Safe Cosmetics

 

Ensure your using Safe Cosmetics starting with Powder, Lipstick & Lotion

When I think about what I’m using on my face, and whether the products have safe ingredients, I immediately think of the make-up bag I carry with me for touch-ups during the day. Powder, lipstick, lotion, and essential oil for a quick pick me up, and so on.

My make-up bag is full of safe cosmetics I simply cannot live without!

In my life, my on-the-go safe cosmetics are more than what I have at home.  Since I often will walk out of the house with nothing but a moisturizer on my face, the rest comes later.  Based on this, I am going to start our detox process with those necessities because it is a small place to start, and we should start somewhere.

First: Powder, the base for safe cosmetics

When shopping for Powder look for:   Talc.

If a mineral foundation has talc in it, its almost guaranteed to be an irritant, especially for acne prone skin as talc and cornstarch clogs pores. When I first used a mineral foundation I broke out in red, oozy welts and my face never felt clean.  That’s when I looked at the ingredients of the product, the first was talc.

Another important feature to look for is if the product has micronized minerals, which means the minerals are ground really super fine.

These can get into your eyes, your lungs and can fill up your pores.  I have heard many stories of friends coughing while putting on their makeup!

Also, be mindful of  ease of use.

Personally, I do not walk out of the house without it because my oily nose will break through whatever is on my face eventually.  Mineral powders are all the rage, yet can be messy and I do not even want to think of the carnage if a lid comes off in my purse.  There is a new generation of lids out there, which click shut, which will alleviate said carnage, but I am not one to carry my foundation around where ever I go.  Once I put it on in the morning, that container and the kabuki brush stays at home.  That is just way too much to carry, and some of those jars can be bulky.  When I started using vegan mineral powder foundation I was still using a brand name pressed powder for touch-ups, which was also considered a “mineral” powder, yet had talc listed as its first ingredient.  I hated using it but I needed something.  Then I found a Pressed Powder, in the same colors as the foundations!  Even better, there are refills for the compact so you are only buying the compact once.  That solved the pressed powder problem.

Many mineral powders come loose, which means you have to carry the container and a kabuki brush.   A quick Google search will find you purse sized, or even retractable kabuki brushes.  Shake out well after use.  I personally use a non retractable brush, when I am through touching up I shake it out good and put it in a small cloth pouch.  That way I don’t have to worry about contamination.  When it comes to your foundation to carry in your purse, I recommend one of two things:  order a smaller jar to keep in your purse only, or order a small empty jar and tap in the powder from your jar you keep at home. (Those new locking  jars are great for purses).  A small makeup bag to keep your foundation and your brush (and maybe a mirror) can keep your tools together and make touch ups quick, easy and non messy.

 

Second: lipstick

When shopping for Lipstick look for:  absence of carmine, which is ground up beetles, used mostly in red lipstick colors.

I have found plenty of organic balms and lip gloss but I was not having any luck with organic lipstick.  I have used plenty of brands, some that were spendy!  I started out with a tinted lip balm that worked even better than my standard drug store lipstick: great color, long lasting, not greasy and full of skin loving things and the prices were fabulous.  I carry two lip balms, a lip-gloss and a lipstick in my purse and if I could hug my lip products, I would. Etsy[dot]com is a great place to start, simply put organic lip balm, organic lipstick or whatever lip product you are looking for in the search and you’ll have a wealth of items on your computer screen.  Some shops have samples you can order for around one dollar!  If you do not have an Etsy account, I strongly suggest signing up for one.

Also, look for lip products that have as much natural goodness in them as possible.  Women consume somewhere around 4-5 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime, its been said, so if we have a tendency to eat or lick off our lipstick, then reapply countless times during the day, the more close to nature the product is the better.  Thankfully, organic lip products are very easy to find.   What sounds better, a lip product with beeswax, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, hemp oil, and maybe an essential oil or two, or a lip product with lead, alcohol and other ingredients you cannot pronounce?  There are organic lip products out there with very few ingredients.  One of my favorite lipbalms (has no color) contains fruit and nut oils, beeswax, essential oils, olive oils, flavorings or essential oils.

 

Third: lotion

When shopping for Lotion look for:  the smaller the brand the purer the products, I have discovered.

