All day – all day – I spent trying to figure out how to tint lip gloss with food so it didn’t contain water, so we wouldn’t have to worry about preservatives. No go.
And, actually, Crunchy Amanda tried the original recipe out a couple of days ago and it failed (as the water from the cranberries/fruit separates in the oil). So … until a solution is found, just skip it.
However, eventually I was putting all kinds of things on my face, just for fun. A whole face full of food (and stuff) that LOOKS JUST LIKE MAKEUP.
Want to see the results?
First, for a baseline, you must see me without makeup. Brace yourself.
That is nothing on my face. Nada. In fact, I’d just washed with the honey face wash before I took this picture.
Now, here I am after raiding my kitchen and “crunchy corner”:
Guess what’s on my face? GUESS!
On my face, in the second picture is:
- Spirulina and cocoa powder for eyeshadow
- Activated charcoal (powder) as eyeliner
- Activated charcoal/vitamin E mascara
- A hibiscus tea cheek stain
- This homemade bronzer/contour powder (used as a contour powder)
- Lip stained with cranberries and then coated with a light coat of castor oil/olive oil
- Finishing “powder” to set the makeup and create a matte finish with a slice of potato
(A couple of notes: The only thing that’s not explicitly crunchy (read: actual makeup) is that I used an all natural mineral powder as my foundation. Everything else came from the kitchen/crunchy corner. Secondly, I’ve done nothing to either of these photos in Photoshop except adjusting the levels, because my picture takes really red photos most of the time. So it’s all … real. All the colors, everything. Real.)
Want to Do It Too? Here’s How.
Spirulina/Cocoa Powder Eyeshadow
I’ve putzed around with spirulina as an eyeshadow a lot – with varying results. Finally, today I figured out that if you put spirulina in a jar and shake it up, the superfine powdered parts of it will stick to the lid. You want the superfine parts (or else you end up with gloppies all over your eyelid).
- First, smear just a teeny tiny bit of jojoba, olive, or sweet almond oil over your eyelids.
- Then, with your ring finger, dip into the spirulina and smudge it on your eyelid.
- Next, go over the crease of your eyelid with cocoa powder (very lightly) to add depth.
That’s it.
Hibiscus Cheek Stain
- Pour 1/2 Tbsp boiling water over 2 tsp dried hibiscus. Stir and allow to steep until dark pink.
- Take a cotton round or a small bit of paper towel and dip it into the tea.
- Press onto your cheeks (do this before you put on your foundation for lighter color, after for darker)
- Make sure you get equal coverage all over by blotting lightly about your cheeks
Activated Charcoal Eyeliner
This one is a cinch. Your eyes should have just a tiny amount of oil (as in the spirulina/cocoa powder eyeshadow) around them.
Just dip an eyeliner brush lightly into activated charcoal and apply as thick, dark, or lightly as you’d like.
Just like you would a powdered eyeliner.
Activated Charcoal/Vitamin E Mascara
If you have a clean mascara wand, this would be much more simple. I did not, so here’s what I did.
- Dip a clean index fingertip into activated charcoal (a teeny bit goes a LONG way)
- Put a drop of vitamin E oil on top of the activated charcoal
- Smush your index fingertip and the tip of your thumb together a few times to mix
- Lightly stroke your eyelashes with the blackened vitamin E
Cranberry Lip Stain
- Pour 1 Tbsp boiling water over 5-6 dried cranberries and smush around with the back of a spoon until the liquid turns red.
- Blot the liquid on your lips and let it dry (if you do this multiple times, your lips will be much darker)
- Cover with a 1:1 mixture of castor and olive oil (if you want shininess – this is optional)
Homemade Bronzer/Contour Powder
See this recipe here.
Potato Finishing “Powder”
Take a slice of raw potato and press it all over your face – this will set your makeup, keep you from being oily for quite some time, and offer awesome matte power.
This was SO Much Fun, But Some of It Might Not Translate
So, here are the “products” that have issues that might keep them from being viable options in the real world.
- The spirulina and cocoa powder, after about an hour, crept into my eyelid creases. It was easy enough to “re-spread” it – and it looked just fine when I did – but you might not want to have to remember to re-spread your eyeshadow all day long. You have better things to do with your time. Like crosswords and mountain climbing.
