Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss. . . . But every once in a while, you find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.
Wendelin Van Draanen
Makeup is not a modern novelty. People have been decorating their bodies with clays, paints, and dyes for centuries. Mineral makeup as we know it today, however, is a more recent innovation. In the early 1970s, after shopping at a small body-care shop in Rice Village, a trendy outdoor mall in Houston, kindergarten teacher Diane Richardson Ranger was inspired to start making her own body products. She had no experience formulating cosmetics, but her enthusiasm and commitment led her to open her own body-care boutique in Northern California. Ranger saw a need for more natural body-care products and wanted to create makeup products free of what she called the “seven deadly skins”: perfume, talc, alcohol, mineral oil, preservatives, emulsifiers, and dyes. In 1976 she founded Bare Escentuals, the first modern mineral makeup brand. In the four decades since, she has started several more mineral makeup companies, and still others have popped up around the globe.
At the same time that Ranger was starting Bare Escentuals, the fields of dermatology and plastic surgery were evolving. Invasive treatments like chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing, and waxing became routine. These procedures can diminish signs of aging and treat some skin conditions, but they also can leave patients’ skin raw for a couple days to a few weeks. Any makeup worn while the skin heals must be very gentle. Free of chemicals and irritants, mineral makeup can camouflage bruising from surgical procedures and redness or irritation from peels, burns, and waxing. Because mineral makeup was the only safe option for women who wanted to wear cosmetics while healing, dermatologists and plastic surgeons played an important role in its rising popularity.
Interest in mineral makeup grew even more when the new CEO of Bare Escentuals began selling her products on a popular home shopping television network in the late 1990s. Soon she was selling $1.4 million worth of products an hour. Drugstores and department stores quickly joined the movement, creating their own versions of mineral makeup.
Not all mineral makeup is created equal, however. Many large-scale cosmetic brands sell “mineral makeup” lines that include irritants, synthetic and petroleum-based ingredients, and inexpensive fillers that create bulk but can also irritate the skin. Many of these products also contain waxes, oils, dyes, and preservatives.
The more ingredients a product contains, the higher the risk of it causing a skin irritation or allergy.
What distinguishes mineral makeup from most mainstream makeup is what is left out rather than what is added. True mineral makeup has fewer ingredients than traditional commercially produced makeup — and all of those ingredients are derived from naturally occurring materials. Today many of these ingredients are formulated in laboratories to ensure consistent colors and textures and to keep them free of potentially harmful impurities. They are chemically identical to what’s found in nature, though, and makers of pure mineral cosmetics are careful not to add perfumes, dyes, or fillers that can irritate the skin and clog pores. Mineral makeup’s oil-free loose powders sit on top of the skin instead of soaking in, as creams and liquids do. This helps keep pores unclogged and reduces the chance of irritation, which most often occurs when an ingredient is absorbed into the skin.
Safe ingredients can be used on sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, injured skin, perioral dermatitis, and rosacea.
Inert ingredients are bacteria-free and won’t expire.
Effective ingredients help heal, soothe, and protect the skin.
Natural ingredients are free of potentially irritating chemicals, synthetics, fragrances, preservatives, parabens, gluten, oils, and waxes.
Gentle ingredients promote healthy skin and won’t clog pores.
Versatile pigments can be used wet or dry as a temporary hair colorant, lip color, blush, highlighter, eye shadow, eyeliner, and body shimmer.
Coverage is buildable from sheer to opaque.
Fewer ingredients mean less chance of irritation.
Long-lasting mixtures bind to the oils of your skin and are water resistant.
Protects by creating a barrier between the skin, elements, and free radicals and can offer some sun protection.
Ingredients derived from plants are optional additions to mineral makeup formulations. I incorporate botanicals in some of my recipes because these plant-based ingredients offer some real benefits to the crafting process and to the final product. Botanicals can be used along with mineral ingredients or as a substitute for certain ingredients. Often these plant-based powders are less expensive than mineral powders, so incorporating them cuts down on the total cost of creating some mineral makeup products. In addition, some crafters like to test color-blend recipes with botanical powders like cornstarch as a cheaper way to experiment with new recipes. Certain botanical powders, such as rice powder and cornstarch, can be healing and soothing to the skin. The downside to using botanicals is that, unlike inert minerals, these plant-based ingredients can harbor and spread bacteria, and they can spoil or become rancid.
You now know what makes mineral makeup different from most store-bought cosmetics, but you may still wonder why you should make your own. There are many reasons.
