This silky Airbrushing Primer Stick is basically a fantastic hybrid of primer, stick foundation, and my airbrushing powder. It helps control oil, blur imperfections, even out your skin tone, mattify your complexion, and keep your makeup on longer—all awesome things, no? It also goes with a silky smooth, dry-touch finish that is downright luxurious. You can put it in a stick or a compact, making it all kinds of versatile (I’m definitely more skilled with the compact application). I’m loving it combined with a touch of concealer for a bit of lightweight complexion perfection, and I think you will, too.
Four ingredients work together to give this primer its luxxy feel and finish. I chose two lightweight carrier oils; camellia seed oil and argan oil. Both sink into the skin really quickly, leaving your skin softer without any oily residue. Cetyl alcohol is our thickener, and there really is no substitution for it. Unlike waxes, which create products with higher melting points and can leave your face sticky and your pores gummed up, cetyl alcohol is silky and creamy and wonderfully non-greasy. It’s amazing, and it’s amazing because it’s not wax; do not try to use wax instead. I also would not recommend stearic acid as it’s definitely not silky and smooth like cetyl alcohol is.
Silica microspheres are our fourth lovely luxxy feel ingredient, but they also help with oil control and that soft focus look that makes your pores vanish. Sericite mica also helps with the soft focus, and it’s a bit less enthusiastic about oil control. Silica is so darn good at oil control that it can leave your skin feeling too dry, so if you have dry skin, I really recommend trading out a few grams of the silica for sericite (perhaps 4g silica and 3g sericite mica). This will still give you that lovely soft-focus effect, but won’t siphon moisture out of your face.
For super-simple colour, we’re stirring in some of our pre-made mineral makeup. Bam! No fussing with incorporating microscopic amounts of different iron oxides—just add a bit of what you’ve already made and matched to your complexion. If you haven’t made your own mineral makeup yet then a very simple shop-bought one should work; look for something that’s a loose powder and is mostly titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, sericite mica, and iron oxides. Bare Minerals comes to mind as something that should work well.
Once you’ve got all your ingredients this is insanely easy to make; you’re just going to weigh everything into a heat-resistant glass container, melt it all together, and pour it into your tube or compact. It couldn’t be easier!
Want to see this primer stick in action?
Airbrushing Primer Stick
8g | 0.28oz camellia seed oil
9g | 0.32oz argan oil (USA / Canada)
7g | 0.21oz cetyl alcohol (USA / Canada)
6g | 0.18oz silica microspheres
3g | 0.1oz mineral makeup (from the blog or the book)
1g | 0.03oz sericite mica (USA / Canada)
2 drops Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)Prepare a water bath by bringing about 3cm/1″ of water to a bare simmer over low to medium-low heat in a small saucepan.
Weigh everything into a small heat-resistant glass measuring cup or small beaker. A dust mask is absolutely mandatory for this part as the silica is seriously light and floaty (just opening the bag is enough to create a small pouf of silica dust) and inhaling it is not good for you. Stir everything together to create a creamy, lumpy paste and place the measuring cup in your prepared water bath to melt everything through.
Once the mixture has melted through completely, remove the measuring cup from the heat, dry it off, and pour the mixture into a 30ml (1 oz) push up tube (I used this one and it’s doing great!) and/or a vintage makeup compact. If you happen to be anywhere near London, I’ve found some great ones at Camden Market.
Let it set up, and you’re ready to rock and roll! Glide the stick over your face and/or buff it in with a kabuki brush. It’s all kinds of lovely and silky and fantastic. I do find applying it from the stick and blending it in with fingers is pretty slow, while the brush + compact approach is comparable to applying any other cosmetic out of a compact (that is, much faster).
Do you love DIY makeup?
I wrote an entire book on it! Learn to make your own mascara, lipstick, lip stain, eyeshadow, eyeliner, eye primer, and more!
Super awesome recipe! Unfortunately, I have yet to get my hands on cetyl alchohol, but this is going to be the first thing on my list when I do!
Thank you for all your time and hard work going into these fabulous recipes!
I love the idea of using this primer! Question though….. is it possible to make it colorless since it will be used under foundation? Also you mention silica being drying and with my easily dehydrated skin…. can arrowroot powder be a substitue?