- The activated charcoal/vitamin E mascara is easily smudged – leaving black spots. It’s especially unfortunate if you have long eyelashes that touch the tops of your eyes. (Eventually, my eye looked like this:
Here are the things that worked well, but you can’t take with you in your purse (and they won’t stay on your face all day):
- Potato finishing powder, although this will give you matte coverage for several hours, you might not want to carry potato slices with you everywhere
- Cranberry lip stain, again, will keep your lip nice and stained for an hour or so – and you COULD carry some of the “tea” with you in a small vial, but for no longer than a day (unless you refrigerate, and then it will last three or four days)
And the things that are fabulous just the way they are:
- Hibiscus cheek stain
- Activated charcoal eyeliner
- Homemade bronzer/contour powder
- You
Have You Ever Tried Raiding Your Kitchen for Cosmetics?
I know there are a few other “makeup hacks” you can try, like beets instead of hibiscus or cranberry to stain your lips and cheeks, and powdered lavender for a purple eyeshadow, and powdered black walnut hulls as eye shadow and brow contour, but have you ever tried or heard of anything else?
(This is addictive.)
The Heart-Changing Letter Exercise: Part 2
HELP!!!! I need way to make purple eyeshadow. I am changing everything to toxin free. I am unable to find anything purple or blue. I’ve ordered some freeze dried blueberries and blackberries, but I’m not sure they will be blue. I can mix blue with beet or hibiscus powder. Mica is still a metal and shouldn’t be used. Have you come up with anything?
Absolutely beautiful!
I love this! I’ll definitely have to try the activated charcoal eyeliner, it looks so good! I came up with a DIY lip/cheek tint recipe using beetroot, olive oil, and honey too.
Does potatoes turn brown on the face?
Try using eye brushes and running them under water when applying eye makeup so oil isn’t an issue. Maybe castor for the mascara instead of e? So its thick enuff not to run so easy. And if you soak shredded beets in oil then strain it there’s your lip stain. coconut oil so its solid if its cool enuff. You can even boil it within a jar with the oil like stick the jar in the boiling water then strain when cool enough
The thing is: “I own a 2,500 euros cosmetics”, that I have purchased for 2 years now, and only “now”, and “finally” – I have found my most “favourite choice of the year”: The DIY organic make up making, and wearing the most natural ingredients and most “natural”, but most beautiful looks I have ever “realized”!!!
What do I do with my 2,500 euros worth of cosmetics now???
donate it to a battered women’s shelter.
donate to a non-profit in your area that helps women get professional jobs (gives them clothes, resume tips, etc)
give away
give them to cancer survivors, hell, offer to give them a make over, too (if appropriate).
if they aren’t toxic, give to some little girls or boys who dig makeup.
As a wild life rescue and rehaber, I’ve had to pick up lots of walnuts. And occassionally I’ve forgotten to wear gloves, the husks turn your hands black. So my query is could the husks be beaten into a pulp and then juicy enough to then be used to make mascara and if so would you then add aloe Vera to it as a drying agent. Because I was going to clean out an old mascara tube and give it a try. In any case I do have an aplicator. Please let me know what you think. Also I was thinking in line of an eye stain mainly, due to how long it takes the walnut stain to come off of my hands.
Hi Crunchy Betty I’m new to all this, I love your site its amazing and i’m just wondering what could I use to make a light foundation or concealer Thanks.
The best “kitchen” makeup is ; cornstarch (as powder), frozen or raw raspberries on the lips and cheeks, and a blackberry on the brows and eyelashes. I’ve been doing this lately as it seems to stay on longer and not make me look aged. Looks very natural with if applied lightly, or can be applied a few times for more intensity.
To have food makeup on the go, I was thinking of using dried beet powder, that can be wetted with hot water to make it less crumbly, still needs experimenting though, but the above routine works very well for me. I’m just about to order more cornstarch, so I can take it on the go.
I saw a recipe on TV once that confined chopped up crayons (whatever your color choice is) and Shea Butter and coconut all. The demonstration on TV put it all in a little glass bowl and set the bowl in a skillet of water on the stove. I don’t know why you couldn’t also Microway. It will solidify into a lipgloss. I use ground cinnamon for eyeshadow and Contouring. You also smell good!
Hello! These are awesome ideas, I’m going to try the activated charcoal / aloe vera mascara. Do you have any recommendations for natural mineral makeup powder / concealer? I’ve been using bare minerals but am wondering if it’s been partly to blame for my acne (plus not washing my makeup brushes enough, which I am going to try your method for that next!). Thank you!
My own invention for making my lips go a bit reddish-orange (actual shade depends on your natural lip colour). This will also makes your lips very soft. Take a teaspoon of natural pure plant based powder Henna (caution: Please DON’T USE CHEMICAL HENNA) and make a thick paste of this powder in double cream. Apply this paste like lipstick using a small brush. Avoid getting it on skin around lips. Let is semi-dry (10-15 minutes). Then gently wipe-off with a cloth/paper towel soaked in warm water. Double cream will make lips softer and bleaches them naturally, while Henna adds colour. End result: Lips will appear coral to peach. If you do it twice a week for 3-4 weeks then vegetable colour in Henna binds with lip membrane and your lips would look permanently stained in a deeper hue. Apply very little amount of almond oil to add gloss.
DISCLAIMER: Please try it at your own risk. It works for me. But you may be allergic to Henna or Double Cream. Please do a patch test before experimenting.
Wow! I never knew my kitchen was a makeup kit! Umm Crunchy……do you have any other stuff which I can use instead of cocoa and spirulina? Pls help!
For the cheek stain, would it work the same with dried roses?
yes, dried rose petals are used for “cosmetics making”, and they are mixed with “oils”…
I for one wud use rose petals in the future, with just a “coffie grinder” for a tool!
Coal and charcoal are completely unrelated. Why would you do all that research on coal yet not even look up what charcoal is?
I agree with Sasha, about you looking fabulous without make-up, but I also know how fun it is to put it on and play with different looks. Thank you, so much, for this, and every other amazingly cool thing here, and I wanted to say, you have a really wicked sense of humor, without which this would still be an awesome site, filled with great tips and information, but your funniness makes me feel like I’m being told all of this by a good friend.
This is AWESOME! ♥ Thank you sooo much ♥ I’ve been looking for safe makeup for yearrs now… And this is perfect!
Just ordered my charcoal… gotta go find my spirulina now 🙂
xoxo
Jordan:)
Could you maybe make a potato powder using dried (instant) potato flakes and a coffee grinder?
I’m not sure if activated charcoal contains mercury but coal certainly does. Here are just two links out of several available.
From the EPA site (http://www.epa.gov/hg/about.htm):
….Mercury is found in many rocks including coal. When coal is
burned, mercury is released into the environment. Coal-burning power plants are
the largest human-caused source of mercury emissions to the air in the United
States, accounting for over 50 percent of all domestic human-caused mercury
emissions (Source: 2005 National Emissions Inventory)…
A Little Bit of Trouble: Mercury & Arsenic in Coal (http://pulse.pharmacy.arizona.edu/resources/powerful_explorations/mercury_arsenic_coal.pdf)
By Rod Hatt As published in “World
Coal”
…Coal was formed due to global warming that occurred million
of years ago. It is the
fossilized remains of vast jungles and tropical forests that
were able to grow due to
the hot, humid environment that had an abundance of CO2 in
the atmosphere. The
green house effect was doing its job – growing plant
life. As the plants grew in the
dirt and were exposed to water, every naturally occurring
element was incorporated
into the coal. As a
result, the coal we use today has every naturally occurring
element in it. That
includes gold, uranium, tungsten, and the two elements
discussed in this paper, mercury and arsenic. Most of the trace elements in coal are
present in extremely low concentrations. The concern with coal is caused by its
use,
during combustion these elements are released. When we use a lot of coal, even
the minute amounts of trace elements can add up. Mercury and arsenic are a
concern today, and will become more of a concern as we use
more coal and
increase our use of sophisticated pollution control
equipment. The main concern
with mercury is health related. Arsenic’s concern is both health related and
equipment related….
Love your sight and determination to find healthier alternatives to all the chemicals in commercial products. (the Skin Deep site is an excellent source for rating over 69,000 everyday products).
I am concerned though about the use of activated charcoal for eyeliner. Coal is LADEN with MERCURY, which is one of the most deadly sources known. Having that so close to your eyes is scary. I wonder if using black walnut husk is a healthier choice??
My goodness. I’ve never heard that activated charcoal contains mercury. In fact, it’s used often as a “mercury removal” method – both from the body and the environment. Can you share any sites you’ve found that state it contains mercury? I’d love to learn more!
Coal is not CHARcoal. Charcoal is made by burning wood, in simplest terms. Coal is a rock.
in the twenties a mascara made of coal was outlawed for causing blindness, but as you point out, coal not charchoal.
2 thumbs up! Very cool info!
Hello, I’ve just discovered (and become obsessed with trolling) your blog. It is so great. I know this is an old post, and I haven’t read all 57 comments, or all of your articles since, but I was thinking, about natural tints that won’t add water to a gloss- could I slice up beets and/or cranberries, put them in my food dehydrator for a couple of days until they’re bone dry, then make a powder out of them? Is that a thing- vegetable/fruit powder used as a dye? I am very new to all of this and haven’t yet played around with making my own anything yet. But I’ve just ordered some supplies, and I wonder if that might be something worth playing around with…
duplicate comment
I’m with Sasha – I like the before picture better than the after. Love the idea of these cosmetics, but you sure don’t need them. You’re beautiful just the way you are <3
i wonder if you mixed beeswax with beet or cranberry juice if you could make a natural lipstick. hmmm… Crunchy Betty, what do you think?
I have found that mixing a little cocoa powder in makes my lips seem more red because it cancels out the pink tones. they also look (of course) darker, which is a winner. however, I have naturally red lips so that may not work for pale-lipped people.
obviously you would want to avoid mold in your water based lipstick, but you might try mixing in anything that is a (safe) red or purple powder. I mixed in activated charcoal to a chap stick to make a really great Halloween black lipstick that was really pure black. great, but a little messy.
Good Luck!
How safe is activated charcoal? Are there any side effects to putting it on your skin? Anything harmful about it? I’m sure no matter what it’s healthier that the crap they put in our makeup now but I’m curious about the stuff. Thanks!
I just wanted to compliment you on your “before” picture. You look great without makeup! I actually like the before better thank the after. You just look so… FRESH. But I guess we all know why that is =)
I just wanted to give you an update regarding the mascara (1 cap charcoal + 1 softgel vit E) I had put in an clean and empty mascara I had kept. After 2-3 weeks, it was perfect! I guess it dries a little over time so there is no more black spots! 🙂 Now, after a month, it is still fine. Thank you Crunchy Betty! 🙂
Hi, Betty,
I LOVE your site! I guess mostly I love the way you write – I have an idea the real you comes through loud and clear. Great idea about cranberry lip stain – I refuse to wear lipstick (yuck), but this is something that could work for me.
Anyway, I was recently invited to participate in the 7 links challenge, and thought I would pass it on to you. I am interested in seeing what you select for your own top posts.
Siobhan
Oh – go to my 7 links challenge page to see how it works, if you’re not familiar with it.
http://www.naturallyradiant.info/site/7-links-challenge/
question 1. how can i make the lavender buds into powder? and 2. instead of activated charcoal can I use cinnamon or cocoa powder for brown mascara?
You can turn the lavender buds into powder with a coffee or spice grinder – and then just sift out the big parts.
And the answer to your second question is probably: no. Cocoa powder MIGHT work. But it’s not as highly pigmented (or black) as activated charcoal, so it might take a bunch (which would be gloppy) to get it to show up. And I’d keep cinnamon away from my eyes and the possibility that it could fall in. Ouchiewawa! That would hurt, I’d think.
Black walnut hull powder, though, might be an excellent option. It’ll be more brown than the dark dark black of activated charcoal.
Good luck!
Where would one find activated charcoal?
You know, I’ve never seen activated charcoal in powder form in a natural foods store, so I’m not sure where you could buy it locally, but here’s a great price on it:
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Activated-Charcoal-Powder
@Kate–Grok On!!!
@Nadimoon–When you have a moment please take a look at the GAPS Diet. It is specifically for peole who have trouble with digesting glutens. For my sensitive daughter even some of the do called “gluten free” flours she would react and bloat too (especially rice). We make cookies with ground cashews, vanilla and honey. It’s not a perfect substitute but she enjoys them. She is also 4 years old and recovering from Autism.
And my daughter loves using Beet Kvass for “lipstick” LOL
I’m interested to try the activated charchol and we just got some aloe Vera plants from the farmers market which my daughter has lovingly named Sunshine. I hear it’s great for sour stomach but I’ve been too chicken thus far…but we do have to make a trip to the health food store tomorrow. Yay!!!
You are so inventive! Love the look, too. Natural and dewy.
This is awesome!
I think you’re more beautiful without the makeup, though! <3
I’ve tried beetroot several times to no avail. I do have beet juice and was planning on trying it to make some cheek stain. If it works, I will post here. 🙂
i wonder if you could put freeze dried berries in the food processor for lip tint (and blush)?
