Black grease paint was used in the Edwardian era as alternative to liquid eyeliner to accentuate the eyes. Grease paint was usually sold in sticks covered in paper, sometimes protected by a cardboard tube. Grease paint sticks looked like wax crayons (here’s a picture of 1930s stick grease paints). This Edwardian black grease paint recipe is from 1916.
DIY Grease Paint Paper Wrapper

Because Edwardian grease paint came in stick form like wax crayon in a paper sleeve …
… I designed a paper wrapper in Word with a fictional company name inspired by Stein’s grease paint sticks, and printed it out.
Now roll the paper around a pencil …
… or a skewer.
And glue the banderole together with DIY wheatpaste.
Make a paper funnel to fill the black grease paint into the paper wrapper.
Edwardian Black Grease Paint Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 part lampblack (or black iron oxide)
- 1 part almond oil
- 3 parts cocoa butter
Triturate lampblack ‘to a smooth mixture with the oil; then add to the melted cacao butter’ (Henley’s Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes And Processes, 1916).
I melted all together: cocoa butter, oil and lampblack.
As soon as it’s melted, use the paper funnel to fill the grease paint into the paper banderole.

Here you’ll find my tutorial for DIY almond kohl and more recipes for homemade kohl, grease paint, mascara and eyebrow dye.
Lina, This is such an interesting post and recipe! Thanks for sharing it with us at Snickerdoodle!
Thanks for stopping by, Laurie! 🙂
So interesting. I would love to try it out!
Thank you! Let me know when you try it out. 🙂
A very interesting read, I’m not a make up person but I’m sure someone would love to give it a go.
Thanks!
This is so interesting. Seeing the kind of ingredients that you use for these homemade makeups you’ve been making really makes me think about what kind of ingredients are in shop brought cosmetics too.
Thanks for stopping by, Julie! 🙂
thanks for sharing love when I find great new post The jewelry is beatiful and the recipe is new to me as well
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Thank you!
Can i use beeswax instead of cocoa butter..??
I haven’t tried it with beeswax yet but I think you can use it instead of cocoa butter. Let me know if it works! 🙂
I love the recipe! Thanks! But the paper wrapper is closed at the bottom? Sorry but i can’t imagine how to refill ir…
Thank you! The paper wrapper is not closed at the bottom and you can’t refill it – you can use it only once.