Do-It-Yourself Organic Face Powder
A fresh face powder gives your makeup that finishing touch. Sheer and weightless, it ensures that your makeup stays put longer and adds a flawless sheen to your face. It absorbs any extra oiliness and even minimizes the appearance of fine lines. When you brush a loose face powder over freshly applied makeup, it enhances any complexion, but those lovely powders can get pricey, especially for the more natural options.
While we love facial powders made with natural and organic ingredients, natural doesn’t necessarily mean perfect. These cosmetics also tend to be expensive. Take Bare Escentuals’ Mineral Veil translucent powder. It’s a lovely product and certainly contains fewer ingredients than conventional face powders. See:
Zea Mays (Corn Starch), Corn Starch Modified, Zinc Stearate, Magnesium Stearate. May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499).
However, do you really need the extra fillers in it? It may leave out the talc, waxes, preservatives and other chemicals found in many conventional makeup powders, but what else does it give you? Zinc stearate is an anticaking agent and colorant. Magnesium stearate is a natural magnesium salt of stearic acid that also works as a colorant and anticaking agent. Iron oxides are iron-based inorganic chemicals used as colorants. All of these fillers pose low health and environmental concerns, according to the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetics database, but they’re not really necessary.
If you could make your own face powder with just a couple ingredients straight from your own kitchen, well, why wouldn’t you? We have a recipe. You know you want to try it! This simple homemade face powder works and will cost you pennies, you frugal natural beauty.
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon organic cornstarch
- Dab organic cocoa powder
Directions:
Mix together 1/2 tablespoon of organic cornstarch and just a dab of organic cocoa powder in a small container. The cocoa powder will give the face powder some color, but if you’d like a translucent face powder, then simply leave out the cocoa.
To achieve the color I wanted, I started by adding teeny tiny amounts of cocoa powder. I dipped a spoon into the container of cocoa powder and pulled out just the smallest bit of cocoa, and then mixed it in with the cornstarch. Then, I continued to add small amounts of cocoa powder until I achieved the color I wanted. You could also substitute a dash of your current face powder for the cocoa powder. This will make your current face powder last longer with the same effect.
How to apply
Don’t just smear this powder on your face. It’s meant to be light and sheer. Dip a makeup brush in the powder and tap off an excess. Then, apply the powder to your face in a swirling motion. Start at one cheekbone and then work around your face in a circle. Keep it light and airy. If you want an all-natural look, flaunt your natural beauty with no makeup and just a light brushing of this simple powder before heading out.
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image: leeno
