I’m really excited to share this recipe with you guys—it’s a formula that’s been heavily requested, and I’ve been working on it and testing it for months now. This is a beautiful solid cream foundation that you can put in a compact or a stick for easy application. It glides on like a dream, blends beautifully, and offers both coverage and optical skin perfecting for all-around general awesomeness. It is more involved than the liquid foundation in my book, but I think the results are totally worth it.
Want to watch this project instead of read it?
The colour and coverage in this Silky Cream Foundation comes from your already-completed mineral makeup from the recipe in my book, Make it Up: The Essential Guide to DIY Makeup and Skin Care. Since you’ve already done the colour blending and matching there it means this foundation comes together very quickly, and since the completed mineral makeup has already been thoroughly blended in a coffee grinder the powder is very evenly blended and incorporates into the rest of our base very easily.
I chose cetearyl alcohol as our thickener so we could have rich-yet-lightweight thickening without any wax. I wanted something a bit heavier than cetyl alcohol, but not quite as rich as stearic acid. If you don’t have cetearyl alcohol I’d recommend trying a blend of cetyl alcohol and stearic acid to get a similar effect—start with 50/50 and adjust as necessary.
For liquids I chose two lovely lightweight emollients—C12–15 Alkyl Benzoate and Neossance® Hemisqualane. Skin-feel wise they’re very similar to one another and you could easily use all of one or the other if that’s what you have, but I have both and I’m enjoying playing with them! They both have great slip and wonderful spreadability, making for a very silky feeling foundation that blends beautifully. I’ve also included some dimethicone 350 for extra creamy slip.
Last but not least, I’ve also included some OptiBlur Elastomer from LotionCrafter. They describe it as “a viscous, high molecular weight combination of dimethicone, beeswax, and cosmetic powders designed to create luxurious products that include optical blurring and soft focus properties, such as color cosmetics, facial products, and moisturizers with a unique velvety texture and matte finish.” It comes in a jar as a soft semi-transluscent clumpy-ish soft solid. Thanks to its high silicone content it has a really rich slippy feel, and it offers some serious optical perfecting powers. I love how it helps obscure fine lines and pores, making makeup look more real and skin more perfect. It also helps offer a bit of oil control and improve the overall feel of the foundation. I’ve been experimenting with it in quite a lot of foundation type projects I’ve been working on over the last year or so, and I’d really recommend getting some if you like making your own foundation.
The making is simple—gently melt everything together, blend it all together, and pour it into your container. If you’re using a compact I’d recommend pre-heating the metal dish of the compact with a hair dryer so the melted makeup doesn’t solidify on contact, making it difficult to get an even pour. If you’re using a tube simply work as quickly as possible and accept you can either have a perfectly poured end product or you can get all the makeup our of your mixing container, but you probably can’t have both 😝
The finished Silky Cream Foundation is stunning. I can’t decide if I like it better in a compact or a stick; the stick is insanely easy to apply with a kabuki brush in one hand and the stick in the other, but the compact is also crazy simple and I’m loving getting to use some of the beautiful vintage compacts I’ve collected over the years (watch for them at flea markets and vintage shops!).
Want to watch this project instead of read it?
Silky Cream Foundation
Heated phase
4g | 40% mineral makeup (from the blog or the book)
1.6g | 16% cetearyl alcohol (USA / Canada)
1g | 10% Neossance® Hemisqualane (USA / Canada)
1.65g | 16.5% C12–15 alkyl benzoate
0.3g | 3% dimethicone 350 (USA / Canada)Cool down phase
1.4g | 14% OptiBlur Elastomer
0.05g | 0.5% 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 the heated phase ingredients into a small, narrow container—I recommend a 50mL beaker. If you’re going to use a small electric mixer to blend everything together (highly recommended) you’ll want to make sure you can corner the (relatively small amount of) melted liquid and not spray it everywhere.
Place the beaker in your prepared water bath to melt everything through.
Once the mixture has melted, add the cool down phase and quickly blend to combine. I recommend using a small electric mixer to get this job done quickly and efficiently. When the mixture is uniform, quickly transfer it to your container—either a flat makeup compact or a twist-up tube. If you’re using a compact I’d recommend pre-heating the metal dish of the compact with a hair dryer so the melted makeup doesn’t solidify on contact, making it difficult to get an even pour.
