HOMEMADE RED LIP TINT
I happen to love red lips, however, red lipstick can be high maintenance and look, well, high maintenance and made up . I have been on a homemade kick lately. With that said, I have been researching online for homemade makeup alternatives and have seen plenty of posts about using kool-aid as a lip stain. Honestly, I was like "What, no way! A perfect red lip for less than 25 cents that lasts all day! Your crazy!" It's to good to be true. Well, sort of . Let me explain.
Most posts call for you to simply open a pack of red kool-aid (I use the Tropical Punch flavor as it gives me the best red color), wet a q-tip or your finger (beware it will stain your finger if you do this) and rub it on your lips, let dry, dust off leftover crystals and go. Simple, right. Well, yes, but there is a terrible downside.
First, unsweetened kool-aid in the little packs taste not so good, its bitter, and it BURNS, yes, it burns your lips. Well, at least it burns mine, and it burns something awful. Sorry, I don't like burning lips. On top of that, its so messy.
So being as stubborn as I am, I was determined to make this work, and save me a small fortune in red lipstick (although I do love my red lipstick and have no problem spending a few dollars on it).
There are plenty other posts online about making a kool-aid lip balm by using a pack of kool-aid added to a tub of melted vaseline and viola! Lip balm. Hmmmm, I'm thinking about combining this idea, Ohhhh yeah, this may just work.
Here we go,
1 tablespoon of vaseline (petroleum jelly)
I get the generic at the dollar store for a dollar, its all the same for this.
1 full packet of tropical punch kool-aid
( I use tropical punch because it gives me the best true red, you can try whatever you like. Mind you, the finished product is not the same shade as what it turns out as on your lips. To know the true color of the kool-aid "lipstick" , add a drop of water to a bit of the plain kool-aid. When the kool-aid meshes with the water, that gives you the true shade.)
( 1 packet of unsweetened kool-aid equals 1 1/4 teaspoons just in case you were wondering. Yes, I actually measured. Sorry , I am kind of O.C.D.)
1/2 teaspoon of sugar (this is optional but trust me, kool-aid unsweetened tastes awful and again, it BURNS! The bit of sugar is more than worth it)
tooth picks
small glass bowl
little container for finished tint-
I used old Smiths Rosebud Salve tin I had saved because I liked the tin, but any old lipgloss pot, lipstick tube, chapstick tube, or old eye cream pot would work. If you don't have one of these go to the dollar store, any tiny container would work. Fact is, I may make lip balm for my nieces next Christmas and the dollar store has a 10 pack of small "tupperware" containers for a dollar. They have both round and square. They are slightly bigger than a standard lipgloss pot but for the price I don't care.
Lets get to it!
Melt vaseline in a glass container, in the microwave, for 2 minutes. It will not look melted. Stir with a toothpick (trust me, tooth picks make much eaiser clean up because you just throw the tooth pick away) the vaseline will melt when stirred.
Next, add the sugar slowly and stir, stir, stir. Again, optional, but I won't make it without it.
Then, VERY SLOWY add the kool-aid and stir, stir, stir. If you add the kool-aid too quickly you will get "clumps" that WILL NOT MELT and you have to throw it all away. Slow is the key.
If the vaseline starts to set back up, put back in microwave for 20 seconds. Pull out and stir, stir, stir. Put back in for another 20 seconds if needed and-----
Stir, stir, stir. Then stir some more and more and more.
Pour into your container of choice and put in fridge for about an hour or let set up at room temp. over night.
To use- apply to DAMP lips with a BRUSH. If your lips are bone dry you won't get any color (the kool-aid needs "water" to form color) and if you use your fingers it will stain- badly, again, this is a stain.
I actually use a $1 E.L.F. essentials concealer brush, that I got at Kmart as my lipbrush.
I was shocked by the color I got. It was a bright, yet natural red, but still red, realy red shade that actually looked as good as my red lipstick, just more "real".
I am trying to perfect this recipe because it came out very, very gritty. (that is why I am enforcing the whole stir, stir, stir thing.) I have to lick and rub my lips together to melt the grit and give it full color. However, it is much, much more gentle and user friendly than using straight kool-aid as a stain. I don't think I stirred enough during my " I-got-it- almost-right" batch because I got impatient. I wasted 7 packs of kool-aid and a half a tub of vaseline trying to get this recipe down. Its still not perfect but if you want a cheap, yet, better alternative to the plain kool-aid lip tint seen on Pinterest or other posts try this.
I will use this daily all summer long. ( I wear red lipstick every single day) Its great for my less formal functions , like B-B-Q's, boating or motorcyle rides, when my full on red lipstick looks a little out of place.
To be honest, I don't know yet if this is going to be a permanent replacement for my regular red lipstick and some of you may say "Oh girl, your nuts!! I'm just gonna spend the $ for my lipstick cuz' this ain't worth the trouble". But, if you want something long lasting, a bit more natural, and dirt cheap (com'on its pennies compared to at least $2.00- $5.00 for a decent cheap drugstore red lipstick), it may be worth the try. It can be a bit messy and the kool aid can stain everything. I recomend putting newspaper or a plastic bag down on your work area. Plus to wash the vaseline out of your glass container is a greasy mess. Nevertheless, I am very pleased with the finished product when it 's all said and done.
No comments:
Post a Comment