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 be solved.
Rosehips grow all over here in Alberta. I can remember a rather tame field trip to a nearby wild bluff as a kid, where our teachers showed us a gigantic anthill, wild roses (our provincial flower), and rose hips. They invited us to try the rose hips, since they’re edible and all. One kid did (I’m fairly certain he also ate glue), and we all learned via his puckered up facial expression that they are downright sour.
The closest I’ve come to eating a rosehip is getting a wee taste of a rosehip extract solution, and they are definitely sour, so I’ve added vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada) (which tastes sweet), as well as a touch of raw honey to my lip gloss to ward off any puckers and grimaces.
Despite being a pretty shade of bubblegum pink in the tube, this gloss goes on pretty much transparent (yet another testament to rosehip extract’s very weak colouring abilities). The little flecks of pink don’t effect the lip gloss or feel gritty, but they’re definitely not interested in dissolving. I think they’re rather pretty.
Just after adding the rosehip, honey, and glycerin mixture.
The start of whisking. Things look bad now, but have faith!
I added a few drops of cardamom essential oil to the final product, but if you like floral scents/tastes around your mouth, those would work brilliantly as well.
We have emulsion success!
Rosehip Lip Gloss
3g | 0.1oz beeswax (USA / Canada)
6g | 0.21oz virgin coconut oil
16g | 0.56oz castor oil (USA / Canada)
7g | 0.25oz jojoba oil (USA / Canada)
3g | 0.1oz kukuinut oil
1g | 0.03oz Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)2g | 0.07oz vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada)
2g | 0.07oz raw honey
½ tsp rosehip extractMelt the oils together in a saucepan over low heat.
While they melt, combine the vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada), honey, and rosehip extract. Warm in the microwave a little as necessary, stirring to combine. You will end up with a fairly viscous, bright pink mixture. Take care not to overheat the mixture in the microwave or you’ll cook the raw honey.
Once the oils have melted and the glycerin part has combined, whisk the two parts together, whisking as they cool. When the mixture is still warm the pink mixture will just bead up refuse to incorporate. No worries, just keep whisking. Once at room temperature, you’ll have a thick, pink mixture. The glycerin acts as a surprisingly effective emulsifier here—I’ve got a tube of lip gloss I made over two years ago that is still emulsified and has not spoiled.
Decant into squeezy tubes or hard tubes with a wand lid (a syringe or funnel helps greatly here) and enjoy!
Hi Marie, this is Tiffany from Sydney Australia. Thankyou for sharing all ur homemade Beauty Products Recipes. Im in love with all your Red Colour Lipstick; Lip Stain. But I have failed & dumped in the Bin around 6 times last night. I could not get the same Red colours as your. The Australian Red Reef clay was so brownish/ chocolateeeee. So I tries to add a bit of Yellow Iron Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, etc…but still no lucks. Also the lipstick base would not harding like normal lipstick. It is a paste-gel texture.
Just letting you know my experiences with your Lipstick Recipes.
Thankyou again for your kind share.
Merry Xmas & Happy New Year to you and your Family
Hi Tiffany! I hope you’re enjoying that beautiful Sydney weather enough for both of us 🙂 The red colour of the reef clay definitely varies in different lights, the clay can vary in colour between batches, and depending on your skin tone and how you apply it, it really can look very different from place to place. I’d try cutting it with a paler clay, like kaolin, like I have in my Fall Leaves Lipstick. The added brightness helps dilute the dark red and bring out the red tones more than the brown ones.
As for the hardness of the base, it’s hardly surprising it’s quite soft for you if it’s usable for me 🙂 We’re roughly 60°C apart these days (damn Canadian winters!), so this lipstick is formulated to be smooth and soft-ish around 15–17°C. If you’re enjoying beautiful 30–40°C days, it’ll definitely be far too soft for a tube. No worries, just use a bit more beeswax. I can’t say how much since I’m not that familiar with such wonderfully warm temps, but I’d start by adding 1g and going from there 🙂
Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me!
so pretty! What method do you use to get this into the lipgloss tube?
I used a funnel (super necessary). Basically, once you’ve got it all whisked together and emulsified at room temp, scoop some of the mixture into the top of the funnel and rap the tube (with the funnel in it) on the counter to get the lip gloss to drop through the funnel into the tube. It’s not the most elegant method, but it works! If you had syringes (without the pointy needle bit, of course), those would work really well, too.
good question; and can we also use tins for this lip gloss?
It’s not a good idea to package these in metal as the water content in the lip gloss can make the tin rust on you, but you could definitely use little plastic or glass pots 🙂
I have a question, how long does it last? When is the expiration date of the lip gloss and tinted balm?
I have some articles in the FAQ on shelf life; I recommend checking them out 🙂
The color is so pretty, so sad it goes on sheer. I’m actually going to try your other lip gloss recipe tonight. Wish me luck, I’m not the best with emulsions. I’ll be sure to tell you how it goes 🙂
Ah yes, this was/is the trouble with all plant based colourants—they simply aren’t potent enough to deliver an opaque hit of colour (which is why they all failed as lip stain). It does give a pretty pink tint, though, depending on the colour of your lips 🙂 Good look with the emulsion—it should go brilliantly as long as you whisk thoroughly at room temperature as glycerin is an emulsifier 🙂
Hey where did you get the empty lip gloss container?
I bought it at a local soaping shop called Soap & More. I’d love to find an online source as that shop is generally quite overpriced.
Hey Marie,
I would like to try a lip gloss recipe but I don’t have kukuinut oil.
Can I replace it with another oil ?
You can use more castor oil if you’ve got it—anything thick with a relatively slow absorption speed will do 🙂
Hi Ladies, i have a great lip tube holder that once the lip tubes are placed in it, they hold up the tube holder, and will keep your tubes straight and steady so you can fill the tubes with your liquid. When liquid has solidified, the tubes can be removed, capped and labeled. If any goo is left on top or dribbled underneath, scoop it up, put in your melting pan, remelt, and pour into tube again, so you can use every bit!
Sounds very handy! I’ve looked at these, but always decided I’d rather buy a fancy new butter instead 😛
Hey Marie,
I’m currently collecting my tools to be a DYI lady. Wondering, where do you buy that beautiful little spatula that you are using for your lip stains etc. I thought I saw a link but can’t seem to find it anywhere.
Thank you for posting all of this for us to play around with. I’ve had a lot of success with it so far.
Cheers.
Hi Jenna! I got mine (or should I say my collection—I have about 20!) from an online Canadian shop called Kitchen Stuff Plus. American Amazon has them, too 🙂
Hi
your blog and your work are amazing! I two questions, what is the difference between the Mica and Iron oxide? And which one is better for a lipstick? Also, what are the tools I will need to make lipsticks?
Hey! Oxides are pure pigments, whilst micas are comprised of mica + other pigments (oxides, dyes, carmine, etc.). Oxides and other pure pigments are much more potent colourants and I infinitely prefer them to micas for lipsticks as they give the colour punch I want in a lipstick in much smaller and more reliable amounts. To learn more about lipstick making please check out my book and my YouTube channel 🙂