Yesterday, I wrote a post about prison beauty tricks that female inmates from Florida wanted to offer to Paris Hilton. One of their makeshift beauty products, or “fake-up,” as they call it, was to use Crystal Light as a blush or lip color.

Always on the prowl for a Makeup Moxie Top Beauty Secret, I decided to investigate and conduct a few experiments using Cherry Pomegranate Crystal Light to make a homemade blush, lipgloss, or lipstain.

After double-checking that there wasn’t anything on the ingredient list that might be too irritating to the skin, I tore into my first little packet of Crystal Light.

Mistake #1: Without thinking, I poured a little of this stuff straight into my bare hand, added some water, and started mixing it with my finger. A split-second later, I realized I just dyed my hand and fingertip red. Ok, do over.

A couple dirty dishes and a few more red stains later, I came up with something that actually worked. Crystal Light makes a decent lip stain, but it’s really important that you top it with a high quality gloss or lip balm in order to prevent your lips from drying out.

Here’s how to make a lipstain using Crystal Light: Place a very small amount of dry, powdered Crystal Light in a clean glass container and add just enough water to make a thin, runny paste. Mix the paste well until it is smooth and all the crystals dissolve (add more water, if necessary). Remember not to use your hands because this stuff can stain. Use one of those mini cosmetic spatulas or a spoon.

Dip your lipliner brush into your new concoction and apply to lips as you would any lipstick or lipstain. Give the stain a moment to set and then top with a high quality, moisturizing gloss or lip balm. Any leftover lip stain that you want to save needs to be refrigerated.

The Pro’s: You get a long-wearing lipstain in a pretty, juicy-red cherry color..and it tastes ok too!

The Con’s: This stain can make your lips dry and be kind of difficult to fully remove, if you don’t like it.

Final Verdict: While I count my final experiment as a success, this is not something I’m going to use again.

And what happened with the homemade blush and lipgloss? They’re both “no go’s” for me. This stuff is too harsh for use on your face, so I gave up trying to use it as a blush. As for the lipgloss, I found that it was too difficult to get the powdered drink mix to adequately emulsify when mixed with lipgloss or petroleum jelly and you get better results with the lipstain method above.

Has anyone else ever tried this? Share your experiences, tricks, or tips here!