By this time of year, any semblance of a tan from the past summer is long gone. I guess that’s ok—it makes my Lady Mary costume that much more accurate, and is definitely better for my skin than a year-round tan. At this rate, I’ll look like an adolescent Edwardian lady until my 40’s. Anyhow, for those days when I’m daydreaming about summer/have been asked if I’m sick a few times recently, this dupe of Benefit’s Sun Beam works wonders.
The only major visual difference between the two is the tint. They went with a golden shimmer, I opted for bronze. It’s totally up to you—you can choose between gold, copper, and bronze mica based on what you’ve got on hand or what works best for your skin tone.
After that, though, all the changes are in the quality of the ingredients. The original is far from all natural.
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Pentylene Glycol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Dimethicone, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone Peg-7 Phosphate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Phenoxyethanol, Steareth-21, Squalane, CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), Butylene Glycol, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, Steareth-2, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 60, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hydroxide. N° 06184/A.
Huh. That is a lot of long words. I shorted the whole thing down to what’s now just a lovely lotion with some bronze shimmer and a bit of titanium dioxide for brightness. That’s it. Mine has six ingredients, theirs has twenty-six.
The final cream goes on smoothly and gives you a lovely summer glow. You can layer it up for a stronger effect if you like. Now, go daydream about beaches!
Homemade Sun Beam Bronzer Cream
5g | 0.17oz complete emulsifying wax (not beeswax!)
7g | 0.25ox meadowfoam seed oil or grapeseed oil
37g | 1.3oz water
½ tsp titanium dioxide
1¼ tsp bronze mica
1/8 tsp yellow iron oxide (optional)Broad spectrum preservative of choice (why?)
Melt the emulsifying wax and meadowfoam oil together in a small saucepan over low heat. While they melt, warm the water in the microwave a little.
Once the oils are melted, add the water and heat everything through. Remove from the heat and whisk as the mixture cools, until it is is thick and creamy.
Thoroughly blend in the titanium dioxide, mica, and yellow iron oxide with a silicone spatula. Test the colour on your face, as you’d use the end product, and adjust as needed. Once you’re happy with the colour, whisk in your preservative. Decant into a small tube with a wand or a shallow tin.
This recipe makes 50g (1.76oz) of bronzer cream.
I really wish you sold your products for those of us who love them but are too lazy to make our own. You have a such a good eye for the right tones and colors and consistency for all natural products!
Sorry Alex! If you’re ever in the area we should do a workshop 😉
You are so talented. Have you read about the benefits of using coconut oil? I have been reading about the uses of it.
Thank you so much for all you share with us.
Thanks, Deborah! I have read quite a bit about coconut oil, it’s such a darling in the DIY/natural blogging community that it’s starting to be a bit of a cliché lol 😛 I enjoy it & bake with it as well as using it in products, but I find shea butter and argan oil to have more of a punch. I’m sure that’s just personal preference & location, though—it’s so dry here that coconut oil simply doesn’t cut it. When I apply straight coconut oil to dry skin it feels like I’m just mocking my skin 😛
Hi there Marie,
really like your blog 🙂 a query… storage of created products. I am presuming most things need to live in the fridge? Do any recipes go ‘off’ if stored on the shelf?
Use-By dates? Jars sterilization needed?
Do I need to worry about any of the above?
Cheers, Sarah
Anything that has water in it can (and will) spoil eventually. I don’t tend to keep things in the fridge so I actually remember to use them, so instead I keep them in containers that don’t require me to stick my fingers in them (pump top lotion bottles instead of open jars, tubes with wands instead of little pots, etc.), ensure containers are clean when I start (though I don’t bother with sterilization), and watch for signs of spoilage (mould, colour change, consistency change, funky smells, etc.). Most lotions last 3+ months. My high beam (similar to this) has lasted 7 months so far. So yes, pay attention, and be clean. Keep in mind I live in Canada where it’s pretty chilly more often than not—if you live in Arizona or the Australian Outback you may have a different experience. If that’s the case, look at a natural(ish) preservative like germall, and/or store in the fridge. Thanks for reading!
In my (very long) cosmetic/soap wish list, there is a small fridge to keep in the bathroom, so I can extend the shelf life of my homemade cosmetics. I try not to make anything with water, but a cool temperature will prevent body butters and hard lotions to liquefy or soften. It may be handy for those (not many, I admit) hot summer days.
It’s totally not a priority and, due to budget constraints, it’s unlikely I’ll buy it in the near future but one day I would really love to have a fridge in my bathroom. How cool would it be?
Ooooh, what a wonderful, adorable idea! Can’t you just imagine an adorable little fridge, maybe the size of a shoebox, that’s beautifully done up so it looks lovely on your countertop? Or perhaps built into the wall, like a secret safe, with a mirror or a picture for the door? That would be so very cool! An idea for Dragons Den, perhaps? 😉
Hi again Marie,
not sure if it would be possible for you to include a link for printing out your recipes?
Cheers, Sarah
You should just be able to print from your browser by going File> Print 🙂
I made your high beam cream recently and loved it, so I’m excited to try out this recipe. Actually, when I made your high beam, I set some of the mixture aside and added some brown iron oxides and turned it into a bronzer type cream. But I still can’t wait to try out this recipe, I think the mica will love a bit more natural.
Hi Marie,
noticed Sophia’s post mentioning she previously used a recipe of yours – High beam cream.. I couldn’t find it on you page. Would you be able to re-post it? im very keen to try it also..
cheers, Sarah
High Beam creme! (There’s a search bar above my photo that’s pretty good 🙂 )
yeah, found it! sorry. night duty brain (im a nurse) .. Thanks 🙂
Ha, no worries!
Awesome 🙂 Great minds obviously think alike 😉 Enjoy your DIY faux tan!
your blog rocks!! i mean rocks big time!!
I dont usually follow blogs, because my attention span is so short..
shorter than a fish..(seriously!!) if something does not grab me in the first
2 lines I’m on that little X in the corner pronto! but your blog
is something that I really am interested in, and thats making skincare
from scratch, which we all can do ! and you make it look too easy..and
besides why should we put our trust into these companies that charge
a bomb for stuff we can make at home that is just as good !! if not better !
it has pure energy and love zapped into it at a million miles an hour!!
unlike some sad case production line filled with machines, chemicals and
crap we have no clue about !! well done, keep up the fab posts. would love
to hang out and talk DIY skincare since I make my own soaps regularly
but I am all the way over in Australia, enjoying the sand, sun and beach !!
so a big hello from Ozzy land ! :)))
Hi Olivia! Send my love to Oz 😀 ‘Tis my favourite place in the world… sigh. I’m so thrilled my blog is able to hold your attention & get you inspired to make even more of your own things & forever ditch the chemicals and corporations 🙂 I, too, would love to chat DIY soap & skincare on an Australian beach… I will be sure to look you up when I get back down there!