Let the mixture solidify, and you’re done! To use, spread some makeup across your face (straight from the tube or with a brush) and blend with a kabuki brush as required.
Shelf Life & Storage
Because this cream foundation is 100% oil based, it does not require a broad-spectrum preservative (broad spectrum preservatives ward off microbial growth, and microbes require water to live—no water, no microbes!). Kept reasonably cool and dry, it should last at least a year before any of the oils go rancid. If you notice it starts to smell like old nuts or crayons, that’s a sign that the oils have begun to oxidize; chuck it out and make a fresh batch if that happens.
Substitutions
As always, be aware that making substitutions will change the final product. While these swaps won’t break the recipe, you will get a different final product than I did.
- As I’ve provided this recipe in percentages as well as grams you can easily calculate it to any size using a simple spreadsheet as I’ve explained in this post. As written in grams this recipe will make 10g.
- To learn more about the ingredients used in this recipe, including why they’re included and what you can substitute them with, please visit the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia. It doesn’t have everything in it yet, but there’s lots of good information there! If I have not given a specific substitution suggestion in this list please look up the ingredient in the encyclopedia before asking.
- You could probably try a store bought mineral makeup if that’s all you have, though that will make this recipe significantly more expensive.
- If you don’t have cetearyl alcohol I’d recommend trying a blend of cetyl alcohol and stearic acid to get a similar effect—start with 50/50 and adjust as necessary.
- If you don’t have both C12–15 Alkyl Benzoate and Neossance® Hemisqualane you can use all of one or the other. For further substitution suggestions, please review their encyclopedia entries. I would also recommend reading up on the OptiBlur Elastomer as it has some solubility requirements as well, so not all possible alternatives are sure to work with it.
- You can try replacing the dimethicone with a natural silicone alternative like LuxGlide 350, or a very slippy oil.
- I have no good suggestions for replacing the OptiBlur Elastomer. I’d probably start with 4% silica microspheres, 2% cetearyl alcohol, and 8% more of either C12–15 Alkyl Benzoate or Neossance® Hemisqualane. I have not tested this, but the silica can bring some of the oil control/blurring while the cetearyl alcohol will help make up for the slight thickening the OptiBlur contributes.
Gifting Disclosure
The C12–15 alkyl benzoate was gifted by Essential Wholesale.
Very excited to try this recipe! Also, Lotioncrafter carries the C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate 16 oz for $9.45 usd vs Essential Wholesale 16 oz at $21.25 in case anyone is looking for other sources. I checked the INCI on Lotioncrafters Ester AB product and it reads C12-C15 Alkyl Benzoate. https://bit.ly/2TZP99m That is the url data shortened by Bitly to get to the Lotioncrafter product.
Anyhow, I love those vintage compacts and again excited about this recipe!
Have a lovely day.
Thanks for the tip & the link, Jamie! I hope you enjoy the foundation when you get a chance to make it 🙂 Happy making!
Is it possible to make liquid foundation into cream? What would you use?
Do you have a recipe for a bronzing gel.
I’m afraid not, though I do have some bronzers 🙂
Hi
I’ve been looking at your recipes for a while & think what you achieve is amazing!
I’ve recently been diagnosed with a fragrance allergy so I can no longer use the only moisturiser that’s suited my skin…Nivea Cream. My skin is hating everything else I try .
I was thinking about trying to make my own cream based on the Nivea recipe but have no idea of what quantities to use. I was considering omitting the water too so avoid adding a preservative while my skin heals.
Could you possibly help? I’m truly desperate!
Thank you so much, Julie! I’m afraid my familiarity with Nivea cream is non-existent other than reading the ingredients online just now, so I don’t know a whole lot about it. If you’ve never made lotion before I’d start here to get the hang of it before moving onto ingredients with fancier ingredients. I wouldn’t ditch the water—water is so good for helping our skin heal! Perhaps take a look at my soothing series? There’s a facial lotion, and no added essential oils or fragrance (though there are hydrosols, which you may wish to replace with distilled water). Best of luck and happy making!
