Each of the eye shadow, eyeliner, eyebrow powder, and highlighter recipes in this section starts with one of two makeup bases. The base you use will depend on whether you want to keep your powders loose or press them into makeup pans. The ratios here will ensure that you get the perfect consistency, no matter how big or small a batch you want to make. To start, I recommend using a teaspoon to measure the parts; this will yield a little less than 1⁄4 cup (60 milliliters) of finished base. Both of the following makeup base recipes should be mixed mechanically.
If you plan on leaving your mineral makeup product loose, use this makeup base.
If you want to press your makeup product, use this recipe for your makeup base. Some of the following ingredients are available with surface treatments like wax or the amino acid L-lysine, which will help the powders bind together and press with ease.
|
Measuring Key |
|
|
Tad |
1⁄4 teaspoon |
|
Dash |
1⁄8 teaspoon |
|
Pinch |
1⁄16 teaspoon |
|
Smidgen |
1⁄32 teaspoon |
|
Drop |
1⁄64 teaspoon |
Note: For best results, use level spoonfuls.
The first mineral makeup I made was sparkly eye shadow. Once I learned how, I was addicted! I started with a few ingredients, and that weekend alone, I created about 60 different eye shadow colors and used up my whole supply of ingredients.
When you are playing around with colors, be sure to save all your creations. Sometimes, if I decide I don’t need a color I made, or I choose to tweak the formula, I like to give the originals to friends and family as gifts. I also have a big jar where I pour my “mistakes.” Any time I create a color I don’t love, instead of throwing it away, I pour it into the big jar with all my other mistakes. Once the jar is full, I mix it well and then press all of the powder into eye shadows. It usually turns out to be a taupe brown shade.
Shimmery eye shadows are relatively easy to prepare, as all you need are a few ingredients that you can mix in a jar, by hand, or in a resealable plastic bag. To make sure your eye shadows have great sparkle, mix the micas in by hand. See Eye Shadow for application tips.
Each of the shimmery eye shadow recipes in the following section makes enough to fill one 5-gram jar.
In many eye shadow recipes you find elsewhere, the ratio of makeup base to mica powder is anywhere from 1:1 to 1:3. I personally prefer much more mica than base, as it results in a more shimmery pigmented color. I like to use a ratio closer to 1 part face base to 9 parts mica. If you want to increase the luster, add more mica; to increase the opacity, add more base or pigments.
This is a muted pink ivory with a satin-suede finish and silver sparkles. For a casual day look, apply Fairy Floss all over the eyelid.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Highlighter, lip color
One of the first eye shadows I ever made was a pink-and-blue powder that I called Fairy Floss, since it reminded me of cotton candy or bubble-gum ice cream. I love the name and wanted to create another eye shadow similar to my first.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This eye shadow is a taupe brown with a gold sparkle. Apply all over the eyelid for a casual day look or wear as a mid-tone color for a smoky-eye look. Briar looks amazing on all skin shades and makes a beautiful highlighter for medium-dark skin shades.
Skin undertone: Warm and neutral
Eye color: Any, but especially blue or gray
Other uses: Highlighter, blush
I don’t usually read fiction, but when I do, I love classic fairy tales that are made modern. Sleeping Beauty and Briar Rose are among my favorites. I love Briar’s kind, loving heart; she is incredibly sweet and makes friends with everyone — even woodland creatures! She is the kind of person who will do anything to help someone and make peace. She is a ladylike, classic beauty.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This eye shadow is a creamy pale latte color with a satin finish. It’s perfect for a “barely there” eyelid color or as a mid tone for a smoky-eye look. Beach Bunny can be worn as a bronzer for the palest skin colors or as a highlighter for medium-dark skin colors.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Highlighter, bronzer, lip color
One of my best friends growing up, Mina, was from Korea. She introduced me to Japanese manga comics, where I learned the term beach bunny to describe well-tanned girls who hung around the beach. The name is meant as an insult, as women with fair skin are thought to be more beautiful in Japan, but I always found the name cute.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This eye shadow is a medium satin milk-chocolate brown with a silver luster. It can be worn as an allover eyelid color for a day look or as a mid-tone shade for a brown smoky-eye look. This color can also serve as a highlighter on very dark skin.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eyeliner, highlighter, bronzer
When I was in my first semester of college, I met a boy who changed my life. I had grown up in big cities and my family moved every couple years, but Clancy had lived in the same small town all his life. One day he offered to give me a ride home from school so I wouldn’t have to ride the public bus. There was a mix-up with room numbers and since I didn’t have a cell phone at the time, I ended up just going home. Later I learned that he had waited for me at school for three hours. It was then I realized he was a keeper. He was my first love and is my soul mate.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
For a sun-kissed look, wear this eye shadow all over the lid. It also makes a perfect bronzer for pale skin colors and works great as a highlighter for dark skin.