I cannot stand  dry hands and soap in the ladies bathroom is super drying.  Also, I work in an office environment with a no fragrance rule, a rule I agree with given the toxic chemicals lurking in commonly in fragrances.  Two months ago a co-worker who was sitting a good 50 feet away from me put on some foul smelling vanilla lotion.  It was not a “real” vanilla smell, it was sickly sweet, made my eyes water and I got a horrible headache.  Another co-worker became ill from the smell and had to go home for the rest of the day.  The acceptable lotion product at work is unscented and available at any drugstore, but is not what I want to use on my hands as it contains benzyl alcohol, dimethicone and other nasties.  Also, I cannot tell you how many tubes leaked in my co-workers purses.  My solution was a solid, all natural, organic lotion bar with natural scents, like lavender or lemon.  So rich and thick, I could use them sparingly without fuming up the office and making my co-worker sick.  Interestingly enough, one day my hands were itching, and without thinking about it, I grabbed my lavender lotion bar and put it on my hands, not realizing the entire section I worked in smelled like lavender.  I apologized for using it, but all I got were compliments as to how the “air seemed to get fresh all of a sudden”.  My co-worker with the sensitivity was not bothered by the lavender at all, because she said it was not perfumy, it was actually refreshing!  Even better, no toxic chemicals.

Some of the best lotions I have found come from small home based businesses and are made by hand.  I have one homemade lotion that only has a small handful of ingredients in it, all of which I can pronounce!  I have a handmade lotion bar that contains Avocado and Apricot Oil, Aloe  Butter, Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Olive Oil, Beeswax, Pure Lavender Essential Oil and that is all.  Its crafted in small batches and is lovely.  Hop onto your internet search engine and pop in “Handmade Lotion in (add your state)” and see what lovely cottage based industries pop up.

 

 

 

These three things are the foundations of my safe make-up bag that I take with me to work, and these items were the beginning of my change to non-toxic products.  I finally got used to reading labels on food products, to check for sodium levels and for artificial sugars, I had no idea I would be pouring over ingredients in my cosmetics, but what I learned has changed the way I see myself and how I choose to take care of myself.

The change is not stressful; in fact, the transition from toxic to safe cosmetics is not difficult at all.  I find it is interesting and fun because of all the natural ingredients that can benefit our health, not damage it.  I never thought lipstick could be so cancerous, or that lotion could damage cells.  Using organic, natural ingredients will make a difference in how you feel about your body, and how your body feels.  We are bombarded with pretty ads and fancy marketing regarding products that are supposed to make us look and feel younger, yet the chemical composition of said products are taking our health away from us.  We need to take our health and well being back, and it is easy!

Tune in next time when I help you make over one product that leads to using your safe cosmetics, and gives instant gratification:  soap.

Cheryl David is a writer who is detoxing her entire life, not just make-up,  one flaxseed at a time.  Her mission is to show everyone the benefits of being more aware of what we put in and on our bodies. Follow the journey at The Holistic Chick Blog or check her out on Facebook.

What steps are you taking to ensure you’re using Safe Cosmetics?

Everyday Minerals: Make-Up Review

By Tania Reuben

THIS IS A SPECIAL HOLIDAY ENCORE – I first posted this review in the fall and loved them so much I wanted to feature them again for the holidays!

NOTE ~ If you are thinking of giving the little princess in your life some girlie make up to play from Santa.  Consider some of their shimmery light colors and be confident that you are giving your child a safer option for “play make up”.

Everyday Minerals offers a full line of Mineral Make Up. Their products are handmade in small batches to ensure product freshness. Stored correctly they should be safe for use for up to 2 years.

With a Diva Total of 13 points Everyday Minerals are: Divaliscious!

Click here for review criteria:

8 Points for Skin Deep Moderate Hazard Rating
0 Points for being Organic

2 Points for effectiveness:
I was easily able to achieve the looks I was going for with Everyday Minerals. For this review I used Everyday Minerals daily in lieu of my day to day make up. I had two functions to attend and I used Everyday Minerals for both. At a wedding I was told my skin was glowing!

1 Point for Texture:
Everyday Minerals Make Up was smooth, easy to apply and blended well. It felt light on my skin. I was also able to achieve a more dramatic look for evenings out.

1 Point for Fragrance:
I didn’t notice any smell or fragrance while using Everyday Minerals.

.5 Points for Packaging Appearance:
Everyday Minerals has simple, elegant packaging. Individual items are not re-packaged in a box. The containers themselves have inserts to limit the “flow” of your make up – making application easier. A few of the small sized containers I received had a clear film over the insert (to prevent the product from leaking) that was challenging to remove. I noticed that other similarly packaged products had a convenient pull tab. My guess is the “tab” is the new and improved film. If you happen run into the tab free film – you’ll want tweezers to remove the film.

.5 Points for Packaging Sustainability
The plastic used is recyclable. Everyday Minerals suggests saving the sample containers to use on the go touch ups.

