Lipstick Grows on Bushes

This red mess you are looking at is a bit of success. I suppose we could call it a successful mess. It is 100% plant-based colorants in a 100% botanical base. When I realised it actually had the color, opacity, stability, and staying power I had been trying to acheive, I was absolutely beside myself.

But I'm already a little ahead of myself.

Let's go back a bit.

"This shouldn't take too terribly long" said the Eternal Optimist

Over a decade ago, I put this 'little' project on my personal-to-do list. I thought it might be fun to develop a series of color cosmetics that uses solely plant-based colorants and doubles as skincare.

Admittedly, this sounds like mission impossible, but if you have been following me a while, you probably also know I do like a challenge.

You: Only plant colorants, Lise?

Me: Yup - all natural, all plant-based and only botanical colors.

You: But that's not possible! Plants morph and change color - they turn brown and boring.

Me: I know, and that makes the whole thing a bit of a challenge doesn't it?

The Claim: Cosmetics Will Never Be Natural

It was a meme on Instagram (posted by a formulator of the petrochemical persuasion) that helped kick me into gear and get serious about seeing if this could be done.

The meme was a graphic of a bush (or tree?) that was filled with 'blossoming' lipsticks instead of flowers.

The accompanying text was something along these lines:

"until someone invents a lipstick bush, cosmetics will never be natural."

My immediate thought: 'what an odd choice of graphic and words for someone who has obviously never heard of the Lipstick tree'.

And that was it.

I had to prove lipstick could grow on bushes, so I got to work.

As time has passed, this project has been worked on furiously, placed on the back burner and everything in between because, well, sometimes, things just get in the way.

The Value of Accumulated Fails

There have been scads of fails.

I am not exaggerating. I have over a decades worth of batch notes and research to prove it. And one of the most amazing things I have discovered about having THAT many fails is that it changes every fail from being just another learning experience to an entire education in and of itself. It creates a base from which one can begin to step in the direction of success.

And that’s what I am happy to say happens more and more often.

Plant Based Red Lippie

When this successful mess happened in 2018, it enabled me to hone in on a more targeted path to plant-color success.

I'm still working on this and haven’t cracked every plant-colorant code but from my results so far, I can attest to this: Lipstick grows on bushes.

Tip

If you’re interested in walking this plant-colorant path with me, you might consider joining LisaLise Club where I'm sharing my formulas and methods exclusively with members. Click the picture below to read more and sign up.

Itchy Eyebrows

Years ago, when someone asked me why I made all of my own make-up, I suddenly realised it all started because of my itchy eyebrows.

Have you ever had itchy eyebrows? Constantly?

I did.

Every time I scratched (which you can't help doing when something itches), a little more of the brow color so carefully applied that morning would either come off under my nails or get smudged around the brow area. By lunchtime, every last bit of color would be relocated to other parts of my face and fingers.

At one point, I had to face the uncomfortable fact that it just might be the eyebrow product I was using that was causing the itching.

Ok, that must be solvable. I'll just go shopping and pick up a different brand – again, and again, and again, and again.

This One Is Guaranteed Itch-free, Ma'am

It's a little weird having itchy eyebrows – not your typical everyday thing. You invariably start to feel a little 'difficult' when you're standing at a make-up counter trying to figure out whether or not this product is going to be better than last 6 brands you tried without luck.

After a while, you tend to get a little testy with the sweet young thing behind the counter who has never experienced itchy eyebrows and is promising you 'this brand would never make your eyebrows itch' – all the while noting the forced smile and expression of disbelief in her eyes.

Well, who the heck could blame her? If it were me, I would have sworn one of my friends had put someone up to playing a gag on me.

Eureka! I Found One!

The one time I came home with a product that didn't make my eyebrows itch, I was certain all my problems had been solved.

Finally! Yes!

Life was perfect and itch free until I returned to purchase a new pencil a half year later.

"I'm sorry ma'am, that company decided to restructure and dropped their make-up line a half year ago" with an expression that clearly read 'which planet did you just drop in from?'

Arghh!!!

The Problem Revealed

The ingredients list on the product from the 'restructured company' – by chance or by design – showed no additional of perfume in their eyebrow pencils.

I started comparing ingredients lists.

All the other brands had perfume.

Now, maybe there's some kind of eyebrow secret that they've been hiding from me, but I gotta ask – perfume in an eyebrow pencil?!

Perfume?!

Do eyebrows have some disgusting smell that needs masking? Do they need perfume?? I don't get it!!

And So Began my Make-up Making Journey

This was the starting point for my make-up endeavours. And I haven't had itchy eyebrows since.

I ended up making all of my own make-up and have really enjoyed experimenting with the different ingredients and color possibilities.

Some of the make-up items I've made over the years include:

• Eyeshadows (both loose and pressed powder as well as cream)

• Foundation (powder, cream, lotion & stick with various types of coverage)

• Highlighter (powder, cream, stick)

• Blush (powder, cream, stick)

• Lip color (gloss, lipstick, tint)

• Mascara (wand -- I still want to do a cake mascara just for the fun of it)

• Brow color (pressed powder, solid cake, pencils)

Make-up is fun to do, but admittedly also takes a bit of patience and practice. It really helps if you have a good eye for color as well.

After some years, I decided to see if it was possible to drop the minerals and use exclusively plant-based pigments and still achieve an acceptable level of color stability. Needless to say, that started a whole new exciting (but quite lengthy) journey that I'll get into in a future post.

Below is an easy lip and cheek tint formula using mineral pigments that is featured in the Working with Shea Butter book, but also available as a single formula.

Lip and Cheek Tint Stick Formula

How to Make Your Own Make-Up Base for Pencils

Today, I'm going to show you how to make a base mixture that can be used to make your own color cosmetics such as lip pencils, eye pencils, eyebrow pencils, and even blush sticks.

You're probably wondering how it is possible to create a texture that is equally good for all these uses. A lip pencil needs to go on smoothly yet be firm enough to where the tip doesn't break off at application. An eye pencil needs to be softer, smoother, and not even come close to feeling draggy on the skin. For cheek application, a firmer texture is ideal.

How is it possible to tick ALL these boxes?

Because I say so.

(insert wink and smile here)

I've been experimenting, testing, tweaking, and meticulously logging my results for a few years now and finally succeeded in creating an exquisitely sublime texture that is great for all of these uses. It holds pigment well, has great slip and staying power without feeling the least bit tacky or sticky - on MY skin.

So, if you have skin similar to mine, this base is perfection.

Skin type plays a major role in which texture/stiffness/glide-factor feels and performs best. But even if this base doesn't turn out to be 100% perfection for your skin, feel free to use it as a starting point and tweak to your heart's content until you have your own version of awesomeness.

Let's Make a Make-Up Pencil Base

This is enough for a 50 gram batch. Is 50g a lot or a little?

For reference:

• Eyebrow and lipliner pencils generally contain 2-3 grams

• Lipstick is generally between 6-10 grams (depending on the container)

So this batch is enough for about 4 lipsticks and 10 eyebrow pencils.

LisaLise's Make-up Pencil Base

Ingredient	Grams
Cetearyl Alcohol	20.5
Jojoba (oil)	19.5
Beeswax	9.5
Vitamin E Antioxidant	0.5

Method

1. Weigh ingredients

2. Transfer wax, jojoba and cetearyl alcohol to a heatproof glass container

3. Melt slowly over low heat until thoroughly melted

4. Remove from heat

5. Add E-vitamin and stir thoroughly

6. Pour mixture into container

7. Allow to cool completely (without lid)

8. When set, store cool and dark until use.

TIP

Do not place the base into the refrigerator until it is fully cool or you risk condensation droplets (which are bad news for this preservative-free product).

TIP

A wine refrigerator has the perfect storage temperature (or, if you have a dedicated ingredients refrigerator, set the temp to the warmest possible temperature - that's about the same as a wine refrigerator)

Substitutions

Feel free to make all the substitutions and changes you like, but expect the texture, feel, and glide to change with EACH and ANY alteration. May I politely refer you to the bit above where I wrote about tweaking and testing for years. I've probably done as many different versions and tried as many different ingredient combinations as can be imagined.

That said, there are LOADS of different ways to do a base like this and get it right, so don't be afraid of making changes to achieve what YOU prefer.

How to Make a Make-Up Pencil with the Base

1. Weigh out the amount you need and place in a heatproof container

2. Melt slowly until thoroughly melted

3. Add desired pigment mixture

4. Test color on skin (BEFORE transferring to your container!)

5. Add more pigment (or base) and test again until happy with the coverage and look

6. Stir thoroughly and transfer to your final (containers)

7. Allow to set

8. Pat self on back for making your own awesome stuff!

Do Tell

If you decide to give this a try, I'd love hear how it turns out for you and if you made any changes. Please feel free to share in a comment below.

Interested in making your own water-based lip tint? The book below shows you how to make your own glycerine extracts and includes a formula for lip tint.

The Art of Making Glycerites for Cosmetics

The Eyeshadow Emergency

This picture pretty much sums up my reaction to the incident that resulted in my very first eyeshadow emergency.

I didn't realize one could even have an eyeshadow emergency.

But one can.

Mine happened in 2015.

Before it Happened

For years, I have made all of my own make-up. It's not only fun, but I find it quite therapeutic to mix pigments, make foundation, eyeshadow, highlighters, lipstick, etc.

Needless to say, shopping for anything in a make-up department – anywhere – just hasn't been on my to-do list for ages.

Until the time this happened.

When it Happened

It was a regular morning. I was putting on make-up. Eyeshadow, brushes, mascara, and other make-up-putting-on-necessities were on the table as per usual.

Suddenly – with no prompting of any kind – the only eyeshadow I simply cannot live without decided to jump off of the edge of the table and irretrievably deposit itself all over the floor.

No prompting, no bumping, no oops'ing.

Nothing.

It just took a flying leap into oblivion.

Really.

If Life had been Normal

If life had been normal, this would have been only mildly irritating and I could have pulled out my pigments, powders, and tools and within an hour have a brand new, perfectly matched replacement.

But, alas, life wasn't normal at all when this happened.

It was a mix of long-term-temporary home-living-space transitioning with remodelling madness going on.

And my labwork had been downsized to the barest of essentials.

And all of my make-up tools, pigments, and containers were packed away in semi-long-term-storage.

Almost beyond reach.

Panic - No, Don't Panic

My beloved perfectly-pearl-pinky-white-highlight color lay spilt across the floor. My equipment was almost beyond reach and my schedule was packed.

Panic time.

My husband, seeing the expression on my face, offered a solution. 'So, can't you just buy an eyeshadow to tide you over until you can get to your things again? No big deal, right?'

No big deal?

Long lost memories of relentless, fruitless trips to make-up departments that carried a gazillion products with either too much perfume, ingredients that made me itch, and ALL THE WRONG COLORS came flooding back.

But.

These were memories.

'Maybe he's right', I consoled myself.

Maybe it's better now. Maybe I can find a brand with no perfume – and with ingredients that won't make me itch – and with a color that's close enough.

Let's Buy Eyeshadow

It wasn't long before we were standing in the make-up section of a department store in search of a replacement eyeshadow. What happened next took me by surprise.

A tinkly voice behind me was saying 'May I show you our selections?'

I turned around with a smile as the saleslady continued 'All of our eyeshadows are really safe - they're all paraben-free'.

Aw, jeez.

My smile faded...

The Devil Made Me Do it

I really wasn't up for it, but this person had inadvertently just pushed the wrongest button on the planet. A little antagonistic devil popped up out of nowhere and I heard myself reply:

'Actually, I have allergies, so I can only tolerate make-up with parabens. Is there a brand in this store that contains parabens?'

'Uhmmm, hmmmmm...' came the flustered reply. 'Why don't you ask over there?' Her hand waved in a non-specific direction that encompassed the entire floor.

My husband, who was accompanying me, steered me away. For the record: he doesn't enjoy being in make-up departments. He only offers to accompany me so he can protect salespeople who dish out thumbsuck about cosmetics ingredients from my spontaneous lectures.

He's thoughtful that way.

Unfortunately, my antagonistic devil had taken hold, so I was now on a self-appointed quest for the a brand that contained parabens.

The Next Saleslady

The next friendly face who greeted us asked me to repeat, then took me completely by surprise by answering,

'It's certainly not very often we have people asking for parabens. They are, after all, the safest preservatives, but these scare campaigns have caused a lot of companies to change the preservatives they use. Let's have a look around and see if we can find something for you. Which color are are you looking for?'

I fell in love. Right then and there.

What a delight to meet an informed salesperson!

I told her so too. I complimented her on her knowledge and not being afraid to offer it as I followed her around the department from one brand to the next, checking ingredients lists and considering color choices.

I told her she was a ray of sunshine - a breath of fresh air - an angel.