It’s customizable. When you mix your own ingredients, you can match your skin color perfectly. This is especially useful for people with very pale or dark skin shades. You can also tailor your handmade mixtures to best suit your skin type — whether it’s normal, oily, dry, combination, or sensitive. Finally, choosing your own ingredients means you can create the precise finish and cover that will help you look your best. Do you want a foundation that shimmers slightly to give your skin a subtle glow? Or one that has a matte finish and can help heal and camouflage your acne at the same time? No problem.
You are in control. Because you are the one preparing the recipes, you decide which ingredients to use. This gives you more control over the cost, color, and finish of each product. For example, the recipes in this book use only pure mineral and botanical powders. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows many petroleum-based colorants in cosmetics, I prefer to avoid these ingredients. You can use the Ingredients Glossary and some independent experimenting to tweak my recipes or make your own using the exact ingredients you want. In addition, when you choose to create mineral makeup, you can decide if you want to trade in all your old cosmetics or just pick certain products to craft, while continuing to buy others from the store. For instance, I produce almost all of my own cosmetics but haven’t been able to formulate the perfect mascara recipe just yet, so for now I make everything I wear except mascara. Creating your own makeup doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing undertaking. Transitioning to higher-quality mineral cosmetics can help you live a healthier life, but you have to do what works best for you!
The rewards go deeper than your skin. Your appearance is a part of how you express yourself. And what better way to do so than to handcraft your own look? It’s a great way to show off your creativity, and the possibilities are endless. You don’t have to limit yourself to what’s trendy or to what you can buy in a store. Instead, you can mix and match trends and colors as you like, and you can experiment for lower-cost alternatives to your favorite product. Choosing your own ingredients also lets you craft products that mirror your belief system. You can create vegan makeup, steer clear of oils, and use recyclable containers. And the ultimate reward? When you make something you’re proud of, you can give it away as a gift. Nothing is more gratifying than sharing something you’ve made with someone you love.
The planet — and your children — will reap the benefits. Synthetic chemicals can harm both your face and the planet, but hand-mixing your own mineral makeup ensures that you can use only safe, natural ingredients. When you create your own cosmetics, you also embrace self-sufficiency. This small act can send a big message to the powerful beauty industry. By breaking with this part of consumer culture, you exercise your power to step away from dominant messages about what is considered “beautiful” and instead wear only the makeup you want, and how you want.
It’s easier — and cheaper — than you think. To get started, you need only a few ingredients and a handful of common kitchen tools. You do not need special training or a degree to create your own makeup; anyone can do it. Most recipes require just a couple steps, and the techniques are not difficult to learn. If you get hooked, you can buy some ingredients in bulk to significantly reduce your costs. Many of the final products share the same ingredients, so you’ll have to purchase only a few items. The same ingredients you use to put together foundation, for example, will also make eyeliner, concealer, blush, bronzer, and highlighter. Even if you decide not to purchase in bulk, many of the ingredients are widely available online, so you can shop around for prices to meet your budget. One of the reasons I love preparing my own mineral makeup is because I save so much money. Instead of paying upwards of $20 for store-bought foundation, I can custom-blend my own for only a couple dollars! Instead of paying for the brand name, marketing, advertising, and production costs of a purchased product, you control the costs and choose what you want to spend money on.
Making and selling makeup are marketable skills. If you are a makeup artist or an aesthetician, learning how to customize all-natural makeup could be a skill that sets you apart from your competition. Once you feel confident preparing makeup, you could turn your passion into a profitable business plan.
With popular culture and the media constantly bombarding us with their standards of beauty, it is important for each of us to remember to appreciate and care for ourselves. Natural beauty is about seeing ourselves as we truly are, not trying to change into someone else. We all have parts of ourselves we don’t like. But instead of focusing on the negative, try to find what sets you apart from others and celebrate your differences. One of my favorite quotes is from the French fashion designer Coco Chanel, who said, “In order to be irreplaceable, you must always be different.”
As I have developed my cosmetic company I have learned the importance of self-care, which is different from being selfish. Self-care is being compassionate and nurturing to yourself. The world sends mixed messages to women, expecting us to project a certain kind of beauty, yet shaming us for pursuing that standard — whether through plastic surgery, makeup, or dieting — by calling us vain, shallow, or insecure. To be sure, wearing makeup is not necessary, as everyone is beautiful just as we are, but wearing makeup can be a form of self-care. Makeup is a powerful tool that can accentuate our favorite features, enhance our natural beauty, and help us feel confident — and there is nothing wrong with that.
