We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
WiseGEEK

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Culinary

How Do I Make Natural Makeup?

By Lumara Lee
Updated May 17, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

Makeup can be expensive, but it is possible to make natural makeup at home using simple, inexpensive ingredients. Much of the commercial makeup on the market contains chemicals, so homemade makeup made with natural ingredients may be better for the skin. Many women already have the ingredients for eye shadow, lip color, lip gloss, rouge, and face powder in their kitchens and medicine cabinets.

Powdered food coloring can be mixed with baby powder or corn starch to make makeup for the eyes. This can be applied in powder form or combined with petroleum jelly or vitamin E to create a creamy shadow. Since powder can fall into sensitive eyes, experts recommend mixing it with petroleum jelly to help it adhere to the eyelids. Baking cocoa can also be used instead of food coloring to create either creamy or powdered eye shadow.

There are many ways to make natural makeup to color lips. Beet juice can be used as a substitute for lipstick and can be applied to the lips alone or mixed with petroleum jelly or vitamin E. Lips can also be tinted with red or pink gelatin and powdered drink mixes. Mixing eye shadow with petroleum jelly is another way to make homemade lip color.

Dark berries that stain, such as blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries, can also be used to color the lips. Applying petroleum jelly or the contents of a vitamin E capsule to the lips without a coloring agent will give the appearance of a shiny lip gloss. It is also possible to make a natural lip gloss by mixing two parts of sunflower oil with one part of melted beeswax. Rouge or blush for the cheeks can be made using the same ingredients used to color lips.

Loose face powder is easy to make. All it takes is one part potato starch mixed with an equal part of corn starch. A small amount of cinnamon can be added to give the skin a healthy-looking glow. This same combination of potato starch and corn starch can be made into eye shadow by adding some cocoa powder.

A woman who would like to make natural makeup may want to purchase some mica powder. This is finely-ground stone manufactured for use in crafts and cosmetics. The versatile mineral powder comes in every color imaginable and can be used alone as a facial powder, eye shadow, or rouge. Mica powder can also be mixed with aloe vera gel or petroleum jelly to make mascara.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Related Articles

Discussion Comments

By anon356916 — On Nov 29, 2013

There's nothing natural about this.

By honeybees — On Jul 08, 2012

My first experience with making my own cosmetics was using beeswax to make lip balm. All I did was melt some beeswax with some olive oil and a little bit of vitamin E. This was the best lip balm I had ever used and it kept my lips soft and smooth.

The next thing I did was add some color to my lip balm. Since then I have also started experimenting with making my own natural eye makeup. Once I started doing this, I wanted to keep trying different things.

I have slowly been trying to substitute many of the skin care products I have been buying with natural products. Sometimes this can be kind of expensive, but I have found that by making them myself I can save some money and feel better about the quality of products I am using.

By SarahSon — On Jul 07, 2012

I have found that eye and face makeup products tend to last longer than things like body cream and moisturizer. When you have to add water to any kind of product is when you really have to be concerned about how long it will stay fresh.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as powdered food coloring until I started doing some research on how to make my own all natural makeup. I also order mica powder from a company where I order products to make my own soap.

This is a very versatile product and allows me to experiment with all different kinds of colors. For me this is easier than using something like cocoa powder or berries. I have found that the mica powder also stays a long time, and it is easy to get the right amount of color you are looking for.

By golf07 — On Jul 07, 2012

@LisaLou - When I make my own organic natural makeup, I mix them up in small batches. This way I know they will get used up before they get old. If you want to keep them fresh for a long period of time, you will probably have to add some type of preservative or chemical. This is what I am trying to avoid.

If I only mix up a little bit at a time, I don't have to worry about this, and know the products I am using on my face are truly safe and natural.

I admit it is not as convenient to make your own makeup, and sometimes it sounds so much easier to just go to the store and buy it. Once you get the right color and texture down though, it is worth it.

I keep the recipes I use handy and make sure I have the right containers to store my makeup in when I am done mixing it up. There are some great recipes on the web, and I have also had a lot of fun being creative and finding out what works best for me and my skin tone.

By LisaLou — On Jul 06, 2012

It sounds like you only need a few simple ingredients to make several different kinds of natural looking makeup at home. At first I thought it would be more complicated than that.

I already have most of the ingredients on hand and am interested to see how they turn out. I would have never thought of using something like cinnamon to add to a face powder.

When you make your own natural products like this, how long can you expect them to last? I know many cosmetics you buy packaged in the store have a long shelf life. If you are using only natural ingredients do they have a shorter shelf life?

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.