I am not going to lie to you – I kind of felt like a chemist experimenting with this all-natural makeup recipe. I also won’t lie and tell you that figuring out something that actually works was easy. DIY makeup was difficult for me to nail down, and I’ll tell you why.

There are lots of different all-natural makeup recipes floating around Pinterest right now. Of course, being a lover and practicer of herbal recipes myself, I was intrigued. I had all of the ingredients I needed to make some all natural blush already in my pantry: arrowroot powder, beetroot powder, and cocoa powder among other things. I mixed it right up in a little bowl and happily brushed it on the underside of my arm only to find that I didn’t stick. It didn’t even stick a little bit! Quickly, I ran to find a mirror and try it on my face. Nothing! The powder just fell right off.  I was so disappointed! At first I thought my skin just didn’t take the powder well; I tend to have a hard time keeping makeup on the begin with. To my surprise, I found that a lot of other people who had tried making makeup out of plant matter were having a hard time getting the makeup to stick, too.

Post Pinterest Fail: The Research on DIY Makeup Continues

That led to me reading other recipes, researching ingredients, and trying desperately to find the perfect combination of what I already had available in my pantry to make this makeup stick. This was war, and I was not going to go down without a fight. I also don’t want to fib to you and tell you something will work when it really doesn’t. Remember, though, all skin types are different!

When the powder all alone refused to work, I tried a few different methods of application. I made creams, oils, and water bases and none of them worked! They all looked streaky or cakey.

After spending several hours mixing and making, I sat on the internet, trying to figure out how the professionals do it. What were they using? Well, it turns out, a lot of makeup that claims to be mineral and natural uses an ingredient called Bismuth Oxychloride, which is a synthetic pearl, only occurring in nature on super rare occasions, and is what makes mineral makeup shiny and stick to your skin. It literally pokes into your skin and gets stuck in your pores! The more you know. Well, I didn’t have that on me, and I also really didn’t want to go out and purchase micas to create makeup. I wanted this to work –  why couldn’t beetroot powder stick?!

The Solution

It wasn’t until the next day that it clicked – why would I mix the oil in when I could just lay the powder on top? I rubbed a little sweet almond oil on my skin and brushed the blush mix over my skin. Voila! The answer was right in front of me. Then I experimented a little further and discovered that my sea salt spray actually made the perfect primer. It was lightweight, smelled wonderful, good for my skin, and it made everything stick. Amazing.

Friends, I am happy to share my makeup primer recipe along with three blush mixes and three eye-shadow mixes with you! I am so proud of the final results. I hope you are, too!

DIY Makeup Primer Recipe:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp aloe vera juice
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or sweet almond oil
• 5 drops essential oil (I used lavender)

Mix all ingredients together, pour into a spray bottle, and shake. Spray face with one or two layers (and your hair, too!). Make sure you are working on a freshly washed face, this works best! For my application, I washed my face, rubbed in a little bit of sweet almond oil, and then sprayed with the primer. It worked perfectly! Now you’re ready to add your favorite natural blush!

Blush Recipes:

Pale Pink:

• 2 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1/4 tsp beetroot powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger

Mauve:

• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp beetroot powder

Deep Mauve:

• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 tsp beetroot powder
• 1/2 tsp hibiscus powder
• 1/4 tsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger

Simply mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined and apply as desired!

Eye-shadow Recipes:

Gold:

• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp kelp powder

Golden Brown:

• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ginger

Cocoa:

• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp beetroot powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger

They’re really quite simple to mix up! Place all of your ingredients in a small bowl with some sort of cream. Mix together with the back of a spoon until they are combined and become a satisfying color. The above recipes are all suggestions. Feel free to experiment all you like! There are plenty of powdered ingredients you could use from your pantry. I added ginger to most of mine to give them a little bit of shimmer!

I hope you have fun making your own makeup. It was a blast discovering the best way to make it stick and mixing together all of the colors. I am such a fan of subtle makeup, and this is just the trick for that! A perfect little bit of color to brighten your skin, and make it feel good, too!

xoxo Kayla

Kayla Haupt is a fiber artist and single stay-at-home mother to her young son, Theodore. The two live together in rural Iowa, in one of the largest Amish communities in the United States, alongside her parents and various family members. She spends most of her days tending to her garden, creating embroidery, reading Outlander, and sipping on cranberry juice. When they are not spending time at home, Kayla and her son like to venture out to farmer’s markets and history museums. Kayla hopes to instill the idea of the simple life, creativity, and nature in her young son while focusing on her newly growing business. You can learn more about her and follow along with her daily life on her blog at www.underatinroof.com and follow her on Instagram (@underatinroof or @kayhaupt).”

Up Next: We are putting together a DIY packaging idea for Kayla’s all natural make-up recipes over on her blog, Under a Tin Roof. Don’t miss it!

The information provided on flourish is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat any medical condition. Content is based on personal research and experiences and is meant for entertainment purposes only. We are not licensed nutritionists or medical professionals. You should always consult with your doctor.