Foundation make-up is one of the hardest things to make yourself because it’s hard enough to match your skin tone to the store-bought brands, and mixing your own can be that much more difficult. But have no fear, because I have a simple recipe that you can use for all skin types and you can adjust the color to whatever you need it to be to match your skin tone.

Plus, it’s great for your skin. We’ll break down each ingredient and see how they work to make your skin healthier and younger looking.

Arrowroot Powder:

Arrowroot powder is great for your skin because of it’s ability to allow other ingredients to penetrate the upper levels of your skin and increase your skins ability to absorb and retain moisture, which always makes your face look fresher and younger. It makes your skin silky smooth and can even be used medicinally to treat cuts, scrapes, sores and burns. It also acts as a thickening agent and will help your natural foundation powder stay on longer.

Arrowroot powder also has a very neutral color and texture, so it’s great to use in make-up recipes because it works well with a variety of other ingredients.

Bentonite Clay:

Bentonite Clay is also great for your skin. You’ll see it used a lot in facial masks because of its ability to cleanse and purify your face. If you mix it with water, it develops a negative charge that will draw toxins from your skin. It also contains a variety of minerals that unclog and shrink your pores, help control oily skin, and reduce breakouts. Make sure you don’t use too much of this in your foundation powder though, because it may dry out your skin if your skin is sensitive.

Raw Cocoa:

Raw cocoa is amazing at healing your skin and reducing signs of aging. It’s packed with antioxidants that help fight free radicals and remember, whatever you put on your skin is absorbed into your body, so those qualities go beyond just your skin’s surface. It makes your skin appear brighter, more vibrant and, consequently, more youthful.

Essential Oils:

Now this is an optional ingredient and depending on which essential oils you use, they have different benefits for your skin. For example, a mixture of geranium, sandalwood, lavender and frankincense is great for reducing wrinkles, while tea tree oil is great for treating acne. If you’re going just for scent, lavender and peppermint are great options and peppermint can be a great way to wake yourself up in the morning. Try your own combinations and see what works for you.

Tips: These ratios are approximate. I would start by mixing the arrowroot powder and bentonite clay and then slowly add and mix the raw cocoa powder until you reach your desired skin tone. And don’t worry if you add too much cocoa, you can balance it out by adding back additional clay and arrowroot powder.

The last few times I’ve made this recipe, I didn’t use any essential oils, but if you do, I would mix them together first before adding to the rest of the ingredients, to make sure you’re going to like the scent. After all, this mixture will be on your face and may be difficult to manage if the scent bothers you.