DIY Eye Shadow Using Natural and Simple Ingredients

Raise your hand if you enjoy wasting all your hard-earned money on cosmetics and beauty products! Yeah … didn’t think so. Each year, women spend a lot of money on health and beauty products. Even worse, often these products are loaded with synthetic ingredients like parabens, phthalates, chemicals that are tested on animals, and a whole host of other additives that can cause skin irritation and additional health problems. Thankfully, there are some natural alternatives you can make for eye shadow with easy household ingredients you probably already have on hand.

The Problem With Conventional Eye Shadow

There are plenty of reasons to skip your trip to the local makeup counter:

• Chemicals — Did you know there can easily be over two dozen chemicals in a single eye shadow palette? Often eye shadows contain parabens, phthalates, dyes, and other obscure chemicals to get that beautiful color or powdery finish. These chemicals are anything but natural and can lead to irritation, rashes, or allergies with prolonged use.
• C’mon, It’s Your Eye — Last time I checked, your eyes were pretty important. After all, you vision enables you to walk, drive, use your computer, cook, and a bunch of other tasks that are very difficult to do without being able to see. This isn’t to say that eye shadow will make you go blind, but would you really want to risk putting toxic powders and products on something as delicate as your eyelid? These products can easily get into your eyes and create all sorts of health problems.
• Animal Testing — Despite how many companies pride themselves in refusing to test on animals, this policy isn’t regulated very well even by the FDA and other Animal rights regulatory agencies. Too often eye shadows are tested on rabbits, cats, and other small animals that experience negative side effects as a result. Remember that your dollar is your vote, and this doesn’t just apply to the foods you purchase. It also applies to the health and beauty products you use that may use cruel practices like animal testing.

Tips for Making DIY Eye Shadow

Here are a few tips for making an eye shadow that lasts all day:

• Start with a neutral base — Many tutorials use arrowroot or corn starch as the base of their eye shadows. These are natural, chemical-free alternatives that won’t irritate your skin. If you’re afraid a powder like corn starch is still too grainy, try running it through a blender to make it a little finer.
• Add natural coloring agents — Most natural eye shadows use artificial pigments and dyes to get a rich color. But you can use various foods and food powders to get the same effect! Raw cacao powder will give you a deep brown color, beet juice powder can give you a pink color, turmeric can create a golden hue, and even a little spirulina (yes, spirulina) can give a green tint. Don’t be afraid of experimenting with different colors and ratios until you find the perfect match.
• Apply onto clean skin — You always want to apply makeup to a fresh face, but this is especially important if you’re using natural products like eye shadow. A greasy eyelid might not take the eye shadow as well, leading to clumping and uneven color. Instead, make sure you wash your face thoroughly before applying it. Also don’t forget to apply some moisturizer (preferably with SPF) to keep your skin from getting dry and flaky throughout the day.

Making your own cosmetics like eye shadow might be a little intimidating at first, but with a little practice and patience, you could definitely rock the runway with some of the products. Also remember that just because your eye shadow doesn’t come in some fancy palette, doesn’t mean it won’t get the job done. These loose eye shadows (think Bare Minerals) might take some getting used to, but pretty soon you’ll get the hang of things.

For more natural DIY makeup tips and information, see Guide: Vegan Makeup and Eco-Friendly Shopping Picks: Vegan Make Up.

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