Your style of grooming, whether that includes wearing makeup or not, is a personal choice. It’s something you should do for yourself, not for others. Every morning as you get ready for the day, treat those minutes as a time to show yourself that you are important. Give it a try: you deserve to feel beautiful!
If you are currently a makeup artist, or are training to become one, producing your own cosmetics will set you apart from your competition. You will be able to customize makeup to meet each of your clients’ unique needs. When you go to a session, you can bring everything you’ll need to mix up new eye shadows, lip colors, and other products on-site. If you don’t have a color your client wants, you can whip it up in just a few minutes, providing your client with customizable support and the most gorgeous results.
Always include on your résumé and profiles your knowledge of creating mineral makeup, as well as any specific training or certifications you have completed. The skill alone may qualify you for a job.
“In order to be irreplaceable, you must always be different.”
Coco Chanel
Women and men have chosen to adorn and decorate themselves for millennia. While makeup production and styles have certainly evolved through the years, the desire to add to one’s natural appearance has remained constant.
The earliest record of makeup starts in ancient Egypt, where Cleopatra lined her eyes with kohl, a mixture of many ingredients including ash, copper, and ocher. Common Egyptians also lined their eyes with this black powder to protect their eyes in the fields from the bright desert sun.
A 1960s interpretation of Cleopatra’s look
Women in ancient Greece wore a white face powder made of lead and used crushed mulberries as blush and lip stain. Light skin was also prized in the Roman Empire, and women used whitening powders made from lead and chalk. Rose petals, ocher, and wine were all used to make rouge, and eyelashes were darkened and thickened with a range of substances, including burnt cork and kohl.
Farther east, ancient Indians and Persians used henna to decorate their bodies, a tradition that continues to this day. It was common in ancient China to stain the fingernails with beeswax, egg, gelatin, and gum arabic, and beginning around AD 800, Japanese geishas painted their faces with powders made originally from white lead paint and later from rice powder. Geishas also outlined their eyes with charcoal and wore red lipstick made from safflower petals. In Australia, ceremonial face and body painting among aborigines is a centuries-old tradition used to help identify an individual’s tribe, social status, family, and more. Historically the paint was pigmented with clay, feathers, ocher, and plant materials.
Henna on an Indian Bride’s Hands
Geisha in Japan
During the Middle Ages in Europe, pale skin was a sign of wealth, as tanned skin was often the result of working in the fields. Some women bled themselves to try to attain a pale complexion, while others created face masks with egg whites. Face paints and powders made of arsenic and lead were commonly used throughout the Renaissance. When Queen Victoria declared makeup to be vulgar and improper, many English women stopped wearing it, though cosmetics remained common among actors and prostitutes.
Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci by Botticelli, 1475
Native American tribes traditionally painted their faces and bodies for battle as well as for spiritual ceremonies and dances. While each tribe used its own unique color combinations and patterns, every design meant something specific and conveyed information about the wearer’s accomplishments, skills, social status, and the like. The paints were made from natural materials available in the area, including berries, clay, and minerals.
By the early 1900s in the United States, a pale, youthful complexion was the standard of beauty and many women wore some kind of makeup to achieve that look. Many cosmetics manufacturers had already stopped using the deadly ingredients that historically had been used in cosmetics — such as lead, arsenic, and mercury — and in 1902, Congress passed the Biologics Control Act, the first governmental regulation of cosmetics and related products.
Seven years later, an immigrant named Max Factor — who had served as the private beautician for Russia’s royal family — moved to Los Angeles and started the first professional makeup company specifically for movie actors. His products made stars of the silver screen look realistic and natural, while still appearing glamorous. Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, and Jean Harlow were among Factor’s most famous clients. He coined the term make-up and in 1920 unveiled the first standardized cosmetics line sold to the general public.
Marlene Dietrich, c. 1940
After World War II, numerous cosmetic brands were established in the United States as makeup became more mainstream. In part due to the growing feminist movement, many women decided to stop wearing makeup in the 1960s and 1970s. Others duplicated Twiggy’s doe-eyed eyeliner and fake-lashes look. By the 1980s, extreme bright colors and an overly made-up look were fashionable. Today, as the world is ever more connected through technology, the idea of a single dominant makeup style has given way to multiple popular looks, many of which draw from diverse cultures.
Twiggy, 1967
Cyndi Lauper, 1986
