Creative living is about being the artist and creator of our own lives. This means taking responsibility for our health and happiness from the inside out. Since beauty, health, and wellness radiate from within, it is up to us to nourish our mind, body, and spirit. When we understand which behaviors support our well-being and which ones harm us, we can make better decisions about how to be in alignment with feeling our best. Switching to organic makeup and natural beauty products is a decision I made after learning how toxic most conventional beauty products can be.
I believe that the most beautiful and valuable thing we can bring to the world is our best self. When we are balanced and in tune with what we need to thrive, we are inspired to maintain that balance with the choices we make in our daily lives. Mindful decisions lead to better health, and that’s when we are best able to be of service to our loved ones, our community, and the world. This is a process that begins with internal inquiry and the desire to continually learn and grow.
You’re probably wondering what cosmetics have to do with creative living and being our best self. Well, they have a lot to do with how we feel! The products we apply to the outside of our body are just as important as the food and drink we consume. Some of the world’s most popular cosmetics contain toxic ingredients that are quickly absorbed into our bloodstream via our largest organ, our skin. These harmful chemicals have the potential to cause cancer, reproductive problems, skin allergies, infertility, birth defects, learning disabilities, and so much more. This is certainly not a path to health and wellness! The good news is that it is up to us to change course if we are not happy with treading on this potentially poisonous path.
Educating ourselves and making better choices is the first step we can take towards cultivating our best self. Fortunately, there is a wonderful green beauty community that is eager to assist in education. The easiest way to begin the transition is to learn what chemicals to avoid, where they can be found, and what potential harm they present. Once we know what to look out for, then we can begin to look for safer alternatives and start focusing on all the wonderful and safe beauty products that ARE out there. If you would like to learn more about what ingredients to avoid in your beauty products, this is a great guide to get you started.
The decision to discover, support, and share the companies, people and products that care about our health by making beautiful, effective, and non-toxic beauty products is my mission on this super natural beauty quest. I have found that the easiest way to transition to natural and organic makeup is to do it slowly and focus on quality over quantity. This strategy works for me because it allows me to take the time and educate myself on each company and product before making the decision to make a purchase. So, for example, if I see I’m running low on my favorite lipstick, I begin to research which brand and product will make the best safe, and sustainable swap. Furthermore, this strategy is cost effective because it allows me to focus on the organic beauty products that I will use most often, rather than investing in a costly overhaul of my entire cosmetic collection all at once.
The first green beauty product purchases that I made are listed below, and they have quickly become some of my new safe make up essentials. I have fallen in love with the performance and integrity of these cosmetics, and am excited to share these natural and organic make up tips with you. I hope you will love these as much as I do! Have you tried any of these clean beauty products or have any other recommendations? I would love to hear your thoughts.
FACE
JANE IREDALE | Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream
CRUELTY FREE | VEGAN | WHEAT FREE
As it turns out, I had just one item in my beauty arsenal that was already natural. The Jane Iredale Glow Time is a product I have been using for about 6 years now, and I love it! Shade #BB7 / Medium works beautifully on my light/medium olive complexion. It creates coverage that is light enough to see my beauty marks, but heavy enough to even out and brighten my skin tone. Key ingredients include grapefruit extract that helps minimize the appearance of pores, and apple extract that is a skin smoothing antioxidant. The finish has just the right amount of moisture, which creates a dewy, fresh look. The SPF 25 helps to protect me from all that California sunshine that I love to soak up. A bonus is that I use 1/2 pea size of cream to cover my entire face. As a result, one tube lasts a really long time!
JANE IREDALE | Flocked Sponge
LATEX FREE | CRUELTY-FREE |VEGAN | WHEAT FREE
I like to apply the mineral cream with the Jane Iredale Flocked Sponge. This beauty blender makeup sponge helps to create a smooth finish. It’s also durable and easy to clean, unlike most beauty sponges that fall apart easily and are a pain to clean (which can result in molding bacteria). I like to put some mineral makeup on my sponge and first dab it to the areas that need the most coverage. For me, that’s my forehead, under the eyes, under the nose, and chin. I begin to blend those areas first, and then use what is left on the sponge to lightly blend it out and into to areas that need minimal coverage.
CHEEKS
LA BELLA FIGURA | Radiant Creme Blush “Disco Queen Gloria”
CERTIFIED ORGANIC | VEGAN | GLUTEN FREE | NON-GMO | CRUELTY-FREE
I love the delicate rose-gold hue of La Bella Figura Radiant Creme Blush. It looks great layered over a pink, like NUDUS Lip Euphoria in “Precious” (shown above), or by itself. The subtle gold flecks create a beautiful bronzing effect. Either way, it adds dimension and a luminescent glow to your cheeks while doubling as a gorgeous lip color. It has a creamy non-sticky dewy finish, and can be applied with fingertips or a brush. Key ingredients include cell-regenerating Acai and Rooibos extracts, emollient Marfura Butter and collagen boosting Brazil Flower that soften and hydrate skin. Antioxidant rich, organic Barbary Fig Seed Oil and moisture retentive Cupuacu Butter also provides deep nourishment so your skin stays hydrated.
LIPS
NUDUS | Lip Euphoria “Halo”
GLUTEN FREE | CRUELTY-FREE | CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENTS | FRAGRANCE COMES FROM ESSENTIAL OILS
Truth be told, I’m a sucker for a beautiful presentation! So, what first attracted me to this brand was the gorgeous and artistic packaging. I’m pleased to say that the quality of the product inside does not disappoint. This dreamy Nudus lipstick is the love child of nude and pink. The light muted rose hue is richly pigmented, creamy, and long lasting. It has quickly become one of my favorites because it is so versatile and can be worn alone or layered with a multitude of other shades to soften any color.
Nudus Lip Euphoria is handcrafted in Australia with nourishing key ingredients including bioactive extracts of flowers, fruits, herbs and minerals. 27 active ingredients, including vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K and antioxidants such as pomegranate, raspberry and kiwi cold pressed oils protect against environmental stress. Shea butter and avocado, coconut and argan oils leave lips soft, hydrated and moisturized.
EYES
ANTONYM | Natural Waterproof Eye Pencil “Noir”
WATERPROOF | VEGAN | ECOCERT CERTIFIED | 100% NATURAL | 11.9% ORGANIC | CRUELTY-FREE
Since I can’t live without black eyeliner, it was one of the first products I had to switch out. I adore a rich black pencil to create winged liner for a classic retro look, or a sultry smudge for dramatic smoky eyes. The ANTONYM Eye Pencil provides a rich, long lasting finish, and stays put. The attached removable sharpener is so convenient and keeps me from carrying an extra sharpener in my makeup bag. Key ingredients include natural antioxidants such as marula oil, jojoba oil, candelilla and carnauba, which make this eyeliner glide on effortlessly and smoothly.
W3LL PEOPLE | Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara “Black”
GLUTEN FREE | CRUELTY-FREE | PETROLEUM-FREE | PARABEN FREE |COAL TAR FREE | ALUMINUM FREE
I have to admit that I was not confident that natural mascara would give me long, thick, and bold lashes. I was wrong. The W3LL PEOPLE Expressionist Mascara rivals my old conventional toxic mascaras. I like to use 2 coats to achieve super thick and dark lashes and apply first to the base of the lashes while gently wiggling the wand out to the ends. This formula separates and lengthens even my shortest, barely there lashes, while nourishing them with botanical ingredients. The bonus is that I haven’t experienced any clumping, even when applying the second coat. There are no harsh artificial chemicals or petroleum derivatives that can irritate my sensitive eyes.
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