• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Wellness Mama script logo

Wellness Mama®

Simple Answers for Healthier Families

  • About
  • Favorites
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Health
  • Natural Home
  • Motherhood
  • Mindset
  • Natural Remedies
  • Beauty
  • Organization
  • Travel
  • Reviews
  • Recipes
DIY Natural Eyeshadow Recipe
  • Beauty

How to Make Eyeshadow From Natural Ingredients

Katie WellsOct 13, 2021Updated: Nov 16, 2021
Reading Time: 4 min

This post contains affiliate links.
Click here to read my affiliate policy.

Jump to Recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » How to Make Eyeshadow From Natural Ingredients
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Make Your Own Natural Eyeshadow+−
    • Shimmery Mica
  • Why Skip Regular Eye Shadow?
  • DIY Eyeshadow Safety
  • What's in a Natural Eyeshadow Recipe+−
    • Where to Buy Natural Eye Shadow
  • DIY Natural Eyeshadow Recipe

Over the years I’ve come up with plenty of natural makeup options. While I’ve already shared some of my simple eye makeup recipes here, this article gives more details on how to make your own DIY natural eyeshadow in a variety of shades!

Make Your Own Natural Eyeshadow

These recipes use herbs, clay, and real food ingredients. You can also add some mica for a little shimmer if desired. There are lots of pigment options, but I stuck to a few of the most common ones. If you’re in the mood to experiment, then give one of these a try for some homemade eyeshadow.

Tip: Make sure everything is very finely ground.

  • Purple/blue – freeze-dried blueberry powder
  • Pink – freeze-dried raspberry powder,  hibiscus powder, or beetroot powder.
  • Green – spirulina or moringa powder
  • Orange/yellow – turmeric powder
  • Brown – cocoa powder
  • White – kaolin clay
  • Dusty rose – rose kaolin clay
  • Light green – french green clay

Shimmery Mica

I add a little mica to products like lotion bars and tinted face moisturizer. Mica looks equally as good in eyeshadow. This mineral is naturally found in rocks and has a layer structure that catches the light and makes it sparkle. If you don’t have any on hand then it can easily be omitted. Mica doesn’t really add color on its own, just some sparkle.

Ultramarines are another common ingredient in eyeshadow products. Naturally derived ultramarine pigment is made from ground lapis lazuli and has been used for thousands of years. Natural ultramarines can have high levels of lead and other heavy metals due to their nature. Most cosmetics now use synthetic ultramarines derived from clay and sodium carbonate. Plants aren’t as vibrant as synthetic colorants, but I feel better about having them on my skin.

Why Skip Regular Eye Shadow?

I think by now you know the drill. Mainstream beauty care products are full of ingredients I’d rather avoid. Some of them also test on animals. The harsh chemicals in some eyeshadows can cause irritation, redness, itching, and flaking. Someone can use makeup multiple times or even for years only for it to then cause issues, according to allergist Purvi Parikh MD.

While it’s easy to reach for a brightly colored palette in the beauty aisle, it’s easy enough to make your own!

DIY Eyeshadow Safety

Spices like cinnamon and ginger may smell amazing, but they contain irritating essential oils. You’ll find cinnamon powder in these coconut flour apple cinnamon muffins and even this pumpkin spice face mask recipe. But I’m not using cinnamon in my eye shadow!

As much as we may try not to, it’s easy to touch our eyes or sweat and get eye makeup inside the eye. Our eyelids are the thinnest skin on the body at only .3-.8 mm thick and require special care. So while a pumpkin spice eyeshadow may look (and smell!) amazing, it’s not worth the risk of burning eyes.

We’re also not adding any oil or essential oils to the DIY eyeshadow recipe. While oil does make the powder stick to the skin better, it made the eyeshadow clumpy in my experiments. And not in a good way. The easiest option I’ve found is to swipe a light layer of a fast-absorbing carrier oil over the eyelid first. Then apply the eyeshadow powder. This method gives the eyeshadow some staying power without getting oily or clumpy.

I use a lot of essential oils in skincare products like deodorant and lotion, but they’re not so great for eye shadow. This coffee under eye cream uses a tiny amount of lavender essential oil, but it’s also not going on the eyelid itself. Essential oils in the eye can cause burning, redness, and general irritation.

What’s in a Natural Eyeshadow Recipe

Like most of my homemade makeup, it’s an art and a science. I often measure my makeup recipes in drops and pinches, but this DIY eyeshadow recipe is a little more precise. Feel free to play around with the colors though until you get the shade you want.

