I love makeup!
In fact, I find makeup to be pretty magical!
I can wake up in the morning, gulp graciously sip down my lemon water, coffee, green juice, eat breakfast, and dab a little makeup on and suddenly I go from “Who is that woman?” to “Wow! Who is that woman?”
Okay, maybe I’m not stopping traffic, but for a mom of two little kids, makeup somehow possesses the magical powers to make me feel “put together.” I can go from frumpy to polished, ready to hit the playground and looking half-way decent while doing so.
Who pays attention to the multiple stains from morning breakfast splattered on my shirt, the 5 dirty wipes stuffed in my pocket about to fall out, and the hair that hasn’t been washed in two days, when I have makeup on?
At least that’s what I am telling myself…please don’t burst my mommy bubble!
I love makeup, but I have a problem.
Makeup does NOT love me.
I have seriously sensitive skin.
The moment any foreign substance comes in contact with my skin, it attacks! Leaving behind some serious battle scars. In my late teen years I began to battle break outs here and there. I believe this was largely due to my poor diet and the amount of chemical-ridden “beauty” products I used. My face would always react poorly and I would turn to more chemicals which promised to help “beautify” my skin.
Real food has certainly helped my skin! The past few years I have seen huge improvements in the condition of my face in particular.
About 6 months ago (update as of September 2014: I’ve been making homemade products for two years), I decided food wasn’t enough and so I ventured down the world of “natural” beauty products: soaps, deodorant, and toothpaste.
I’m talking real, natural products.
I scoured the aisles in stores and was greatly disappointed to find all the “natural” products (Aveeno, Burt’s Bees, even Arbonne) were far from real ingredients. Since the skin absorbs anything that is placed on it within a mere 26 seconds, I wanted my products to contain ingredients I would feel safe floating around in my bloodstream. I wanted products made from ingredients I could eat.
I finally found what I was looking for. I use a local line of products which contain food-grade organic ingredients for soap, lip balm, and toothpaste. I purchase Primal Pit Paste for deodorant. Even after searching and searching I couldn’t find makeup products which suited my new requirements. Why not make my own?
My first concoction was homemade foundation powder makeup. I have fallen in love with this homemade mineral-like foundation powder. I have tweaked it a bit over the past few months, adding a few ingredients. I love the coverage this makeup gives me without drying my skin or leaving me looking like a pan of bacon grease at the end of the day. Homemade foundation powder is made with ingredients that are be safe to eat. In fact, many of these ingredients you may already be using in your real food kitchen.
Want more good news? This makeup is super inexpensive to make.
To think I used to pay $30 for a container of toxic makeup! The initial cost of purchasing ingredients may be pricey, but these products will last through dozens of batches of homemade foundation powder makeup and can be used in the kitchen, too. The true cost is significantly less expensive than many toxic makeup options.
Homemade Foundation Powder
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour starch similar to corn starch (a thickening agent), but without the GMOs.
- 2 TB unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp bentonite clay or kaolin clay (very gentle), or French green clay
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and a non-metallic bowl (Bentonite clay should not come in contact with metal). The amount you use of each ingredient will greatly depend on your skin complexion.
- Mix all your ingredients in the bowl, starting with the arrowroot as your base. Add each ingredient, adding the cocoa powder slowly, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired shade. Whisk together.
- Test the color by placing a small amount on your face (or arm) with your finger or a brush. It may take a little tweaking the first time to make the perfect shade for your complexion.
To Use:
- Store your foundation powder in a small container and use a dry sponge or brush to apply. I use a liquid foundation (2017 Update: Here's a list of my favorite store-bought natural makeup products.) under this foundation powder. You can also use this foundation powder without a liquid foundation for light coverage.
Video
Notes
Store your foundation powder in a small container and use a dry sponge or brush to apply. I use a liquid foundation under this foundation powder on days when I want more coverage. You can also use this foundation powder without a liquid foundation for a lighter coverage.
Now you’re ready to face the day, Mom.
And I think making your own homemade foundation powder makeup might even give you a bit of bragging rights at the playground today.
Q & A
Q: What kind of coverage does this provide?
