Showing posts with label Green Personal Products. Show all posts

Cleaning Up My Makeup Bag

Friday, March 31, 2017

Green living, Green Personal Products, Minimalist Living

Growing up, my family had a rule that we couldn't wear makeup until we turned 14 years old. There was much anticipation as my birthday approached, and around that time, my mom gave me the Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty book. I loved looking through it and seeing the 'transformations' of the girls, and hoping I would look as pretty with makeup on.

Then I actually began wearing makeup, and after the first few wearings, found it to be highly inconvenient, and sometimes kind of gross. I remember girls in high school PE class with a big ring of foundation around their shirts after running the mile, and leaving lipstick and foundation residues on their boyfriend's shirts. Needless to say, I was less than enchanted.

All through high school and college I wore some everyday, but the minimum I thought I could get away with. But by the time I finished, I still wasn't loving it, and had no idea how to fall in love with it again.

Then, I found out that there is almost no regulation in the industry, and apparently lots of cosmetics are filled with things you really don't want to be putting on your skin everyday. Makeup seemed like something I didn't really want to do. Except, that I did.

Thus began my journey into natural beauty. After reading around, reaching out to a few companies, and spending some time on the EWG database (ranks self-care products from 1-10 with 1 being the safest, ingredient-wise), I have come up with a few great products that I am happy to recommend.

Currently, I have only scratched the surface, and tried out Gabriel Cosmetics (most products score a 1-3 on the EWG database), Pacifica (scores 1-5 on the EWG database) and BeautyCounter (scores mostly 1's and 2's on the EWG database), and only a few products from each, but it would take three or four lifetimes to try them all out, so at least this is a place to start.

Also, a big shoutout to Heather and Merrick who let me test drive so many BeautyCounter products! If you have questions about their products, email Heather at heatherannedaugherty[at]yahoo[dot]com, and please buy through her with this link!

Below are (1) some products I tested, and (2) some photos of me putting on and wearing some of the makeup products.

Also, Check out my Instagram account for a BeautyCounter giveaway sometime today!

1. Products I Tested:

*Indicates favorites

*Pacifica 'Dream Big' Mascara - This was a favorite. Nice dark, thick-looking lashes, but not impossible to get off (I hate waterproof mascara).

Pacifica Multi-Mineral BB Cream - This was a 'meh' for me. It didn't do much, and didn't have the moisturizing or SPF elements that the Beauty Counter moisturizing had.

Pacifica Lip Tint (Guava Berry) (guava berry) - Gorgeous color, but I wish it has been more a lip moisturizer.

*Gabriel Cosmetics Multi Pot (magnolia) - I love this. It was pretty expensive (at least for my budget), but it goes on great, it can be used as blush, lip tint and eye shadow. I loved it as eye shadow, particularly.

*BeautyCounter Dew Skin Moisturizing Coverage - this was probably my favorite of all the products I tried. I have never liked wearing foundation (see description of it rubbing off, above), so this is the perfect solution. It smooths and evens my skin, gives me the SPF coverage, but isn't obvious or heavy the way that many foundations are! 100% recommend this.

*BeautyCounter Lip Gloss (Fig) - Adam didn't like how sticky it was, but it was a beautiful color and gave my lips a lovely shine!

BeautyCounter Lip Sheer (Petal) - This was such a soft color. I always felt youthful and beautiful wearing this.

BeautyCounter Cream Blusher (Hibiscus) - I am still getting used to cream blushers, but it was pretty good! And a little goes a long way.

BeautyCounter Foundation - Above I mentioned that I don't love foundation, and never have, so I was a bad candidate for testing this out. I bet it would be great for someone else, but not for me. I didn't care too much for it.

BeautyCounter Lengthening Mascara - Loved, but it was so hard to get off! It looks really natural on, and doesn't run (obviously).

BeautyCounter Face Cleanser Series (Cleanser, Exfoliator, Eye Cream, Day Cream and Night Cream) - This stuff was pretty great! I particularly loved the eye cream and the night cream.

*BeautyCounter Balancing Face Oil - This stuff is amazing! It smells good, doubles as a face lotion, and really evened my skin tone. I usually put it on at night.

*BeautyCounter Charcoal Bar - Another amazing product. I really want to buy a charcoal bar to use regularly, because I liked this so much. My skin had been having all kinds of problems, then once I started using this, they magically cleared up, and stayed that way. I am a big fan.

