Welcome to the home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys)! Here you’ll find over 5,000 posts and formulas written over the past 16 years for everything from lotions, creams, and body butters to hair care products to fancy facial products filled with actives and cosmeceuticals! Enjoy the site without distractions – no ads, pop ups, sponsored posts, affiliate links, “one weird tricks” – all supported by readers like you.
As my back is giving me serious trouble today, the post “Creating a blush base with boron nitride and bismuth oxychloride” will not be seen today. Instead I bring you fun with colours!I always think of mineral make-up as the melding of science and art in a beautiful product you can wear on your face....
Boron nitride is a hexagonal mineral polymer with excellent chemical and thermal stability. It’s used in mineral make-up as a texturizing agent to offer slip, glide, and sheen. It is an excellent alternative to bismuth oxychloride as it offers many of the same qualities. Boron nitride is a talc substitute with a smooth, silky feel...
Ah, finally back to molecules for my illustrations! Magnesium stearate (or octadecanoic acid) is a metallic soap that insoluble in water. It’s all about the adhesion with this ingredient. Because it repels water, it will keep your products on your skin all day long, and because it’ll absorb oils, it’s a a good choice for...
Bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) is yet another white powder used in mineral make-up. It’s an extremely hydrophobic alkaline organic salt, which means it will stay on your skin well throughout the day and will improve the wear time for all products in which you include it. It imparts a pearlescent effect at higher micron levels (the...
So you’ve made a translucent base, but you want something a little more opaque to cover more of what you consider your imperfections. (And yes, I know the colour in the picture is not going to be a great foundation for most people. It is doubleplus ungreat for my pale with lots of red skin....