Hello, I’m new to your blog today! I have been researching diy makeup for a few days now and found you on YouTube. I’ve become interested in non toxic solutions for my body but I love makeup too much to give it up. Are these recipes you share non toxic for the body? Is this recipe a healthier alternative to store bought?
Thank you
Hey Marie! I absolutely love this formula and have made two batches for myself and friends have made countless batches and we all Iove it! Can it be used to make other colour cosmetics like cream bronzer or blush? Thank you for all your hard work and sharing!!! Kat
YAY! I am just putting together a lotioncrafter order so I can add those things! So excited for this recipe.
Woohoo! There’s few things quite as exciting as having a new Lotion Crafter order on the horizon 🙂 Happy making!
Hey Marie,
I was so stoked to try this recipe, and my Lotioncrafter order came this morning so off to the basement studio I ran.
I made it to the letter save ONE thing, using all Neossance® Hemisqualane as I didn’t realize Lotioncrafter carried C12-C15 Alkyl Benzoate. I let the foundation rest for a bit in the tube and used the leftovers from the beaker to test it on my face.
Not sure if it was the sub, but PILL CITY! My face was the same as my hand.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RWDyj2meSgTWKERu8
Any idea why it might do that?
My face was totally bear save sunscreen (Neutrogena Age Shield 110 -> https://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Sunscreen-Spectrum-Non-Comedogenic-Moisturizing/dp/B0037LOQQI)
TIA!
-NIchole
Hmmm, odd indeed! The first thing I’d do is try it without the sunscreen—sunscreen is definitely a film-forming product and it may not be playing well with something in the foundation.
Hmm, I tried it again today, but because I was running late I didn’t wet my blending sponge. (my vanity is in a room without a sink and I didn’t want to bother going to one to wet the blender) I just applied it from the tube (I LOVE Stick foundation) and tapped it out. No issues, and GREAT staying power (The Mister noticed when I visited him at work after my day was done~)
So I’m curious if the silicone in the formula and the water on a damp sponge/freshly washed hands might have caused the pilling. I was wearing my sunscreen AND a lotion (your lemon rose facial formula)
that I applied 15 minutes prior to make up and had NO issues today. I know from the videos you use a brush, so no water involved, but I’m a beauty blender fan.
How interesting! And thank you so much for doing the experiments on this to get it figured out, however inadvertently ha. I would probably suspect the water as I haven’t done any applications with this with water, but I can verify it works nicely when dried. Perhaps the water stops it from adhering to the skin properly? I wonder if the inclusion of some sort of emulsifier in the foundation would alter that? Hmmm. I’ll have to try it with water and see what happens!
Of course! I have (mild) aspirations of formulating and selling a small skincare line someday at a local shop so I want to know WHY things go amiss. My bosses always smile when I look different ‘What are you testing today?’
I’m happy to report I’ve almost used up the first 1/2 batch and it’s always perfect, as long as there’s no water in the mix WHILE applying it. It’s also mostly sweatproof, at least for minor sweating. I had a busy weekend at work and got a little sweaty and it stayed put unless I wiped my face (my forehead needed a touchup). 🙂
That’s fantastic! And your bosses sound cool 😀 I remember when I was working on Make it Up: The Essential Guide to DIY Makeup and Skin Care and I was testing all kinds of different things every day at work. I’d have different eyeliner on each eye and be running off to the washroom every hour to check and see how it was performing!
Yay! I’m so excited! I’ve been waiting for this one! What other products are you wearing? The blush is perfect for your skin tone!
Hi i just wanted to ask you do the emulsifiers you use contain palm oil i just don’t want to use palm oil i tried searching up about it but don’t get any answers I’m new to this lol so forgive me and thank you
Unfortunately I have yet to find an emulsifying wax that does not contain palm products.
thank you for answering so do the emulsifier you use come from sustainable palm oil or do you use palm oil and also whats your thoughts on sustainable palm oil? i ask because i honestly feel bad for the orangutan and will like to try your recipes and will like to create my own but not if it harms these animals also whats your suggestion i use as an emulsifier by the way thank you for your blog i have learn so much and am grateful for your hard work
Good evening Shamantha!