Skin undertone: Warm
Eye color: Any, but best with blue
Other uses: Eyeliner, highlighter, blush, bronzer
When I was a kid, my family would go on bike rides to delis and soda shops. There was one in particular where I remember getting root beer floats and cream sodas. This satiny foxtail-bronze eye shadow reminds me of my childhood treats.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This satiny gray-taupe eye shadow has silver sparkles and is perfect mixed with a darker gray for a smoky-eye look. It also makes a great pale eyeliner for blue or gray eyes.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Eye color: Blue or gray
Other uses: Eyeliner
I love sad fairy tales. I don’t know why, but tragic romance seems more realistic and relatable to me than “happily ever after.” Undine is an old German fairy tale about a water sprite who tragically falls in love with a king. I first heard of Undine in a heartbreaking romance novel called Haunted Waters, by Mary Pope Osborne. When I imagine Undine’s essence, I see a smoky and mysterious pale grayish green, like the color of this eye shadow.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This eye shadow is a coppery gold-amber color. It is pretty when applied dry but looks even better applied wet. Mix it with water or a mixing medium to make the color even more metallic and intense! Morgan le Fay makes a hypnotizing and intense eyeliner. To use it as an eyeliner, mix a bit of the powder with water or mixing medium until a cream forms, then apply on your lash line with an angled brush.
Skin undertone: Warm
Eye color: Any, but especially blue, hazel, or green
Other uses: Eyeliner, highlighter, bronzer
My favorite character in the King Arthur stories is Morgan le Fay, even though she is supposed to be the villain. She is the beautiful star of Nancy Springer’s novel I Am Morgan le Fay. In the book, she tries to keep the wounded knight she loves safe in a magical world, but the knight’s need to protect others eventually pushes her to set him free and possibly lose him forever. It’s my favorite part of the book — and it breaks my heart.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
Fern Gully is a golden olive powder that can be worn as an allover lid color. It also works as a light eyeliner, and you can apply it with a wet brush to darken the color.
Skin undertone: Cool and neutral
Eye color: Green, hazel, or brown
Other uses: Eyeliner
I love moss, ferns, and all the other greenery I remember from my childhood in Michigan. Now that I live in Utah, I miss foggy afternoons and the slick, mossy rocks and ferns in our front garden.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This eye shadow is a satiny smooth bronzed gold with subtle silver specks. For a soft daytime look, use Stargirl dry, applying it either to the outer corners of the eyelids or in the crease of the eyelids. For a bolder metallic eyeshadow or eyeliner, apply wet.
Skin undertone: Warm
Eye color: Blue, gray, or brown
Other uses: Eyeliner, highlighter, bronzer
One of my favorite books is Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli. The title character is described this way: “She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to a corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.” Stargirl reminds me of the good in the world. Her childlike innocence and happiness brighten the dark gray muddy world.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This eye shadow is a sparkly, smoky steel gray with inky blue hints. It’s best for nighttime wear, and makes a beautiful smoky-eye look when used as the mid-tone or darkest shade. It also creates a fun twist on the cat-eye winged look. For an intense lustrous eyeliner, apply Echo wet using a slanted brush.
Skin undertone: Cool
Eye color: Blue, gray, or brown
Other uses: Eyeliner
In middle school one of my history teachers often used an old tape recorder and slide projector in class to give lessons on Greek mythology. My favorite myth was about the nymph named Echo and her unwavering love for a handsome young man named Narcissus.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
Matte eye shadow is currently in style, as it looks somewhat more natural than shimmery eye shadow. It’s perfect for easygoing day looks and can be worn alone, with other matte shadows, or mixed with lustrous eye shadows for more dimension.
These recipes include a small amount of sericite to fluff up the powders, as matte pigments on their own tend to be dense, intense, and hard to spread. If your shadows are too saturated, you can always add some sericite to lighten them and add sheerness. Always remember to grind the matte shadows in a mechanical grinder. See Eye Shadow for application tips.
Each of the matte eye shadow recipes in the following section makes enough to fill one 5-gram jar.
No matter what color skin, hair, or eyes you have, you’ll look great in:
This is a creamy nude ivory that works great as a pale eyelid color for daytime looks or paired with a classic black winged eyeliner. It’s perfect for a matte under-brow arch color or to lighten around the corner of the eyes.
Skin undertone: Warm
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Highlighter, foundation
This creamy and pale terra-cotta–pink eye shadow works best with blue eyes. It can be worn as an allover eyelid color or just in the crease for a warm flash of color.