OVERALL
Watch a full make up application using Everyday Minerals – Check this out:

I was nervous about trying a “full” Mineral make up regime. Worried I would have powder flying everywhere and it would take me forever to do get my make up done. As a mom of two toddlers, spending more time on make up is not an option! My mineral applications are quick and easy. Tip – I keep a piece of paper for blotting my colors, almost like an artist’s palette.

One appeal of Mineral make up is that overall the lines often have better safety scores in Skin Deep. Everyday Minerals scores top points here, nothing in their line scores higher that a 3 in the CD – for me that means I can shop with confidence and just have fun.

You can’t beat the value of Everyday Minerals. Their prices ranging from $2.50 to $12 for a full size foundation. They also over fantastic promotions with their Perks Program – order 5-11 products and get 25% off – order 12 or more products at 45% off!

Everyday Minerals makes it easy for you to find the right colors for your skin. They walk you through the basics of selecting the best shades and will even send you color samples for free (you pay shipping). Once you have the product – they walk you through the application.

While I was able to use my own Make Up brushes, they do offer a full line of Bamboo Vegan Brushes. If you use your own brushes be sure to clean them when your new make up arrives so you don’t cross contaminate.

Colors Used in the Video Application:
Golden Fair Foundation
Fresh Hydrating Concealer
Wild Flowers – Eye Shadow (as brow liner)
Everyday Resort – Eye Pallatte (as eyeliner and crease)
Apple – Blush (as blush and lip color on top of lip balm)

I also loved:
Champagne Lucent Powder – It has a gorgeous shimmer and I didn’t feel guilty dusting it on my daughter when she asked for some.
Dark Brown – Brow Color (as eyeliner) – created a nice dark liner for a more dramatic look.
Rare Silk – Eye Shadow – created a nice shimmer on for the eyes.

WINNER:  Amy H Check your inbox!

Ready to try Everyday Minerals for yourself – Everyday Minerals has agreed to give a PND reader their choice of 4 Holiday Reissue Eyeshadows, blush & a 2 Lip Balms a $34 Value!

HOW TO ENTER:

There are a few ways you can enter, leave separate comments for each entry.

Mandatory:

Become a Confirmed Email Subscriber to PND.
CLICK HERE.
– After subscribing you will receive an email – check your junk mail – you must verify your subscription in this email to win!
– Already a confirmed Subscriber. Leave a comment letting me know you’re subscriber and would like to enter.

Additional Entries

1. Go to www.everydayminerals.com – share your favorite Everyday Minerals Color.

2. Stumble, Kirsty, Technorati, or Digg this post. Leave a comment with your name and the link.

3. Follow @purenaturaldiva on twitter (use link on the sidebar). Leave your twittername in a separate comment.

4. Become a Fan of Pure Natural Diva & Everyday Minerals on Facebook, already a fan – post this giveaway as an update, leave your FB Name or Name with a copy of your update in a separate comment.

5. Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste “Dive Giveaway – WIN $34 in Make Up from Everyday Minerals!   http://bit.ly/6oBeCy @PureNaturalDiva “. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.

6. Write a post on your blog linking to PND and to Everyday Minerals website – Good for two entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!

This giveaway will run through midnight on Dec 19, 2009 PDT, with winner being announced the morning of Dec 21, 2009. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen.

Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.

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target=”_blank”>Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List….

Ask Diva: Featured on The Green Girls!

In addition to finding Ask Diva right here at PND, we’ll also be featured on www.TheGreenGirls.com!

Here is a teaser of our first Green Girls Ask Diva!

Dear Diva,
Do you have any info on Origins line of products? I see some of their items say no animal ingredients. Have you tried any? Thanks!

Hi Mary,
Origins is an Estee Lauder company founded in 1990. They have a long-standing commitment to being green. They purchase wind power to offset electricity used in stand alone retail stores and have been recognized as one of the top 30 companies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership as a result their green efforts.

Working with Global ReLeaf they have planted the equivalent of 1.25 million trees. In 2009 Origins launched a program to accept empty cosmetic primary packaging from any brand of product for recycling, which is fantastic as most curbside recycling will not accept this type of packaging – you’ll even be given a sample of their products as a reward for your recycling efforts. Origins has also recently launched a USDA certified organic line of products, another great step.

The growing size of the natural skin care market has not gone without note by Estee Lauder executives.

The not so good news… CLICK HERE to read the whole response on The Green Girls!

Do you have a question you’d like to Ask Diva? We’d love to hear from you.

Everyday Minerals: Make-Up Review

By Tania Reuben

Everyday Minerals offers a full line of Mineral Make Up. Their products are handmade in small batches to ensure product freshness. Stored correctly they should be safe for use for up to 2 years.