A: This foundation powder will provide a light to moderate coverage. If you’re looking for heavy coverage, this powder isn’t for you, at least not as a solo makeup product. If you’re looking for heavier coverage (without the makeup looking heavy), I recommend using a liquid foundation underneath this powder foundation. My current favorite brand is Ilia. I use their True Skin Serum Foundation under my powder. I recently shared everything you’ll find in my (natural) makeup bag, here. You can also use this foundation powder without a liquid foundation for a lighter coverage.
Q: This doesn’t stick to my face. Help!
A: I guarantee I’ve made countless jars of the powder (around one jar a month), and I haven’t ever had this issue. Truthfully, I’m not sure why a few people have sticking issues. Listed above in the ingredients are the actual brands I use to make this powder. I’d recommend buying ingredients that are high quality and very fine. Since I’m not in your kitchen (or bathroom) making this with you, I simply don’t know why the powder didn’t stick. I’d recommend wiping your face with a damp cloth to see if any powder stuck to your face. It may be that you are experiencing the difference between heavy, cake-like, store-bought powder and homemade, light powder. A few other questions to ask: did you wash your face and then apply this powder? Did you moisturize before applying this powder (this is my recommendation)? What kind of application tool did you use-powder brush, finger, washcloth? (I recommend a powder brush.) It shouldn’t roll-off your face, there should be stick. You can find my video tutorial for making homemade foundation powder, here.
Q: Does the cinnamon irritate your skin?
A: No, it doesn’t. This recipe calls for very little cinnamon compared to the main ingredients. The ratio is very low. Cinnamon can cause skin irritation, if you are worried, leave it out, or test a small amount. I would not suggest applying cinnamon directly to your face without a mixture like this foundation. Cinnamon is actually beneficial for your skin and helps heal, particularly with blackheads. I feel more comfortable applying a small amount of cinnamon found in this powder than the chemicals in store-bought powder.
Q: If I don’t like it, did I waste my money?
A: No, you didn’t. I personally love this foundation powder. I literally use it daily and know many other readers and friends who do as well. I’ve bought countless foundation powders over the years and thrown many away. Talk about a waste of money! Everyone has different tastes. If you don’t like this powder, I’m not hurt, it’s just a difference in taste. Here’s the great news–when you buy powder and don’t like it at the store, you’ve lost $10-30. Ouch! When you buy the ingredients for this powder, you’ve gained kitchen and bathroom ingredients. The cocoa and arrowroot can be used in the kitchen. Arrowroot is basically corn starch without the GMOs. The clay makes a fantastic mask! Add a little with water and apply to the face. Your skin will thank you. The spices are common cooking spices.
Q: Can I skip the clay?
A: I don’t recommend skipping the clay. You can still make a great foundation without it, but if you are looking for corrective issues, like redness or mild acne to be resolved, the clay is needed. French clay or kaolin clay are also good choices.
Q: I want to turn this powder into a liquid foundation, can I just add coconut oil?
A: I’ve experimented with liquifying this recipe with zero success! Adding a liquid like coconut oil just darkens the cocoa and you end up with a nice edible chocolate. Freeze it and you’ll have a chocolate bar. I recommend purchasing a liquid foundation from a natural brand. My favorite brand is Ilia. I use their True Skin Serum Foundation under my powder.
Q: I love your recipe so much I want to feature it on my blog. Can I do that?
A. So glad you like the powder and I’m honored you’d like to feature Live Simply’s recipe on your blog. The content here at Live Simply is copyrighted so we don’t allow duplication. If you’d like to use a picture with a link back (recipe needs to stay here at Live Simply), please contact me here and we can talk. I love a good blogger shout-out and am happy to work with you so the recipe is properly featured with credit. Of course, feel free to share across social media or mention the recipe in a blog post with a link back.