Yup, you can definitely make it colourless. I discuss a better alternative for silica for dry skin right in the blog 🙂
Good to know! So as silly as it sounds…. if I were to make this colorless, I’m guessing I just skip the mineral makeup added to it correct? Or are there other ingredients I need to add to it?
Thanks!
Yup! That should work just fine 🙂
Thanks, Maggie! Happy making 😀
Two questions?
1) I made this today and all of them are getting a white film on top as they dry. Any ideas why this might be?
2) when you do you measurements do you scoop and level? Or pack and level? Or just scooped out of the bag and slightly rounded? It makes a surprising amount of difference in the quantity especially when you’re dealing with measurements this precise.
Thanks for anyone with some insight.
I realized after this recipe has only weights which is awesome! It’s when I was making the colour blend for the mineral makeup recipe from the book that I was having fits lol
😉 See page 58 in the book for spoon how-tos 🙂
I love the way this evens my skin tone without obscuring my skin’s natural look/texture. When I use it, though, the sweat beads up above and below my lips and on the skin around my nose. I didn’t expect this, because of the inclusion of silica microspheres. Do you have any ideas on how to prevent this by tweaking the formula? Thanks for all your awesome formulations! I love making them and sharing them with friends and family. ❤️
A white film or a bit of white dust?
There are no scoops or levels in this recipe 🙂
It’s not dust. When I rub my finger across the top I still get a little oil. I think I must have too much sericite mica in it; I have to dig out a chunk and warm it up in my fingers to get it to buff in. But, once I do it’s awesome!
Thanks for pointing out that page number. I went right to my book and sure enough there it was that one little sentence that I had apparently missed when I read the book cover to cover like a novel lol. Love it! And thank you!
Hmm, well, it does sound like a couple extra grams of liquid oil would fix that 🙂 Thanks for buying my book!
This looks good, can’t wait to try but was wondering the same thing, if it would be possible to make it colorless (and if it would have the same blurring effect.) You mentioned on the video that someone said you don’t have perfect skin and whatever… seriously? People really have nothing better to do than to criticize, eh? You are beautiful, charismatic, very relatable, your recipes are da bomb and your videos are awesome and very informative… what the hell else people want? Keep up your wonderful work and let the haters be haters. The rest of us love you!!!
You definitely can make it colourless 🙂 Just drop the mineral makeup. And yeah… people can be weirdly mean sometimes. It’s nice to hear most of my readers/viewers think those people are nuts, though! I definitely don’t have a very thick skin for that sort of thing 😛
Most of us do not have a thick skin about uninvited criticism. I don’t. Probably why so many people go through pain and financial/emotional overspending to alter their bodies and faces.
I’ve watched your face change and mature into a beautiful woman these last two years. You were cute as a bug in older pictures and now a beautiful confident woman.
Love of heart and confidence are what really makes us beautiful. And your skin is enviable!!!
You’re a public person now so you probably will have to brace yourself for more ugliness.
Unfortunately, Christie is right. Which sucks. As I really wish she wasn’t. Being the “face” of a brand (and let’s face it Marie, you have a kick arse brand blossoming here) you’re bound to get some yahoo’s that think they can say what they like without thinking.
It’s been wonderful to watch your skin change as your products change. And to watch you change too! Your videos and pictures have been a true inspiration and not the air brushed/photoshopped videos I’ve watched.
Thank you.
Darn those yahoos! It makes me glad I’m not any more “famous”, though. I can’t imagine how wretched it would be to have every aspect of my life scrutinized—at least it’s just things like my complexion, facial expressions (yup, got some criticism on those a couple days ago LOL), and use of preservatives haha.
I’ve had some pretty big skin care epiphanies as of late that I’ll have to share soon, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything and figure out how that goes. Hmmmm.
Thanks so much, Cristie 🙂 Those changes are always hard to see in onself, but sometimes I end up back on a blog from 2011 and am surprised to see a rather younger me staring back at me 😛 At least it seems like (so far), most of the people who find me are lovely, just like you! Thanks for reading and for your support 🙂
I just Bought your book and I really can not stop reading, I’ve been watching your videos for a couple of years now. You have a very bright spirit and a really easy way to explain thing that is really so easy to understand. I love DIY products and you inspiring me so much.
