Friday, October 10, 2014

My DIY Beauty Journey: Mad Scientist Cosmetics

The name was totally not mine lol. A good friend coined that term when she found out that I started dabbling in making my own range of cosmetics. The name remained in the end :P

Recently I became somewhat obsessed in trying to make my own batch of cosmetics (partly inspired by Pinterest - Beauty DIY hahahaha). I started hoarding some basic ingredients and lo and behold, my experimentation have begun! :D

****

My first attempt was pretty much a failure. I didn't snap any photo of that (I was too disappointed, and I had forgotten to take photos of my failure too lol!). Basically what happened there was that I had added in far too much beeswax, causing the concoction to be quite hard. A block of candle type of hard. So uhm yeah. It smelled yummy (vanilla scented) but virtually useless, unless I wanted to use it as a candle (gotta find a wick somehow) or re-melt it (which I didn't feel like it cause I don't have enough containers then lol. Going to be a waste either way).

****


Second attempt was better! This time, I had acquired cold-pressed, extra virgin coconut oil (how are coconuts virgin...? Hmmm...) to add on to my concoction. It was a better success, and I was pretty happy with the results :) This time, I made two separate batches: one part clear and the other had a dark red tint. Chocolate was my choice this time around for scent and flavor.

Ingredients used: Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (cold-pressed), Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil, Chocolate Flavoring (food essence), Cosmetic Grade Mica Pigments.

It was still somewhat 'hard' to my liking, but since it was stored in pots the balm 'melts' as I swirled my finger a bit in the pot to 'pick up' the balm. Sounds  like a success to me!

For this batch, I had offered a bunch of friends free giveaways as I wanted to know if the balms would be a hit.

@psychokuukie (Sept 15, 2014)
Used: Tinted Lip Balm
Before and after hahaha. So I was one of the lucky few who got to try Melissa 's homemade lip balm! And I heart it!Usually lip balms leave me feeling tacky as the texture's quite heavy, but yours is light and looks totally natural. I think the consistency now is fine cuz each swipe won't leave a huge dollop on my finger, and it's enough to keep my lips moisturized for a couple of hours.Love the smell of cocoa butter. I can sniff this taffy all day


@tarynsgate (Sept 29,2014)
Used: Clear Lip Balm
The lip balm feels quite velvety without being too oily or melty, which is great for our rather hot local weather. It melts to the touch which makes it even easier to apply. The primary ingredients are beeswax and virgin coconut oil so you get a nice coconutty scent alongside a whiff of mellow chocolate essence.

It feels quite moisturizing without that oily feeling so I like that part. But I'm not sure if I really like the chocolate scent but I'm still waiting on the peppermint one once it comes out XD I pretty much leave it in my office because the air conditioning is pretty cold and causes my lips to dry out so it's great I've got this heavy duty balm just sitting there when I need it.


@Roxana (Sept 30, 2014)
Used: Tinted Lip Balm
As promised, here is my review on Melissa's home-made lip balm. Here's what I think:
- I work in an air-conditioned office from 9 - 6 . My expectation for lip balms is for them to last at least until lunch time. It's already 12 now and as you can see, there is still a slight sheen on my lips. Minimal reapplication is needed.
- Texture is not sticky so that's another plus point. Trust me, you do not want a sticky lip balm.
- Since I am using a nude balm, it is easily layerable with my other lippies. Paired it with Clinique's Chubby Stick Intense Super Strawberry :)
- Generally I prefer my balms to be scent-free since I am super sensitive. The scent that is used here is pleasant and doesn't irritate my lips. Sensitivity-test, passed.
- The most important question : Does it dry out my lips? I am glad to report that I did not experience this at all.
- The second important question : Pricing. Starting from as low as RM10 for a cocoa/bubble-gum scented tube and RM5 for a pot, it's safe to say that the prices are easy on the wallet.
I can't think of any cons, except maybe...it doesn't have sunscreen in it? *demanding pulak XD*
Regardless, this lipbalm passes all my expectations so consider it a keeper! Get one (or 5 LOL) from her now :D

****

Itchy hands decided to start on a third attempt shortly after that! I was pretty excited at obtaining a bottle of Bubblegum scent (I felt like I was at a funfair sniffing on that!), cocoa butter, and some lip balm canisters.


Ingredients used: Cocoa Butter, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil(cold-pressed), Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Bubblegum Scent, Cosmetic Grade Mica Pigments.

Result?
Not bad! I love how light the balm is on my lips (amazingly enough, not super oily!) and the color is just nice to tint my lips without overdoing the color enhancement :P

Here's me (with my panda face after work) testing out the lip balm that I made. I didn't apply any photo filters, cause well, I wanted the photos to look natural lol. Hence the shadows on my photos (it was pretty dark by the time I took these photos heh).



Testimonials

@Lina304
Well my only negative thought was that my lips are too dark that the red tint doesn't show Y_Y;; But since it tastes so delicious i keep wearing it everyday anyway xD Ooh and it's very soft :V i like the feel on my lips that i keep applying them over and over orz

@geminianeyes
Lip Balm gives my lips a slightly more richer red, with a really pleasant scent!



Yay? Nay? Hurrah for Mad Scientist Silvy! \^o^/


P/S: I'd like to thank all my friends who had willingly provide me testimonials of my balms. Truly appreciate all feedback be it positive or negative, as this will help me in developing better batches in future too :)

No comments: