Make It Up: The Essential Guide to DYI Makeup & Skin Care

I picked up Make It Up: The Essential Guide to DYI Makeup & Skincare because it looked interesting and because I was curious. I have a friend who works in the beauty industry, and, for the past several months, she's been posting all sorts of "natural alternative" stuff on Facebook. Articles ranging from practical to trendy to completely out there. I'm not sure if she actually tries any of the tips she shares, but one thing's for sure: If something pops up enough on your Newsfeed, you can't help but eventually take notice and, at the very least, do a bit of research.

So when Make It Up appeared on our New Book shelf, I thought it sounded like a fun book to browse. And who knows: Maybe I could even find a few simple recipes to try. After all, I already know how to make lip gloss using petroleum jelly, Kool-Aid powder, and a bit of coconut oil. We did it for a library program a few years back. And it was easy and fun. Simple.

And I am all about simplicity.

Well... This book is anything but that. Sure, it is packed with recipes on how to make everything you could find at Sephora or Rite Aid (or wherever) and more, and while many of the ingredients are natural (healthier?), it's lacking in the area of accessibility. 

A few of the ingredients, like Coconut Oil and corn starch, are easily available at your local grocery store. Most, though... Where would one even begin to locate them? Online, maybe. But that could quickly get expensive. Likely more so than purchasing the ready-made product outright. And then there's the matter of measuring and mixing and brewing, all of which is time consuming and probably difficult. And what if you mess the recipe up? Or get the color all wrong? Then you're out on all counts. Bummer. 

Overall, the book seems more like a lesson in advanced chemistry (or Potions, if you prefer) than a DYI beauty guide. In short: The recipes seem more trouble than they're worth. It's easier (more cost effective, less time consuming) to stop by your local drug store and just buy the cosmetics you need. 

--AJB