What type of container do you use for this and your blush? I have been acquiring all the ingredients and am finally almost out of my makeup and am ready to start creating! Thanks
I use a small mason jar. That seems to work the best and then a powder brush. Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
I just tried this, so far so good! I am Latina, with light/medium skin. I added maybe two teaspoons more of cocoa powder. I didnt have any Vitamin E or lavender essential oil, so I added Argan oil and Clary Sage essential oil. I keep it in a dark container since argan is photosensitive. It has light coverage for me, which is good because I dont like a lot of coverage. It reminded me of how the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil looks on the skin if you just wear that instead of that and the foundation. Thanks for the recipe!
Does the cinnamon irritate your skin at all?? like, make it burn or turn red? Sometimes when my kids get cinnamon sugar on their face from eating a cinnamon toast, it turns red there. So, I’m a bit leery of putting cinnamon in my powder.
It can if you use too much. The ratio of cinnamon to main ingredients is very small. I don’t recommend adding more. It’s just there to give a bit of glow and depth of color. You can skip it if you feel uncomfortable with cinnamon and play around with the other ingredients.
I tried this recipe but it gave me the most horrible rash in my life! I think it was because I used a lot of cinnamon. I have darker skin and cocoa powder didn´t matched my color very well.
Could I use nutmeg instead? is it itchy too?
It sounds like you used too much cinnamon. Cinnamon will aggravate the skin in large amounts. I keep the ratio of cinnamon to arrowroot and cocoa powder very low. The cinnamon just adds a bit of warmth not really color. The nutmeg is used to add a bit of glow. The color really comes from the arrowroot and cocoa with the spices just a small touch to add warmth and glow to the foundation.
I have Green Montmorillonite clay and Matcha Green tea. Its like a mask. Will it work? Also I don’t have ground nutmeg can I just use cinnamon?
Will this cover up blushing?
Hi Alison, I find this powder wears very much like a powder you purchase at the store. It provides a good coverage and should provide a nice even skin tone and cover-up any light redness.
Very affordable arrowroot powder & vitamin e oil and bentonite clay can be found at Vitacost. for under $6 now on sale:http://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-mill-all-natural-arrowroot-starch-flour-20-oz-1
http://www.vitacost.com/jason-vitamin-e-pure-natural-skin-oil
1 lb of bentonite Clay over at Mountian Rose Herbs for $6
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/clay/clay.php
Anyone had any help with acne and reddness? Anything you might add to help cover this up. I use to have a lady make powder for me but I don’t know what was in it and she quit making it. I buy the expensive natural $30 pressed powder but I like this idea much better. It doesn’t seem to cover up the acne and redness though like the others… it seems too dark and not red enough or something. Back to experimenting with it!
Thanks for the recipe ! Funny how i had all the ingredients under 2 weeks for other purposes (cocoa unsweetened for my son who can’t eat sugar ; spices for my black tea ; green clay for masks…), i decided to give it a try, since it doesn’t required to much product !
I follow the recipe for the dry ingredients (didn’t have vitamin E and HE), but only put 1 tbsp of cocoa instead of 4. It’s match perfectfly with my light/medium skin, i think it might be due to the brand of cocoa (french and bio here).
The texture on the skin is amazing : very very thin, good smell, and above all very good coverage for oily skin (not for acne however). I will use it as a powder face !
I was really excited to try this, but I broke out in a horrible rash. I guess I’m doomed to having sensitive skin.
I’m sorry to hear that. I haven’t heard of anyone having a rash from using the foundation powder. What do you think caused the rash? What kind of make-up do you normally use? Was it all over or in one isolated place?
I honestly don’t know. Thankfully, the rash has gone down now. I wear my powders on my cheeks, because that’s where I have acne scars that need to be covered up. Those are the areas I got big hives/rashes after using it. I usually use Mineral Fusion’s pressed powder.
It was likely one of the spices, cinnamon is a common culprit for such a reaction. Try using only arrowroot powder and cocoa powder and see if that causes a problem. If it does, try cornstarch instead of arrowroot or carob powder instead of cocoa powder. Try different spices, and test it out in an inconspicuous place first. For a reddish tone, you could try annatto, hibiscus, or beet powder. For a yellowish tone, you could try tumeric or ginger.
Thank you very much for this natural foundation powder as I have been trying to go as natural as possible. I would just like to ask though, whether using vitamin e oil will work, as I don’t have vitamin e (liquid). Or will vit e as an oil be too sticky and cause clumps or the whole powder to stick together?
