Homemade Natural Makeup Recipes

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » Homemade Natural Makeup Recipes

I get a lot of questions about natural makeup options, and this was definitely one of the tougher things for me to find natural alternatives for. In college, I practically collected makeup, and had endless tubes, compacts, and brushes that never even got half used.

Natural Makeup

While there are some good natural alternatives that you can buy (see list below), the cheapest, easiest and most natural way is to just make your own, and you might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already!

Natural Skin Care

What you do to your skin before you use makeup is just as important as the makeup you use and there are some great natural options for skin care.

I absolutely love the oil cleansing method, which leaves skin very soft and smooth by using natural oils to balance the skin. I typically use the oil cleansing method at night and wash my face with raw honey if needed in the morning. You can also use a natural sugar scrub (equal parts sugar and natural oil) or natural microdermabrasion (baking soda) to make skin look younger.

With proper skin care, the skin will be naturally healthy and you won’t even need to wear makeup most of the time. Most days, I skip the makeup altogether, but  when I do wear it, these are the recipes I use:

Natural Foundation

Homemade Option: At the recommendation of a friend who had used cocoa powder for natural bronzer, I started experimenting with natural foundation options, and came up with a recipe similar to a mineral make-up.

I start with a base of arrowroot powder and zinc oxide (can also use cornstarch, but arrowroot works better) and then slowly add in cocoa powder and finely ground cinnamon powder until you get a shade close to your skin tone. You can then store in a jar or old powder container and use a brush to apply. It took me a few tries of mixing to get the color correct for my skin tone, but most days, a quick brush of this is all I need. I later discovered that adding gold mica powder gave it an even smoother texture and made skin radiant.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons zinc oxide (Can use arrowroot powder instead if desired, but it will not offer quite as much coverage)
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon gold mica dust
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp of desired natural clay powder (optional) I used a pinch of White cosmetic clay, Fuller’s Earth Clay and french green clay
  • up to 1 teaspoon finely ground cocoa powder to get desired color
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon of translucent mica powder can help for really oily skin

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients to get desired color and coverage.
  2. Zinc oxide will give coverage and matte finish.
  3. Colored mica powders, natural clays and cocoa powder will give color. Start slowly and add as needed, testing on inner-arm as you go to find your shade.
  4. Store in a small glass jar with a lid.

Note: If you prefer, just arrowroot powder (or white cosmetic clay), cocoa powder, and (optional) cinnamon powder can be used. This will create a great and completely natural/edible foundation but it will not stay as long as a powder containing zinc oxide and mica. I personally feel safe using zinc oxide on my skin (non nano and uncoated) but if you don’t, just stick to the arrowroot version.

There is a lot of variation in this recipe… creating homemade makeup is more of an art than a science and your exact color and base combinations will depend on the amount of coverage and color you want. Zinc oxide as a base will create a makeup very similar to store bought mineral makeups and adding mica powder will give skin a natural “glow.”

If you don’t have or aren’t comfortable with those ingredients, a simple mix of arrowroot and a small amount of cocoa powder and cinnamon will work really well but won’t offer as much coverage.

If you prefer a liquid foundation, check out this tutorial.

Pre-made Options: If making makeup isn’t your thing but you still want some natural options, there are a few good choices. No commercial choice is as natural as the homemade options, but they are a tremendous improvement over any conventional options! Jane Iredale is the best brand I’ve found and they offer some great options for mineral powder, liquid foundation, pressed powder and more.

Natural Bronzer/Blush

Simplest Homemade Option: Similar to above, natural bronzer and blush can be easily made with a base of arrowroot and by adding more cocoa powder and cinnamon to get a darker shade. I’ve also tried powdering dried beet root (in the dehydrator) or dried hibiscus flowers to add a pink tone which works well as long as you can very finely powder them. Store in a shaker make-up container or an old compact.

Boutique Homemade Option: For a slightly more customizable and longer lasting homemade option, use zinc oxide powder (non nano and uncoated) as a base and add cocoa powder and a red or pink hued mica powder to get the desired color.

Commercial Options: For natural blush, I love Aubrey Organic Silken Blush or Jane Iredale blushes.

Natural Eye Liner and Shadow

Homemade Options:Always be careful when using any products, even natural ones, near the eyes. I mix up several colors of eye shadow using cocoa powder (brown shades) Spirulina (green shades) and arrowroot (light shades). My favorite is just cocoa powder with a tiny bit of arrowroot mixed in for smoothness.