I think you look pretty without makeup. Have you tried wearing your eyeliner only on your top lid at the base on the lash line? I find it tends to help awaken the eye. It helps it to look pretty without being “made-up”. It’s a hard habit to break, but I have a make up artist cousin who says its the biggest mistake people make. 🙂
Wow, that’s some serious crunchy makeup. I’ve never even though about getting crunchy with mascara before! But I might have to give the activated charcoal a go (maybe I’ll do the aloe vera dip too.)
The herb alkanet works great for coloring lip gloss and lip balm. The only way I know how to do it is when you are making the the lip balm. Stir the alkanet into your oil mixture, then you must strain it out and melt in the beeswax. It makes a deep red tinted lip moisturizer.
Alkanet. Thank you! I’ve read about it so many times in my stash of natural beauty books, but honestly I haven’t even seen it in real life – ever. Must find it now.
Thanks, lady!
I don’t wear make up much, but my teenager will definitely be interested in these ideas.
Wow you are very pretty without any makeup. 😀 Ty this sounds like fun and safe makeup. i have sensitive skin and eyes so I have to be very careful what I use. I also have gluten intolerance and sadly I’m finding out there’s alot of things in beauty ailse that have gluten in them. 🙁 I can’t give up everything like shampoo or conditioner, but what do I do?? I’m new being crunchy so any advice and recipes very welcomed.
I also have a 4 yr old DD who is gluten intolerant. This is rough on her can’t find a single cookie recipe that is gluten free. I have adapted many regular recipes by omitting what we can’t have, but cookies?? haven’t a clue what to use in place of flour.
Btw where do I find – Homemade Bronzer/Contour Powder recipe?? There’s no link on it.
take care and thanx for all the ideas and recipes especially the lipgloss ones! We’re making the choco one for sure!!
Namaste,
~nadimoon
Have you looked for GF flours? I think the one I bought was a mixture of potato and other flours. I haven’t made any cookies yet, but the cornbread went over really well! You might want to google “gluten free community” too, if you haven’t…I know there’s a good-sized network of blogs dedicated to GF cooking. 🙂
Ty for your post. 🙂 I have looked for them at regular grocery stores, but not found anything except ready made mix. Problem with this “gluten free” ready made mixes is it is allowed to have up to 20ppm of gluten and still be labeled gluten free. Not good when you are very sensitive to any ppm. I never buy these because of that issue.
I do belong to yahoo’s Silly Yaks group, but they have a lot of members. Most are asking questions like I ask trying to find out what to eat that won’t make us sick. I haven’t been a member long so still finding my way around.
I will do searches on gf cooking blogs. I just joined one called wellnessmama.com. She had several recipes I can actually like and use.
take care and thanks,
Namaste
~nadimoon
Hi,
I am 6 weeks gluten free due to a gluten intolerance (now egg and corn too) that has been plauging me for years. I have found Bob’s red mill gluten free flours and such to be wonderful. The great thing about them are that they are very strict on their standards. Their facilities used for the flours and such are gluten free as well as their quality control and packing and shipping, etc. You have to watch out as some of the pre- made gluten free mixes are made of rice and potatoe flours and can lack nutrients (My husband is diabetic) but they have some great recipes on the website that use nutritious ingredients. Also their hearty bread mix is Awesome! It has nuts and seeds and reminds me of Rye bread. Its more for toast than for a sandwich. Also quinoa is now a staple in my house, just like rice but its smaller and a complete protein thats easier on your blood suagr. Good luck!
Ty for your reply. Good luck we just crossed the 3 mo mark and it’s been very hard. It is getting easier with all the wonderful post replies to my post here. Ty everyone for all the help! 😀 It is greatly appreciated.
I will get some and try it. Yes having high standards is a must because any exposure can leave us suffering for quite a long time.
I will get some of the quinoa and try it. given up rice because my hubby has issues with it. It will probably be better for him since it’s complete protein.
Thanks!
Namaste,
~nadimoon
I’ve made the Flourless Peanutbutter Cookies from joythebaker.com and they were super tasty… and easy! Maybe those would work?
Ty for recipe and site. I can’t wait to try them this weekend! dd is soo excited that we have a few recipes for some favorites like this one, coconut flour pancakes & waffles as well as biscuits. Those came from wellnessmama.com.
From reading the recipe, and her funny blog, these will be excellent!
Once again thank you!