I just spent a few minutes searching how some ewaxes are made. One of my favourite ewaxes that so many love to say is safe, environmentally kind; Olivem 1000, might actually/probably be made with palm oil. The INCI of Olivem 1000 is Cetearyl Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate. Cetearyl Olivate is an ester of cetearyl alcohol and some of the fatty acids are derived from olive oil. Looking further, cetearyl alcohol is predominately a mixture of fatty alcohols consisting of cetyl and stearyl alcohols that are found in plants, like coconut and palm oils. So even the ewaxes tooted to be natural, or naturally derived, or even palm free, may not all be as true as we’d like to think they might be. Just be sure to always do your checking and background checks on each and every ingredient then follow up with your suppliers.
One of my favourite cosmetic chemists says it much more eloquently than I ever could. She has written many articles about palm oil and sustainable palm oil on her blog, “Realize Beauty“.
Thanks, Laine! Regarding the blush/lips… hmm. I happily filmed another demo application right after this for an upcoming video, so I actually know what else I’m wearing ha. The highlight is an upcoming formula (hence the other video!) and the lips/cheeks are one of my creamy lip tints (the cool/berry red, I believe) 🙂
Just in time for my first ever LotionCrafter haul!! I’m just waiting for them to restock some things…I’m so excited haha Do you have any recommendations for anything that I must get from them?
Hmmmm oh dear, ha. I love their long metal spoon/spatulas, their blood orange hydrosol, hydrolyzed rice protein, LMW hyaluronic acid, the new CosQ10 Max I used recently… so many things, really 😛 My apologies to your pocketbook!
I have literally 34 things in my cart right now…And I’m waiting for 4 more to restockGuess this is how my first check is spent on haha:P Also should I get the Micromini mixer or the mini mixer?
Hahaha, I feel your pain! I have used both mixers; I prefer the micromini mixer, though they do have different uses. The Mini Mixer is more the sort of thing you’d use to make a small batch of lotion, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the mini mixer they used to carry in terms of power, so I’m not all that enamoured with it. It’s fine, and if you don’t already have a milk frother type thing you use for making small batches of things it’s very reasonably priced and does work well 🙂
I have a suggestion for transferring the makeup to a compact. This will only work if the metal pan can come out of the compact container. I use this technique when transferring lipsticks out of the tubes too.
Take the pan that you want the make up to go into. Place on an electric mug warmer. Let the pan heat up a bit. It doesn’t take long at all, about a minute. Then pour the makeup into it. The pan will be warm so the product will not cool when placing into the container. Carefully remove the pan off the mug warmer.
Oooh, great tip! The pans on mine don’t come out (of course, that would be too easy!), but I believe they do on most compacts you can purchase empty 🙂
I’ve been trying various foundation recipes from the internet for ~5 years and purchased your book the week it came out (awesome book btw). I was super-excited about this recipe until I discovered that the only ingredients I currently have are mineral makeup and vitamin E oil. Digging deeper into the recommended substitutions and your encyclopedia pages, I see that I can blend cetyl alcohol and stearic acid (2 ingredients I do have) as a substitute for cetearyl alcohol. Makes this recipe seem much less accessible than most on your site.
Will there be more recipes using Optiblur Elastomer and C12-15 alkyl benzoate in the future? I’d had to spend the money and only use them for one thing.
Hi Tanya!
In my personal experience, when I buy a new ingredient that I do not know, I take the smallest quantity available. Often I’ll buy it for a specific recipe (like Marie for exemple) or some other source material, but then I experiment with it myself. The suppliers often give very good indications on how to use these ingredients. You know, Marie is very generous with her time / knowledge, she does not force anyone to buy ingredients, and you should not rely on HER next recipes, that she shares for free with us, to spend your ingredients. I suggest you do your own research.
Hi Gen,
Thanks for your feedback. Firstly I will apologize to anyone who may have found my previous comment rude or unkind. I agree with you whole-heartedly that Marie is generous with her time & knowledge. I should not take that for granted. Second, your approach to buying unfamiliar ingredients is similar to my own. I do buy the smallest quantities, read the supplier’s usage notes and do my own research (including non-“Humble Bee & Me” websites). I don’t buy ingredients unless I have a few recipes/ideas to try out. By recipes/ideas I do include my own experimentation. I had already done some research and had an idea for other things to do with OptiBlur and C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate before I submitted my previous comment. Third, I don’t rely on Marie’s recipes to spend my ingredients. I’ve been crafting my own toiletries and makeup for years before I found this blog. It’s one of many great resources out there. I posted the question about future recipes purely out of curiosity. Finally, I will remember how tactful your reply to me has been and will avoid leaving comments that could be hurtful in the future.
Hey Tanya! Something I enjoy doing on the blog is sharing makeup formulations that are much more complex than the ones in the book; a core focus of the book was doing as much as possible with the shortest possible ingredient list. I enjoy not doing that every so often on the blog. Since you have the book, if you’re not looking to invest in extra ingredients you always have the option of making the recipes in there 🙂 If you watch the video I also discuss this there.
I already have several recipes using C12-15 alkyl benzoate in the works, and I’ve been testing another one using OptiBlur for a while. That said, if you read more about them I’m sure you’ll find other uses for them without me 🙂
Happy making!
Hi Marie, can’t wait to try this as, being older, I find the mineral makeup just enhances my wrinkles. I’ve tried adding it to liquid vegetable silicone which did work better but it still moves around on my face. Does this formula stay put without sliding into creases? Thanks so much. Always look forward to your emails appearing in my inbox. Carol
Hey Carol! I’m not sure this is the formula for you—I’ve found it can settle into the smile lines around my eyes a bit as the day goes on, depending on how much I apply in that area. I think I need to do some more research in this area, and find myself some testers with more diverse skin 🙂 I do have a different, liquid formulation in progress as well, and I think that one might be better suited. Stay tuned, and thanks for DIYing with me!
Having “mature” skin myself, I’ve found that the mineral makeup I make from Marie’s book to work better than a store bought cream foundation. I found the cream foundation to really settle into places I didn’t like. 🙂 Will look forward to Marie’s experiments with this!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Kelly! I really must find myself a tester for this sort of thing—I don’t think my mom is particularly keen ha 😛
A little update. After wearing the Silky Cream Foundation for a week, I find it just fine on my mature skin. I have been wearing the mineral makeup from Marie’s book (since her book came out). I’ve been using the Air Brushing Primer first then applying the mineral makeup. It gives me a similar feel as this cream foundation. So now I have more options!
Thank you so much for the update, Kelly—and of course a big thank you for DIYing with me!
Thank you. I always read your blog posts. Perhaps some older models/testers would be good. Happy to volunteer but as I live in New Zealand, probably not a good fit. Thank you.
Good morning Carol!
I have been saying that for years! But Marie really just makes things for the absolute joy of making and sharing the results. Have you tried DIY’ing with Marie yet?
Hi Marie
Great recipe 🙂 I don’t have Optiblur so have used Wrinkle Blur from Making Cosmetics and it’s worked very well.
I’ve only made a 5g sample as I didn’t want to use all my mineral blend but next time I will make some adjustments to make it slightly more moisturizing – the Wrinkle Blur lacks the beeswax that’s in Optiblur but beeswax won’t be my first choice for increased moisture.
I’m going to have a lot of fun with this one. Thank you!
Hello Jane!
All I can say about your comment is…. where can I get me some pictures of your final product????? And talk to me about this Wrinkle Blur! What is it like? How do you find it? Does it work as well as claimed?
Thanks for sharing Jane! I just got the Wrinkle Blur and was wondering how that might work as a substitute.
So I just made this, and WOW, the finish is amazing! I plan to wear it tomorrow and can’t wait to see how it wears. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Caitlin!
Glad you are loving it! Don’t forget to share pictures on Instagram!
Any suggestions on where to purchase an empty compact?
My vintage ones have been from a smattering of places, though the majority of them are from a small stall in Camden Market in London, which I realize is not terribly helpful if you don’t live there! If you’re looking for vintage ones I’d probably check out eBay and any local flea markets/antique stores you have. They can get stupidly expensive depending on the source; I remember finding one at a flea market in Florence that was something like 90€. Pffft, nope. Most of the ones I got in London were in the 10–15£ range.
For new ones, check out TKB Trading 🙂
Hi, I’m wondering if you think this is an acne safe product?
Hello Leah!
Your question is a truly hard one to answer. And no one really likes the answer for it really sounds wishy washy. Bottom line is it depends. Everyone’s skin is different and what works for some peoples’ acne and acne flare ups, may not work for anothers. It’s a lot of trail and error when it comes to skin care! I’m truly sorry I cannot give you a straight answer on this one!
My Lotioncrafter order just arrived so I immediately made this. It’s gorgeous and feels amazing on my skin! I love the matte finish. Thank you so much for introducing me to awesome new ingredients and all your fantastic formulations!
YAY! I’m so thrilled 😀 This formula came with me on my trip to Asheville and I am so in love with how well it travels and how easily it applies. Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making 🙂
I made this on Saturday….at first it seem very soft , but when I used it the next day I am absolutely in love with it. The texture is wonderful and the coverage just right.
Love all you do, thanks. Lori
I am so thrilled to hear it! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making 🙂
Looks so interesting! What is the wear time for this? Also, what is the transfer like?
Is there such a thing as an organic, long wearing, transfer proof foundation?
Dreaming …
Hey Rose! I easily get upwards of 12 hours of wear out of this 🙂 If you wipe your face, it will wipe off though.
The biggest challenge you will encounter with “organic” makeup is that the pigments we use to create makeup are inorganic, so if your definition of organic excludes inorganic pigments it is extremely difficult (I’ve never seen it done) to get good colour and coverage.
The ingredients that create transfer-proof anything are very decidedly not organic or natural, but they are safe.
You should also check out my book, Make it Up: The Essential Guide to DIY Makeup and Skin Care 🙂
Marie,
I want to say THANK YOU!!
I have been struggling with adult acne for a few years now, even though I had great skin as a teen. Several years ago i jumped on the bandwagon of cutting out all the nasty chemicals in my daily life including make-up. I’ve tried several different recipes from other sources but never found something that made my face look good or lasted. I live in Texas and make-up that doesn’t sweat off is a must.
Well I bought your book and I got all the extra ingredients i needed last week to make this recipe. So Saturday I was super excited to make this. I started with the Mineral make up base from your book and quickly learned I am not as light colored as Courtney, so I mixed up a batch of Marie. It was a great match so I made this cream foundation.
Let me just say, WOW! Not only does it feel lighter than anything else I have applied in years, but the OptiBlur is like a built-in primer that smooths out fine lines while looking so natural.
I was so happy with the way this turned out and how it applied I started to cry. And thus realized it didn’t smudge or melt off. Yay!!!
I’m still struggling with some acne, and have made some significant changes to my diet and skincare regimen, but this really helped cover it without being cakey.
Thank you, thank you so much for doing what you do and bringing great recipes to the masses that are ready to ditch the gross stuff they put on the shelves. I have tried so many of your recipes and I look forward to your posts every Monday and Thursday. Just wanted you to know that you’re amazing and appreciated!
Good afternoon Laci!
Wow! That is amazing news! I am so thrilled to hear that you have a handle on your adult acne! It’s a pain in the backside isn’t it? Let me know how the mineral makeup survives in the heart of a Texan summer!
YAY! Thank you so much for sharing, Laci—you’ve just put the biggest smile on my face! I am so, so thrilled you are enjoying this formula and are having so much fun and success creating your own makeup!
I’ll be in Texas this upcoming weekend for the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild conference—any chance you’re going as well?
I’m sorry I won’t be able to attend, but be prepared for the warmth coming down here. Have a great trip!
OOoh I cannot wait for warmth! SWOON!
Hello dear! Maybe it will be a stupid question, but what makes more coverage in foundation? I’m trying to do medium to full coverage powder, i bought a mineral base from MakingCosmetics.com but it is too light… so i added some zinc oxide and magnesium stearate but it still didn’t work. Maybe i should add some clay for full coverage? Or more zinc oxide? Or oils… I tried to mix this powder with my face cream with olivem1000, but i get zero coverage 🙂 I would appreciate your answer.
