I’m turning thirtysomething this year. And though until now I’ve gotten by on the bare-bones makeup routine, I took a long, hard look in the mirror this morning and realized I need to grow up and break out the big guns. Blush. Highlighter. Maybe even some—egads—shadow. Because these days, my natural look needs a little, shall we say, assistance.
With that said, what’s working still does its job. I’ve got my go-to mascara, my favorite lip gloss and the concealer that got me through last month’s break out. This is no time to be messing with the basics, right? Wrong. I’m viewing a looming 4-0 as the perfect opportunity to create an entirely new look, and if I’m starting from scratch, it might as well be green.
The truth is, that go-to drugstore concealer and eyeliner I’ve been hanging to to contain parabens, which have been found in breast cancer tissue. And the mascara? It might just be formulated with mercury, a known neurotoxin, according to the Skin Deep Database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com), a resource for cosmetic ingredients that was created by the non-profit Environmental Working Group.
I tossed the lipgloss after I learned that the average American woman will ingest more than four pounds of petroleum over her lifetime just by licking her conventionally lipsticked lips. And that, frighteningly, last year the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released an aptly-named “Poison Kiss” report alleging 61 percent of brand-name lipsticks contain lead in excess of .1 parts per million, the FDA’s limit for lead in candy. (The FDA has no limit for lead in lipstick. Go figure.) Ick!
Then I went to the woman who knows from eco-beauty, Josie Maran (www.josiemarancosmetics.com), who was the face of Maybelline for 10 years until she got sick and tired of promoting chemicals and launched her own line. Her lip glosses taste like Dulche de Leche, but you can lick your lips all you want—there’s not an ounce or petroleum (or lead, for that matter) in the lot. And her mascara is to die for, but without mercury or any neurotoxins to speak of, you don’t have to worry about dying to wear it.
For shadow, I wanted to try mineral since it’s reputed to stick around longer and lord knows I have little time for touch ups. I adore the aptly-named tints in mineral master Alima’s new Silver Screen collections—Garbo is the perfect neutral, and Bette a retro blue. Minerals are also key in my new chemical-free concealer. You can’t beat Alima’s $1 sample sizes to get your color right (www.alimapure.com).
Tarte’s new offerings are chemical-free, and their signature Berrylicious Cheek Stain (www.tartecosmetics.com) is totally clean. It gives a sexy flush without looking weird and is so easy to apply: Just touch the stick to your cheeks, then rub with your fingers to blend. Now they’re paired the Stain with Rise & Shine, which, on one end, is this amazing stain, and on the other is a perfectly slick but not sticky gloss. And it’s pocket sized—or purse-sized, if you’re a grown-up like me.
Are you hitting a milestone this year? Or thinking about greening your look? Tell me about it!
