5 Natural Eyeshadow Recipes You Can Make at Home

Create your own custom shade with a few simple ingredients.

flat lay of ingredients needed to make natural custom diy eyeshadow

Treehugger / Sanja Kostic

Making your own natural eyeshadow at home is surprisingly easy. Homemade cosmetics also allow you to experiment until you find the perfect shades, while also avoiding some of the harmful ingredients that even products branded as "natural" may contain—like parabens and talc

For any of the recipes we’ve rounded up below, you can add your own choice of pigments—either a cosmetic-grade mica powder (available in a wide range of matte and metallic colors) or a natural pigment. Our favorite natural pigments include:

  • Cacao powder: brown
  • Clay: green, red, rose, or white 
  • Spirulina: green
  • Activated charcoal: black or gray 
  • Tumeric: gold
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Nourishing Beeswax Cream Eyeshadow

woman uses makeup brush to apply green diy natural eyeshadow

Treehugger / Sanja Kostic

Ingredients

  • 8 small beeswax pastilles
  • 1 teaspoon pure shea butter 
  • 1 teaspoon glycerin
  • 0.75 ml jojoba oil (approximately 24 drops)
  • 1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil
  • 2 teaspoons cosmetic grade mica powder or natural pigment (color of your choice)

Place the beeswax pastilles and shea butter into a microwave-safe jug or measuring cup (with a spout). Warm in the microwave on low heat for 10 seconds, then stir. Continue heating in 10-second increments and stirring until the wax and butter are completely melted together. This will take around a minute.

Add the glycerin, jojoba oil, and vitamin E oil and blend well. Add your chosen color of mica powder and blend. Transfer to a small sealed container and leave to set for 24 hours. Apply using your finger, a brush, or a sponge tip applicator.

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Natural Mineral Powder Eyeshadow

hand tests several bright colors of natural diy eyeshadow on wrist

Treehugger / Sanja Kostic

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 teaspoon bentonite clay   
  • 1/4 teaspoon arrowroot powder 
  • Natural pigment of your choice 
  • 2-3 drops jojoba or sweet almond oil

Mix the bentonite clay and arrowroot powders together until fully blended. Add the natural pigment of your choice until you’ve reached your preferred shade.

Add a few drops of oil and blend. Keep adding oil until the mixture is soft and all the powder has been absorbed. Store in a small sealed container. This mineral eyeshadow is also applied using your finger, a brush, or a sponge tip applicator.

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Natural Shimmer Eyeshadow

hand holds small container of glittery diy natural eyeshadow with makebrush brushes

Treehugger / Sanja Kostic

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 teaspoon arrowroot powder 
  • Natural pigment of your choice 
  • Pinch of white cosmetic grade mica powder 
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure shea butter

Blend the arrowroot and pigment in a small bowl. You can use individual pigments or blend them together. Add a pinch of mica for shimmer. Add more pigment or mica until you get the color and shimmer combination of your choice. Next, add the shea butter and blend well.

Be sure to store your shimmer eyeshadow in a sealed container. When ready to use, apply with a makeup brush, your finger, or an eyeshadow applicator.

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Simple Three-Ingredient Eyeshadow

rubbing alcohol, mica powder, and drops of oil for natural diy eyeshadow

Treehugger / Sanja Kostic

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 teaspoon cosmetic grade mica powder (color of your choice)
  •  A few drops of 91% rubbing alcohol
  • A few drops of oil (we like vitamin E, jojoba, argan, or sweet almond)

Place your cosmetic-grade mica powder in the small container you’re going to use to store your eyeshadow. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol until the powder is suspended in the alcohol.

Add a few drops of oil at a time until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Keep stirring until you notice the mixture starting to separate.

Leave the mixture for 20 minutes to allow any excess alcohol time to rise to the top of the mixture. Use a tissue or Q-tip to absorb any remaining alcohol.

Leave the eyeshadow uncovered for 5 hours to allow it to dry. Once set, put the lid on the container.

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Easy Creamy Eyeshadow

Treehugger / Sanja Kostic

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 teaspoon cosmetic grade mica powder (color of your choice)
  • 1/4 teaspoon unscented eye cream

Add the cosmetic-grade mica powder to the small container you plan to use to store your eyeshadow. Then, add the eye cream and stir with a toothpick.

This eyeshadow can be used right away, and its smooth consistency makes it easy to apply using your finger.