Coverage usually comes from titanium dioxide, though zinc oxide can also contribute 🙂
Good morning! I used the recipe from the book to make the mineral powder but the titanium dioxide (oil dispersible) from TKB didn’t blend well at all. I’m now in need of more and am hesitant about buying the same one from them. The one you use is no longer in stock on amazon and there are many different particle size and dispersibility type products that I think I’m going crazy. Please, could you advise what I should be looking for?
Hmm, odd! I have used exactly that TD many times and it always works very well. What did you use to blend the makeup? I’ve also used one from NDA, but it has since been discontinued. Have you considered getting in touch with TKB and asking about their different offerings? Their staff is very knowledgeable!
Marie, I used my trusty grinder to mix them but I’m thinking I may have gotten too impatient/excited and didn’t blend long enough. Thank you for the advice I will definitely contact TKB! I was excited to see they offer many TD varieties but felt overwhelmed at the same time I’ll let you know what I try and how it goes!
I usually advise at least 20 seconds blending per blend, with lots of stirring between blends to ensure nothing is getting left behind (I find some grinders will leave a layer of powder untouched beneath the blades). It would be nice if more blending fixed the problem—a simple solution! I hope TKB Trading can offer some good insights as well 🙂
Made this recipe today after waiting anxiously to be able to purchase the ingredients. I love it!!!
Woohoo, I’m so thrilled to hear it!
This looks so cool, and I’m dying to try it out!
I’m a drag queen who uses cream makeups for a lot of different cremes for a lot of different functions on my face, especially crazy colors. This will help with some of the colors I have a hard time finding in creme pots.
I wanted to ask- does one have to use the mineral make-up recipe provided, or can you use an over-the-counter pigmented loose powder to substitute? I ask because I’d essentially like to make this in a hot pink color, but was unsure if I’d have to go through the trouble of trying to manufacture the right color using oxides or D&C dyes.
Thanks for your help!
That should work! The colour is really just that—colour—so other colours should also work 🙂 A tip—you can get ’em WAY cheaper through somewhere like TKB Trading than at a makeup/theatre supply shop. I also highly recommend checking out my book, Make it Up: The Essential Guide to DIY Makeup and Skin Care! It’s all about DIY makeup and has a lot of tips on customizing colour blends 🙂 Happy making!
Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it, and I’m looking forward to reading your book and learning more about DIY makeup!
Hi Marie, would using some argan oil instead of the hemisqualane do an adequate job of adding a nice texture if I add 3-5% of isopropyl myristate to help keep it light and silky? It can be quite hard/expensive to get some of these ingredients in Australia
I can’t really predict that—it sounds like a good idea, but you’ll have to try it to find out 🙂 Happy making!
I made 5g and have tested it today for the first time on my face (was testing it on my hands several times) over your Airbrushing Primer Stick, and I still set it with your Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist. Well, I’m happily impressed with the results and my first impressions are that it glides on so smoothly and spreads nicely. It seems like I can spot-apply small amounts, and b/c it spreads so nicely, I have good control of the coverage that I want to have and where–it does not need to be applied to the whole face. Wow, I also really like how lightweight this formula is! I guess there’s something to be said for the Neossance Hemisqualane, dimethicone and Optiblur, over other face oils that I’m used to using…even though I like the lighter dry-finish oils for the face.
Though the coverage is buildable, I like pretty minimal coverage most times, I like that you have a choice (more for a night out?) and the formula will do what you want…
It wore longer than my other foundations that are natural oil-based (12 hours over 5-8), Did not have creasing or caking, and the later-day shine that usually breaks through most makeup did not occur.
Can’t wait to try it again tomorrow!
P.S. I love that I followed you through your basic oil and mineral powder liquid foundation, to your Cream Luminizer (that I used to make foundation) to this very different style of foundation! I use all of them, and like each one for different reasons/occasions. Thank you Marie, what would I do without you, lol?
i just purchased the Optiblur from Lotioncrafter and didn’t have a clue what to do with it. I still don’t. I was thinking, for those of us who don’t want to venture into cosmetics, that it could be used to make a skin tone perfecting moisturizer just without the added color of the make-up. What do you think Marie?
hi Marie – I am revisiting having a try at this as I now have some Silica Dimethyl Silylate for making the second skin foundation (which is amaazing!). Optiblur is impossible to get here in Aus and isn’t able to be shipped apparently, As optiblur is a possible swap for the silica in the second skin foundation can the reverse happen for this recipe? ie use silica in this? sooo hoping so!
