Although I haven't posted about it yet, I have been experimenting with safe, natural makeup all year, and finally think I've landed on some good, safe, effective products that are at least somewhat affordable. So, without further ado, here is...
Vigorous Vixen's Makeup Lineup
Eyes
bareMinerals eyecolor and liner shadow
Although the initial investment may seem expensive - $14 for a 0.02 oz container - when you consider that one little container of this loose mineral eyeshadow will last for years, it's actually pretty thrifty. I contacted bareMinerals customer service and was informed that the loose mineral eyecolors and liner shadows do not expire since they are composed of only inert ingredients. The key is to keep your brushes clean.
The colors that I own are probably no longer available for purchase, but I did run a report using the "Build Your Own Report" tool on SkinDeep for a similar color that is currently available on the bareMinerals website, and came up with a hazard rating of 1, Low Hazard. The most similar product I could find that was actually published on SkinDeep was a Snowflake Blue color - you can see how it stacks up here. I would recommend checking the SkinDeep score for the particular color you are interested in before purchasing. You can find bareMinerals at Ulta, Sephora, Bare Escentuals boutiques, and of course, online. My local grocery store, HEB, even carries some of their products, although I don't necessarily recommend buying it there because it's locked up in a cabinet and you have to basically get a security clearance to make the purchase.
Another good thing about loose mineral eyecolor is the versatility. You can add a little water to your brush and apply it wet for a more dramatic look, or if you add some water to your liner shadow, you can achieve a look pretty similar to liquid eyeliner. The colors are very blendable, which helps you achieve great, professional looking results. Plus there are so many beautiful colors available.
Since this stuff doesn't expire and pretty much lasts forever, I actually have not purchased eyeshadow at all since starting this blog. I'm still using up what I already have on hand. There are plenty of other mineral eyeshadow brands out there that I'm interested in trying, but I figure - why spend the money on it right now when I've already got something that works for me?
Gabriel Mascara
For the greater part of the past year, I was using Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara. It's available in most drugstores, and at about $10 per tube, it's priced at least somewhat competitively with most drugstore brand mascaras. It has a score of 1, Low Hazard on EWG's SkinDeep database, which is really good. I wanted so badly to love this mascara, but it smears and smudges like crazy. Within 30 minutes of application, I look like a football player wearing black grease under the eyes. Unfortunately, if the stuff doesn't work, that means it's a waste of money, no matter how safe and cheap and available it is.
So I did a little more research and decided to try Gabriel Mascara. I bought a 0.25 ounce tube for $15.99 at Sprouts, but I believe it's available at Whole Foods as well. I do think that $15.99 for a small tube of mascara is a bit on the expensive side, but for now, it's the best thing I have found. Hey, you could always spend more! Jane Iredale PureLash mascaras can run up to $33 per tube and Kjaer Weis Mascara costs $38 per tube, just to give a couple of examples.
The good news about Gabriel Mascara is that has a rating of 2, low hazard, on SkinDeep. And I've been using it for about 2 weeks now, and no more smudges! Yay! For now, the Gabriel mascara is the best value I have found.
Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner
Well, this is something I definitely love and plan to buy again. Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner is also made by Gabriel Cosmetics, and available at Whole Foods. It's also pretty expensive - $14.85 for a 0.1 ounce bottle, but I've kind of gotten into the winged eyeliner look lately, and Zuzu Luxe liquid eyeliner is helping me out with that. I think it has great wear, and the SkinDeep rating is 2, low hazard.
Since products like liquid eyeliner and mascara need to be thrown out every two to four months, my plan is to continue using the Zuzu Luxe for about three months, or until I run out, whichever comes first, then switch back to using my bareMinerals liner shadow until I can save up enough to splurge on another bottle of Zuzu Luxe. Perhaps the timing of my next purchase will coincide with a major event, say, my little sister's wedding in July, where I need to look presentable. See how I can justify this as a worthy splurge?