Take care namaste,
~nadimoon
It is so tough to be gluten free, especially for a little one! I don’t eat any grains, and it is a real challenge.
This is my recipe for coconut macaroon cookies, all mini chocolate chips and they taste just like girl scout samoa cookies: http://getfitkatie.blogspot.com/2011/07/coconut-macaroons-lower-carb.html
Also, you can substitute coconut flour for regular flour 1:1 in any brownie recipe – I have tried this and it has worked in the baker’s one bowl brownie recipe. The texture would maybe be problematic in another baked item, since coconut flour can create a spongy texture. But what doesn’t work for belgian waffles (my kid’s favorite), works for brownies. I promise!!
Also, if you go to wellnessmama.com, she has a really good recipe for banana muffins, they are gluten free and no sugar or sweetener added – just eggs, baking soda, bananas and coconut flour.
Good luck!
Kate
yes it is I had no idea how much this would change everything we eat! Would looking for low to no carb recipes help us with the needing to be gluten free situation?? I think I might be able to get ahold of that south beach cookbook if Mom still has it. If this can help me figure out how to eat and cook without grains and gluten I will get it from her.
Thank you for the recipe. We love coconut!
I will definately make a note of that because my fave is brownies and I miss them. not taking any chances on the ready made gluten free mixes because they can have up to 20ppm of gluten in them and still be called gluten free. We can’t tolerate any ppm without any reaction. 🙁
I just joined wellnessmama.com thanks for the site.
Grats on your goal and good luck you can do this. 😀
Take care namaste,
~nadimoon
(mommy of a very happy 4 yr old girl. She just got 2 cookie recipes! 😀
Hi again,
Low carb may be a good resource for you. If you have a kindle or iPad I would be happy to loan you an ebook via email. However, a lot of the LC recipes call for vital wheat gluten flour, which you should avoid! You may have more luck with paleo, b/c they eat completely grain free and avoid refined sugar. No grain no gluten. A good resource for paleo is marksdailyapple.com. They have free no grain e-cookbooks if you register for their newsletter, including a coconut Recipe book, at http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-blueprint-reader-created-cookbook/.
Feel free to send me an email if you have any more questions! [email protected]
Best of luck, Kate
Thank you for this kate. I have the Kindle app on my computer if it will let you loan it that way. I dunno not borrowed a book with it.
I will sign up for the site that sounds like a more usable idea – paleo.
I sure will and once again thank you. 🙂
Namaste have a happy fun weekend
~nadimoon
My son had problem when he was on low carb (ketosis).
I buy all my gluten free flours (rice, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, xantham gum etc…) at health food stores or online at iherb.com (cheaper). Email me if you need more info ferdeson @ yahoo.com
You can check your local library for gluten-free recipe books.
Thank you for the info.
I will try this who knows maybe the healthfood store here really has this.
I will also check with the library, never thought of it.
I sure will email you and once again thank you. 🙂
Take care namaste
~nadimoon
I know it’s miles too late now but you should check out http://www.livinghealthywithchocolate.com lots of paleo cookies, brownies, fudge etc. All healthy gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free recipes 🙂
I have never thought about using charcoal. What a great idea! I am going to try the eyeliner and mascara (vit E and aloe version) since I have all the ingredients on hand. I have not put on any makeup for years – did not find any that were not with toxic ingredients.
How to you make beet powder from fresh raw beet? Anyone know? Thanks.
I would suggest adding organic aloe vera gel to the mascara mixture! It will dry on your lashes after a minute or two. 🙂
Could you use a food dehydrator to de-wet the foods you want to use. I don’t have one (yet) and don’t know if you do. Maybe you could find a frined with one to let you try it out.
Your beautiful inside sure does spill over onto your non-made up face!
This is amazing! I don’t wear make up, so I had no idea all these foods could be used as substitutes. Love it!
My face powder is cornstarch and green bentonite clay. Lightly pat it on with a powder puff and brush off excess with brush. Tones down redness and absorbs oil. I never thought of cinnamon bronzer – I’m off to give it a try!
You’re more beautiful WITHOUT makeup!!!
How about potato flour instead of the potato slice? You could bring the flour with you and a makeup brush. Or do you need it moist so it can dry on your face?
Some great ideas. I can just imagine animals following me and trying to get a lick or two in though. haha. Maybe that was Snow White’s secret to woodland friends, hey? 🙂
Ooooh. LOVE the idea of potato flour. I know rice flour is awesome as a light powder (I use it every once in a while). Good thinking, lady.
I’m with Kesha, you’re beautiful without makeup! I have been wanting to try charcoal and aloe as a mascara for ages. I only ever think if it if I’m going to be going out. I don’t really want to test this in public! You have some very cool idea, I’ll have to dig around in MY kitchen now! Thanks!
(gasp) You’re BEAUTIFUL without makeup!
Using aloe vera gel instead of oil keeps the mascara on longer. It’s water based, so the water evaporates (or something like that; I just know that it dries).
I love the color from the spirulina!
I was going to post about powdered beetroot as well, but Sib beat me to it. Also, maybe leaving dried hibisus flowers in oil will allow some color to infuse.. just a thought. 🙂
Aw, yeah. That was my thought, too. First I put the hibiscus in some castor oil/sweet almond oil mix and let it sit for a day. And nothing happened. So then I put more in a mix and heated it on low for about 30 minutes, and nothing happened. Then I thought maybe it was the castor oil that was causing the problem, so I did ANOTHER batch with just sweet almond oil, and NOTHING. The same went for the cranberries.
The only way, with either of those, I could get the colors to “come out” was either with boiling water or with vodka (yes, I tried EVERYTHING). But, even after I figured out how that worked, it didn’t solve the problem of being able to do the lipgloss without either a) a preservative or b) completely drying out the lips with alcohol.
It was frustrating. Fun, experimental … but frustrating.
However, I have to try beetroot soon. Thank you both for the suggestion!
You can pat some paprika on your lips then top with vitamin e oil. Paprika oleoresin is used to make a naturally derived strawberry red dye for commercial use.
Is there a general objection to using vegetable oil-based food dyes? I have a bunch from my cake decorating days, they are in my kitchen, they are all food safe, and have certainly dyed my fingers a time or two, so I would think that they would be appropriate for a lip/cheek stain.
Y’know, I honestly don’t know much about vegetable oil-based food dyes (and which dyes are generally considered “okay” and which aren’t). I’ve just completely avoided them, because I haven’t gotten around to researching ’em.
Try it out though and let me know! Mostly, I’m curious if, once you use it as a stain, if it decides to stay stained for days afterward.
I forgot to mention that I’m going to fiddle with the mascara, a bit because it needs some “staying” power. Some sort of thickener perhaps?
Did you notice the recommendation to use aloe vera gel here instead of the oil? I’m trying it out tomorrow, but it sounds like it would totally work. The only thing I’m not 100% sure about is whether or not it’ll “flake.” We shall see!
I think it would stay better with aloe, but yeah the flaking thing would be a concern as it dries. I hope it works well. I don’t wear makeup much, but when I do its mostly a little eye liner and mascara, and some blush or contour. I’ve pretty much abandoned the mascara now, so I’d love to have a safe replacement.
I’ve read that bentonite clay helps dry the mascara without flaking (don’t use too much), but I have yet to try it. I am currently out of activated charcoal and bentonite clay (omg how did I let that happen!). Come on, Amazon, ship it faster!
So Awesome! I had really wanted the cranberry lip gloss to work (I’m Amanda, btw) and was so disappointed, even though I was initially skeptical. I think Sib’s idea of using beetroot powder is awesome! I can’t wait to try the mascara, too! I attempted it once with a different recipe and it was a disaster (I think looking like a beat up raccoon qualifies as a disaster).
Have I mentioned how awesome this sight is?
😀
Hope you saw the suggestion to use the activated charcoal with aloe vera for mascara rather than oil. I totally forgot you could do that, until several people here mentioned it. I’m trying it tomorrow!
Thanks again for being the brave one to try out that lipgloss first. Totally inspired me!
What about a tiny bit of red henna as a coloring powder? Pros: It should stick around, Cons: It might stick around where you don’t want it to…
What great ideas! Have you tried adding powdered beetroot to a lip balm mixture for red lips? I’ve never tried it myself, but it should work theoretically at least (and involve no water!). Thanks for your inspiration xx
I tried boiling the leftover water from making beets down until it was very concentrated and using that on my lips. It makes a beautiful shade, and lasts about 3 hours. However, I was getting paranoid that it would go bad right away so I ended up tossing it after a few days. Any ideas as to how to preserve the liquid? I was thinking tea tree or lavender oil…
what about if you freeze it in icecubes? and just take it out for applying and put it back in the freezer?
put them in the freezer in batches…