One of the best ways to ensure that your health products are vegetarian and cruelty-free is to make your own! DIY cosmetics are a great way to not only feel confident that you are putting nothing but the best and most ethical cosmetics on your face, but they can save you a ton of money! Here are some of our favorite homemade cosmetics:
1) Homemade Mineral Veil – That famous cosmetic first made popular by Bare Minerals is a must-have in the cosmetic bags of many! It leaves a soft, angelic photo finish to your face after applying makeup. The fact is, if you look at the main ingredient in Mineral Veil, it is good old-fashioned cornstarch. To make your own Mineral Veil, you can simply purchase organic corn starch, sift it through a mesh strainer, and stick it in a little container. To apply, put a very small amount (a little goes a very long way) on a powder brush, tap the brush to get the cornstarch into the bristles, and apply. It is that simple!
Cost of Mineral Veil: $20
Cost of Organic Corn Starch: Around $4
Cost savings: $16
2) Makeup Setting Spray – Makeup setting spray is cropping up everywhere. It is a great way to set your makeup to help it stay put, moisturize your skin, and get rid of any powder/cakey looks that can occur right after makeup application. It is especially great to finish off makeup on aging skin, where powders can settle into fine lines and wrinkles. Some of the most well known setting sprays are MAC’s Fix+, Urban Decay’s Dew Me, All Nighter and De Slick, and Model in a Bottle. But let’s look at just a few of the ingredients in these commercial products: SD Alcohol 40B, Isopentyldiol, Acrylates / Octocrylamide, Copolymer, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Dimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate.
We can’t even pronounce most of those! Well never to fear, we have you covered. To make your very own setting spray, all you need is a little water and a little glycerin. Mix 3 parts water to 1 part glycerin and put it in an atomizer bottle. That’s it!
Cost of MAC Fix+: $20
Cost of Urban Decay Sprays: $18-$29
Cost of Model in a Bottle: $14
Cost of Glycerine: $4 for 4 ounces
Cost Savings: $10-$25
3) Lip Stain that Will Last Long Time – BeneTint by Benefit is one of the most popular lip and cheek stains on the market, but with a $30 price tag, it is pricey! While there are tons of lip and cheek stain recipes online that use fresh berries, beets and pomegranates, they tend to go bad pretty quickly. The good news is that many of these fruits are available in freeze-dried powder form, so they have a much longer shelf life. Depending on what color you like, you can use:
Freeze-dried passion fruit powder
Freeze-dried strawberry powder
To make the balm:
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp cocoa butter, grated
1/4 tsp vitamin E oil (or prick 3 vitamin E capsules and squeeze it out)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon fruit/vegetable powder depending on how concentrated you want the color
Place the smallest saucepan that you have on a burner and turn the heat on as low as it will go. Melt the coconut oil to a liquid state, then stir in the cocoa butter until it is melted. Remove the saucepan from the burner and add the vitamin E, stirring until well incorporated. Add your fruit/vegetable powder, and again stir until well mixed. Pour into the container in which you’d like to keep them balm, and allow to cool on the counter overnight.
Cost of BeneTint: $29
Cost of Lip Balm: $10 for powder, $6 for coconut oil, Queen Helene’s Cocoa Butter Stick (link) $2, Vitamin E caps (link) $4
Cost Savings: $7 (although, in reality, you will have enough of the ingredients above to make many, many batches!)
When it comes to cosmetics, don’t feel like you are stuck buying store brands! Remember, many of them have to put extra ingredients in their cosmetics simply to keep them shelf-ready for a long time. With a little extra time and effort up front, you can have fresh and healthy vegan cosmetics that are better for you, better for your purse, and better for the animals!