Homemade Eye Shadow Experiment

These are my first experiments with homemade eye shadows (and probably not my last because they are not quite right). I started with the basic idea and recipes found on Love Your Body, and then tweaked them to suit my preferences. This meant using less of the stuff that made the most color -- beet root powder and cocoa powder. I'm not even going to note the proportions that I used for a second experimental shade of brown, which called for nutmeg. I will just say that nutmeg felt tingly on my eyelids I quickly removed it with my homemade eye makeup remover before it had a chance to cause any real issues! (After that, I decided it was not worth it to experiment with the other recipe that called for allspice. That one made me nervous.)

{Beet Root, Failed Nutmeg, Cocoa Powder}

Pinkish-Mauve
1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon beet root powder
1/8 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon shea butter

Brown
1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon shea butter

Directions: 

1. Combine arrowroot powder in a small bowl with your desired pigmented ingredients. (I used cocoa powder, beet root powder, and the not-as-good nutmeg.) A spoon is all you need to mix them well. Tip: You can increase the amount of arrowroot powder for lighter shades and add more of the other ingredients for more vibrant and darker colors.
2. Add some shea butter to the mixture and use the spoon to cream it into the powder until thoroughly combined. (Note: I am slightly skeptical about whether or not this actually helps. The author of Love Your Body says that this will help it stay in place on eyelids. I found it to be kind of clumpy and the application was not as smooth as I had hoped for.)
3. Store your eye shadow in an airtight container, or multiple containers if you are making more than one color. 
4. Application: I am still trying to figure out the best way to do this. A wet brush produced too bright of colors on my eyelids. Using a regular sponge tip eye shadow applicator did not work with the texture of this eye shadow. It just fell off. The best luck I had was with an eye shadow brush and many sweeping motions. However, I still had eye shadow that seemed gritty and I had to take a damp cloth and wipe my face beneath my eyes, not something I normally do with commercial eye shadow application. Once on, though, the colors were nice and natural, so this gives me hope that further experiments will yield more desirable results with homemade eye shadows.

{Modeling my all-natural homemade eye shadow.}

2- Ingredient Homemade Blush

I don't remember how I came across this recipe for a natural blush, but I was so excited when my arrowroot powder arrived today and I finally got to try it out! I had used beet root powder to make this tinted lip gloss a few days ago and then decided to experiment with the beet root powder as a blush, applied straight up. The color was pretty good, (although it appeared too harsh at first, before blending).

The main problem with pure beet root powder was that it didn't seem to have staying power. Without giving it too much of a test run here, I am feeling pretty optimistic that the arrowroot powder is going to do the trick to make this a longer lasting blush. As a bonus, the color is more subdued. It's quite lovely, really -- the perfect natural flush, made with totally safe, natural ingredients.

{All natural and just 2 ingredients!}

Ingredients:

• beet root powder (organic)
• arrowroot powder (organic)

Directions:

1. Using a spoon, combine arrowroot powder and beet root powder in a small bowl or container. I used 1 teaspoon of beet root powder and 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot powder, following A Blossoming Life's 2:1 ratio and simply making a smaller batch. I was quite happy with the color, but you can adjust the proportions according to your personal preferences.
2. Apply with a makeup brush as you would any loose powder makeup. (Dip brush into the powder, tap off the excess, and gently brush onto the apples of the cheeks, spreading upward along the cheekbone to blend.)

{Glowing, if I do say so myself. Thank you beet root powder.}

Stay tuned... In all fairness, I feel compelled to test this out with the hibiscus powder. In the meantime, I am enjoying the glowing results of my oh-so-minimal efforts! This is truly one of the simplest DIY projects I have ever tried, and it was so, so worth it.

Homemade Tinted Lip Balm Experiment #2

Remember a while back when I tried to make my own tinted lip gloss and failed spectacularly? Well, this time around I am definitely on the right track! I had ordered both beet root powder and hibiscus powder, intending to use only the hibiscus for this, but it's on back order. So, I went ahead and experimented with the beet root powder (which I bought to make my own natural blush, but the other ingredient I need for that is also on back order).

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome. The color is both pretty and natural looking, things that are I consider a must for a lip product at the moment. Also, it has great shine and it conditions my lips nicely. The biggest advantage of this recipe over my previous attempt is that it doesn't taste horribly sour! In fact, it doesn't have a taste at all. Of course, I also love that I don't have to wonder about what is contained in my lip color. My only complaints are that it wears off easily (the color mainly -- the lip balm itself has more staying power), and it's not exactly the most portable of lip balms considering that the base is my homemade non-petroleum jelly.

{Please excuse the weird disembodied lips pic - wanted to show how it looks on!}

Ingredients:

• Homemade non-petroleum jelly (made from beeswax and extra virgin olive oil)
• Beet root powder (mine is organic)

Directions:

1. Place some non-petroleum jelly into a small container. I used one teaspoon and put it in a small Tupperware type container that has a lid.
2. Add some beet root powder and mix with a spoon until all of the powder is dissolved. I started with 1/8 teaspoon and gradually added more until I found a color I was happy with. This was made using 3/8 teaspoon of beet root powder. You can adjust your ratios according to your personal preference.
3. Apply tinted lip balm using a lipstick brush, a Q-tip, or a finger. (Note: I'm not sure if that last option will stain your finger or not.) Enjoy!