Make Your Own Mineral Eye Shadow
Mineral eye shadows aren’t difficult to make. By using the basic color wheel, you can create all the eye shadow colors you could ever want. There are hundreds of micas, or colorants, available to choose from, so you’ll have lots of fun experimenting to come up with new shades. Here are some great grinds get you started, and hopefully inspire you to create your own fantastic color grinds!
Where to Get Supplies
All of the micas in the following recipes are from TKB Trading (tkbtrading.com), and all the micas in the following recipes use the TKB name so you can easily find them if you want to make these exact blends. You can blend the micas with just other micas and have a beautiful resulting color, but you can also have some fun by creating more color-intense shadows by adding little oxide or TKB Trading Purely Matte Texture Base for Eyes to the mica.
Tip: mica eye shadow is applied a little differently from commercial eye shadow. Try using a brush if you want a less-intense color. Use a sponge-tip applicator for a heavier and more intense look.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you need to make eye shadows:
- Coffee grinder or mortar and pestle
- Scale that measures grams
- Small scoops
- 3mm pipettes (droppers)
- Waxed paper
- Set of 5 TKB stainless-steel measuring spoons (Tad, Dash, Pinch, Smidgen, and Drop sizes)
- Small paper cups or small lightweight bowls
- 10-gram sifter jars
- Alcohol
- Paper towels
- Face mask
- Latex gloves
- 6-inch dowels the diameter of the jars (for making pressed eye shadows) or TKB’s pressing tools
Tip: Be sure your 10-gram sifter jars and other supplies as well as your workspace are all clean and sanitized. And always wash your hands thoroughly before you begin.
The Instructions
These are the basic instructions for creating any eye shadow, and apply to all of the recipes in this guide.
- Place a piece of waxed paper on your counter in front of you. Set your scale to grams or ounces. Place a small paper cup on the scale, and push the tare button to zero out the weight of the cup.
- Weigh the first oxide or mica. Transfer it to the coffee grinder or mortar. Put the cup back on the scale, and again push the tare button. Continue weighing each colorant until you have all transferred and ready to grind.
- Grind the colorants for several seconds. Check your color by rubbing a little of the blend on the back of your hand. Make adjustments if needed.
- Add the jojoba oil. Use a 3mm pipette to add 2 drips of preservative, and grind again. (For pressed shadow, use a 3mm pipette and add 6 drops of jojoba oil.) Grind for 1 minute to ensure the liquids are well distributed throughout the dry colorants.
- Fill your 10-mililiter sifter jar by spooning in a little shadow at a time. If you’re pressing the powder, it’s time to use the 6-inch dowel. Spoon half the shadow into the jar, press the dowel on top, and tap on the top of the dowel to press the shadow tight. Fill the jar with the rest of the shadow, and repeat tapping with the dowel. To have a full 10-gram jar of pressed eye shadow, you will need to double the recipe for the color grind.
- Place the lid on the jar, and store until you’re ready to use.
Each of the following recipes makes enough grind to fill a 10-gram sifted jar. For pressed shadow, double the recipe so that you have enough to completely fill the jar.
Recipe 1: Bright ’N’ White
A stark white shadow with a sparkle, perfect as a highlighter. Choose the Hilite mica that matches your eyes.
Titanium dioxide: .1 ounce (2.8 grams)
Bismuth Oxychloride Diamond Sheen: .15 ounce (4.3 grams)
Hilite Green (for green eyes): .15 ounce (4.3 grams)
Jojoba oil: ⅛ teaspoon (.6 mililiter)
Preservative: 2 drops
Recipe 2: Forget-Me-Not
A beautiful and intense medium blue that has a flip of purple.
Grape Pop mica: .1 ounce (2.8 grams)
Blueberry Pop mica: 1 ounce (2.8 grams)
Omega Blue mica: 2 Dashes
Jojoba oil: ⅛ teaspoon (.6 milliliter)
Preservative: 2 drops
Recipe 3: Smoky Brown
A deep silvery-brown shadow you can use to create the smoky eye look.
Dark Brown oxide: .05 ounce (1.4 grams) plus 1 Dash
Black mica: .05 ounce (1.4 grams)
Grape Pop mica: .05 ounce (1.4 grams)
Bronze Fine mica: .2 ounce (5.7 grams)
Jojoba oil: ⅛ teaspoon (.6 milliliter)
Preservative: 2 drops
Recipe 4: Surrender to Me
A medium sage green with a soft sheen that’s perfect for day wear.
Deep Green mica: .2 ounce (5.7 grams)
China Jade mica: .1 ounce (2.8 grams)
Gold Fine mica: .1 ounce (2.8 grams)
Jojoba oil: ⅛ teaspoon (.6 milliliter)
Preservative: 2 drops
Recipe 5: Rich and Deeply Peach
A deep, dark, and intense peachy-brown tone. This shadow complements brown and hazel eyes beautifully. It is an intense shadow, so use a brush for application.
Aladdin’s Lamp mica: .2 ounce (5.7 grams)
Bronze Fine mica: .1 ounce (2.8 grams)
TKB Trading Purely Matte Texture Base for Eyes: .1 ounce (2.8 grams)
Jojoba oil: ⅛ teaspoon (.6 milliliter)
Preservative: 2 drops
Now that you’ve got the hang of it, experiment with color combinations of your own, to make your perfect eye shadow. Good luck, and happy grinding!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Natural Beauty Products by Sally W. Trew with Zonella B. Gould
