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beauty

Beauty, Clean Living

10 Natural Makeup Brands You Will Love!

Personally, I. LOVE. Make-up. The flawless skin coverage, carefully contoured lines, and “effortless” look of beauty are oh-so-rewarding. But, I never considered all of the chemicals my face was soaking in on a daily basis, which is anything but glamorous!

Did you know your face soaks up 5-10x’s more chemicals than your body? Since I’ve learned of the dangers of chemicals in cosmetics, I’ve switched to healthier, natural, organic alternatives.

The good news is, there are many natural beauty products on the market and the list continues to grow as companies learn what the consumer truly wants: healthy, safe products.

After endless hours, days, months, years… and decades (just kidding!) researching and testing products, I’ve come up with some of my personal favorite brands. Each brand is free of harmful chemicals including sulfates (SLS and SLES), parabens, phthalates, and much more!

1. Juice Beauty

My Favorite Brand For Make-up & All Around Skin Care! Juice Beauty products are made with certified organic ingredients, sustainable packaging, zero animal bi-products (vegan!) and are never tested on animals (cruelty free!). Juice Beauty products are formulated with organic botanical juice, rather than petroleum fillers or water, which means your skin is getting more antioxidants and nutrients than ever before! Made in the U.S.A.

My Picks: Foundation, Concealer, and Liquid Lip.

2. 100% Pure

The brand’s natural, pure formulations are completely free of artificial colors and use fruit, vegetable, tea, and plant pigments rather than synthetic dyes. 100% Pure is free of artificial fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives, and all other toxins. Cruelty-free. Made in the U.S.A.

My Pick: Mascara and if you like a bit of a shimmer, you will love this Eye-shadow.

3. Ilia

Ilia products are carefully crafted with natural ingredients that protect your skin from everyday environmental stress. The product line is also vegan, silicone-free, cruelty-free, gluten-free, nanoparticle-free, paraben-free beauty products and comes in sustainable, recyclable packaging! Made in the U.S.A.

My Picks: Bronzing Powder and the Multistick

4. Au Naturale

As one of the cleanest overall brands on this list, Au Naturale uses USDA Certified Organic ingredients whenever possible with the exception of the minerals they use to pigment the cosmetics (since the pigments were never living, they cannot be considered organic). Paraben-free, gluten-free, bismuth oxychloride-free, non-nano, carmine-free, vegan, and cruelty-free (both PETA-approved and Leaping Bunny Certified). Made in the U.S.A.

My Pick: Au Naturale Vegan Organic Lip Gloss in Magnolia

5. Tata Harper

Tata Harper’s highly concentrated beauty products are jam packed with vitamins and nutrients in addition to being 100% free from all fillers, synthetics, artificial colors, fragrances, and GMOs. Tata Harper also uses 100% post consumer materials in their packaging and hold the following certifications: PETA Cruelty-Free, American Vegetarian Association, FSC certified, and ECO-Cert Certifications. Made in the USA.

My Pick: Tata Harper Anti-aging Neuropeptide Highlight

6. W3ll People

Made using natural ingredients and no chemical fillers, W3ll People is also cruelty-free and vegan! If you are going for a “natural” look, this affordable product line is for you. Made in the U.S.A.

My Pick: Bio Brightening Powder and Bio Baked Bronzer Powder

7. RMS Beauty

Formulated using organic, natural ingredients, RMS products are non-gmo, non-nano, hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic, soy-free, and cruelty-free. RMS Beauty is (mostly) gluten-free with the exception of their volumizing mascara which contains wheat starch. Made in Thailand.

My Pick: Wild With Desire Lipstick and Lipliner

8. Mineral Fusion

Mineral Fusion is formulated using natural ingredients. All ingredients are gluten-, paraben-, talc-, SLS-, phthalate-free and also free of artificial colors, synthetic fragrances. Mineral Fusion is perfect for the mid-price range, non-toxic beauty products. Cruelty-free. Made in the U.S.A.

My Pick: Blush

9. Lawless

With the tag line “Clean AF”, Lawless creates naturally high pigmented colors, free of common toxic ingredients like fragrance, formaldehyde, coal tar, mineral oil, and much more. A clean option, but not the absolute cleanest due to their use some artificial coloring and a few other questionables. Cruelty-free. Made in the USA and Europe.

My Pick: Lipstick

10. Pacifica

Formulated using natural pigments, without harmful chemicals like carmine, phthalates, petroleum and silicone. Pacifica is moderately priced, 100% Vegan and Cruelty-free. Again, another clean brand in general, but beware of artificial fragrance in some of their products. Made in the U.S.A.

My Pick: Eye-shadow Palette

Other Considerations

Beauty Counter and Crunchi Cosmetics are two other brands you may want to consider. In general, their products are clean and many people love them! But I am a little skeptic of MLM’s and personally don’t purchase their products – mainly because I’ve found other truly transparent brands that I love! Both have had some controversy regarding their products and ingredient disclosure information – even so, I would for sure choose either over conventional products.

