How to Make Eye Shadow

I've always been one to go to the cosmetics counter and pick out my favorite shades of eye shadow. I could spend ridiculous amounts of time at the counter mulling over which shades complement each other best and what eye liner to get that would best accent my eyes with the eye shadow colors.

Depending on what brand of makeup you buy and the quality of that brand, you may end up spending liberal amounts of money on eye shadows and the like. While you may be willing to shell out the cash for the cosmetics, you may not know that you can actually make your own.

One of the biggest concerns you might have about making your own eye shadow is its effect on your skin. I never want to risk irritating my skin. Fortunately you can make your own eye shadows using completely natural products that offer much less of a risk to your skin. For the basis of your eye shadows, you'll need to acquire some mica and powder binder, plus some tools—a mini-grinder or plastic bag, a spoon, and a toothpick.

When you buy your mica, you'll have to go to a private supplier (many are found are the web) and you can purchase mica in various colors. To start out your eye shadow creations, grind up the colors of mica you want to combine in the mini-grinder or plastic bag. A good idea is to mix a basic color like purple, blue, or green with a metallic tone, like gold, silver, or bronze. Test color combinations as needed, but make sure to test small amounts so you don't waste your precious mica. When you've found a hit color combination, make sure to mix all the colors evenly.

Once the colors are mixed, pour them into a bowl and spray powder binder on them; this will help the minerals all stick together. Once the powder binder is dry, use a spoon to press the powder into an eye shadow container until tight and pressed. If you'd like you can use the toothpick to etch a design into the pressed powder.

If you want to make a cream eye shadow, you can go through the same process and add a little bit of lotion to the powder (before you press it). Mix the lotion (or moisturizer if you prefer) with a toothpick until it's mixed well. Then you can press it down; if the cream shadow is too creamy, you can put it in the fridge or freezer to help it harden up a bit.

Making your own eye shadow can be intimidating, but it can also be very rewarding. I can't promise that the quality will be on the same level as MAC eye shadows, but it will look good! You can even make eye shadows as gifts or products in your own store. Good luck!