BeautyCounter Charcoal mask - I don't typically wear a lot of face masks, so I have only used this one, but I felt like it did a good job. I will try to update as I use it a few more times.

2. My Current Makeup Routine: I like that I look almost exactly the same, just a slightly prettier version of myself, with better coloring and longer, darker eyelashes.

1. Start with a clean face, and rub BeautyCounter Dew Skin Moisturizer in small circles all over the face including under eyes and on eyelids.

2. Use BeautyCounter Cream Blusher and rub it in.

3. Use Gabriel Cosmetics multi-pot for eye lids

4. Curl eyelashes and use BeautyCounter Lengthening mascara (that is what is pictured here, but I have been using the Pacifica mascara more often, lately)

5. Finish with a lip gloss. Pictured here, is the BeautyCounter Lip Sheer.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Green Personal Products

Remember how over the summer I bought a bunch of stuff from the Honest company? I figured they were a good way to get on the more natural skincare bandwagon, but then after about 3 months of using their shampoo, it basically destroyed my hair? My hair ended up stringy, kinda stretchy (in the worst sort of way), static-y, and honestly looked terrible just about all the time.

I was terribly embarrassed with it, and couldn't figure out what was wrong. At first I thought it might be a climate change issue (we had just moved from super dry Utah, back to humid Texas), but then after a month or so in Texas, it hadn't gotten any better. One day, I was in the shower, and realized that it was probably the shampoo, and stopped using it that day. Almost immediately I had signs of improvement, but I was back to using Pantene, which I wasn't thrilled about, because there are some potentially harmful products in it.

Right around that time, I reached out to a bunch of companies to see if I could try out some of their skincare, beauty and haircare products, and Innersense Organic sent me their shampoo and conditioner, and Credo Beauty sent me a tester kit with a shampoo and conditioner in it, too.

So I test them out, took a few scary selfies after about 3 months of using these products, and am letting you know what I thought...

Shampoo//Conditioner// Leave-In Conditioner

This first set that I tried out is the Innersense normal hair line. They have a great rating on the ThinkDirty App (I think they received a one, which is about as good as you can get).

I loved how professional the shampoo felt and smelled. My hair looks good, and smells good after using this. I do feel like my hair has to be washed a little more regularly than with a non-natural shampoo, but I am willing to wash it a little more often because this stuff is great.

I love using it in Fox's hair, too, and the leave-in conditioner is great with his curls (although, I cut them all off a few weeks ago, which was kind of heartbreaking). Also, Adam found that he loves using the leave-in conditioner. The leave-in conditioner didn't work quite as well for my hair, but I don't typically use a leave-in conditioner, so I am not that surprised.

I felt like this is a very solid option for a natural shampoo. It didn't change my life forever, but I could definitely see myself using this again and again and being satisfied with the results. It is also a decent price point for a natural shampoo. Not the cheapest on the market, but not insanely pricey either.

Awkward top shot with toys and diapers down below...

smooth and straight.

Nice and shiny!

Evolvh Conditioner// Evolvh Shampoo

This shampoo/conditioner combo is terrific. Sadly it isn't in the ThinkDirty App either, but Credo Beauty sells it, and they are committed to selling clean and good beauty products.

My hair always feels so soft and shiny after using this. It does smell a little funny when I first use it (it kind of reminds me of a grandmother's shampoo right after I wash it), but honestly I don't mind, because it fades after a few hours.

This is a very good shampoo option if you are looking for a natural alternative. It feels like a really premium shampoo, but is a nice medium price point.

Two other products that I have been using with good results:

This dry shampoo is not as good as an aerosol, but it is a good natural alternative. I think my next product purchase will be the shampoo from this line. Someone on instagram recommended it, and I love SheaMoisture, so I can't wait to try it.

I couldn't find this oil (honestly, it is probably not the most natural product, but I have it, so I have been using it, and it has been great!) on ThinkDirty, or EWG database to check the rating, so here is a clean alternative: Badger Argan Hair Oil.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Green living, Green Personal Products

I went to college in Utah, where the winters are dry and cold, and my skin would get really chapped. I went through crazy amounts of lotion, and was always looking for the cheapest one the grocery store carried, because I had to buy it so much. After a few bad experiences though, I realized I really had a preference when it came to lotion, and that even if I had to spend an extra $2 for it, I was willing to get the kind I liked better.

Fast forward 6 years, and I have made a lot of life changes to make my life as whole food oriented, organic and natural as possible.