Thanks for that!
I couldn’t have said it better Cecelia! I’m just so grateful for what Marie puts out in the world. It’s really been a bright spot in a time where so many of us need a bright spot!❤️
Thank you so much, Tiffany ❤️ I’m replying after a bit of a trying day and your comment has put a big smile on my face 🙂
Gorgeous formula, Marie! I am definitely doing this tonite..just received a lb of cetyl alcohol on Saturday & am now totally stoked to see what it can do!
Once again, kudos on the elegance of this recipe! Thank you! warm regards, suki
Thanks, Suki! Happy making and enjoy that lovely cetyl alcohol!
Made this today. Filled my compact, a couple small stick tubes and there’s happiness. I like how this turned out. At first I was worried it would be gloopy or too thick, but then I realised I could control how much I use. Having it in both forms gives me some freedom. So now we’ll see which I like more- liquid, powder, stick, compact.
WOO! Once it’s set up it should be completely solid—well beyond thick… more like a pressed powder, but a silky sort of dry-creamy one! I definitely prefer the compact—I’ve gone and removed a bunch from the tube and re-melted it to top off the compact as that’s definitely my preferred format.
Oh my gosh, this sounds awesome. I’ve got to make it!
Hi Marie! We made this today using my mineral air brushing powder from your book (I love saying that, your book!). I filled up a wide mouth shallow container and just tried to apply to my face. It’s wicked thick! I’m going to melt it down tomorrow and add in a few extra grams of camellia and argan oil to give it a little give.
Now, just to be clear, holy smokes. The part of my face I applied this too? I have great skin. My skin usually feels fantastic and I thought it was pretty much impossible for it to feel more… awesome. Good golly I was wrong! Where I applied this, my skin feels like its smoother than a peice of silk. No little bumps/imperfections just soft and silky.
Marie, I don’t think it is possible to make a face thing any better than this.
Methinks it must be much hotter where you are—mine isn’t thick, it’s straight up completely solid, which is what I was going for. No give whatsoever! It’s much firmer and drier than lipstick or concealer.
But yes—silica + cetyl alcohol = silky skin magic!
I must work on my communication skills! Not thick, but solid. Rock hard solid. so solid my brush doesn’t pick up anything. I couldn’t even dig my fingers into it for it was so hard. I think if I had one of those sponges things might work, but I think I need it a little more pliable. But your point of weather is making me reconsider adding liquid oils to this recipe. I think, I’ll make another batch and just add additional oils to that one.
How odd! I wouldn’t think it would be an ambient temperature thing as Calgary is usually colder than anywhere else people are, haha. Mine is definitely super solid, but still very useable! At least too solid is an easy thing to tweak 🙂
I also wondered if I did it right because when I went to apply it from the stick nothing came off, then I tried it from the compact with a brush and nothing still. I finally dug some out with my finger and let it heat up on my hands and then it went on so smooth. I love it! I just need to figure out how to tweak it to get it to come out easier.
I’m having this issue as well.
Glad Penny helped you! 🙂
Hi Sarah and Windy! I re-made this the other day adding in 5g extra liquid oil. I found it to be a wee bit softer and easier to apply. I think the harder stuff would be grand for warmer weather, but maybe adding in a few extra grams once the cold weather starts.
Hope this helps!
Awesome! Thanks Penny! I’ll try that for my next batch.
🙂 This is a placeholder comment to fool my comment system since you weren’t talking to me. I’m going to delete it right after posting, so disregard if you get an email notification! 🙂
Thanks, Penny!
How odd indeed. Makes me wonder if my cetyl alcohol is a touch softer than usual or something similar. In any event, a few extra grams of liquid oil should fix it!
Reading this, I’m wondering if any of you used cetearyl alcohol instead of cetyl alcohol. I did and mine is rock solid as well. I ordered cetyl alcohol, so I’ll be making a new batch with it when it arrives. I’ll let you know if it makes any difference.
And, just to say; rock solid or not, this stuff is (still) amazing!
No, I definitely used cetyl alcohol but I did what Penny suggested and added 5g of liquid oil. Worked like a charm!
Thanks, Rose-Anne! 😀
Hello!! I have just recently found your website and I am completely mind blown by the amazing content. I have been searching for months for homemade recipes that arent just basic beeswax and oil recipes but recipes that can actually mimicking commercial cosmetics using ingredients such as silica. I am do glad that I found your website and I am now a great fan of you!!!!! A question that I have is what is the volume of silica for around 50g? Silica is so hard for me to find in New Zealand and anywhere else that doesnt have ridiculous shipping costs is just so expensive. So I want to make sure that 50g of silica isn’t just a tiny amount but enough to use in several different recipes.
I would definitely think 50g is enough, enough to last you a lifetime! The book recommends only 6g. I would think it would be quite expensive for that amount. If I were you, I would get a smaller size.
Hello! And welcome 😀 I’m so glad you found me, too! 50g is quite a lot—check out this photo. That big bag of silica microspheres is 4oz (113g), so you’d be getting just shy of half of that. I have yet to make a dent in that bag!
Ooooh another I’ll be making asap! Is it possible to add more mineral makeup to it to make it into a foundation/primer in one? The finish sounds exactly what I need! Or how about adding oxides and micas to it to use as a blush? I love the blush from your book but it’s a bit sticky and my hair keeps sticking to my cheeks haha. Keep up the great work and ignore the haters! You’re absolutely beautiful!
Eh… you would need SO much mineral makeup to make it foundation that it would throw off the recipe; you’d be looking at ~50% mineral makeup, and as written it’s just 10%. You could definitely swap the mineral makeup for other pigments to create a blush; in fact, 10% may be a touch strong. I haven’t tried it, but for reference, the cream blushes in the book are ~3–5% pigment. You could also just add some silica to the cream blush from the book 😉 That’s where the finish comes from!
This stuff is fantastic! I’ve made and applied a few days. It’s so silky and light, just perfect for the upcoming summer time. Thanks for the recipe.
Yay, I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for DIYing with me 🙂
I was going to buy sericite mica and then I saw that there’s two kinds :one “plain” and other coated with Carnauba Wax…which it is better? Thanks!
http://www.u-makeitup.com/cosmetic-ingredients/cosmetic-base-powders/sericite-mica-coated-with-carnauba-wax.html#.WUFA2OvyiM8
http://www.u-makeitup.com/cosmetic-ingredients/cosmetic-base-powders/sericite-mica-plain-untreated/#.WUFBI-vyiM8
You’ll want the plain stuff for any of my recipes 🙂 You can buy sericite coated with many things, but I like to keep it simple(ish)!
Hi Marie! Can you tell me if I can use stearic acid for this instead of the Cetyl alcohol?? Thanks so much!
“Cetyl alcohol is our thickener, and there really is no substitution for it. Unlike waxes, which create products with higher melting points and can leave your face sticky and your pores gummed up, cetyl alcohol is silky and creamy and wonderfully non-greasy. It’s amazing, and it’s amazing because it’s not wax; do not try to use wax instead. I also would not recommend stearic acid as it’s definitely not silky and smooth like cetyl alcohol is.”
🙂
For those having issues with brush application, I was much dismayed thinking id have to buy a tube instead of using a nice compact. Well I was thinking this morning, if I can get my makeup with my finger and not my brush maybe my brush isn’t hard enough. So i tried one of my small denser brushes and voila! So make sure you have a dense firm brush that you are using and not the typical fluffy face brush. My brushes are half Elf half Sephora. I find the small elf brushes rock but for my big face brushes nothing compares to sephora. I’ve gotten a lot of distance out of these ( http://www.sephora.com/classic-mini-mineral-brush-45-5-P384691?skuId=1566595&om_mmc=ppc-GG_378477159_27759166599_aud-89368448057:pla-181486990119_1566595_97594806519_9009674_c&country_switch=us&lang=en&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn6DMBRC0ARIsAHZtCeNEGLTmM6BKCxPuHAxZskoKHjIovocHk0vZZ5khbn2y-Z0tcKhE9pQaAlvhEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Great tip, and so true! I was using some dense brushes from Sigma, but my dense Elf selfie-ready brushes are also da bomb 🙂
Can I use a substitute for camellia seed oil? I have argan but not camellia.
Thank you! … I love your book 🙂
Yup! Happy making 🙂
Made this yesterday. Absolutely love it. Made concealer stick with it. This is a great add on recipe to your book……which I love.
YAY! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it 🙂 I love being able to create recipes that use ingredients I didn’t want to force book buyers to have, but allows book buyers to branch out if they are so inclined!
HI Marie, Can you use this recipe to make highlighting sticks for contouring?
It could be a decent starting point, but I would also recommend checking out the recipes in my book that are specifically for highlighter and bronzer 🙂
Hi marie i was just wondering if silica microfine from https://www.aromantic.co.uk/home/products/powders/silica-microfine.aspx was ok to use for this product seen as though i have been looking everywhere for good quantity that would actually ship to my area!
I think so, but I’d really recommend getting in touch with the supplier and asking them 🙂
Yeah i will do that just to make sure if its the right product for the job!
Hi Marie! I contacted the seller and this is what they said:
Our silica spheres are composed of mica and silica, whereas our silica microfine is pure silica. So do you think that the silica would be alright to use instead of silica microspheres.
Yes, I’d use the pure silica 🙂 Happy making!
Hi Marie
Love your work! I am dying to make this but live in Australia (sorry I missed you!) and it is impossible to get silica microspheres. Is there anything that can be substituted? Also, I notice that most commercial primers have silicons in them (dimethicone, cyclomethicone). Not sure if you are a fan of these, but could they be used in your formula? Thanks, Melanie.
Sericite mica will be an ok alternative, though the product won’t have as much of a dry-touch finish.
It is likely possible that one could incorporate a silicone but it would require some re-development of the recipe.
Hi Marie,
I read your comments about silica and the substitute in the blog. But in your blog you said sericite mica and silica. Can I substitute silica only with sericite mica?
I am asking because I can`t put my hands on silica. 🙁
And also in your recipe snowy dawn cream Luminizer, can I substitute silica with sericite mica?
Thank you so much for your recipies. I am in love with your articles. And my husband loves the soap I made from your blog. Because of your blog and your recipies and your youtube channel I became a full DIY housewife. I fell in love!
You`re awesome and thank you!
Sericite mica can be a sort of decent alternative for silica in some cases; it has similar blurring properties but is significantly weaker in oil absorption and slip. It’s a decent alternative, and the best one I can recommend, but if we are using silica microspheres for oil absorption and oil absorption is a significant part of the function of the product, you will notice decreased function. I hope that helps! Thanks for reading & DIYing with me 🙂
Hi Marie! I did the primer and I love it, thank you for such a great recipe 😉
Could we convert it into a concealer adding titanium dioxide for more coverage?Thank you for your help!
I don’t recommend it; just adding more TD will just make it whiter. Additionally, the consistency of this stick really isn’t at all what we want in a concealer; refer to the recipe in my book for a far better (and easier) concealer recipe 🙂
So… I jumped right into this, substituting jojoba and safflower oils because that was what I had on hand at the time. I had such high hopes, but this settled into every fine line of my 44-year-old face! Do you think it’s because of the oil substitutions? I did weigh everything on a very precise digital scale, by the way. Help please!
Hmm. Do you typically have quite dry skin? Do you hydrate with lots of watery things?
I have somewhat dry skin and moisturize with a combination of jojoba and safflower oils.
I would really recommend adding some proper hydration—water—into your skin care routine! I suspect you’ll notice your skin really plump up and those fine lines will become significantly less visible (all the time, not just with this product). If you have dehydrated skin and you put something like this silica-rich product on top it will further accentuate the appearance of dehydrated skin. Something like this is a good choice for DIY, and if you’re more into buying there are tons of great options from Asian beauty brands. This thread discusses a lot of them!
Great, thanks so much!
No worries—happy making!
Hi Marie! I found your blog a few weeks ago and I’m so glad! You are a great teacher (takes one to know one 😉 and your recipes are fabulous. After some time researching and figuring things out (and building a pantry -a lot of it based on your recipes), I took the plunge and started making stuff. So. Much. Fun. This primer is absolutely amazing! The glide, the feel, the way it makes your skin look, wow. Thank you for sharing your talent!
Thanks so much, Aline! I’m so thrilled to hear you’re enjoying reading and creating, and I’m extra stoked that you are loving this recipe! This one is definitely still one of my favourites 😀 Happy making—I can’t wait to hear what you make next!
Ok, so this might be a dumb question, but on your recipe here for the primer, there are amounts but no ingredients. Were they removed or is it that they are all in your book? (which is in my shopping cart already) I really want to make this primer but I’m too impatient to wait for the book!
Hey! It’s not a dumb question, but it is baffling, because the ingredients are 100% there, right next to the amounts. I checked on two computers and my phone. Can you try a different browser?
Wow! I was on Safari, and nothing. Just went to Google Chrome, and there it is! Weird. Thanks a lot!
Glad you got it sorted!
Can you use this formula to create highlighters for countering such as a darker shade for cheekbones and side of the nose and a lighter shade for contras?
It could be a decent starting point, but I would also recommend checking out the recipes in my book that are specifically for highlighter and bronzer 🙂
Hi Marie, I made this yesterday but something went wrong! It feels great but it has white bubbles in it. I tried melting it down again but the same thing happened. I used jojoba oil instead of argan oil. I heated it for 20mins. Any idea how to fix it?
What do you mean by white “bubbles”? Are they actual bubbles (air pockets) or bits of unmelted stearic acid? Or something else?
Hey Marie,
I can not thank you enough for this recipe. I tweaked it to make a stick foundation (using 10g of mineral makeup from your book, changing up the oils and omitting the mica and silca) and it’s amazing. I just put it in a lip balm tube for touch-ups. I’m going to see about contour and highlighting sticks in my next batch 🙂
-Nichole
I’m so thrilled you’re loving it! Be sure to stay tuned for an upcoming cream foundation as well 😀
Hi! First I just wanted to say I’ve recently found your blog/youtube channel and I’ve been loving your recipes and videos. You’re so talented, and thank you for sharing! 🙂
I just had a question about this recipe however (I realize I’m a couple years late…lol sorry), so I tried this recipe out twice. I switched out the camellia seed oil for grapeseed oil, but everything else remained the same. I followed the instructions carefully, but for some reason both times I’ve made it, the primer stick had little bubble-looking spots on it… as if the cetyl alcohol didn’t melt all the way? Although the second time I made it, I made sure to let the mixture melt even after it appeared to be thoroughly melted. I was wondering if there’s anyway to stop that from happening, or if you experienced anything similar?
Sorry for the long post! And thank you again for sharing this recipe. The primer does seem to work great, and feel great on my skin! I’m just concerned about the bubbly appearance. Thanks 🙂
Hey Haley! Are they bubbles, or little hard bits? I think mine had bubbles (it’s been a while…) and that’s just a result of the pour viscosity + air 🙂 I’m glad you’re enjoying it, bubbles or not!
Hi Marie. If re-making powdered primer for oily skin (original product is mostly 1 mica, 2 silica, 3 bamboo powder, 4 salt and yellow oxide for color correction), how much silica would you use? I was thinking maybe starting from 25 % silica (even though you mentioned max 15 % ) and 75 % sericite mica.
I love silica, thanks for introducing it to me 🙂 I use similar primer under your your essential mineral makeup and it’s works like a charm.
Hey Johanna,
Biggest thing to remember when you are using silica microspheres is that using too much, it can actually dry out your skin giving you that unsightly dry and crackly skin. The joys of DIY is experimenting and finding a ratio if silica to sericite that works best for you at various times of the year. So give it a go and let us all know how it went! Don’t forget to include your skin type!
Happy making
Barb
Hi Marie, I was just wondering, would this method work for making a stick contour? I have some nice contour power but it is a wide tray, and not very portable. I’m not sure if it will transparent or not, but then again, i can apply multiple layers, just wondering what you think
Just reading all the comments about the beautiful texture and finish of the primer stick, and I can’t wait to try it!
I think it should, yes! Let me know how it goes if you try it 🙂
I made this first as written (3 times actually – I’m prone to disasters and skin issues :D)… So I ended up tweaking formula a bit to match skin needs + make it easier to apply :
2 % 0,68 g active decalact sebum
2 g jojoba, 2 g moringa (sebum control)
to 17 g grapeseed oil + 2 grams extra
– rest of the formula as written
It works. I mean, my skin looks beautifull when I’m wearing this. Cetyl alcohol + silica is truly amazing combination. I’m addicted.
