictures from what I have so far:

The End!