  • Arrowroot powder adds a little slip and acts as a base for the pigments. Most of the herb powders on their own are a little too course to stay on by themselves. The arrowroot smooths things over and blends them together.
  • Mica (as mentioned before) adds a little shimmer, but not much color. Feel free to skip it if you prefer.
  • Clays are light and powdery and add some soft color. Like the arrowroot, they help the plant pigments blend better.
  • Natural colorants like cocoa powder, turmeric, and beetroot are what make this DIY eyeshadow recipe colorful.

Where to Buy Natural Eye Shadow

If you don’t have the time to DIY,  you can find healthy, natural eyeshadow options from Toups Organics here:

  • Eye makeup palette
DIY Natural Eyeshadow Recipe

DIY Natural Eyeshadow Recipe

Katie Wells
Simple ingredients combine to create a subtle, yet beautiful eyeshadow palette.
4.58 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Total Time 5 mins
Servings 1 tsp eyeshadow (approximately) per shade

Ingredients
  

Dusty Rose Eyeshadow

  • ¼ tsp arrowroot powder
  • ½ tsp rose clay

Sea Green Eyeshadow

  • ¾ tsp spirulina powder can sub moringa powder
  • ¼ tsp arrowroot powder

Cocoa Shimmer Eyeshadow

  • ½ tsp cocoa powder
  • ¼ tsp arrowroot powder
  • 1 pinch bronze mica powder optional

Gold Eyeshadow

  • ¾ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp arrowroot powder
  • 1 pinch bronze mica powder optional

Instructions
 

  • Combine all the ingredients for your desired shade in a small container.
  • Tightly cap the container and shake well to combine. Allow the powder to settle some before opening the lid.
  • Apply a tiny drop of oil to the eyelid and massage in. Use a makeup brush to apply the eyeshadow colors as desired.

Notes

Shelf life: About 1 year if stored properly.
Storage: Keep away from direct light and heat and avoiding using unwashed fingers or unclean makeup brushes. These will contaminate the powder and cause it to spoil faster. 
 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Which natural colors are your favorite for eyeshadow? Do you wear other homemade eye makeup? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Category: Beauty

Share this article

FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Print / PDF / Email

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

  • All Posts

You may also enjoy these posts…

homemade macadamia nut milk recipe and tutorial

How to Make Macadamia Milk With 3 Ingredients!

How to make natural toothpaste

How to Make Natural Toothpaste

How to make aloe vera gel from fresh aloe leaves

How to Make Aloe Vera Gel from Fresh Aloe

how-to-make-your-own-natural-deodorant

How to Make Natural Deodorant

homemade drawer sachets

How to Make Natural Drawer Fresheners

How to make washing soda from baking soda

How to Make Washing Soda from Baking Soda

Reader Interactions

Discussion (6 Comments)

  1. Erin

    February 8, 2023 at 12:46 AM

    Hi! Could someone please post pictures of themselves wearing the DIY makeup recipes? Preferably people of various skintones? That would be really cool!

    Reply
  2. Sara

    October 17, 2021 at 1:48 PM

    Is there a way to do smokey, dark grey or black? Would charcoal work?

    Reply
    • Jamie Larrison

      October 27, 2021 at 12:37 AM

      Charcoal might work but it’s a little gritty and could irritate the eyelid. Katie uses it to make a natural eyeliner and mascara but those aren’t covering the whole eyelid which is thin and delicate. You could also try a dark grey mica color mixed with a little arrowroot, though I haven’t tried it personally.

      Reply
  3. Brittany Oltersdorf

    October 14, 2021 at 2:19 PM

    If I wanted to make pressed eye shadow for kids what would be a good thing to add to make it more solid?

    Reply
    • Jamie Larrison

      October 27, 2021 at 12:46 AM

      A pressed eyeshadow requires several different added ingredients and the ratios of colorants would be different. The ones I’ve seen use magnesium stearate and a carrier oil, but they’re also not using natural plant pigments. All that to say I don’t think this is something where you could just add an ingredient and change it into a different kind of recipe but if you try it let us know!

      Reply
      • Sabrina

        April 7, 2022 at 6:18 AM

        Hello!

        Could you mix magnesium stearate with any one of the recipes above to make a natural pigment eyeshadow adhere better. Would these ingredients such as cocoa powder, tumeric and/or spirulinaix well with magnesium stearate??

        Reply

Join the Conversation... Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Please read the comment policy.

Recipe Rating




The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy. Content may not be reproduced in any form. Ads provided by CafeMedia Family & Parenting Network. Displayed ads do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Wellness Mama.


Content

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Favorites
  • Wellnesse

Support

  • Newsletter
  • Podcast Application
  • Medical Review Board
  • My Books
  • Sitemap
  • Contact

Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Full Disclaimer
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Promo Guidelines
  • Comment Policy

Join the
Wellness Mama Tribe!


Copyright © 2023 · Wellness Mama® · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding