DIY Luminizer

After hearing pretty much universal raves about RMS Living Luminizer, I finally got my hands on some to give it a whirl. It is indeed a pretty awesome product- it adds just a slight shimmer to your skin, extremely subtle so you don't look like a glittery rave kid, but enough to make you look, well, luminescent, I guess. Healthy and glow-y.

But, clocking in at almost $40 for a .02 oz pot, this stuff doesn't come cheap. I got mine through Dermstore which was kind enough to throw in some free gifts and a 2 year subscription to Better Homes & Gardens, which made it a little less painful (no, I'm not affiliated, but I do like free stuff.) Still, though, it's a big investment when your beauty budget is as piddly as mine. Update: That subscription never came, BH&G says it never existed, and Dermstore never told me. Thanks a lot, jerks. 

So I took a look at the ingredients:

Castor seed oil, coconut oil, beeswax, tocopherol, rosemary extract, May Contain titanium dioxide, mica. 

So... two oils, beeswax, vitamin E (another oil and a preservative), rosemary extract which I'm assuming is for scent, and basically...mineral make-up. Titanium is generally a whitish powder and mica adds sparkle. So it's essentially like putting on a light coat of mineral shimmer, and using wax and oil to moisturize and glue it to your skin.

Hmm. I can do that. Commence experimental luminizer!

(But first a warning: melted waxyoil is not particularily easy to clean up! Cover your workspace and be prepared to soak the dishes for awhile. Very hot water helps melt it off, obviously.)

Materials: 

Beeswax
Coconut oil
Fine-grain, shimmery mineral eyeshadow (1/4 teaspoon total shown, but I recommend more more more!)
A little pot to put it in
Microwave and microwave safe bowl
Oven mitt

I figured castor seed oil was probably used as a cost-saving measure more than a necessity, but you could use it if you wanted. Grapeseed would also probably work. I left out the vitamin E since I didn't have any handy, and coconut oil/beeswax don't exactly spoil quickly anyway. If you want a little scent, you could put a tiny droplet of essential oil in- just make sure it's not one that will irritate your skin. Mine just smells like coconut and honey, it's kind of lovely. I used 1 part beeswax and 2 parts oil, which gave me a fairly creamy texture, a bit softer than the original. To make it harder, use more beeswax; for softer, use more oil.

The mineral eyeshadows I used were two sample size pots from Bad Bitch Cosmetics (LOVE, btw) in Miranda and Yuki-onna (similar, but Yuki is a bit more sparkly.) You could use anything fine and shimmery- use a cooler, silver-based shimmer if your skin is cool toned, and a warmer, gold-based shimmer if you're warm toned. I thought I would need just a tiny bit of eyeshadow but I ended up dumping both whole containers in, and could've still done with more. If I make this again I think I will use twice as much, at least- unfortunately I've exhausted my supply of white-ish shimmer powders for now. In any case remember that the eyeshadow can really make or break it- go for a super-fine texture to keep from looking glittery.

Start by measuring out your wax and oil.

Chop or cheese-grate the wax into little bits, which will make it easier to melt. Put the wax in the microwave safe bowl and start heating it up in 20-second intervals, stirring in between. (You could also use a double boiler for this- it would probably be easier, but with such a small amount of stuff it seemed a little silly.)

When the wax is almost totally melted, add in the coconut oil and put it in for just a little bit longer, until it's all nice and uniformly liquid. (If you're using liquid oils, I think you can probably add them after the heating-up step. Be wary of heating any oils with a low smoke point.)

Take the bowl out very carefully (it will probably be insanely hot at this point- use the oven mitts) and pour the mineral eyeshadow in. Stir it up well and dole into little containers.

Attempt NOT to make a huge mess out of it. Seriously, it's like I'm 5.

Set them aside to cool.

**This part is key! **

Periodically as they are cooling, you need to go stir them up again! Otherwise, the sparkle will sink to the bottom. Eventually they will get too hard to stir, so it's imperative to hit that sweet spot when it's viscous enough to hold the shimmer in place, but warm enough to manipulate, and really mash it up.

Result: 

My version is a bit creamier and a bit more sheer, but it does the job! It's actually perfect as a slightly-luminizing hand cream or lip balm, at this texture. (Also, great for clavicles and other areas that you want to highlight, but where you really don't want it to look like you've got make-up on.) To truly match the original, you'd want it a little harder and with more eyeshadow- I may also try a little translucent powder to give it a drier texture. On the other hand, with a bit more oil and a yummy smelling EO, it would be a fantastically rich body lotion that would give you just a little bit of glow all over. Adding some flavor oils would make it extra awesome as a lip balm, too. Go nuts! I'd love to hear what you guys can come up with!

It's also worth noting that even though I had silvery shimmer, mine came out more warmly-toned, probably because I used yellow beeswax (white beeswax wasn't readily available locally- you can order it online though!* ) Given the ease and price, though, I'd say it's a win- you could experiment with the ratios all day and be sparkly head to toe, given that each batch probably costs about $3-5, depending on how much eyeshadow you throw in there ;-) I smell Christmas presents for every chick I know coming on... assuming I figure out how to put things in a jar without sloshing it everywhere.

*Just FYI that's an affiliate link, which means I get a little kickback if you use it, but no pressure! 

Eyeshadow Follow-up

After yesterday's post I went a bit nuts and cream-i-fied pretty much all the powders I had that had enough room in their jars, using the oil & alcohol method. The diffferent powders all react a bit differently to the process- some mix easily, some definitely do not, some have dried well, some are still very liquidy (which might have to do with how much oil I added vs how much stuff was left vs the texture of the powder vs whoknowswhatelse.)

All are fairly usable, though I'm going to let a few dry out a bit more before I put the caps on.

On the top is the dry powder, bottom is the new cream. 

Bathroom Chemistry: Cream Shadows from Powders

I have a really hard time finding affordable cream eyeshadows that don't contain yicky ingredients. I thought I'd hit paydirt when I found this etsy seller, but unfortunately she puts a sizable amount of fragrance in every batch and it's too strong for me to use (which sucks because I bought a LOT of it. If it weren't for the perfuminess, I'd love the heck out of it- it works well. But seriously, why does eyeshadow need to have a smell!?! *Weep* But it's my own fault for not reading carefully.) 

Anyway, I thought maybe it would be easy to turn some of my mineral powders into creams. You can always mix them with water right before you put it on, but that's not the same and requires an extra step... I know I'd use them more if they were creams. Googling around, I found two methods: the alcohol and oil method, and a bunch of people just mixing the shadow with primer. I grabbed two powders that I like but don't use that often and gave them each a whirl. 

  The Powders: 

 

 Both are loose mineral powders from Shiro Cosmetics (don't click that unless you want your money to leave you in a hurry. So. Sparkly. So. Pretty. So. Nerdy.) The one on the left of the tattoo-line is Impossible, on the right is More Sugar. Both are very sheer when applied dry- Impossible is basically just a faint shimmer. 

Alcohol and Oil Method:

I used grapeseed oil, because it has a pretty long shelf life and shouldn't go rancid before I finish using up the shadow. My rubbing alcohol was only 70% but, y'know, use what you have, right? I followed the directions, mixing everything up in the original container with a fondue fork, which was... a tad messy. I'm not sure if I really got to the "smooth liquid/paste starting to separate from the alcohol and look lumpy and curd-like" stage, because I ran out of room in the container and couldn't add more oil. I figured it'd just end up being a little on the dry side maybe. It also never reached a point where I could "tip off the excess alcohol" and several hours later was still looking odd and soupy, but the next day....

 

That's totally how it's supposed to look! Omg!

 

It must have just taken forever to evaporate because my alcohol wasn't very high-proof or whatever. But it totally works! The shimmer + oil gives it a "wet shine" kinda look which can be sort of intense but isn't too overpowering in such a light color. I look forward to trying it with some serious-business colors though. 

Pros:

It works

You get to feel like a mad scientist

The ingredients are cheap and nontoxic (once the alcohol evaporates)

Removes easily with soap, make up remover, or whatever else you'd use on a mineral shadow

Cons:

Definite waiting period fraught with uncertainty

Will eventually go rancid if I don't use it up

Alcohol smells bad (not a problem once it evaporates, just when you're using it.) 

Involves fiddly meting out of liquids into tiny containers

 Just Mix it With Primer Method:

I don't usually use primer but I had a little tube of this that came with a shadow set, so that's what I used. It has fewer nasty ingredients than most primers do, but it's also a very thick gel, which turned out to be a big mistake. It was NOT stirrable. I made a huge mess trying to mix it in before finally giving up and putting the whole shebang in a bigger container, where I continued to make a huge mess. It was thick enough that it really needed to be kneaded in, by tiny little fairy hands, or perhaps by these guys. But since I had no baby loris handy, I just hacked away awkwardly with my fondue fork, and basically ended up with powder-covered wads of primer surrounded by chunks of powder.

   

Also I spilled some of the "Impossible" earlier. Eyeshadow everywhere.

 Applied, it does resemble something like a cream shadow....

   

... but too chunky and uncontrollable to be useful. I might sacrifice an old paintbrush later and see if I can't mix it together more uniformly. I think, though, that with a thinner primer, this might have worked well. (It was also a nightmare to get off. Actually some of it is still on there.)

Pros:

Probably would work with a thinner primer

Immediate results

Easy, since there are only two ingredients

Shouldn't really ever go bad

Will stay on for.ev.er. 

Cons:

Does NOT work well with thick primer

Is only as non-toxic as the ingredients in the primer (and usually they're horrible)

You don't get to feel like a fancy alchemist

Will stay on for.ev.er. 

In conclusion: My husband is a wonderful and tolerant man and I hope that the fact that our bathroom looks like the scene of a brutal fairy murder will not be a dealbreaker, because that shit is not easy to get off when it's glued on with primers and oils. 

(Also, I like the first method better.) 

Foilin' yer plans

So I'm going to be doing most of the makeup for Doomsday Knits, in all likelihood... so I've been sort of homeschooling myself in the fine cosmetic arts. Yesterday was "play with foiling" day!

(Foiling involves using loose mineral pigments and either mixing them with water/liquid or applying them with a wet brush to make them very shiny and intense and opaque. I talked about it a bit here.)

Also, I've been watching Season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race. 

So, this happened.

In conclusion, foiling is fun. 

Also, dark lipstick enhances my chin and makes me look like a most-likely-male glam rocker. Good to know. 

Making Mineral Eye Shadow Your Bitch

So when the girls at NMDL put me off products with talc at just about the time Pinterest put me onto fancy eyeshadows, I started looking around for talc-free formulas. This is not particularly easy, or cheap. Then I found out about the wide world of homemade loose mineral eyeshadows that chicks hawk on etsy for like, $3-5 a pot. And then I got super excited, and then I spent $50 on eyeshadows. If you like your makeup named after Hunger Games characters, you're particularly in luck.

Turns out these little bastards, as pretty and affordable and nontoxic as they are, can be sort of a pain in the ass to use. I'm starting to get a handle on it, though, so I thought I'd share my experience.

The absolute most important thing to know about mineral shadows is this: Mineral shadow + water = paint. This totally changes the game when it comes to application and removal.

- Did you fuck up? Don't try to wipe it away with water. Oil, soap, and make-up remover will take this stuff off no problem, but water will make it stick harder. Oil is great at the end of the day (I use my jojoba mixture) but you're going to want some decent non-oily make-up remover for fixing mistakes. I'm using BWC and it works like a charm (I've heard it's less effective on conventional makeup, but it's fine for what I use.) My main makeup application strategy is to get it all over myself so I look like an uncoordinated clown and then clean up the edges when I'm done, so I was really suffering before I found the BWC stuff. (A lot of makeup removers and remover wipes have parabens which are no good, so, watch out for that.)

- The moisture on your hands will also make it stick a little, which is a major bummer if you're a devoted finger-smudger like me. Wrapping a little piece of tissue around my finger seems to work, or you can just smudge with brushes/sponges/q-tips, etc.

- If you manage to screw your shadow up while you're out and about, you either will have to smudge it around with some tissue, mess with some soap, or you can take the cheater way out like I do and just sort of cover it up with face powder. You could carry makeup remover with you but I'd be worried it would leak. Maybe someday I'll make some homemade wipes. I haven't had too much trouble with it smudging while I'm out, though.

- Now the upside of this water phenomenon: foiling! Mix the shadow with water or use a wet brush to apply it, and you'll get an amazing, opaque, intense color. It's fantastic for lining eyes (and I am traditionally a huge eyeliner-fucker-upper so you know it's easy.) Once it's dried on there, you can soften the edges with some dry powder or try to smudge it a bit to make it a little more subtle. It'll be pretty set on there, though.

(From the top: Star-Crossed from Shiro Cosmetics applied dry, Katniss from Bad Bitch Cosmetics applied dry, Star-Crossed applied wet, Katniss applied wet. BIG DIFFERENCE.)

- If you use the powder dry, it will be pretty subtle until you've built up a few layers. Just FYI. That's not always a bad thing, though.

- Loose powder is fiesty! Tap your brush on the container and then on your arm to get the extra off before you go near your eyelid. That's especially true if you have a wet brush- the dry excess will fall off when you're trying to paint and sprinkle your face. You'll probably sprinkle your face no matter what, so I recommend doing eyes before foundation and blush or anything like that.

- On primer: I don't use that shit. Whatever. Maybe I should? I only ever want the stuff to last a few hours while I go out and so far, it's been fine.

- Practice with the stuff before you actually have to go somewhere. That's probably common sense but that doesn't mean I do it, so maybe you don't either. But do.

Where to buy it
I bought my buttload of mineral shadows from:
BadBitchCosmetics (tons of super fun colors. Some have toxic ingredients, so pay attention. "Bowie" and "Black Swan" are gorgeous, and "Dime Piece" is a great liner color. Does awesome tiny sampler sizes.)
BLSoaps (lots of lovely neutrals.)
Shiro Cosmetics (Pretty colors, geeky themes, cult following. I am not in love with the sifter containers that they come in, but you can take the sift-y part out and just make it a regular container. I just wasn't getting enough out through the holes.)

Honestly, it seems like most of the homemade shadows are similar in terms of ingredients and efficacy- pay attention to the price vs. the size of the container vs. how awesome the colors are, because those are the things that vary.


How to make it
This is something I'd like to try someday- it seems easy enough, though you have to shell out for all the materials. Maybe I'll find someone who wants to go in on it with me. If I do get around to it, I'll report back.

I think that's it- if you guys have any useful tips I missed, let's hear 'em!

Clean-ish Cosmetics and Other Such Vanity

(Octopus, you don't even have lips.)

There are so many cleanish makeup companies out there now. They are usually sort of pricy, but I feel like I've built up an arsenal of not-too-ridiculous stuff. Try Whole Foods or another hippie-dippie grocery store- they tend to have decent stuff at the lower end of the crazy spectrum. But for posterity, here's what I've found and liked so far:
*disclaimer: none of these brands have bribed me to review their products. But I want them to know that I'm open to that sort of thing. Ahem.


We'll go in vague order of how I put stuff on.

