In my previous post, I showed all the foundation mixes I bought. After trial and error and a sore hand, I basically mixed a satisfying matching mineral foundation. Not only that, I learned a few more things about pigments.
If you have any qualities of being a perfectionist, mixing foundations will push them to the limits. I, at first, thought just mixing the foundation pigments would be a breeze but in actuality, these matte pigments have a personality of their own.
First, if you are a neat freak and want to mix your own mineral foundations, you have to let go of neatness. The pigments will make a mess for you. Second, I suggest you buy an already pre-mixed foundation base and pre-mixed foundation colors. I bought mine from the DIY Cosmetics sale.
I used two sizes of scoops, a large 1 gram size and a small 0.15 gram size. You can see how these compare to the size of a teaspoon. For my foundation mix, I started with the Fair foundation mix, a layer of wax paper or parchment paper for mixing, a steel spatula. Mortar and pestle became optional for me as you will see.
1 - I started with just two small scoops of foundation mix to three big scoops of foundation base. This doesn't sound like a lot but it is better to start lighter and go dark.
2 - See the little specks of color? Those need to be mixed and blended into the base. Many suggest a mortar and pestle for mixing. Yes, good items to have but you really need manual labor to blend it into an immaculate finish. More on this later.
3 - As the mixing starts, I had to press down the color and crush the pigments into the base. This will create streaks. Those streaks should disappear. I say should in this case.
4 - You can see the color difference of just those two little scoops color when blended compared to just the foundation base.
I pretty much thought I would be happy after the mix of step 4 but when I tried a bit on my face, I noticed the whiteness of the base and this is when the perfection side of me plugged in. I decided to mix it more. I mixed in the pigments even harder. There are still streaks of color left and those had to disappear. There is a crunching sound when matte minerals are crushed.
Here, you can see the difference between the minerals which were mixed, more than the previous just by the color.
After a good 15 minutes of crushing and blending with a spatula, the crunching sounds disappeared and the slight glow or sheen appeared. I am guessing this is from the massive amount of heat caused by the friction of blending. I learned the more well-blended the foundation is from the beginning, the creamier the texture and evenness of pigment when applied onto skin. There is no reason to buff it into skin or even worry about any of the whiteness.
What is also important when mixing, is to write down the formula.
The swatch above shows or doesn't show the finished powder. The color is pretty much a match.
Final Thoughts
For me, mixing my own mineral foundation was like a meditation period. I liked the process of watching the pigments mix into the base and hearing them crunch. Then to see how it glows when it is well mixed. I guess you could say it was an experience other than looking into the virtual world; I had to use my senses and judge which is really invigorating in this day and age of digital dependance!
I learned matte pigments are a pain! They always have to be crushed to be mixed. Yes, a mortar and pestle do come in handy to mix but only to a certain point. They won't crush everything. However, I can understand the need when doing bulk because this is manual labor.
I also learned pigments have to be treated differently, matte ones have to be crushed and the pearlescent micas can only be mixed. They can't be crushed or they lose their character. So, the order in which pigments are mixed have to be well thought out.
Another point when mixing, there will be many mistakes which means wasted product. Believe me, when I started my pigpen, I expected a neat little train case of pigments. Now, it is more like a pigsty of experimental products. I would say I used up half of what I bought just for learning and understanding the process and character of the pigments.
Would I ever create my own personal mix of foundation from scratch? I would like to try some day. I do like how pigments can create different skin tones and learn the various undertones but for now, I find my bag full of fair foundation pigments works perfectly on my skin.
I admit I had fun doing this for myself. Would you ever try to mix your own mineral foundation? There are kits available from various sites. Or have you done it already? Tell me what you think.
By the way, I did make some eyeshadows from these foundation bases. That will be a future post also. Stay tuned!
Olivia
*All bought by me.*