I don't think she was used to that much praise. Her smile just kept getting bigger and warmer and brighter.

By the time we left with my chosen eyeshadow, she was all giggly.

It turned out to be a good day.

The Unexpected Bonus

There was an unexpected little bonus outcome from this whole incident.

My husband, who was all smiles until he noticed the prices on the products in the make-up department - offered an insightful comment as we were leaving.

I'm sure he had mentally tallied up the numerous products on my make-up table before saying, 'No wonder you make all your own stuff. I thought it was just because you like playing around with pigments'.

Well, yes, that too.

Do Tell

have you ever had an eyeshadow emergency? What did you do?

Below is a single formula from the Working with Shea Butter book if you want to make your own lip and cheek tint.

Lip and Cheek Tint Stick Formula

The Case of the Recycled Eyebrow Pencil

Pictured: a couple of eyebrow pencils I made along with a little pot containing the leftover mass that I didn't have enough pencil casings for. I really find it difficult to discard excess make-up I've made – even if it's a teensy little bit.

There are less than 5 grams in that little pot.

Also pictured above is a snazzy jazzy dial-up eyebrow pencil container with a pre-shaped tip that makes application absolutely fool proof.

You: But Lise, you make all your own makeup. Why do you have a commercially manufactured eyebrow pencil?

Me: I bought it at a time where I had run out of my own stock and we were traveling, and, well OK, I was totally and utterly wooed by that container.

Which Caused Cravings

I fell instantly in love with how easy the dial-up container was to use. This caused 'must have more' cravings. I researched and asked around and tried and tried my hardest to find a similar type of container for my own eyebrow pencils but alas, there was no joy to be had.

The dial-up container, by the way, holds a mere 0.34 grams. That's a third of a gram. In ounces, that's 0.012 oz.

One could definitely say this eyebrow pencil is all about the packaging.

For comparison: my own pencils hold about 3 grams each. But then, they don't have a super duper fool proof tip and they also have to be sharpened, so there is a loss of product during use.

The Daring Thing

While I was making up a batch of eyebrow pencils, I discovered to my horror that my stock of slim pencil casings was practically non existent.

Two.

And they didn't even match (as you can see above).

So I twisted the remainder of the snazzy jazzy eyebrow pencil up, snapped it off and discarded it so I could fill the case with my own product.

(insert small gasp of horror and delight)

And it worked, but my heavens it wasn't fun trying to fill it. Can we momentarily mention messiness and missing the tip a whole heck of a lot while trying to fill? It was embarrassingly messy and I don't even think a tenth of a gram made it into the casing, but it functioned and was wonderful – while it lasted.

But it Didn't Last

As you might imagine, the contents got used up real quick and it wasn't long before I needed a new pencil. When I popped open my stock cupboard to grab one, the little pot with leftovers gave me a shout.

"Helloooo?! How about me?!"

If you've made makeup pencils, then you know the pencil mass is somewhat softer than crayons or drawing pencils. Because they are makeup pencils and applied to skin, they need to go on smoothly and effortlessly with no drag.

I know you're seeing what happened next, aren't you?

The snazzy jazzy eyebrow container is hard and the mass is soft enough to dig into, so, yes, you guessed it! Simply jam the container into the pot of pencil mass and fill without making an embarrassingly huge mess.

I'll bet there's a full third of a gram in there.

And now you know where that indent in the middle of the pot came from.

My prediction: this eyebrow casing is going to be around for a loooong time.

Update: This is an updated post from 2019 and yes, I still have the casing and have since aquired 2 more.

Do Tell

Do you make make-up pencils and have fun ways to use the leftovers? Please share in a comment below.

Lip and Cheek Tint Stick Formula

Plant Color Stability - It's Possible

Pictured: Foundation (in tube) and highlighter (stick) accompanied by a few splotches of handcrafted plant extracts that are the colorants used to make these products.

I wish I could say it has been a snap to figure this out, but it has taken me more years than I care to admit to crack this code. These products - made in 2019 and still color stable - are a clear indication to me that it is indeed possible to make color stable colorants using only plants.

Next step: more skin tones.

That shouldn’t take more than a mere moment….

(insert smile)

Meantime: there’s a self-preserving bundle offer in the shop you might want to take a peek at if you’re interested in making your own self-preserving skincare.

Self Preserving BUNDLE