Eyeshadow:
I start here because it's messy and I know I'll have to clean stuff up afterwards. Eyeliner can go before or after this, depending on what I'm going for, but whatever. I've mostly switched to mineral shadows, which warrant their own post because they're a pain in the ass, but I also discovered this the other day and immediately fell in love. I wish they'd make more colors in this line- Tarte is hit or miss in terms of toxicity and a lot of their stuff still has talc (no good) but this does not. But it's a pressed powder (more convenient), it's neutral, it has more than one color in one place, it's reasonably smudgeable, and I love it. It's nice and subtle and everyday-ish.

Eyeliner:
For liquid, I have Dr Hauschka's. This shit DOES NOT COME OFF for anything. So don't fuck it up. When I use this, the remnants stay between my lash-roots for like three days afterwards (which actually looks pretty good, so I'm not complaining, but it's hard to get it off if you want it off.) That said, I've had a lot more success applying this and not making an ass of myself than any other liquid liner I've ever owned. If anything, though, I do a thin line with the Hauscha's and then do a mineral eyeshadow foil line on top of that, because it's easier to make that look not-ragged (we'll talk about that in the mineral shadow post.)

For pencils, I have brown from Honeybee Gardens and black from Gabriel. I usually like Gabriel, but the HG wins here and I'll probably buy their black at some point. It's softer and way easier to apply- the Gabriel pencil is a little too hard. I may try getting it wet or mushing the tip a bit more, we'll see. I'd like to try some of HG's other stuff, too, since I've been impressed with it so far and the prices are really reasonable. But I digress.

Now that I'm done getting eyeshadow all over my face, I can move on...

Concealer:
Gabriel again. This stuff's ok- it has a nice texture, and blends in well and has just a tinge of yellow to counteract the purpley eye bags. I think I'd really have to layer it on to get rid of them, though. It's more of a gentle eyebag reducer.

Foundation/powder/whatever:
I don't even know WTF liquid foundation is for, really, but I feel like it usually looks bad on me and I don't mess with it. I just dust this stuff on with a big brush, and then maybe sponge it on anywhere that needs a little more.

Mascara:
Honeybee Gardens again. I'm really impressed with this stuff- it looks thick, but it works as well as any conventional mascara I've ever owned. It's not waterproof, but I haven't had trouble with smudging- probably because I don't make out under waterfalls or scream and cry at Bieber concerts. I had some Tarte mascara that came with their eyeshadow and compared with the HG, it was shitty and smelled bad, and I'm betting it's more expensive too.

Lip gunk:
Lipstick has taken me the longest to come around to. It always makes me feel so "done up" and it's taken awhile to just embrace that. It's ok to be done up, man! I have a few regulars that I mix and match-
Gabriel Lipstick in Pomegranate - this is my red. I'm a wimp so I usually tone it down by using it as a stain and piling one of the others on top.
Zuzu Lipstick in Golden Bronze - This is like... apricot with gold shimmer. I'm amazed that it works on me, but the lady at the store recommended it and was totally right. It's like my natural lipcolor, boosted slightly and shimmery.
Pacifica Lip Tint in Guava Berry- pretty standard tinted balm. Nice because it's moisturizing, but it smells weird.
Jen's Sanatio Skin Care Honey Mint Gloss in Apricot Blush - I kinda love this stuff actually. It smells good, it tastes good, it's mostly castor oil and honey. It's also kind of local to me- I'm not sure how easy it is to get elsewhere. I'm not sure it's particularly long wearing, but whatever.

(Also, lipstick is weirdly fun to photograph.)

Much like liquid foundation, I don't really know what lip liner does or why I want it, so I don't have any :-P It makes me think of drag queen lips, mostly. But then, I'm not trying to make my makeup last through a busy day of being fancy- more like three hours of going out- so my needs may differ from those of high powered fashion execs and drag superstars.

I... don't have any blush at the moment. It's not something I've ever used much, but I probably should get some. Maybe some bronzer too. I'm pretty pasty. Recommendations are welcome, both for those things and good brands in general! Bonus points if they don't cost like $50 for one measly eyeshadow palette.