You can try it, but I wouldn’t do a 1:1 swap as SDS is very, VERY absorbent & I think it would be too drying to the skin. I’d stick to usage rates similar to those seen in the Second Skin Cream Foundation. Happy making!
Hi,
Has anyone been able to find all the ingredients from UK suppliers? I am really interested in making this but struggling to find UK suppliers for most of the ingredients. With current pandemic it appears there is also an issue in receiving from US as well.
Thanks in advance
love, Love, LOVE this! Made my first batch with my mineral foundation powder since I hadn’t ventured into that DIY realm yet, but after the first batch….well…HAD to go even deeper in! Wears REALLY well. And…don’t end up with as much on my ‘mandatory face covering’ as my commercial long-wearing makeup! Will be gifting this to friends in my newly acquired vintage compacts!! Thank you so much for this recipe, Marie!
Hooray! I am SO thrilled you are loving this ❤️ Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making 🙂
Hi Marie
I’ve purchased youre book and made the mineral foundation.
I’m from New Zealand so not sure how to make this without the following…Neossance® Hemisqualane (USA / Canada)
1.65g | 16.5% C12–15 alkyl benzoate
0.3g | 3% dimethicone 350 (USA / Canada)
Cool down phase
1.4g | 14% OptiBlur Elastomer
I have camellia oil and dimethicone and quite a collection of ingredients now but not sure what to do as I really want to make this
Perhaps try this formulation instead? It has fewer hard-to-get ingredients 🙂
Marie would LOVE an updated mineral makeup (foundation) recipe that has some of the fancier ingredients in it, boron nitrate, nylon 12, hydrated silica, etc. It’s been a while since you’ve done one and the ones in your book and on this blog are fairly simple. Also, a translucent “mineral veil” would be great too.
I love the make it up book too but I also would love to learn how to incorporate more ingredients like the allantoin, nylon 12, silk mica, pearl powder, etc. which I have a have been experimenting with adding to your foundation base recipe. I also have noticed on many cosmetic formulas that they include Ultramarines and manganese violet which I have also purchased and want to include in foundation along with the oxides mentioned in your book. Absolutely love all I have learned from you Marie and I have made my foundation so many times perfecting it each time a little more…thank you so much for your awesome blog and information. You are pretty much my tried-and-true go to source as there is so much bad information out there.
I second EVERYTHING Tami D just said. Its exactly my sentiment.
Thanks for all . but i ask if you can give alternatives for the ingredents .
Thanks for reading! I ask that you read the blog post—I have. There’s a big green headline and everything 🙂
Hi Marie!
I have a product called Wrinkle Blur from Making Cosmetics. Any chance I can sub it for the Opti-Blur?
The INCI is dimethicone/dimethicone crosspolymer, silica.
What do you think? Have you tried this product before? (I bought it without thinking—spur of the moment—throw it in the cart at the last minute-sort of thing!)
Possibly, but it looks like the Making Cosmetics product is a powder while OptiBlur is a soft paste, so you may want to use less of the Wrinkle Blur and disperse it in a bit of extra Neossance® Hemisqualane? I’d aim for a blend that’ll give you a soft paste. Start small as you may need to do some tweaking and testing to get the right end consistency. Happy making!
Oh great! Thanks for replying. My Neoessence just came in today. Great timing! I’ll give it a whirl and let you know how it goes.
Awesome! I look forward to earing how it goes 🙂
I made a riff on this (Silky Cream Foundation going green). I just love the look and sound of this. That compact looks stunning too – I love vintage stuff. I am pretty excited as it contains ingredients I have access to but it seems to have optical blurring and soft focuse properties. Very cool. It just makes my skin (esspecially wrinkles around eyes) look so good. Polarity of oils / ester oils seems to be essential here. I’ll likely do some small tweaking and share my results later.
I’m also re-formulating airbrushing primer stick, liquid blurring skin tint drops and maybe even second skin foundation (my favorite). Thank you very much for developing and sharing this one – it’s been ages since I’ve been this excited about foundation formulation!