Makeup through the Ages
Ancient Egyptians used facial clays and black eyeliners to deflect sunshine from their eyes, while protecting their skin from the scorching rays of a hot-desert sun, and some cultures still do this today. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s women began to develop colorful makeup shades to beautify their looks, probably after staining their fingers while preparing colorful fruits, and no longer wanted the bruises from pinching their cheeks for unnatural blush.
Free and natural makeup shades are available right from the foods your family is probably already eating, or growing, in and around your own garden. Take a weekend to experiment with some of the following money-saving techniques and ingredients, for application and removal of nature’s makeup.
Fragrant Color for Lips & Cheeks
Staining juices from berries such as acai, cranberry, strawberry, or other garden favorites such as cherries, and pomegranates, even beets or rhubarb can provide a lasting (non-permanent) stain for cheeks and lips. Adding a bit of warmed coconut oil (rubbed between fingers) over lip stains will provide a natural, edible gloss and makeup remover, as revealed in “Coconut Oil for a Beautiful New You”.
For cheeks apply with a clean small-pore makeup sponge, Kleenex, or fingertips, keeping in mind fingers will also stain. A lemon-juice dip can bleach unwanted finger staining, or lighten facial discolorations by dabbing effected areas with a lemon-juice soaked Q-tip.
Colorful flowers can also be used to tint cheeks by rubbing deep colored petals onto cheeks. I prefer to stick with known edibles for lips, such as rose petals and tropical hibiscus, as some flowers like Oleanders can be highly poisonous, so please don’t take the chance.
Colorful Eye Shadows & Eyeliners
The juice of blueberry, black grapes, or eggplant peel can provide semi-permanent blue and purple eye shadows. Keep purple onion stains away from sensitive eye areas, please (there are better options).
Charcoal shades are derived from morning-after burned fireplace or fire-pit logs. Gently scrape off blackened areas and crush/sift through a strainer, using only the powdery remains with a small eyeshadow brush.
Try painting brown eyeliners from coffee, in various strengths for depth of color, with a fine-tip makeup brush. Dark tea can offer lighter-brown and blonde-shade tints, and shadings for eye shadow or brow enhancement.
Scents, Foundation Tints & Spiced Bronzers
Tea and coffee can also be watered-down to a pleasing facial tint, or mixed full strength with coconut oil to use as a scented foundation. Apply to face with a makeup sponge to prevent tinted fingers, and make sure to avoid sensitive eye areas.
Glistening bronzers can be created using inexpensive or bulk brands of finely ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered-clove spices. Again avoid the eye areas, and dust aromatic holiday-spice bronzer over any skin type with a large blush brush, or mix with coconut oil for shimmering results.
For other enticing fragrances try spritzing the oil from lemon peels onto neck and wrists, or dab on a little vanilla extract (the age-old secret perfume of Latina women). For other alluring homemade fragrances to wear, as well as aromatically scenting your home, see the article “Homemade Rose Water, Oils, and Potpourris”.