I’ve found it a bit difficult to apply, firm kabuki brushes irritate my skin + feel a bit abrasive. Apparently I could need some extra slip and more makeup skills? 😛 I’ll continue testing it with other makeup brushes and see how it goes. I typically apply powdered primer on T-zone on top for extra absorbency.
But anyway, this is still my current favourite and my skin is likes this very much. My skin handles the high lipid content, is more protected and moisturized and even heals faster (both with your original version and mine). I’ve used this daily about month. Sorry about long message. Just wanted to give you feedback and credit for your hard work. Many thanks. ☺️
I just made my 3rd mini batch (1/3) of this recipe and forgot to decrease the amount of cetyl alcohol, darn it! I changed the mineral makeup color to a lighter winter color, which turned out great, but the solidness of the final set was too hard for my liking (it’s really difficult to pick it up on my makeup brush–I have to really grind the brush into my 1/2 oz metal tin). And to confirm my suspicions, I read your post “Get to know cetyl alcohol”, which helped a great deal to understand why there was such a difference between my first and second batches. The first batch was a great consistency for me, but I did not melt the cetyl alcohol through thoroughly and endured picking them out on a regular basis. Even with that headache, I really liked the performance of the primer, and the softer consistency that was much easier on my makeup brush, not to mention the easier application on my face.
When I ran out, I made sure my second batch melted the cetyl alcohol completely, but then I got the hard, solid finished product. Live and learn!!
I guess I’m going to have to make yet another batch (soon)! Oh how I wish there were more hours in a day, lol.
Success! I found the sweet spot ratio of cetyl alcohol and liquid oil to be 1:4! This primer is my base makeup pretty much every day. I’ll wear it alone for the no-makeup make-up days when my skin is good, and appreciate the slight coverage and blurring effect. Other days, I’ll use it under several of your different foundation formulas, all with good results! Thank you!
HOORAY! I’m so thrilled to hear it 😀
How do you think cetyl esters would work in place of cetyl alchohol? I have both but would love to hear your thoughts
I’d try it! I haven’t yet, so let me know how it goes if you do 🙂 Happy making!
Marie, I have a question about your book. Your measurements in this book are driving me batty. :O) 7/14, 1/64? How do I convert this to grams? I can’t work with these measurements as I don’t have a way to measure them. Can you help?
I’ve got a couple FAQs on this: here + here. Happy making!
These are excellent posts! Thank you – so helpful!
❤️
Hello Marie, I’m probably one of your younger followers and would like to commend you for always creating both beautifully explained and extensive blog posts/videos(mad respect). I’ve wanted to learn more about ingredients and what goes into products that can make them so expensive sometimes. Now when I walk into a Sephora or Ulta, I can’t help but think, “I bet I could do a whole bunch better than that for a whole lot less”. I’m a bit of a penny pincher and so I prefer to get ingredients from direct sellers.
I was on the Essential Wholesale and Labs website looking for cetyl alcohol, rather than finding the latter, I found cetyl alcohol NF. What are the differences between them and what does NF stand for? Thank you for your time and effort!
I dug out my book today as I needed a new batch of foundation. Then I found this! So now I have my mineral foundation, a batch of liquid foundation from your book and now batch of this !
Didn’t quite have all the ingredients though so I substituted the oils for jojoba and grapeseed and used less silica as I ran out. Still, I’m looking forward to trying it in the morning. This recipe makes alot! Either that or my compact is very small .
Hi, Marie! Great recipe, so excited to try this! But just wanted to tweak and replace the mineral makeup with my powder sunscreen with spf 50 that I bought. Do you think it will retain the SPF in it if I mix it with your formula?
Hi Lois! Sunscreen isn’t a thing you should try to DIY, or a thing you should alter. Please read this to learn more. Happy making!
Hey Marie I just want to thank you for this recipe and for writing your book Make It Up. I absolutely love it! And your YouTube channel is the most professional and concise I have ever come across. I especially like your video on making makeup with food! I have personal experience to tell you that it just doesn’t work! I never realized until I found your blog that I could have natural makeup that wasn’t harming my skin without smelling like a spice rack and looking like I had just survived a bad dust storm. Thank you again!