Makeup Recipes
Ditch the cosmetics counter and make your own!What do we want in makeup?
Adhesion? Slip? Opacity? A quick overview on the traits we want in our makeup and why.
DIY Cosmetic Ingredients You'll Need
The ingredients list for homemade cosmetics is a bit different than for most other homemade body products—here’s my overview and shopping list.
Help, I made a mess!
My best tips for cleaning up your DIY messes 🙂
Australian Clay Blush
A few months ago Zil wrote asking for a long-wearing clay based blush. Something that would give her long-lasting pinkish colour that didn't cost an arm and a leg, like the Tarte Cosmetics one she referenced that rings in at a whopping $31 for less than 6 grams of...
Airbrushing Creme Foundation
I absolutely love my translucent airbrushing powder, but I've had some requests for a cream version. Given how terribly dry it is these days, now seemed like a good time to give that a go. The final creme is light and moisturizing, with a subtle airbrushing effect and...
Beetroot Lip Gloss
Beetroot lip stain seemed like a really great idea. Foolproof, even. I mean, if it can make your poo red long after it’s been digested, surely it can perform the simple trick of reddening your lips, right? Wrong. It had absolutely no interest in reddening anything as...
Silver Shimmer Lip Balm
As much as I generally detest winter, I will concede that it can be very pretty. My favourite winter sight is that of trees coated in sparkling ice crystals—it's as if the entire world has been coated in diamond dust. That's what this silver shimmer lip balm makes me...
Snow White Lip Gloss
I thought I'd mark Valentine's Day with this popping pink lip gloss. It gets its bright colour from carmine (just like my lip stain), and though it's almost shockingly pink in the tube, it goes on with just a slight pinkish tint and a bit of shine. A wee hint of...
Homemade Sun Beam Bronzer Cream
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...
Fairy Dust Highlighting Powder
One of my only claims to some sort of familiar fame is a distant relation to J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan. Cool, eh? I remember telling this story to a classmate in elementary school, only to have him call me a liar and insist that there was no way that Walt...
Rosehip Lip Gloss
I was rather sad when my rosehip lip stain totally failed to do much of anything. It had so much promise! The name sounded so nice! The powder was so, so very pink! And I now had a bag of rosehip powder that I now had no other use for… at least the last problem could...
Peppermint Sugar Lip Scrub Stick
In the winter my lips get unbearably dry. Arrrgh. It's infuriating. Calgary is practically a desert for most of the year, but in the winter I swear we tip into negative humidity. Things don't mold here because it's like living in a dehydrator. Good for line drying...
Cranberry Lip Balm
Every year around this time The Body Shop releases their seasonal line of cranberry inspired body products. I say "inspired" because they don't seem to have much in common with the little red berry other than the colour. I used to love the lip gloss, but once I...
Fall Leaves Lipstick
I am beginning to sympathize with the people who name things like paint and lipstick for a living. There are infinitely more colours than I can adequately and creatively name without straying into bizarre nail polish brand territory (you will know I'm there when I...
Clay Cream Blush
Allow me to start this blog off with a confession. This clay cream blush was supposed to be liquid lipstick when I made it. There. I said it. Unfortunately, it ended up being really... weird... on the lips. Much better suited to the cheeks. And, in the spirit of never...
DIY Healing Concealer
I've always thought concealer was a great big Catch 22. You start with an angry clogged pore that turns into a zit. So you cover it it up with some fleshy coloured goo (though let's be honest, you aren't fooling anyone within 2 meters of you). Said fleshy coloured goo...
DIY Natural Clay Mascara (that actually works)
Speaking of things I wasn’t sure I’d ever crack—mascara. There’s a reason this is my first entry of my third year of blogging. I have been trying to figure out mascara for ages now. You wouldn’t believe the amounts of black goop I’ve tossed over the last few years....
Red & Gold Clay Eyeliner
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to share this recipe with you. Eyeliner is one of those things I have tried (and failed to make) many, many times. I tried many times, and ended up tossing a lot of small dishes of darkly coloured muck down the sink. However, I...
The Different Properties of Make-Up
I am the first person to admit that I was a terrible teenager. Not in the “sneaking out, smoking, drinking, and destroying private property” way, but in the “dismisses typical teenage behavior as being stupid & irrational, and therefore behaves mostly like an...
Homemade High Beam Highlighting Creme
One of the most amusing trends that swings back and forth is the trend of how your skin should look—dewy and moist, or matte and dry (or glittery, if it’s the 90’s). Since I don’t particularly care one way or another (oddly enough, I feel that skin should look like...
Rose & Silk Facial Setting Spray
I absolutely love my translucent airbrushing powder, but sometimes Calgary is so dry (drier than usual, that is) that is can look a bit powdery for my tastes. That's where this rose & silk facial setting spray comes in. It's pure luxury, and gives a wonderful...
Red Velvet Lipstick
When I first published my Red Rose Lipstick, I had a few requests for something that wasn't quite as strong. This is what I came up with. It's fairly simple, following the same principle, and can be made with a couple different secondary clays. It's a lighter, more...
Bronze Shimmer Stick
There are many wonderful things about having Scottish ancestry. You have a beautiful homeland to visit. You can claim many fantastic people, like J.M. Barrie (author of Peter Pan), Ewan McGreggor, Robbie Burns, and Alexander Graham Bell as your fellow countrymen....
Brightlighter
I'm really excited about this brightlighter! I know I seem to be saying that a lot these days, but it's true. I feel like I've figured a few great things out over the last few months, and I'm having tons of fun with those discoveries. This little stick is fantastic—it...
Anti Summer Stick Powder
Back in 2011 I was lucky enough to spend about 10 days in Fiji with a big group of friends while I was on an exchange term to Australia. It was a blast! We befriended a bartender at the rather grungy hostel we were staying at, and on his days off he would take all 9...
Strawberry Shimmer Stick
Here's yet another project I'm really excited to share with you—it's a multipurpose tinted lip balm/blush stick. I'm calling it a strawberry shimmer stick for the colour, and I am just in love with how easy it is to throw this little stick in my travel bag when I'm...
Coral Lipstick
I first fell in love with the colour coral when I fell in love with the dinner dress from Titanic. The beautiful silk/taffeta under dress is a fantastic coral colour, and from there on out... love. It's a fantastically flattering colour clothing and cosmetics. I love...