The one area that I have been thinking about changing for a year or so is my skincare and cosmetics. But where to start? About a year ago, I switched to a more natural deodorant, but I kind of put everything else on pause after that, because I felt really overwhelmed.

Natural and organic are thrown around flippantly these days, and often companies that claim to be natural and organic are not. After discovering the "Think Dirty" app a few months ago and seeing the ratings on some of the products I used everyday, I decided to make the plunge (another great resource for looking up cosmetics is the Environmental Working Group, which also has a database with 80,000 rated products on it).

I started by spending some birthday money on a box from the Honest Company. Their products were low on the toxicity list from the ThinkDirty App, so I felt pretty good about ordering them. I figured I would take some baby steps into the natural world realm.

The lotion was okay, the toothpaste was 'meh', and the shampoo and conditioner were downright awful. I had one terrible hair day after another, and couldn't figure out why. Then finally it clicked, and I stopped using it, and immediately my hair started looking better. The shampoo doubles as a body wash, and is great for that, but it totally killed my hair. Suddenly, I was terrified about trying out natural products, and my old Pantene shampoo seemed so much safer.

But, I said I would do a post about some good natural products, so I took the plunge (thank goodness for public accountability!). And I have found some great stuff!

This may end up becoming a quarterly post, because there is SO much stuff out there, and after buying what I thought was a ton of stuff (I contacted about 20 companies, and went to many stores, many times), I realized I had actually only tried out about 20 products, so I will tell you about the stuff I have tried, and currently like, and check back in 3 months with the latest stuff I have been trying out.

Also, I am working on a natural makeup post (slowly, slowly acquiring stuff for it! Makeup is expensive! Hopefully it will go up after the New Year), and a natural hair care post, but after the initial post, I will probably roll the quarterly updates about skincare, haircare and makeup into one.

WHAT I HAVE TRIED OUT (parentheses indicate ThinkDirty App Score, if applicable):

Credo Tester Bag (none of these were on the ThinkDirtyApp, but their company mission is all about having clean beauty and skincare products and products that they sell are cited all over the internet as clean beauty products) c/o:

De Mamiel Restorative Cleansing Balm - Meh... I don't like washing my face with oil very much.
Pai Chamomile & Rosehip and calming day cream - I didn't like this at first, but then
Skin Owl Eye+: I don't know if this is the perfect eye cream, I haven't actually ever used eye cream before, but I like this one. I haven't noticed a huge difference yet, but it gives me peace of mind :)
Love fresh Grapefruit deodorant: Not great. It is okay in the winter, but one day I had it one, and after some medium exercise I completely stunk. Not a pleasant feeling.
Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask: I totally love this product. I have used it twice, and it makes my skin so soft and smooth!

Pacifica Skin Care Set

Sea Foam Complete Face Wash (1): This one kind of dried out my face, but wasn't too bad. I need to use it a few more times to know for sure.
Dreamy Youth Day and Night Face Cream (5): I liked this quite a lot.

Other Items:

SheaMoisture Argan Oil & Raw Shea Butter Body Lotion w/ Frankincense and Myrrh Extract (1): I love this lotion. It is thick, creamy and smells great. It is also a recommended product on ThinkDirty. Available on Amazon and Target.
Acure Face Wash (5): Pretty decent, and it smells nice. Available on Amazon and Target.
The Honest Company Lip Balm (1): This was the one thing in the Honest Box that I really liked. Available on Amazon and the Honest Company.
The Honest Company Body Lotion (3): This was not great. Super slippery, and didn't actually moisturize that much. Available on Amazon and the Honest Company.
Burt's Bees Lip Balm (3): This one smells amazing. Fox also LOVES using it.
Unrefined coconut oil (with a drop or two of lavender essential oil): Not my favorite. I have never felt like coconut oil was a good moisturizer. My skin always feels so... oily, when I use it.
InstaNatural Moisturizer Cream - Face lotion, that I didn't like at all. Super slippery and it smells kind of yucky... A friend gave this to me (she didn't like it either), but you can buy it on Amazon should you want to try it out.
Tom's of Maine Deodorant - This didn't work well at all for me. I just stunk when I exercised. Bleh.
Schmidt's Deodorant - This is my favorite deodorant so far. I want to try this deodorant, too.
Acure Argan Oil Face Towelettes: These were super convenient, but also really wasteful...
Acure Brightening Face Mask: I haven't used this yet. Get back to you once I use this. I always forget to use face masks. I like the idea of them, but never use them.