For eye-liner, I either use a tiny bit of cocoa powder mixed with coconut oil, or a tiny dab or activated charcoal and whipped shea butter. Be careful not to get either one in the eye. I store the eye shadow in an old powdered eye shadow container and apply with my finger or a very slightly damp brush.

To make a smoother eyeliner, I mix equal parts of coconut oil and shea butter (about 1/2 ounce of each) and add about 1/2 tsp of activated charcoal to make a black eyeliner that is thicker. You can also do this with cocoa powder for a brown hue.

Commercial Options: Jane Iredale offers a few options for natural eye-liner.

Natural Mascara

Homemade Option: I don’t wear mascara most days, but when I want a natural option, it is an easy one to make. In a small bowl, I just mix a few drops of Aloe Vera Gel from Mountain Rose Herbs, a couple drops of Vitamin E oil, and a pinch of activated charcoal (not very precise… I know). I mix it up as I use it, though you could also make and store in an old mascara container or in a small jar and just clean the mascara wand between uses. I brush it on with a clean mascara brush, or even a used Bass Toothbrush from OraWellness.

Boutique homemade option: If you want to take the time to make a fancier recipe, my homemade mascara uses black mineral powder for amazing thickness and length.

Commercial Options: The two natural ones I’ve tried and love are Organic Wear and Jane Iredale.

Natural Makeup Remover

Skip the need for buying an extra product (probably full of less than ideal ingredients) and try one of these simple natural makeup removers you probably already have around the house.

Supplements for Skin Care

I’m firmly convinced that what you put into your body is just as important, if not more so, than what you put on it when it comes to skin health. I used to have terrible acne and since changing my diet (removing dairy) and supplements, I don’t break out at all and my past scars have healed. The supplements that seemed to have made the biggest difference in skin health for me are:

  • Fermented Cod Liver Oil– for the Vitamins A, D and K, Omega-3s and Antioxidants, all which are great for the skin.
  • Gelatin – Which is a pre-cursor for collagen and has made my hair, skin and nails noticeably stronger and smoother (great for cellulite too).
  • Magnesium– An anti-inflammatory and lacking in many people’s diets. Topical Magnesium Oil seems to be the most effective for skin health.

Ever made any your own makeup? What is the toughest thing to find natural versions of for you? Let me know below! 

These DIY natural makeup recipes can be made at home to avoid the chemicals in conventional beauty products.

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a 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.

Comments

410 responses to “Homemade Natural Makeup Recipes”

  1. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Hello wellness mama! I’m looking for natural sunscreens that can work well under make-up (pressed powder or liquid foundation) Please let me know if you have any suggestions, perhaps something I can find at a health or drug store. Or maybe something I can whip up? THanks!!

  2. Tehshe Avatar
    Tehshe

    Can I use Bentonite clay as a base instead of Arrowroot powder?

  3. Cindy Dolezal Avatar
    Cindy Dolezal

    Hi Katie, I make the natural foundation and love it. Working on an eyeshadow. I made a great one with just arrowroot and charcoal but Im a red head and I need another color. I haven’t been able to get the cocoa powder or cinnamon ground find enough to stick as an eyeshadow. It works great on my face as a foundation. How can I grind them more. I need it to be smooth like the arrowroot powder to stick to my eyelids.

    Thanks!

  4. Gabrielle Shenouda Avatar
    Gabrielle Shenouda

    I’m a little confused.
    “For eye-liner, I either use a tiny bit of cocoa powder mixed with coconut oil, or a tiny dab or activated charcoal on a slightly damp brush. Be careful not to get either one in the eye. I store the eye shadow in an old powdered eye shadow container and apply with my finger or a very slightly damp brush.”
    So, I shouldn’t get the eye liner made with cocoa powder and coconut oil in my eyes? Is cocoa powder not safe in my eyes? I usually use eyeliner to tight line.

  5. Gayle Jones Avatar
    Gayle Jones

    What where you doing when you realized that vodka worked? 😉

    Thank you so much for this!!! I am a fair completed black woman. I tan easily and once I find a good shade, my color changes!

    I can do every shade for pennies! Yay!!!!!

  6. Alison Avatar

    Thank you for this! My toddler and I just made some makeup for me today and I used organic corn starch (instead of arrowroot powder) and kelp powder (since I’m a bit red). Do you have any concerns about these additives?

    1. Louise Andrews Avatar
      Louise Andrews

      If you do have concerns about kelp, you can try bentonite clay. It has a greenish tint and it seems to work well on my reddish issues!

  7. Noel Avatar

    I found your natural makeup ideas very helpful and interesting. There are a couple of questions though, which I have. Would I be able to use any spice I choose other than cinnamon for blush/bronzer? I am allergic to cinnamon and really don’t wish to put it on my skin. I am also going gluten free, so all that I use must be gluten free. As to the mascara that you mentioned creating, does it stay on well, with no running or smudging? Thank you so much for being here and for all of your wonderful makeup ideas! I just found you last night and am having so much fun with your website!

    Take care,
    Noel

  8. Emma D Avatar

    Hi there – I’m sorry if this has been asked before but I’m just starting to look into making my own natural skin makeup at home and am wondering about which ingredients are safe for acne prone skin. Could you tell me if you’ve found any of these to clog your pores:
    -arrowroot powder
    -cocoa powder
    -beet powder
    -turmeric
    -cinnamon

    Thank you!! I am really interested in trying to make a liquid and trying to figure out what liquid ingredients would be good to add that aren’t oils, any suggestions?

    Thanks!!

  9. Janelle Avatar

    I am really glad you make this post. I have been looking for a natural foundation, liquid and mineral powder, but I am not sure the homemade is the way to go for me as I have a hard time matching my skin tone.
    I have been doing some research and came across the “100% Natural Origin CC Color + Correction Cream” at one of my local drug stores. I looked at the ingredients online and I was wondering if you or someone would be able to help me know whether or not this is in fact healthy for my skin. I am unfamiliar with a lot of the ingredients so I would really appreciate someone’s help!

    Thanks so much,
    Janelle

  10. rebecca Avatar
    rebecca

    Have you ever made a concealer for dark circles under the eyes, my family has naturally dark under eye circles. I am fair skinned with red hair blue eyes and freckles. I just purchased some arrowroot powder to make the mineral powder

  11. Lori Avatar

    I can’t wait to try some of these recipes I have sensitive skin and these should work well. Thanks

  12. Katrina Avatar

    I LOVE your blog! Great formula. Thank you so much for sharing such great advice with the world! I actually have been enjoying using Delizioso Skincare’s 100% Natural Foundation. It is so smooth and is apparently dual action so it does good for your skin.

  13. Tracy Avatar

    Love your site. Just got finished playing in the kitchen ! Used a dab of raw unfiltered honey for base on face. Used Red Curry as I Have an olive skin tone, smelled like curry lol. Then I put on the cinnamon which really went well over the curry in more ways than one. But I got the perfect olive tone!!!. Then I used Cream of tartar and it acted exactly like the expensive mineral vail powder. My face looks awesome! Thanks

  14. Sam Avatar

    Wow. This was such an informative article. Thank you so much for writing it.
    I have struggled with finding the right foundation for my skin as I am olive toned but fluctuate between light to medium darkness. I also struggle with having sensitive skin… seems like everything I have used (even Mineral Fusion which I am using right now) makes me break out! I am really excited to try the Aubrey Organics Silken Earth Foundation.
    For those of you worried about the practices of Aubrey Organics regarding their silkworms, worry not! I contacted their customer service department and the lady I spoke with did some hunting to make absolutely sure it’s cruelty free. She called me back to let me know that the silk they harvest from silkworms is only obtained AFTER the silkworm has chewed its way out of the cocoon and are off flying as the moths they were supposed to be. This would be referred to as “Ahimsa Silk”, Ahimsa meaning non-violence.
    She also mentioned that the collagen they use in other products (which I didn’t even know about) is also obtained from cows that is somehow in excess of what they need. They obtain it naturally without harming the cow in any way (and the people who house the cows are not harming or exploiting them either).

    I knew I liked their shampoo. I am SO excited to give this foundation a try. I’m hoping it’s the one I’ve always been searching for 🙂

  15. Sarah Avatar

    When I am all out of mascara I just mix up my eyeliner with some petroleum jelly or any type of oil-castor, almond, coconut, vitamin E, (etc.) after I mix it up I use my spoolie wand and apply it like mascara and it works great. To make sure I have no clumps I just mix it on my hand so it slightly melts together and has no clumps. Or you can just use a blow dryer to heat the stuff up. This makes my mascara totally clump free

  16. Suzie Avatar

    I’m a little confused, I tried the cinnamon mix but it left small grains of cinnamon all over my face. For a test I put a small amount of dry skin cream and cinnamon combines very well and that didn’t even dissolve the grains. I even warmed the cream and still it had grains in it…..I used ground cinnamon but maybe it isn’t ground enough…could that be it?

    1. Louise Andrews Avatar
      Louise Andrews

      Maybe use a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder first. I’ve used both. Just let the dust settle before you open up the grinder!!

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