Your welcome 🙂 I use it daily and love it so much!
Could you give an estimate of the entire cost? I googled some of the items and they seemed expensive. I just want to get an idea before heading to the store. I’m excited to try it!
It was a pricey endeavor for me to gather all the supplies the first time. Around $30 for everything. I figured that was about 3 of the store-bought foundation powders. I have now been making this for over a year and still have 1/2-3/4 of everything I bought the first time around. That means each time I make it the true cost is just a couple dollars. The initial cost is pricey, but nothing compared to the price of repeatedly buying the pricey store stuff :).
Awesome! Thank you!
I have medium to tanned skin tones and do not (yes, you read that right) like the smell of chocolate. I’m assuming cocoa powder/cacao powder has that smell…right? Does anyone have a suggestion for a substitute? I love the idea of making my own make up. 🙂 TYIA!
You can try carob powder. If you use a strong enough essential oil you really can’t smell the cocoa powder.
Thanks for responding so quickly! I’ll have to do some experimenting with different ingredients. I’m thinking I’ll start with adding extra cinnamon. Thanks again!
The recipe listed has 4 TBS of cacao powder. I have fair complexion and this was waaaay too dark for me. I remixed with just 4 tsp of it and it worked much better. Trust yourself and just give it a try. And yes, if you make it with 4TBS it does smell like your making brownies on your face lol. Good luck!
Thank you for sharing, Stacie! I’m glad you’re enjoying the powder!
Hi, I just found your site in searching for DIY natural makeup, and yours looks the most helpful so far! (Though I’m still looking for a full-coverage liquid base to cover some residual issues I’m waiting to clear up…I’ve read I can just add oils though.)
Anyway, I had one question…is your liquid Vitamin E a pretty viscous liquid? When I went looking for it for a bodywash recipe, the only option that was purely 100% vitamin e without other ingredients, was a clear liquid ‘goo’ that was pretty thick and slow moving (kinda like honey). So I’m curious if pure Vitamin E actually comes any more ‘liquid’ than that, or if I need to look somewhere outside my little local health foods store for it in that form.
Thanks!
The vitamin E I use is runny and liquid. Here is the one I purchase and use for body wash, moisturizer, and this recipe…http://amzn.to/18XSWeq.
Can I use cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder? I have an organic cornstarch on hand.
I’ve never tried, it but as long as it’s very fine like arrowroot, it should work great.
I’m used to a liquid foundation. How long till it seems to wear off? Do you think it would cover light freckles?
I was a liquid foundation girl too. It has great coverage. Not too thin, but not super thick either. It lasts all day on my face even in the Florida heat and running after two kiddos 🙂
Do you need the clay? I figure it’s a prominent ingredient, but we don’t have any, and from what I’ve seen, it’s kind of expensive.. I don’t want to buy it ‘just to try it’, as I NEVER wear make up.
You can try it without the clay. Just up the arrowroot powder (that’s the most expensive ingredient). The clay is really good for your skin. I also use it weekly as a masque for my skin.
I have everything but the vitamin e. Is there any way to do without? We most likely won’t be able to get some for a long while.
Yes, it will work just fine without the vitamin E 🙂
Does the oil actually mix in with the powder though? Anybody try that is fairly tan? what kind of ratios do you use?
Yes, the oil mixes with the powder. You would never know there was oil in the mixture. It helps the powder “stick” better. For a tanner complexion I would use more cocoa powder and cinnamon. You can start with the ratios I give in the recipe and adjust the cinnamon and cocoa powder to produce a color that complicates your skin complexion best.
Thanks for posting this. I never would have thought to make my own makeup. And to think it’s made with food ingredients.
I really do love it! Use it daily!
This sounds like a great recipe for homemade foundation. I am going to try it and see what it looks like. I never really think of making homemade make up except I do use mineral make up sometimes. Visit my blog Beauty Lists sometimes for more beauty tips, guides, clothes and accessories to buy
Thank you. Looks like a great blog too. Thank yo for sharing!