ruin your foundation.
Mineral eye shadows can be applied wet or dry. With wet applications you can create an intense,
long-lasting yet thin layer of color. You can use dark mineral shadows—dark gray, brown, purple,
emerald green—as liquid eyeliner by dipping a pointed eyeliner brush into water (not saliva!) and
tracing the upper lash line with a strong line of mineral color.
Mineral eye shadows can be applied wet or dry.
Here’s a trick of the makeup art trade: before starting an intricate, smoky eye design, apply a heavy
layer of translucent loose powder under your eyes. When you are done with the eye makeup, simply
whiff off the excess powder with a large brush. Be warned, though: the powder will soak up any
moisturizer you have under your eyes, so fine lines may look more prominent. Sometimes, after you
are done with the makeup application, you look closely in the mirror and realize that you need some
dramatic measures to get rid of wrinkles. Moments like this usually make me run and grab a pair of
sunglasses. But there’s a better way of hiding the lines around eyes. Simply and carefully dab some
hydrating organic mist under the eyes to set the foundation and soften lines. Any floral hydrosol
(steam-distilled flower water) will do the trick.
Natural eyeliners were invented long before eye shadows and even other types of makeup. Kohl, a
mixture of castor oil, soot, and other ingredients, was used predominantly by Middle Eastern, North
African, and Southeastern Asian women. Sometimes called surma or kajal in Southeastern Asia, kohl
has been worn traditionally as far back as the Bronze Age.
Traditional kohl is made by burning a white muslin cloth soaked in sandalwood paste in a mud
lamp filled with castor oil. The soot is then mixed with cow’s milk, butter, or castor oil. All the
ingredients are believed to have medicinal properties, and they are still used in ayurvedic therapy.
Organic charcoal can be used instead of castor oil soot.
Despite its natural preparation methods, kohl raised a lot of concerns in the 1990s, when
commercial kohl preparations from Egypt, Oman, and India were found to contain as much as 84
percent lead, putting its users at risk of lead poisoning. Complications of lead poisoning include
anemia, growth retardation, low IQ, convulsions, and in severe cases, death. However, those kohls
are completely different from Western cosmetics that only use the term “kohl” to describe the shade
and manner of application rather than its actual ingredients. Still, to be safe, purchase traditional
kohls only from a reputable manufacturer.
Wearing kohl liner is much easier than you think—if it were otherwise, do you think that Jack
Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy would spend ten minutes every morning on a
shaky ship to apply kohl around his eyes? Traditional kohl is applied using a metal or polished
wooden stick dipped into the kohl to color the inner rim of the eyelids, darkening lash roots so there’s
no skin visible. This adds amazing definition and depth to the eye. You can safely experiment with
Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl in beautiful shades of shimmery black, brown, and teal,
packed in a handy tube with a smooth metal applicator. To replicate a powdered kohl application,
you can also use a well-sharpened black eyeliner pencil. I highly recommend Dr. Hauschka butter-
soft Kajal Eyeliner. Soften the tip by quickly pressing it between your fingertips so it doesn’t hurt
your eye if your hand slips. Close your eye firmly and quickly run the pencil between the closed
lashes. I saw a girl performing this trick on an underground train! Of course, for the first application,
you would need to steady your elbow on a table to avoid any injuries. A smudge of organic kohl, a
coat of organic mascara, a dab of a natural lip balm, and you are all set for the day!