diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7c11fe8..b86911a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -256,16 +256,13 @@ of mixins.
 Making an easy concrete class that doesn't need to initialize things:
 
 ```cpp
-struct concrete : ciabatta::mixin<concrete, stdout_logger, frobnicator> {
-};
+using concrete = ciabatta::mixin<stdout_logger, frobnicator>;
 ```
 
-Or maybe something more complicated that does initialize things:
+Or maybe something more complicated that needs to initialize things:
 
 ```cpp
-struct concrete2 : ciabatta::mixin<concrete2, ostream_logger, frobnicator, echoer> {
-    concrete2(std::ostream& out_) : mixin(out_, "my prefix") {}
-};
+using concrete2 = ciabatta::mixin<ostream_logger, frobnicator, echoer>;
 ```
 
 For completeness, the test driver:
@@ -275,7 +272,7 @@ int main() {
     concrete c;
     c.frobnicate();
 
-    concrete2 c2{std::cerr};
+    concrete2 c2{std::cerr, "my_prefix"};
     c2.frobnicate();
 }
 ```
@@ -336,8 +333,7 @@ struct is_socket : Base, abstract_socket {
 And now we can make our concrete `null_socket` class:
 
 ```cpp
-struct null_socket
-    : ciabatta::mixin<null_socket, null_sender, null_receiver, is_socket> {};
+using null_socket = ciabatta::mixin<null_sender, null_receiver, is_socket>;
 ```
 
 *Note:* `is_socket` has to be last if you want the ability to mark member
@@ -347,11 +343,10 @@ If you don't want to define a new class just to inject an abstract interface,
 *ciabatta* has your back:
 
 ```cpp
-struct null_socket2
-    : ciabatta::mixin<null_socket2,
-                      null_sender,
-                      null_receiver,
-                      ciabatta::mixins::provides<abstract_socket>::mixin> {};
+using null_socket2 = ciabatta::mixin<
+  null_sender,
+  null_receiver,
+  ciabatta::mixins::provides<abstract_socket>::mixin>;
 ```
 
 ### Templated Mixins
@@ -373,13 +368,10 @@ To use `provides` as-is, we can just supply the `interface` parameter to
 `curry`, like so:
 
 ```cpp
-struct null_socket3
-    : ciabatta::mixin<
-          null_socket3,
-          null_sender,
-          null_receiver,
-          ciabatta::curry<provides, abstract_socket>::mixin> {
-};
+using null_socket3 = ciabatta::mixin<
+  null_sender,
+  null_receiver,
+  ciabatta::curry<ciabatta::mixins::provides, abstract_socket>::mixin>;
 ```
 
 In fact, this is what `ciabatta::mixins::provides` does with its `mixin`
diff --git a/include/ciabatta/ciabatta.hpp b/include/ciabatta/ciabatta.hpp
index 9165f65..fd42de7 100644
--- a/include/ciabatta/ciabatta.hpp
+++ b/include/ciabatta/ciabatta.hpp
@@ -61,16 +61,21 @@ struct chain_inherit<Concrete, H> {
 template <typename Concrete, template <class> class... Mixins>
 using mixin_impl =
     typename chain_inherit<ciabatta_top<Concrete>, Mixins...>::type;
-
-}  // namespace detail
-
+  
 template <typename Concrete, template <class> class... Mixins>
-struct mixin : ::ciabatta::detail::mixin_impl<Concrete, Mixins...> {
+struct mixin_base : ::ciabatta::detail::mixin_impl<Concrete, Mixins...> {
   template <typename... Rest>
-  constexpr mixin(Rest&&... rest)
+  constexpr mixin_base(Rest&&... rest)
       : ::ciabatta::detail::mixin_impl<Concrete, Mixins...>(
             static_cast<decltype(rest)>(rest)...) {}
+};
+  
+}  // namespace detail
 
+template <template <class> class... Mixins>
+struct mixin : ::ciabatta::detail::mixin_base<mixin<Mixins...>, Mixins...> {
+  using ciabatta::detail::mixin_base<mixin<Mixins...>, Mixins...>::mixin_base;
+  
   mixin() = default;
   mixin(mixin const&) = default;
   mixin(mixin&&) = default;
diff --git a/test/example.cpp b/test/example.cpp
index 1b5e990..806b0b1 100644
--- a/test/example.cpp
+++ b/test/example.cpp
@@ -41,16 +41,15 @@ struct frobnicator : Base {
 
   void frobnicate() const { this->self().log("frobnicate."); }
 };
-struct concrete : ciabatta::mixin<concrete, stdout_logger, frobnicator> {};
-struct concrete2
-    : ciabatta::mixin<concrete2, ostream_logger, frobnicator, echoer> {
-  concrete2(std::ostream& out_) : mixin(out_, "my prefix") {}
-};
+
+using concrete = ciabatta::mixin<stdout_logger, frobnicator>;
+
+using concrete2 = ciabatta::mixin<ostream_logger, frobnicator, echoer>;
 
 int main() {
   concrete c;
   c.frobnicate();
 
-  concrete2 c2{std::cerr};
+  concrete2 c2{std::cerr, "my_prefix"};
   c2.frobnicate();
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/test_chained_init.cpp b/test/test_chained_init.cpp
index 09c7d31..7e60957 100644
--- a/test/test_chained_init.cpp
+++ b/test/test_chained_init.cpp
@@ -36,10 +36,7 @@ struct fragment_b : B {
   int w;
 };
 
-struct composite : ciabatta::mixin<composite, fragment_a, fragment_b> {
-  constexpr composite(arg1 a1, arg2 a2, arg3 a3, arg4 a4)
-      : mixin(a1, a2, a3, a4) {}
-};
+using composite = ciabatta::mixin<fragment_a, fragment_b>;
 
 }  // namespace test_chained_init
 
diff --git a/test/test_provides.cpp b/test/test_provides.cpp
index 57a0887..56d1372 100644
--- a/test/test_provides.cpp
+++ b/test/test_provides.cpp
@@ -26,22 +26,17 @@ struct is_socket : Base, abstract_socket {
   CIABATTA_DEFAULT_MIXIN_CTOR(is_socket, Base);
 };
 
-struct null_socket
-    : ciabatta::mixin<null_socket, null_sender, null_receiver, is_socket> {};
-
-struct null_socket2
-    : ciabatta::mixin<null_socket2,
-                      null_sender,
-                      null_receiver,
-                      ciabatta::mixins::provides<abstract_socket>::mixin> {};
-
-struct null_socket3
-    : ciabatta::mixin<
-          null_socket3,
-          null_sender,
-          null_receiver,
-          ciabatta::curry<ciabatta::mixins::provides, abstract_socket>::mixin> {
-};
+using null_socket = ciabatta::mixin<null_sender, null_receiver, is_socket>;
+
+using null_socket2 = ciabatta::mixin<
+  null_sender,
+  null_receiver,
+  ciabatta::mixins::provides<abstract_socket>::mixin>;
+
+using null_socket3 = ciabatta::mixin<
+  null_sender,
+  null_receiver,
+  ciabatta::curry<ciabatta::mixins::provides, abstract_socket>::mixin>;
 
 int main() {
   null_socket s1;