Skin undertone: Warm and neutral
Eye color: Blue or brown
Other uses: Eyebrow powder, foundation, bronzer
As a matte cinnamon brown, this works best for evening looks and makes a perfect mid-tone color for a smoky-eye look. You can apply it to the corner or crease of the eyelid for a vamp look. Red Velvet can be used as an eyeliner or, for medium-dark skin colors, as a bronzer or blush.
Skin undertone: Warm
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eyeliner, eyebrow powder, foundation, blush, bronzer
Best worn for an evening look, this medium brown eye shadow has a warm undertone. It can be applied as an allover eyelid color, in the outer corner of the eyelids, or as a mid-tone color for a smoky-eye look. Oak can also be worn as a soft eyeliner color or as a bronzer for medium-dark skin shades.
Skin undertone: Cool and neutral
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eyeliner, eyebrow powder, foundation, bronzer
This soft charcoal-brown color is perfect for evening looks. It can be used as a crease color when doing a smoky-eye look or as a soft-smudged eyeliner applied with a dry brush. When applied with a wet brush, Bonsai also works well as a black-brown eyeliner.
Skin undertone: Cool and neutral
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eyeliner, eyebrow powder, foundation, bronzer
Bonsai trees are perfect. I have always loved miniature things, and I think bonsai gardens and glass terrariums are some of the most magical creations ever.
This soft ashy taupe is gorgeous as an allover lid color for day and night looks.
Skin undertone: Cool and neutral
Eye color: Any, but especially blue or gray
Other uses: Eyebrow powder
The first concert I ever attended was by the Killers, a Las Vegas–based rock band. I wish I had the talent to write beautiful, relatable, and poetic verses like the Killers do. I especially love their songs “Bones,” “Smile Like You Mean It,” and “A Dustland Fairytale.” Nothing is better than a song with good lyrics.
This dusty and muted mauve eye shadow looks best as an allover eyelid color.
Skin undertone: Cool
Eye color: Green or hazel
Other uses: Eyeliner
I love clothing but am a frugal person, so I often hunt for treasures at thrift stores. The first cashmere item I ever bought was a secondhand sweater. When I found it, I instantly fell in love with how soft and luxurious it felt. I now have one other cashmere sweater, but I can’t wait for the day when I can afford a collection of cashmere scarves and sweaters. That will be a happy day.
This eye shadow is a smoky dark steel gray with hints of blue. Use it as a crease color for a black or silver smoky-eye look. It also makes a perfect dark gray eyeliner, and you can apply it dry or wet.
Skin undertone: Cool
Eye color: Blue or brown
Other uses: Eyeliner, eyebrow powder
If I ever have a boy, I would love to call him Rueger. It’s just a good name.
Somewhere between mauve, taupe, and brown, this eye shadow is best for evening looks. It is beautiful as an allover eyelid color.
Skin undertone: Warm and neutral
Eye color: Any, but best on green or hazel
Other uses: Eyeliner, eyebrow powder, foundation, blush, bronzer
For two years, I wished I were in Calgary, Alberta. My boyfriend had gone to Canada for a religious mission, and he wasn’t allowed to make phone calls, Skype, or have regular contact with anyone at home. So we wrote letters. I sent hundreds of decorated, stickered, glittery, brightly colored letters. Sometimes they included mini-cassette recordings of me just talking about life and telling him stories. Communication has evolved so much in the past few years, and I sometimes miss the old-fashioned letter.
I love shimmery eyeliners, as they make any day or night a little more glamorous. Although you can use any shimmery eye shadow as an eyeliner, these recipes are formulated to offer the most pigmentation and sparkle. They can be applied either dry or wet. If you want a long-lasting nighttime look, you can use these eyeliners wet as an allover eyelid color. See here for application tips.
Each of the shimmery eyeliner recipes in the following section makes enough to fill one 10-gram jar.
This plum-brown eyeliner has aqua sparkles. It can be applied wet or dry and makes an interesting winged eyeliner look.
Skin undertone: Warm
Eye color: Any, but especially green
Other uses: Eye shadow, lip color, bronzer
This champagne-brown eyeliner with silver sparkles looks amazing applied wet, which makes it appear even more metallic. It makes a perfect foiled eye shadow when applied wet. You can also apply it dry as an eyeliner or eye shadow.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eye shadow, bronzer, lip color
Like all mineral powder, this eyeliner powder can be used dry or wet. If you want to add a bit of luster to any of the recipes, first grind the pigments with a mechanical grinder, then gently stir in mica by hand. See here for application tips.