Lips
Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm
Chapped lips are a terrible problem for me, especially during the winter. There are a lot of products out there, but I've noticed that the more natural products seem to work so much better for this problem compared to petroleum based products. I've been researching this issue in an effort to figure out if there is a reason for this, but I can't seem to find any good studies explaining why this is. My hypothesis is that natural ingredients such as cocoa butter and olive oil work better because they deliver beneficial vitamins and antioxidants to the skin, thereby working to heal the underlying problem. Petroleum is very emollient and moisturizing, but doesn't contain the vitamins and antioxidants that can be found in plant based products. Another possibility is that some lip balms (whether natural or synthetic), may contain ingredients that actually contribute to inflammation and irritation of the skin.
Badger "Creamy Cocoa" Cocoa Butter Lip Balm has a rating of 0, Low Hazard on the SkinDeep database. A 0.25 ounce tube is $4.99 and it's something I can pick up on the "healthy living" aisle at HEB. For the most part, using this product once or twice a day helps keep my lips from getting chapped. Sometimes for an extra boost, I mix up a lip scrub made with one part honey and one part sugar. Mix the two ingredients in the palm of the hand, gently massage onto lips, then rinse. After rinsing, apply the Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm and problem solved.
Bella Mari Natural Cosmetics Lipstick
Bella Mari has some awesome products with good ratings on the EWG SkinDeep website, and they are made right here in San Antonio, by folks who know what real natural cosmetics should be made of. I don't think they have a brick and mortar store, though, so I still have to order the stuff online. The good thing is, their online store has some very customer friendly policies - free shipping for all orders over $50 (in the US), inexpensive trial sizes, free samples with every order, and they always have specials and coupons available. The inexpensive trial sizes are key here. I was able to order several trial size lipsticks and foundations in various colors so I could try them out first before ordering. When it comes to lipstick and foundation, getting the shade just right is pretty important, but many online-only retailers do not provide trial sizes. Bella Mari does, so that's super cool.
I ended up purchasing two full size, 0.16 ounce lipsticks for $15.95 each. Yes, you can find cheaper lipstick at the drugstore, but I've found that most conventional lipsticks seem to contribute to my problem with dry, cracked, chapped lips. Bella Mari lipsticks are made of natural, moisturizing ingredients that work for me. The colors I purchased are Jealousy, sort of an earthy reddish pink color, and Sentimental, which is my favorite, a shimmery nude color.
Most (if not all) of Bella Mari's lipsticks are rated 1, Low Hazard on Skin Deep. Oh yeah, and they actually make an effort to keep lead out of their lipstick, so that's nice. You know, since the stuff you put on your lips sometimes ends up inside your body, and lead is bio-accumulative, and ain't exactly good for you...
Face
Bella Mari Moisturizing Foundation
Prior to this past year, I had been using bareMinerals loose mineral foundation for about seven or eight years, and although I really liked it, I've noticed that as I've gotten older, my skin has become drier, and while I was ordering my natural lipsticks, I decided to go ahead and try out Bella Mari's Talc Free SPF 30 Moisturizing Foundation. I was able to order several free samples, and the "light honey" shade was a good match for my skin tone.
While I wouldn't recommend using this foundation instead of a regular moisturizer, I have found that it definitely contributes moisture to the skin, rather than drying it out. For people with oily skin, it could actually be a little too emollient, but for me, it works really well. If you want a matte finish, you can follow up with a little finishing powder (Sally B's Skin Yummies has a Get Even Finishing Powder with a good rating on SkinDeep), but I've gotten to where I really like the "dewy" look, so I just apply the foundation over my two-step moisturizer and leave it alone.
On occassion, I do get pimples. I think this is primarily caused by fluctuating hormones through my monthly cycle, but the emollient foundation could also be a factor. When blemishes happen, I just zap them with some tea tree oil and switch over to my old standby, bareMinerals foundation for a while until the problem clears up.
Although I'm one of those people who thinks it's important to get about 20 minutes of sunshine a day without using sunscreen when possible, I do think it's important to have a foundation with built-in SPF, since the sun is one of the biggest contributors to premature aging. Also, I've been incorporating some at-home chemical peels into my regimen, which makes the skin even more sensitive to the sun. So, the fact that this foundation has an SPF of 30 is very nice.
The cost of the Bella Mari moisturizing foundation is $24.95 for a 1.7 ounce pot, perhaps more than you would pay for a drugstore brand, but considering it's benefits, I think it's worth it.
