Natural Beauty || Non-Toxic Makeup [Pt. 1]

*This post originally went live in May 2017. 

(Disclaimer: I am not an expert, nor do I know everything about the ins and outs of the beauty industry. I have educated myself on the issues surrounding the chemicals that are loaded in our cosmetics and skincare products, and have made it my mission to try to clean up my act (literally). That being said, I am not perfect by any means, and have been slowly transitioning my makeup products to clean, organic and natural options. Everyone is different, and everyone is entitled to his or her own decisions when choosing makeup, I just choose to avoid putting unnecessary chemicals on my skin.  Also note: I have been sent some of these products for free. However, the reason why the products appear on my blog/Instagram is because I whole-heartedly believe in them. I will not promote products on my channels that I do not fully support.)

HELLO FRIENDS! I have wanted to write this post for quite some time, but I am finally getting around to it. This series is REALLY important to me for a multitude of reasons. You might’ve seen me ranting on my Instagram stories about my general hatred towards the beauty industry in regard to the blatant lies that are spewed at us on a daily basis.  We have all become accustomed to not being able to pronounce the ingredients that are in our beauty and skincare products, which absolutely baffles me now that I know what I do about the industry. I find it insane that companies can LEGALLY add known carcinogens to their products, and they dismiss the [literal] poison as being “ok” for human use since it is in such small doses. Those “small doses” really add up if you’re using these products DAILY, dontcha think!? Sorry, I’ll settle down. We’re only one paragraph in.

Think about why we choose organic produce and foods; we want to avoid eating chemicals. So why wouldn’t you want the same for your skin? Yet, so many companies (hi Monsanto) knowingly add cancer-causing chemicals to foods that we eat. I think a lot of the issue is the fact that we are unaware of the number of chemicals that are in our “harmless” products such as makeup. But if companies are adding chemicals to our food, you know they are adding it to makeup. It’s right there in the ingredients. In plain old, English…. that you can’t pronounce. Seems “natural”.

Something that really gets me is the fact that the chemicals present in cosmetics have been known to show up in human tissue (i.e. cancerous tumors they remove from breasts). Guess what you put on your body everyday that is chock full of chemicals, and right next to your breasts? You guessed it, deodorant! Here’s something interesting for all the moms and future moms out there: did you know that over 200 chemicals can be found in the average newborn babies’ umbilical cord? Yeah.  200+.

Here’s the deal: chemicals are all around us. They are in the clothes you wear, in the air you breathe, on the furniture in your home, so to a certain extent, you can’t avoid toxic chemicals. However, what you can do is choose what you put on your skin. Here are my tips for those looking to transition their cosmetics from conventional to natural:

1: Do your research: If you haven’t read my natural moisturizers post, take a look.  I have learned so much through my own research, but I highly recommend everyone check out “Goop Clean Beauty”. It provides SO much information on the topic.

2: Check your ingredients. Unfortunately, this industry isn’t as regulated as the food industry, so odds are if your product isn’t specifically listed as non-toxic, or was purchased in a drug store, it likely contains a number of toxic chemicals. Even products that are marketed as "natural" or "clean" can be misleading! Read your labels and definitely do your research.

3: Start slow. You don’t need to throw away all of your products tonight. I don’t want people to be wasteful. But once you use up mascara, try a natural alternative. I also recognize the fact that this makeup is more expensive than conventional makeup. Think of it as you are paying for the quality of the ingredients in the products. Plus, I’d rather pay for expensive coconut oil, if it means avoiding loading your skin with toxic crap. I purchase most of my makeup from Credo Beauty, Goop or CAP Beauty. Also, check your local Whole Foods. I noticed my concealer is now sold there!

Below are some of the current products in my rotation. I plan on this post being one of a series, since I am constantly trying new products/brands, and I am always on the hunt for amazing new natural goodies! As I mentioned above, my cosmetic bag is not 100% natural, but I would say I am ALMOST there! Slow and steady changes make a big difference! As I was writing this very post, I decided to do a little research on the bronzer I was using. Turns out, this bronzer, although listed as a high-performance “natural” according to the brands website, contains toxic chemicals. The first ingredient was talc, which is directly linked to cancer…no thanks.

I highly recommend the cosmetics listed below. I don’t wear makeup as frequently as I used to, so it’s important to me to use only high-quality natural products. Definitely check them out for yourself and please let me know any non-toxic makeup products you love!

Products

Kosas Weightless Lip Color in Rosewater—I use this on both my lips and cheeks for a natural sun-kissed glow!

Noto Botanics Hydra Highlight– a great all-over highlighter that smells INCREDIBLE!

Noto Botanics Multi-Benne Tint—My go-to blush. It also packs a great red punch for a bold evening lip!

RMS Beauty Master Mixer- A nice bronzy highlighter.

W3LL People Foundation Stick in Fair Pink—I used the MaxxFactor Pan Stick for YEARS. And when I heard this product was similar, I knew I needed to give it a try. It’s my perfect concealer.

Juice Beauty Mascara—I’ll pretty much buy anything Gwyneth Paltrow signs off on, so I was hooked when she raved over her Juice Beauty mascara. It’s great, and is cheaper than a number of “high end” mascaras on the market. Just think, whenever you have those gross black boogers in corners of your eyes after a shower, those chemicals are being directly absorbed through your eyeballs. I’ll stick to this mascara instead. 

Absolutely check out Credo Beauty's page on toxic ingredients to avoid. This is SO helpful!

Sources: Editors of Goop; Forward by Gwyneth Paltrow; Goop Clean Beauty. New York: Grand Central Life & Style, 2016