Each of the matte eyeliner recipes in the following section makes enough to fill one 10-gram jar.
This eyeliner is a deep grayish black that looks great applied dry for a smoky, smudged appearance. You can apply it wet for a dramatic winged look. Fireflies also works well as a smoky-eye shadow color.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eye shadow, eyebrow powder
I grew up chasing fireflies. Now I live in Utah, where there aren’t any. I have to explain to my husband and girls what fireflies are, as if they were mythical creatures the world can only vaguely remember.
This deep and warm eyeliner has hints of purple with a mixture of red, black, and brown that reminds me of the colors of our old chimney. It looks gorgeous for any nighttime look and makes a great smoky eyeliner.
Skin undertone: Warm
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eye shadow, eyebrow powder
I miss having a real fireplace and chimney, like we did when I was a kid. We would gather wood, start a fire, and warm the whole house.
This true navy-blue eyeliner also makes a dramatic and smoky eye shadow color. It’s best for nighttime looks, with a nude lip.
Skin undertone: Cool
Eye color: Any
Other uses: Eye shadow, eyebrow powder
Brow powder tends to look more natural than eyebrow pencils, as the powder can fill in sparse eyebrows and subtly darken their color. It tends to exist only in a matte finish, since shimmery eyebrows are not very flattering.
Structured, manicured, bold eyebrows are in high demand these days. With the recipes that follow, you can mix and match colors to get your perfect brow shade. Always apply eyebrow powder with a dry angled eyebrow or eyeliner brush.
Each of the matte eyebrow powder recipes in the following section makes enough to fill one 10-gram jar.
This light golden-brown eyebrow powder can also be used as a medium brown eyelid color or a bronzer for medium skin colors.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Other uses: Eye shadow, eyeliner, foundation, bronzer
The perfect eyebrow color for a strawberry blonde, this can also be used as a dark eye shadow or as a blush for dark skin colors.
Skin undertone: Warm
Other uses: Eye shadow, eyeliner, blush, bronzer
This smoky-brown eyebrow powder can also be worn as a deep brown eyeliner or as the mid-tone or darkest shade when creating a smoky-eye look.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Other uses: Eye shadow, eyeliner, foundation, bronzer
This black-brown eyebrow powder can be used as a dark eyeliner. You can also apply it as the darkest eye shadow shade to create a smoky look.
Skin undertone: Neutral
Other uses: Eye shadow, eyeliner
As the name suggests, highlighters attract light and give your face a bright, natural glow. If you are a fan of dewy makeup, you will love using highlighter. You can play around with different mica colors and finishes. For a subtle glow, use finer micas, and for a noticeable sparkle, try larger-particle micas. For pale skin, try white, cream, shimmery gold, or baby pink. For medium and dark skin, try bronze, copper, deep gold, or light tan. See here for application tips.
Each of the highlighter recipes in the following section makes enough to fill one 30-gram jar.
This silvery-white luster can also be used as a white eye shadow.
Skin undertone: Cool and neutral
Other uses: Eye shadow
There is something perfect about flurries in a snow globe: all the beauty of snow without all the cold!
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This buttery-gold highlighter can also be worn as a gold eye shadow.
Skin undertone: Warm
Other uses: Eye shadow
In school whenever we were assigned to read a biography about a famous person, I always chose Marilyn Monroe. Something about her has always fascinated me. She was glamorous and perfect, unreal in a way, almost not human. She was the closest thing this earth has ever had to a real unicorn.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This blush-pink highlighter has a baby-blue iridescence. It can also be worn as a lip gloss or as a two-toned eye shadow. No matter how you wear it, Wonderland looks amazing when applied wet!
Skin undertone: Cool
Other uses: Eye shadow, lip color, blush
I like the idea of an extravagant and magical otherworld existing just through a rabbit hole.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This highlighter is a pastel yellow with a green iridescence, and it can also be worn as a yellow-green eye shadow. It makes an especially gorgeous eye shadow when applied wet.
Skin undertone: Warm
Other uses: Eye shadow
This color is what I imagine plants’ sugary liquid looks like: warm, radiant, and candylike.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
This peachy highlighter has a golden luster and can be used as a lip gloss or worn as an eye shadow that’s perfect for blue eyes!
Skin undertone: Warm
Other uses: Eye shadow, blush, lip color
Most of my family is from the South, and as a kid I was often called Heather Belle. I used to hate the nickname, but now I think it makes my name sound prettier, as Heather can be a bit boring. I love so many things about the South, including wraparound porches, fireflies, and the beaches.
Blend together using your preferred mixing method (How to Mix Pearlescent Powders).
