I Made My Own Makeup For 5 Days & This Is How It Looked

These days, people are DIY-ing just about everything — from jewelry to furniture and even skin-care products. It’s become so popular that a recent article even dubbed Millennials “Generation DIY.” I’m a proud Generation DIY-er myself, but despite my love of learning, I’ve mostly avoided the makeup realm. Whipping up face and hair masks in the kitchen, I can do — but creating a mascara or lipstick that actually looks good and lasts through the work day? The whole thing seems incredibly intimidating.

So, in the spirit of challenging myself, I decided to try 5 days of only wearing makeup I made myself, following YouTube tutorials and recipes I found on Refinery29. First, I created my very own Lucie Lip Kit, a dupe modeled after one of my favorite lip products, the Kylie Lip Kit. I also discovered a surprising ingredient to fill in my brows (because, as many people out there can relate, I can’t leave the house without doing my brows).

The biggest challenge, though, might have been making my own eyeliner. Typically, I err on the side of caution when it comes to eyeliner and opt for basic black or brown shades. Recently, however, I’ve been inspired by the graphic, colorful eyeliner looks floating around the internet (and on the likes of a certain Mi-Anne Chan), so I decided to mix my own blue liner and swap out my typical black cat-eye. And you know what? It might just become my new go-to.

So what did I learn? Well, it is actually quite easy to make your own makeup — I rarely used exact measurements and all the products turned out fairly wearable. Most importantly, however, I realized how much fun it is to play with color and swatches, and try out a new look for the first time. Watch my experiment above, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Editors’ Note: Some of the ingredients used, including lavender oil, might be irritating to some skin types. Always do a patch test first or talk to your dermatologist before attempting a DIY makeup recipe.

Click HERE to read more from Refinery29