Preface: Beauty the natural way has a whole new meaning. No I’m not going to talk about age old grandmother home remedies for a clear healthier skin. Quite honestly, I was never a make up or a fashion person to begin with.
You’re actually communicating with someone who’s idea of dressing up was literally putting things together and just landing up anywhere.
It wasn’t until recently that this semi-tomboy got out of her shell, started following fashionistas world over and groomed herself. Being a foodie after all also calls for making a statement at events isn’t it?
Then again not all of us can frequently afford high end makeup to stand out as that manages to burn more holes in our pockets than our stubborn calories. What if I tell you the answer to your problems lies right in your kitchen? What if what I’m about to share can actually give the makeup brands a run for their money? Behold God’s Makeover station.
Beetroot Lipstick and Blush
Always wanted a perfect red lipstick but couldn’t find the right shade? Well the answer to that is Beetroot! Yes you read that right. Mash them up and apply on your lips; and you’re ready to paint the town red!
Want a glossy finish? Apply petroleum jelly or good old coconut oil on your lips and SWAG on!
These not only stay the longest on your lips but also stick around even while you’re munching on your favourite snack or sipping drinks.
Be careful while applying these so that they don’t stain your teeth. Beetroot also serves as an alternative to blush. Simply slice a piece and rub it on your cheeks!
You could also try mashed blueberry, cherries and raspberry as lip shades too. And you thought you couldn’t be spoilt for choice!
Cocoa Powder Bronzer
Chocolate in any form is not only soul food but also serves as a food for the face.
While a good bronzer would cost you more than INR 1800 plus ( $27 OR more), Cocoa powder serves quite the perfect alternative like a pumpkin served as a horse carriage to Cinderella.
Mixed with coconut oil, the final product smells delicious and is beautiful when applied in a thin layer on your face where you would normally layer on bronzer.
Add rubbing alcohol with cocoa powder and place the mixture in an empty compact box and you got yourself a delicious smelling face powder. Just make sure you’re not devoured post application! 😉
Potatoes Matte
You’ve been told time on end that potatoes are an excellent remedy to remove any kind of blemishes, spots and dark circles; but it’s also a fantastic substitute to give you a long lasting matte finish to your makeup.
Simply take a slice of raw potato and dab it entirely on your face and neck post your make up and you got yourself a matte finish guaranteed to last you for hours!
The Natural Foundation
While researching for natural makeup, I came across varied places claiming to provide 100 percent natural replacements to heavy makeup. One place caught my fancy where the recipe to your own customised foundation lay on site.
Simply take some arrowroot powder, and then slowly add cocoa powder and cinnamon powder until you get a shade closest to your skin tone. Store the powder in a jar or old powder container and use a brush to apply.
If you want to make a solid foundation base or a cream foundation, you can add a few drops of lemongrass oil to it. This will make it hard as a compact and you can use it as a concealer too.
Simple but thoroughly mind blowing stuff!
Oreo Mascara
Teen blogger Katharine Ward has done the unthinkable in the world of makeup and managed to create a mascara from *hold your breath* Oreo cookies!
How did she do that?
First, the cream filling from the Oreo cookie is scraped out and biscuits are crushed to a fine powder inside a sealed zip lock bag using a spoon.
The Oreo crumbs are then mixed with a little water and a few squirts of face primer to form a cake like batter.
Katharine suggests using an empty lip balm tin cleant with rubbing alcohol in which to store the mixture.
The final product can then be applied to the lashes using a plain mascara wand. Bizarre but fascinating isn’t it?
Blueberry Eyeshadow
Think Blueberry and you start visualizing the blueberry cheesecake but hold your horses right there for these berries serve more than just your tummies. Blueberry flesh has a deep purplish-blueish colour that’s bold enough to be a perfect shade for your eye shadow.
Simply mash them up in a little dish and then apply to the upper eyelids with a Q-tip or your fingers. Apply a few layers letting the juice dry after each application.
If you’re a sucker for experimenting with colours; use baby powder and a dash of your favourite food colour- mix together until you get the colour pallette you desire.
You can apply this dry or with a bit of petroleum jelly, until you get a nice cream shadow.
You can even use cocoa powder for brown shade, spirulina sea weed or matcha green tea powder for green shades and arrowroot for lighter shades.
The Beer Hair Spa
Yes there are more productive uses of Beer than just consumption.
The malt based concoction contains proteins responsible for strengthening your hair and giving it a rich shine parlor like finish.
You could combine the drink with Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon Juice to clarify oily hair.
For extra strengthening mix beer with egg and apply on hair and washing it off. If deep conditioning is what you desire, use beer with honey and avocado and marvel at the results.
If you have oily hair, simply wash it off with a can of beer and you’re sorted.
And you thought only one brand shampoo brought out the “5 problems One solution” shampoo out in the market! Think again!
So go ahead. Thank me later. Raid your kitchen and show it to the world that soul food can become an eye candy too! Let me know if you tried any of these on the comments below or on A Pinch of Salt‘s page!
A Pinch Of Salt 