What about beauty brands that claim to be ‘natural’, ‘organic’, ‘non-toxic’ and ‘clean’? Numerous brands use ‘clean’ words as a part of their marketing strategy, but in fact, are not clean at all. They may contain some organic ingredients, but also often contain ingredients that are harmful and shouldn’t be in products at all. Some of these ‘bad’ ingredients to look out for include, but are not limited to, sulfates, polyethylene glycol, sodium laureth sulfate, phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, talc, heavy metals, and fragrance. Fragrance can include up to 3000 unregulated chemicals including phthalates and other chemicals. Steer clear!

Pro Tip: Always check the labels as ingredients may change.

I’m ready to enhance my natural beauty. Where can I buy clean beauty products?

Visit The Detox Market, Safe & Chic, or AILLEA online or shop my personal favorites on Amazon for a plethora of pure beauty products all at your finger tips! Additionally, some clean products are sold at Target, Whole Foods, and Sephora,

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to follow along on social media!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” Therefore, if you click on a link and purchase the item, we may receive a small commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we use personally and have extensively researched. We pride ourselves on honesty and integrity to our readers.

Full Disclaimer and Disclosure here.
Babies & Kids, Clean Living, Healthy Home

6 Ways to Detox Your Laundry Routine
The fresh scent of clean clothes may actually just reek of chemicals getting ready to penetrate your skin and irritate your airways! That’s the case if you are washing your beloved cashmere sweater or cute cotton cardigan with synthetic fragrances, butane, or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) – common chemicals found in detergents and other laundry products. Detox your laundry routine today with these 6 simple steps.

1. Purchase a natural, non-toxic laundry detergent.

Skin irritation, asthma, hormonal issues, and even cancer are commonly linked to harmful chemicals found in our everyday products… and detergents are no different. Using a safer detergent is not only better for our health, but also better for the environment too!

Artificial fragrance, propylene glycol, ethanolamine, ethanol, laureth-9, sodium hydroxide, diethylene glycol, benzisothiazolinone, and FD&C Yellow 3 are a few toxic ingredients found in many detergents on the market today, including the widely marketed baby detergent, Dreft. P.S. Pleassee do not use Dreft!

Best Non-Toxic Choices: In my home, we switch between my personal non-toxic favorites: Meliora (my go-to), Eco Nuts (made from just soapberries!), Better Life, and Molly’s Suds.

2. Ditch dryer sheets and use wool balls instead.

Harmful chemicals added to traditional dryer sheets include acetone, acetaldehyde, butane, fragrance, and quats. The EPA states that there is no safe level of exposure for specific carcinogens like acetaldehyde and butane.

Wool dryer balls are not only reusable and environmentally friendly, but they are free of chemicals and will save you money in the long run! You can even add a few drops of your favorite essential oils for a fresh, natural scent.

3. Avoid fabric softener and use vinegar, if needed.

Did you know traditional fabric softeners make clothing “softer” by using a array of not-so-great chemicals? These chemicals are known to cause respiratory problems, reproductive issues, skin irritation, headaches, dizziness, asthma, coma, and even death.

Cleaning grade vinegar can be used as a natural fabric softener – and no, your clothes will not smell like vinegar!

Note: It is possible to damage the ‘rubber’ hoses of your washing machine when using vinegar on a regular basis, specifically in front loading washers. If you do choose to use this method, always dilute cleaning grade vinegar and do not add it directly to the drum to protect your washing machine hoses. Special thanks to one of readers for sharing this article!

4. Stop using “Scotch-Guard” and “Wrinkle-Releasing” products!

These products contain chemicals, including PFOS, which are known to cause reproductive and developmental issues, cancer, environmental harm, and respiratory issues like asthma. Avoid!

5. Don’t fall for marketing gimmicks AKA deceptive marketing.

Greenwashing occurs when companies provide misleading information about how products are ‘clean, green, and organic’, when in fact, they are not environmentally sound at all. Just remember: Even if a product claims to be “organic”, “non-toxic”, or “free and clear” does not mean it truly is.

Here are a few examples of greenwashed products: DREFT, All Free & Clear, Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent, and Mrs. Meyer’s Laundry Detergent.

6. Wash your washer & clean dryer vents regularly.

Chemicals linger in your washer and dryer, just as they linger on your clothes. Occasionally, remember to give your washer a rinse!

As for the dryer vents and lint traps… Did you know chemicals from in and around your home all build up in the lint trap and dry vents? This includes flame retardants too! Be sure to clean these components regularly to prevent fires and eliminate toxins from your home.

BONUS TIP:
Don’t over stuff your washer!

When you over stuff your washer, nothing is getting cleaned properly regardless of the products you use.

The following non-toxic detergents are some of my personal favorites, that we use in our home. To learn more or purchase the product, click the image below or visit my Amazon Storefront for even more safe choices for your family. Thank you for reading!

Disclosure: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links.
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