Adding lip gloss stick into lip balm?

[Oryx]

I am considering making my own lip balm using cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil, and beeswax, and adding some lip gloss (the stick kind) into the mixture to give it some color. I find that I can't wear most glosses at full strength, but a lot of them look nice just dabbed on. However, that means I have to layer something underneath, and if I can make a lip balm that has lip gloss mixed in, that would save me a step. I plan to add the lip gloss by melting small chunks into the lip balm mixture while it is liquid.

Probably other ladies on this forum have done this before. Did anyone have issues with this and/or can you think of anything that could go wrong? A lot of things tend to go wrong when I try DIY projects. I've never made my own lip balm, but I've made solid body butter with those 3 ingredients before and I would probably just need to add more oil in order to make it soft enough to use on the lips. Would the lip gloss go 'off' if I melt it?

On a side note, what is the closest match to Barcelona? It is MLBB on me, but it is no longer available. I found St. Tropez, which everyone seems to like, to be like my lip colour but not in a good way (more like I am cold/tired). I also like Genuine a lot.

Thanks for any suggestions/ideas you may have.

[Cupcake]

One of the happiest days of my young life was when my broken Black Label Peppermint wouldn't go back into it's tube so I mixed it with a tube of Precious, microwaved it for literally just a few seconds inside a suitable balm pot and it turned out like a dream come true. Precious Black Label, oh man alive, that's the stuff of fantasy.

Possibly the messiest and most wasteful project I've ever pottered with and I never want to do it again - mainly because the mad scientist in me would merrily turn it into a very expensive, ill-equipped and ill-educated new obsession. I've no idea if some of the goodness was ruined when I microwaved those oils and butters. Salvaging broken balms is one thing, but lippy making is best left to the experts.

[karen]

mainly because the mad scientist in me would merrily turn it into a very expensive, ill-equipped and ill-educated new obsession.

Guilty! Making lip balm at home is about like knitting socks. It's time consuming, frustrating at times, there's a big learning curve, and you could buy a pair of very fine cashmere socks for the price of knitting a pair of your own. And yet, I'm writing the pattern for my husband's birthday socks right now.

For me, balms are the absolutely most difficult things to formulate. The basics of balm making aren't difficult- you probably won't hurt yourself or your microwave by trying it, but it's really the rocket surgery of cosmetic formulating. Cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil, and beeswax probably won't give you the balm you're looking for, but it's a start. I'd say putter around with a base, and let it sit for a day or two then carry it around for a few days, and then if you like it start tinting it. Cocoa butter takes a few days to really firm up, so you won't know what it's really going to be like until after a few days. It also has a tendency to fractionate and get gritty so freeze it and thaw it a few times too.

Getting a base that suspends pigment is tough too...a lot of times they either float to the top, or sink to the bottom. Like I said- rocket surgery. It will drive you crazy.

[aud]

Not sure if this would help and I've not tried it myself, but I always thought it *might* be easier getting a DIY kit (like from TKB) and tweak the formula around from there with gradual substitutions?

[kookith]

On a side note, what is the closest match to Barcelona? It is MLBB on me, but it is no longer available. I found St. Tropez, which everyone seems to like, to be like my lip colour but not in a good way (more like I am cold/tired). I also like Genuine a lot.

Hi Oryx

I have nothing to add, because I've always thought it was simple enough to melt a few lippies and lip balm together and voila! It all worked out fabulously in my head and I've never actually tried it lol. After reading Karen's post, I'm beginning to realise it's not as simple as I thought!

Anyway, I have a brand new Barcelona on my swap list, and a tub of Genuine (when it was introduced as a GWP).

Swap list here. Please PM me if interested, and good luck with the mad scientist project!

[Oryx]

I have nothing to add, because I've always thought it was simple enough to melt a few lippies and lip balm together and voila! It all worked out fabulously in my head and I've never actually tried it lol. After reading Karen's post, I'm beginning to realise it's not as simple as I thought!

Anyway, I have a brand new Barcelona on my swap list, and a tub of Genuine (when it was introduced as a GWP).

Swap list here. Please PM me if interested, and good luck with the mad scientist project!

Exactly!!! That's what I thought, but then Karen answered and I realized that her lipbalms wouldn't have so many ingredients if 3 would do the trick. And I never thought about the density thing. I'm glad that I asked for input here first.

I wish I could swap for your Barcelona, but truth is I'm not much of a makeup junkie, so I really only buy what I need. Luckily, Genuine is still available so I would repurchase that if I run out of Barcelona.