With a Diva Total of 13 points Everyday Minerals are: Divaliscious!

Click here for review criteria:

8 Points for Skin Deep Moderate Hazard Rating
0 Points for being Organic

2 Points for effectiveness:
I was easily able to achieve the looks I was going for with Everyday Minerals. For this review I used Everyday Minerals daily in lieu of my day to day make up. I had two functions to attend and I used Everyday Minerals for both. At a wedding I was told my skin was glowing!

1 Point for Texture:
Everyday Minerals Make Up was smooth, easy to apply and blended well. It felt light on my skin. I was also able to achieve a more dramatic look for evenings out.

1 Point for Fragrance:
I didn’t notice any smell or fragrance while using Everyday Minerals.

.5 Points for Packaging Appearance:
Everyday Minerals has simple, elegant packaging. Individual items are not re-packaged in a box. The containers themselves have inserts to limit the “flow” of your make up – making application easier. A few of the small sized containers I received had a clear film over the insert (to prevent the product from leaking) that was challenging to remove. I noticed that other similarly packaged products had a convenient pull tab. My guess is the “tab” is the new and improved film. If you happen run into the tab free film – you’ll want tweezers to remove the film.

.5 Points for Packaging Sustainability
The plastic used is recyclable. Everyday Minerals suggests saving the sample containers to use on the go touch ups.

OVERALL
Watch a full make up application using Everyday Minerals – Check this out:

I was nervous about trying a “full” Mineral make up regime. Worried I would have powder flying everywhere and it would take me forever to do get my make up done. As a mom of two toddlers, spending more time on make up is not an option! My mineral applications are quick and easy. Tip – I keep a piece of paper for blotting my colors, almost like an artist’s palette.

One appeal of Mineral make up is they often have better safety scores. Everyday Minerals scores top points here, nothing in their line scores higher that a 3 in the CD – for me that means I can shop with confidence and just have fun.

You can’t beat the value of Everyday Minerals. Their prices ranging from $2.50 to $12 for a full size foundation. They also over fantastic promotions with their Perks Program – order 5-11 products and get 25% off – order 12 or more products at 45% off!

Everyday Minerals makes it easy for you to find the right colors for your skin. They walk you through the basics of selecting the best shades and will even send you color samples for free (you pay shipping). Once you have the product – they walk you through the application.

While I was able to use my own Make Up brushes, they do offer a full line of Bamboo Vegan Brushes. If you use your own brushes be sure to clean them when your new make up arrives so you don’t cross contaminate.

Colors Used in the Video Application:
Golden Fair Foundation
Fresh Hydrating Concealer
Wild Flowers – Eye Shadow (as brow liner)
Everyday Resort – Eye Pallatte (as eyeliner and crease)
Apple – Blush (as blush and lip color on top of lip balm)

I also loved:
Champagne Lucent Powder – It has a gorgeous shimmer and I didn’t feel guilty dusting it on my daughter when she asked for some.
Dark Brown – Brow Color (as eyeliner) – created a nice dark liner for a more dramatic look.
Rare Silk – Eye Shadow – created a nice shimmer on for the eyes.

Ready to try Everyday Minerals for yourself – Everyday Minerals has agreed to give four lucky readers their latest colors for fall, the Shady Stroll Eyeshadow Palette.

HOW TO ENTER:

There are a few ways you can enter, leave separate comments for each entry.

Mandatory:

Become a Confirmed Email Subscriber to PND.
CLICK HERE.
– After subscribing you will receive an email – check your junk mail – you must verify your subscription in this email to win!
– Already a confirmed Subscriber. Leave a comment letting me know you’re subscriber and would like to enter.

Additional Entries

1. Go to www.everydayminerals.com – tell PND which foundation sampler you’d try if you were matching your skin.

2. Stumble this post. Leave a comment with your name and the link to the stumble.

3. Follow @purenaturaldiva on twitter (use link on the sidebar). Leave your twittername in a separate comment.

4. Become a Fan of Pure Natural Diva on Facebook, already a fan – post this giveaway as an update, leave your FB Name or Name with a copy of your update in a separate comment.

5. Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste “@PureNaturalDiva – Everyday Minerals Review – Win one of 4 Shady Stroll Fall colors – http://bit.ly/tc1Tu “. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.

6. Write a post on your blog linking to PND and to Everyday Minerals website – Good for two entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!

This giveaway will run through midnight on Sept 16, 2009 PDT, with winner being announced the morning of Sept 18, 2009. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen.

Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.

WINNERS HAVE BEEN CONTACTED: #1 # 27 #32 & #3