I love this concealer so very much.
I have always run into problems with concealers because they either aren’t the right shade, or they clog my pores, or somehow they dry funky and made me look 15 years older than I am. (I think my hospital-induced sleep deprivation ages me enough, thank you very much.)
I have no doubt that I could have found the perfect one with enough searching and buying, but I frankly don’t have the patience or the funds for that kind of thing!
Not the mention, our modern environments are so chock-full of toxins that I’m generally attempting to avoid slathering any extra ones on my skin. We’ve all heard that the skin is our biggest organ. And yet somehow, it’s so easy to pretend like it doesn’t really matter so much. (More on my journey for detoxification/endocrine support in future posts! It’s something I’m working on a lot.) DIY-ing my beauty skin care regiment has played a huge role in keeping things clean from that perspective. And I’ve most definitely noticed improvements in my endocrine system because of it.
And quite honestly with this concealer, I’m perfectly content to stop searching. I’ve been using my own concoctions for about a year and half now and they are working better for me than I ever imagined.
I think this is because this recipe is based off a combination of healing oils that nourish the skin while simultaneously covering up imperfections. And since I’m making it at home, I can customize the color perfectly for my skin tone. (I have 3 different version of summer, spring/fall, and winter since I get really pale in the winter but tan easily in the summer.)
I usually focus the application around my eyes, on the edges of my nose, and around the corners of my mouth. The end result is a dewy, I-just-slept-10-hours kind of look…instead of the oh-lord-what-time-is-it look that I realistically wake up with. And when I look refreshed, it actually makes me feel more recharged over all! It’s the beauty-product equivalent to standing up straight.
After applying this, I’ll occasionally set it with this Airbrushing Mineral Powder and then use the Positively Rosy Cheek and Lip Stain to add some natural color to my face. I’ll finish it off with a swipe of Midnight Clay Eyeliner and a store-bought mascara (I haven’t created a recipe I’m super jazzed about yet…plus it doesn’t really touch my skin that much so it’s not a top priority). That all takes about 3 minutes in the morning and I’m good to go!
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Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 tablespoon mango butter
- 1/2 tablespoon shea butter
- 1 tablespoon white bentonite or fullers earth clay
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- yellow oxide
- red oxide
- blue oxide
- brown oxide
Where to buy oxides: you can find the oxides at saffireblue.ca. The shipping is not super cheap but the supplies are very inexpensive and have lasted me for nearly 2 years now…and that’s with all the experimentation I do!
Steps:
1. Place the coconut oil, mango butter, and shea butter into a small pan.
2. Place the pan over very low heat on a small burner. Stir frequently remove from heat the moment everything has melted.
3. While the oils and butters melt, stir the white bentonite (or kaolin clay) and arrowroot powder together. I actually like using an old coffee grinder to mix everything together with a very fine grate.
4. When your oils/butters have melted, take the small pot off the stove and place it on a hot pad. Let cool for several minutes or until it starts to be the consistency of honey.
5. Add in your bentonite/kaolin clay to the oil/butter mixture a small amount at a time. Stir super well until everything is well incorporated. I like to use a spoon to moosh everything around to get it very smooth.
6. At this point, you’ll want to start adding in the colored oxides. You have to start with miniscule amounts of each color throughout this whole process! This part of the creative process take some serious time…but with a perfectly customized concealer at the end, it’s totally worth it. I add about a grain-of-rice sized portion of oxides at a time.
I use about 8 parts yellow, 2-3 parts red, and 1 part blue to get the right color for my complexion. For the times of year when I get super tan, I’ll throw in some brown to get the right shade I’m looking for.
7. If you mixture solidifies before you’re happy with the color, place the small pot over very low heat on the stove and gently remelt it.
8. I periodically test the color over my jaw line until it perfectly blends in. Then I let the mixture cool completely and store in on my makeup shelf. I like to store my make up in these tins.
Troubleshooting
The entire color-perfecting process can go south quickly if you get impatient and start to throw in more color than you need. If this happens, you can always remelt the mixture and add in more of the white bentonite and arrowroot powder to dilute the color and make some corrections.
But be forewarned: this cushion does have a limit so I can’t recommend going slowly on adding colors and testing often enough!
I don’t want to use coconut oil, because it’ll break out my skin. What can I substitute with? Or would it be ok to just omit?
I think increasing the amount of something solid like shea butter or mango butter with a small increase in a liquid oil like almond oil would get you the exact same consistency. The good thing with this concealer is that you can remelt it and tweak the oils for the texture you want. Im not sure you’d be happy with the texture with just omitting it though. Let me know if you have any problems with that!
Great! Thanks for the tips! I’ll let you know how it turns out. Can’t wait!
One more question. Would it be ok to corn starch? Or should I use arrowroot powder?
Woo! Looking forward to the update! I think cornstarch would be fine 🙂
Hi Alex! I was thrilled to discover this mineral coverup recipe! I am looking at the colored oxides. About how much would you recommend I order of each (how many ounces)? Thanks!
Yay! I’m glad you’re going to make it! Keep me posted on how it goes 🙂 I have needed all that much of the oxides for any recipe so I usually buy about 3 oz at a time and it lasts me a while!
Thanks, Alex!
No problem! Keep me posted on how it goes 🙂
I just found your site! I craft my own mineral makeup and I was wondering, could I add some non-nano titanium dioxide to give this some coverage? Or does it have good coverage without it? Thank you!
That’s so cool! Glad you found me 🙂 I love nerding out about this stuff! I find it has pretty good coverage without it but yes, I think some oil soluble titanium dioxide would work.
Thank you! I will try it without first and let you know! =)
Awesome!