Hacking My Cosmetics

I really didn't know what to write about today. But because I'm such a vain creature . . .

I've written about blending together Vaseline with lip balm and lipstick in a small dish to make tinted lip gloss. Today I'll tell you about 2 other makeup hacks that I've been using.

In the early months of this pandemic, I took a holiday from cosmetics other than moisturizing cream, lip balm, and the occasional under-eye concealer. But I have wanted to wear something sheer to even out my skin tone and add a pinch of pink to my pale winter cheeks. Doing so just makes me feel better when I glance into the mirror. And I'm hopefully more attractive to look at for the rest of my family.

My normal foundation is actually a tinted moisturizer. That sounds really light and sheer. On me, it feels heavy and like I have a lot of make-up on my skin. What I've been doing the past few months is making an even sheerer tinted moisturizer. 

You know those small plastic containers that come filled with condiments from take-out restaurants. I save them, give them a good washing, and reuse them for all sorts of purposes. In one of these small containers, I used a toothpick to blend together a small amount of my regular tinted moisturizer with an equal amount of my daily moisturizing cream. 

The resulting product is rich enough to add a layer of protection to my skin, while adding very sheer coverage to even my skin tone.

just a hint of coverage
(excuse my old lady,
wrinkly and veiny hands)

My other issue with my skin is that I'm normally quite pale. The blush I have is a hard-pressed powder. When applied on top of moisturizing cream, powder blush is difficult to get to go on smoothly. It streaks in places and in general looks too made-up on me. 

My solution has been to make my own cream blush, blending together my basic moisturizing cream and bits of my powder blush in a small container. I can apply this blush with a fingertip just after applying the ultra-sheer tinted moisturizer. I use a toothpick to pick out a small bit of the blusher from the compact and drop it into the small take-out container. Pressed powder blush can be grainy, so I then use the back of a spoon to crush the blush to a fine powder before blending in some moisturizing cream. 

I use a rubber spatula to then push all of the new cream blush into a lump, then cover the container.

my "new" cream blush adds
 barely-there color to my cheeks

Since I may change my mind or my skin may change it's needs, for now I'm just making small amounts of tinted moisturizer and cream blush.

Prior to hacking what I already had, I had been thinking about buying some cream blush. I had also searched for even more sheer tinted moisturizers than I normally wear. The thought of making something myself and saving some money really appealed to me. But the primary reason I decided to try blending my own products is that I already know that the products that I have at home work for my skin. At the same time, I could control the amount of coverage or tint that was in the final product. On days when I choose to add color or coverage to my skin, I simply use these hacked products in place of my regular moisturizing cream. So this has also simplified my routine.

Hacking makeup products isn't a new and novel idea. Only they didn't used to call them hacks, just sensible use of what one had. I remember my mother blending lipsticks together when she tried a new shade that didn't quite look right with her skin tone. I must have gotten my common sense use of my own cosmetics from her.

Today, hacking cosmetics has opened a new leg of the beauty industry. You can buy tints (shade adjusters) to customize your liquid products, and you can even buy empty palettes in which to put your customized blends. While I'm not inclined to go all in on this trend, I do like the idea of using a shade adjuster to correct the tone of a product that I've already bought if it's not right for me. And I will continue to mess around with the products that I already own.

Anyway, so much about my vanity.