High Performing SAFE Makeup
One of the main objections I’ve heard when chatting with women about switching to safer makeup is that the performance isn’t up to pair with what they are currently using. This always interests me because some women truly care about that over safety and two because I have found the holy grail of high performing AND non toxic makeup. Beautycounter is changing the beauty industry by bridging the gap between performance and safety and EVERYONE is digging the results. Even VOGUE is taking notice!
“When Minnie Mortimer dropped by the Vogue offices the other day, we couldn’t help but notice her supernaturally healthy glow. Her secret: Beautycounter, the new line of skin care she recently discovered in Los Angeles. “I’m usually not a fan of beauty products that are considered ‘natural,’ but these have changed my life,” says the Brentwood-based fashion designer, a former oil-free fanatic who now swears by the company’s lightweight, hydrating, and (yes) largely oil-based formulas.” You can read more from this article by clicking here.
When switching out your makeup products to safer, you can go whatever route works for you but today I want to talk about two toxic contributors; eyeshadow and lipstick. When it comes to eyeshadows, you should be aware of an array of ingredients that are harmful for your health.
Aluminum powder- Aluminium powder is mostly used to give makeup its color. If you’re using makeup with both aluminium powder and thimerosal, you are causing major harm in your body. This absorbs into the bloodstream by eyelid pores. We all have some mercury in our bodies, along with some other nasty toxins, but we’re pretty good at expelling them before they can do any real damage. In steps aluminium powder, and it’s mercury city.
Bismuth Oxychloride- Does eyeshadow typically make your eyes red and itchy? That’s probably ’cause it’s got this little ingredient in it. The main problem with Bismuth Oxychloride isn’t toxicity – it’s irritation, especially to the skin, lung and eyes, according to the Bismuth Oxychloride Materials Data Sheet. And since it’s a heavy metal ingredient, it can requires quite a bit of rubbing in to stick to the lids which causes more irritation especially to those with sensitive skin (and who doesn’t have sensitive eyelids?). Most eyeshadows with a shimmer have this ingredient.
Coal Tar- A known carcinogen associated with cancer of the lung, bladder, kidney and digestive tract. Experimental studies have found that exposure to and application of coal tar produces skin tumors. It’s been banned in the EU but it’s still used in North America.
Formaldehyde- This stuff isn’t found quite as often as some others, but there are some much more common ingredients that produce it as an end product. Formaldehyde can cause severe skin irritations, cause you to break out in rashes, and if your pores manage to suck it up, it can also mess with your liver in some cases.
Nano Particles- These super tiny particles are bad news for your skin, overall body and the environment. As their name suggests, they are so tiny that they’re easily inhaled and can accumulate in your lungs or in your cells, where they can damage DNA and lead to cancer. This is something you want to watch out for in even mineral, organic and natural eyeshadow formulations – mica and titanium dioxide, for example can accumulate in your lungs if the particles are nano-sized.
Parabens- Propylparaben, butylparaben and methylparaben all belong to a nefarious group of ne’er-do-wells called parabens that you can find in most popular eye makeup brands (as well as pretty much every non-natural beauty product). Yet another ridiculously unsafe choice but a convenient preservative, parabens floats through the pores around your eyes at will and messes with your hormones. Especially for women, parabens disguises itself as your most abundant hormone- estrogen- and wreaks havoc with your natural hormone production. They’re also probably human carcinogens.
Ok y’all, I didn’t even list half of the ingredients that are found in well known beauty brands eyeshadows! The ingredients I shared are the top toxic contributions and are the very reasons why I choose to switch to safer eyeshadow. Thank goodness for Christy Coleman, celebrity makeup artist and head of innovation of Beautycounter makeup! She has spent years formulating highly pigmented eyeshadows including this gorgeous palette that launched this holiday season. The Necessary Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette is not only safe but lasts A LONG TIME! Many of my clients and myself included still have our eyeshadow palettes from last Christmas and they are yet to run out!
Our limited-edition palette features 18 long-wearing shades designed to flatter all skin tones—the perfect gift for the beauty obsessed. This versatile collection of wearable warm and cool shades offers a variety of matte, satin and shimmer finishes, each with a luxuriously smooth texture from cocoa seed butter. Comes in an exclusive, gold-patterned compact with a removable mirror and double-ended brush. I especially love the colors: Clove, Haze, Suede, Slipper and Mist. Regardless if you buy it for yourself or your makeup savvy daughters or friends, it’s the perfect gift this holiday season!
Lipsticks are the next topic that I want to shed light on. I actually have written several blogs about what the common ingredients of lipsticks are and I’ll link my favorite one here. Please read it and see for yourself why it’s important to switch to safer. Because I have daughters, I am doing the best that I can and leading by example to show them why we should choose clean beauty. I can also say that there is hands down no comparison to any clean or not clean beauty brand lipstick since I have tried Beautycounter. Obsessed is an understatement. Daily, I throw on a bright lipstick and GO! I have expressed my love from the lipsheers (think of a tinted chapstick) and the color intense lipsticks and this year for holiday, Beautycounter rolled out the red carpet with MINI LIPSTICKS! Ya’ll. I. Am. Screaming!
Our Mini Color Intense Lipstick Vault contains eight universally flattering long-wearing shades, including five limited-edition hues ranging from nudes and pinks to berries and reds—providing on-point options for virtually any occasion. Each mini lipstick delivers a smooth satin finish, a rich color payoff and a hint of fresh peppermint, all sized to tuck into the tiniest clutch. These are so precious and so perfect for gifting this holiday season! Do you need teacher gifts? BAM! Give them a mini lipstick! Do you need gifts for your daughters? Split up the vault (keep your fav colors) and gift your girls! Sisters? Yeah, we got you too! OR, just spoil yourself and keep them all. Any way you look at it, this holiday set is a MUST! The colors are gorgeous and don’t need to be reapplied often.
If you could only make two switches in your every day makeup, I would highly consider it be eyeshadows and lipsticks. Reducing your toxic load and keeping the high performance of your makeup can be done in the same sweep!
