Back in high school, I asked my drama teacher if I could buy some of the thick stage makeup she had. She seemed a bit puzzled by my request since I wasn’t acting in the play, just helping out backstage. When she asked why I wanted it, I admitted that it was the only thing I found that could completely hide my acne. At that age, my skin was pretty bad. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that it was more about my diet of hamburgers and pizza during school lunch and hormonal changes than the many skincare products I was using.
Feeling sorry for me, she gave me some stage makeup, and I used it for years to cover up my acne. Today, my skin is much healthier and blemishes are rare, but I still remember how embarrassed and frustrated I felt about my skin back then. That stage makeup, thick and greasy as it was, likely made things worse, but I was desperate for a solution.
I don’t use makeup often now, but I wanted a natural concealer/highlighter for those formal occasions or when I’ve missed sleep and need to hide under-eye bags. This concealer/highlighter is like my homemade foundation but with more zinc and minerals for better coverage. It has less color so it can blend into the skin, and I wish I had discovered this back in my high school days!
To make a homemade base lotion for the concealer, you’ll need certain ingredients, along with others for color and coverage. If you prefer not to make the base lotion yourself, I suggest using a natural and non-comedogenic lotion as a base and mixing in colors and minerals to achieve the desired shade. I’ve tried two lotions that worked great on my skin.
Here are some important points to keep in mind: Adding more zinc oxide powder gives more coverage, while less results in a thinner coverage, perfect for highlighting. Start with small amounts to find what works best for you. I suggest working out the level of coverage by adjusting zinc and clays first, then using cocoa to match your skin tone. For darker skin, you’ll need less zinc and more cocoa. You might also use a mineral powder that matches your skin tone for easier blending.
This concealer also doubles as a fantastic highlighter for highlighting and contouring, a makeup technique that brightens and enhances facial features. Although there are many highlighting and contouring kits available now, I prefer using this concealer for highlighting and combining it with my natural bronzer for contouring. I apply both with a natural brush for blending.
There’s a typical highlighting and contouring pattern for accentuating the face: you apply lighter shades for highlighting and darker ones for contouring.
Interested in a powdered version? Check out my original homemade makeup guide. Do you create your own makeup? What versions have you tried? I’d love to hear about it!
